Flowers Watched Through Wide Brown Eyes - Part I
Posted on Thu May 14th, 2015 @ 1:52pm by Lieutenant Commander Ophelia Payne & Lieutenant Commander Nicolao & Lieutenant Commander Robin Swift M.D., PhD & Petty Officer 1st Class Drusilla Dupree
Mission:
Breaking New Ground
Location: Piper Medical Center
* * * Piper Medical Center - Psychiatric Wing * * *
The vase of red blossoms came in with the usual morning delivery. Kiere signed for it, then glanced over the list of recipients. One particular name jumped out at her and she checked the list against the various arrangements. The one in question was a clear crystal vase holding a profusion of red blossoms. They were beautiful indeed and their perfume was almost intoxicating. They were sent to Nico and she thought it a lovely gesture. Perhaps it would help brighten his day a little. The scent and color of the blossoms seemed familiar but the more she thought about it, the more the memory skittered out of reach. Oh well, she needed to get these to the orderlies to deliver. The list was placed on the cart and she wheeled it away to the orderlies’ lounge.
The orderly had summoned Ophelia since he couldn’t get into Nico’s room to deliver the flowers. She had taken them and now, opened the door to carry them inside. The deep ruby blossoms were a nice contrast to the stark white room and she placed the vase on the lone table against the wall.
“These just came,” she informed Drusilla. There was a white card attached and she removed it, passing it on to Dru. “They smell divine. Maybe the scent will stir him, even if he isn’t seeing them right now.” With a smile, Ophelia moved on out, locking the door behind her.
Out front, the fragrance from the flowers lingered, heavy in the air. Kiere sniffed, enjoying the perfume as she went about her normal duties of checking in patients. The scent continued to tug at her memory and it wasn’t until Mr. Leroy, Commander Leroy’s father, arrived for his cholesterol check that the memory clicked into place. She had done some volunteer work following the Dominion war on…Cardassia… Oh dear. She turned Mr. Leroy over to her assistant and left the front desk at a dead run.
Dru hadn’t left Nico’s side since she’d been there except for the occasional stand to stretch and rub her muscles from sitting on the hard floor--he just wouldn’t get into the bed! Now, however, she was curious about the flowers. They did smell good and seemed to brighten the entire room. She thought it nice that someone would have been thoughtful enough to send Nico flowers.
Pulling the card, she opened it to read, Sorry I missed you, Anaar.
“Anaar,” she said aloud. “I don’t know who that is, but the flowers are nice.”
She walked around the room, leaned down to stretch out her back and legs and finally took a pillow from the bed to sit on. Nestled back up to Nico she gently moved hair from his eyes and face. “You got some flowers today, Nico,” she said. “They’re very pretty. Bright red and the smell is amazing. From someone named Anaar? I don’t think you’ve mentioned him.” She thought for a moment. “Or her,” she added with a shrug. “I just think it’s nice that they sent you flowers.”
Without warning, the sensation of emptiness that had surrounded Nico in the past two days shifted. Rage suddenly slammed through Dru, seeming to pin her to the wall. A low growl came from him, working its way into her addled thoughts and grew louder until it roared in her ears. The blinding anger filled her, blotting out everything else and in an instant she found herself tossed away, hitting the floor hard as Nico came to life and surged across the room, aiming for the flowers.
Trying to pick herself up, she found Nico lunging for the table. “Nico!? What is it? What happened?”
He didn’t seem to hear her at all. Reaching the small table, he lifted the vase and with another roar, hurled it at the window that faced the corridor. While the window was unbreakable, the vase was not. It shattered against the window, leaving wickedly sharp shards of glass scattered on the floor. Outside, a passing nurse saw the vase as it hit and jumped back against the wall. Moments later, Kiere appeared, looking worried and tapped her comm badge. Outside, over the door, the red emergency light began to flash. Nico was still in motion, moving towards the window and the broken glass.
Dru was afraid now. Very afraid. She didn’t know what was happening and Nico wasn’t talking to her. She backed into the corner, the bed between her and Nico, and tapped her commbadge. “Dru to Nurse Payne, I need you in Nico’s room! He’s thrown that vase of flowers and seems very upset!”
The emergency call that Kiere had sent went straight to Robin as well as the nurse’s station. Ophelia, however was a few corridors over but at a full-on run, it took no more than a minute to reach the room, where now several nurses had gathered, all unable to unlock the door.
“Has someone called Robin?” Ophelia demanded. Before they could answer, she tapped her own badge. “Payne to transporter room one. Lock onto PO Dupree’s signal and get her out to the Piper transport padd. NOW!” Then she began to enter the code to unlock the door.
Feeling the tingling sensation of the transporter take hold, Dru stood still and suddenly found herself out in an open spot of the medical area. She stepped off the pad and looked around frantically, trying to find Nico’s room again. Hearing yelling from her left, she moved quickly toward the sound.
The door was open now and Nico was yelling something, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying over everyone else yelling back at him to calm down.
Ophelia stood, blocking the door, but snapped an order back to the rest. “Get the hell out of here!” She debated whether to lock the door but knew Robin would be along any second. She turned her attention to Nico who now stood, a long shard of glass grasped in his fist. A rivulet of blood slipped out, running over his hand and down his arm. It was time to get serious. Reaching out, she slipped into his thoughts, and was instantly sorry. It was utter chaos in there, horrible, frightening images and mind-bending pain.
Nico! You have to stop. Drop the glass.
WHERE IS SHE?
The words roared in Ophelia’s head and she was sure it would split wide open.
Dru is…
Not Dru...Anaar!
Dru arrived just as an image rose in Ophelia’s mind - of Nico at phaser-point, a woman, and several Cardassians. Suddenly she understood what she was seeing and she reached out to grab the door frame, holding herself up in the wake of the onslaught of memories. With her free hand, she reached for Dru and passed on the image of the woman.
“Oh...my……”
“It’s her,” Dru whispered. “It has to be her,” she said louder. “Anaar, the woman in the memory must be the same person who sent those flowers. Ophelia, she must be on the station! We have to alert security!”
“Kiere!”
“I’m on it,” Kiere answered. She stepped away and put through an emergency call to Security.
“Dru…” Ophelia kept her voice calm as she faced down Nico. “You can reach him….get him to drop that glass.” Nico now held a sharp blade of glass in each hand and was advancing on the door. “I can’t get close enough to sedate him until he does.”
She didn’t have much experience with telepathy, but she tried to reach out to him with her mind as he had to her so many times. Nico, honey, please...drop the glass. You’re scaring Ophelia and the nursing staff. You’re scaring me! She stepped closer, just past Ophelia, and continued. That woman, Anaar, she isn’t here with us. It’s just me, Ophelia and--
She paused when she heard Robin’s voice. --and Robin, he’s here. But you have to put that glass down. You’ve already cut yourself and you’re in no immediate danger.
You’re wrong, Dru….no one is safe….if she is alive and here…
However, Nico turned in Dru’s direction and stopped advancing. He looked down at his hands and now the trails of blood were dripping to the floor and splattering his bare feet.
“Oh shit…” Robin breathed. “Nico, what happened? Come on, let’s put that glass down. You’ve hurt yourself,” he said, then leaned in closer to murmur, “and I think you’re scaring the hell out of everyone here.”
Please, Nico, give Robin the glass. That woman may be alive and on the station, but she’s not standing here. Dru was crying now, so scared of what might happen. She’d never seen this side of Nico before and she was concerned that he may accidentally hurt himself. Please!
Nico’s gaze shifted to Robin, then back to Dru. Belatedly, he looked down at his hands as if seeing them for the first time. Slowly, he opened his fingers, letting the glass fall to the floor and narrowly missing his feet.
“Where is she?” He spoke aloud for the first time in two days.
“What?” Robin asked, mistakenly thinking Nico had been talking to him.
Dru grabbed onto Nico and squeezed him. “I don’t know, but she isn’t here. We might be able to track her down from where she purchased the flowers. It’s a start.”
Robin was looking at Nico’s hand. Mostly a superficial wound, but it would need attention. “Would you two mind letting me in on this conversation?”
Nico looked at his hands, then down to his bloody feet. In the context of his life, this was nothing compared to the past, and it was the past that haunted him now. He looked first to Dru and there was worry in his eyes.
I’m so sorry, Dru. He could see the fear in her eyes, fear of him and it ripped through him, leaving no part of him unscathed.
“I’m just glad you’re okay now.” She hugged him tightly then remembered the reason for his seclusion into his own mind and jerked back suddenly. “Wait--did you find it? That thing you were looking for?”
“Leave us Ophelia, please,” Nico requested.
“I’ll send someone down to get this cleaned up.” She looked to Robin and when he nodded, she closed and locked the door, leaving the three of them alone.
To Be Continued…
**********************
Kiere
Nicolao
Lt. Ophelia Payne
PO2 Drusilla Dupree
Lt. Commander Robin Swift
