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 (12) 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 you’re 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

Roman sighed. “That’s why I made her go back. She was going to force herself to go all the way around the deck.” He realized she’d lied to Randy for him, Randy thought he hadn’t known she wasn’t supposed to be walking. The truth was it was nearly the first thing she’d said to him, Randy says I’m overdoing it. And that almost made him feel worse, there were too many lies going around. “How much longer should she be there, anyway?” He couldn’t be late to have dinner with her. While he knew she wouldn’t think he was angry (she hadn’t done anything for him to be angry about, unbeknownst to Randy) he wouldn’t have an explanation for why he was late. But he also did not want to go to Sickbay. “I can’t be late,” he said, but made no move to get up.

~ Roman

Randy shrugged, “I don’t know. Elbbirt wants her able to walk without help so he knows she’s not likely to fall on her own. Being home is good for her memory and peace of mind. We want that, but it’s not like we can make sure she’s always with someone. She’s determined, a couple more days maybe. Part of the problem is she’s trying to move too fast. It doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as she does it.” Randy waited and then put a hand on his left arm, “No you can not so come on, let’s go.” He pulled Roman up, “It will ease the strain I’m sure holding her steady put on you. If we could do this anywhere else I would. Come on, after this one only 3 days left.”

Randy

Three days, six sessions. That was not helpful to Roman. “She just really wants out,” Roman said and then sighed, “So would I.” It was why he’d tried to rush his heart recovery. Randy pulled him up by his left arm and Roman reluctantly followed. Randy was right about the strain trying to hold her steady caused. Roman still considered it lucky she hadn’t happened to touch his wrong side. “I hate lying to her.” He commented as they headed into Sickbay.

~ Roman

Randy nodded, he knew they both did. Honestly he would REALLY like it if his sister and Roman could avoid illness or injury for the next two years after this. Even minor things that don’t need medical types of things. “I know. If she could always be like she has been today we could tell her. But when she gets confused and can’t piece things together, there is no telling how she’ll react.” Rand had thought she’d imagined her whole relationship with Roman. What if she thought he got shot and died? There was no telling what she would do. Roman walk in the room when she thinks he’s dead and she at best might faint, at worst…well Randy didn’t want to think about that.

He led Roman into sickbay and over to a bio bed. He already had it calibrated for the shoulder burn. He helped unwrap the bandage and started the machine. The skin there was closed up and mostly pink with only a little red in the center. “Last day for this one. We’ll put gel and a bandage on it after and then take it off tonight and you’ll be done there.”

Roman lay back on the biobed and started unwrapping his shoulder. It went faster when Randy started to help. The biobed registered a high heart rate, Roman was nervous. Randy would be able to tell that by looking at him, though. One fist gripped the biobed’s sheets, the other the side of the bed. It looked as thought it took focus to stay there and not try to leave.

Randy placed a hand on his upper arm and quietly applied pressure in a rhythmic manner. Much like how Rand would squeeze his hand. It wasn’t the same, Randy knew. Nothing could replace Rand, but he would try.

It was a lot better than nothing, but not nearly as helpful as if Rand had been there. Roman was trying, he was trying to make his breathing match the rate Randy squeezed his arm, but it wasn’t working much.

Randy started unwrapping the abdominal wound. While he did he talked mostly about work things. “I’ve noticed that things are getting…delayed around the ship. I’m not Rand, but she did train me. Should I fill in for her for awhile?”

Randy

Roman still seemed to be flinching away and hiding pain as Randy unwrapped the abdominal burns. “Things are getting delayed. Most of the crew doesn’t know how to do what she does. Reports don’t make it on time, requests are missing things and get sent back. I spend more of my shift going place to place just collecting the paperwork.” He would occasionally pause what he was saying while Randy was working. The burn was okay if he left it alone but very painful otherwise. It looked better than day one, it wasn’t quite as deep and no longer bled, but the skin in the center was still quite nasty looking, thick and dark with the outer edges red. The burn felt warm, warmer than previous, with a little discoloration. The beginning signs of infection.

~ Roman

Randy continued to unwrap it slowly. He picked up a small aerosol/spray bottle looking container. A topical numbing spray, but then he saw the center of the burn and paused. “Roman?” Something had to be going on because Randy’s voice was very quiet and had taken on that serious tone he got in their sessions. He reached down and flipped on the biobed and grabbed the hand scanner and began to do a detailed scan of his abdomen. “I have to get Elbbirt. The burn is forming an infection.” Anxiety was causing his heart rate high, but an infection was making his body, this his heart, work harder too. Randy pressed a call button on the bed for Elbbirt.

“What?” Roman asked, an edge to his voice, when Randy said his name in that tone that meant something was wrong. “What’s wrong?” Roman insisted, his grip on the bed tightening, and then in the short time between then and Randy answering him, “Randy, tell me!” Then he took a deep breath and looked around as if seeing if anyone was around. “Sorry. I shouldn’t let my emotions get away like that.”

“It’s okay, you’ve been through a lot. I know you hate this.” Randy wished it was clean, but always knew an infection was possible.

The scans of his abdomen showed the infection was working its way deeper into the burn but hadn’t spread deeper into his body yet. It also showed the infection had sparked a low fever.

While they waited the session on his shoulder finished. All new pink, a little tender, skin. Randy applied the gel and started rewrapping it. Every so often he would set a hand to Roman’s arm and squeeze. Randy understood the nightmare this was turning into for him.

Randy

His shoulder at least, felt a lot better. The skin was a little tender, but with the burn healed and gel applied it was almost like new. With the news about his other burn though Roman looked like he might throw up, not as a symptom of the infection but of anxiety. “I can’t do this. I need to go. I need to see Rand.”

~ Roman

Randy moved Infront of him, so Roman could see him clearly. “Commander you have to stay. Infections to burns are deadly. It hasn’t spread yet, but once it does…there isn’t much that can be done. You have to wait for Elbbirt. I will go get Rand for you. She’ll come, she’ll stay with you,” he offered. She was having a good day.

Elbbirt walked in and looked at the screens and the readings and then moved around to his other side to visually examine the wound. He heard the comment about Rand. They had agreed not to tell her, but if Alden changed his mind that was fine. They could deal with how she handled it after. “I have good news and bad news. Do you want me to wait till Rand gets here?”

Randy