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

(snip)

Rand was doing that thing again, where she squeezed his hand at a regular rate. She’d done that when he was staying in Sickbay, when she was breathing slowly with him. His breaths followed the rhythm she squeezed with, helping keep him a little calmer. His grip got tighter as they entered Sickbay and Randy led them back to that same room. The room made him sick. He didn’t want to be here. He wanted to turn and walk out. But Rand still had his hand, and she was still moving forward. Keeping his hand up so he could keep hold of Rand’s, he pulled himself up onto the biobed, using his free hand to help his right leg all the way up. Then he lay back.

The Elbbirt walked in and they got started. Rand didn’t let go of his hand.

Rand

The images always seemed to take forever to Roman, even if they weren’t actually doing that many of them. The images looked better than before, there were considerably less of the dark spots on his images. Only a few left, they could be counted on one hand now. The one that Rand had seen near his heart, was still there, if a bit smaller than before. And there were a few other floating clots of varying size, none as big as the ones that had been removed surgically. If they took imaging of his leg, or if it was visible on other imaging, it was looking good. The graft was in place and the regenerated muscle was growing stronger, beginning to look more normal.

Despite his nervousness, Roman had a see, I told you this was unnecessary ready to go, for when they got the results. From his place on the biobed he looked over to her. She looked nervous. Because they were in Sickbay? Or because of him? He wasn’t sure.

~ Roman

Rand was watching the images as best she could from where she sat, she was also watching Randy as he peered over Elbbirt’s shoulder to make sure the images were clear. Elbbirt had Randy take one last image and while he was looking at it he sent Randy out for Enoxaparin. The images took 10 minutes to take. Elbbirt turned the screen around and went over each one showing a clot. Rand didn’t mean to, but she squeezed Roman’s hand hard when Elbbirt got the one near his heart. Randy returned with a hypo. “Anticoagulant to keep the remaining ones from getting bigger until your body can naturally dissolve them. Randy will stop by to see you once a day to give it to you.”

“See, I-” Roman started, but Elbbirt flipped the screen and oh. There were still some clots. Elbbirt was explaining each one. One of the images was obviously of his chest and when it came up, Rand squeezed his hand harder. One was in the larger veins of his abdominal area, and the rest were still in his limbs. He looked back at her when she squeezed his hand. She had been right… And Roman felt like he’d never be done with Sickbay.

When Randy came back with the hypo, Roman gave a long sigh. Another medicine. And that one was an annoying one. As long as he was on anticoagulants, he had to be more careful not to cut himself too much, because it would be harder to stop bleeding. Which meant he couldn’t handle the animals. He didn’t stop Randy from giving it to him, though.

As soon as Elbbirt and Roman were done talking and Roman took the hypo they were leaving.

Rand

As soon as he took the hypo, they were on their way. Thankfully. Roman didn’t let go of her hand until they were a few steps away from the door of Sickbay.

~ Roman

Rand was glad to be leaving and that the appointment had been short. “Just under 20 minutes. Much shorter than it could have been.” It might have been Rand’s anxiety along with the results but it felt like Roman dropped her hand like a hot iron. Like he was ready to be done with her presence for the moment. She’d pushed too hard. But she was right, she didn’t say that, she didn’t want to be right. When they got near the planetary science lab Rand could hear the excited chatter. “It sounds like lunch was short. I won’t keep you, I’ll leave the compiled reports on your desk.” She knew all he would want to do was go back to work. To not think about it anymore.

Rand was right, Roman didn’t want to think about it. He wanted to bury himself in work. It wasn’t that he was mad at her for making him go, it was more that he was trying really hard to just forget about all of it and get back to the lab. “Right. It was short.” He could tell something was up with Rand, or she would’ve made him get something to eat in the galley. But instead she dropped him at planetary sciences, seeming in a hurry to get away from him. Maybe she was angry again, like on Kelmao. “See you later?”

She watched him go into the lab and then she retrieved the reports, delivered drinks to the bridge, and finished and dropped his paperwork back off. Then Rand returned to her quarters, curled up against the headboard, hugging a pillow to her chest, and had a full blown panic attack in the quiet of her room.

Rand

Work kept him busy for a while, checking planetary sciences’ results and then he went back up to his owb lab, but he didn’t get a chance to sit down, because one of the biology officers needed help with their work. Then he did his observations of the animals - eyes only. He spent most of the time trying not to think about Sickbay or the appointment. His paperwork was sitting on his desk, he missed Rand dropping it off. It was odd she hadn’t been sure to see him. Something must have been up, like it seemed to be earlier. Finally he had time to look for her, and that’s what he went to do, checking her office, the bridge, a few other places on the ship she usually needed to be, and then, finding her nowhere else, her quarters. He knocked softly on the door, “Rand?” and then leaned against the doorframe, his leg sore and painful after an afternoon where he hadn’t the chance to get a seat.

~ Roman