Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side - sim: Honoring the Ardent

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side - sim: Honoring the Ardent

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side - sim: Honoring the Ardent

(snip)

Klingons were always savage, and maybe it was wrong but Roman hated them. He hoped to never see another Klingon ship in his life. He dreaded the idea that someday he might run into them on the Sentinel. He felt Pipkin’s fur, the little bunny was settled in as close as she could be. He held on to Rand, crying into her shoulder, again. He didn’t want this, he’d rather ignore it like he always did, but that didn’t seem to be an option just then, because whatever he did he couldn’t stop. Finally he let go, his shoulders shaking with his sobs. It was a much needed release of emotions held in far too long, but Roman just felt awful and sad and he wished he could go back and unsee the disks.

~ Roman

Rand wished she could go back and change it. Not give him the disks, not have made the inquiry, that there wasn’t a letter from command attached. She knew he needed to let the grief have it’s way, for a bit. Hiding it was probably causing his sleep problems. As he let go she reached out and held onto his hand. “What can I do? What do you need?”

Rand

Roman squeezed her hand when she held onto his. He wiped the tears off his face, they were making his vision blurry. And all the crying was giving him a headache. He didn’t think there was anything anyone could do, not that would really help. Rand being there with him was enough. At least he wasn’t feeling this way, and alone. So he just hugged her again, shook his head and then lay his head on her shoulder again.

Rand held onto his hand and began to squeeze his hand as she breathed. She recognized the pinched look from the headache. Deep breaths helped. Her mother used to put a vapor rub right under her nose to help, and an icy cold cloth on the back of her neck. She wasn’t going to get up to get those things though,so she just continued to squeeze his hand.

Roman tried to breathe with her, following the rhythm she set by squeezing his hand. It did help - both the headache, a little, and in calming him down. He was still hugging her, his head rested on her shoulder.

Some time later he started to calm down again, and once he’d mostly stopped crying he let her go, still leaning on her, so he could drink some of the tea she’d made for him.

~ Roman

While he sat up to drink his tea, she hugged him once and then got up and moved across the room. She lowered the lights and came back with ice water and two wet cloths. She draped one across the back of his neck and handed him the other. She started another movie, another Librarian, one they hadn’t watched yet, and then settled back next to him.

Rand

Roman didn’t seem like he wanted her to move, but he let her go. Soon she was settled back in by him and there was a new movie started. The icy wet cloth felt nice against the back of his neck. The second he didn’t seem to know what to do with. Swap it with the first one when it got warm, he supposed. He still looked sad and upset but he definitely looked better despite the obvious signs he’d been crying. Once she was settled in, he leaned up against her.

~ Roman

Roman drank the tea and then leaned back against her. His face was flushed, his eyes red, and no doubt burning. She took the second cloth and folded it, “For your eyes.” She draped it across his eyes. Not for long, just enough to take the sting out, and then he could use it to swap out with the other.

Rand dozed off an on most of the night too worried about Roman to sleep. Trying to figure out a way to make it better. Randy would probably tell her to stop. That she could help, but only Roman could make it better. Tomorrow was his day off but knowing Roman he would be in over his head in the labs as soon as he could get there.

Rand