[USS Charon, not Sickbay any more (at last!)]
Pray? Well, the Betazoid Deities were never above aiding in some mischief or other, but the young woman doubted that the marine was truly suggesting a gong and incense at this moment.
As for Vulcan prayers… she was till pondering his puzzling suggestion when they exited sickbay at remarkable speed, and thus far no shouts or other signs of pursuit indicated that their hasty departure had been noticed.
Relaxing in the tall human's arms, Sakarra could not help but appreciate the humor of being carried in the opposite direction for once.
"My compliments for a successful stealth operation, Mr Warren. May I suggest we proceed to deck three without delay? A barely clothed woman in my current… position… might draw attention and lead to undue questions."
The last sentence was accompanied by just a small cough, and Sakarra briefly dug her hand into the marine's uniform. She would be most relieved once this pain could be dealt with.
With the relaxation in his really quite warm embrace came the instinctive pull of the trance again and the young woman had to blink fiercely to fight it off just a little while longer. It was a bad sign that the human's body temperature should exceed her own, but she was grateful for any warmth at the moment. Were it not utterly undignified and bound to create terrible awkwardness, she would have liked to just let her head rest against the warm skin of his neck and close her eyes, just a little…
Damn.
It would be a good idea to focus on something else.
Damn.
It would be a good idea to focus on something else.
Brent moved into the turbolift before speaking again. "Deck Three," he said to the lift as it took off in good fashion. After discerning where her room was Brent was content to simply watch Sakarra. Still breathing, still that rhythmic motion from her shoulders and chest. Good. If she hadn't mentioned the trance he would have been tempted to shake her a little when she tried to doze off. He would be rather upset with himself if she went into shock because he took her away.
Finally the turbolift arrived on Deck Three, and after poking his head out Brent saw that no one was around. Everyone was probably off working on repairing the ship. So much the better. Brent quickly made his way down the corridor until finally they were inside Sakarra's quarters. After looking around for a brief moment Brent spied the bed and gently lay the Vulcan down, before pulling the sheets up and over her to help give her a bit of decency she lacked with just a sickbay sheet.
Like she had once before in sickbay, Sakarra experienced the odd sensation of surreal events unfolding around her, but as soon as the tall human who gave off such concerned vibes carried her through the door, she immediately felt herself breathing easier. The air was of course as thick and saturated with oxygen as everywhere else on the ship, but the warmth alone did wonders for the little Vulcan's straining lungs.
Even though her eyes remained closed, she could tell the dim lights with the slight copper tinge had sprung to life, and yes, he had found the sleeping area, judging from his purposeful stride. Sakarra felt herself being placed on the smooth sheets of her own bed and blinked sleepily when the covers were pulled over her by gentle hands.
"Fa-whk palut'nau du na'-veh, r'hi." she murmured, and then her eyes focused on his mildly bemused expression. Stretching languidly, Sakarra allowed herself to appreciate - no, outright enjoy - the sensation of the Vulcan silk against her cold skin and the marvelous warmth that surrounded her. But before she could allow herself to drift into the healing trance that her body now was positively screaming for, she had one more request to make.
"Fa-whk palut'nau du na'-veh, r'hi." she murmured, and then her eyes focused on his mildly bemused expression. Stretching languidly, Sakarra allowed herself to appreciate - no, outright enjoy - the sensation of the Vulcan silk against her cold skin and the marvelous warmth that surrounded her. But before she could allow herself to drift into the healing trance that her body now was positively screaming for, she had one more request to make.
"I am deeply grateful for your assistance, Mr Warren. However, I must ask one more favor of you."
There was an unusually soft undertone to her voice, but she was truly beyond caring right now. It would be silly to insist on maintaining perfect distance after this one whom she barely knew had already been invited into the privacy of her quarters.
"It is very likely that I shall require some … encouragement … to wake up again. And although it will not be necessary for you to … keep watch over me as is usually done, I would ask that you to return in…" she briefly thought about a logical timeframe and decided that the full fifteen v'hral her injuries would require were unreasonable.
"… precisely five standard hours. At that point I should hopefully already be in the process of regaining consciousness, however anything to help me focus will be most helpful. If you feel it necessary to apply some force, please do not hesitate to strike me. I assure you, it will be considerably less unpleasant for me to experience a stinging sensation to my face than having to endure the physical and mental distress of being 'stuck' in the in-between state as it were."
There was an unusually soft undertone to her voice, but she was truly beyond caring right now. It would be silly to insist on maintaining perfect distance after this one whom she barely knew had already been invited into the privacy of her quarters.
"It is very likely that I shall require some … encouragement … to wake up again. And although it will not be necessary for you to … keep watch over me as is usually done, I would ask that you to return in…" she briefly thought about a logical timeframe and decided that the full fifteen v'hral her injuries would require were unreasonable.
"… precisely five standard hours. At that point I should hopefully already be in the process of regaining consciousness, however anything to help me focus will be most helpful. If you feel it necessary to apply some force, please do not hesitate to strike me. I assure you, it will be considerably less unpleasant for me to experience a stinging sensation to my face than having to endure the physical and mental distress of being 'stuck' in the in-between state as it were."
"I will," Brent said for a moment before he thought about the situation for a few moments. He didn't want to return in five hours to find the Vulcan cold and dead because of her condition. He frowned slightly. "Although, I am not going to leave you alone here. I won't have your condition worsen so much and when I come back you're dead," he said firmly and with conviction. He had no intention of leaving her alone when she was in this condition and not in sickbay.
Brent leaved over a PADD and picked it up beginning to download something. "I have reports to fill out and other such things. I'll set this PADD to silence and set a stopwatch on it. I'll wake you in five hours. Alright?"
Sakarra studied the blue-eyed marine's face for a few seconds and then nodded slowly. She had trusted him this far and he had been nothing but exceptionally courteous, so there was no logical reason to object. In fact, it was imminently logical for him to remain, if only to assist should anything go wrong. No healer would willingly leave another Vulcan in a healing trance unattended, not merely to intervene in case of difficulties, but simply because a Vulcan in this state was at her most vulnerable.
"Very well." she said in a voice barely above a whisper. "But please do not be alarmed once I become unresponsive and my breathing will slow considerably. It is to be expected." She moved the covers just slightly to expose her side, still decorated with dried blood, and motioned for the marine to place his fingertips over her rapidly beating heart.
"If you need to reassure yourself of my condition, as long as this does not slow to less than one-hundred beats per standard minute, there is no need for concern."
"If you need to reassure yourself of my condition, as long as this does not slow to less than one-hundred beats per standard minute, there is no need for concern."
Brent nodded, placing three of his fingers over where her heart was. He counted the beats now, noticing that they were falling, either she was getting worse or else she was preparing for this ritual. "Alright. Check the heart if I think something is wrong. I'll stir you in five hours and hopefully you will be improved over your condition now." Brent nodded. "Anything else I need to know," he said and knelt down, apparently preparing to sit down and lean against her bed as his place of rest.
"And thank you Lieutenant for trusting me. I imagine this isn't something that you'd do in front of me if you had the choice," he said before a smirk crossed his face.
Sakarra nodded, murmuring a quiet "indeed" before closing her eyes and finally allowing her weary body to sink into the calm darkness it had been straining to reach. There were in fact numerous things he needed to know, but none of those would be helpful at this juncture, so she merely made a small 'nothing else' gesture with her hand.
So many things floating across her mind, but she had to put them aside, had to focus, ….
The last thing her conscious mind took along into the trance was the sound of a human's slow, steady breathing and careful hands adjusting the covers over her still body.
So many things floating across her mind, but she had to put them aside, had to focus, ….
The last thing her conscious mind took along into the trance was the sound of a human's slow, steady breathing and careful hands adjusting the covers over her still body.
Brent sat down as silently as he could nearby the unconscious form of the small Vulcan. He scrolled through his reports, slowly getting them done, every thirty or so minutes he looked back at Sakarra, giving her a look over to make sure that she was still breathing rhythmically. Seeing the ever so slight movement he was content that she was ok.
Reports were taken care of, several requisition orders were filled, and he even got ahead on performance reports within his company. The time began to slip by as Brent continued his vigil.
[To be continued...]
Lieutenant Sakarra Tyrax
Chief Helm Officer
&
Brevet First Lieutenant Brent Warren
Marine Company Commander
USS-Charon
Chief Helm Officer
&
Brevet First Lieutenant Brent Warren
Marine Company Commander
USS-Charon
