Posted by Lieutenant Commander Bethany Kovra Gadi (Chief of Security) in Rest and Relaxation?

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Aasrel Izei (Chief Medical Officer) in Rest and Relaxation?

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Bethany Kovra Gadi (Chief of Security) in Rest and Relaxation?
Posted by… suppressed (39) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Aasrel nodded. “I’ll be there with you regardless,” he said softly to her.

~ Izei, CMO

Bethany kissed him, uncaring of the other people in the room. I never doubted you would be.

Aasrel kissed her back. I love you.

“I think Aasrel had something he wanted to ask you, Dear,” Jake said. They were focusing on Bethany, but there was no reason for waiting to help Aasrel as much as possible.

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

Aasrel felt a bit put on the spot as he looked at Jake and then T’Jal. “Oh, yes. We were talking, while you were helping Bethany. I wanted to ask… if it would be a good idea to do the same or similar for me.”

~ Izei, CMO

“It’s possible. You’ve been through a great deal of trauma.” T’Jal didn’t need to read his file. He had been assimilated and on this same mission as Bethany. He’d watched her dying. “We would need to have a more in depth conversation before I could confidently recommend anything.”

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

Aasrel nodded. “Of course. It’s just… Bethany mentioned it could make it easier for me to.. you know, accept the prosthetics and everything.” There would be other benefits, but that was what Bethany had mentioned so he went with it. “I don’t know, I guess I was just wondering.”

~ Izei, CMO

“It could. The question would be how much help do you need? What would be best in the immediate and long term. Would be opposed to having a more personal conversation with me? Bethany can stay or it can be just us.”

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

“Not at all,” Aasrel said. He glanced at Bethany. Which would you prefer? To stay with me or to wait? Then back to T’Jal, “When?”

~ Izei, CMO

I’ll stay if you like, but I want you to feel like you can say whatever you need to without worrying if I will worry. Bethany grinned at him. Whatever you say falls under doctor patient confidentiality. You tell me what you want.

Bethany, we can feel each other’s minds from other sides of the planet. Whether you stay with me or not I might make you worry. Aasrel smiled back at her. I tell you everything. I always will.

I know. She just wanted him to have the choice.

“Whenever you would like. Now or tomorrow.,” T’Jal said.

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

“Now is great,” Aasrel said quickly. “Bethany can stay.”

~ Izei, CMO

Jake stood up, “I’ll go get that other thing ready.” He leaned down and kissed his wife and left the room. “Alright, Aasrel, tell me about your symptoms of trauma. How severe are they?” This was a type of counseling session, but she respected him as a doctor and that he was seeking this out on his own.

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

Aasrel glanced at Bethany, then back to T’Jal. “I have nightmares, flashbacks, I’m jumpy. I hated my implants and I feel similarly about my prosthetics. I can’t look in the mirror, because…” he took Bethany’s hand and squeezed it, “I don’t feel like me anymore.” He thought for a moment, “As for how severe they are…” he looked at Bethany as if for help.

~ Izei, CMO

“He avoids things that he used to enjoy.” That was something that could easily be seen from his personnel file. “He’s short tempered, anti-social.” She looked at Aasrel. “An officer bumped into him by accident and apologized for it. He had caught on a piece of the implant. Aasrel was not just self-conscious about it, but angry and rude about it. The man was genuinely concerned he might have hurt him, didn’t think any less of him. He’s been does not communicate with his family because of his experience. He doesn’t interact with his department much, even professionally. Even with the return of his telepathy he’s avoiding other telepaths. It was all he talked about, wanting that part of his life back, but he still avoids it. Dr Martin removed all the implants here,” her hand reached up and touched his head, brushing back the shorter new hair, “but he won’t look in a mirror.”

“I don’t know why,” Aasrel said. “I thought having it back would fix things but… it didn’t. I mean, it made things better. I feel more secure now that I can read people and sense them. I feel… more connected but not like before it happened and I don’t know why.” He looked at Bethany when she brushed her fingers against his head, “because even now, it just isn’t me and again, I just don’t know why.”

T’Jal listened while they spoke. “That’s all normal reactions,” she told Aasrel. “And recovering from such trauma takes time. It’s been two years. What do you hope to get from this, Aasrel? What are your goals?”

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

“I want to lessen those symptoms of trauma. I want to be able to accept my prosthetics… I mean, they’re not going anywhere. They can’t be “fixed” the way I was hoping for. I want to find some amount of joy in my life.”

~ Izei, CMO

T’Jal nodded, “That’s a good goal. You understand that this isn’t just a perfect fix. What I’m thinking is to do similar for you what I did for Bethany. To lessen the emotions but allow you to keep your memories. I can do this two ways. Through hypnotism or mind meld. Mind meld will require a very intimate connection. We will know much about each other and always have a connection. You will need to go to therapy though. Suppressing the emotions will not magically make you accept things. But it will make it easier for you to talk about what you went through. I can, if needs be, put the suggestion in your mind that the prosthetics and Borg implants are completely different and unconnected.”

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

“No, I know this doesn’t work permanently nor does it replace therapy.” He thought for a moment, glancing again at Bethany, “That’s a good idea, I think. I’m open to whichever you think would work best. I just want to do what will help.”

~ Izei, CMO

“Hypnotism, of course, is only successful if you are willing to go under. Although you think you are, and are willing to try, your mind may resist. A meld doesn’t have that problem, unless you actively resist. It also will allow me to pinpoint more accurately what needs to be lessened and what to leave alone. I will actually experience your memories as if they are my own. Hypnotism we can try today. A meld I can do in two days. Since I have already melded with Bethany, I need time to allow that connection to dissipate. You two are very close,” T’Jal smiled warmly, “but it would allow a crossing over of all three of our personalities that would be detrimental to what we are trying to accomplish.”

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

Aasrel nodded. That made sense to him. Betazoids couldn’t meld minds but the idea of psychic connections wasn’t foreign to him either. “I don’t want to impose on you at all. Whenever you can.” He frowned, “Hypnotism might work, but there’s certainly a chance it won’t.” He turned to Bethany, “What do you think?”

~ Izei, CMO

T’Jal grinned, “It is no imposition. Would it be an imposition to heal the wounded? No, it is your calling, and this is mine. I’m glad I can help.”

“You should do what you are comfortable with,” Bethany said. “I’ve done mind melds with the Admiral many times, she is familiar to me.” She’s like a surrogate mother really. I trust her and I’m comfortable with her. “But it is very intense, but it does work better than hypnotism.”

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

“If Bethany trusts you, so do I.” Aasrel said confidently. Bethany could feel it was true, he was at ease with the idea. “I would tell my patient they should follow the best course of treatment.”

~ Izei, CMO

Aasrel and Bethany could both feel the gratitude and humbling T’Jal felt at Aasrel’s declaration. “Alright, so in two days we’ll meet here. Now, and this will be difficult Aasrel, but it will help the process, I need you to attempt do things that you’ve avoided. It will bring all those feelings to the forefront, and it will be uncomfortable, but it will make it easier to identify exactly what you are feeling and what is holding you back. However, I don’t want you to go overboard and put yourself in a place of panic, so don’t let him push too hard, Bethany.”

Bethany squeezed his hand and smiled, “I won’t, promise.”

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

“I’ll do it.” Aasrel said, though Bethany felt his hesitation. Doing the things he’d been avoiding.... well, there was a reason he’d been avoiding them. But he had to for this to work, so he would. There was determination there. “We’ll meet in two days. I’ll be ready.”

~ Izei, CMO

T’Jal nodded, “Then I will see you in two days. If you run into any problems please call me.” Then there was a knock on the door. When Bethany opened it, it was Jake. “Ah I’m just in time.” He lifted a large box and brought it inside and grinned. “Ready to go dear?” T’Jal nodded and got up. “Both of you get some rest tonight. Bethany, don’t force the memories too much. Let your mind settle. Enjoy your surprise.”

They left and Bethany looked at the box with a mix of eagerness and curiosity. She stopped though, Aasrel! There’s something in there. I can feel it, but it feels…small and strange.

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

Aasrel grinned and chuckled. He was unfamiliar with exactly what was inside but he knew the presence of an animal. Open it. I’m thinking the Admiral and her husband have left you a… little friend.

~ Izei, CMO

The words ‘little friend’ were like an electric shock. The excitement and shocked disbelief was tangible in the room. Bethany quickly keyed the controls on the crate to open. There was a hiss of air and then the smell of hay, fruit, and vegetables. As soon as the lid was lifted, little claws could be heard scratching at the enclosure. Bethany leaned over and gasped. The absolute joy that flooded her was overwhelming after the calm the mind meld had brought. Bethany went down on her knees as she fumbled with the latch on the cage while the animal inside continued to scrabble. “Luna!” Bethany finally got the cage open and lifted out a small round fluffy ball of light grey almost blue fur. The animal had long ears that stood straight up. Bethany sat down hard on the floor, holding the small fur to her chest, face buried in the fur and cried.

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

Aasrel gave the animal an odd look, but Bethany could feel he was glad to see her so happy. He watched her cry into the small animal for a few moments and then, “Bethany.... What is that?”

~ Izei, CMO

The animal was equally excited to see Bethany. It’s nose twitched and it’s long whiskers vibrated with the motion. It sniffed all over Bethany’s face and the burrowed into her neck. Aasrel could feel it’s joy. Bethany could as well and it was utterly overwhelming for her to know the animal had missed her just as much.

Bethany looked up at him briefly, cuddling the animal close. “It’s a rabbit,” she said through chocked sobs. “A mini Rex. Her name is Luna.” She buried her face in the fur again. She had mentioned to Aasrel about her rabbits as a child. I got her after my stint with the task force. Before the Dresden. I was lonely and still recovering mentally. I had to leave her behind when I joined the Asimov. I never thought I’d see her again.

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

Aasrel smiled. I’m glad you got her back. Is it going to be easy to care for on a starship? Can I see her once you’re ready? He said once she was ready because she had clearly missed the animal and wasn’t done affectionately greeting it in this way.

~ Izei, CMO

Bethany reached out her hand and tugged him down onto the floor with her. She was absolutely overwhelmed, but in a very positive way. She…she has feelings and thoughts. They’re simple though. She was amazed by it. She lifted her head, and the small nose finally peeked out. Small eyes and vibrating whiskers turned to sniff at the unknown person. The ears turned back and forth. “Let…” Bethany had to swallow before she could speak. “Let her sniff your hand. Then you can pet her.”

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

Aasrel laughed softly. All animals do. Simple ones, yes, but they very much think and feel the same as all of us. He put his hand near the animal’s nose, palm up, his movements slow and careful, waiting for the animal’s reaction.

~ Izei, CMO

Luna hadn’t become less personable in their over a year apart. She sniffed his hand, the whiskers tickled his fingertips. Her small eyes stared up at him. She crawled up Bethany’s shoulder to stretch towards him. Luna waited a moment and then she nudged her nose under this hand demanding more attention from him. Bethany kept a hand under her back feet and wiped her face as she laughed. “She wants attention.”

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

Aasrel gently and a little awkwardly rubbed the rabbit’s head. Her fur was soft. Her whiskers tickled a little. He was using his left hand to pet the little animal. “She’s soft.”

~ Izei, CMO

Bethany nodded, her eyes still wet. She sniffled a little. “She is.” Luna decided she liked him and climbed off Bethany and onto Aasrel. Directly into his right arm so he could keep petting her. Just support her back feet. She’s pretty adventurous and independent, but rabbits will kick hard with their back feet of they think they are falling. The rabbit put her front paws on his shoulder, resting her back feet on his right arm. She stretched her nose up and sniffed his cheek and chin, then tried to touch her nose to his.

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

Aasrel held very, very still. He kept letting her with his left hand. Her little nose brushed against his cheek and then his nose and he grinned. He smiled down at the little critter. “I see why you like her.”

~ Izei, CMO

Her ears twitched as he spoke, turning fully toward him. The little body went still and she stared at him. Then she hunkered down on his arm as a little ball and her him pet her.

Bethany stroked her ears gently. “She’s always been very adventurous for a rabbit. She has no fear at all. On the Dresden one of the crew’s dogs got loose. 77 lbs German Shepard.” She estimated the dog’s height with her hand. “Luna just sat there as he raced toward her. At the last second she turned and kicked him right in the nose. Dog ran away crying.”

“She loves people. She had a pen in my office and would sit in people’s laps when they came in. I took her to the mess once. She wiggled out of her harness and went around to all the tables begging for scraps.”

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

Aasrel kept giving the rabbit attention. If he didn’t, it seemed like she would protest. His arm twitched slightly with a twinge of pain, but not so much as to make the bunny feel unstable. He looked over at Bethany, “She seems nice.”

~ Izei, CMO

Bethany stared at the small fluff of fur. “She I’d. I’ve always loved rabbits. Ever since we moved to Earth. They are caring, and group oriented, watchful but calm. If they aren’t, then something is wrong.” They had liked the attention Bethany gave them, and they hadn’t cared she was half alien or that she was broken and disabled. They just liked her to pet them.

Luna stayed there for a moment, as if to reassure Aasrel she liked him, and then made her way back to Bethany, where she nuzzled into her neck, the whiskers tickling. Bethany sat holding her, absolutely ashamed at crying again over having her back.

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

Aasrel put an arm around Bethany, loosely hugging her to be careful of the bunny. It’s okay to cry. At least today, they are happy tears. He said to her, telepathically. She loves you. I can feel it.

~ Izei, CMO

Bethany laid her head on his shoulder. I know. I just never expected to see her again. I had asked T’Jal to send her to a… a friend. There was a hint that there had almost been more there, and then he could feel Bethany’s shame and disgust for her mixed heritage. I guess they couldn’t reach him. I’m glad. I’ve missed her.

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

There was a feeling of love and acceptance for her, the way she was. I’m glad you got her back. Will you be allowed to keep her on the Azimov? He asked.

~ Izei, CMO

Warmth and live swirled around him, but that question seemed to deflate her completely. “I… I don’t know. She mostly stays in her cage, and I use my own replicator rations for food and such when I don’t have a regular supply. It’s not like a dog that needs large areas to exercise. I’ll have to find out. I can’t give her up again.” Bethany hugged the rabbit closer for a long moment before she began to squirm. She wiggled out of Bethany’s grasp, onto the floor and began to hop around, stop, sit up, sniff the air, and then continue.

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

“I can’t imagine the Captain would say no. You should ask.” Aasrel said. He watched the rabbit for several moments. It was oddly relaxing in a way, the little animal. He was enjoying the feeling of her joy in seeing the animal again, as well as her and the rabbit’s affection towards each other.

~ Izei, CMO

Bethany nodded, “I will.” Bethany couldn’t lose her again. It would be devastating for her and unfair to Luna. “She travels well, so I won’t have to leave her behind while we’re gone.” She looked up at him, I can bring her can’t I? His family may not want an animal in the house, but Bethany would just find a room somewhere else.

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

Of course you can. Aasrel smiled. My family won’t mind. We never kept animals but no one dislikes them either. He reached his hand out to the rabbit. Might even have competition. I think my sister will love her.

~ Izei, CMO

Bethany smiled, Luna won’t mind. She likes people. She’ll demand attention if she doesn’t get it. Luna made her way over to the outstretched hand and sniffed and then rubbed her head against his fingers and then hopped away again. She stretched up, scrabbling at the couch wanting to get up and then hopped away toward the bedroom. Bethany wasn’t concerned about losing sight of her. What are we doing for dinner? You said you wanted to do something special. Did you have something specific you wanted to make?

Lt. Cmdr. Gadi, COS

Hmm.... Maybe there’s a nice place we can go to? I’d rather stay in, but I’m supposed to be pushing myself, so.... You see anywhere you like? Aasrel asked. He watched the bunny until she disappeared from view, then turned his gaze to Bethany.

~ Izei, CMO