Caretakers

Posted on Tue Jun 23rd, 2020 @ 10:36am by Senior Chief Petty Officer Fernando De La Rosa [Taylor]

Mission: Season 3: Episode 4: Cause and Effect
Location: Fernando and Heather's Quarters
2747 words - 5.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Tallia has just moved her stuff into Fernando and Heather's quarters, having been asked to come take care of Heather as she recovered from her latest health scare, and was thrilled to be there, not wanting to be alone in the place where she saw Carter alive and healthy last. Setting her stuff down in the spare room she noted how spartan it was, ~Like it's never been used.~ Setting down a few of her personal things, including a blanket knitted for her by Anje's aunt, the famed Ambassador Zhukov, and a teddy bear won for her by Anje at the Frisco City Fair, she decided a nice, warm, relaxing shower was just the thing, and found her way into their bathroom, happy to see Heather had taken some time to feminize it a bit, ~Glad she's not so jarheaded that she forgot how to be a woman.~ She thought as she dropped her clothes to the floor and turned on the water, sliding into the shower with a slight step as the still not totally warm water hit her nude body before it finally reached a comfortable temperature for her.

Fernando came in and he was tired and dirty. He had been sighting, cleaning and calibrating the phaser rifles all day and all he wanted to do was get a quick shower before spending some time with Heather. He headed for the shower, he saw the clothes on the floor but made them no mind thinking they were Heather's. He peeled off his shirt as he entered the bathroom and heard the water running. A smile coming to his face. *This is going to be a nice surprise for Heather.* He thought. Pulling the curtain back he yelled, "Is there room in there for me sweetie?" As he did his mind registered the fact that the woman in the shower was not Heather but Tallia! But he was rooted to the spot as he blinked at her, finally squeaking out "Tallia?!"

~What is he doing here? Oh, yeah, helives here.~ Tallia remembered as her mind spun a million meters a second, at that moment she was glad that, unlike Anje and Tina, her supermodel besties, she realized she couldn't pull of the pixie cut and her hair was long enough to cover her breasts when soaked and straightened by the water so she only needed to place a hand over the lower bits and turn her butt towards the wall, "Uh, Fernando, hi." She said nervously, "Did you forget I was coming today?"

*Shit! Shit! Shit!* Fernando thought furiously his mind racing as he looked at the naked woman in his shower who was definitely not his wife. "Uh hi Tallia and yes." He replied equally as nervous as he began to back out of the shower, unfortunately he got his feet tangled up in Tallia's clothes and fell backwards, hitting his head on floor as he did. "Ow! Damn!" He cried out as he continued to make his way out of the bathroom only this time he was crawling backwards as fast as he could... dragging Tallia's clothes with him.

"Shit." Tallia swore, wrapping a towel around herself and following Fernando, she needed to examine his head to make sure there was no injury, "Fernando, let me get a look at your head, please."

Fernando continued to crawl away, leaving a trail of Tallia's clothes in his wake. "No, no. I am fine Tallia. Please go get dressed." He urged, "Then you can look at my head." As he spoke he touched the back of it and winced. "Owwwww." he exclaimed.

"Okay, don't go anywhere." She replied, her tone insistent, she went back into the bathroom, dried off, turned off the shower, and got redressed before returning, medical tricorder in hand, "Okay, so let's check your head."

"Where would I go?" He questioned as he backed into the couch and stopped he could go no further. he closed his eyes and prayed that Heather didn't find them like this. then he stopped, where was Heather? He could ask Tallia once she was finished examining him. "What's the verdict?" He inquired his eyes closed.

"No concussion and there's no cracking of the skull." Tallia replied, "Though the deck might not have fared as well. You're going to be fine and I'm going to go finish that shower now. Unless you feel you need something for pain or some further treatment."

He nodded slowly as Tallia gave him the good news. "Good, good." He answered his eyes still closed. "I am going to lie on the couch." He said crawling up and falling into it. "Go finish your shower. I promise no interruptions this time." His eyes opening as he said the last.

"Okay, call me if you need me, okay?" Tallia asked, turning to return to the bathroom and that shower that had started off with so much promise.

"Yes, yes." Fernando waved her away. "Go, get your shower. I will remain right here." Fernando promised. Closing his eyes and wondering how he was going to explain this to Heather. Then he thought, maybe he didn't have to. He would ask Tallia when she finished her shower, the same one that she had started what seemed like days ago now.

Tallia, dropping her towel and turning the water back on, gave it a second to heat up before stepping back inside. It was in there, in the silence, that everything finally caught up to her, all the stress of being transferred here, the issues with Walton, the struggle to save Heather, finally realizing there was no way she was ever getting with Anje, and then losing Carter, it all hit her like a photon torpedo, causing her to slump into the floor and sob.

Fernando continued to lie on the couch, he wasn't sure how much time had passed since Tallia had gone back to get her shower all he knew was she hadn't come back out. Rising from the couch... slowly he walked toward the bathroom door and stopped. He could hear the water still running and a softer sound that sounded like crying. "Tallia? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Tallia replied, pulling herself together long enough to answer, though it was far from truthful.

Fernando wasn't a doctor but even he knew false bravado when he heard it. However right now discretion was the better part of valor so he wisely replied. "Okay, just checking on you."

"I appreciate it, I'll be fine." Tallia replied, this she felt was true at least, "I'll be here with you two for a few days, that's going to help a lot."

Fernando leaned against the wall. "We're glad to have you Tallia. I know Heather is especially looking forward to spending time and hanging out with you. She's downright giddy." Fernando replied.

"Thanks." Tallia replied from within the bathroom, now on her feet again and no longer crying, "I've missed having her as my roommate."

"And she you. She talks about your all night slumber parties. Her eyes light up with happiness when she does. " Fernando replied. "You know you can stay here for as long as you like."

"I appreciate it, but I'm not going to be in your way for long." Tallia replied, "I don't want to slow you two down building your lives together."

"You aren't in our way Tallia, stop thinking and talking like that." Fernando answered. "We want you here."

"Okay, we'll see how it goes." Tallia replied, finishing her shower, she stepped out and dried her body and face off, wrapping a towel around her soaked hair.

"Good." Fernando said relieved that Tallia was at least willing to think about staying with Heather and himself.

A minute later Tallia, now dressed in clean clothes, stepped out into the living area, "Okay, so speaking of my fave roomie, where is she?"

"Um, I don't know. I just got here, remember?" Fernando replied. "I was hoping you knew where Heather was."

"Well, she'll be home soon, I'm sure." Tallia replied with a smile, hoping her confidence well placed this time, "And then I'll start dinner."

"That sounds like a wonderful plan. After all you have to earn your keep" Fernando teased. "Maybe Heather had a PT session."

"Hope you like Indian food." Tallia laughed, "Because tonight is chicken tiika marsala."

"I like food." Fernando replied with a smile. "I'm sure it will be terrific."

"Anje mentioned you like to eat." Tallia laughed, though she was jealous that Fernando had got to be with Anje when she hadn't, and that was all she'd ever wanted.

"Dis she? Well she is right." Fernando said with a smile. Not knowing of Tallia's jealously.

"Yeah, Anje's got a big mouth." Tallia laughed, Anje couldn't keep a secret to save her life, "And bigger eyes, she sees and remembers something about everyone."

"And excellent taste in friends with the likes of you and Gallia and Commander Holmes. " Fernando pointed out. "She knows what she likes with her friends and sticks with it."

"Yeah, and once she's in your life, it's for life." Tallia smiled, she knew she never had to worry about losing Anje.

From what Fernando had seen of Anje, he knew that to be true. "A fact I am extremely grateful for. Can't have a better or more loyal friend than Anje." He remarked.

"That is so true." Tallia agreed quickly as she started to pull ingredients for the night's dinner out of the cooler she brought with her, "This meal is going to be all real foods, nothing replicated. Hope your stomach still recognizes real food."

"Real food?" Fernando repeated, "That will be a treat. As for my stomach. do not worry Tallia. It will have no difficulty whatsoever in recognizing real food."

"Just hope it can still process it properly." Tallia laughed, "I'd hate for you to have replicator gut; that's now an actual recognized condition, by the way, where your stomach after years of eating replicated can't handle real food anymore and it has some pretty nasty side effects."

Fernando waved her concerns away. "I'm more concerned about Heather. She was a prisoner for so long. Who knows what she was fed." He paused for a moment then asked, "Is replicator gut easily treatable?"

"Yes, take some anti-diarrhea meds daily until your stomach adjusts, takes about three weeks." Tallia replied, she'd treated dozens of cases of replicator gut just on the Elysium, mostly among the longer tenured crew.

Fernando breathed a sigh of relief, "Whew, that isn't so bad." He admitted. "I just hope Heather doesn't get it. She had a tough go of it and I don't want anything else to affect her."

"Me, either." Tallia agreed quickly, truth was, she would bubble wrap Heather if she could, and she figured her Panicky Doctor nature probably drove Heather insane, but she hoped her friend knew she meant well.

"I am very glad Heather has you for a doctor but even more importantly as a friend. She thinks the world of you Tallia. You have really helped her." Fernando said honestly.

"I think a lot of her, too." Tallia replied, not vocalizing the idea that she cared enough about Heather's health that she risked her medical license doing the ultra rapid detox.

Fernando nodded. "I want to ask you a favor Tallia." He said suddenly serious. "If anything happens to me I want you to look after Heather."

This! This kind of thinking was what turned her stomach about men, the idea that women needed someone to look after them like they were children or something, but she chose not to voice that, knowing Fernando meant well, and really only cared about making sure Heather would be okay if something happened to him, so she couldn't be mad at him for it, "Okay." She nodded, she wasn't going to give him a big feminism lecture about how Heather was a grown, strong, independent woman who could take care of herself, she was going to be a friend and agree to help, in hopes it would never come to that.

"Thank you Tallia." Fernando replied thankfully not knowing Tallia's thoughts on the subject and then switched to another topic. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"I don't know, I don't think so to be honest." Tallia answered, short of turning back time and keeping Carter from being killed in that disaster there wasn't a cure for what had happened, "And don't worry, Heather will always be safe and cared for with me should something happen to you, but try not dying, it will be better for all of us."

"I shall endeavor to do my best. I assure you Tallia and thank you." Fernando replied and said nothing more. It was a morbid subject and the less said about it the better.

"Thank you." Tallia replied, happy to change the subject to something less morbid and heartwrenching.

Fernando nodded and smiled, "No, thank you Tallia." Fernando answered simply. He knew Tallia would do exactly as she promised and keep Heather safe as she looked after her.

"So, have you ever eaten Indian before?" Tallia asked, immediately cringing a little at what could be considered a rather naughty double entendre, hoping Fernando wouldn't catch it or would give her a free pass on it, "Indian food can be kind of spicy, but you should be able to handle it."

"I confess, I have not." Fernando replied missing the double entendre. "I am looking forward to it. Spicy is good just as long as it isn't hot."

"It's not hot." Tallia reassured him, "And the side dishes will be great. Can I get you to make a salad to go with it?"

"I am yours to command Tallia. I will be glad to." Fernando replied with a grin.

"Okay, you know how Heather likes her salad better than I do, go ahead and make one she'd like." Tallia smiled, "I might even try to bake some bread."

"Will do." Fernando replied as he got to work making a salad for Heather, He put lettuce, some olives, some grated cheese and small tomatoes in it. He even added some sliced mushrooms. He left off the dressing. Heather could add that when they got ready to eat. He looked over at Tallia, "You know how to bake bread?"

"I do." Tallia smiled back at him, "It's Russian bread, but I don't think there's a bread that doesn't go well with pretty much everything."

"You truly are a woman of many talents." Fernando said approvingly.

"Mom insisted we all know how to make Russian bread." Tallia smiled broadly, remembering the days spent in the Brett's kitchen with Mrs. Brett learning to cook proper Russian meals as well as some Vulcan dishes, that was when she found out Marianna considered her a daughter more than a friend of one of her children, "She also taught me borscht, some Vulcan dishes, wanted to make sure we could all cook."

"A very wise woman." Fernando observed. "If you can cook, you will always be able to survive. My mother is an excellent cook and so are my sisters. I picked up some cooking skills from watching them.''

"It's like mom used to tell us, you girls can't eat pretty." Tallia laughed hard, remembering the day Milla told her 'Mom, why should we cook? We're pretty, people will want us anyway.'

"Very profound as well." Fernando noted. "Full of excellent advice, which I see you listened to and follow."

"She really took over for my mom after she was murdered." Tallia said sadly, "She became my mom so I wouldn't have to be without one. Anything she had to say, I wanted to hear and understand."

Fernando reached a hand out and place it atop one of hers. His eyes met hers. "I am very sorry for all you have suffered and lost Tallia."

"I'm trying not to focus on what I've lost, but on what I have and what I can recover." Tallia replied, "This is weird, for some reason the smell of the herbs is turning my stomach. I've been making and eating this dish since I got my teeth, never had a problem."

"Um could you be suffering replicator gut Tallia?" Fernando asked worriedly.

"I'll have Dr. Sthilg check me out after dinner." Tallia promised, "Don't worry, Fernando."