Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side - sim: In Memory of Jay

(snip)

The next disk was another long one. Roman was quiet throughout the whole thing, mostly because he was cried out and tired rather than feeling any better. The videos seemed to go quickly to him this time and then Rand stood and stretched. Roman didn’t move, he stayed sitting, staring blankly at the screen, which wasn’t playing anything just then.

~ Roman

Rand watched him, staring at nothing, not even the middle distance in thought but blankly, saying nothing, nor moving. He’d been there for hours, just like her. He hadn’t moved, spoken, or reacted at all. Rand decided they had done enough, they had done more than enough today and the day before, and so on. Standing beside the desk she tapped and scribbled on her PaDD and then turned it off. She did the same with the computer and then the remaining disks got ‘secured’ in the storage compartment of her PaDD. She slid her chair out of the way and knelt down in front of him taking both of his hands, “Roman? What can I do?”

Rand

Roman didn’t move while she turned the computer and the PaDD off, and then cleaned the disks up, stashing them in her PaDD’s storage. He only looked at her when she pulled both of his hands into hers. The motion of his head was jolty as if she’d startled him. He’d been lost in the very memories he’d been trying to block away and ignore. His look was sad and tired and he shook his head to her question, a silent I don’t know, his hands tightening a little around hers.

~ Roman

Rand looked up at him, concern building in her. Not even on his worst nights had she seen him this unresponsive and despondent. She couldn’t help feeling guilty for bringing this on him, but that wasn’t going to help him now. “Tell me…what you were thinking about.” Moving, just something to do might help? Beating up the practice dummy? Rand didn’t know, “or…or we could go to the gym.”

Rand