Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in side sim - Status Quo

Posted by Captain Shirley Rogers (Commanding Officer) in side sim - Status Quo

(snip)
Rand nodded as they continued to work, breathing shallowly. She didn’t remember her arm hurting this much. Then suddenly she realized she had ahold of his hand and relaxed her grip as much as she could. She tried to let go but her hand was a little cramped. The bone fuser was going to work, which was easier than having them set it. Then some weird giant boot thing to keep her foot still. Then Elbbirt had Shrine give her another of those hypoguns, this time with a painkiller instead of an anti-inflammatory. Shrine raised the head of the bed, told her to lie back and she’d be back in a few minutes. Finally Rand managed to let go of his s hand, flushing noticeably against her now pale complexion, “Sorry, Cmdr.”

Yeoman Rand

Roman let her keep hold of his hand while they finished setting the foot, somewhat relieved when her grip relaxed against his. His palm felt wet and sticky from her sweat. At least focusing on her squeezing his hand had distracted him from his discomfort with Sickbay. Finally she let go and he stretched his hand. The thought that he wished she hadn’t let go tried to make its way into his mind, but he dismissed it, not wanting to think about that right now. It didn’t help that there was noticeable color to her face too. He wondered if she was thinking the same. “I don’t mind at all. Didn’t need that hand anyway,” he said, probably the third joke she’d ever heard him tell.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

She wasn’t entirely sure he was joking at first. Because she was so embarrassed by having tried to crush his hand than because he was so serious. Rand knew him enough now that she finally realized he was joking. She glanced over at him, still standing next to her, and grinned shyly. “I really am sorry…I di.. didn’t mean to…hurt you…your hand…hurt your hand.” She didn’t think she was strong enough to hurt him. Oh she probably sounded like an idiot or insulted him without meaning to.

“I’m quite certain your ankle hurt more than you hurt my hand,” he said. Maybe he was a nervous joker. “It’s fine, honestly.” He said, and he meant that.

Shrine came back with a wedge to elevate the foot. “You’ll have to stay over night…”

“Over night?! I can’t stay overnight, I’m already going to be late all day! I go on duty in 20 minutes.”

Shrine shrugged, “Sorry Ensign, should of thought of that before you tried to tackle that pallet. You’re staying here. You can use the console, but those meds are going to knock you out in about 10 minutes.”

Roman shrugged. “You need the rest, Rand. You won’t be doing your usual work with that foot, anyway.” He’d miss having her, and her gift with paperwork, but he could do a day without her. He made a plan to come visit her after duty.

He was siding with them? Rand huffed dejectedly, of course he was. They were the medical experts and if they said she had to stay he wasn’t going to countermand them. But how was she going to get all of her work done? She’d be up for at least 3 days trying to catch up on all the reports because they might only say overnight but it would be lunch time tomorrow before they let her leave.

“But.. but you can’t…I can’t. There’s no one to step in.” She’d had Randy, and yeah he could do it but he was too busy in medical now. Shrine shrugged again, “The ship will survive without you for a week.”

“A week?!”

Yeoman Rand

“A week?!” Roman’s voice chimed in with Rand’s. “No, no, you’re kidding,” He complained. A day would be easy, but a week? He’d miss her… work! Her work! All that paperwork and all those reports he’d have to track down and return alone. And she wouldn’t be there to play with the mouse, either. Or to visit with late at night…

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

“Can’t…can’t you give me crutches?” Shrine looked at her like she’d suggested she saw the foot off with an old fashioned rusty bone saw. What about Nibbles? She’d gotten really depressed when Rand had changed her schedule. And all the reports…well they could send them over the computer, Shrine said she could use the console, but meals and uniforms and…drinks for the bridge shift, and inventory with the quarter master…and…and if they managed a week why couldn’t they manage indefinitely? “My communicator, I need my communicator. I have to contact the departments and tell them to put the reports in the computer and I have to tell the cook and the Captain,” and she started feeling around her belt…where was it? She never was without it or her keys…oh those were in her pocket, there they were, but where was her communicator? “It must have fallen off when I fell,” and she sat up and tried to swing her feet off the bed to get up.

Yeoman Rand

The nurse stopped her getting up with a stern “And where do you think you’re going? I’m sure someone else can find your communicator for you.”

“The crew will understand,” Roman said, wanting her to relax. He’d be worried about his duties, too… actually, he’d be gone as soon as no one was looking. “I or someone else can go back and find your communicator, I’m sure it’s still on deck 6,” he added.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Rand had every intention of disappearing, and she had to BEFORE Randy showed up for his shift or she’d never get out of there. With the boot and the pain meds she’d be okay, right? Shrine pushed her back onto the bed, “You better lie down because those pain killers Elbbirt gave you will drop you like a horse tranquillizer, and you’ll have more than a broken foot. Do not get up again.” Shrine had been a nurse a long time and she didn’t like the way Rand was eyeing every time she got close to the door. Well that poor ensign could get over that, she’d just stay till she passed out.

This was just wonderful, Rogers already thought she ‘over stepped’ her boundaries, and over worked herself…now she’d just have more wood for the fire wouldn’t she? And what about late night coffees? Well maybe that was for the best, a week…she didn’t want to be gone a week she’d miss…no no no, she had to stop. A week would be good, but then why was she so depressed at the thought? “I can ask Carla, the afternoon cook, to go find it. You don’t need to do that cmdr.” No one else would notice except Alden, but Rand looked dejected. “Maybe I can ask Randy to get the reports for me on his break or something…” But he couldn’t work with Nibbles and he couldn’t talk to Roma…Alden like she did…She tried to sit up again but the pain killers had ahold of her this time, and her head swam.

Yeoman Rand

Roman and Randy had yet to meet, in fact Roman had no idea whether Rand had even talked to him yet. He didn’t dare ask. “If you’re awake by then, I’m sure someone can get them for you,” Roman said. He could tell she looked upset. He could also tell the meds were doing their job. “And the… Nibbles will be there when you’re ready.” He said. He usually called it by its species name, not by the name she gave it.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Rand smiled slightly. He called the moues ‘Nibbles.’ Probably because he felt bad for Rand, and she was getting groggy from the meds, but she wasn’t ‘out of it’ yet. She peeked at him, “No no, the Atariva Mouse. We aren’t supposed to give them names, we get too attached.” Her speech was a little slow but she was fully aware of what she was saying. She was teasing him slightly, and that wasn’t like her, but again the meds apparently made her not care.

“You named her,” Roman said back simply. It wasn’t like her to tease, but he knew the meds were affecting her. It was essentially the moment she was fully out that he was gone from Sickbay and down the hall in the lab. Tealess. Unfortunate.

Rand woke a few hours later and then the chaos began. Or that’s how Shrine put it. That girl didn’t stop. Someone had actually dropped off her communicator, she’d almost fallen off the bed reaching for the hinged computer console, and hadn’t stopped arguing with people about reports, and schedules, and meals, and coffee, and requisitions, and uniforms, and it went on. Then some well meaning crewman brought her a paper report and Rand had them running all over the ship getting things for, taking reports back, and basically driving everyone crazy.

Yeoman Rand

Roman had heard about the trouble Rand was causing in Sickbay but he had been too busy all day to go and talk to her at all. Reports had been late, meals and coffee never made it or went to the wrong person… without Rand there, it was a real circus. And part of the reason Roman was so busy. Not to mention she wasn’t in the lab all day… To play with nibbles and keep her happy. Not because he missed her. Right?

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Shirley entered Sickbay and immediately headed to where Rand was situated on bedrest. She was now off duty, but sported a green shirt with a V-neck cut and her Captain’s rank insignia on her sleeves along with a pair black slacks and leather boots. In her right arm was a jet black kitten with gorgeous hazel colored eyes. The kitten appeared to be a tad bit malnourished, but Shirley was doing her best to nurse it back to health. She had found the little one outside of a restaurant the night before she left Earth for the Sentinel and pitied the poor animal. In result, she decided to take her in as a pet.

Rand, computer console swung around in front of her, was on the comm when the captain came in, arguing with someone about it was actually their job to digitally submit their report and was being ‘talked down to’ about them not having time to deal with her, and Rand was giving the man a dressing down worthy of an admiral. This was easy for Rand. The reports were not optional, the expectations of when they were due and how they were to be filled out were standard and required. This particular person was trying to get out of doing his duty and she was in the right and he was wrong. And that gave her all the confidence she needed to stand up to him. Later, she might panic over it, when she was alone, but right now protocol and regulation told her exactly how she was expected to act and react.

Shirley entered the room and her emerald green eyes immediately eyes darted to the Yeoman lying on the biobed. Her expression showed compassion accompanied with what appeared to be a maternal instinct when addressing the younger officer, “Hi Ensign Farquharson, I came to see how you were holding up and brought a little guest as well. You are not allergic to cats right?”

Rand looked up obviously surprised to see Rogers in sickbay next to her bed, “Cpt Rogers.” She pushed her self up to as perfect a posture as her foot and the bed and the meds would allow. “No, ma’am, I’m not allergic. I love cats.” She glanced at the tiny thing who was so obviously not well. She wondered if Ro…ALDEN had anything in the biology lab that would help. He knew a lot about animals. “She? He? Is very small, how old?” It didn’t look big enough to be weaned yet. And it was black, and long haired, and fluffy and CUTE! Rand grinned, she loved animals, but she would not act like a kid who just got her first puppy for Christmas in front of the captain.

Shirley looked over her new kitten for a moment, cuddled her in her arms like she was a human infant, and felt that her new pet was absolutely adorable. Her eyes darted back to meet Rand’s, “Her name is Willow. I found her outside of a restaurant during my last night on Earth prior to joining the Sentinel. Willow was abandoned by her mother and I found her eating trash. I could not just leave her there, poor thing. I decided to take her under my wing and nurse her back to health. However, it has not been an easy task, I am not used to dealing with kittens. It is a learning process for me.” She paused for a moment thinking about how old the kitten was, “And I am not sure how old the kitten is exactly. if I were to eyeball it, I would say about a month or so.”

Shirley stepped forward, gripped Willow comfortably, and set her on Rand’s lap. Shirley’s goal was to provide Rand with as much comfort as possible. Shirley brought over a chair and took a seat by Rand’s bedside.

Shirley tilted her head in curiosity while adding, “What exactly happened and tell me about your prognosis.” Her tone showed that she truly did care for a valuable member of the Sentinel crew. This was not just a formal visit just to follow protocol. Shirley actually cared about Rand’s well being without any doubt at all.

• Captain Shirley Rogers, CO

Rand could tell that the captain was genuinely concerned, but she didn’t know exactly how she was supposed to react to that. She appreciated Rogers coming down to check on her. She was sure her absence had made the day less than smooth, especially since the daily reports hadn’t arrived on time. “Oh…I’m really rather clumsy and it kind of caught up with me. I run early in the mornings, and I ran into a cargo pallet, totally my fault. I noticed too late, tried to move out of the way, my foot twisted, I slipped, fell, my foot went under the pallet and it broke. Dr. Elbbirt said I have to stay over night and then in bed for a week.” She didn’t want Cpt Rogers to have a reason to question her dedication, “But I can work from my desk, and I’ll use my communicator. Most reports can be sent and signed electronically on a PaDD.”

Yeoman Rand

Shirley appeared to be interested in what Rand had to tell her which was evident by her maintaining direct eye contact with Rand then entire time she spoke accompanied by a few nods here and there acknowledging the Yeoman, “I do hope that you feel better soon. However, I want you to remain off duty and relax for the week. I can handle life without a Yeoman for a week. I am not saying it is an easy task, but I can manage.” Shirley winked at Rand, “Plus you have a new little friend who can keep you company if you want her around.” Shirley was typically skilled with making her crew feel better in these kind of situations and she knew animals play a large role in the healing of others along with providing comfort. She figured, why not allow her to spend time with Rand to help her during the recovery process, Rand was clearly responsible enough. Shirley would need the babysitter without having a Yeoman for an entire week anyways.

• Captain Shirley Rogers, CO