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 (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Roman nodded, “Page him.” Then his timer went off for the ice pack. Now that she was a little more awake, he explained to her, “Tha mi air a bhith a ‘cleachdadh deigh air do cheann. Tha an t-àm ann an deigh a chuir air ais. A bheil thu airson gun dèan mi e?” (I’ve been using ice on your head. It’s time to put the ice back on. Do you want me to do it?)

~ Roman

Shrine left to page Randy and to tell Elbbirt about Rand reverting to her native language and how sweet it was that Cmdr Alden knew it and was talking to Rand in Gaelic.

Rand wasn’t sitting up very far but she was feeling more light headed and the fuzzy shapes around her didn’t seem to stay still. And her stomach felt strange. She was trying to pay attention, she really was, but it was so hard. Roman said something about ice and her head. “Tha (Yes),” if he thought it would help, Rand would let him.

Roman gently pressed the ice pack to her head with his left hand, keeping his right hand around her hand. He really just wanted to hug her tight and never let her go.

The ice stung at first but as the cold seeped in it soothed the burning and throbbing. It made her even more tired. She closed her eyes, her breathing slowing. After a couple minutes her wrist rotated back and forth slightly in his hand like she was making sure he was still there.

Randy arrived a few minutes later looking haggard and paused in the doorway taking in the scene. Shrine told him Rand was talking but only in Gaelic. He met Alden’s gaze, everything about him apologizing but at the same time not sure he could have done anything different. Rand looked like she might have dozed off again, so he didn’t say anything when he walked over and put a hand on her shoulder.

Rand

Roman looked exhausted and stressed and worried. He was laying on the edge of his bed as close to Rand as he could be without being on her bed, one hand behind her head with an ice pack and the other in her hand. When Randy came in he looked up and nodded to him but didn’t say anything either. Once he was sure she’d be asleep for a while he’d go check on Pipkin.

~ Roman

Randy grabbed a chair and brought it over. He spotted the timer and nodded to himself. He sat and placed one hand on Rand’s upper arm, his thumb rubbing back and forth.

Rand’s hand rocked in Roman’s again and then her shoulder under Randy’s hand shrugged. Her brow wrinkled again as she tried to figure out who was there. “Randy?”

“Tha mi ceart an seo. (I’m right here)” She tried to move her head so she could see him but bumped her head against the ice pack. But she kept trying to move her head stubbornly insistent she wanted to look at him. Randy looked at Roman with a nod but spoke to her, “Shh, cuidich leinn (Let us help).” Then he placed both his hands against her head and neck and gently helped her turn her head so she could look at him and Alden could keep the ice pack in place.

Roman helped him turn her head, keeping the ice pack in place and then holding it there.

“Càite an robh thu (Where were you)?”

Randy looked hesitant, he should have been here, but he needed to be with Tracey too. His shoulders slumped in a silent sigh. “Bha mi còmhla ri…Tracey (I was with…Tracey).”

“Is she okay?” Roman asked him, in English.

“Yeah. Her forearms are mostly 1st degree burns and some 2nd. Nothing like…” he nodded his head toward Rand. “And she’s pretty banged up where the blast threw her into the door jam. She’s going to have some nasty bruises. She was dazed and in shock for awhile. She slept for awhile. When Shrine called…she got up and was decided she’d been lazy enough and was interogating anyone she passed. I think she’s over the shock.” Randy looked both worried and amused.

Roman nodded. “Whoever this is, I want them off my ship.” Pushing them out the airlock was an amusing idea to consider. But Roman would never.

Rand squinted at him. Tracey? Who was Tracey…Oh, Morgan. He had been with Morgan. Randy was dating her. “Tha gaol agad oirre (You love her).” Randy didn’t say anything but his hand tightened on her shoulder a moment and then patted gently. Rand smiled slowly “Bha fios agam air (I knew it).” Randy grinned and shook his head. It was lost in Rand who hissed a breath softly trying to remember something. Something Roman said. It wouldn’t quite come to her though, something about Morgan, but her head would only throb. “Tha e doirbh smaoineachadh (It hurts to think).”

Randy rubbed her shoulder. “An uairsin stad air smaoineachadh. Dìreach cadal (Then stop thinking. Just sleep).” Simple instructions and easy to understand. Rand closed her eyes. Another pained moan escaped as she made her fingers curl around Roman’s hand, needing to hold onto him. She was very quickly asleep after that. She hadn’t been awake long or done much of anything, but her body felt like the strain and exhaustion.

Rand

Roman held her hand for several minutes, and then looked at Randy, “Stay with her. I need to make sure Pipkin is fed.” And then he stood carefully, being sure not to wake her.

Randy nodded. He had forgotten about the little bunny. He should have checked on her too. Randy fidgeted with her blanket and her pillow for a few minutes, watching the monitors and quietly whispering how sorry he was that he hadn’t thought about her office, that he loved her.

He didn’t stop to do anything or talk to anyone on the way up. He went straight there, speedwalking, let his escort they hadn’t let him go without clear the room, and then went in. Pipkin was overjoyed to see him but he wasn’t staying long. He checked her food and water, it looked like Rand had been here earlier after all. Then he refilled them anyway, gave her a little attention, and then headed back down to Sickbay. It was more activity than he’d done since being in Sickbay and by the time he got back he’d winded himself. He settled back into his spot and slipped his hand back over Rand’s.

~ Roman

When Roman returned Randy was putting another ice pack on. “I can deal with the ice packs for awhile. You need to at least try to rest even if you can’t sleep.”

Roman shook his head. “I want to be awake if she wakes up.” But he was so tired, shortly after he was dozing off himself.

Some time in the wee early morning Rand started moving around, only a little at first like she was stiff, but then more. Mostly her arms and then shifting her weight. The anti-inflammatories were wearing off and she was starting to hurt. In her sleep she was trying to get comfortable, but the movement only hurt. Her heart rate and respiration went up. She was moaning off and on. It finally woke her up about half an hour before she could have more. “Bidh a h-uile dad a ‘goirteachadh (everything hurts).”

Rand

Roman was having one of his nightmares, twitching softly in his sleep. He’d rolled over, so he wasn’t holding her hand anymore. Rand’s first few groans of pain seemed to make it worse. Then her next one woke him up, and after a quick look around the room he turned toward her and put his hand back over hers. “Tha mi a’ guidhe gum biodh rudeigin ann a b’ urrainn dhomh a dhèanamh airson cuideachadh,” (I wish there was something I could do to help) he said when she finally woke up. He’d been hoping she’d sleep longer. He looked up at Randy as if asking if there was anything.

~ Roman