Posted by Lieutenant Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side sim - Sickbay Shenanigans

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side sim - Sickbay Shenanigans

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side sim - Sickbay Shenanigans

(snip)

Truly in surprise, Rand’s gaze lifted to his, finally, and clearly on her face he could see realization settle. He had heard her in the lab. He knew. He knew how she felt, had known for a couple of weeks now. He had heard her that day in the lab as she talked to Nibbles. He knew…oh lords…he knew. There was relief at that knowledge, that she did not have to tell him. But he was..he was Roman he couldn’t like her, could he? He said he did, but what was she supposed too say? Then, “Roman?” Her vision was going black around the edges, her eyes took on a more pinprick pupil, her hands were sweaty and shaking, her breath shallow and far to fast in order to match her sudden racing heart beat. It was a good thing she was sitting because she was going to pass out. Roman liked her too…but she… she…she didn’t know what to do or say....oh lords…

Yeoman Rand

Oh dear, he’d overdone it, Rand was overwhelmed and… Roman was pretty sure she was going to pass out. He recognized the pinpricked eyes and the too-fast hyperventilating breaths from the day she told him she had anxiety. Unsure how to help her without making it worse he reached across the table and put his hand out for her. He feared anything he tried to say would make it worse.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

She didn’t know what she was supposed to do…or say!! He said he admired and loved her. Or no Darcy said that, but he quoted it, so he was saying it, but he didn’t do anything. Was…was she supposed to do something? Get up and go over there? But she felt light headed and she’d probably fall or trip again. And he told her to be careful when he used her name. But he didn’t do anything he just sat there. So…so she shouldn’t do anything else either? Maybe he was just telling her but wasn’t going to do anything about it? That he wouldn’t or couldn’t…but then why tell her he knew? Wouldn’t it be better to not tell her…or…or maybe he was trying to tell her not to go back to the labs…that because of how she felt he thought she should stay away? She didn’t know!!

Then she saw his hand reach across the table to her. Oh maybe…maybe he didn’t want to make her feel like…like she had to…to what? To ignore what he said, accept it, react to it? But she wanted to but she didn’t know how. This wasn’t covered in any rule or protocol book. He was offering his hand so she could take it if she wanted to, right? That was okay, wasn’t it? She latched onto his hand. This was different from Sickbay though. There it has simply been comfort against the pain, a distraction against what the doctor was doing. This time it was a life line amongst the fear and uncertainty. She held on almost desperately against the panic.

Her palm was sweaty, something he’d expected considering her panicked state, but the wet, sticky sensation still stuck out in Roman’s mind. The way she gripped his hand, almost desperately so, reassured him that it wasn’t him causing her panic. The words were Darcy’s but the feelings were his own. He was awful with this sort of thing, and the quote had been the easiest way to put his emotions into words.

Between short shallow panicked breathes, she confessed, desperate to find a solution and not be panicked, she was never panicked around him, not because of him anyway, “Roman…I don’t know what I’m supposed to do…” There was the crux of her anxiety. It wasn’t that she didn’t know how she felt, but she didn’t know what to do or say, how to go about it or if she should.

Yeoman Rand

Without releasing her hand, Roman stood and crossed to her side of the table, allowing his grip on her hand to shift as he moved to keep it comfortable. He bent down and wrapped his other arm around her in a hug, finally letting go of her hand so he could wrap his other arm around her. “You don’t have to know,” he said softly, wanting her not to feel so panicked. Despite his own nervousness, Roman seemed calm and put-together, like always, his breathing slow and steady compared to her rapid, panicky breaths.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Rand watched as he moved around the table and was grateful he hadn’t let go of her hand. Then he was hugging her, and he felt warm and it seemed to seep into her and sooth her nerves slightly. Her hands weren’t caught between them this time, and before she could think about it too much her arms slipped around his shoulders, pressing closer as she hugged him. If someone else told her she didn’t have to know she would only feel more stressed because of course she had to know. But he was so calm and sure when he said it, like it didn’t bother him at all that she was having an anxiety attack. She hugged him, her face pressed to the hollow of his neck and shoulder, long enough that her breaths began to match the slow steady rhythm of his. Then she had a sudden realization that made her groan very softly, “Scott was right.....”

Yeoman Rand

Her arms wrapped around him and pulled him closer and all he wanted was for this moment to never end. Roman could tell when she calmed down, her breaths slowing back to a normal rate. But he didn’t let her go, he didn’t want to. And with their feelings finally out in the open, he didn’t feel like he had to. And then she groaned and said something that he was too distracted to have any sort of clue what she meant. “Who was what?”

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Rand didn’t want to move and since Roman hadn’t let go she wasn’t going to either. She hadn’t realized she actually spoke and that embarrassed her slightly but didn’t cause any anxiety. She guessed she could just say “nothing,” but maybe she should tell him. It would explain to him what had really happened that morning in the lab. She turned her head on his shoulder, so her voice was not muffled, but didn’t pull away. She felt far too secure to move away. “Oh…ummm…Scott…That’s what they were talking about…in the lab when I…I had that attack....they wanted me to change my schedule back…Scott said you were....more difficult than normal because you missed having me in the lab because you liked me. I thought she was stupid.”

Yeoman Rand