The first time Veronica visited the Fortuna's medical wing, it had been an accident.

A few days after their arrival, exhausted from hours of training, she'd gotten lost trying to find her way back to her room. Though in her defense, all the hallways looked identical. She mindlessly wandered through them until the sound of Charles' voice caught her attention. When she followed the sound through an open doorway, she found herself standing in a hospital room.

Summer's room.

"Oh, sorry!" Veronica exclaimed as Charles looked her way. "I got lost. I was hoping you could tell me which way to go." Her gaze flickered to Summer, who laid back in her bed with her eyes closed. Was she asleep?

"No worries, this place is a bit of a maze," Charles said. He stood by Summer's bed, a phone in hand. The screen indicated he'd just ended a call. "Actually, would you mind helping me with something real quick? I'm not sure where my assistant went."

"Uh, sure," Veronica said. She moved forward into the room.

Her hesitation must have crept into her voice, because Charles gave her a reassuring smile. "Nothing difficult. I just need you to write some numbers down." He picked up a clipboard off the table by Summer's bed and held it out. "My short-term memory isn't the greatest."

"Okay," Veronica said as she took the clipboard. She turned and surveyed the medical equipment filling the room. "Wow. Where did you guys get all of this?"

"Some was donated by colleagues who were able to spare it," Charles answered. "The rest was paid for with funding from others in our network."

"Sounds like you have an extensive network." Veronica couldn't recall the full story the Newmans had given them when they first met at the motel in Tyche Point, but she remembered most of what they did was supported by people they'd worked with in the past, including the donation of the research vessel they stood on now.

Charles nodded. "We had to build a big network to accomplish all this. It's mostly other people impacted by Scorpion, who want to help us take them down," he said. "Not everyone has the time to directly help out with our research, but they've worked together to secure us as much funding as possible."

Veronica glanced down at the clipboard she was holding. "What was it you needed me to write?"

Charles pointed to the top sheet of paper on the clipboard. "Heart rate goes here, temperature here. These two boxes are for blood pressure. The first one I'll give you is systolic, and—"

"The second is diastolic," Veronica finished with him. "Got it."

Charles lifted an eyebrow. "You knew that already?"

"I want to go to medical school," Veronica told him as he opened one of the table's drawers. "Our high school didn't have a lot of bio and health classes, but I took as many as I could." She paused a moment before adding, "You're not a medical doctor though, right? Just a biologist?"

"Right," Charles replied as he pulled out a blood pressure cuff. "I just know some basic procedures that the Fortuna's doctors have shown me. I don't always have much research to do, so I like to help out when I can."

Veronica watched him move closer to Summer. "So, how has she been doing?" She'd helped bring Summer to the hospital wing when the altered first arrived, and Charles had yet to give them any updates beyond vaguely optimistic statements.

"We gave her a blood transfusion that went well, but the head doctor wants her to go in for surgery tomorrow on the mainland," Charles replied. "Recovery might be rough for a couple weeks, but it should be smooth sailing after that. She's going to be fine."

Veronica let out a small sigh of relief at that last part.

"Have you and Summer known each other long?" Charles asked as he adjusted the cuff on Summer's arm.

"Not really," Veronica admitted. "Sam's the one who befriended her and Eric. I mainly tagged along to keep an eye on him."

"One hundred fourteen over seventy-three," Charles read with a nod. "Are you worried about Sam?"

"A little," Veronica said as she scribbled the numbers down. "It scares me how easy it is for Summer and Eric to run into a fight. And I never thought Sam would be the kind of person to follow, but I guess I was wrong."

Charles removed the cuff from Summer's arm. "I know they want to keep fighting. Beth and I are afraid we won't be able to stop them. All we want is to keep you kids safe."

Veronica hesitated. "I mean, if we hadn't done everything we did, I guess we'd would be a lot worse off." She absentmindedly tapped the pen against the clipboard. "Summer and Sam did rescue Eric from Scorpion. And if we hadn't figured out what was happening under Delta Labs, the collapse could have happened while everyone was still in town. Scorpion would have gotten the fragment."

"I hate to think that letting you run into danger is our only chance at beating Scorpion," Charles said. "But they've figured out how to avoid authorities and heroes. You're the only ones who run into them."

"Yeah, I hate it, too. Finding out Sam ran into Scorpion's base with Summer to rescue Eric scared the hell out of me," Veronica told him. Reluctantly, she added, "But right now, we're the only people who can stop them. They're going to keep coming after us, and I'm not letting them hurt Sam, even if it means taking the fight to them." She lowered her gaze. "Plus, I want my life back, and that can't happen until they're gone. I'm not going to sit around and wait for someone else to get involved."

Charles nodded. "I understand." He turned to the screen on the machine next to the hospital bed and pressed a button. "Could you write down seventy-four for her heart rate?"

As Veronica added the number to the sheet, Summer stirred. Veronica tensed.

Summer's eyes fluttered open, and she pushed herself up. "Oh. Hey Veronica." She blinked a few times.

"Oh, uh, hi," Veronica said. "Sorry, I took a wrong turn somewhere."

Summer chuckled. "At least you're getting a head start at navigating the ship. I'm going to be lost for days after I get out of here."

Charles returned the blood pressure cuff to the drawer and exchanged it for a thermometer. "This is the last thing we need until the team takes you to the hospital."

"Great," Summer said, her voice surprisingly chipper as Charles prepared to take her temperature.

"She really needs surgery?" Veronica asked. Summer seemed pretty okay right now. A little pale, maybe, but far from the verge of death.

Charles nodded. "Ninety-eight point two. Everyone's surprised with how well she's holding up."

Summer smirked. "If Scorpion thinks they can stop me with bullets, they have another thing coming."

Veronica couldn't help letting out a small laugh, her earlier concern fading. Maybe Summer should have been taking this more seriously, but if she insisted she was fine, then it couldn't be that bad. Right?

"Thanks for your help, Veronica." Charles took the clipboard from her. "You know, if you have time between your class work and training, I bet the medical team could show you a few things while they treat Summer."

Veronica's face flushed. "Seriously?" It would be a great head start, if the doctors were really willing to deal with a high schooler. Not necessarily something that could go on a resume, but it would be useful all the same. And a great way to fill time that she would have otherwise spent wandering her new prison.

Okay, prison was a harsh term for the Fortuna, but Veronica certainly wasn't about to call it her new home.

"I'm sure they'd be happy to," Charles said.

"That would be awesome," Summer added. She flashed Veronica a smile.

Really? Summer wanted Veronica around? Veronica hadn't exactly been the nicest in the weeks leading up to Tyche Point's destruction.

Then again, things had changed during that final battle. Especially after Summer got shot.

"But if you could keep this from the others until Summer's more stable, we'd really appreciate it," Charles said. "I don't want them crowding Summer until we're certain she's in the clear, and I don't want them thinking I'm picking favorites by letting you help."

"Sure thing," Veronica said. The others would probably understand but holding off on telling them wasn't a bad idea.

"I'm going to go check in with Beth on a few logistical matters," Charles said. "Veronica, I'll find you later and let you know what the doctors think about letting you help."

"Great, thanks!"

"Bye, Charles!" Summer waved as Charles left the room.

Veronica turned to Summer. "Any idea what he means by logistical matters?"

"Not a clue," Summer replied. She folded her arms. "So, how is...everything? I heard there's a gym around here somewhere."

"Yeah, it's all really nice. But..." Veronica should have been grateful they had somewhere to go. Especially somewhere with nice rooms and good food. But no amount of luxury was going to make her feel better. "Honestly? I hate this stupid ship."

"That's fair," Summer said, to Veronica's surprise. "You just want things to go back to normal, right?"

Veronica paused. "Don't you?"

"Sort of?" Summer turned her head to stare at the wall. "I mean, everything was already going to change. I was thinking about graduation, and moving away, and applying to the Defenders Alliance." Hesitation flickered across her face. "I was ready for all of that. But this is definitely...sooner than I expected."

A heartbeat passed.

"I'm jealous of you," Veronica blurted. "I know I spent all that time saying we should stay out of the fight, but if I was brave enough to walk into a Scorpion base to save someone, of course I'd do it."

Summer responded with a sad smile that made Veronica's heart skip a beat. "To be fair, I've wanted this kind of thing my whole life," she said. She quickly added, "Not for bad things to happen, obviously. But to be in the right place to stop the bad guys."

Veronica lowered her gaze. All she wanted to do was hide from the bad guys.

"But you didn't ask for your powers," Summer continued. "None of us did. And if you really do want to become a doctor, then I think you'll do just as much good as you would if you were a superhero."

"Thanks," Veronica said. "That...actually makes me feel a little better."

~

A few weeks later, after the fight with Scorpion at the hotel, Veronica was back in Summer's hospital room. Today, one of the nurses was helping her draw blood.

"This should be the last blood test Summer needs," the nurse said as she watched Veronica slide the needle out of Summer's arm.

"Cool." Veronica was relieved she'd been able to keep her hands steady. Even though Summer seemed happy to act like they could be friends, Veronica was finding it hard to convince herself that Summer didn't secretly dislike her. That she was only being friendly because Veronica was the only one allowed to visit her more than once a week.

"I'll take this to the lab," the nurse said, lifting the vial of blood. "Charles and Beth should be here any minute."

As the nurse left, Summer placed an elbow on the stand by her bed and rested her chin on her hand. "Say, what day is it?"

"Oh, um, April ninth," Veronica told her. "Why do you ask?"

Summer shrugged. "I was just thinking that if we were still at Tyche Point, spirit week would be starting."

"Oh. Right." Veronica and Sam had never really been into school spirit stuff, but dressing up on Friday was always fun.

The door opened, and Beth entered, followed by Charles. Veronica barely processed their arrival, still thinking about the high school. "And the spring dance would have been on Saturday." She wasn't sure why she said it. She definitely wouldn't have gone.

"Oh yeah!" Summer's face lit up for half a second before falling again. She sighed. "I'm guessing that's probably been cancelled."

"Ha, yeah. Probably." Veronica paused. "You were planning on going, I'm guessing?"

"Oh, yeah. I mean, I was hoping to find a date," Summer said. She let out a short laugh.

"You know, the Fortuna has a ballroom, of sorts," Beth said as she and Charles reached Summer's bed. "We're not using it for anything. You kids could throw a party there."

Summer grinned. "Really?"

"Well, we should probably check with the crew, first—" Charles started.

"Oh, please. It won't be anything crazy," Beth said. Her hands slid into the pockets of her lab coat. "How much trouble could twenty or so kids get into, anyway?"

"She's right," Summer quickly added. "If we could just throw a small party, I'm sure it would cheer everyone up."

Charles still hesitated. "Of course I want that for you all, but we're trying to be responsible guardians. I just know how high school dances can get."

Beth rolled her eyes. "You didn't go to dances in high school."

"Neither did you," Charles replied.

"I went to one. And it was terrible."

"Oh, right. You complained about that for weeks."

Beth chuckled. "Yeah. Mom was mad I spent so much money on that dress."

A small smile touched Charles' lips as he shook his head. "All right, I guess you're right." He looked at Veronica and Summer. "If you kids want to use the ballroom for a dance, you're more than welcome to."

Beth folded her arms. "Of course, that's assuming Summer's in good enough condition to go." She lifted an eyebrow.

"I am!" Summer swung her legs over the side of the bed and pushed herself up. She stumbled.

On instinct, Veronica reached out to help steady her.

"Or at least, I will be," Summer said as she found her balance and straightened up. She flashed Veronica a quick smile.

"I think she'll be fine. She's done well walking around this week," Charles said to Beth. "It's amazing how much damage Raveena was able to repair on her own. I want to look more into how her ability works."

"As incredible as Raveena's power is, let's hope she's not forced to use it on that scale again," Beth replied. "Maybe we can find a safer way to study it."

"Of course." Turning to Summer, Charles added, "Just don't overexert yourself. You still need to build your strength back up."

Summer nodded.

"We have a few lab results coming in tonight," Beth said. "As long as they look good, we'll release you in the morning."

"Sick." Summer sat back down on the bed. "Man, I can't believe I missed out on our first missions as the Fortuna Guard." She glanced at Veronica. "We are using that name, right?"

"Yeah, we are," Veronica replied. "But the only people who even know we exist are Scorpion, and they mostly make fun of us."

"Well, they won't be laughing for long." Summer said with a smirk. "I'm about to join the fight."