Through some sort of Force-blessed miracle, they had. For all the heat and desperation of the fight, the number of dead was relatively low. Those injured numbered far, far greater, and that, in truth, is even harder of their little band of renegades. Especially factoring in what they'd had to leave behind on the planet, the Resistance has precious little in the way of medical supplies. Not being officially recognized by the New Republic, they can't just tap into the galaxy-wide network of hospitals and clinics and request what they need.

Which is what brings Vi and Cardinal to a room set aside next to the medbay on the capital ship they'd ended up on after the evacuation. Around the room, various people recline in chairs attended by white-tunicked medics, tubes leading out of their arms. The signs on the wall read “Blood Drive” and “Save a life.”

A harried-looking nurse approaches the two as they come in the door, giving them a tired smile. “Donating?” she asks hopefully.

“Yes, ma'am,” Vi answers for them as Cardinal shifts nervously beside her.

The smile widens a little. “Much appreciated. Please fill these out, and someone will be with you as soon as possible.” The nurse hands them a pair of datapads and gestures toward a row of hard chairs which make up a waiting area.

Vi sits, Cardinal trailing alongside her, and thumbs on the datapad's screen. The form that faces her is familiar: basic identifying information, relevant medical history, recent travel, and other eligibility questions. She sets to filling it out with a practiced hand, but after a few minutes, she realizes Cardinal hasn't moved, is just staring down at his screen.

“Something wrong, Emergency Brake?”

He looks up at her with a strange expression on his face. “I don't know a lot of this stuff,” he admits. “With the First Order, we didn't have to worry about any medical issues – they were taken care of automatically without telling or asking us anything. And these questions about my family history...”

Vi squeezes his arm. “Don't worry about it. Just fill out what you can, and let the medic know when they come. They test all the blood for any issues anyway; these forms are just to give them an idea of what to look for or screen you out automatically if they need to so no one's time gets wasted.”

“Okay...” He squints down at the datapad again, probably completely unconscious of the cute way he's biting his lip as he starts to tentatively punch in his responses.

Vi favors him with a soft smile before finishing her own datawork. A few minutes later, the same nurse who welcomed them comes over and says, “All right, I can take one of you. Who wants to go first?”

The look Cardinal shoots Vi then is completely panicked, though it only takes a second for him to lock it down. “I-” he begins.

“Can you wait and take us together?” Vi asks smoothly. Her hand slides over to take Cardinal's. “I think he's a little nervous.”

She'd never known a person's countenance could exhibit such a perfect combination of resentment and relief until that moment.

“Oh, of course,” the nurse says. She glances at the donation area. “In fact, it looks like someone else is leaving now. If you'll come with me?”

She takes their datapads as they stand, nodding in understanding as Cardinal mumbles about not being able to fill out his entire form and repeating the same reassuring words Vi had said. They reach the donation area, and the nurse is kind enough to push the two available chairs right next to each other. Vi and Cardinal sit down.

“So you're an old pro at this, hmm?” the medic asks Vi as she rolls up her sleeve and swipes a patch of skin with an antiseptic pad.

Vi shrugs with her free shoulder. “I want to do all I can for the cause.”

“And we appreciate it.”

Vi watches Cardinal out of the corner of her eye as the nurse slides the needle into her arm and gets the flow going. His eyes are wide as all of his attention locks on the sharp point, his face going pale.

“You gonna be all right there, buddy?” the nurse asks kindly as she catches sight of his reaction. “You're no good to anyone if you go passing out on us.”

Cardinal shakes his head as if trying to beat sense into himself, clenching his fists on the arms of his chair as his teeth sink into his bottom lip. “I'm fine,” he grits out.

Vi tilts her head at him. “You don't have to do this, you know.” She feels abruptly guilty for encouraging him to come with her.

“No, I want to,” he says, and there's that defiant flash in his eyes that always shows alongside any possible chance of failure. “I want to give what I can to the Resistance, too. I want to help people.”

Vi wishes she could lean over and kiss him without bothering the blood tube. Inside, she just beams, trying to show him some of the warmth suffusing her chest right now. “Have I ever told you have amazing you are?”

He looks away, cheeks reddening, and mumbles something unintelligible.

The nurse appears to be valiantly holding back a grin, apparently intensely taken with them. “You can hold her hand if you like,” she tells Cardinal, schooling her features into a benevolent smile. “I promise I won't tell anyone.”

Cardinal hesitates for a long moment and then snakes his hand across the arm of the chair to threat his fingers with Vi's, squeezing tightly. She squeezes back, reassuring. “I'm ready,” he tells the medic.

“Very well.” She pushes up his sleeve and retrieves another wipe, cleansing the area before picking up another needle. “It may help if you look away,” she advises. “It's just a little pinch, then it'll be over.”

He nods, chin set determinedly, and meets Vi's eyes. She brushes a thumb over his hand, gives him a smile. “You're so brave,” she murmurs, and before he can protest about all the things he's done, adds, “There's more than one kind.”

His eyes drop, and he says nothing.

“There we are,” the nurse announces, standing. “You're all set.” She beams down at the two of them. “I'll be back in fifteen minutes, and you'll be good to go. Just flag someone down if you need anything.” She bustles off.

Vi watches as Cardinal looks over at the tube protruding from his arm, the red liquid flowing through it. His eyes go wide, and she feels a tremor run through him.

“Hey.” He looks at her. “Try not to focus on it, okay? You're fine.” She grins. “You said so yourself.”

He glares, having picked up on the challenge exactly as she'd known he would.

It's easy enough to distract him for fifteen minutes. They talk about the Resistance plans going forward, what the two of them will do specifically. She worries about the team she's heard has gone on an undercover mission to Canto Bight, and he assures her their leaders would never have sent them if they didn't believe they could succeed.

Soon enough, the kindly medic is back, checking the amount of blood that has been deposited in their respective bags and determining them finished. Vi would laugh at the look of utter relief on Cardinal's face as the needle is removed from his vein if she weren't equally happy to see him comfortable again. She barely notices as her own is withdrawn.

“The refreshments table is over there,” the nurse says with a wave at the opposite corner of the room. “Have something, and if you're feeling all right in ten minutes or so, you're free to go. If you start to feel woozy, sit down and call one of us over right away.” She flashes them a smile. “Thank you so much for coming today.”

“Refreshments?” Cardinal asks once she's disappeared again.

Vi grins at him. “If saving lives isn't enough for you, you get a snack as a thank you and to start replacing what you lost. How's that for your troubles?” She grabs his hand and tugs him toward the table, looking back with a wink. “And when we get back to our berth, maybe something else, too.”