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 (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Roman had been late to his secret burn session, they’d had to figuratively drag him out of the lab. And then he’d barely made it through the session itself. He was NOT looking forward to a second one later in the day. And when Rand asked if he’d walk with her… She was overdoing it, he knew, because she wanted out of sickbay, but he also wasn’t feeling very compliant so he nodded reluctantly, “Alright, let’s go. But hurry up, Randy will stop you if he sees us.”

~ Roman

Rand was already ready to go. She had been all morning. She was so happy that he agreed, Rand practically bounded off the biobed and ended up tripping/falling into him. She was quick to say she was okay and hurry out of Sickbay. Hurry being a relative word. Rand was dizzy and lightheaded and navigating more by memory and instinct than seeing where she was going. She didn’t want to tell Roman because she didn’t want him to change his mind.

It was a slow walk, and she worried that Roman was annoyed it was taking her so long. She tried to hurry but that made everything worse. The biology lab was slightly more than half way around the deck and she was stubbornly determined to make it there. She knew she couldn’t go in, but thought that maybe she could peek at Nibbles from the door. She really wanted to ask Roman, if he would take her later, just to see her. She wouldn’t try to pet her or feed her or anything. She didn’t though because she didn’t want to ask him to break the rules for her.

She didn’t make it to the lab though. She made it 2/3rds if the way there, slowly and determined, but mostly steady (or as steady as she could be). The last third she kept reaching for the wall to steady herself and know which way she was going. She didn’t reach for Roman because she had to do it on her own or they wouldn’t let her leave. When they got half way around the deck, a vice seemed to squeeze her head and her vision tunneled. Starting at her head she felt really hot and then cold racing down her back, and her knees went out, and she thought she might be sick. She reached for the wall to hold herself up, but it didn’t. She grabbed for Roman instead.

Rand

Roman followed behind her, keeping an eye on her as they went. He stayed close enough to help if she needed it but far enough to make it count as doing it on her own. He was watching her closely, he’d feel terrible if she got hurt because he let her do this. She was just about half way, doing okay…

But instead she looked unsteady like she might fall and he stepped forward just in time to catch her. The sudden movement stretched his burn and made it hurt, a lot, and he tried to make the resulting grunt seem like it was just catching her.

He waited a minute with her, hoping she’d feel a little better, and then said, “We need to head back. Can you walk yourself?” The alternative, of course, was for him to carry her like he had when she broke her ankle. It wouldn’t be comfortable for him right now, but he’d do it.

~ Roman

Rand stayed there until her legs didn’t feel like they would fold on her. She sighed she wanted to finish the whole lap, but heading back was shorter than finishing. She also knew Roman wasn’t going to let her. He would be very stubborn about it. “I…I think so. I want to finish, maybe if you help me?” Maybe he’d let her at least finish the lap if she let him help her?

Rand

Roman hesitated and then shook his head. If he weren’t hurt (which he couldn’t tell her), then he might have said yes, but he wasn’t sure he could help her all the way around the deck and hide his injuries. “You already nearly collapsed, push too hard and you’ll make it longer before you can go home.” He said. “Back is shorter.”

~ Roman

Rand sighed, her head hurt too much to argue with him and win. She just wanted to go home. “I don’t want to stay longer.” The way her words slurred and were hard to understand was enough to prove she should be back in bed. She’d promise to stay in bed without help, she’d even let Randy give her a sedative to make sure she did just so she could get out of sickbay. She leaned up against Roman as he turned her back the way they had come. Luckily for him, she was on his left, opposite of where he’d been hit and his burns were still healing.

Rand

Roman led her back towards Sickbay slowly, making sure she was okay as they went. He had to hope she didn’t put her arm around his shoulders or his side. He felt awful about not telling her. It was way too similar to when he hid his leg from her, the way he carefully made sure she didn’t touch it or if she did he could hide his pain, the way he had to avoid taking about how they caught the assassin because he didn’t want to directly lie, event by omission. He wished he could just tell her.

~ Roman

Rand in fact did have her arm around his waist, resting against his back, for extra support, but luckily she didn’t grab his side. It would have bothered her to know he’d been hurt, but he was obviously fine, and she would have sat with him during his sessions. She promised to stay with him whenever he was in sickbay. She would be very mad if she ever found out they were all lying to her.

Roman thought he was acting in her best interest, that knowing would stress her out too much and be bad for her head injury. It didn’t make him feel less terrible about it, nor did it make it easier. He was already dreading the afternoon session enough to make him lose his appetite, and that was before he saw a very angry Randy waiting for them.

Randy was in the corridor hands on hips, foot tapping, a scowl on his face. He was fuming but he didn’t say anything. Which was bad, very very bad. Rand went straight back to bed, claiming she was hungry and ate, more than she felt well enough for and suffered Randy’s silent glares throughout the day.

Rand

Roman offered a sheepish smile, the excuse “She begged me to,” on his tongue, but Randy didn’t ask so Roman didn’t say anything. He took Rand all the way back to bed and then had to go back to work. He did not show up in Sickbay at the time he was expected. He stayed in the lab as if he were hoping they’d let him go without going back. He was nervous, not that he’d admit that, to go without Rand again and making Randy angry by letting Rand go for a walk earlier was not helping. He was pretty sure Randy was more angry at Rand than him, but it was still bothering him.

~ Roman

Randy appeared in the lab, still not looking happy. He walked over and sighed, “She should have told you she wasn’t supposed to go out. She pushed herself so hard this morning she threw up. I know she wants out of there, but she’ll make herself worse.” Then he straightened his shoulders, “Come on. You’re late, and if you wait longer, you’ll be late to have dinner with her. Then she’ll think your mad at her for lying about her walk…which you should be.” Apparently Rand had *lied to her brother about Roman knowing she wasn’t supposed to be out walking.

Randy