A Brief Respite

Posted on Sun Jan 5th, 2020 @ 3:32am by Lieutenant JG Heather De La Rosa {Kelea-Salik} & Senior Chief Petty Officer Fernando De La Rosa [Taylor]

Mission: Casperia Prime - A lesson in relaxation
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: A few hours after "Who do we have here?"
1084 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

[ON]

Heather awoke from her induced slumber, at first she was confused and disoriented before her memories of what happened caught up with her. "Fernando!" She held out her hand. "Are you there?"

Fernando had brought a chair close to Heather's bed so he could watch her. As she called and reached a hand out. He spoke, his own hand going to hers. "I am right here Heather. No need to be alarmed." He replied soothingly.

Heather breathed a sigh of relief as she turned her head to look at Fernando, squeezing his hand as she did so. "How long was I asleep?"

"Several hours." Fernando replied scooting his chair closer to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Several hours?" She looked surprised. "I...I'm a little off kilter I guess you could say!" She offered a smile. "Have you been here the whole time? I don't expect you to spend all your time in Sickbay."

"You need the rest Heather. You have endured quite a lot and your body needs to recover from what it has been through. As for being here. I do not mind. I want to be here."

Heather offered a smile. "I remember Commander Taylor being here and there was...your Captain. Then everything goes blank." She sighed. "What in the hell did the slavers give me Fernando?!"

"You suffered another seizure Heather." Fernando explained calmly. "As to what they gave you. I do not know. Tallia refers to it as some sort of cocktail. One your systems needs to wash out."

Heather nodded. "There's something...you should know about me." She squeezed his hand as she slowly wriggled her way up the biobed to sit up a little. "When I was being held by the slavers, the standing rule was that they weren't allowed to spoil the goods, as women were called." She paused. "They weren't allowed to...rape women but that didn't stop them from...assaulting them!" She gazed at the biobed staring into thin air. "Sexually assaulting them!" Tears came to her eyes. "They had their fun with all of us!"

He squeezed her hand softly as she gave him a brief insight to what she had been through. "It's alright Heather. They are animals who have no respect for anyone including themselves and they will be brought to justice and pay for what they did to you and the others of your crew. You aren't to blame for any of that and knowing it doesn't make me like you any less. I can tell you are a good person."

She raised a shaky hand to wipe her tears. " I don't know if any of my friends or shipmates are even still alive, the women will have been sold on to masters and the men...sold for breeding or as general slaves or killed. " Her eyes widened. " We...have to find my master! I was sold alongside our Exec! He was chosen to be my mate! Our master wanted us to breed!! I have to find him and save him! "

"Heather, calm yourself. We'll find all your crew if their still alive. However you getting excited isn't going to help matters. Was your Exec. on the planet with you? Were others of your crew there as well?"

Heather took a deep breath. "I was on the planet, our exec was aboard our master's ship waiting for us. As for the rest of the crew...I don't know." She reached for the glass at her bedside, taking a slow sip of some nice refreshing water. "Jason may know more than I do."

"Jason? That was your Exec. Heather?" Fernando asked gently.

Heather nodded. "Jason err, Jason..." She frowned. "I can't remember his name!" She sighed. "How can I be of help to you when I can't remember important details!!"

"Heather, calm down. The drugs you were pumped full of have no doubt affected your memory. It will improve as the drugs leave your system." Fernando replied. "I can get the crew manifest from the computer. It is alright." He assured her.

She nodded. "I'm sorry! I just...don't like feeling so useless." She offered a brief smile. "It doesn't help that my Betazoid senses aren't working, it makes me feel...off balance."

"Nonsense Heather." Fernando quickly replied. "You have already been a huge help. We know what happened to your ship and crew and now we can look for them. "Your senses will come back. Being impatient doesn't help matters."

"I'm not...impatient Fernando, I'm scared!!" She sighed. "Try thinking of it like you losing your sight or your hearing or both. My senses are a part of me, I've never been without them and now that I am I'm lost!"

"You shouldn't feel that way Heather. You heard what Tallia said. Your abilities will come back it just takes time. In the meantime develop your observational skills. Observe everything around you. Listen more carefully. You can do this Heather. I will help if you like." Fernando added.

Heather nodded. "I like that idea." Her hands were shaking and her forehead and body were starting to show signs of the withdrawal symptoms that we're starting to kick in. There were beads of perspiration forming on her forehead and her hair was starting to get wet, her whole body was starting to shake like she was cold but she wasn't cold at all.

Fernando took her hand, "Look at me Heather, concentrate on me, my voice. You can do this. Your body, is reacting to the loss of the drugs, your were forced to accept while you were a sl... er captured. You can do this, you are better and stronger than this. You have to fight Heather." He urged her.

"I'll try Fernando...I'll try." She lay back down on the biobed and pulled the blanket up over her. Turning on her side she kept hold of Fernando's hand for as long as she could before eventually rolling onto her side and started to slowly drift to sleep.

"I know you will Heather and you will triumph over this and be better than ever." Fernando said encouragingly. "It will be hard but you have shown how strong you are and I know you will beat this."

Heather nodded and offered a weak smile. "I will...try Fernando."

He squeezed her hand. "You will succeed. You aren't alone in this fight Heather."

"Thank you...Fernando" Heather offered a smile before closing her eyes and falling to sleep.

[OFF]