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)
Roman took the cup from her and set it back on the tray. “Suidh air do làimh chlì,” (Lay on your left) he said, and then when she was ready he helped her move. Then he settled himself next to her but leaving her space and looked down at her to see if she was comfortable.

~ Roman

Rand had been laying more on her right side against him, so it took more movement than she wanted to roll over, but once she did and was still it was better along with whatever Shrine gave her. She was hurting too much to worry about it. Once the medicine started working and her stomach stopped hurting, Rand dozed in and out for awhile. Shrine was in no hurry to move her to her back and upset her stomach again.

About an hour later she stirred. “Am faca tu Nibbles agus Mushu? (Did you see Nibbles and Mushu?)” Rand had the feeling she hadn’t seen the animals in a long time, but she didn’t understand why. Certainly she would have seen Pipkin right? “Pipkin?”

Roman turned, carefully, so he was laying more comfortably with her, his arm a little awkwardly around her shoulder. “Chunnaic thu iad mu dhà latha air ais. Thadhail mi orra na bu thràithe an-diugh fhad ‘s a bha thu nad chadal.” (You saw them about two days ago. I visited them earlier today while you were sleeping.) Maybe a day and a half ago, but Roman was tired and it was getting difficult to speak in a language he wasn’t fluent in. “Tha iad a’ dèanamh gu math.” (They’re doing well.)

Shrine didn’t want to interrupt but she thought it might be better to get started why Rand was distracted talking to Cmdr Alden about whatever it was. Elbbirt came in and they helped get her settled on her back and started unwrapping the bandages for the session. Rand happened to glance down at her hands and went really quiet. Elbbirt was afraid she might panic again from the look on her face. She closed her eyes, she was having a nightmare that had to be it, that’s why nothing made sense. She wanted Roman’s hand but she was almost afraid to move. She began to cry, silently, just the tears, something was really really wrong but she couldn’t figure out what or why or how.

Rand

Roman moved back so he was more on his own bed than hers to give them space. He saw Rand’s expression when she was her hands. He knew the feeling, it was how he felt when he woke up the first time. His hands bandaged and now scarred, his chest injured, his heart damaged. It hadn’t made any sense, and he couldn’t imagine it as confused as Rand. He still couldn’t remember the incident itself, but at least he could understand that it had happened, and why. He squeezed her shoulder. He’d take her hand but he needed to be out of the way for the regenerator.

~ Roman

Rand didn’t talk anymore, just listened, and stayed still while the machine worked. The tingling was strange but not painful like Roman told her. Roman looked tired and she knew he hated sickbay. He should go back to his quarters, she was going to sleep anyway. She didn’t remember he couldn’t do that. When Shrine was finally done, Rand told her she was cold, but Shrine didn’t understand. “I’m sorry Rand I don’t understand Gaelic.” Rand looked confused again, she hated being confused. Shrine’s comment seemed to flip one switch anyway. “Blandeth,” it was horribly slurred even for one word and she had to think really hard about the English translation. But it was enough for Shrine to understand. She pulled the blanket up. Rand rolled back to her side, pulling the blanket as tight around herself as she could. One hand inched out from under the blanket for Roman’s.

Roman held her hand, laying quietly on the edge of his bed. He wished he could do more for Rand. But all he could do was lay there and hold her hand.

She was scared, confused and wanted Randy. Roman was there and it helped a lot, but Randy was always there if she was sick. She didn’t understand why he left so fast when Roman came in or why he hadn’t come back. He must be mad at her, she did something wrong, or messed up, and it had to be bad for Randy to be mad at her. Her chest hurt and her arms felt like stabbing needles. So she just laid quiet and tried to sleep.

Randy was in the Rec Hall, boasting loudly about the superiority of Scottish nobility over English nobility. But what could he do? His sister was in love. He appeared drunk to most everyone, the crew assuming he was letting off steam and stress over what had happened to his family. Randy wasn’t drunk, he knew exactly what he was doing - making himself a target. Morgan knew it too and she was close to having a fit because she couldn’t him to shut up.

Rand

Roman couldn’t get the fight earlier out of his head. He wasn’t sure why, he and Randy always butted heads. And it was a breach of his trust. Now how could he say for sure that Randy would be honest with him? But Randy had only been trying to do the right thing, and that was what he expected of every officer, to do what they thought was right. And it had gotten him to sleep and sleep well. He’d needed it and felt a lot better afterwards. He felt like a jerk for being angry about that.

Finally he decided to go find Randy and apologize. He was pretty sure Rand was asleep so he just slipped away, asked for an escort, and went up to deck 3. He knocked on Randy’s door and when, after several knocks, there was no answer, Roman went looking for him. He hadn’t seen him anywhere in Sickbay, so he checked the galley. He wasn’t ready for that long of a lap around the ship. When he reached the galley, he sat at one of the tables for a minute, and then he headed for the rec room. He still felt winded but he wanted to find Randy and then get back to Rand.

He could hear Randy as soon as the rec room door opened and then he saw Randy. He was acting drunk but Roman had spent enough time around the Farquharsons to know he was acting. And what was he pretend-drunk ranting about? His nobility. And how superior to English nobility it was. Roman knew what he was doing and it was dangerous and stupid. He marched into the room right up to Randy, “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Do you want to get killed? Did you forget what they did to me? What do you think Miranda would do if you get hurt?” His voice was icy calm, level. He was angry. “Were you even thinking?” A part of him wondered if Randy was doing this because of their fight, and that made him feel worse than he already did about it, but more importantly, he needed to get Randy out of there. And make him shut it.

~ Roman

“Oh ho ho! See, this is what I was telling you.” Randy swayed and bent over, getting annoyingly close to a petty officer’s face who grimaced at the smell of the alcohol on Randy’s breath. “See, he…he’s maaaaaad because I’m the good kind.” He swayed as he stood and raspberried in Alden’s face, but was kind enough not to spit on him. “Killed? Now why would I get killed? We Scots are good to people, we don’t go stealin’ other’s land and stuff.” Randy waved the bottle about before he tipped it up, that was strangely not emptying as much as it appeared he drank. “All our best fights are about LOVE. We make amazin’ lovers. Just ask Morgan,” he winked at her, and Morgan thought she might throttle him. “Or ask C.o.m.a.n.d.e.r. A.l.d.e.n.” he over pronounced. Rand was going to kill him. “I mean if this was the dark ages you should see the pedigree he’d be gettin’. Actually…” Randy made his way back toward a table, across the room, “I think I even have the family tree up in my quarters somewhere.” He picked up a glass and poured some into the glass and walked it back to Alden. “But really here,” he gave the glass to Alden, “ta the only decent English noble. And only cause he has the good sense to marry a Scott.” And Randy tipped the bottle up and took a real swig of it this time.

Randy

Roman set the glass down and instead grabbed Randy’s arm, playing along with the act. “Alright, Ensign Farquharson, that’s enough of the synthehol for now, back to the tower of- I mean, your quarters with you.” Had he made a joke? He would have to kill Randy later, his face turned bright red as he hinted what he may have done with Rand. He started pulling Randy by the arm for the door and over Randy’s “drunk” shouting he said, “Everybody knows English nobility are the civilised ones, and the better fighters to boot. That’s why we won… how many wars? Scotland never could beat us.” He was being a bit mean, but he needed to undo some of the damage Randy had done, putting such an enticing target on his back. It would make him look like the jerk the assassin seemed to think his family was anyway. He was giving Randy a death stare all the way out the door.

~ Roman

Randy sputtered, “Synthehol? This is pure Lagavulin man! How dare you insult such a fine testament to the art of Scotch Whisky?!” Morgan walked up to him and grabbed him by the other arm. Randy leaned over and laid a wet sloppy kiss on her cheek and she punched him hard in the arm. Randy laughed, “Hey wait! I’m off duty, I’m not done yet.” And he dug his heels in refusing to be dragged out the door. Alden’s joke wasn’t lost on Randy and it was everything he could do to not laugh. He was having to channel his inner Rand for this. “Won?! HA that’s what you thought. Told you we were lovers. Check any English noble or royal house lineage....you’re filled with Scottish nobility. We took over and ya didnae even know it!” He had to stop himself from blurting out that the Farquharsons had just done that to the Aldens. Randy cackled until Alden’s security detail suddenly appeared and helped man handle him out the door. Oh this was working wonderfully, as long Roman didn’t kill him. Randy stumbled falling into Roman so that no one heard but him. “Brig, sickbay, where ever, but good god man don’t take me to my quarters.”

Randy

“Sickbay it is then,” Roman said, still manhandling him by the arm. “To ‘sleep it off’. And tell me why you did it.” Then he raised his voice once more for good measure, “Being a good lover doesn’t make a good noble. Being a good warrior does, and the English certainly could do that. The mightiest military in the world, for hundreds of years, known as the redcoats during one of your greatest defeats.” He said it with as much pride as he could pretend to have. As much pride as he could imagine his father honestly having in it. That the English owned most of the known world for a very long part of known history. The last thing he wanted on his mind was his father. Taking a lap around the ship looking for him and then manhandling Randy was way more physical activity than Roman was ready for and on the way to Sickbay, his grip relaxed and he leaned on the wall of the turbolift, his free hand gripping the shirt over his chest. He needed to rest when they got back. Too bad he needed to kill Randy first.

~ Roman

Once on the tubolift Randy dropped the act. Of course once he did Tracy was raving at him. He wasn’t sure if the other security officers were grinning over her total change in behavior or watching Randy get chewed out. “And what were you thinking coming in there doing that. Seriously that’s a performance I wish Rand could have seen, but you are not supposed to be wandering the ship like that.” He got punched in the arm again because he wasn’t paying attention he was watching Alden. “Ow!” He looked at Tracy, “What was that for?” Randy picked up Alden’s wrist and started counting his pulse.

Roman was short of breath, Randy would be able to tell. Both because he looked winded and because he was leaned slightly forward off his spot leaned on the wall, like he couldn’t get his breath back, his breathing shallower than it should be. “If you get killed… I’ll never forgive you for doing that to Rand.” Roman shot him another glare but he didn’t take his wrist away, he let Randy count. His pulse was rapid and not slowing, a little irregular. The irregularity was the cause of the chest pain Roman was feeling.

“Understood now shush.”

“For being a lover and not a fighter. Do you know how STUPID that was?”

“Can’t talk, busy.” was the sassy reply. Randy figured if he was going to die for this he might as well live up his last hours. Getting off the lift they resumed their little manhandling of Randy, but once they were in the room, Rand still asleep, he just pointed at the bed and started taking scans and prepping a hypo. “You were supposed to be in here with her.” he muttered under his breath.

Randy

When the turbolift opened Roman hid his symptoms while they resumed their act, “manhandling” Randy into Sickbay. But once they were in the room he lay down without argument. He heard Randy and he shook his head. “She was asleep. I was looking for you… to apologize.” He almost didn’t want to say that’s what he was doing, but it slipped out anyway.

Randy stopped and glared at him, “Don’t you dare go doing that, you’ll shatter the foundation of my whole universe.” He held up the vial so Roman could see the label. It was his cardiac meds and then he slipped it into the hypo and pressed it to Roman’s neck. “You should feel better in a minute.”

“What? I can’t think I was wrong?” Roman pulled away from the hypo out of habit, his normal excuse of It’ll get better on its own, just let it be, nearly coming out, but then forced himself to be still. He wasn’t interested in dying of heart problems right then. Or worse, getting back on the machines.

He was taking breaths in between his words. “And then I found you… doing that. Like a suicidal idiot. Rand couldn’t live without you, you know. I’m not you. I can’t replace… you for her. Never will.” He spoke quietly and occasionally glanced at Rand to make sure she was still asleep. He wasn’t sure how much she remembered through her confusion, the whole thing would just scare and confuse her further. “I’m ordering security that you’re to stay here, in Sickbay as much as possible. You’re not going wandering around the ship trying to get yourself killed after that stunt.”

~ Roman

Randy crossed his arms and torqued his hip out and tapped a foot. “And I can’t replace you or her. This guy needs to be stopped. Now look this guy is a fanatical he doesn’t think straight. He failed at getting you so he went after Rand. I don’t think he knew she was nobility. He was just going after her to get to you. To get you to come out so he could try again. If he knew she was nobility he would know I was and come after me already. Or if he did already know he didn’t feel me worth it, now I’ve mocked him. So now not only did he fail with you twice because you didn’t take the bait, he failed a 3rd time because he didn’t kill Rand either. So now he has a new target, he can’t fail this time. He’s desperate and he’s going to make a mistake, a major one. The only thing that is solely mine that no one else messes with is my quarters. Kovan is there now, hiding out on deck 3 watching to see who goes into my quarters to mess with things. And he will go now because I won’t be there, I’ve been arrested. I have no intention of wandering back around.”

“Yes, fantastic. If you’re right. If you’re wrong you’ve endangered yourself for nothing.” Roman was starting to feel better, the painful tightness in his chest beginning to subside, but he still needed rest so he stayed laying down, just shifted so he could see Randy better. “You could help her through my loss. I can’t help her get over you because that’s not possible.” In his mind, it would be worse than losing Jay had been for him, Rand and Randy were closer. Actually siblings. If something were to happen to him, she’d be devastated but he (perhaps mistakenly) thought that she’d be able to move on and be happy with someone else, maybe someone with less… Problems than him. “So sit in that chair” he pointed for emphasis at the chair on the other side of Rand’s bed, “comfort your sister, and don’t do anything else intolerably stupid.”

Morgan came in at that moment and she glanced at Rand who was asleep and at Alden who looked like he might end up on the machines again and then her gaze landed on Randy. The lower lid of her right eye was twitching. She marched Randy down across the room backing him into a corner. Her voice was so quiet Roman couldn’t hear what she was saying but her whole body vibrated with tension. If this was Greek Mythology she would be Medusa and Randy would now be made of stone. She poked him in the chest, her hands gesturing back out the door. It was obvious she was giving Randy the lecture of his life. Randy had the good sense to look sorry and his gaze softened. He reached up to caress her cheek and Morgan slapped his hand so hard the noise made Rand stir in her sleep, but she didn’t wake.

Randy

Roman was watching them though he couldn’t hear what they were saying. But he had the impression he got the gist of it. Randy deserved it, as would Roman if Roman had done it. Maybe Morgan could make him listen to reason. He looked over at Rand when she stirred but she was still asleep so he turned his attention back to Randy.

~ Roman