Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in Side sim: Matters of the Heart

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in Side sim: Matters of the Heart

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in Side sim: Matters of the Heart
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
When Roman found out the lab was still closed, he was not happy. He told Franks how he would reopen the lab and said he wanted it opened as soon as possible. He also said to contact him over the comms with any questions. As much as Roman liked Rand and Randy, when Franks came to see how he was doing, Roman was a little glad to see someone who wasn’t Rand, Randy, or medical staff. But after Franks left, Roman dozed off for a while again. It didn’t help his tiredness that he wasn’t sleeping very well, still having nightmares.

~ Roman

Franks wasn’t thrilled about it either, but with a limited number of officers Morgan was willing to trust the work was slow. Franks stayed for a bit discussing the different projects in the other labs and the provisions he’d made for the biology projects. He had done well considering the circumstances. Then he left to get the lab back in order, or try.

Great came in early the next day. “Well Cmdr I think we’re done with the dermal reginerator. There is no more it can do. I would like to be able to tell you that time and continued rest will heal the remaining damage, but I can’t predict the future.” Rand sat up right a little more and squeezed Roman’s hand. It sounded to her like Grat had just said there was permanent damage. Great continued, “The damaged area is very small. With regular exercise and support medication I don’t see why you won’t return to your regular activities. I still want to keep you on the anti-inflammatories for a few days, but I would like to start lowering the cardiac drugs and see how you do. You won’t come off those for at least a month. I don’t want to push your heart too soon. If we can get the dose lowered 25% then in 2 days I can release you to recover in your quarters.”

Grat

Roman was glad to hear they were done with the dermal regenerator. He’d been quite difficult about that for several of the sessions. But it also didn’t sound like all the damage had or would heal, and that worried him. He’d already known it was a possibility, but he’d hoped it would turn out better. He squeezed Rand’s hand back, to reassure himself as well as her. “Support medication?” He asked.

“Think if it like someone who has such a severe allergy they carry a hypo to prevent anaphylactic shock. You will have a hypo with cardiac meds incase you need the extra support. Better that than needing to come in.” Rand nodded, “I had…well have… one too. I haven’t needed it in a while.”

Roman sighed and nodded. He didn’t like the idea of having to keep a hypo, like a constant reminder something was wrong. But it was much better than needing to come back.

The rest of it was great news to him. Only two more days in sickbay and then he could go back to their quarters. And he’d be on less medication. Not none, but less was better. But there was one thing he noticed Grat didn’t even mention. “What about work? When can I go back on duty?”

~ Roman

“Seated work, nothing in extreme environments, no lifting, bending over, like to pick up something - not bent over to work. I would say, with how well you’ve been doing, a week. But I really want to see how you do on your own away from sickbay.”

Grat

So Elbbirt had been spot on with his guess. Roman didn’t like it, he’d already been gone too long. “A week with all those restrictions? Or a week before I can go back at all?” He’d be bored out of his mind not allowed to work.

~ Roman

“If you were in security or engineering I would say linger before you go back. But Elbbirt tells me your everyday work is not overly physically taxing. So as long as you take breaks when you need it I don’t anticipate much work restriction.” Alden’s medical record showed he wasn’t very good at that. Grat didn’t say that, but his look did. “I would like you on a lower dose of meds before you try to resume your normal exercise routine. I would like to see how you are doing two days after you get out of here. If you are doing okay no relapse, no extreme exhaustion, then you can probably go back to duty. But I want you back in duty 2 full weeks before you resume bridge shifts.”

Grat

Two days? Roman could do that. That didn’t sound so bad. Grat gave him a look as he said Roman needed to take breaks, and Roman wondered if Elbbirt had also told him how difficult Roman had been during his leg recovery. “Alright, fine. Two days.” He could still walk with Rand, he figured, instead of jog. And he wasn’t too upset about missing two weeks of bridge shifts. That meant more lab time.

~ Roman

“So we will start lowering your dosage with the next one. Keep up the walking and what you’ve been doing. I would really like you to get out and walk the corridor but that, unfortunately, is not up to me. Keep in mind your heart my feel like it’s working harder, it is, but that’s not bad, it’s just adjusting to taking on more responsibility.” Grat left after making notes in Alden’s chart.

Rand smiled, “Two more days. What should we do when we’re out of here?”

Rand

Roman hugged her. “Go to the galley, walk the decks, relax in our quarters…” He listed. Anything to celebrate not bring stuck in here anymore. “Maybe we can work with Morgan, organize at least a short walk outside.” Even Grat said he wished Roman could walk the corridor. Roman took that as an invitation.

~ Roman

Rand laughed, “I’ll see if I can find her.” Rand stuck her head out the door and was told she couldn’t go anywhere as there wasn’t anyone to escort her. The sigh that reached Roman’s ears told him she was almost as sick of this as he was. “I was going to ask if you could ask Lt Morgan to come down here.”

Ten minutes later Morgan walked in. “I heard you wanted to talk to me?”

Rand

Roman smiled slightly at Rand’s sigh. She was just as tired of it as he was. When Morgan walked in, Roman nodded. He gestured out the door, “The good doctor says it’s healthy for me to walk, like out in the corridor. Can an escort be arranged?” He was grinning, hoping she’d say yes.

~ Roman

Did Morgan want to agree? No she did not. Did she realize that they couldn’t keep the XO locked up in a safe room forever? She did. “After shift change. Fewer people in the halls. Does that work for you?”

Morgan headed for the door so she could arrange a few things but paused. “It really is good to see you feeling better Cmdr.” Then she left.

Morgan

Roman nodded. He could wait that long. He’d want Rand to do it in the safest way possible, if it were her. But he was glad she’d said yes at all. He was very very tired of the inside of Sickbay. To her last comment he smiled and nodded, “Thank you.”

~ Roman