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 (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Roman shook his head. “I haven’t the faintest idea what she’s on about.” He said. Not too long later the regenerator was finally done and Randy was taking a scan of his leg. “She’s got connections. I’m convinced there isn’t much she couldn’t get on or off this ship.”

Then Randy seemed to turn serious, it really was dizzying how quickly he could go from goofy to life-and-death dead serious. Roman had felt better after leaving Sickbay. More relaxed, his vitals were staying lower which made him feel better, and that made dealing with his pain easier. The distraction known as Pipkin had helped with that, too. Roman didn’t like the implication of the question, he knew where Randy was going with it. Roman could tell the meds hadn’t worn off yet, and Randy hadn’t yet mentioned another dose so he figured Randy was going to stay until they did. He answered cautiously, “I’ve noticed a decrease in certain symptoms.”

~ Roman

“It never ceases to amaze me how efficiently my sister can manage things, go back and forth between people, trade items, make favors, make connections with people, in an official capacity, but ask her to go eat in the Galley and she freezes up. To get your rabbit, she helped Chief Helpful get an anniversary gift back to his wife. The jeweler made a mistake and sent it to him instead of to his wife on Deneva. She made calls and got it shipped back. Arrived the day of, but was there. I’m not sure how she managed to get that small box switched from ship to ship that fast but she did.” The thing was Rand would have helped the Chief no matter what.

Roman nodded. “Deneva is where Pipkin came from. It must have been lucky there happened to be a breeder of my childhood dream pet on the colony world the Chief’s wife lives on.” He thought Rand was getting better about eating in the Galley. Just before the landing party to Kelmao, they had done a public date in the observation lounge, after all. Though, he knew she preferred to eat away from other people.

Randy laughed, “Well that’s the thing, all supplies and shipments have to be run through the quarter master, so she would have talked to him anyway. Knowing Rand she went to ask him about transport for live animals and he found out what she was up to and it went from there. Rand has that effect on people.” Randy looked over at the little rabbit, “Pipkin huh? Wasn’t that the baby from Watership Down? Fits her.”

Roman looked a bit embarrassed. “I told her some time ago that I’d always wanted a bunny that- well, exactly like Pipkin. And I told her that if that bunny happened to be a girl, that’s what I’d name her.”

After all this time Randy knew Roman’s expressions and he didn’t see the need for embarrassment. Everyone had things they wanted but thought they would never get. There was nothing wrong with that. “Rand never forgets. Our granddad used to say she was part elephant.” Randy leaned back in the seat and stretched his legs out, keeping a covert eye on Alden’s respiration and pupils for signs of physical distress. “This is how Rand is. She will do anything for the people she loves. Even if it’s really hard for her.”

Like sitting in Sickbay for two days with him, despite her own bad memories there. He’d wanted to tell her to go, that he didn’t need her there, but he wasn’t able to. Roman had needed her there. The pain meds had started to wear off, but the pain hadn’t picked up too much yet, and Roman remained relaxed, his breathing even.

“Good,” was all he said about the decrease in symptoms. “So I’m gonna hang around for a bit until we know how much pain medication you need. See I could leave it and you or Rand could administer it. Problem is, you’ll refuse, and then you start hurting like you were in sickbay, Rand might give you a double dosage. And we want to avoid that. So while we wait, want to make a bet on how much contraband work my sister is going to drag in here to you?”

Randy

Roman gave Randy another one of his looks. He was about to reply with a stubborn response about his refusal and Rand’s reaction possibly causing him to get too much, but he was stopped short by the second part of Randy’s statement. “Contraband work? What do you expect me to do all day? Sleep? Stare at the ceiling? Knit a blanket? And do you really think Rand’s going around bringing me thing I’m not meant to have?” He already had his notes and some of his reports, and he wasn’t going to mention them just in case Randy decided to take them away.

~ Roman

Randy tossed his head back and laughed, “Oh that’s cute. I already know she’s working on a way around your ‘light duty’ restriction. Pestered me with all kinds of questions about chairs and height and length, back support, etc.” He glanced at the side table and the data disks, “My sister can find loop holes in any order or regulation.” Randy’s gaze got far away, obviously remembering something. “She has first hand experience with it. So I’d bet good money, that at least one of those disks are copies of back ups of your notes. As long as you aren’t signing anything official, you do what keeps you from trying to walk the corridors.”

Randy

Roman mentally face-palmed. She asked Randy? Of course he knew what she was up to! At least he didn’t seem to be stopping her, he decided with a sigh. “Signing anything official would be a severe violation of regulation under the influence of drugs like strong pain medication.” He was okay with Rand loophole-ing him out of restrictions but generally he was by the book and strictly. None of those notes were going anywhere until they could be signed appropriately. Randy had a point - Roman wouldn’t be trying so hard to not be here if he was reading his notes and reports here. If Rand couldn’t sneak them to him he’d probably find an excuse to try and sneak down to his labs. Then he paused. “Firsthand experience?”

~ Roman

Randy blew out a breath, he assumed by this point Rand would have told Roman about being in the hospital. She said he knew about her acting and that she’d left. He had assumed that meant he new about her stress cardiomyopathy. He crossed his arms over his chest, this was obviously an upsetting topic for him. “When we were 18…” another breath, “I thought she told you, about her stress cardiomyopathy.”

“She did. But she doesn’t talk about it, and I don’t ask,” Roman replied, glancing at Randy. “Just like there are… certain things she doesn’t ask and I don’t talk about.” By then, the pain meds had worn off enough for the pain to start increasing, and Roman shifted his leg a bit, his breath catching as he did, trying to conceal the pained look. “All she told me was that it happened, and that recovery at hospital had been hard.”

Randy nodded, it wasn’t that he cared of Rand spilled her guts to the man, but it was her story to tell not his. Randy would never betray Rand that way; however, if he was going to be around, and it appeared he would be, then he should know. It had only been five years and modern medicine was amazing, but he never stopped worrying it would happen again. Two attacks in less than two months had strained her heart and would always be weaker than it had been.

“It’s a long recovery, Alden. It requires a lot of bed rest and a lot of psychological rest. Nothing that will induce adrenaline production. The heart simply can’t handle it. Normal recovery is a month and then another 4 to 6 weeks of slowly increasing the amount of activity. It took her longer. We got her home, the doctors thought being home would help, be better for her, get her away from the boggin poparazzi. But the guilt, the fear, the memory was constant. It’s like that with severe anxiety like hers. I think she just wanted to escape them, the memories. She pushed herself too hard, ended up back in the hospital for another month. She learned how to get around the restrictions and do it safely.”

Randy

Roman nodded quietly. She sounded way too much like him. Except, when he’d left sickbay, even if maybe he should’ve gone back he hadn’t, going so far as to hide symptoms the best he could. He hadn’t gotten around his restrictions safely, he’d simply ignored them whenever possible. Pretended nothing was wrong. Rand was putting a stop to that this time by convincing him to let her loophole his way out instead. Like looking into chairs with wheels to keep him from walking around the lab. Her comment about not being so stubborn he ended up back in Sickbay suddenly had new weight. But he couldn’t help it as he resisted the urge to reach down and rub his leg. The pain was on a more gradual increase than the first time, and that made it easier to tolerate, but it was quickly reaching the point at which he couldn’t hide it, signs of the pain in his face, body, and speech. “Unfortunately I don’t have zero experience with paparazzi. But not like hers. They were a temporary thorn in my side some years ago, looking for information on someone else. With her… I think I once told her if they ever found her I’d throw them out myself.” Either that, or he’d thought it.

~ Roman

Randy believed he would and take great pleasure in doing so too. He could totally relate - he flexed his hand slightly relaxing it from the fist he had made. “They’re a disease. They, and that d@mn@ble director, are the reason she ended up in the hospital in the first place. They were constantly trying to see her in the hospital, get pictures of her, question us about it. We had to close the shades, eventually they moved her to an interior room. One got in her room while I was gone to get a drink.” It was obvious Randy blamed himself for that. Randy was an easy going person and could find alternative ways to diffuse a situation than using physical means, but when it came to Rand…well all he cared about was her. According to the official report, after speaking to witnesses, Randy had asked the man to leave and when he’d called for the nurses and security the paparazzi had taken a swing at him. It was deemed ‘self defense’. The camera had ‘accidentally’ gotten broken in the commotion. “After they got her vitals stabilized again they decided to send her home. Thought it would be calmer, safer for her. It was in a way, but she was stubborn and desperate. Rand has always done what she wanted to do. She ended up having a second cardiomyopathy and ended up back in the hospital.” Randy had his suspicions about why Rand had left the house that day, but Rand would never tell him. “That’s when she met Yeoman Gina and decided to come hid in Star Fleet.”

Randy

Roman nodded again. She had never told him it happened twice. Just the once, at the after party. Roman could tell Randy blamed himself for one of the press making it in her room, but he said nothing. He’d feel the same way, had it been him. “I’ve always wondered how the two of you managed to receive the same posting.” He commented. He and Jay had been separated for quite a while, given different assignments in different fleets, and had only managed to secure postings aboard the same ship about a year before the attack.

~ Roman

“Rand isn’t the only one with connections. Before I entered the yeoman corp I was doing my psychology residency at the Veteran’s hospital in Walnut Creek, east of San Francisco. I met an admiral while I was there. See Rand was offered a position as the yeoman for the Commandant of the Academy. We all thought she took it and I was staying on at the hospital. Then suddenly she changed her mind, and took a posting on the Sentinel. So I contacted the Admiral and begged a favor. I’ve never taken anything from a patient, and the admiral wasn’t a patient, but for Rand…well he got me assigned to Sentinel, but at the time there were no medical openings. So he had me transferred as a Yeoman 2nd class. So I would train under the head yeoman, Rand, on the ship. There is no guarantee this arrangement will last, but I’ll take it for as long as I can.” Randy had to come to terms with asking for that favor, and he’d crossed no professional lines, but he didn’t like making his career on favors, but he really didn’t care about his ‘career’ just Rand and his patients. Rank and all that was at the bottom of the list. While he talked he kept an eye on the tricorder and Alden. He was really starting to feel it now, it wasn’t as dramatic as earlier though and that was good. With a calm efficiency and a lack of attention (so much like his sister) Randy switched out the ice packs new ones, which should help ease the edge slightly. So far the inflammation was under control, but he wished it was less. A little more anti-inflammatory might be necessary. But Randy knew that some of it was because Alden’s muscles had flexed and locked because he was trying not to move. A vicious little cycle.

Randy