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 Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in Side sim: Matters of the Heart
Posted by… suppressed (8) 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

Randy was half dozing and though he noticed Roman twitching some he didn’t really know if that was typical for his sleep or not. When Alden looked at him, Randy got up and left the room to go talk to Elbbirt. The meds obviously weren’t strong enough if they were wearing out more than an hour before her next dosage.

Rand wasn’t delirious but just not really awake. She was still really tired and should be asleep except for the pain bothering her. “Ròmanach, dè thachair? Carson a tha mi air mo ghoirteachadh cho mòr (Roman, what happened? Why do I hurt so much)?” Her speech wasn’t any clearer than earlier, but she seemed to have to think harder to form the words. She didn’t remember him saying anything about her console being rigged or that it exploded.

That really worried Roman. He’d already told her what happened. It seemed like she was having to think more to speak, even in Gaelic. “Bidh a h-uile dad gu math,” (Everything will be fine) he replied.

Rand nodded her head but it was so small a movement Roman would only notice because he was watching her. She didn’t feel okay, but whatever it was she would be. That’s what she thought he meant anyway. She did remember he said it wasn’t her heart.

Elbbirt came in and checked her, flashing the pen light in her eyes again, which earned him a slurred but strong curse. “I can combine a couple different types of antibiotics to help and up the dosage some, which will help, but I’m afraid to give her narcotic painkillers or a sedative. Bother would certainly help but with the concussion being so severe I’m afraid to.” While he talked he prepped a hypo but looked at Alden to see if he wanted him to give her the higher dosage. Rand was in no position to decide for herself.

Rand

“She doesn’t remember something I told her earlier,” Roman told Elbbirt, meaning the information to support the idea that pain killers or sedatives were probably a bad idea. Then he nodded to the higher dosage. “Whatever will safely help her,” he said, looking again at Randy as if to check if he approved.

~ Roman

Randy nodded, but didn’t feel he was as objective as he needed to be to advise Roman. He was starting to feel the strain of all the events. But what Elbbirt said was true and he’d worked with him long enough to trust him. Elbbirt gave her the hypo then turned to look at Alden. “Well the pain could be adding to the confusion, but also if you told her when she first woke up she’s liable not to remember or maybe understand. That can happen for the next few days. Be prepared to repeat yourself or even have to explain things you normally wouldn’t.”

Roman nodded. He didn’t mind having to repeat or explain things for her, as long as it was expected, so he didn’t have to worry more than he already was.

Rand groaned when she tried to sit up so she could join the conversation. “Tha, tha mi a’ faireachdainn troimh-chèile agus tha mi air mo ghoirteachadh (Yes, I feel confused and I hurt).”

Elbbirt raised a brow and Randy translated for him. “That’s odd. People tend to revert back to their native language.”

“Gaelic is our native language. We learned that before we did English. Everyone made such a big deal about how beautiful it sounded when Rand talked, she refused to speak English for two years. Drive the teachers crazy. She understood them perfectly, read and write in English, just refused to speak it.”

“That’s why I’m learning it,” Roman put in. “I wanted to understand her language.”

Elbbirt waited till Rand seemed to be more comfortable. “Rand, do you know where you are?”

“bàigh tinn (sickbay).” Though she sounded unsure, afraid she might be wrong. Randy translated.

“Do you know who I am?” Elbbirt asked. Normally he might be more jovial and joke that he would be devastated if she didn’t, but he didn’t want to put pressure on her.

“Dotair Elbbirt,” the word was slow as she worked to form the sound also afraid she didn’t recognize the voice as her vision was still blurry.

“Do you know what happened?”

She paused a few times as she answered, a mixture of trying to remember and the dizziness. “Thuirt Ròmanach gu bheil concussion agam. Bhuail mi mo cheann gu math cruaidh (Roman said I have a concussion. I hit my head really hard).” She turned her head slowly to look at Roman to see if she was right, and her arm moved a little under his hand.

Rand

Roman watched her answer similar questions to what he was asked when he had a concussion. He still had to internally cringe at the self introduction he’d been confused enough to give. It had been frustrating being so confused and unable to focus. Rand’s concussion was so much worse, Roman couldn’t imagine how frustrating it must be for her. He nodded encouragingly and rubbed his thumb along a portion of her forearm that was unburned.

~ Roman

“How is your stomach?” Elbbirt asked. “Any nausea?”

“Tha.” It was whisper quiet. She was tired and wanted to sleep. Randy translated and Elbbirt picked up a hypo. “I’ll give something for it.” He switched out vials and pressed it to her neck. Something wasn’t right though because Rand jerked away after Elbbirt gave it to her.

She reached across herself and grabbed Roman’s hand despite the pain it caused and she swayed and would have fallen (onto Roman’s bed not far but far enough) if she wasn’t caught. Anti-nausea meds could be used as a sedative. Something was wrong with her heart. Or at least in her confused mind that’s what it meant to her. Her heart rate and blood pressure shot up very suddenly setting the alarms off. Despite Randy and Elbbirt trying to get her to lay back down she wouldn’t. “Chan e, a Ròmanaich, na leig leis mo chur a chadal. Mas e do thoil e. (No, Roman, do not let him put me to sleep. Please.)”

Rand

Elbbirt was looking back and forth between the two men and his patient. “What’s wrong?” He grabbed Randy’s arm to get his attention.

Randy tried to help Roman get her to lay down but she was panicking. “She’s asking him to stop you from putting her to sleep.” He turned back to Rand but Roman seemed to have her. She certainly wasn’t listening to him.

Roman caught her and tried to guide her to lay back. “No, no, don’t move,” he said, the words coming out in English because he said it quickly. “Tha e airson do stamag gun a bhith a ‘toirt ort cadal.” (It’s for your stomach not to make you sleep.) Then he leaned over and gave her a loose hug, avoiding her burns. “Tha thu ceart gu leòr, tha mi a’… gealltainn.” (You’re okay, I promise.) It took him a minute to remember the right word for ‘promise’.

~ Roman

It was for both. She remembered that, from 5 years ago. “Chan eil mi airson a dhol a chadal. (I don’t want to go to sleep.)” Her words were slurred but the panic was obvious. Rand shook her head hard, and that was a mistake. Even holding on to him she got dizzy and her stomach rebelled, her head felt like it was splitting open. Her hands and skin hurt. Even under the bandages she was splitting the delicate new skin. But her stomach had had enough and she managed to move her head over the bed right before she lost what little was in her stomach.

Her hands took the brunt of her weight, the pain jarring her and she noticed the bandages on her hands and stomach for the first time. She heaved and hyperventilated at the same time, and then her vision went black and they were finally able to get her laid back. Randy passed Roman an ice pack while he started cleaning up.

“One of you want to explain what that was?” Elbbirt half asked half demanded while he took readings and checked Rand over again. Randy looked at Roman, “I have no idea. She just kept saying she didn’t want to sleep.”

Rand