Staying on Target (Bay)

[Bay]

Bay became marble as he took Ni's hand and led her aboard. He tried to speak but he couldn't find his voice until he led her to a chair and his NR-5 turned the corner.

"Water please," he said turning to the droid, "I'll... I'll get some things from the bathroom," he said to Ni.

Bay left and returned with some clean cloths, toiletries, and some small sealable plastic bags. His droid returned with a large glass of water. "You should drink that," Bay said as he wrapped Ni up in a large towel.

He reached for her hands and began to work. He remained silent, never looking up to her face. He found the work difficult, her fingers shook and he had to be careful as he swabbed under each nail and trimmed them, placing the swabs and the clippings in a bag for each finger. Every so often, he had to shut his eyes forcefully to clear his vision. He smelled salt on his beard.

When he was done, he began washing her hands with the small towels he had brought. Only when her hands were clean did he look up at her face. "The ship has a shower, if you want to use it." his eyes were red. His beard was matted on the sides, "I can lend you some clothes."