Friends In Low Places

Posted on Sat Mar 22nd, 2014 @ 7:14pm by Lieutenant Commander Nicolao & Petty Officer 1st Class Drusilla Dupree

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Piper Medical Center / Drusilla's Quarters

* * * Piper Medical Center * * *

Nico entered the main doors of Piper Medical Center and stopped, momentarily at a loss. The place felt huge, hundreds of voices echoing in his splitting head.

“May I help you?” Kiere looked up as he stopped. She studied him for a moment and rose, not liking the expression on his face. “Are you alright?” He hadn’t moved or spoken, so she rose and came out to meet him. “Why don’t you come with me?” She turned to lead him down a corridor, already summoning Ophelia.

Nico kept up and finally she stopped before an open door and he went inside with a mumbled thanks. He braced his hands on the biobed and took a deep breath. Moments later the quiet was broken by a soft female voice behind him.

“Welcome to Piper, Lt. Commander Nicolao, I’m Ophelia, the head nurse.”

“Just Nicolao,” he murmured. At least she had a soft voice and he was grateful. “You know who I am then you know my status. And Betazoid, so you know why I’m here.”

“Yes,” Ophelia answered. She could sense it clearly and she had to block him out to avoid catching his headache. “How long?”

“A couple of hours now. I had to share something with the Counselor, something that broke a block and now it’s telling on me.” The bright white lights were beginning to be too much and he places his hand over his eyes.

“Computer, lights fifty percent,” Ophelia ordered. “Can you get on the biobed or shall I assist you?”

“I can do it.” He crawled up and stretched out. He felt something cold and metallic on his neck, then everything went black.

* * *

Whatever Ophelia had done to him had worked like a charm. The crippling headache was completely gone and he felt perfectly normal. He could’ve hugged her if he’d been the touchy type. Instead, he decided to send flowers to demonstrate his gratitude. He now stood outside Dru’s door and he felt he was ready for whatever the night might bring. He’d stopped on the Promenade and picked up a little something for Dru. She’d been through a lot because of him and he hoped this might make up for it, at least a little. He shifted the white box to his right hand and reached out with the left to ring the door chime.

Dru answered the door with a wine bottle in her hands. She was dressed in an old t-shirt and light pink pajama pants. “Oh. Hey,” she said. “Come on in.”

He stepped forward and stopped just inside. He’d seen her in uniform and in a swimsuit, but somehow, dressed down, she looked younger, more relaxed more...something he could quite articulate. That last was amazing, given the day she’d had.

“Just sit anywhere,” she said, her words somewhat slurred. She was into her second bottle now and didn’t plan on stopping. At least until she fell asleep. “Wine? I have plenty.”

“Sure, in a second.” He smiled just for a moment and held out the box. “Look Dru, I am sorry for earlier. I know it frightened you and on top of everything else, it’s been...a lot. This doesn’t come close to making up for it but at least you’ll enjoy it. I hope.”

Setting the wine bottle on the end table by the couch she sat cross-legged and looked at the package, tentatively opening it. “Chocolates?” she said, surprised. “I’m not sure I know any woman who doesn’t like chocolates. Thanks.”

He eyed the bottle and nodded. “It’ll go well with red wine. I’ll just get a glass.” He moved off to the kitchen, leaving a little mental trail of awkwardness behind him.

“Might want to get a new bottle,” she called to him from the living room. “I may have, um, backwashed a bit in this one. Kinda’...gross,” she added, more for herself. But she grabbed the bottle and downed the last few dregs of it and replaced it on the end table.

“Alright, but last one.” There was a soft pop of the cork and Nico reappeared with a bottle and two glasses. He filled one, passed it to her, then filled his own and finally sat in the chair by the sofa. “So how was the rest of your day? And how’s Robin?”

“He’s okay, last I checked,” she said, having a rough time keeping her head from bobbing. “And me? I’m just a bit weirded out by the whole thing. I’m guessing Robin got a lot more than I did with my little episode, but…” She trailed off and looked to him. “I’m so, so sorry that happened to you, Nico.” Her eyes were welling up. “I’m sure you don’t want to dwell on it, but that was just horrible.”

She wiped the tears from her face and sipped at the glass he’d poured.

Nico had little experience with genuine emotion, he was far better at acting parts. Now, with Dru getting tearful, the man who had routinely stared down death was awash with helplessness. What the hell was he supposed to do? Tissue, idiot. His little voice rose and he had to agree it made sense. In a flash he was off to the bathroom and returned with a box of fluffy pink tissues. He pulled one out and offered it.

“Thanks,” she said quietly then dabbed the tears and blew her nose. It must have sounded like an elephant from the momentary widening of Niko’s eyes. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly now. “Leave the box.”

He settled down on the sofa by her, but leaving a little distance between them, and reached for his wine. “Now you understand my distance from people.”

“Well, yeah, sure. But what Robin had you do was different.” She wiped at her nose again and looked back at him. “I didn’t get any of that when you helped me last week when I was too drunk to stand. This was something you specifically did. Just touching someone isn’t going to give them your full backstory.” She raised an eyebrow. “I think you put too much stock in the whole ‘no touchy’ thing.”

His expression froze a moment and he busied himself with topping off his wine. “That isn’t the reason, Dru. As a human, you are affected somewhat just by being close, whether I touch you or not.”

“Yeah, I remember,” she replied, “but that was nothing compared to what I saw. A bit of confusion, or something like that. But us humans are fairly resilient. You don’t think we’d get used to it eventually?” After another sip she said, “I mean, have you even tried? I’d be a willing participant, just to see if my theory is valid. I may have to take off a week of work, though, just to make sure I’m not all loopy and shit-faced while on duty.” She laughed.

“There is some evidence that you can. Our first contact was with Torres, the Chief Engineer on Voyager. Like you she began to see dreams but they were purposely passed to her. I think while our people were on board, everyone was more perceptive than usual, however. And that was a short visit. I don’t know what it would be like..long-term with someone non-telepathic.” For now, he chose not to get into the other reason he’d hinted at, but he was curious to see if she might pick up on it.

“Well, as your newly appointed friend, I’ll volunteer to be a lab rat for this little discovery.” She’d drained the glass of its contents and set it aside, waving off his offer for more. “I think I’ve reached my limit. I’m starting to taste colors that I can now see.”

He had to laugh at her statement. “That is definitely a sign.” He finished his glass and set it aside. He needed to be awake for her, at least for a little while.

They sat quietly for a moment, she trying to clear her head a bit so she didn’t sound too much like an idiot in their conversation, and he enjoying the wine.

“So,” she started, “I’m kinda’ getting this feeling that you’re leaving something out. You know, because of your whole whoo-ooo thing.” She punctuated it with waving her arms around. “So what’s up? And don’t worry about keeping something secret. I’m pretty drunk right now so I may not even remember it.”

“I never have been really involved with people in a genuine sense. I was never anywhere for long and when I was somewhere, it was generally playing some part if you get my drift. Those I knew personally? I was a danger to. And after Elmspur, there just wasn’t enough left to give anything to anyone.” He rose, took the glasses and carried them back to the kitchen. Dru had a way of cutting through the bullshit and getting straight to the point. He found it profoundly unsettling at times.

“That’s a hard way to have to live, Nico,” she said quietly, her head swimming. “And I’ve been called a bleeding heart before, which, I guess, kinda’ fits me, but I don’t think I can have my friend living life like that. It’s just ridiculous.”

He reappeared in the arch between the living room and kitchen and stood watching her. He didn’t have to reach far mentally to sense her fuzziness thanks to the wine. Her words surprised him and gave him pause. “Let’s get you to bed.”

She waved a lazy hand at him. “Pssh. I’m fine.”

He crossed to stand before her, hands on his hips. “Your head has developed a constant bob. It’s time.”

She let out a huge belch. Her eyes went wide as she covered her mouth. “Okay. You got me.”

Standing slowly, she started toward her bedroom stopping a few times to steady herself along the way. She walked into the kitchen and stopped. “Nope.” After a few turns she found the hallway again and the entrance to her room.

Holding herself up with a firm hand on the wall she nodded to Nico. “And this, my good sir, is goodnight. Adieu,” she said, sounding more like “ow-do.”

“I’ll be right outside..just in case.” He paused and frowned a moment. “What did you mean out there? About not having your friend live like that?” He was still trying to get a grip on the idea that she considered him a friend. It was a foreign concept for him and he wasn’t at all sure what it meant, at least not completely.

She slowly made her way closer to him. “You,” she said with a drunken poke to his chest, “are my friend. My friends,” she poked herself in the chest, “are my friends. And my friends are my friends whether or not they want friends. I take care of my friends.” Swaying slightly, she poked him in the chest again. “And you are my friend. I’m friends with my friends.” Her eyebrow was cocked up like she was imparting some vast knowledge to him, something that could heal all the sick and amaze anyone who heard it. Actually, she was completely plastered and rambling on. But it sounded good in her head.

“Got it? Friend?” she asked with another poke to his chest.

That poke tilted her a bit too far and with quick reflexes and not much thought, he caught her as she sagged forward. “That was beyond profound, Dru.” The irony in his tone was not to be missed. Nor was the awkward silence that followed as he held her up against him. His first thought was to separate and fast, but that likely meant a puddle of Dru on the floor. Talk about deja vu.

“Okay,” she replied, pushing up from him. “Definitely bedtime.” She tried to turn on her heels but required quite a bit of assistance from Nico. “Hey! There’s my bed!” With an unexpected bit of speed she ran into the room and belly flopped onto the bed. “Gnht No” she said, her face muffled in the sheets. It was as close as she’d come to property saying goodnight to him before she passed out, sideways and sprawled out on the bed.

Nico stood watching her. His first urge was to get out of the room but it wasn’t a good idea to leave a wine-soaked woman face down on a soft mattress. He rubbed his forehead, then cross to the bed and lifting her as if she were weightless, he turned her the right way, settled her on her side and pulled up the blanket. Kneeling down by her, he studied her peaceful face, then came to a decision. Closing his eyes, he reached out to her mind. She seemed calm enough and perhaps the wine wasn’t the worst idea - it kept her from being afraid to sleep at least. He nudged her mentally, assuring she’d pass the night without dreams. It wasn’t something she could endure often but for tonight it would do.

“Sleep well,” he whispered, then withdrew to the kitchen to make coffee.

*******************
Nicolao
Night Watch

PO2 Drusilla Dupree
Drunken Sot