((OOC disclaimer: I like doctor shows so some of those terms could very well be made up. XD))

Maya awoke with a yawn so deep that her eyes watered. That in itself was a victory. She felt hands move away from her chest and up to her face

"Finally, I thought you were never wake up. Wasn't sure if I could heal synthetics, but i guess you're only kind of synthetic."

Her face crumpled in confusion. Another victory, though she was having trouble focusing... or moving. Well, not moving. She was moving just fine, but no where near as dexterously as she was accustomed. Maya kept bumping into things. It was like coming up for air for the first time after being in a very deep and dark pool... when you had a hangover.

"Yeesh. I am not even gonna ask what that was like. Maya? Maaaaya. Hey. Helloooooo? Arctic Colony calling for you, dear. Can you talk for me?" Expert hands were flashing lights in her eyes and doing obnoxious doctorly things.

Blink, blink. "Rita?" Maya was having a strange mix of her form vision and regular, but it was unmistakeably Garrett's nurse that was fussing around the room and it was probably Rita's hands sternly pulling her up. She was everywhere at once. It was amazing. Rita was talking a million miles a minute and Maya was just struggling to sit up.

"Wonderful! No motor aphasia and she's alive! Hey, Doc Wills has been a real basket case since you locked yourself in here. When I came in you were unconscious, darling. Come on, can you sit up for me?"

With a slight huff and some help Maya righted herself. It kind of helped her feel the room out, though obviously something was askew.

"From my initial scan it looks like you did a bang up job with the merger, dear. Just a little ventricular tachycardia, but that was probably stress related. Smoothed that over with some healing, though it looks like you're having some periphery myelinated neuron damage."

"Could you please speak English? And slower?"

"Honey, I fixed your fluttering heart, but you have some nerve damage in your limbs. But that's okay since you're dating a nerve specialist."

"Oh." So that was why her arms and legs felt like they were made of solid wood. Maya scooted to the edge of the gurney and with Rita's help found the ground beneath her feet. Her balance seemed okay so she shrugged out of Rita's arm lock and made for the door.

"Maya, dear?" Rita had that tone like a second grade teacher or mom. Maya tried to look at her and realized that she actually had to turn her face to do so.

"You're not ... uhh... wearing anything."

Maya looked down in slow motion and realized the truth in Rita's words. It was like one of those bad dreams except that it was more than just her pants that were missing. "I didn't... uhm..." Well, honestly, she hadn't planned that far ahead.

~~~

Rita was a resourceful woman, Maya had to admit. She'd jimmied her way into Garrett's locker in his office to get a shirt and a doctor's coat. She'd helped Maya with the fine motor bits and the white coat became a short dress. Very short, but decent enough to get her to the elevator to down to the bat cave. Rita hopped into the elevator to press the right combination of buttons and to wish her luck before hoping right back out.

"You're not coming?"

Rita seemed to think Maya's question was funny. "No. The Doc is probably sleeping."

The doors closed on Maya's mouth forming a tight 'o' shape when comprehension dawned. There were some new things that Maya had learned about Garrett in her time at the Colony. Not only did Garrett prefer to sleep in the nude, but... well, sometimes he was a bear when woken early. Doctors had some shoddy sleeping habits to be sure. It was an easy and fast elevator ride that made her stomach take flight up into her upper abdomen. Or at least it felt like it.

When the doors swished open, Maya hesitantly stepped out. All was quiet on the living room front, but a soft rumbling confirmed Rita's words. Would he be mad at her for pushing ahead to the end of this project alone? She'd practically disappeared for 48 straight hours with the artist, probably more since she'd taken a nap after she'd filled into her body. Neither Ghost nor the artist had taken much of a break and then upon completion of the physical form, the eccentric man had taken off in just as much of a hurry as he had arrived. He hardly even got any pictures and all of them were taken before the unification of Ghost and body. It had been a whirlwind.

Maya tiptoed as best as she was able past the gently wafting curtain and into the room. From what she could tell, Garrett was sprawled across the space as asleep as one could be. She smiled and felt the muscles pull across her face like the expression was brand new or hardly used. Maya settled at the edge of the bed and ran her fingers along Garrett's scalp, through that adorable, short hair of his.

"Garrett?" She leaned in and kissed him on the forehead as he stirred. "Uhm... I have a surprise for you." A good, solid surprise.

Two long days of wondering and waiting. The first day went smoothly as Garrett assumed that the process would be intensive, so he went about his general business. The first night was a bit more jagged. He had gone to check on her and found the room locked. He ould hear muffled talking. He realized the scope of the project, but not even an update? He decided she was probably still cross with him for not joining her. he deserved that much, so he worked even longer in his office andd then returned to his quarters for short bouts of restless sleep.

Day two began equally jittery as the pair was still at work inside. He avoided the urge to barge in, not wanting the artist to be ruined in his musing. This was all for Maya's benefit, though partly Garrett's own as well. He longed to feel her touch, taste her lips. His frustration was thinly veiled as he worked that day as he found himself snapping at Rita and being short with patients. everyone deserved a bad day now and again, he decided. Night two went on and on, seconds dragging into minutes. He managed not only to finish his caseload, organize his files and monitor data, bu actually ended up sweeping up the office. Rita found him as she came in for her shift, half asleep in his chair. She curtly sended him off to bed, telling him that the artist was done and had departed. Maya was still locked in the room, though. He dragged his sorry ass downstairs and called it a long long day.

Sleep came easily and heavy. he trusted maya implicitly and never had a passing thought of infidelity. He simply missed her. He found himself dreaming of her, remembering the night they had spent in the thron thicket so long ago. He could almost feel her soft hands running through his hair. Hair. He idn't have hair then. His eyes began to flutter open, as fantasy curved into reality. She was running her hands through his hair now. He rubbed his eyes for a moment and felt her lips press against his forehead. Something felt different. He noticed she was beside him, sitting on the bed, in his shirt and lab coat. "Uhm... I have a surprise for you." He reached out and held her hand. It was solid. His eyes closed and he smiled sweetly." Welcome home, love."

He reached for her hand, still in the dregs of sleep and she clutched back clumsily. He returned her smile through closed eyes. "Welcome home, love."

Well, she hadn't been expecting anything super spectacular. He'd been asleep after all, but it was a bit of a let down in the reaction department. Of course, he'd seen her recently almost solid... so maybe this wasn't as big a jump for him. "Nice to be back in the land of the solid, I guess." Maya sighed and flopped onto the mattress next to Garrett, though she didn't bother to worm under the covers, she didn't bother to find any proper clothes either. The doctor coat was rather growing on her. It even smelled like Garrett. Which was better than the overwhelming new-car smell of her body.

"Whenever you actually wake up, would you be a doll and put on your doctor hat?" She pulled on Garrett's arm forcing him to roll toward her before she plopped that warm hand over her face. She needed an aspirin or a real nap, though the skin contact was doing wonders already. "Rita fixed my heart or... whatever." Maya muttered from beneath Garrett's fleshy hand. "Just took a little long getting things properly aligned. She said my periphery something ... was .. not good."

She took her time yawning. She was still a little addled from the experience, though the fixing of her nerves would allow some proper sensory perception. Then she could start getting used to the new body. In theory, one would think that it wouldn't take that much of an acclamation period. It was fashioned after her exact shape.

The darkness was beginning to clear as reality became solid. "Nice to be back in the land of the solid, I guess."She was solid. Was she wearing the new body?"Whenever you actually wake up, would you be a doll and put on your doctor hat?" He felt her pull his body and place his hand on her face. She had pulled him. That was above and beyond anything she had been able to do before. This had to be the new body."Rita fixed my heart or... whatever." Maya muttered from beneath Garrett's fleshy hand. "Just took a little long getting things properly aligned. She said my periphery something ... was .. not good."

His eyes snapped open like a camera shutter. His hand slid over her face, caressing her chin. His fingers trailed over her nose, her lips and through her hair. " He did a perfect job" Garrett pulled his hand away and sat up next to her. She was wearing his shirt and lab coat, as he had remembered, but nothing else. " I'm sorry for being groggy. I couldn't sleep much the second day, not knowing what was going on with you. The exquisite detail of this body though shows me why it took so long, though."

He reached over and switched the other bedside lamp on, further illuminating her flesh. His own flesh revealed his anticipation and excitement over her new incarnation. He did his best to ignore it. He was a doctor after all. Garrett knelt beside her and placed his hands against her temples, closing his eyes. Her familiar neural signature snapped on in an instant. It looked odd, though. Blurred a bit as if it were a double image. Her nervous system was confused, not knowing where it should connect to. He made some throaty MMhmms as his eyes trailed over her.

" I can see the problems now. As perfect as this body is, it is not your original one. As much as our eyes can be deceived, your delicate nervous system cannot. Not yet, anyway. Remove those clothes and lie down here on the bed." He grinned, his perfect smile of calm meets innuendo beaming. " All science for now, I assure you, dear."

Mentioning a need of his doctor skills and physically pulling him closer had seemed to do the trick. Even though her eyes were now closed, Maya knew that Garrett's were open as his hand moved from limply covering her face to appreciating it. Chin, nose, lips, hair... she was still wondering about the hair actually. "He did a perfect job" She felt him shift next to her and her eyes fluttered open. She tried to focus on his face which only made her brain hurt and prompted her eyes to close again. "I think you'll enjoy the video. Pretty cool looking in the inside too."

"I'm sorry for being groggy. I couldn't sleep much the second day, not knowing what was going on with you. The exquisite detail of this body though shows me why it took so long, though."[/color]

"Heh. Sorry for locking you out. Just got on a roll, I guess." She shrugged against the sheets. The Artist had been a machine. It was easy to get swept up in it all. She was far too used to skipping meals and plowing through while fatigued. Maybe that would all start to change.

He turned on the bedside lamp and Maya squinted her closed lids shut tighter. She would have to get used to being light sensitive again. Garrett placed his hands against her temples and she knew he was working.

"I can see the problems now. As perfect as this body is, it is not your original one. As much as our eyes can be deceived, your delicate nervous system cannot. Not yet, anyway. Remove those clothes and lie down here on the bed." [/color] She smiled. He was good at what he did, but knew just as well as he did that he could work his magic with or without clothing. "All science for now, I assure you, dear." She chuckled and shrugged out of the coat, not even needing to unbutton it first. Strangely enough it was much easier to escape clothes than it was to fasten them.

"Ha! For now." She fumbled with the loose shirt. Maya knew Garrett. Even if it was more than just a check up she didn't seem to be objecting.

"Ha! For now."

Garrett stood in front of Maya and helped her with her shirt, or his shirt, rather. He dropped it to the floor and stood back, admiring her beauty. " Yes, it's a perfect replica indeed." He enjoyed the idea of not only seeing but feeling her cheeks burn as they once did when they were younger. He placed her hands in his own. His neural vision started here, where they should, his focus like a laser working on the thousands of delicate nerves in her hands and fingers." Manual dexterity is a must. No better place to start, right?"

He realized that this was going to be a true test of his abilities. It wouldn't take nearly as long as the artist's job, but it would have to be as thorough. Not only for the tactile pleasures of life, but for her very survival. " I don't think you'll notice any major changes until I link these up to your spinal column, but trust me. No person on Earth could receive more thorough treatment. " He looked up at her and smiled and then continued his work. The hands cleared up but it still caused a strange vision as the rest of the arm wasn't there yet. His eyes and mutation were already past her wrists and moving up and along her forearms.

Garrett slid his hands to her elbows, the energy of his moving fluidly through them and working its way up her biceps now. He already began seeing the speed of the action as both limbs worked their way toward the central column. He moved behind her, again having a look at her. " I see you had nothing augmented. I'm glad as I love you just as you are." A bit of bedside manner never hurt, especially as a distraction." You should feel some tingling and, hopefully, full sensation in a moment. I have to ensure the connections are sound." He ran a finger down her spine and back up again, aligning the spinal column to its actual place in the body.As he looked back up the neural energy from her shoulders was already weaving itself into the pillar of function.

After the shirt was off she chanced a peek with her eyes. Yeah. She didn't have to see in perfect clarity to know that look and it definitely wasn't a doctor look. It was pointless to cover herself, but that didn't mean that she didn't have to resist the urge.

"Yes, it's a perfect replica indeed."[/color]
"I thought it would make things easier, you know." She shrugged. "One less variable to worry about, though I did consider asking for long hair. Heh."

He started with her hands. Strong hands gripped hers and after a slight paused those hands walked their way slowly up her arms. "I don't think you'll notice any major changes until I link these up to your spinal column, but trust me. No person on Earth could receive more thorough treatment."[/color]

"Rita was right. It's good to date the doc." She returned his smile as best she could. She was most excited about seeing, but was patiently keeping her eyes closed for the most part, only using her innate feeling of the air around to tell what was going on. It was hopefully minimizing the headache.

He next changed position to settle behind her.
"I see you had nothing augmented. I'm glad as I love you just as you are."[/color]
"Supposedly he even replicated all freckle locations too, though I haven't actually checked that one myself."
She was shaking her head in amused disbelief. He was ever the ewwy-gooey one. He warned her about tingling, but as his finger ran up and down her spine it was more like the feeling she got when she was condensing herself into a solid state mixed with the feeling of when your limbs 'fall asleep' but a little bit more nettling.

Garrett watched as the process began to work on its own merit. Once the spinal cord was in place, it began to sprout and grow as if it were time lapse photography of a plant, the pathways branching out in every direction. Garrett made note of the process should he ever need to repeat it. He put his hands on her hips to speed the process as it moved down her legs and into her pelvis. He also just wanted to touch her.

He looked up to see all of his gawking had made him forget her head. He let go of her and really felt stupid for a moment. He walked around to the front and put one hand on the back of her neck and the other on her forehead. " All freckles present and accounted for. Excellent work." Garrett closed his eyes and focused on her spine and brain , delicately connecting the two, watching her optic nerves attach properly, the nerves in her teeth and tonge, all the little nerves that made her smile, frown, cry, smirk. He moved the hand from her neck to the back of her head, ensuring the brain was working properly with the brain inside. That was the true mastery of the artist.

She tried to keep her spine straight, but fatigue was forcing her to slump slightly. The slight twinges weren't helping, but she knew it was the master at work. She was so glad to have such talented people working on her. She wished to see what Garrett was seeing, but he did seem to be hard at work for the moment at least. She tried to wait patiently and focus on his hands wherever they went.

When he cradled her head she leaned against his hands. Her head already ached and now he was sending needle pricks through it. But it was wort it. It would all be worth it soon. He walked around to the front and put one hand on the back of her neck and the other on her forehead. Even her eyeballs tingled, but she didn't dare test them out until the pins receded.

"Just lemmie know when you're feglh..." Her tongue had started pricking. She opened her honeyed eyes with every intention to glare at Garrett, but was so surprised by the clarity that she couldn't even bother to glare. Apparently the Artist had fixed the shape of her eye even though she had asked for no modifications because she was no longer vaguely near-sighted. He had both hands cradled at the base of her skull where it met her neck and though his eyes were distant, watching things that she could no doubt only imagine.

Maybe he was finished, maybe not... she was still tingling in places, but she tentatively reached up to put her hands on either side of his face. She smiled and sniffled, wide eyes damp. It was already worth it. "M-my toes are cold." She pressed her bare foot up against his leg and wiggled her chilly toes.

"Just lemmie know when you're feglh..." Garrett smiled as he watched the brain begin to help him in his work, the nerve endings attaching faster as the neurons began to flow faster. He saw her sweet honey-brown eyes open with a bit of shock, or at least surprise in them. It had to be a completely different world than the one she had become accustomed to. He released his neural vision and placed his hands one her shoulders, his eyes gazing back into hers.

" It's so good to see you seeing me, Maya.Need a little help with that tongue?" He closed the gap between their lips, embracing her and sinking into a deep kiss with her, using his own tongue in contact with hers to continue the awakening process. Their kiss trailed off and he smiled again at her, tracing her lips with his finger. "M-my toes are cold." Garrett smiled wider. "While I am sorry that you are uncomfortable, I am happy that you both feel your toes and you feel the sensation of cold on them.I think everything's coming around."

He quickly picked her up in his arms and put her back down again in the bed, covering her with the sheet, the blanket and himself. He turned the lights off in the room and descended on her once more." Let's make sure everything is working properly."

*fade to black*