Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side - sim: Lost in the Dark

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side - sim: Lost in the Dark

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side - sim: Lost in the Dark
Posted by… suppressed (9) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Rand held onto him as she stood. She could walk, she could. Her legs still worked didn’t they? They were still attached. If she could just focus enough she could make them work, right? She walked like she was drunk. Randy in fact knew it was because of the dehydration. That was bad enough to make her weak and light headed, give her a headache, and make her vision blury and dark. It also had a worse side effect of making her concussion worse, which made the symptoms worse. He didn’t like that she was shivering. That meant she wasn’t taking in enough food for her body to regulate her body temperature.

He helped Roman get her into bed and handed Roman an extra blanket to pu over her and then motioned for him to step into the corridor with him.

“She is extremely dehydrated. Elbbirt said she could stay here, with the concussion he thinks here will be better for her. But I have to put her on an infusion unit. She also has to finish two electrolyte drinks in the next 90 minutes or Elbbirt is putting her in sickbay.”

Rand

Roman looked really worried, but shook his head. “I spent an hour with her in the galley, I could barely get her to drink one glass! And then she threw it back up anyway…” He sighed and looked at Randy, “And she is not going to want an infusion unit.” Roman himself looked better than he had in months, between multiple days of good sleep and a couple of days of good meals and hydration for himself. “Sickbay should motivate her to try but…” He gave Randy a please look, “maybe you can help coax her to drink all that?”

~ Roman

Randy nodded, “No she’s not. She needs it though.” Randy proceeded to explain the side effects and the risks if she didn’t have the unit and the drinks. “Honestly I would rather put her in sickbay, but Elbbirt is afraid if she gets confused being in sickbay would be traumatic.” Randy nodded, “I’ll do my best, but she is already mad at me.”

Randy went back inside and grabbed several things out of the box. Rand was curled up on her side almost asleep, breathing heavily. “Rand, honey, you have to sit up. Come on. Roman will help. I know your head probably hurts. I’ll give you something with your other meds.” He tried to lift her, but she just battered him away. “Come on Rand. It will help. You have to sit up and drink this.” She just ignored him. He reached for an infusion unit and then pulled the blanket off her to get at her arm.

“Stad. Randy tha mi fuar, stad. Fàg mi mar a tha mi. (Stop. Randy I’m cold, stop. Leave me alone.)” She attempted to play tug of war with the blanket, but it was over before it started. “I know, and you can have the blanket back in a minute.” He prepped the hypo, “I am going to give her, her regular meds now too.”

Roman sat beside her and smiled encouragingly, nodding to Randy. “Come on, Rand. You’ll feel a lot better afterwards.”

Rand groaned and tried to roll away. “Chan eil barrachd meds ann. (No more meds).” Randy looked at Roman. He leaned over and rubbed her arm. “Oh come on. It’s not that bad. Besides if you don’t take yours, Roman won’t take his. He’s worried about you.” Rand shook her head, “No.”

Rand

Roman chuckled softly. As usual, Randy was right. “He’s right, I won’t. Same deal as always, you take yours, I take mine. And I mean all yours, not just your regular ones.”

~ Roman

Why did he care? Those meds could be used on someone who needed them, someone who mattered. Roman was stubborn and she knew he wouldn’t take his meds now that he said that. She had a vague memory of a cave and threatening not to take her meds, but it was fuzzy and confusing. Rand held still while Randy gave her the hypo, though. She flinched then muttered, “A nis e. (Now him.)”

Randy shook his head. “You aren’t done yet, and he knows it. Come on. You have to sit up.” Randy glanced at Roman and nodded towards Rand. “Let Roman help. And if he snogs you in the process I won’t say anything. Promise.” He was teasing her, trying to get a reaction, a little life into her. Instead Rand ducked her head. “Hey, I was only teasing.” Randy ducked his head to look at her and sighed.

Once Roman had her sitting up he took her arm and grabbed an infusion unit. Hopefully Roman would keep her distracted while he worked. With how dehydrated she was, starting the infusion unit was a bit difficult.

Roman hugged her and then smiled at her. “Would a snog be so terrible?” He asked. He wanted her distracted while Randy worked and the only way he knew how was to tease her. “Or I could take my shirt off, you always like that and you don’t even have to do anything.”

No it wouldn’t be terrible at all; it would be winderful. The slight blush on her cheeks said so. Normally her face would be bright red when he suggested taking his shirt off. Now she just seemed normal, there was color to her complexion again where she had been pale and clamy most of the day. She was peeking up at him shyly too. Then she winced and then, “OW!” and she tried to jerk her arm away from Randy. He had a hold of her arm though and kept her still. “Randy!” she started to cry. He never hurt her. She never remembered anything like that hurting, and Randy was always so careful. “I know it hurt, but you are really dehydrated. It makes your skin tougher and your veins harder to get too. Do you understand? You don’t have enough water. It’s why you are so sick.”

Roman squeezed her hand hard when she started to cry. “I know it hurts but it has to be done.” He hugged her and then with a quick, somewhat embarrassed glance at Randy he whipped his shirt off and tossed it across the room at the laundry. “I know it doesn’t make it go all the way away but maybe I can distract you a little.” He gave her one of his mischievous looks.

Rand’s eyes went wide, “Tha.” Yep she was distracted, and it made Randy smirk a little though he didn’t say a word. To the point she tried to put both her arms around him, only for Randy to hold her arm still and promise her he was almost done. That embarrassed her, and she turned her face into Roman. Roman knew the moment Randy was done because all the tension suddenly went out of her and he was suddenly supporting all her weight.

Then he handed Roman a bottle of the drink. “Rand you have to drink two of these. Come on, just a little to start. Once you drink some it will be easier.” Rand didn’t want it, she just wanted them to leave her alone. She wanted to sleep and she said so. “It’s your favorite, fruit punch. Rand if you don’t drink it I will have to go get Elbbirt.” He didn’t want to mention sickbay or the fact she wouldn’t be working again tomorrow.

Rand took a sip and gagged on it pushing it away and shaking her head, making the throbbing start again.

Rand

Roman frowned when she pushed the fruit punch away. She hadn’t wanted anything sweet all day. Only… Lemon. Lemon everything. “Do you have those in lemon?”

~ Roman

“Lemon? We do, but Rand hates lemon.”

Rand

Roman gave Randy a look. “She ate three lemon slices in the galley. And a cantaloupe. It was all I could get her to eat. She put lemon juice in her water, too.”

~ Roman

Randy gave him a look like he wasn’t sure he believed him. Like he had walked into an alternate reality or something. He looked at Rand and then at Roman and back…no. Nope....no. He got up and grabbed a bottle of water. “Try to get her to sip this. I’ll go get one of the other bottles.” Randy left and was gone for a few minutes.

Roman put some lemon flavor he has for tea, in the water and then handed it to Rand. “Try to drink a little.” If it had worked before, maybe it would work this time. He gave Randy a confused expression when he caught Randy looking between the two of them. He was looking at them with a really weird look.

It was better than plane water. It tasted good and her body soaked it up. It was hard though because she was not thirsty, but she made herself. “A-nis thu. Do chungaidh-leigheis. (Now you. Your medicine.)” She totally missed the look Randy was giving them.

“Once you finish yours and that means both bottles.” Roman replied. “Then Randy will give me mine.” He really hated giving himself hypos. He still didn’t know Randy was putting things besides heart meds in his heart meds.

He returned with two bottles of the electrolyte drink in lemon flavour. He put one in the cooler drawer to stay cold and brought the other over and opened it, handing it to Rand. “Here try this one.” He didn’t think Rand would drink it. She’d always hated lemon flavored or scented anything. Rand took it and sipped at it. The flavor was much stronger than what had been in the water. After a couple of sips she started to guzzle it, causing Randy and Roman to take it from her before she shocked her stomach and threw up again. Randy looked at her like she’d grown another head.

Rand

Roman looked at Randy again and shrugged. “Maybe her tastes change. It happens.” He looked at Rand and smiled, glad she was drinking at least. Hopefully she would feel better and be more like herself.

~ Roman

She laid against Roman, it was the only way to stay up right to drink. She felt dizzy still and her hands were shaking as she held the bottle. She sipped at it, dozing off between sips.

Randy nodded, “Yeah, it can happen.” Rand had dozed off again and he took the bottle and shook her gently. “Rand you have to stay awake and finish this.”

A very tired, “No” was her reply. She swatted him away, but really it was just a wiggle of her fingers. Randy handed the bottle to Roman. “The second one is in the chiller. She has to drink both.” He lifted Rand’s chin. “Both of them Rand. If you don’t Roman is going to take you to sickbay. And he will. I don’t care how much he hates it. You are really sick, and your health is more important to him. You have to drink both bottles.” He was very firm and clear when he spoke to her, but she just looked confused. Randy got up. “I have to finish rounds. Get her to drink that. If she doesn’t or she seems worse take her. Don’t wait. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”

Rand

Roman nodded. “I will. Just like you would if it were me. Remember a few days ago? I had to take meds I didn’t want to or go to sickbay. Now it’s your turn. You have to drink it.” He nodded to Randy. Then he kept hugging her. “It’s just one more bottle of lemon juice. You can do it.”

~ Roman

Rand looked at him, that same confused look she had when she was in sickbay. Then the look cleared after a moment and she nodded. They had helped him sleep, he was eating, he even looked better. “They helped.” She lifted her arm (the one with the infusion unit) searching for his hand, and whimpered as it pulled at her arm. She just wanted to curl up and sleep, but she lifted the bottle and drank some more before resting her head on his shoulder again. “Ròmanach, dè tha ceàrr orm? (Roman, what’s wrong with me?)” It took almost an hour to finish the first bottle. She was tired and didn’t want any more.

Rand

Roman nodded, “They did help, I didn’t have to go to sickbay for my heart.” It didn’t occur to him that she meant more than that, because he’d taken that three days ago. There was no way it was responsible for the return of his appetite and the ease of his sleep. He put his hand over her hand that had the infusion unit, reaching so she could keep it somewhere comfortable. “You’re badly dehydrated. Randy said that’s what’s making you sick.” When she finished the first one, he got her the second and then settled in with her again. “Randy said ninety minutes. You have half an hour to finish this one or he’ll make me haul you off to sickbay.” And Roman really, really didn’t want to go anywhere near sickbay. He opened the drink for her. “Please, please drink it.”

~ Roman

Rand gave him a funny look. It wasn’t just his heart though. It was his sleep and his appetite and everything. Hadn’t Randy given him more than that? Her head hurt so bad. She didn’t want him to stop the meds, they were helping. He needed to be okay. She had to know he was okay, that he knew he could do it on his own, or with Randy’s help. Would he hate Randy too when he realized how she had lied? “Chan e dìreach do chridhe. Chuidich a h-uile càil eile. (Not just your heart. Helped everything else.)” Rand didn’t know how much Randy was still giving him but she knew it had helped a lot that day.

Roman shrugged. “It was three days ago. My appetite came back yesterday and today.” He leaned his head against her and smiled.

She had moved her pillow to rest her arm on. It hurt, the unit stung and stabbed if she moved her arm too much. She had never had that happen before and so she tried to be as still as possible. When Roman settled back with her, she knew she shouldn’t, but she had to lean against him. He wouldn’t really make her go to sickbay, would he? He was feeling a lot better so maybe it didn’t bother him as much? She lifted the bottle and drank, it still tasted good. She looked up at him; she looked sad and scared. “T…t…trying.” She did; she owed him that much, but she was so tired and her head felt funny. The pain was dissipating with the water and the meds that Randy gave her, but her hands kept shaking and she seemed to doze between sips.

Rand

Roman didn’t want to make her go. He didn’t want to be there and she didn’t want to be there, but like Randy said there would be no choice if it were her health at risk. Each time she dozed he nudged her and pointed her to the water. “Almost done. A little more.”

~ Roman