Originally Posted by T'Shaini/05-6-2009 02:45:32 PM
"I can't stop the bleeding."
Remembered warmth, remembered pain…T'Shaini seemed to drift outside herself only marginally aware of the body on the table and the frantic voices surrounding her. Shifting scenes occupied what little of the Vulcan remained aware, her family and all the conflicting emotions tangled within, the disapproval and the affection one as easily supplanted with the other as a children's see saw.
"Jem Hadar, they must have bought the disruptors from the Jem Hadar…"
All she had learned since she had left, not only the joys of her practice and exploring the workings of the mind but the physical challenges of the weapons training and hand to hand combat, bright oils all faded to watercolors. Harry and Nils…their strength masking a deep inner pain, Harry's humor and Nils seriousness, the things that made them different and yet so very much the same. Could she leave those who meant so much to her? Letting go.
"She doesn't seem to be responding."
Words that meant little to her washed over the counselor's consciousness. A balloon who's child had let go the string, T'Shaini felt herself drifting further and further. Lia. The smiling girl so like her father, the effervescent personality and the blossoming of a stunning intellect. Visions of her playing in the treehouse, tussling with Eli, a sodden blossom being presented for the Vulcan to kiss…goodbye.
"Shit, we are losing her."
The unfamiliar pop of surprise as warm lips brushed over hers to remove some chocolate, the warmth, the fire, the laughter…Javier. She felt a burning in her chest as his face swam before her eyes. Scrambling up a tree from a bear, being fished out of the water, arms wrapped around her bringing her joy that she could not have fathomed before he entered her life.
Fight it, fight for yourself, fight for me.
I cannot…
A long flat tone emitted from one of the machines by the bio bed, followed by a curse and a frantic renewal of effort.
Suspended between worlds T'Shaini felt the pressure build, one light snap and the balloon would be released…she would be free. Then something that had more power over her than all the skill of the doctors or the destructive power of the Terra Prime weapons grabbed a hold of that connection.
Oh Sugar, don't you cry, Oh child wipe the tears from your eyes. You know I need you to be strong, when the day is as dark as the night is long.
Blinding pain shot through the counselor as she felt the tug, bringing her back…bringing her home.
"I have a signal…she is beginning to respond."
I'm here..I'll always be here.
T'Shaini's eyes suddenly fluttered open.
And I for you, no matter what.
Originally Posted by Javier Costala/05-8-2009 02:09:15 PM
And I for you, no matter what.
She had spoken to him. He'd heard it before she had awoken..come back. Bramley had said they had lost her, then she had come back. Javier touched T'Shaini's hand, hesitantly brushing it with his fingertips so he could feel the reassuring warmth of her skin. He emitted a grateful sigh. His fingers then moved to her wrist, pressing beneath it in order to feel the life that pulsed within her body. Another thankful sigh left the engineer as he glanced towards T'Shaini's face. She lay in a deep, restful sleep after the operation that had almost ended with..
'I'm not going to think about how close I came to losing her,' Javier thought as he bent over and brought T'Shaini's hand to his lips. A sigh from the beautiful Vulcan counselor made Javier smile, if only a little. He was exhausted, the mission had taken its toll on him, the loss of good men and the actions of Terra Prime wearing on his morale and then the unthinkable..almost losing his love to one of the fanatics. He fell back into the chair beside T'Shaini's bed, the weight of everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours dropping down on him in a few minutes. Javier finally had time to process everything that had taken place in Normandy. So many good people lost..was it worth it?
"Javier?"
He looked up to see Katie Ibrahim standing at the end of the biobed where T'Shaini lay. Holding her hand, and looking very pensive, Lia stared at him for a moment before barreling into his arms as Javier held them out to her. "Lia.."
"Is T'Shaini going to be okay?" Lia whispered as she looked over his shoulder at the sleeping Vulcan, the friendly woman that had been like her mother for so many months since she had come to live with her daddy. "She was hurt?"
"Yes, she's going to be okay now," Javier answered, hugging Lia a little tighter. He felt new tears break free from the corner of his eyes. He exhaled suddenly.
Lia looked at T'Shaini then pulled back to look at her Papa. "Why you crying then?" Her small hands brushed at his tears, smearing the camo paint that remained on his face. "You're dirty," the five year old commented then sniffed and added, "and you're smelly too. You smell like Tyson Brahms after he.."
"Lia. We don't say mean things about others," Katie scolded, it was difficult for her to keep a straight face. Tyson Brahms really was a smelly kid.
"It's okay," Javier said, missing the point, "I am kind of smelly." Lia nodded in agreement, crawling from his lap to the floor because he was stinky. "I should go clean up." He glanced back at T'Shaini. Javier didn't want to leave her alone. He looked down at Lia. "Can you stay here and look after T'Shaini? She needs to see someone who loves her very much when she wakes up."
"Okay Daddy." Lia hopped up on the chair that her father vacated. She leaned over T'Shaini and brushed a stray hair away from her face. Javier turned to Katie who almost immediately said, "I'll stay with her until you return." The engineer took one last look at the counselor, smiling as Lia bent down to place a kiss on T'Shaini's cheek.
Originally Posted by Torrik Nils/05-9-2009 08:15:00 AM
:: USS Chimera ::
:: Sickbay ::
Steady relief eased the Captain’s weary pagh as he stood back and watched Javier’s vigil. He stayed out of the way and let the engineer have his space. With T’Shaini in recovery and her condition improving, he knew that all things were well in hand. But he felt obliged and even glad to come down one more time before duty absorbed him again.
Silently, Nils thanked the Prophets and wondered that he still felt a connection so far from his home and time. Then he made the rounds in sickbay and thanked the medical team. Their efforts were worthy of deep and heartfelt commendation. He shook hands and patted shoulders and even offered one or two smiles. Before he left he looked over his shoulder one more time and a moment of bitter sweet peace descended. T’Shaini had been saved, but it had been Javier who’d been spared. Another smile crossed Nils face even as his eyes became moist with memory.
But this was not Jillian’s ship and this was not Jillian’s sickbay… Nils nodded as took one last look at Javi standing over the one he loved. Not all things were right, but enough were…
With a deep breath, the Bajoran pushed on and made his next move. Bee lining his way to the turbolift he shed all emotion. Tasks needed accomplishing, and a weepy Bajoran CO would be worth naught. When the lift doors opened, Nils wasn’t surprised at the pair of cold eyes that immediately began examining him.
“You succeeded, then,” S’Van said coolly. “Congratulations, Captain. Of course, you know this mission may not be reflected in your service record. Officially speaking, we never left Bajoran space.”
“Out of my way, S’Van… I know how this works.”
“Do you? Do you really? Because I don’t think you do.” A serpentine smile twisted the Commander’s face. “Now that you have Chimera I feel certain that we’ll be…”
“Stow it,” Nils said coming in close to the human ‘spook’. He seethed fury as he moved in dangerously close. With a dark edge to his tone, Nils spoke quietly to the man. “I let you play your games, S’Van. It was necessary to save our timeline. You had information and we needed. But with all things made right, it’s time you shut up! I’m on my way to the brig now to let Finn out.”
Completely unmoved, S’Van answered, “I don’t think so, Torrik. Finn is going to…”
“Is going to be released by my order on myship.” To emphasize the point Nils stabbed his combadge. “Torrik to brig…”
=/\= Jones here, acknowledged. =/\=
“Petty Officer, will you please release our Executive Officer from the brig. He is free to go…” Nils smirked as S’Van’s countenance fell.
“You can’t do that,” S’Van said maintaining his cool.
=/\= Aye sir, =/\= returned Jones even reply.
“Can’t I?” Nils eyes narrowed and the corners of his mouth pulled up ever so slightly in a knowing smile. “I don’t remember Finn having done anything wrong. I mean, officially we’ve never left Bajoran space,” he echoed smartly.
For the first time since he’d become Captain, a heady sensation overcame him. The weight and responsibility of being the CO had always stifled him and choked him. It had almost been a handicap. But standing before S’Van he finally felt the other side of that coin. The ability to ‘do something’ became a comfort. For so long he’d been a helpless passenger on fate’s wild wind. Nothing had ever gone as he’d planned and nothing ever turned out as he’d imagined it would. And he’d lamented that fact at every turn. But now… The reins of destiny fell in his hand all at once and he felt something he’d never felt before – the power to forge his own destiny. At the tail end of saving time and in affect preserving the destiny of the galaxy, Nils found what he needed to make being Captain mean something. The ability to set a course…
“Mr. S’Van, I believe you are confined to your quarters. I trust you can find them without help?” With that the Bajoran brushed past S’Van and entered the turbolift. “Take me to the bridge,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. Within the hour, the USS Chimera fell into and defied the gravity well of Sol, and broke the bounds of time and space as she returned to a well known and familiar future.
