Time is Fleeting – Recovery?
by Commander Richard Dunham & Commander Chelsea Dunham
Post Details
*** SICKBAY ***
=^= Acknowledged, transport direct to High Dependency Unit 2 =^= Chelsea Adams responded to the announcement from the USS Sarek's sickbay that they were about to transfer a patient with severe injuries. As far as she was concerned it was yet another critically injured person in need of surgical intervention, she didn't ask for the name, that would come over with the other details, all she had asked about were the nature of the injuries.
The medical bays at DS5 had already received dozens of such transfers from the USS Bunker Hill and they were still pretty inundated even now, despite it having been over twelve hours since the first casualties had come in.
The least injured and most quickly fixed had been discharged already and the Teams had been able to re-group back in the main Sickbay now that the first influx was over. They had closed down the Emergency Infirmary so that the remaining patients were all in one place and Ryan was currently operating on the 'last' of their most complicated cases. Now, just as she thought it was getting back under control, here was a communication to say there was one more on his way. Chelsea sighed.
"Will it ever stop?" she muttered, walking into HDU 2. As she approached the bedside, Chelsea pulled out a medscanner without even looking up. She went to run diagnostics and pressed the medarch to raise it over the patient, tapping into the controls to start it's program. Only then did she look at what little of his bandaged face she could actually see.
The eyes she was looking into struck directly into her soul like a laser. Staggering backwards, the ACMO was caught by a nurse behind her who was alarmed by this uncharacteristic reaction from the normally steadfast doctor who was known for her composure under pressure.
Ed McBain, the Senior Nurse, who knew Chelsea well and had been her mentor since the day she had first arrived, was startled. Ed had watched Chelsea grow in confidence and ability and he knew that whatever happened in her private life, her professional steadiness was always reliable. It was fortunate that Ed was in attendenance. He took charge for the few minutes it took Chelsea to gather her senses and be treated for shock with a shot of adrenalytes and parasalts. Sally was designated to tend to Chelsea whilst Ed began the routine assessment and preparation of the new patient.
"Who is he?" Ed asked, scrolling through the computer details on the screen that had been transferred from the Sarek.
"Rick....... Lieutenant Richard Dunham" Chelsea answered weakly. Ed hadn't actually been asking the ACMO herself, he'd just been muttering out loud but when he heard her say the name, suddenly he understood everything.
"The fighter pilot?" Ed replied. Chelsea's blanched face said it all, her eyes glazed with shock as the medications began to work their way around her system, kicking in her own natural adrenylin and restoring her blood pressure, bringing back the colour to her face with a flush.
"The same, I didn't even know he was out there" her voice remained mono-tone as she tried to get up but was held into a seat by the pressure of Sally's hand on her shoulder from behind.
"Hold hard there, Doctor" Sally instructed. "Just give that hypospray time to work before you get up or I'll have to catch you again!"
"Sorry" Chelsea didn't sound at all like herself, not even to her own ears. She felt like she was in a glass jar and that all around her was just emptiness.
Slowly the world came back into focus and she sighed. Sally pressed a warm, sweetened drink into her hand and Ed silently returned to initialising the care of Rick in his own solid way.
"Thanks guys" Chelsea murmoured, sipping the tea, shivering as her body temperature re-adjusted itself after the shock began to wear off.
Within a minute or two, the ACMO was back on her feet and alert again. "Ok, Ed. I have a vested interest in putting this one back together with his parts all in the right places. What do we have?"
McBain read off the vital statistics and Chelsea's frown deepened instinctively.
"Bastard" she muttered. "Steal my bloody heart and then go and try to die on me, would you? Well not on MY watch, Fly Boy! You can think again!"
Sterlising up for an operation she set to work. Four hours later, in recovery and finally stable, Chelsea's exhausted face was the first thing that a semi-conscious Lt. Dunham saw as he began to come round.
"I really fancy a pizza" said Dunham to the room in general licking his lips. Then as his eyes began to focus and he took in the view around him. "Where am I?"
As his vision cleared up he saw those eyes he had fallen head over heels for. "Hey pretty eyes"
Chelsea's shoulders relaxed visibly but her face did not. "Pretty eyes eh? I'll give you pizza you...... " she couldn't keep up the stern look under the gaze of his regenerated but still awesome smile.
"I thought you told me you could fly? What the heck were you doing to get this way up?" she attempted to scold him. "Horizontal is *not* in the Starfleet manual under recommended angles of reclinement for Pilots... even *i* know that! Did you forget where the bloody brake pedal was?"
It was no good, his smirk was making her knees weak and she couldn't hold back her joy that he was stable and seeming like himself again, albeit still in the maligned 'horizontal' posture and still in need of a lot more treatment, not least for deep burns regeneration.
Moving towards him and abandoning her professional position in this situation, Chelsea couldn't resist taking Rick softly into her arms, allowing tears to fall onto his neck and continuing to complain about his alleged antics in a muffled manner from the middle of the hug.
Ed grinned and cleared the room of the remaining medical staff, gently closing the door as he left with a wink.
"I did fly through the event horizon of a temporal anomaly today. Give a fly boy some credit. Besides the horizontal position is good for somethings"
Chelsea grinned, still buried in his neck. "yeah, but you were supposed to have flown in a fighter, not out there in your bare arms, ya dufus" she teased. "...and horizontal won't do you much good for a while til I've finished with you medically!" she added, a hint of a threat in her voice.
"Uh oh. That doesn't sound good. How long am I going to be laid out like this for then?" worry creeping into his voice. "In fact what hell happend. Last thing I really remember is a full on view of the USS Sarek."
Chelsea let go of him and sat at the bedside, never taking her eyes off him as if she regretted having done so yesterday.
"I honestly have no idea what happened. Yesterday morning I left you perfectly well and set off for work, then there was an accident with the War Games and we got over-run with casualties from the Bunker Hill, then tonight, the Sarek arrived and transferred some more injured and one of them was you. In fact, the one in the worst state, at death's door, burned, bones smashed, pretty much in a right state, basically. I was hoping you would tell *me* what happened?" she explained.
"Well I think Tovon can give you the Science. But the jist of what happened is that the Tri-cobolt device launched In the War games tore a whole through space time. Creating a temporal anomaly. My wing was sent to have a look-see but the closer we got the more we got caught up in the spacial eddies emitting from the event horizon of the anomaly. Soon we were stuck with our ship systems going crazy and the waves from the event causing us considerable structural damage. Our shields collapsed under the pressure and my cockpit set on fire after an internal explosion tore a hole in my suit. I managed to re-route some power to my reverse thrusters told the team to do the same and we started to get the hell out of their. But one of the other guys was flying to close to my three o'clock and cliped my wing. This sent me into a flat spin and out of control into the anomaly. Next thing I know I'm right in front of this Ambassador class starship hurtling towards it with no time to get out of its way. So i ejected. Fun huh. "
Chelsea took a deep breath on his behalf as well as her own.
"Um.... no? NOT fun! ...and I didn't even know you were out there! How the heck are you still alive? .....apart from because I'm so damn good at repairs!" she grinned for a moment at her own quip. "I mean" she returned to seriousness again. "How the heck didn't you get sucked inside out as well as burned and broken up?" She was incredulous at the miracle that she'd had any bits left to put back together.
Dunahm tried to lift his arms up to but behind his head in some sort of cocky gesture. It didn't work pain slipped its way up his arms. So he let the idea go. So he simply said with a wry smile. "I'm to beautiful to die"
Chelsea looked at him, wanting desperately to have a quick and witty answer to that but she could see the pained look on his face and watched the resignation of his letting his arm fall back onto the bed. Her heart lurched. She knew she'd done the best job anyone could possibly have but he was a very badly injured patient and his recovery would be long and slow even with today's technology.
"Well you're certainly too beautiful than is right for any *one* person to be, that much I'll give you" she breathed with love in her eyes. "Just don't push your luck like that again, please. You mightn't have such a good doctor the next time around, especially if you keep shortening my life by 10years every time you frighten me half to death!"
Adjusting his pain relief on the Med-arch, Chelsea leaned in and kissed his forehead softly. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come through...... I really don't." she admitted honestly.
Dunham stroked her cheek. With the back of his hand. "I'm sorry." He droped his hand and looked off to the distance deep in thoughts. "But this is part of the job. We both know that. Were both in starfleet uniforms and we know the risks. Flying is what I do. I'm combat pilot. It's what I am."
He paused again sucking in breath. It was still a little painfull to breath correctly. He looked into her eyes. "I love you. You know that right?"
Chelsea fought back tears. "Yeah, I know, that's what they all say when they're in trouble" she tried to joke but the intense look in his gorgeous eyes stopped her and with a lump in her throat she whispered hoarsely. "... I love you too"
Several moments went by with them not moving. Chelsea didn't want his fingers to leave her cheek and he didn't seem in any hurry to move away from her lips as they returned to rest softly on his forehead again. Time seemed to stand still for a short while until Chelsea gently moved back and murmoured.
"Does Kim know you've been hurt? Should I let her come and see you for a little while? As your doctor I have to order you to rest but if you feel up to letting her see you're in one piece again now, then she could come for a short while?" it was a question but Chelsea already knew what the answer had to be.
"She doesn't. Poor kid as if she is not stressed enough as it is. But yeah I think its best we get her in here. It would be goog to see the kido again."
Dunham wraped one arm around Chelsea's waist. "how are you doing?"
Smiling back at him Chelsea nodded. "Just as long as you keep on getting better, I'll be just fine" she assured him, kissing his lips softly before tapping her comm badge.
=^= Adams to CPO Mcbain =^= she put out a call and when Ed responded she went on. =^= Ed, could i ask you a personal favour.... yes, another one! Please nicely? =^= Ed pretended to make a bit of a fuss but they both knew he'd do anything for her.
=^= Please could you go to Lt. Dunham's quarters and pick up his neice? Her name is Kim, she's a civilian and new to the station so she doesn't have a comm badge and I don't want to frighten her with some remote and garbled message. Could you tell her he's been hurt a little, but don't tell her how badly, and get her to come back with you for a short visit just to reassure her? =^=
Ed agreed and set off to many thanks from Chelsea and within a short while he was back with a pale and anxious Kim. "Here ya go Doc, delivered safely" he said cheerily and left them to explain to Kim.
"Thank you so much Ed, I owe you" Chelsea said before turning to Kim. "Hey honey" she greeted her, offering open arms for a hug.
"Your uncle would have me believe this is all part of his job, but personally, I think you and I should get our own back while he's incapacitated for him worrying us like this! Heroes are great in books but who wants to be waiting at home for one, eh?" she teased Rick, hoping to ease the bad news over onto Kim gently.
Kim gave Chelsea a big hug and wiped a small tear from her eye. "it would just be nice to have somebody home." she said quitely
"What shall we do to him? Should we sit by his bedside and take turns reading him 'girlie' romance stories and gossip entertainment padds til he begs for mercy?" Chelsea smirked, her relief at the way Rick's vitals were continuing to strengthen was now coming out in a mischievous mood.
"So he will be ok then?" Kim said. Looking at her uncle. With Chelsea's nod. She then walked over to her uncle and gave him a light slap. "why can't you starfllet types ever stay safe?"
Chelsea understood what Kim was saying. She looked at Rick and knew that he did too. "They are who they are, Baby" she said quietly "and that's the way people like me fall in love with them. In the end, if the truth is known, we wouldn't have them any other way. If we wanted the 'stay at home, safe types', we'd have fallen in love with one of those instead.
It's not so easy for someone like you to come to terms with because you didn't make a choice. You grew up with heroes and heroines as family and that's a tough break in one way but on the other hand, it means you have it in your blood too. The type of person who could find herself unhappy and just up and leave, travel halfway across the universe by herself to find her uncle and start a new life as brave as you like, is not someone who could ask her loved ones to sit by while lives are at stake, is she?" She tried to explain.
Kim wiped a tear away with the back of her sleeve and made a little sniff noise. "First my Dad goes M.I.A with the Marines in the war. Then my Mother goes galavanting around the galaxy for some mission for starfleet and my uncle could of been leaving me to....." She started to cry. "I dont' know if I can take this anymore." said Kim as she ran out of the recovery room.
Chelsea looked at Rick's agonised face and knew she'd blown it. "Oh God, I'm sorry!" she sighed.
"Don't worry about it." He tried to sooth Chelsea by rubbing her arm as best he good. Given that he couldn't move very well it was no easy task. "Will sort it out....She just needs time and space. Urrrm how long until I can get back in the cockpitt doc?"
Chelsea sat bolt upright, horror etched on her face. "You're having a laugh, LIEUTENANT Dunham, aren't you?" she spluttered, her eyes narrowing into a threatening look that would have frightened a lesser man.
"Dunham frowend. "Urrrrmmmm.....Yes?" he said wiht uncertainty. "I mean No. I mean yes. What imean to say is when can I get out of this hosptal bed Ma'am and get flying again?"
"I knew what you meant" she said in a low and disapproving tone. "What *i* meant was ..... 'as soon as there's a snowball fight in hell?' or sooner if you can get round my overwhelming instinct to wrap you in cotton wool and hug you to death?"
Her face and voice stayed 'doctor giving bad news straight' but her eyes were soft and loving.
If she could have seen them and realised how they were betraying her, she might as well have abandoned all attempts to talk sense into him about resting and getting fully recovered before he went back into the fray.
Dunham couldn't keep eye contact for much longer. It hurt him to much. But not in the physical sense of the word. He looked off into the distance. "Flying is who I am."
Chelsea was pulled up short by the look in his eyes. "I know babe" she said softly. "I didn't mean it. You need to give it a day or two though, you really were at death's door and all those regenerated breaks and burns were deep enough to need several sessions and a lot of protection until they're knitted." she explained.
"it'll only be a day or two, honestly" she tried to reassure him.
"What kind of sessions?" said Dunham mischievously with an twinkle in his eye.
Chelsea couldn't help but blush. "Oh I'll think of something to make them less....boring?" she offered with a smirk, placing a gentle hand on his forehead.
"You should rest but if it helps, I could read you a story! How about I pull up a script from the computer library. Something about handsome, heroic fighter pilots of long ago?" she smiled.
"I wish you would stop mentioning the word hero" he said with a smirk. "I was just doing my job. Just doing my job not well engough I may add. Otherwise I wouldn't of been pulled into that thing."
"I'm sure your science guy would argue that was inevitable and you did brilliantly to come out of it in one piec.... well, several pieces but still alive at least!" she replied. "And I won't stop telling you that you're a hero.... you are to me."
Off
Lt Richard Dunham
Squadron Leader
&
Lt. Cmdr. Chelsea Adams
ACMO - DS5
by Commander Richard Dunham & Commander Chelsea Dunham
Post Details
| Title | Recovery? | |
| Mission | Time is Fleeting | |
| Author(s) | Commander Richard Dunham & Commander Chelsea Dunham | |
| Posted | Sun Nov 01, 2009 @ 8:53am | |
| Location | Sickbay - DS5 | |
| Timeline | SD15 (?) (after anomaly has closed) |
=^= Acknowledged, transport direct to High Dependency Unit 2 =^= Chelsea Adams responded to the announcement from the USS Sarek's sickbay that they were about to transfer a patient with severe injuries. As far as she was concerned it was yet another critically injured person in need of surgical intervention, she didn't ask for the name, that would come over with the other details, all she had asked about were the nature of the injuries.
The medical bays at DS5 had already received dozens of such transfers from the USS Bunker Hill and they were still pretty inundated even now, despite it having been over twelve hours since the first casualties had come in.
The least injured and most quickly fixed had been discharged already and the Teams had been able to re-group back in the main Sickbay now that the first influx was over. They had closed down the Emergency Infirmary so that the remaining patients were all in one place and Ryan was currently operating on the 'last' of their most complicated cases. Now, just as she thought it was getting back under control, here was a communication to say there was one more on his way. Chelsea sighed.
"Will it ever stop?" she muttered, walking into HDU 2. As she approached the bedside, Chelsea pulled out a medscanner without even looking up. She went to run diagnostics and pressed the medarch to raise it over the patient, tapping into the controls to start it's program. Only then did she look at what little of his bandaged face she could actually see.
The eyes she was looking into struck directly into her soul like a laser. Staggering backwards, the ACMO was caught by a nurse behind her who was alarmed by this uncharacteristic reaction from the normally steadfast doctor who was known for her composure under pressure.
Ed McBain, the Senior Nurse, who knew Chelsea well and had been her mentor since the day she had first arrived, was startled. Ed had watched Chelsea grow in confidence and ability and he knew that whatever happened in her private life, her professional steadiness was always reliable. It was fortunate that Ed was in attendenance. He took charge for the few minutes it took Chelsea to gather her senses and be treated for shock with a shot of adrenalytes and parasalts. Sally was designated to tend to Chelsea whilst Ed began the routine assessment and preparation of the new patient.
"Who is he?" Ed asked, scrolling through the computer details on the screen that had been transferred from the Sarek.
"Rick....... Lieutenant Richard Dunham" Chelsea answered weakly. Ed hadn't actually been asking the ACMO herself, he'd just been muttering out loud but when he heard her say the name, suddenly he understood everything.
"The fighter pilot?" Ed replied. Chelsea's blanched face said it all, her eyes glazed with shock as the medications began to work their way around her system, kicking in her own natural adrenylin and restoring her blood pressure, bringing back the colour to her face with a flush.
"The same, I didn't even know he was out there" her voice remained mono-tone as she tried to get up but was held into a seat by the pressure of Sally's hand on her shoulder from behind.
"Hold hard there, Doctor" Sally instructed. "Just give that hypospray time to work before you get up or I'll have to catch you again!"
"Sorry" Chelsea didn't sound at all like herself, not even to her own ears. She felt like she was in a glass jar and that all around her was just emptiness.
Slowly the world came back into focus and she sighed. Sally pressed a warm, sweetened drink into her hand and Ed silently returned to initialising the care of Rick in his own solid way.
"Thanks guys" Chelsea murmoured, sipping the tea, shivering as her body temperature re-adjusted itself after the shock began to wear off.
Within a minute or two, the ACMO was back on her feet and alert again. "Ok, Ed. I have a vested interest in putting this one back together with his parts all in the right places. What do we have?"
McBain read off the vital statistics and Chelsea's frown deepened instinctively.
"Bastard" she muttered. "Steal my bloody heart and then go and try to die on me, would you? Well not on MY watch, Fly Boy! You can think again!"
Sterlising up for an operation she set to work. Four hours later, in recovery and finally stable, Chelsea's exhausted face was the first thing that a semi-conscious Lt. Dunham saw as he began to come round.
"I really fancy a pizza" said Dunham to the room in general licking his lips. Then as his eyes began to focus and he took in the view around him. "Where am I?"
As his vision cleared up he saw those eyes he had fallen head over heels for. "Hey pretty eyes"
Chelsea's shoulders relaxed visibly but her face did not. "Pretty eyes eh? I'll give you pizza you...... " she couldn't keep up the stern look under the gaze of his regenerated but still awesome smile.
"I thought you told me you could fly? What the heck were you doing to get this way up?" she attempted to scold him. "Horizontal is *not* in the Starfleet manual under recommended angles of reclinement for Pilots... even *i* know that! Did you forget where the bloody brake pedal was?"
It was no good, his smirk was making her knees weak and she couldn't hold back her joy that he was stable and seeming like himself again, albeit still in the maligned 'horizontal' posture and still in need of a lot more treatment, not least for deep burns regeneration.
Moving towards him and abandoning her professional position in this situation, Chelsea couldn't resist taking Rick softly into her arms, allowing tears to fall onto his neck and continuing to complain about his alleged antics in a muffled manner from the middle of the hug.
Ed grinned and cleared the room of the remaining medical staff, gently closing the door as he left with a wink.
"I did fly through the event horizon of a temporal anomaly today. Give a fly boy some credit. Besides the horizontal position is good for somethings"
Chelsea grinned, still buried in his neck. "yeah, but you were supposed to have flown in a fighter, not out there in your bare arms, ya dufus" she teased. "...and horizontal won't do you much good for a while til I've finished with you medically!" she added, a hint of a threat in her voice.
"Uh oh. That doesn't sound good. How long am I going to be laid out like this for then?" worry creeping into his voice. "In fact what hell happend. Last thing I really remember is a full on view of the USS Sarek."
Chelsea let go of him and sat at the bedside, never taking her eyes off him as if she regretted having done so yesterday.
"I honestly have no idea what happened. Yesterday morning I left you perfectly well and set off for work, then there was an accident with the War Games and we got over-run with casualties from the Bunker Hill, then tonight, the Sarek arrived and transferred some more injured and one of them was you. In fact, the one in the worst state, at death's door, burned, bones smashed, pretty much in a right state, basically. I was hoping you would tell *me* what happened?" she explained.
"Well I think Tovon can give you the Science. But the jist of what happened is that the Tri-cobolt device launched In the War games tore a whole through space time. Creating a temporal anomaly. My wing was sent to have a look-see but the closer we got the more we got caught up in the spacial eddies emitting from the event horizon of the anomaly. Soon we were stuck with our ship systems going crazy and the waves from the event causing us considerable structural damage. Our shields collapsed under the pressure and my cockpit set on fire after an internal explosion tore a hole in my suit. I managed to re-route some power to my reverse thrusters told the team to do the same and we started to get the hell out of their. But one of the other guys was flying to close to my three o'clock and cliped my wing. This sent me into a flat spin and out of control into the anomaly. Next thing I know I'm right in front of this Ambassador class starship hurtling towards it with no time to get out of its way. So i ejected. Fun huh. "
Chelsea took a deep breath on his behalf as well as her own.
"Um.... no? NOT fun! ...and I didn't even know you were out there! How the heck are you still alive? .....apart from because I'm so damn good at repairs!" she grinned for a moment at her own quip. "I mean" she returned to seriousness again. "How the heck didn't you get sucked inside out as well as burned and broken up?" She was incredulous at the miracle that she'd had any bits left to put back together.
Dunahm tried to lift his arms up to but behind his head in some sort of cocky gesture. It didn't work pain slipped its way up his arms. So he let the idea go. So he simply said with a wry smile. "I'm to beautiful to die"
Chelsea looked at him, wanting desperately to have a quick and witty answer to that but she could see the pained look on his face and watched the resignation of his letting his arm fall back onto the bed. Her heart lurched. She knew she'd done the best job anyone could possibly have but he was a very badly injured patient and his recovery would be long and slow even with today's technology.
"Well you're certainly too beautiful than is right for any *one* person to be, that much I'll give you" she breathed with love in her eyes. "Just don't push your luck like that again, please. You mightn't have such a good doctor the next time around, especially if you keep shortening my life by 10years every time you frighten me half to death!"
Adjusting his pain relief on the Med-arch, Chelsea leaned in and kissed his forehead softly. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come through...... I really don't." she admitted honestly.
Dunham stroked her cheek. With the back of his hand. "I'm sorry." He droped his hand and looked off to the distance deep in thoughts. "But this is part of the job. We both know that. Were both in starfleet uniforms and we know the risks. Flying is what I do. I'm combat pilot. It's what I am."
He paused again sucking in breath. It was still a little painfull to breath correctly. He looked into her eyes. "I love you. You know that right?"
Chelsea fought back tears. "Yeah, I know, that's what they all say when they're in trouble" she tried to joke but the intense look in his gorgeous eyes stopped her and with a lump in her throat she whispered hoarsely. "... I love you too"
Several moments went by with them not moving. Chelsea didn't want his fingers to leave her cheek and he didn't seem in any hurry to move away from her lips as they returned to rest softly on his forehead again. Time seemed to stand still for a short while until Chelsea gently moved back and murmoured.
"Does Kim know you've been hurt? Should I let her come and see you for a little while? As your doctor I have to order you to rest but if you feel up to letting her see you're in one piece again now, then she could come for a short while?" it was a question but Chelsea already knew what the answer had to be.
"She doesn't. Poor kid as if she is not stressed enough as it is. But yeah I think its best we get her in here. It would be goog to see the kido again."
Dunham wraped one arm around Chelsea's waist. "how are you doing?"
Smiling back at him Chelsea nodded. "Just as long as you keep on getting better, I'll be just fine" she assured him, kissing his lips softly before tapping her comm badge.
=^= Adams to CPO Mcbain =^= she put out a call and when Ed responded she went on. =^= Ed, could i ask you a personal favour.... yes, another one! Please nicely? =^= Ed pretended to make a bit of a fuss but they both knew he'd do anything for her.
=^= Please could you go to Lt. Dunham's quarters and pick up his neice? Her name is Kim, she's a civilian and new to the station so she doesn't have a comm badge and I don't want to frighten her with some remote and garbled message. Could you tell her he's been hurt a little, but don't tell her how badly, and get her to come back with you for a short visit just to reassure her? =^=
Ed agreed and set off to many thanks from Chelsea and within a short while he was back with a pale and anxious Kim. "Here ya go Doc, delivered safely" he said cheerily and left them to explain to Kim.
"Thank you so much Ed, I owe you" Chelsea said before turning to Kim. "Hey honey" she greeted her, offering open arms for a hug.
"Your uncle would have me believe this is all part of his job, but personally, I think you and I should get our own back while he's incapacitated for him worrying us like this! Heroes are great in books but who wants to be waiting at home for one, eh?" she teased Rick, hoping to ease the bad news over onto Kim gently.
Kim gave Chelsea a big hug and wiped a small tear from her eye. "it would just be nice to have somebody home." she said quitely
"What shall we do to him? Should we sit by his bedside and take turns reading him 'girlie' romance stories and gossip entertainment padds til he begs for mercy?" Chelsea smirked, her relief at the way Rick's vitals were continuing to strengthen was now coming out in a mischievous mood.
"So he will be ok then?" Kim said. Looking at her uncle. With Chelsea's nod. She then walked over to her uncle and gave him a light slap. "why can't you starfllet types ever stay safe?"
Chelsea understood what Kim was saying. She looked at Rick and knew that he did too. "They are who they are, Baby" she said quietly "and that's the way people like me fall in love with them. In the end, if the truth is known, we wouldn't have them any other way. If we wanted the 'stay at home, safe types', we'd have fallen in love with one of those instead.
It's not so easy for someone like you to come to terms with because you didn't make a choice. You grew up with heroes and heroines as family and that's a tough break in one way but on the other hand, it means you have it in your blood too. The type of person who could find herself unhappy and just up and leave, travel halfway across the universe by herself to find her uncle and start a new life as brave as you like, is not someone who could ask her loved ones to sit by while lives are at stake, is she?" She tried to explain.
Kim wiped a tear away with the back of her sleeve and made a little sniff noise. "First my Dad goes M.I.A with the Marines in the war. Then my Mother goes galavanting around the galaxy for some mission for starfleet and my uncle could of been leaving me to....." She started to cry. "I dont' know if I can take this anymore." said Kim as she ran out of the recovery room.
Chelsea looked at Rick's agonised face and knew she'd blown it. "Oh God, I'm sorry!" she sighed.
"Don't worry about it." He tried to sooth Chelsea by rubbing her arm as best he good. Given that he couldn't move very well it was no easy task. "Will sort it out....She just needs time and space. Urrrm how long until I can get back in the cockpitt doc?"
Chelsea sat bolt upright, horror etched on her face. "You're having a laugh, LIEUTENANT Dunham, aren't you?" she spluttered, her eyes narrowing into a threatening look that would have frightened a lesser man.
"Dunham frowend. "Urrrrmmmm.....Yes?" he said wiht uncertainty. "I mean No. I mean yes. What imean to say is when can I get out of this hosptal bed Ma'am and get flying again?"
"I knew what you meant" she said in a low and disapproving tone. "What *i* meant was ..... 'as soon as there's a snowball fight in hell?' or sooner if you can get round my overwhelming instinct to wrap you in cotton wool and hug you to death?"
Her face and voice stayed 'doctor giving bad news straight' but her eyes were soft and loving.
If she could have seen them and realised how they were betraying her, she might as well have abandoned all attempts to talk sense into him about resting and getting fully recovered before he went back into the fray.
Dunham couldn't keep eye contact for much longer. It hurt him to much. But not in the physical sense of the word. He looked off into the distance. "Flying is who I am."
Chelsea was pulled up short by the look in his eyes. "I know babe" she said softly. "I didn't mean it. You need to give it a day or two though, you really were at death's door and all those regenerated breaks and burns were deep enough to need several sessions and a lot of protection until they're knitted." she explained.
"it'll only be a day or two, honestly" she tried to reassure him.
"What kind of sessions?" said Dunham mischievously with an twinkle in his eye.
Chelsea couldn't help but blush. "Oh I'll think of something to make them less....boring?" she offered with a smirk, placing a gentle hand on his forehead.
"You should rest but if it helps, I could read you a story! How about I pull up a script from the computer library. Something about handsome, heroic fighter pilots of long ago?" she smiled.
"I wish you would stop mentioning the word hero" he said with a smirk. "I was just doing my job. Just doing my job not well engough I may add. Otherwise I wouldn't of been pulled into that thing."
"I'm sure your science guy would argue that was inevitable and you did brilliantly to come out of it in one piec.... well, several pieces but still alive at least!" she replied. "And I won't stop telling you that you're a hero.... you are to me."
Off
Lt Richard Dunham
Squadron Leader
&
Lt. Cmdr. Chelsea Adams
ACMO - DS5