Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side - sim: Head Case

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side - sim: Head Case

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side - sim: Head Case
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Rand was laying down on the bed, twitching and moaning slightly. She seemed to be having another night terror. She had one hand folded back over her neck holding an ice pack to her head. She hadn’t meant to doze off, but once the ice started working she’d drifted off. She hated falling asleep when she was alone. The night terrors never seemed to stop and left her confused, disoriented, and woke her with a racing heart and a cold sweat. She could never remember the dreams though.

Roman knew she had been having the nightmares since her second night out of sickbay. There wasn’t much he could do. He did the same things for her she usually did for him, hugging her or rubbing her arms, or sometimes talking softly to her. It was nearing the worst time of year for Roman, and his own nightmares were getting worse, but he was trying to get enough sleep anyway, so he could help her.

Pipkin was on the bed, settled down next to her. When the door opened the little bunny looked up and then hoped to the end of the bed towards him.

Rand

When Roman entered their quarters and saw her, he gave Pipkin a little bit of quick pet and then lay down next to Rand, gently hugging her. She never remembered the dreams, so he didn’t know what they were about, but he did know how it made her feel so he’d stay there with her until she woke up and felt better.

~ Roman

Rand settled once he hugged her. However, half an hour later she woke, sitting straight up a scream strangled in her throat. She stared down at her hands, not seeing what she expected, but not sure what she thought she would see. She rocked back and forth, gasping slightly before beginning to cry silently. If asked, she had no idea why she was crying or what had woken her up.

Rand

Roman was just about asleep (at last) when she woke. He sat up and hugged her tightly, not saying anything, just letting her cry and waiting. He had asked her the first few times, by now he knew she didn’t know. The only thing he could do was comfort her and wait, so that was what he did.

~ Roman

Rand turned into him, crying against his shoulder. The initial upset and disorientation didn’t really last long once she knew she was awake and where she was. It was the inability to figure out what she was remembering in her sleep that took longer. Then the cold chills and racing heart that took the longest. Rand hated she’d woken Roman again. She knew there was something important she was forgetting (two days ago she remembered) for Roman. Right then she just hated she was keeping him awake. He was far too busy to have to deal with her night terrors.

It only took a few minutes for her to calm down enough to lay back. She tucked in close, still shivering, but would normally fall back asleep. “Mmm…may…maybe I should stay with Randy?” It was not what Rand wanted. She swallowed hard against fresh tears, but he needed sleep and rest. He needed to focus on the ship and his duties, not her. She felt like it was never going to end…

Rand

Roman pulled her in close against his chest, keeping his arms tightly around her as they lay back down. At her suggestion he squeezed her a little and shook his head. “No! I-I can’t sleep without you here. Besides, I’d rather be there with you when it happens.” His nightmares would be worse without her there. He didn’t want that. It would probably end up being worse than her waking him up. “So go back to sleep, okay?” He said, looking down at her.

~ Roman

There was nothing to do, but go back to sleep as he asked. She didn’t want to go stay with Randy. That was selfish though. She couldn’t imagine Roman’s sleep would be worse with her gone. Quietly she laid there, unable to fall back asleep. Perhaps that was just as well, she wouldn’t wake him up again. If he didn’t get sleep it would be like before. His reports would get messed up, small mistakes that added up, and Randy may not catch them. Except this time it would be her fault and not the Ardent. The Ardent....realization came slowly, but clearly. What she was supposed to remember. The anniversary of the Ardent was soon. Rand wrapped her arms around him as he slept and held on tightly. No, she couldn’t leave him alone now. She would…have to try and stay awake, so she didn’t disturb him so she could stay while he tried to sleep. Roman was more important.

Rand

It took over forty minutes for him to fall asleep. As he did he cuddled into her, his arms loosely around her. It was three hours later he started to twitch and whimper in his sleep, rolling over in her arms. It wasn’t a surprise he was having a nightmare, they’d been getting worse the last week or so. When he finally woke up from it, he rolled back into her and hugged her tightly. He’d noticed she was awake, and he hoped he hadn’t woken her. Lack of sleep would be bad for her concussion. She needed that rest, even more so with it being interrupted by her own bad dreams.

~ Roman

Rand hugged him, whispered to him, rubbed his arms. Nothing seemed to help. Shouldn’t, after all this time, she know at least one way to help him? Some way to make it not so bad? For at least one night couldn’t she find a way to be enough to keep the nightmares away? She hugged him tighter, she couldn’t keep her own away how was she going to help Roman?

Maybe that was the problem, her own reminded him of his and so made it worse? When the alarm went off she got up. She had no where to go and nothing to do, but despite exhaustion still she got up.

Rand