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 Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side - sim: Head Case
Posted by… suppressed (11) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Roman was busy (and tired) all morning, and didn’t make it back to check on her until lunch. When he did, he brought lunch with him and stayed for as long as he could. It was only a little over a half hour and he spent it sitting with her mostly. Then he had to go back to work. He was back a little late after his shift, but when he got there he sat down with her, hugged her, and asked her, “How was your day?”

~ Roman

Rand had obviously just gotten out of the shower. She was attempting to brush her hair, but the brush was hurting the back of her head. Something that hadn’t happened in a week or more, but she had a horrible headache and it was making it worse. She dropped the brush to her lap and tried to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I guess okay. Randy was here all day.” Which in translation meant that Randy was forcing her to talk about it. Nothing bad happened, but it was a hard day. “I have a headache and it’s making me dizzy. What did you do today?” She loved hearing him talk about his work, and it would be a nice distraction.

Rand

“It was busy,” Roman said, and then smiled at her, “And boring because it wasn’t much in the way of lab work today. Today I was XO Roman more than CSO Roman.” Then he told her about some of the things he’d been doing all day. He looked around the room as if he might get in trouble or checking for Randy, “I had to use my hypo again.” And he’d had to search everywhere for it again, though that part he didn’t tell her. It had ended up being in his office, in a drawer he didn’t usually use. “And then I could sit in the lab and do paperwork…” Roman HATED paperwork, and it seemed so much worse without Rand there doing it with him.

~ Roman

Rand laid her hand over his chest and rubbed a small circle with her palm. “Are you okay?” She didn’t ask if he thought he had over done it, he obviously had. Just going on about his day like he normally would. She understood feeling fine and the next moment you weren’t. “I wish I could help. It’s just sitting at a computer, but Randy and Elbbirt said no. Randy threatened to tell Yarwood if I tried.” Rand groaned at the thought. The man might put her back on bed rest.

Roman let out a deep breath and nodded, scrunching her shirt up in his hand where his arm was around her. It always stressed him out when he had a problem with his heart. “If I hadn’t been, I’d have called Randy, right?” Then he smiled, “I wish you could help, too. But the screen time and all that thinking would be too much for you head right now.”

“Right,” Rand just gave him a look and tried not to laugh. He wouldn’t call Randy unless…well it was really bad. She knew he was trying to make her feel better. If anyone else had put it that way it would probably make her nervous, make her feel like she wasn’t doing enough, but Roman never made her feel that way. She knew it was a matter of time. Normally boredom didn’t bother Rand, she found things to do, but so much wasn’t an option now. “I know,” she let out slowly rubbing the back of her neck trying not to bump her head to ease the headache. “Some times I just feel like if I could do more, or try to it might help, but Randy said no.”

She picked up the brush and started trying to gently work the knots out of her hair while it was still damp. She nodded her head toward the cage where Pipkin was laying on her side, rather than curled into a fuzzy ball, asleep. “I wore her out.” Rand smiled and sighed at the same time. “I’m bored, but can’t do much.”

Rand

“Want help with that?” When her head was still hurt, Roman would as often as he could, spend time helping her brush and detangle her hair gently. He grinned and looked at Pipkin, “Good, she needs more playtime. Especially after so long being away from us.” He smiled at her reassuringly. “It won’t be much longer before you can do more. Just like you told me, right?” Roman had gotten really restless when he was still very limited by his heart. He still did get restless about what he could and couldn’t do sometimes.

~ Roman

“Yes, please.” Rand handed him the brush and turned her back towards him and dropped her head forward. Rand, as best she could, had created an obstacle course for the little rabbit, running up to the bed, across, down through the little maze she had, and around again. It reminded her of working with Nibbles. She missed the mouse and hadn’t asked about her in awhile. It made her sad. She probably wouldn’t be able to help in the lab for awhile anyway. Randy told her she would probably need extra time to work at the computer or traverse the distance of the ship. She smiled back at him over her shoulder. “Yeah, like I told you.” She dropped her head back down keeping still. “I guess I just feel restless, but I can’t go out without anyone.”

Rand

Roman took the brush and began to gently and slowly work her hair, from the ends moving up. It was as if he read her mind when he said, “You’re not as confused anymore. I could let you visit the animals, as long as you’re under direct supervision.” He smiled softly behind her, running his fingers through her hair and then brushing again. “The animals miss you.”

~ Roman

Roman’s hands were very gentle as his fingers combed through her hair after each brush stroke. He never pulled or yanked,and most especially never bumped the knot on her head. When her head had been really hurting he brushed it for her every night. Quietly, Rand loved it and hoped it would become a permanent part of their routine. She wondered if he had learned by brushing his sisters’ hair? Randy had always helped her when they were growing up, but she didn’t ask. Talking about his family was always difficult, and she respected that boundary.

Roman would do it whenever she asked. If she wanted him to do it every night, he would. He didn’t mind doing it at all, and he could tell she liked it.

Her heart took off, excited about the idea of seeing the animals. Forgetting to hold still while he worked she turned to look at him over her shoulder again, a huge smile and hopeful look on her face. “Really? Could…could you take me? After your shift?” She rushed out the last. She didn’t want to interfere with his work, but she didn’t want to go with anyone else. She knew Franks or Scott would be happy to do it, but she wasn’t 100% herself yet.

Rand

She turned and looked at him, pulling her hair away form his fingers. Her smile made him smile and he nodded. “Of course I will. After shift tomorrow. We’ll go right when I’m done working.” He said, and then he gently turned her head back and brushed out another section, carefully brushing the knots out and then running his fingers through it. He was almost done. There wasn’t much more that needed doing, but sometimes he just kept playing with it when it was already brushed.

~ Roman

She giggled out a soft ‘whoops, sorry’ as he turned her head back. As he brushed out the section of hair at the base of her neck, she shivered as a cold chill races down her back. It happened every time, and then his fingers would comb through the strands and it would chase the goosebumps away. She knew sometimes he just kept playing with her hair because he liked it. She thought it was better than a shoulder rub to chase away the tension and almost as soothing as the way he rubbed her back when she would get anxious.

“I miss the animals too. I even miss Mr Wyvern....I know he left long before this and he scared me, but I do.” She held back a yawn as he continued to brush. Being awake all night and all day, and still recovering meant she was exhausted.

Rand

Roman finished brushing her hair, and then ran his fingers through it just because while she talked. “I miss Mr Wyvern, too.” Then he remembered something and smiled, “While you were still in sickbay, I got an update from the place we sent him to. I’ll show you tomorrow.” He said. The truth was, he’d forgotten to tell her about it because he’d gotten it when he was injured and he’d been too worried about that. When she yawned, he leaned around and looked at her. “Are you ready for bed? I have your dose for tonight.”

~ Roman

Rand leaned back against him. “You did? I was starting to worry that we hadn’t heard from them.” The Crimson Cobra scared her but she was glad he had a safe home.

Roman nodded and smiled again. “He is doing well. There’s a video. I’ll show you tomorrow.”

She wasn’t as worried about taking the medication that night as the previous. She’d been able to stay awake the whole night so she knew it wasn’t a sedative. She was still worried a out not being able to wake up from her nightmares. She didn’t trust the medicine to stop them though she had no basis for that mistrust. What if Roman had his own nightmare and needed her but she didn’t wake up?

To put it off a bit she asked, “Have you eaten?” It wasn’t like she had to be awake for him to eat. She’d eaten very little because her stomach had been upset all day working with Randy. Randy hadn’t fussed at her or told Roman so she assumed she’d eaten enough.

“I’m okay,” Roman answered, with a shrug. He hadn’t had dinner, but he wasn’t hungry anyway. He wasn’t worried about her, Randy would have told him if anything was wrong or if she hadn’t eaten. Like when he’d told Roman that she didn’t always eat when she was stressed, so Roman would make her.

She was very relaxed now, after Roman had finished brushing her hair. The chance to see the animals and gentler conversation helped to calm her nerves and her stomach. In turn making her more tired. “I don’t want,” she yawned again, “more nightmares.” Roman would know it wouldn’t take much prodding to get her to sleep no matter how stubborn she might want to be.

Rand

“Good,” Roman said, pulling the right hypo out of the drawer by the bed. He double checked it before he gave it to her and then set it on the bedside table. “Now you won’t.” He settled into bed next to her, cuddling into her. He knew she would be asleep soon, so he whispered, “I love you,” and then waited until he was sure she was asleep.

~ Roman

“That’s not…” she started to say that’s not what she meant, but Roman had already given her the hypo. She didn’t argue, she had promised Roman and Randy she would take it. Roman sounded so certain in his assurance that she wouldn’t dream it made her smile as she settled, curled up against him. “I love you, too.” She started to doze almost immediately, but she seemed unable to settle, almost as if she couldn’t get comfortable. The truth was she was too comfortable and didn’t want to fall asleep. It was pure irrational stubbornness by that point. She had gotten it into her head to not sleep and was determined.

Roman was not making it easy for her. When he noticed she wouldn’t settle, he wrapped his arms around her, using one hand to rub her back, trying to relax her into sleeping.

After half an hour she did though, yet was awake again an hour later. The headache was getting worse. Though normally she was able to operate on a strange sleep schedule or with little sleep when need be, it wasn’t so anymore. Not with the concussion. She felt certain that she needed to stay awake, but why? “Chan eil mi ag iarraidh cadal. (I don’t want to sleep.)” Her voice slurred from exhaustion and the throbbing that had turned vengeful in her head at her own stubbornness. After the last few weeks Roman would know it was a sign of exhaustion, that she wasn’t sleeping well or enough.

Rand

An hour later she was awake again. Roman had fallen lightly asleep but when she began to stir it woke him. He looked at her when she said she didn’t want to sleep. Then he reached over, pulled an ice pack out, and activated it. Her saying it in Gaelic meant her head was probably hurting so he set the ice pack against her head. “Why don’t you want to sleep?”

~ Roman

The ice was shockingly cold and woke her up more fully for a moment. Why didn’t she want to sleep? She pressed tighter, laying her head on his shoulder, where she was warm and calmer. She didn’t answer right away. Her Gaelic still slurred. “I don’t want to dream. Wake you up.” The ice was starting to seep into her head and ease the throbbing, making it hard to keep her eyes open.

Rand

“You need to sleep, Miranda,” Roman said, sounding a little worried. “Even if you did wake me up, I’d rather you get sleep. And you didn’t dream last night or the night before when Randy gave you this stuff.” Little did Roman know she hadn’t slept last night. If he did he would be upset. He kept rubbing her back or her shoulder, whichever he could reach better with how she was laying next to him. “Please, go to sleep.”

~ Roman