Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Aasrel Izei (Chief Medical Officer) in Side sim: After-Shift Meetup

(snip)

She lead the way to the lift and up to deck 4. Her quarters were past sickbay, almost on the other side of the deck. She pressed the controls and the doors slid open. Her quarters were standard. All one room. Her uniform was tossed at the end of her bed, a duffle sat open on her desk, and a crate was cracked open but not unpacked. On a side table by the couch was an actual coffee machine, with various insulated cups and paraphernalia beside it. “Come on in.” She stepped through and out of the way so he could enter and allow the door to shut.

Bethany

Aasrel stepped in behind her, looking around slowly, taking in the space. “Nice setup.” He commented. “Ah, the famous coffee maker. Maybe one day I’ll be up early enough to take advantage of it.” Probably not. He could barely drag himself out of bed. He stood politely near the door.

~ Aasrel

She shrugged, “Standard quarters. Though I am glad to not have to share the bathroom anymore. I haven’t really unpacked yet.” Bethany laughed. “Well, let’s fix that.” She tugged his hand, “You can sit down. Anywhere you want.” She moved over to the coffee machine. She dug into the crate and pulled out a mostly full container of coffee. She began scooping the dark rich grounds into a filter and placed it inside and then flipped it on. “Don’t worry, this one is decaf.” She sat down on the couch while it brewed.

Bethany

Aasrel sat down on the couch. “I was promoted to CMO recently. I’m still not used to department head quarters,” he commented. When she sat on the sofa, coffee maker on, he reached his hand over next to her for her to take. “Good. Caffeine will keep me up all night… More than I already am.”

~ Aasrel

“Same.” She turned so she was sitting sideways with one leg tucked under her. She folded her arm across the back of the couch and leaned her head on her hand. She smiled and took his hand when he set it next to hers. “When this all started, with my health, I thought I was drinking too much caffeine, so I stopped. Now, it works better to keep me awake. I have enough trouble sleeping, I don’t need to make it worse.”

Bethany

Aasrel nodded. “I used to run on caffeine, ever since Academy, anyway. Now I avoid it if I can. It makes me anxious, keeps me awake at night. I don’t need that.” He gave her a more serious look, giving her hand a little squeeze. “I hope we find the answer to your illness soon.”

~ Aasrel

Her fingers curled tightly around his. “Me too.” She nodded back toward the coffee pot, “I think we all learn to live on a pure infusion of caffeine at the Academy. It’s like a right of passage.” She huffed a sigh, “I never had a problem with it before. I thought it was causing my heart palpitations and insomnia. What do you use instead of caffeine when you are really tired but have to be awake?”

Bethany

Aasrel sighed, “I don’t. I just… power through it. I could exercise, but I never have the energy for it.” He nodded, “Considering you have those symptoms, it was a good idea to quit caffeine. It can make them worse.”

~ Aasrel

“Dr. Ryley told me since the symptoms only got worse, I could start having my coffee again, but to moderate the amount. So I only drink it in the morning. Honestly though, the last time I slept well was when he used the alpha wave inducers to put me to sleep in sickbay. Honestly, at this point I don’t know if it is stress, paranoia, or being sick that is keeping me awake.”

Bethany

“Could be a little of all three. Starting tomorrow I’m going to be studying your results, hopefully I’ll have some answers for you.” He shrugged, “Moderated is better than not, but not at all would be best. Heart palpitations could mean an irregular rhythm.” And he didn’t want to worry her but that could mean fainting or worse. He hadn’t slept well himself in months. Nightmares kept him up. Usually crying or terrified. “My offer for a sleep aid still stands if you decide you need it. Or another night on the alpha wave inducers.” He didn’t want her to be too tired to do her job.

~ Aasrel

“Well I guess decaf it is then. I don’t have as much of that.” She shrugged, “Water is best anyway, right? I may have to take you up on that offer. So, what keeps you up?” The smell of the brewing coffee was starting to fill the room.

Bethany

Aasrel smiled. “Water is best but who drinks water?” The smell of coffee was filling the room and it smelled good. Her question though seemed to make him really uncomfortable. He squeezed her hand and shook his head, looking away from her. “I… It’s… I don’t want to talk about that.” He said, voice a little shaky.

~ Aasrel

Her hand tightened on his, giving him an anchor. Her other hand reached out and cupped his cheek. “That’s okay. You don’t have to. I’m sorry the question made you uncomfortable. Why don’t you tell me abooooout, hmmm…” She got that mischievous smirk again, “Your favorite ex-girlfriend. I mean I’m assuming they are all ex’s by now. Otherwise this could get awkward.”

Bethany

Aasrel smiled, taking a deep breath. “No, it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize.” He grinned at her new question and thought a moment. “I had a girlfriend in school. Rava… We dated for three years. Broke up when I left for Academy. She didn’t like the idea of being a Starfleet wife, always waiting for me.”

~ Aasrel

“I can understand that. It isn’t a life for everyone, and it’s hard to be away from the people you care about. I suppose it was better to know that before though.” Her head tipped just slightly, “You said you dated a human before. How is it different? From dating another telepath?”

Bethany

“On one of my first ships. Kaylee.” Aasrel considered it. “She kept insisting everything was fine when I could tell it wasn’t. And I kept forgetting I had to tell her things, that she wouldn’t just know how I felt. It was… Difficult for us to connect with each other.” He looked at Bethany. “I think I’ve changed since then, though. I don’t want those same problems to happen with you.”

~ Aasrel

“Well even though I am usually quiet and keep to myself when I do talk, I am very blunt and very honest. That seems to be something I have retained from my childhood.” She smiled, “I don’t want them either. So we will work at it. Do those types of problems not happen with Betazoids?”

Bethany