Unity – A moving experience
by Commander Chelsea Dunham & Commander Richard Dunham
Post Details
Chelsea was watching Richard sleeping. ~Sad!~ she thought to herself ~But my excuse is that I almost lost him!~
He stirred and she quickly got up and pretended to be busy around the med panel at the head of his bed so he wouldn't know she'd just been sitting there gazing at him.
Dunham stretched awake. The pain in his joints and muscles were easing now and he was begging to feel better in general. The dermal regenerator had done a good job on his burnt skin and his broken bones had healed. He stilled itched from the wound that had entered in his side. The blasted warped metal from the ships control panel that had punctured his lower chest still felt sore and tender. But the last minute of the explosion kept on re-running though his head and it sent a bit of a shiver up his spine. Dunham had neither served in the war or in starfleet for a long time.
In fact before he had arrived on Deep space five the only action he ad seen was border patrols fighting pirates and smugglers behind the helm of a hornet class starship as a young ensign. That had been when he had really got a love for flying and he had returned to starfleet academy for starfighter piloting. But since arriving on the station he had been shot at and now blown up. It certainly put things in perspective. The fight with the Romulans had been his first proper space battle he had and the first time he had had to take a life and now with the temporal anomaly he had almost lost his own.
It certainly shook his confidence in his own abilities as a pilot and this near death experience had got him wandering if this was what he was suppose to be doing. Starfleet ran in the family his sister was in starfleet his mum was a starfleet captain and both his grandparents had been career offices. It had only seemed natural to join the academy but had it been the right choice? Her had always felt that he was doing the right thing. That it was good karma. He had allot of thinking to do. But his thoughts all ways seem to drift off to Chelsea and their last night together. Dunham realised that the only real solid thing in his life was his love for her and her love for him. He had never felt this way about anybody before. It was only then that Dunham realised somebody was in the room with him. He opened his eyes. "Good Morning" he said to the room in general.
"Hey Gorgeous" a familiar voice soothed. "Do you have any idea how innocent you look when you're asleep?" she teased. "I'd like to know what you were dreaming about though!" Moving to the side of the bed she ran her fingertips across his cheek lovingly. He could see the mischief in her eyes.
"I was dreaming of you my dear." He said with a charming smile
"A likely story!" she scoffed, pretending not to believe a word of his protest.
He wrapped her up in his arms and pulled her onto the bed "Of course a was. Why would i want to think about anything else"
"I have no idea" she nestled into his arms, thinking to herself it was a pity she was on duty or she could stay like this for a few weeks before she got bored with the idea. "I know I wouldn't...." she began but decided not to be mushy. "... if I were you of course... " she smirked, twisting the compliment into a joke.
"You are the only thing in the world to me and i would give up everything for you" Said Dunham placing a gentle kiss on her fore head and gently embracing her.
"Awww" Chelsea melted. All her attempts to joke away how much she felt for Rick were swept away and she surrendered to the irresistible urge to respond to his kiss with one that allowed him to know exactly how much emotion she'd been holding back during the time she'd been afraid she might have lost him.
"wow". Said Dunham in a soft whisper ~that was a hell of a kiss~ "your amazing"
~Did something just happen their and I totally missed it?~
Chelsea just replied simply. "Personally, I think it's *you* but when you're better we can argue that one out. Right now though, I'm afraid I can't hold you here any longer, much as I'd like to. You're discharged Lieutenant. Free to go, no longer my prisoner here." she smiled at him, knowing how hard he found enforced confinement.
"...and... I'm off duty about four hours ago... so that means where you go, I tag along behind!" her smile widened to a grin.
"Well" said Dunham getting out of bed and pulling on his uniform. "Apart from the obvious lets go back to my place for 'coffee'. I could really go for something bad for me now. Like a pizza or a burger or something. Those special diet foods you have your patients on while in this place though very good for you can't beat a good double pepperoni pizza with extra mozzarella. Come on" he said with a smile on his face and bounce in his stride like a child once again. "We can go to that Italian place that Isha took us to."
Chelsea laughed shaking her head. "You can lead an airman to healthy food but you can't make him eat it, is that it?" As they left Sickbay, she stopped at the office to log out and check with Ed but they were soon on their way to the Promenade decks.
"It seems like a lifetime ago that we were here with Isha. I really hope she's okay. You know, I haven't seen Rhvaurek lately either. Should we call into the Embassy on the way and see if he's heard from her?" she asked but looking at Ricks' face
she had second thoughts. "Maybe we feed you first, *then* we go to the Embassy?"
Dunham took a deep breath enjoying being out of the sick bay and wroking his joints again.
"Ok sounds like a plan." He took her hands in his. "I'm sure she is fine you know. She is Romulan and they have a certain knack for survival. And Rhvauk well he tenacious to say the least."
He paused for a moment taking in the view of the promenad glad to be out and about but every time they passed a window he looked out into the star scape. Then a thought occurred to him. "I think you should move in with me." he said matter of factly.
Chelsea's mouth fell open. "Say wha?" she spluttered. "What brought that on?"
"I thought you know...." he said struggling to find the right words. "I thought it would be cool. Don't you think it's a good idea then?" he said with a twinkle in the eye.
Chelsea's face seemed to be thoughtful for a moment. "Um.. but what about the mess? You gonna become a changed man or are you just looking for a maid?" she asked pretending to joke it away.
"The mess is more sort of an existential protest against starfleet discipline anyway." he said with a smile. "Don't worry, me and Kim can keep ourselves tidy and the models will be cleaned away I promise and I'll cut out the junk food."
She had kept walking, listening to his reply but not looking at him. She was careful to be looking anywhere else while she sorted this out in her head so she concentrated on looking where she was going, milling through the crowd. He wouldn't have been able to judge what her feelings were at that moment but in fact, she was actually having problems judging that for herself at first.
Rushing immediately to mind was the fact that she had moved in with Ryan and it had been nothing but one drama after another. On the other hand, Rick's even wanting to ask had sent her into a complete spin of happiness. She still couldn't believe how much love she had felt for him and how much he had expressed for her the night before he went out and almost got himself killed.
Without even allowing for all the emotion of nearly losing him, Chelsea was awash with a mix of feelings of every different type but by the time they got to the balustrade overlooking the promenade below and she was able to stand looking up at the stars far above the station's floor to ceiling panoramic windows, she had settled the battle between her heart and her head. Now it was all back in his court but he would need all the facts first.
"Rick, I need to tell you something important first." she spoke softly to him as he stood beside her, pointing out some of the prettier skyscapes. "The last time I looked up at these stars I was in turmoil. I've only really lost my heart twice in my life before this and both times I've gone blissfully along until I suddenly found myself very publicly the last to know there was someone new in my love's life."
He opened his mouth to speak, perhaps to protest but she held up her index finger quickly and placed it gently over his lips. "That's not what I needed to say, you see, my head is natually asking me if 'third time lucky' is an excuse that idiots make when they're about to make the same mistake all over again......." she stopped and turned away from the stars. Her hazel eyes had deepened to dark emerald with emotion as she looked right into Rick's eyes with such honesty, openess and trust that it felt like they were a window right through onto her soul itself.
"..... but this morning, when I thought I was going to lose you for ever, my heart froze into a lump of ice and now under those same stars and looking into your eyes, my heart says that this is *not* the same mistake; the mistake this time would be to let you go." He moved closer but she hurried on, hoping she was explaining this right.
"Only this time I'm in deeper than I've ever been before." she whispered, a lump in her throat that was threatening to choke all speech out of her. Swallowing hard, hardly breathing with anticipation of what he might say in reply, Chelsea took an uncharacteristic risk and laid her heart out to be rejected again if necessary. If she was going to get hurt again, sooner would be better than later.
"Rick, if we do this.... the risk is that I'll get in so deep you'll have to eject me out into space to get rid of me. Are you sure you're ready for that sort of symbiotic relationship? Because if you're not... we should wait because I don't think it's fair on you when you're just talking about the next step like normal people but actually, unbeknown to you, I'm here making it into this huge commitment. I'm really sorry but I can't help it, so perhaps you need to slow me down instead of moving me in? I'm really sorry to be such a pain but..... "
She didn't get to finish apologising and trying to offer him a chance to put the brakes on this now that he knew how intensely she felt. Before she could finish Rick put her out of her misery with his compassionate reply.
Dunham leant over and gave her a long kiss. He took both of her hands up in his.
"No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place my dear"
Chelsea didn't have the words to reply other than to sigh with relief and gaze adoringly at him. "Wow, that's so beautiful" she whispered, reaching up to kiss him again, completely oblivious to the other people milling around them.
When they were finally seated in the restaurant ordering their food, Chelsea smiled suddenly as a thought occurred to her. "What will Isha say when she gets back? Do you think we'll be able to live with her telling us she told us so?" she joked.
"We should probably thank her for setting us up in the first place" said Dunham around a mouthfull of pizza.
Chelsea laughed. "What? Are you serious? And admit that she was right? Perleeeeeez! Don't you know anything about women?" she rolled her eyes in mock horror.
"Hey, by the way, what you said earlier... you know, about how you're getting rid of all your models? Don't. ok? Don't get rid of them. I like them!" she smiled at the look of surprise on his face. "No, I really do." she had to reassure him she was serious. "They're part of who you are. I was kidding about the mess. I'm always messy around the home too." she took another forkful of pasta and watched his face as he took this in.
Dunham scratched the stubble on his chin in thought. "Well there will be three of us and as the ranking officer you are entitled to bigger quarters. Maybe we should move in with you? Then we have plenty of space for all three of us to be messy in" he gave a cheeky smile.
Chelsea gave him a wry smile. "Ooooh, now why didn't *I* think of that?" she smirked. "Perhaps because messing up *your* quarters would be fun but *mine*? I dunno?" she pretended to look as if this was something she had to think about even though she had already decided he was right and they should do it as soon as they'd seen Raedheol, this very afternoon.
Dunham gave her a heart felt warm smile as he tucked into another slice of pizza.
"As long i'm living with you. What ever we do wil be fine" he said with his mouth a little full.
As they left the restaurant, they made their way to the Romulan Embassy and rang the chime.
off
Lt Richard Dunham
Squadron Leader
and
Lt Cmdr Chelsea Adams
ACMO - DS5
by Commander Chelsea Dunham & Commander Richard Dunham
Post Details
| Title | A moving experience | |
| Mission | Unity | |
| Author(s) | Commander Chelsea Dunham & Commander Richard Dunham | |
| Posted | Thu Nov 12, 2009 @ 9:11pm | |
| Location | The Promenade Decks | |
| Timeline | Early SD16 |
He stirred and she quickly got up and pretended to be busy around the med panel at the head of his bed so he wouldn't know she'd just been sitting there gazing at him.
Dunham stretched awake. The pain in his joints and muscles were easing now and he was begging to feel better in general. The dermal regenerator had done a good job on his burnt skin and his broken bones had healed. He stilled itched from the wound that had entered in his side. The blasted warped metal from the ships control panel that had punctured his lower chest still felt sore and tender. But the last minute of the explosion kept on re-running though his head and it sent a bit of a shiver up his spine. Dunham had neither served in the war or in starfleet for a long time.
In fact before he had arrived on Deep space five the only action he ad seen was border patrols fighting pirates and smugglers behind the helm of a hornet class starship as a young ensign. That had been when he had really got a love for flying and he had returned to starfleet academy for starfighter piloting. But since arriving on the station he had been shot at and now blown up. It certainly put things in perspective. The fight with the Romulans had been his first proper space battle he had and the first time he had had to take a life and now with the temporal anomaly he had almost lost his own.
It certainly shook his confidence in his own abilities as a pilot and this near death experience had got him wandering if this was what he was suppose to be doing. Starfleet ran in the family his sister was in starfleet his mum was a starfleet captain and both his grandparents had been career offices. It had only seemed natural to join the academy but had it been the right choice? Her had always felt that he was doing the right thing. That it was good karma. He had allot of thinking to do. But his thoughts all ways seem to drift off to Chelsea and their last night together. Dunham realised that the only real solid thing in his life was his love for her and her love for him. He had never felt this way about anybody before. It was only then that Dunham realised somebody was in the room with him. He opened his eyes. "Good Morning" he said to the room in general.
"Hey Gorgeous" a familiar voice soothed. "Do you have any idea how innocent you look when you're asleep?" she teased. "I'd like to know what you were dreaming about though!" Moving to the side of the bed she ran her fingertips across his cheek lovingly. He could see the mischief in her eyes.
"I was dreaming of you my dear." He said with a charming smile
"A likely story!" she scoffed, pretending not to believe a word of his protest.
He wrapped her up in his arms and pulled her onto the bed "Of course a was. Why would i want to think about anything else"
"I have no idea" she nestled into his arms, thinking to herself it was a pity she was on duty or she could stay like this for a few weeks before she got bored with the idea. "I know I wouldn't...." she began but decided not to be mushy. "... if I were you of course... " she smirked, twisting the compliment into a joke.
"You are the only thing in the world to me and i would give up everything for you" Said Dunham placing a gentle kiss on her fore head and gently embracing her.
"Awww" Chelsea melted. All her attempts to joke away how much she felt for Rick were swept away and she surrendered to the irresistible urge to respond to his kiss with one that allowed him to know exactly how much emotion she'd been holding back during the time she'd been afraid she might have lost him.
"wow". Said Dunham in a soft whisper ~that was a hell of a kiss~ "your amazing"
~Did something just happen their and I totally missed it?~
Chelsea just replied simply. "Personally, I think it's *you* but when you're better we can argue that one out. Right now though, I'm afraid I can't hold you here any longer, much as I'd like to. You're discharged Lieutenant. Free to go, no longer my prisoner here." she smiled at him, knowing how hard he found enforced confinement.
"...and... I'm off duty about four hours ago... so that means where you go, I tag along behind!" her smile widened to a grin.
"Well" said Dunham getting out of bed and pulling on his uniform. "Apart from the obvious lets go back to my place for 'coffee'. I could really go for something bad for me now. Like a pizza or a burger or something. Those special diet foods you have your patients on while in this place though very good for you can't beat a good double pepperoni pizza with extra mozzarella. Come on" he said with a smile on his face and bounce in his stride like a child once again. "We can go to that Italian place that Isha took us to."
Chelsea laughed shaking her head. "You can lead an airman to healthy food but you can't make him eat it, is that it?" As they left Sickbay, she stopped at the office to log out and check with Ed but they were soon on their way to the Promenade decks.
"It seems like a lifetime ago that we were here with Isha. I really hope she's okay. You know, I haven't seen Rhvaurek lately either. Should we call into the Embassy on the way and see if he's heard from her?" she asked but looking at Ricks' face
she had second thoughts. "Maybe we feed you first, *then* we go to the Embassy?"
Dunham took a deep breath enjoying being out of the sick bay and wroking his joints again.
"Ok sounds like a plan." He took her hands in his. "I'm sure she is fine you know. She is Romulan and they have a certain knack for survival. And Rhvauk well he tenacious to say the least."
He paused for a moment taking in the view of the promenad glad to be out and about but every time they passed a window he looked out into the star scape. Then a thought occurred to him. "I think you should move in with me." he said matter of factly.
Chelsea's mouth fell open. "Say wha?" she spluttered. "What brought that on?"
"I thought you know...." he said struggling to find the right words. "I thought it would be cool. Don't you think it's a good idea then?" he said with a twinkle in the eye.
Chelsea's face seemed to be thoughtful for a moment. "Um.. but what about the mess? You gonna become a changed man or are you just looking for a maid?" she asked pretending to joke it away.
"The mess is more sort of an existential protest against starfleet discipline anyway." he said with a smile. "Don't worry, me and Kim can keep ourselves tidy and the models will be cleaned away I promise and I'll cut out the junk food."
She had kept walking, listening to his reply but not looking at him. She was careful to be looking anywhere else while she sorted this out in her head so she concentrated on looking where she was going, milling through the crowd. He wouldn't have been able to judge what her feelings were at that moment but in fact, she was actually having problems judging that for herself at first.
Rushing immediately to mind was the fact that she had moved in with Ryan and it had been nothing but one drama after another. On the other hand, Rick's even wanting to ask had sent her into a complete spin of happiness. She still couldn't believe how much love she had felt for him and how much he had expressed for her the night before he went out and almost got himself killed.
Without even allowing for all the emotion of nearly losing him, Chelsea was awash with a mix of feelings of every different type but by the time they got to the balustrade overlooking the promenade below and she was able to stand looking up at the stars far above the station's floor to ceiling panoramic windows, she had settled the battle between her heart and her head. Now it was all back in his court but he would need all the facts first.
"Rick, I need to tell you something important first." she spoke softly to him as he stood beside her, pointing out some of the prettier skyscapes. "The last time I looked up at these stars I was in turmoil. I've only really lost my heart twice in my life before this and both times I've gone blissfully along until I suddenly found myself very publicly the last to know there was someone new in my love's life."
He opened his mouth to speak, perhaps to protest but she held up her index finger quickly and placed it gently over his lips. "That's not what I needed to say, you see, my head is natually asking me if 'third time lucky' is an excuse that idiots make when they're about to make the same mistake all over again......." she stopped and turned away from the stars. Her hazel eyes had deepened to dark emerald with emotion as she looked right into Rick's eyes with such honesty, openess and trust that it felt like they were a window right through onto her soul itself.
"..... but this morning, when I thought I was going to lose you for ever, my heart froze into a lump of ice and now under those same stars and looking into your eyes, my heart says that this is *not* the same mistake; the mistake this time would be to let you go." He moved closer but she hurried on, hoping she was explaining this right.
"Only this time I'm in deeper than I've ever been before." she whispered, a lump in her throat that was threatening to choke all speech out of her. Swallowing hard, hardly breathing with anticipation of what he might say in reply, Chelsea took an uncharacteristic risk and laid her heart out to be rejected again if necessary. If she was going to get hurt again, sooner would be better than later.
"Rick, if we do this.... the risk is that I'll get in so deep you'll have to eject me out into space to get rid of me. Are you sure you're ready for that sort of symbiotic relationship? Because if you're not... we should wait because I don't think it's fair on you when you're just talking about the next step like normal people but actually, unbeknown to you, I'm here making it into this huge commitment. I'm really sorry but I can't help it, so perhaps you need to slow me down instead of moving me in? I'm really sorry to be such a pain but..... "
She didn't get to finish apologising and trying to offer him a chance to put the brakes on this now that he knew how intensely she felt. Before she could finish Rick put her out of her misery with his compassionate reply.
Dunham leant over and gave her a long kiss. He took both of her hands up in his.
"No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place my dear"
Chelsea didn't have the words to reply other than to sigh with relief and gaze adoringly at him. "Wow, that's so beautiful" she whispered, reaching up to kiss him again, completely oblivious to the other people milling around them.
When they were finally seated in the restaurant ordering their food, Chelsea smiled suddenly as a thought occurred to her. "What will Isha say when she gets back? Do you think we'll be able to live with her telling us she told us so?" she joked.
"We should probably thank her for setting us up in the first place" said Dunham around a mouthfull of pizza.
Chelsea laughed. "What? Are you serious? And admit that she was right? Perleeeeeez! Don't you know anything about women?" she rolled her eyes in mock horror.
"Hey, by the way, what you said earlier... you know, about how you're getting rid of all your models? Don't. ok? Don't get rid of them. I like them!" she smiled at the look of surprise on his face. "No, I really do." she had to reassure him she was serious. "They're part of who you are. I was kidding about the mess. I'm always messy around the home too." she took another forkful of pasta and watched his face as he took this in.
Dunham scratched the stubble on his chin in thought. "Well there will be three of us and as the ranking officer you are entitled to bigger quarters. Maybe we should move in with you? Then we have plenty of space for all three of us to be messy in" he gave a cheeky smile.
Chelsea gave him a wry smile. "Ooooh, now why didn't *I* think of that?" she smirked. "Perhaps because messing up *your* quarters would be fun but *mine*? I dunno?" she pretended to look as if this was something she had to think about even though she had already decided he was right and they should do it as soon as they'd seen Raedheol, this very afternoon.
Dunham gave her a heart felt warm smile as he tucked into another slice of pizza.
"As long i'm living with you. What ever we do wil be fine" he said with his mouth a little full.
As they left the restaurant, they made their way to the Romulan Embassy and rang the chime.
off
Lt Richard Dunham
Squadron Leader
and
Lt Cmdr Chelsea Adams
ACMO - DS5