Posted by Civilian Sisnil Zoi (Intelligence Consultant) in One Step at a Time

Posted by Ensign Dradvia (Medical Officer) in One Step at a Time

Posted by Civilian Sisnil Zoi (Intelligence Consultant) in One Step at a Time
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
He held onto her. He did, in fact, try to help her with his abilities. Making the link made it easier to hear her thoughts but the amount of focus and energy it took was considerably more than normal. He could only hold on like that for a while before letting it go.

~ Zoi

Her thoughts were a confusing storm mixed with the bottomless pit of dark emotions. At first Dradvia had thought he had decided not to help her, and she was relieved when she didn’t feel the effect immediately. She didn’t want him to hurt himself. Slowly his calm spread through her. Her breath slowed and evened out, the pain left her chest, and he felt the tension ease between her shoulders.

When he pulled back, she murmured a soft, “Thank you.” Shame and guilt filled her for not looking after him, for breaking down, for needing his support when she didn’t deserve it. She took a breath while telling herself to stop. She could be guilty later, now she had to take care of him

Sisnil smiled and squeezed her hand as she got up. “You’re welcome.”

She didn’t want to move. She wanted to stay in that little bubble he had created, but she couldn’t. She slid off the bed (she closed her eyes to fight off that awkwardness) and picked up everything that had fallen out of her medkit. She loaded a hypo with an NSAID and acetaminophen and the Tryptophan-lysine distillate. She pressed it to his neck, and then wet the cloth to bathe his face and neck.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

He smiled. She looked a little better. He looked like he’d worn himself out doing that, and was doing his best to hide it.

~ Zoi

She stood just long enough to move the sheet off of him. His shirt was soaked with sweat again. Her fault her fault her fault. She bathed his arms and his legs. She motioned with her hand for him to remove his shirt. Guilt kept her numb enough to not be embarrassed or uncomfortable as she used the cloth to cool his torso. She picked up her tricorder to scan him. The few crackers he ate and the ginger ale had stayed down, but was it enough?

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

He pulled his shirt off for her. The cold cloth made him shiver. The scan showed what she expected, that his fever had gone up some. The infusion units she’d given him had kept him hydrated and though he’d sweated some of it away, he was losing less water since he hadn’t thrown up. The scan showed the meds she was giving him was why he was keeping them down.

~ Zoi

Her shoulders dropped in relief. She wasn’t happy about the fever, but he wasn’t dehydrated anymore. The food was staying down too. She set the tricorder aside and continued to cool him with the cloth. “I know it’s cold, but your fever is up again. It’s this or a cool shower.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

He grinned as he shivered, “The only way I’m taking a cold shower is if you’re in it with me.”

~ Zoi

Dradvia stilled and her eyes closed for a heart bear. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. He was sick and needed care. Don’t think about it. She couldn’t because the number of obstacles were insurmountable. He was teasing, trying to hide how sick he was, trying to distract her. Sisnil wasn’t expecting anything. He was teasing. After what she had confessed he couldn’t be serious. It was the fever.

Focus on the medicine, concentrate on the healing. She continued to cool his over heated skin. There were some more archaic things she could try first. She did a mental calculation of how much time he had left. Hopefully it would break soon. “Do… do you want anything to drink?” The color on her face and the way she wasn’t looking at him spoke volumes.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“No.” He took her hand and another wave of calm washed over her. It was shorter lived than he wanted it to be. “I love you, Dee. But yes, I was teasing you. Don’t worry, okay?”

~ Zoi

She felt the wave of calm and shook her head. “Don’t,” she gently pulled her hand away. It wasn’t a rejection, it was Love. “You’re already exhausted. Don’t make yourself more ill over me.” She squeezed his hand once, gently. Her gaze stayed focused on her hands and her task. “You’re helping me, I know, but I need you to get better first.”

“I know you were teasing,” her cheeks lightly flushed again along with a giddy feeling. She watched the water as she wrung the cloth out again, keeping her gaze averted. “I love you too, but I’ll never stop worrying.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil squeezed her hand back and smiled. “I’ll be fine, Dee. I want you safe and comfortable.” He took his hand and brushed her chin, gently redirecting her gaze to him. “And I’ll never stop worrying either.” A small playful grin, “since you love me so much and all.”

~ Zoi

Her chin followed his gentle guidance and her eyes met his. They were filled with hope and hesitation. Not of Sisnil or his feelings, but nothing good ever stayed. “You can worry when you’re better.” She smiled softly, nervously. “Not that I want to stop you.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil smiled and hugged her gently. “Worry doesn’t wait for when I’m well.” He said, looking at her.

~ Zoi

“I know.” A single breath of a laugh left her. But his look made her squirm. “I’m okay, Sisnil. Promise.” Well she was alright. As much as she could be. Better than she had been in a long time.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

He smiled and relaxed a little. “Good.” He looked really tired, he must have exhausted himself doing that. “I’m glad.”

~ Zoi

She put the cloth down and moved the bowl. “Go to sleep. I’ll be awake. Simon looks like he might need to play some.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“I don’t want to sleep anymore,” Sisnil complained as though he were a young child.

~ Zoi

A grin turned up the corners of her mouth. It was cute. She wondered if he was doing it on purpose or if it was just how he was. “Well, what do you want to do then? You’re exhausted, I can tell.” The grin fell. He was exhausted because of her. Her expression changed reflecting the foundation shifting moment. Dradvia had never had anyone that cared enough to risk themselves, to any degree, for her. She couldn’t begin to express how she felt about that.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil smiled knowingly, not catching all her thoughts, but the emotions told a story. “I am not,” he denied, but he was smiling as he gestured to the still out cards, “More cards?”

~ Zoi

That look made her stomach flutter, but she wasn’t sure why. She looked at the cards and huffed. “I suppose that’s quiet enough.” She picked up the cards, shuffled, and dealt.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“Quiet enough for what?” He asked, flipping his first card.

~ Zoi

“To make sure you stay in bed,” Dradvia said as she flipped her next card.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil laughed. Simon put his front paws on what they were playing cards on and mewed, watching their fingers as Sisnil flipped his card. “You’re adorable when you’re authoritative.”

~ Zoi

Dradvia glanced up as he laughed, looking puzzled. She reached over and rubbed Simon’s ears. Her eyes darted up quickly to him, “What?” Authoritative? Dradvia didn’t have a bossy bone in her body.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“You don’t think you can be bossy?” Sisnil smiled and looked at her, “Want me to test that?”

~ Zoi

“I don’t boss people around.” She was hurt he thought so. Well mildly irritated he was teasing her by saying that. She couldn’t help the ping of curiosity about how he planned to prove it though.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

He pulled his covers off and stood out of the bed. If that didn’t do it, he could go on.

~ Zoi

There was a slight tug of war as she tried to put the sheet back over him. She stood when he did, worried he would get dizzy. No one should look that good when they are sick. “Sisnil, what are you doing? You are supposed to stay in bed.” Then a thought occurred to her, “Oh, do you need to use the facilities?”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“No,” he laughed, “Well, I guess I should since I’m up, but I’ve proven my point.”

~ Zoi

She gave a puzzled look that steadily turned stern. “Telling you you should stay in bed is not bossy. Making you get back in bed is.” She was feeling sassy enough to push him down, but when she set both hands on his chest to do so… she was suddenly distracted.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil grinned. Her hands rested against his chest and pushed, but only briefly. “Hmmm… I’m just that distracting, I guess.”

~ Zoi

The blush that raced up her body from her toes made Dradvia feel like she had the fever. She did push him then. “Get back in bed.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

He fell back onto the bed and laughed. “Point proven. Thoroughly.” He said and grinned at her as he resettled himself in bed.

~ Zoi

Dradvia glowered at him, “You are not amusing.” She picked up Simon and nuzzled him. “He thinks making himself sick is funny. What do you think about that?” Simon meowed and Dradvia grinned, “I knew you would agree with me.” She set Simon on his chest. “Keep him there.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Simon obediently hunkered down and began purring loudly on Sisnil’s chest. Sisnil shrugged, “I’m still right though.”

~ Zoi

“Well, you wouldn’t be,” Dradvia was actually pouting. It was hard to tell how much was real and how much was just to mess with him, “if you weren’t so stubborn about not taking care of yourself.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil chuckled and shrugged. “I’m alright, Dee.”

~ Zoi

“Of course you are. I’m here.” Now she was being cheeky, but hesitantly.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

He laughed again and held her hand. “I’d live without you, but you make it so much more bearable.”

~ Zoi

Her fingers curled around his hand. Tucking a loose lock behind her ear she whispered, “I try.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil squeezed her hand and smiled. “I love you, Dee.”

~ Zoi

Her stomach flopped, and her nerves jumped every time he said that. No matter how many times he said it, it was still overwhelming. Maybe because it was so knew? Or was it always like that?

She gripped his hand tightly as if for safety, like he might disappear. “I love you, too.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

He smiled and his eyes closed tiredly. “I might take a short nap,” he murmured softly.

~ Zoi

She didn’t say anything and luckily his eyes were closed and he couldn’t see her very amused expression. She sat next to him until he was asleep. Then she cleaned up, played with Simon and then fed him. After that she resumed her spot in the chair.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

“Don’t have to see to feel your amusement,” he muttered gently, smiling as he drifted off.

Dradvia grinned wider, but with slight relief. He seemed to be picking things up a bit easier.

When he woke he looked at her and grinned. “I don’t know whether to be worried or impressed by how closely you watch that door.”

~ Zoi

She shrugged, embarrassed. Dradvia was always aleet and on edge. She was paranoid. In this case though, it was different. “You told me you can’t sleep when you are sick or injured because you don’t feel safe. So,” the shrug this time was self-conscious, “I want you to be able to sense someone is always alert. That way you can sleep.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

He smiled, looking at her with renewed adoration. “No need for all that self consciousness. That might be the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. Serious! I’m gonna get… Sweetness cavities… Or something.”

~ Zoi

What he said bothered her, though she didn’t know why. If Sisnil could sense it, he could tell her it was because her trauma made her uncomfortable with exaggerated praise. She shrugged as she stood. “It’s not a big deal.” She moved to the desk, rearranging the already stacked dishes. “You and Noril do that for each other. I’m not him, but like you said, I’m the only person here who understands.” Dradvia shrugged again.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil couldn’t sense it well which was odd for him and bothered him. But from what he did sense, he could tell what the problem was. “It’s okay to accept praise, Dee. I… I assume that was frowned upon where you’re… from.”

“No,” Dradvia shook her head. Her hands stilled on the glass, turning white knuckled for a moment. Praise had meant freedom from punishment, so what bothered her? Fear and apprehension followed as it sank in. “Excessive praise usually meant that whatever reward followed was really some sick perversion Lokhar enjoyed. The punishment was excessive if you didn’t like it.”

He shrugged and sat up, stretching, then looked at his side table. “You cleaned up?”

~ Zoi

“It needed doing, and I don’t like messes, and it gave me something to do.” She finished restacking the plates for the third time. “I didn’t touch your things,” she hurried to add.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil stood, went over to her, and hugged her tightly. “There’s no reward you don’t want and no punishment coming this time. I know you know that, but sometimes it still helps to hear.” He shook his head. “I don’t mind. If I didn’t want you to see something, trust me, you wouldn’t find it.”

~ Zoi

A shudder ran through her whole body. Dradvia pressed her face into his shoulder. It was getting easier, a tiny bit at a time, to accept comfort from Sisnil. Maybe it was because Sisnil understood. Hearing things did help. Everyone else expected her to just accept, to assume they were safe people. Sisnil was the only one that really made her feel that way. Dradvia didn’t say anything, there weren’t words to express how it made her feel and ‘Thank you’ was infinitely inadequate.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil sighed against her, but it was a sort of content sound. He still seemed a little tired. “Your feelings must be intense, with my abilities diminished the way they are and how strongly I can feel it.”

~ Zoi

At first she just nodded, then he could feel her shoulders rise as she took a deep breath. “Yeah, I… I guess they are.”

“How are you feeling?”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

He shrugged and stepped back enough to see-saw his hand back and forth. “Better than earlier, I think.”

~ Zoi

Reluctantly she stepped back as he did. “Good. You should be on the backside of it now. You don’t feel as warm as you did.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil cracked a grin, “So I’m not dying on you then?” He teased, still wearing that stupid smile.

~ Zoi

Dradvia’s face fell. “Of course you aren’t. I wouldn’t let that happen.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil eyed her, lovingly, but like he suspected something. “Are you taking advantage of my dimmed senses to try and fool me?” He asked playfully. More seriously he added, “I know you wouldn’t, Dee.”

~ Zoi

It was hard not to squirm under that look because of the butterflies it caused. It was fun getting to keep him guessing, though she wouldn’t want it this way often. She liked the openness. “Would I do that?”

His last words made her heart hammer with confidence, but it also softened her gaze a little. Her hand moved like she might touch his face, but then she withdrew. Why was it so difficult?

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

He took her hand gently, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. “I think you would.” He moved closer, whispered in her ear, “I think you’re the only one I’d allow it for.”

~ Zoi

Dradvia thought the temperature in the room had been set to supernova. He was going to burn her alive, and she didn’t care. Her body shivered with warmth and an unfamiliar anticipation. She gasped softly, and her eyes darted to his. Her mouth felt suddenly dry and she picked her lips before uttering a quiet breathless, “Why?” The feeling was more surprise and enamored.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

His black gaze was soft. “Because I love you that much, Dee. I trust you.” He said in that same whispered tone.

~ Zoi

Was that disappointment at the loss of that Captain’s tone? But still his voice danced across her skin. Dradvia thought it was the most wonderful sensation. Even as her heart fluttered and her stomach flipped. “I trust you too, Sisnil.”

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer

Sisnil rested his head against her gently. “You do?” He knew it was true, but he liked to hear her say it. Liked to make her say it, too. Remind her.

~ Zoi

Dradvia nodded her head, but it turned into more of cuddle the way he was so close. “Don’t you know?” she asked softly. “I’m in your room, you’re half dressed, and I’m not hysterical. Yes, I trust you, Sisnil.” It was meant to be sort of funny, but it was also painfully truthful. It wasn’t that she wasn’t nervous and uncertain and uncomfortable at times, but she wasn’t afraid. She knew Sisnil wouldn’t do anything to her.

Ens. Dradvia, Medical Officer