Sometimes Goodbyes are Easy, Part 1

Posted on Sun Sep 27th, 2015 @ 10:02pm by Ensign Reva Madhava & Lieutenant Riley Sukotav & Lieutenant Commander Solis & Desta

Mission: Further Challenges

* Piper Medical Center *

After Raj had departed to his office, and promising to be back in a couple of hours, Desta had taken time to wander her room, adjust to the idea that she would be there the next two days, and stretched out on the bed. She hadn’t thought she was sleepy but when she woke up an hour later, she felt much better. Still, she woke up alone and the old fear had instantly taken hold. A very nice nurse has promised to track down Raj, then suggested Des take a stroll through the corridors. She decided it might be a good time to check in on Reva, since the nurse had said she was out of surgery. Before long, she stood at Reva’s door and knocked.

Inside, Reva paused and asked Riley, “Is it Solis? He might not appreciate the tests we’be been putting my nerves through.” She laughed before getting up to unlock the door. “Desta! Come in. Want something to eat? We have some barbecue left over.”

“Hi.” She smiled back at Reva as she stepped in, sensing her happiness. “The nurse said your surgery was over. How are you feeling?”

“Good. A little creaky, but overall okay,” Reva went back to her bed, “Come have a seat. Raj went home?”

“He said he had to go to his office for a little while to catch up on some things since he’s been away,” Desta answered. “Hi Riley.”

“Desta.” He flashed her a smile. “Everything going okay so far?”

“So far yes,” Desta answered. “The room is quite comfortable. I wanted to come check on you, Reva. It’s wonderful to see that infernal collar is gone.”

“It is,” Reva agreed. “Solis said that if it had been on for too much longer, it would have been permanent.” She touched her neck. “Did the doctors check you out?”

Desta nodded and sat down in the chair she pulled close to the bed. “A very nice older man with white hair. He was explaining some game to me as he checked, something to do with little white balls and clubs.” She laughed lightly. “I just nodded and smiled. He cursed a bit as I explained my situation, though.”

“Earl,” Reva said. “He’s a good guy. I’ve had to fix a couple of dents in his walls. Apparently those little white balls are a hazard to internal walls.” She took a bite of a corn muffin and continued, “Riley says that Raj got our quarters set up on the same deck Riley’s on. Ops is moving my stuff so that I don’t have to.”

“Oh? That’s wonderful news.” A smile returned to Desta’s face. “He’s done so much for me...for both of us. Is there something I can do for him? To say thank you or return the favor? I know nothing of his life here, except that he’s a counselor. What do you think?”

“I don’t really know him all that well. Six and I met him at the Nexus. I think he’s single. Rye, you had a few days on the Orion’s ship with him; did you talk at all?” Reva looked at him, curious about Raj now.

“Some,” he admitted, “but not much personal stuff. You have to understand, I wasn’t in good shape on the trip out, so I wasn’t much company for him.”

Desta looked at Riley a moment, wondering why he’d been in bad shape; had he been that concerned about Reva? “Oh. He already declined sex...”

Reva choked slightly then laughed. “Desta! You can’t offer him that... well, you can, but he can’t accept! That’s unethical. Maybe just working to live well is a good thing to give him.”

“He explained it to me, quite nicely too. I suppose it’s possible he could change his mind but that would mean not working with him. I don’t think I want to have to work through all this with someone who wasn’t there, you know?” She considered Reva’s words and finally nodded. “Perhaps so. That’s what he wants me to be able to do, and what I want as well.”

“I get that, wanting someone who was there. It means that there’s a lot we don’t have to say or talk about.” The subject made Reva frown and pull her sweater tighter around her. “I look forward to seeing our quarters tomorrow.”

“Me too. Raj said that we would find them comfortable. I just want to get somewhere and stay there for at least a few days without having to go somewhere else.” Desta frowned for a moment. “To...be in a place that will start to become my own, like this station, and know that there will be a tomorrow to plan for.”

“One with no one inflicting pain,” Reva said. She adjusted the sweater, pulling it closer around her neck. “Rye, babe, would you mind asking someone for another blanket, please?”

“Certainly.” He rose and moved over to the door. “I’ll have someone bring it in and I want to go check on Eli and Chance while I'm out. You girls have fun.” He stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Watching him leave, Reva had to hold herself back to keep from going with him. Instead, she got up and made a circuit around the room. "Desta, it might be that Riley is over more often than not. I hope that'll be okay with you. Riley said that Raj is keeping us out of the directory, too. So if someone doesn't already know where we are, they can't find us by asking the computer."

“I don’t mind,” was Desta’s instant reply. “To be honest, I think knowing someone is there, just in case….” She didn’t finish her sentence and she didn’t have to. “Do you think I’ll ever….” She stopped and shook her head. “Never mind. I will eventually get to the point where I’m not afraid to go out alone or constantly looking over my shoulder. Somehow, I will.”

"You will," Reva agreed. "You were with them a long time; it might take even longer to recover." She had made another trip around the room and disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Immediately, she opened it again and came out. "The bathroom door... I couldn't close it because he had a chain around my ankle."

“I think you should be prepared for moments like that to pop up often in the coming days, Reva.” Desta frowned slightly. “The big things will be obvious and dealt with first, but it’s the little things..like that, that can grab you when you aren’t looking. Like the two foot rule. It’s something I don’t even notice I’m doing anymore until Raj mentions it and then I am embarrassed.”

"There's no reason to be embarrassed." Reva winced and rolled her shoulders back then crossed the room to the bed and climbed onto it. "Never thought I'd complain about the height of a bed," she commented.

“Did Dr. Solis say how long you’d feel the aftereffects of surgery?” Desta reached over to straighten the corner of the blanket that had gone awry when Reva climbed onto the bed.

"Ah, no. Or, if he did, I've forgotten that he did. He said he'd come by sometime to check on me." She fussed with her sweater and how it laid under her. "We have other friends in Sickbay - Riley and I, I mean. Eli, a Cadet on the Station, got sick and his boyfriend, Chance is here. You'll meet them eventually."

“Hopefully he won’t be here long,” Desta commented. A brief knock on the door sounded and she stood when they heard Solis’ voice. “I’ll let him in.”

"Okay. I'll see you in a bit, then," Reva nodded and arranged the blanket and pulled her sweater closed.

Solis swept in, his long hair now down loose, and smiled at the two women. “Desta, Counselor Amani is looking for you.”

“Oh, of course. Thank you. I’ll see you later on Reva.” Desta hurried out the door and Solis pulled out his tricorder.

“How’re you feeling now that we’re several hours out of surgery?”

"Okay," she nodded. "Just... It's like my nerves are testing themselves? A couple minutes ago, it felt like someone ran a current down my spine." She paused and looked at him curiously. "Is that your perfume?"

“Perfume?” Solis lifted the lapel of his doctor’s coat and sniffed it. A smile flitted across his face and he shook his head. “No,” was his brief answer. “As for the nerves, there will be tingling randomly as they finish healing over the next week or so. If it gets to the really annoying point, let me know. A mild analgesic should take care of it for you. What about the walking?” He’d begun to pass the tricorder over and around her as he spoke.

"A little creaky, but really no worse than it was after...," she frowned and fidgeted with the edge of the cardigan. "After he'd use the second level on the collar," she finished quietly.

Solis nodded his understanding. “Just keep at it and you’ll be good to go in another day or two.” He studied her a moment, noting the sweater and filing that away for later. He patted her shoulder and stood. “Now, I am going to call it a night and get out of here. Chanella is on duty tonight so call her if you need anything and she can reach me if there’s a problem.”

"Okay. I'll be here, so you can find me if I call," she gave him a smart-assed reply and smiled. "Have fun with whomever's perfume that is."

Solis chuckled as he opened the door. “Oh I intend to. I’ll see you in the morning.” He stopped and looked back at her. “Door open or closed?”

"Open is fine. Riley will be back soon," she waved slightly then, once he was out of sight, picked up a padd and started catching up on what she'd missed. After several minutes, a noise near the door made her look up. Her eyes went wide and she froze.

***********

Lt. Riley Sukotav
Ensign Reva Madhava
Desta
Lt. Solis