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 (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Roman carefully tried to pick up the mouse off Rand’s sleeve. The mouse still squeaked and squirmed but Roman was careful and set her back in her enclosure. “She must have missed you. I’ve never seen her do that, we should document it.” He didn’t seem upset in any way, he sounded interested and excited.

~ Roman

Rand slid the sleeve off as Roman picked Nibbles up. She was determined to not let go, and hunkered onto the cloth when Roman set her down. Rand dutifully picked up the board next to the enclosure and wrote down everything she had observed, and exactly what she had done with the mouse. However, where Roman was excited and eager by the development, Rand was heartbroken. She wasn’t foolish enough to say so or let it show on her face. It was easier to be gone so long when they had thought Nibbles memory was very short. That she forgot Rand when she was gone. Rand would have to spend days or weeks getting Nibbles used to her again. Now…now the tiny mouse remembered her, and had missed her, was lonely and distressed. Rand remembered how sluggish and weak and inactive Nibbles had been…was that really over a year ago? Roman had thought she was old and nearing the end of her life. The idea of Rand working with her was to give Nibbles someone to bond with, a nest (family), and it had worked, and the mouse had gotten better. Rand had been okay with that because Nibbles wouldn’t remember her when Roman was done with his study and Nibbles was sent away. She couldn’t miss Rand if she didn’t remember her. Now....now Nibbles was going to be abandoned and lonely again, and know it. Rand didn’t think she could handle that. Once Nibbles left there would be no magical return of Rand into her existence.

Rand finished the notes and set the clipboard down. Nibbles was trying to reach up the glass still squeaking and chittering. Rand was very careful not to put her hand in too far but pet the mouse between the ears while she fed her nuts and berries one at a time. Eventually Nibbles calmed down and finally, full and done with the excitement, went into her den to sleep. Rand carefully took the sleeve out of the enclosure and locked the lid.

Rand

Roman smiled as he watched the little mouse. “We’ll have to make sure you don’t disappear for so long,” He said. “Do you want to visit with any of the other animals?” He asked, taking a seat in his desk chair. She wasn’t allowed to pick up and hold the chinzilla, and the goo lizard couldn’t be touched for obvious reasons, but he knew she liked to watch them. And there was Mushu, who to Roman seemed relatively safe. In the three (almost four) years Roman had the lizard he had never hurt or tried to hurt anyone unless he was scared.

~ Roman

Rand wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. She watched Nibbles curled up through the opening of her tiny den. The goo lizard was still hiding and she’d seen the chinzilla and Mushu. They’d been in the lab almost 2 hours, Rand working the whole time. Or the closest she’d come in awhile, anyway. Playing with the animals wasn’t work, but taking notes, watching them, reading the notes still on the clipboards, was more concentration and effort than she’d given in awhile, at least all in one go. But since Roman was sitting and going to let her stay, she was going to take advantage of it. Mushu was still moving about, so Rand made her way back over to his cage. She leaned against the table a little, but she fumbled the latch on the cage. She paused, maybe she was more tired than she realized. Turning her head, a bit too fast, to look at Roman she could feel the beginnings of dizziness. Anywhere else she probably wouldn’t admit it, but she wouldn’t risk a problem with the animals. “I’m ready to go.” She really wasn’t, but she needed to be. She glanced back at Nibbles’ cage once.

Rand

Roman stood quickly when he heard the latch. Then she turned toward him and said she was ready to go and Roman rushed to her to help her. “Okay, let’s head back upstairs,” he said, putting an arm around her and leading her out of the lab. “I’m sure you’ll be able to come back down soon.”

~ Roman

Rand leaned into his arm just a little bit. Once out of the lab she looked up at him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was that tired.” She didn’t feel like she should be, but she was. She’d been at the computer most of the day, and she had been really excited, and guilt could do that too. Still she should have been paying more attention to herself. What if she’d gotten dizzy while she was handling Nibbles? She could have dropped her or worse. When he said she could go back, she looked up at him, “Tomorrow? Just not as long?”

Rand

Roman shook his head and shrugged. “It sneaks up on you sometimes.” He’d had days where he was suddenly much more tired than he expected to be. He assumed it was the same way for Rand. He smiled and nodded. “Tomorrow, then.” They were just outside the lab when he paused and looked down the hallway. “We could get food from the galley? Or would you rather go straight back to our quarters?”

~ Roman

Rand looked down the corridor thinking about it. She was tired, but at the mention of food she realized she was hungry. Sitting at a table wasn’t going to make her more dizzy, and food might help. “Let’s go to the galley.” She was out and moving around and wasn’t feeling confused or sick at all for the moment. She felt good, happy even despite Nibbles. But that was a problem for tomorrow.

Rand

Roman turned and headed to the galley with her. When they got there, like he always did since she was out of sickbay, he asked if she’d rather find a table while he got their food, and then carried both their trays. Then he sat down with her. The galley wasn’t very busy, so it was quieter there. “Everyone missed having you in the lab. They’ll be happy when you can be fully back.”

~ Roman

The food smelled wonderful - lightly breaded chicken fillet over penne noodles with marinara sauce - and Rand eagerly pulled her tray towards herself. Roman’s words surprised her. She never really thought about anyone but Roman missing having her in the lab. Well maybe Scott because she loved to gossip. What surprised her more was that she missed everyone in the lab. Not the animals but the people. Some how or another over the last year she had actually become…friends with most of them. Maybe not close friends, but more than what Rand would have expected when she first boarded the Sentinel. The lab had not just become a place to hide away from down time and dreaded social situations, but a safe place for her to be social, and more importantly play with the animals. “I miss them all too. I…I didn’t expect that.” She smiled a little. “I wish I could go back to normal. Randy said it will be awhile though. Said I will be on light duty for awhile.”

Rand

Roman nodded and smiled. “I can’t wait for everything to be back to normal either.” For him that meant her being back to normal and him, at least he was back to work but he was still having to rest, take breaks, or use his hypo, and then he’d have to go to Randy and tell him he’d used it so Randy could get him another one. He had eaten about a third of his food, the chef’s chicken and noodles were very good. “I think it’ll be good when you’re back. Even if it’s light duty.”

~ Roman