Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side-sim: The Reckoning

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side-sim: The Reckoning

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side-sim: The Reckoning
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Rand laid against him as he pulled her closer and hugged him. She took his other hand and held it over his heart and just breathed with him while she hugged him. She hated the noises of sickbay, and it was always worse when she was the patient. She figured it was worse for Roman too. But despite all that, hugging him was still her favorite thing. She wasn’t sure it would make him feel better, but she quietly admitted, “You know I think I like this private room. I get to hug you whenever I want. Couldn’t do that on Kelmao.” Not moving too much she reached over to the console and quickly found the last scene he remembered. Then she turned the volume up just a little to help cover the noise. She would have turned the lights up, but she didn’t want to move, instead she turned a little on her side so she could watch the movie and still hug him.

Roman tightened his arm around her as she laid against him, hugging him. His other hand was in hers, and she held it on his chest, over his heart, where he could feel his heart beat with the soft beeping the biobed’s monitor made. They were there for a while, breathing quietly, before Rand spoke up. Roman smiled. “That was quite the drawback. At least we would have had the tent if the storm hadn’t taken away the campsite.” She started the movie from where he left off and turned the volume up a little and it helped cover the sound, making him feel more like they were back in his quarters.

Half an hour later Shrine came in. She quietly took his vitals and went about setting up the machines for the doctor. Since Rand was on his non-injured side, and Alden’s heart rate was relatively low, she saw no reason to make Rand move for the moment. The over night doctor had different ideas. “Ensign, I am sure you have quarters you can go sleep in,” he groused as he came in and turned the lights up brightly. “The Cmdr needs rest not to be fawned over.” Rand’s eyes went really wide, and she sat up as soon as the light turned up. She squeezed Roman’s hand tightly. He didn’t have a restricted visitation schedule, she checked. She swallowed before saying anything, she didn’t want to stammer. “I wasn’t sleeping Dr. we were watching a movie. No one told us his visitation restrictions changed.” The eyed her…leave to a yeoman to know whether or not she was in the wrong. “It hasn’t. Just…don’t get in the way.” He worked quickly, to set up the machines, and then asked Alden if he was still numb before starting the machines again, and then left. Rand wondered if he was the type to gossip.

Shrine turned the lights down some and patted Rand on the shoulder after the doctor left. “I’ll be back in an hour or so. Do either of you want drink or food?”

Rand

Roman blinked and turned his head as the lights were suddenly turned up to full. Then he squeezed Rand’s hand as the overnight doctor, a doctor Roman wasn’t familiar with, griped at Rand for being there. Before he could speak up with a rather sharp tongued reply Rand had already used the regulations to prove she could be there. His visitation was unrestricted, anyone could come and see him anytime, as long as he wasn’t sleeping. He nodded to answer about the numbness of his leg, and then the machines were set and the doctor was gone. “Not a very friendly one, is he?” Roman said to Rand. To the nurse he answered, “Actually I am quite hungry, I could try eating again.”

~ Roman

Shrine nodded and slipped out of the room. Rand shook her head, “No he’s not.” Her voice was tight, she was sitting stiffly, and she was holding tightly onto his hand, staring at the screen. She knew she was right. She hadn’t done anything wrong, hadn’t broken any rules, but the whole conversation made her anxious. What if the Dr changed Roman’s orders so she couldn’t stay? What if he was that petty, well he wouldn’t be in Star Fleet would he? Was she hurting Roman and hadn’t known it? Was that why the doctor was upset? Or was he just that way? Should she leave? Roman had been asleep, maybe she shouldn’t have woken him up? No, no that was one thing she was sure of. If she hadn’t he would have woken up in a full panic and that would be bad for his heart right now. If they made her leave she’d just pace her quarters all night anyway. She didn’t just want to stay she felt like she needed to.

Rand

Roman pulled her gently, beckoning her to lay against him once again, though he was careful not to jostle his bad leg at all. Rand was tense, her voice tight, and she we as staring intently at the screen but it didn’t look like she was really watching the movie all that closely. “He’s just grouchy. You’re right, there is no rule against you being here and we both know it’s better for both of us if you are here.”

~ Roman

If Rand thought about it she would find it strange how easily she let herself simply react and be herself and not worry when she was with Roman. She let him pull her back to lay against him. She immediately relaxed, mostly. She was careful to stay mostly on the chair so that he didn’t have to move to make room for her. She knew it was important for him to stay still while the machines worked. She words made her smile a little and she nodded against his shoulder. “You know,” she thought it was a good, but didn’t think about if it would stress him or not, “only one more session after this, and then if the images look good, Elbbirt will start removing the nerve block. Then you can go back to your quarters.” She was worried about the pain and his stubbornness, but mentally she knew he’d be better to be out of sickbay.

Roman was… a little naive about the pain that would come with removing the neuro block. He wasn’t particularly worried about it. “Fantastic, I hope he does it quickly so I can go,” he said. He thought it was going to be like his pre-surgery pain, which had been bad, but tolerable, especially if he was sitting around his quarters all day. Without the stress of Sickbay, Roman was going to be bored. Bored out of his mind, until he was allowed to go on light duty. Rand was being careful not to make him move, but as soon as she lay back he could tell she’d relaxed and he smiled.

Shrine came back in with two trays. The woman was a professional but she couldn’t help the little motherly like grin on her face at the two, that was quickly hid. She set the trays down on the two bed tables and wheeled them over. “I thought you might be hungry too.” She was reluctant to do it, but she helped Rand to sit up. Poor girl looked exhausted, and almost like she had when she’d had to give her the Ativan when she was in sickbay. She took the blanket and folded it and set it and a pillow on the other biobed. If the beds weren’t bolted to the floor she’d push them together, just so Rand could rest a little easier. “Now I heard you tried to give Randy grief about helping you sit up, but I’m not putting up with it either. Not with the machine’s on.” Shrine was a lot stronger and capable than she might look and it didn’t take long to help Alden sit up so he could eat. “When you’re done and want to lie back you call me. We don’t want to have to start over.” She looked at Rand, “Randy warned me about you too, so eat.” And with that she bustled out of the room. Rand picked up the cup on her tray and sipped at the water. “Randy’s not even here and he’s bossy.”

Rand

Roman nearly tried to sit himself up as soon as he saw the food. But Shrine spoke up before he did and he did not want to start over. He wanted the heck out of Sickbay. With an annoyed grunt, he let Shrine help him up. He did not want to have to call someone every time he needed to sit up or lay back. Then the nurse turned to Rand and Roman grinned. “You’re close, of course he wants to make sure you eat well. I do, too.”

~ Roman

Rand saw the look on Roman’s face as Shrine ordered him to be still and wait for her. She was about to remind him that when the machines were off they let him sit up or down on his own. But his words caught her off guard and she grinned and then shook her head. “It’s amazing, I don’t know how I do it. This ship falls apart I’m gone for 3 days. You should see the things waiting on my desk. But you two act like I don’t know how to take care of myself. How do I manage to keep a ship running but not take care of me.” Just to prove her point she picked up half the sandwich on her plate and took a huge bite. Then she looked at him from the corner of her eye smiling. She was lucky, she knew that, to have people who cared. “Eat.” she pointed at his plate, all mock seriousness. Then she ate the whole meal Shrine brought, just to continue to make her point.

“You used to make sure I went and had lunch and dinner instead of working,” Roman reminded her. “And that I sleep. And I’m the ship’s first officer. Your quality of work doesn’t change whether you remember to eat and sleep.” Then she pointed at his tray, pretending to be serious, and he picked up his fork and started eating. It was another bland dish, since he’d been nauseous last time he tried eating something. This time his stomach was a little upset but it wasn’t bad and he ate nearly the whole meal.

Rand grinned at him, “No, that was Randy. I got in trouble for skipping meals too. But the sleep, that was me.” She was glad to see him eat more, even if it wasn’t all of it. She was glad his stomach seemed to be some better.

The doctor and Shrine reappeared at the end of the hour. The doctor scowled at the extra meal tray, but seemed appeased that Rand was sitting upright in the chair. He checked Alden over and then left. At some point the movie ended and she started the next one. She never watched this many shows, but being in sickbay with nothing else to do, it was a good distraction for them both.

Rand

Roman watched the doctor as he scowled at Rand’s tray, giving him a look. Then he was gone. While Shrine was there, Roman had her help him lay back again and then settled in. The movie ended and Rand started the next one. “I haven’t watched so much telly since secondary school,” he commented. He and Jay would watch TV in their free time. That was, the free time they weren’t practicing jiu jitsu against each other.

~ Roman

Now that the doctor was gone, Rand was leaned back against him, a pillow tucked between the chair and biobed to make it a little more comfortable. Rand shook her head, “Me either. I love performing arts, but I never have much time to indulge.” She covered her mouth as she yawned. She was tired, but refused to leave, the details of the movie fuzzy as she quietly struggled to stay awake.

Rand