Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in Side sim: Matters of the Heart

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in Side sim: Matters of the Heart

Posted by Ensign Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in Side sim: Matters of the Heart
Posted by… suppressed (13) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
Roman nodded. “She won’t want to go back. All she wants to do is come home.” He smiled at Randy’s comment about hiding around a corner. “No, she won’t wonder at all why you’re stalking us.” He said sarcastically.

Randy let out a breath blowing raspberries. “Hey I have played the over protective big brother very well her whole life. She’ll be annoyed and tell me to go away if she notices.” Then she shrugged with a deep sigh. “She would be better at home. Honestly if she wasn’t so tired and confused she probably would have snuck out by now.”

Roman sighed and nodded. “It will be nice to sleep again.”

Soon he was settled into his quarters picking at a tray of food. Randy had brought him extra supplies, more water and more compresses. Roman pointed to the drawer in the bedside table. “Rand will wonder why I have those if she sees them.”

~ Roman

“Tell her they are for her. Prepping for when she gets to come home. Her concussion and burns means she needs a lot more water in her system,” Randy pointed at him to include him in that statement. Infection and burns needed fluid too. “And the ice packs are in case her head starts hurting.” Randy put the packs and a couple waters in the drawer, the rest of the water in the chiller.

Roman nodded, not missing how Randy included Roman in the statement about needing water. He sat down at his computer console with a sigh.

“Alright, I’m going to go play yeoman, collect reports, run errands, etc. I’ll be back.”

Randy

Roman nodded and after Randy left Roman turned to his computer console and finished the few reports he could. All they needed were signatures and it didn’t take long to do. Then he lay down in bed for a while. When he couldn’t sleep, he picked up his PaDD and tried to read. He couldn’t focus on it and instead watched the clock.

He knew about how long Randy would take doing yeoman stuff because he knew how long it took Rand. He wasn’t sure but he assumed he should expect to see Randy around the time Roman was normally expected for the dermal regenerator session. It was two hours from now. Roman began to pace his room. Maybe he could just peek at the lab and see if there were any more reports for him to do. He wouldn’t stay. That would be okay, right? A small part of him hoped Franks or someone else would find a reason for him to stay as he headed out of the door to his quarters and towards the lift.

~ Roman

As he came out of the room Randy came around the corner, PaDD in hand and a med kit. He spotted Roman and glared. If Randy was a toddler still, he’d be stamping his feet, fists balled up and screaming in a perfectly horrible tantrum. “I don’t know where you think you are going, and it has better not be to the lab where you caught that infection, but you turn around and go back. It is 0800 and I am late to meet the captain, but we have to do your paperwork first, and I am not as fast as Rand. So get in there and sit down.”

Randy

Roman paused at the sight of Randy, and shook his head. “No. My office. I need a data disk from there.” He turned around and went back into his quarters and sat back down at his computer console to wait for Randy. His paperwork might take a while. Roman sighed and turned the computer console on in preparation for Randy arriving with his paperwork.

~ Roman

Randy wasn’t that far behind him. He walked in and over to the desk, “Which one is it? I’ll go get it.”

“Data and statistics from lab work while I’ve been out.” It was a disk he knew was on his desk, because he’d already finished with it. But at least it would be in his office for Randy to find.

Then he opened the med kit. “Antibiotics are ready. We’ll do that and then work on your reports. Rand was still sleeping when I stopped by Sickbay.” He walked over and pressed the hypo to Roman’s neck. Then he handed the reports to him. “I’ll go get the disk while you start.”

Randy had given him the hypo before Roman could say anything. Instead he commented, “Good, then she’ll just think I left before she got up.” He started on the reports while Randy was gone.

Randy was gone longer than expected, when he returned he collapsed into a chair by the table after tossing Roman the disk. “Rand is up walking…with Elbbirt. She wanted to peek in the lab. Elbbirt effectively distracted her by shamelessly old man flirting with her and then walked her to the Galley to eat. She almost saw me going into your office.”

Randy

By the time Randy came back Roman was nearly done with the reports. He caught the disk and set it down. “She really wants to see Nibbles. Elbbirt with have to distract her every time or come up with why she can’t.” He said. “Or you could stick me down there long enough to fool her.” He added hopefully.

~ Roman

“No I am not. Elbbirt threatened to write me up if I help you sneak around. Besides the lab is rife with staph. Franks is having a time of it trying to get everything clean and the animals checked. He closed the lab for ‘cleaning’ so Rand can’t speak in. Well no one really.” Randy finished his reports with a sigh hoping they were right. He’d never done the CO reports. “I will be back, you had better be here.”

Randy

“He closed the lab?” Roman did not sound happy about that. “We don’t have time for delays.” Roman handed him the XO and science reports. “You’re late already. Your meeting with Rogers is going to take a while.” Then he leaned back in the chair and picked up his PaDD. When Randy came back, Roman was surprisingly still there, pacing back and forth across his quarters looking very bored.

~ Roman

Randy shook his head. “No, he shut the door. Everyone is still working, he’s just not letting anyone but assigned crew in. The infection and cleaning, and for Rand’s benefit. This is becoming a ship wide secret.”

Roman nodded and sighed, hating having to hide things from her.

When Randy returned he was surprised to find Roman still in his quarters. Randy looked harried, and his hair was sticking out everywhere like he had run his hands through his hair thousands of times. “Come on. We’re going to do your dermal treatment next door. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Roman reluctantly followed him next door. It was better than doing it in sickbay, though he still did not look happy about it.

The portable (but still huge) regenerator was set up in Randy’s quarters over what used to be Rand’s bed. The gel and bandages were set up next to it. As he got Roman set up he pointed to a screen he also had set up.

“Rand’s very last performance. She wouldn’t have put it in that disk she gave you. You can watch it in spurts if you want.” There was a tinge of sadness and old anger as he talked. Then he grinned, “If you want to see something adorable, Rand was in the same performance as a kid. Played the sick grandchild. It was her first professional performance.”

Randy

Roman let Randy unwrap his burns and then lay down on Rand’s bed. The burn still did not look very good, but it didn’t look like it was getting worse. Rand’s play seemed like a good distraction. “No, she didn’t put it on there.” He said, watching the screen while the machine worked.

~ Roman

The play, The Princess Bride, started with a scene between the grandfather and grandson. The boy was cute with a mop of black hair and a curmudgeon of an old man. The tapping hadn’t filtered out the audience noise in the background, but it wasn’t disruptive. But when Rand walked onto the stage, farm dress carrying a basket, and uttered “Farm boy,” the applause drowned out the actors. They could almost see the flush of color that rushed her cheeks before she hid it. The play had to pause for the noise. Randy paused in applying the gel to look up at watch. “She was…” He sighed, “Magnificent.”

Randy

Roman smiled as he watched. He was familiar with the story of Princess Bride, that her character was supposed to be the prettiest in the land. He could believe it, their costume choices worked for her and she was pretty on her own. “She still is. Just uses it in new ways.” His attention fixed on the play he was still for the duration of his session.

~ Roman

“That she is. If only she’d see it that way,” Randy had to agree. He’d always think Rand was magnificent. He adored his sister. Randy finished wrapping Roman’s abdomen, relived he was being so cooperative. “Want to pause it here and save the rest for later?”

Randy

His cooperation was all the play. When Randy suggested they pause it Roman made a face, nodded, and sat up. “Alright.” He still didn’t like the regenerator but he was clearly more relaxed here than he was in sickbay. “How long are you acting yeoman for? Until Rand is back on duty?”

~ Roman

As he got up, Randy ran a scan over him to make sure the infection wasn’t spreading and hoping he’d already see some improvement with the antibiotics, and then paused the play back. “Most likely. The ship is getting further and further behind. Rand might be able to do the reports or simple errands, but there is also a good chance she’d get confused and who knows what she might do instead. And medical won’t miss me for a bit. We’re fully staffed, so…” Randy’s PaDD beeped and he picked it up to look at it. “Oh good, inventory and supply requests for you to go over. Also there are some disciplinary issues for you to deal with. I don’t see why you can’t take care of those from your quarters.” Randy shrugged the ship still had to be able to operate.

Randy

The infection was no longer spreading, but there wasn’t much in the way of progress. Roman’s fever was holding in the 102-103 range, and his heart was still struggling with the infection but currently showed no signs of distress. Judging by the scans, he probably hadn’t eaten since Randy made him before the first dose of the new antibiotics. “Put them on a data disk for me and I’ll work on them,” Roman replied. Usually the inventory and supply requests did not take long, most of them were the same every week. Disciplinary action took longer, because he had to review the file, what had happened, and if more than one officer was involved, sometimes he liked to get both sides’ side of the story before deciding anything. If they were just reports, and the department head had handled the disciplinary action, then they’d be as easy and fast as the inventory requests. They just required a read over and signature. Roman would really look at them once he was back in his own quarters.

~ Roman

The day continued on like that. Randy sent anything he came across to Roman just to give him something to do. He didn’t like that the fever was still up, but told Roman he had to use the compresses since a shower was out of the question with the burns. He also brought lunch and made Roman eat as much as he could. There would be more antibiotics after dinner.

Roman had no appetite. The food, which he knew was good because Gorshin’s food always did, tasted like dirt. He wasn’t going to eat but Randy stayed and made sure he did. He was supposed to be keeping the cold compresses on, and he had no complaints about that. The fever was making him miserable.

Randy had lunch with Rand. She was tired and missed Roman not being there but believed he had a lot of work to get caught up on. She wanted to help him, she should be doing more, or so she felt. She had all kinds of reports ready just for Roman’s signature from while he was out, but she couldn’t remember which ones or what she did with them. She also didn’t bat an eye about the lab being restricted. She just assumed they were cleaning the cages or running an experiment. Because she was up and walking as much as she could and was allowed, she fell asleep after lunch.

Roman was kept busy by the things Randy sent him. The disciplinary actions took longer than he expected. He was tired and working slower than usual.

At dinner Randy brought a tray and then walked Rand up to their quarters. She needed a lot help, but she was excited enough to not complain. The walk wasn’t as bad as it would have been 2 days ago, but it was farther than she had walked in awhile. Randy insisted she sit on the bed rather than a chair. She made a face at him as he left, behind his back.

Rand

Roman hugged Rand as soon as she was settled on the bed as if he hadn’t seen her in a week. “Miranda! How has your day been?” He hated having to leave her alone in sickbay. Randy had brought them dinner, but Roman still felt full from lunch. Randy didn’t stay, but then he didn’t have to. Roman would worry Rand if he didn’t make himself eat.

~ Roman