Posted by Lieutenant Helena Laursen (Helm/Nagivation Officer) in side - sim: What No One Else Sees

Posted by Captain Marceau Renault (Commanding Officer) in side - sim: What No One Else Sees

Posted by Lieutenant Helena Laursen (Helm/Nagivation Officer) in side - sim: What No One Else Sees
Posted by… suppressed (32) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Helena checked the chronometer as she left the gym, again. She hurt and was tired and the only thing she wanted to do was collapse on her bunk and not move until her next shift. With any bit of luck she would make it back to her quarters without running into Marceau. He should be on the bridge or in his ready room, but he was the captain. He could go wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Otherwise she was really gonna be in trouble. She leaned against the wall of the lift until it stopped on C Deck. Then made her way toward the aft section of the deck and her quarters.

Laursen, pilot

It was not Helena’s lucky day. Marceau was on duty, but he’d had to run to his quarters for a moment, for a data disk. He was on C deck then as well. He headed down the corridor, towards the lift. To his trained eye, it did not take more than a second to take in Helena’s pained, slower movements. The way she seemed to be struggling.

He hurried towards her, looking worried. “Helena… You are supposed to rest when you are hurting. Are you okay?” He had his hands on her shoulders, gently. “If you looked any worse, I’d think you managed to catch it all over again.”

~ Capt Renault

Helena was too tired to flinch or try and make it look like she didn’t hurt as much as she did. Of course he would catch her, and he would notice. Why not? Marceau had been her doctor and best friend for years. She gave him a classic sassy smile, but it didn’t hide the symptoms, not from him. “Oh bite your tongue. We’ll have to have another poker game to counteract your words.” She glanced down the corridor, “I just need to sit and put my gym bag down.”

Laursen, pilot

“We can play whenever you want, as long as you don’t hurt yourself.” Marceau said, smiling. He took her gym bag and put it over his own shoulder. “Then I will help you. But if you don’t start feeling better you need to visit Sickbay.”

~ Capt Renault

It was the tone that would start the rumors. It wasn’t that he was helping her. It was always immediately obvious that Marceau would help anyone who needed it. No it was the way he took her bag without asking, his hands on her shoulders, rhe way he looked at her, and rhe tone of his voice. But Helena knew, no matter what anyone else said, those things didn’t mean what the rumors claimed. Oh no. If Marceau had felt like that about her, they still wouldn’t just be friends 13 years later.

“Yes, Captain,” she tossed him a sassy look. It was that or she would say something she shouldn’t. She continued walking, under her own power. Pure stubbornness that Marceau would recognize. This was a moment, a blink, she was not going to let this ground her. She pressed the control for her door and walked in. They were much smaller than Marceau’s. A single twin bed and a work station and a locker.

Marceau wasn’t going to baby her too much, he let her walk on her own, but he was staying really close to her in case she fell.

Her models were secured to the shelf (the one Marceau gave her dead center), pictures of her family, the Blackjacks, and her and Marceau from across their careers were secured to the walls, her books (the mythology book from Marceau sat askew with a bookmark peeking out) sat on the desk. Helena was always very neat. So the unmade bed and discarded pajamas on the floor were a testament to how she had been feeling when she woke up that morning.

Laursen

Marceau liked her quarters. The things he’d given her were out and clearly used and that made him really happy. She’d liked them. He also knew she was usually incredibly neat. Not today. He led her to the bed and made her sit down. Then he sat next to her. “You weren’t feeling well this morning, were you?” He cursed quietly in French and then looked at her again, “You could’ve come to me if you didn’t want to involve Sickbay.”

~ Capt Renault

It was hard to sit slowly and not just allow her muscles to give way, to give into the fatigue. She couldn’t though, but once she sat she leaned back against the wall, finally letting her body stop struggling with it. There was no reason to lie to him, he already knew the answer and Helena wouldn’t lie to him anyway. “No, I wasn’t.” She grimaced as he cursed. Marceau didn’t use such language often. She had not intended to upset him. Helena had thought about going to him. She really had but had talked herself out of it. “You were already on the bridge.” She shouldn’t call him away for a personal matter, one she should have gone to sickbay for. “I was really hurting, and since resting wasn’t working I thought if I went to the gym and tried to work through it it would get better.” Obviously not.

Helena

Marceau looked at her, eyes widened slightly, “Non, no that wouldn’t help at all. You’ve got to rest when they’re like that. If resting isn’t working it’s time to look for help, not make them work when they’re clearly having trouble simply existing.” He was upset because he cared and he didn’t like seeing her hurting. He smiled at her and gave her a gentle, friendly hug. “How do they feel now?”

~ Marceau

She knew he was right, “I know…but if I can’t maintain and pass my fitness evals they can ground me or worse.” Helena patted his arm tiredly. “Worse. They hurt worse, and I don’t think I will stand for awhile.”

Helena

“I know. But you have to focus on that when you’re not already hurting.” He started pulling a scanner out, “Do you want me to look or non?” He was trying not to be too much but he worried about her, especially when it came to aftereffects of weird alien diseases.

~ Marceau

Helena looked at him, a warm look hidden behind a knowing grin, even as she looked tired and uncomfortable. “If I say ‘no’ you’re just going to stay here until I agree.” She shook her head, “I could never say no to you, Marceau.”

Helena

Marceau smiled, “Excellent choice.” His look turned a little bit mischievous, “Never, eh? I could think of a few things to ask.” He pulled the scanner out, turned it on, and held it over her, moving slowly. “Where does it hurt the most?”

~ Marceau

Helena’s eyes widened slightly, oh that look. “Oh yeah?” She watched as he moved the scanner, that doctor’s poker face in place. Where did it hurt most? “Right tricep, left quad, and here,” she moved her hand across her abdomen and obliques, “and around my back, down my side.” She reached across herself trying to trace where it hurt - the latissamus dorsi.

Trained by older doctors who still believed in physical exams, Marceau gently probed each area she said hurt with his fingers. As he pressed, “Does that hurt?” Then, he would look at the scanner.

Her muscles twitched and spasmed as he proded them making Helena grit her teeth and several hissed “yeses” issued from between her teeth. She wasn’t mad, just preferred not to cry, as Marceau did what he had to do. The scans showed not just a high-level of inflammation and irritation, but the nerves seemed to be over active. Probably from the increased strain she put on the muscles by forcing the workout.

She grinned at him, “What would you ask then?” Helena really didn’t want to hear the results of the scan or that she had to go to sickbay. Her question wasn’t to distract him though. She really wanted to know what he would ask her. He knew everything about her so what would he ask?

Helena

“Would you go on a date with me?” He said it matter of factly like he hadn’t even realized what he said, but when he did, he turned bright red and looked at her like he might pass out. Her goal wasn’t to distract him but she had certainly succeeded in doing so.

~ Marceau

The perpetual grin on Helena’s face disappeared and her eyes widened in surprise. He said it so easily, she had never seen Marceau sound so confident when asking a girl out. She had to be dreaming…though she was in a lot of pain for this to be a dream. Was he serious? He must have meant it even if he didn’t mean to say it because his face was suddenly red. Well if this was some weird dream she was gonna go with it. “Yes.”

Helena

The scanner plopped onto the bed next to her. Marceau looked totally freaked out. He sat down on the bed next to her, because he felt like if he didn’t, he’d end up on the floor. “Yes? You.... You would? Go on a date with me?” His voice was utterly shocked but hopeful as he stared down at her.

~ Marceau

He sat kind of suddenly and it jostled her, reminding her she wasn’t feeling all that great. Helena wondered if that, the reminder of that horrible virus, was what made him ask that so out of the blue. Never, in all this time…Helena looked at him for a long minute. She had no poker face that could fool Marceau, so obviously she was sincere. “Oui.” Oh that sounded horrible, with her deeper Icelandic accent, and it was a simple word! “Of course.” She had always thought it was rather obvious, to him anyway.

Helena

Marceau looked like he suddenly didn’t feel that good either. Her oui made him blush all over again, no matter how....accented it was. It had never been obvious to him. Mostly because he was, as Logan (and everyone else, really) always said, really, really blind when it came to girls. He was smiling though, and his usual poker face was nowhere to be seen. He just didn’t know what to do now. He had entirely forgotten the scanner, her results, and why he was there. He was just sitting there, grinning like an idiot, looking at her as if almost dazed or dreaming.

~ Marceau

He was just sitting there, and if it wasn’t for the grin on his face Helena might have thought he was messing with her. “Marceau…” She pushed her self up using her arms to avoid having to use her core, forgetting her arms hurt just as much. That was until they spasmed painfully, and she dropped back against the bed with a grimace. “Say something.”

Helena

It took Marceau just a moment to realize that she was moving, and then that she should not be doing that. He moved to support her, wrapping his arms around her and supporting her back. He was able to prevent her from crashing back into the bed, letting her gently down before letting her go. But he didn’t let go of her hand. “Helena, be careful… I don’t want you to hurt yourself.” He didn’t need the scanner results to know anymore. “You are going to Sickbay.”

~ Marceau

Helena blinked up at him. What?! He goes quiet after she says she’ll go out with him and when he does speak it’s to tell her to go to sickbay? She sighed…okay....she was confused. “You want me to go to sickbay?”

Helena

Marceau’s palms were sweaty. This was exactly what he was afraid would happen. He was screwing everything up and it would mess up their friendship. “I… I don’t know what to say.” His voice had none of its usual confidence. And yes. She needed to go. But he didn’t manage to say that part.

~ Marceau

She looked down, somewhat surprised he was still holding her hand. Helena looked at him and smiled slightly. “How about you’re glad I said yes?” Helena didn’t think he had messed anything up. She thought they were both just very surprised. She gave serious consideration to sitting up again, then decided that would only make him worry more.

Helena

Marceau looked at her and nodded enthusiastically. He looked more like the scared kid in the airport than the Captain he was now. His voice still lacked his usual confidence. “I am glad you said yes.” He thought a long moment, “What do we do now? Besides take you to Sickbay, anyway.”

~ Marceau

Her grin turned warm. She hadn’t seen that look in years. It brought her back all those years ago to a stressed and anxious new cadet, stranded in the Boston airport. So much had changed and stayed the same. Helena shrugged, but her grin was back in place, “Whatever we want.” She was going to wake up sometime soon, right. “I’ll tell you what we won’t do. We won’t let Kelleher find out.” She began to laugh, and then let out a pained, “Owwww.”

Marceau smiled. He leaned down to hug her and ended up just laying next to her with his arms around her. “Nooooon we won’t tell Kelleher. I… I’m not sure we should tell anyone yet.” He was worried about how people would see it. He was the Captain after all.

Helena shrugged, “No, we probably should not. That’s okay. Besides we spend enough time together no one will notice. I don’t think.”

Marceau nodded again. “You are probably right. People know we’ve served together a long time.”

She sighed, “I suppose we’ll have to put a pin in that date until Dr Grey has her say in it?” She absolutely would not refuse to go, but she really didn’t want to. She wanted to say it would all be fine tomorrow, but she had said she would tell Dr Grey and Marceau if it was bad, and it was. She should have gone this morning.

Helena

Marceau smiled again and nodded. “It probably won’t be today… Or tomorrow.” He finally, grabbed the scanner and checked the results. “Not tomorrow either. We’ll let Doctor Grey have her say but mine would involve you, here, resting tomorrow.” Since he wasn’t Medical anymore, it wasn’t his call to make, and he would let Doctor Grey do her job.

~ Marceau

Helena nodded. Marceau may be Captain now, but he was still a licensed doctor. He could have his say, but she understood why he wouldn’t.

She was going to have to get up, and walk to sickbay. Just not yet, she could rest for another minute. Helena started rubbing her thigh. A nervous habit but also rubbing at the soreness. How many times had they laid bunked next to each other like this? Talked for hours on end or not. Shared long waits.

“Is it weird that this isn’t weird now?” Helena turned her head to look at him. He was really close. It wasn’t weird, but it was different. Helena leaned in and kissed him.

Helena

Marceau was about to answer, by asking if it was ever weird, or what was weird, but he was stopped by her sudden kiss. He kissed back, gentle, but very into it, and made it a long one. It was something that had been waiting a very long time to happen. When it ended he looked aloof and love-dazed. He murmured something in French. Then a moment later, “I think it’s.. nice we can do that now.”

~ Marceau

Helena looked just as dazed as he did. That was…incredible. It had been a long time making their way to this moment. It was worth it. Helena smiled at him, but this wasn’t her playful, friendly smile. It was warm and openly affectionate. “Very nice.” She kissed him again, turning on her side a little more, trying to ignore the muscle twinges. Her hand rested on his shoulder and tugged him closer. Helena was very into it. When she pulled back she asked, “What did you say? In French?”

Helena

Marceau cuddled into her as she pulled him closer. It was different to other new relationships he’d had, rather than feeling just a bit odd cuddling the first few times it was more like he was just finally not stopping himself. When she asked him what he’d said, he thought a moment, and then enunciated carefully, “setey vreyma bee-ehn.” (C’était vraiment bien.) Then he blushed a bright red as he looked at her and translated, “I meant, that felt really good.”

~ Marceau

Helena blushed! “Yeah,” her voice was quiet, “it does. Very bien.” Instead of one syllable flowing into the other it was choppy. Helena had tried for years to learn more than just a few words or phrases. Her total lack of progress was something of a joke among the Blackjacks. “Marceau?” She bit her lip - was she shy? That would be a first. She wasn’t sure what she was wanting to ask. It was unexpected but welcome.

Helena

Marceau smiled when she blushed. It was not a common sight. He looked at her when she said his name questioningly. She was biting her lip. A tell of hers he rarely saw. Only when she was shy or nervous. Sometimes when a hand was really bad. “What?” He asked, with that soft voice he used to use with Lucy.

~ Marceau

Oh she knew that tone, had been rather jealous over it a few times. “Ah…” she shook her head and shifted some. Obviously it hurt and was trying to get comfortable. “Why…why now?” More why not before? Why all of a sudden? Did he think him being a captain mattered to her? It didn’t.

Helena

“Oh. Ehm…” Marceau chuckled nervously and then smiled shyly and shrugged. He shifted a little trying to help her get comfortable. “Honestly? I didn’t really intend on… saying what I did.” He seemed to realize what he said and hurried to add, “I mean, I’m really glad I said it, but I was.... I just…” He frowned in thought. “I was scared I guess. If I hadn’t accidentally done it now, maybe I never would have and that would have been very sad.” Because then, he wouldn’t have finally gotten to kiss her or cuddle with her like he was.

~ Marceau

“I’m glad you did.” Ah that made sense and was so crazy at the same time. So many questions, but he was supposed to be on duty. Well technically as captain he was always on duty. This couldn’t affect their duty as officers. “Why were you done here?” If he hadn’t seen her, they wouldn’t be here now, but why had he been down there?

Helena

“Oh!” Marceau had forgotten. He had been too worried about Helena, date or no. “I needed a data disk from my quarters.” He shook his head. “It’s okay. I can just say I helped you to sickbay.” He smiled at her. “When I am officially off duty, we will have to talk more.”

~ Marceau