Interlude – An Ethical Dilemma (Part 3)
by Commander Chelsea Dunham & Lieutenant Ryan Milarno
Post Details
OLD:
"You can't think that way.. you mustn't!" she protested. "You don't look like a freak. You look..... " She knew she shouldn't say it but the hesitation that the *rules* forced on her made it sound like she was searching for the words. That sounded like she was trying to be tactful. She began to get upset with herself.
"Go on..... off the record.....I look...?" he asked.
NEW:
"Off the record? " she hesitated again and then decided to be honest with him. "... like a man with eyes to drown in. A man with a wounded soul that looks out from behind them and calls to the stars. A man whose dreams reach to the far ends of the universe but who is held back by his own beliefs... no prejudices... against his own self. A man whose arms are strong yet he only uses them to beat himself up with. A man with a huge destiny but who denies it..... “
She could think of loads more but what she'd already said was as much of a shock to her as it was to him, now it was spoken out loud. She stopped, reached up with her fingertips and touched his lips as softly as a kiss. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have....."
No one had ever said anything quite like that to him before and he was touched by it. He looked at her stunned, he was getting the sense, since they met that she liked him, and when Chelsea was there he sensed a bit of jealousy, he knew she liked him. As he looked at her in her eyes he leaned forward and put his hand on her neck gently and kissed her back, passionately, pulling her in even closer.
Pia melted into his arms, returning the kiss. Counselling wasn't supposed to get personal but this wasn't counselling, this WAS personal. There had been chemistry from the first moment and this kiss confirmed it. Pia felt like she was floating, blissfully happy and never coming down..... Until suddenly it all stopped and she found herself wondering what she'd done wrong.
Ryan smiled. "Well I guess something just changed...."
Pia blushed and looked intently at the grass again. "I'm sorry." was all she could say. She had an intense feeling as if she'd taken advantage of him when he was vulnerable.
"What for?" he asked. "There's nothing to be sorry about" he told her as he sat up.
"I've committed the cardinal sin for Counsellors. I've set myself up as someone you could trust, someone you could confide in, and now I’ve taken advantage of your vulnerability, please forgive me?" Pia had really developed feelings for him and now she was wondering if he had really wanted to do that or if maybe she'd got under his radar unfairly.
"Whoa...slow down...no one needs to know, and I don't see a kiss as you taking advantage of me...I would have backed off when you kissed me, but I didn't, I kissed you back because I wanted too" he smiled. "And to be honest I really wanna kiss you again..."
"Are you sure?" she still doubted herself but she too wanted him to kiss her again, she just needed to be certain it was okay with him, truly okay.
Ryan smiled and nodded his head slightly. "I'm sure" he told her, hoping it would reassure her.
Pia had been the confident one up to now. Sure of the job she had to do. Now she was the one with the self-doubt and he was the strong one. The turnaround of roles wasn't lost on either of them. She nestled contentedly in his arms, feeling safe and comforted. "So, Counsellor, what do you see when you look at *me*?" she asked softly, turning that around too with a shy smile. "Be gentle" she laughed.
Ryan smirked. "Well I see a beautiful, intelligent woman, also one of the best counsellors i know..." he looked deeply at her " But a woman who is also lonely and tries her best to hide it..." he added softly.
"Ouch" she murmured.
"You should take up counselling.... you'd be good at it." she said, winding her fingers amongst his.
"Do you think?" he asked. "I don't...but obviously i've been a doctor so I did get a little training but not anything extensive" he replied as he stared at their fingers clenched together.
"I think you'd be awesome" she confirmed honestly. "What gave me away?" she asked. "I thought no-one ever saw that side of me....." she was referring to his observation that she was hiding her inner loneliness.
Ryan shook his head. "I'm not sure...I just got the impression...good with stuff like that" he smiled. "You seem to be the go home after duty, and read with a cup of tea or something, listen to music, have a bath and eat alone type...if I think completely wrong then please tell me...i don't want to offend you"
"I'm not offended." she smiled. "You're every bit the detective, putting the pieces together and making the puzzle come together.”
"Can you also tell I’m afraid of getting hurt? I guess you kinda took advantage too, in a way, although you never knew it. As a patient, you could let me see that you're not like some men who just lie to get a girl to think they love her, get her into bed and then go off and collect the bet from their friends the next day..... “ The story came out with a hint of bitterness.
Ryan sighed. "I'm sorry that had to happen...but I wouldn’t do that, never"
"I know" she smiled. "And don't be sorry, it wasn't your fault. Perhaps it was my own fault. There *must* have been clues, i probably didn't want to see them."
She sighed, untangling her fingers from his reluctantly. "Anyway, books and vid-films aren't so bad... “She smiled.
"Definitely not, gotta love them" he smiled back. "Shall we head back?" he asked.
"Yes" she agreed, getting up. "Wait.... just one thing...." she began but then blushed.
Ryan chuckled. "What? Go on?" eager to hear what she wanted to say.
"You said that you'd kissed me because you wanted to, right?" she spoke shyly, not looking up at him.
Ryan nodded and lifted her face up with a finger gently. He leaned in and touched her lips with a kiss; it became more intense with each second that passed.
Pia's knees weakened and she leaned into his arms which closed around her. She returned his kiss with all the feelings she'd been keeping back and some of that loneliness he'd identified too. A bridge had been crossed and there was no taking this back later. Pia had no regrets.
The kiss lasted longer than the last one, Ryan didn’t want to stop or let go, but he did and held her close for few moments. "Do you want to come back to my quarters?" he asked.
"Only if you don't have a bet on with friends...... “She smiled.
As the look on his face changed, she laughed. "It's okay, I was kidding. You have to be able to laugh at yourself and your mistakes, or they haunt you. Besides, it's time I learned to trust again." she took his hand and squeezed it, a lightness in her step as she walked beside him, noticing he wasn't hiding his face this time as they passed crew members on the way back.
Ryan couldn’t have been happier as they walked into his quarters. "Make yourself at home" he smiled again and kissed her on the cheek before walking off to get his medicine. He came back seconds later also with his usual bowl of cold water and a cloth and sat down on the sofa, and waited for her to join him once she was finished with the replicator.
Pia brought them both a drink. She got him the same as he always had. 'Pepsi'. She had a Bajoran tea and when she put them both on the coffee table, she reached across and took the cloth and water, setting about *her* job of soothing his facial ridges. "With your meds taken these should cool and get more comfortable in a few minutes" she reassured him. It was nothing he didn't already know, he was, after all, the doctor. Pia fussed, she was happy doing that.
"Thanks" he smiled as he picked up the glass and took a drink. "Are you sure...you don’t have to do this for me you know" he told her
"I want to" she insisted, gently squeezing the water from the cloth so it ran down the red ridges. She put the cloth on his cheek and soaked up the drips and then repeated the cycle. That way she didn't get the cloth itself in contact with the raw skin. "Won't they regenerate the skin on these? It would be so much less sore.... we should have asked Chelsea..... “Pia asked. "Is it because they have to stop doing whatever they're doing first? Do you think there will be much more to come?"
"They have to stay like this until they fully form, although we can’t see the changes each day, there is and if we regenerate them it could disrupt the formation" he told her.
"I guess that makes sense but I wish you didn't have to suffer. I wish I could take the pain away" she sighed.
“It’s alright” Ryan smiled. “I’m coping” he said, reaching for the hypospray and then injecting it into his neck.
Tbc...
OFF
A JP between:
Lieutenant Ryan Milarno
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
and
Asst. Counsellor
Ensign Pia Rimmec
(NPC'd by jools)
by Commander Chelsea Dunham & Lieutenant Ryan Milarno
Post Details
| Title | An Ethical Dilemma (Part 3) | |
| Mission | Interlude | |
| Author(s) | Commander Chelsea Dunham & Lieutenant Ryan Milarno | |
| Posted | Wed May 26, 2010 @ 7:58pm | |
| Location | Lt Milarno's Quarters/Holodeck 1 | |
| Timeline | Backpost |
"You can't think that way.. you mustn't!" she protested. "You don't look like a freak. You look..... " She knew she shouldn't say it but the hesitation that the *rules* forced on her made it sound like she was searching for the words. That sounded like she was trying to be tactful. She began to get upset with herself.
"Go on..... off the record.....I look...?" he asked.
NEW:
"Off the record? " she hesitated again and then decided to be honest with him. "... like a man with eyes to drown in. A man with a wounded soul that looks out from behind them and calls to the stars. A man whose dreams reach to the far ends of the universe but who is held back by his own beliefs... no prejudices... against his own self. A man whose arms are strong yet he only uses them to beat himself up with. A man with a huge destiny but who denies it..... “
She could think of loads more but what she'd already said was as much of a shock to her as it was to him, now it was spoken out loud. She stopped, reached up with her fingertips and touched his lips as softly as a kiss. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have....."
No one had ever said anything quite like that to him before and he was touched by it. He looked at her stunned, he was getting the sense, since they met that she liked him, and when Chelsea was there he sensed a bit of jealousy, he knew she liked him. As he looked at her in her eyes he leaned forward and put his hand on her neck gently and kissed her back, passionately, pulling her in even closer.
Pia melted into his arms, returning the kiss. Counselling wasn't supposed to get personal but this wasn't counselling, this WAS personal. There had been chemistry from the first moment and this kiss confirmed it. Pia felt like she was floating, blissfully happy and never coming down..... Until suddenly it all stopped and she found herself wondering what she'd done wrong.
Ryan smiled. "Well I guess something just changed...."
Pia blushed and looked intently at the grass again. "I'm sorry." was all she could say. She had an intense feeling as if she'd taken advantage of him when he was vulnerable.
"What for?" he asked. "There's nothing to be sorry about" he told her as he sat up.
"I've committed the cardinal sin for Counsellors. I've set myself up as someone you could trust, someone you could confide in, and now I’ve taken advantage of your vulnerability, please forgive me?" Pia had really developed feelings for him and now she was wondering if he had really wanted to do that or if maybe she'd got under his radar unfairly.
"Whoa...slow down...no one needs to know, and I don't see a kiss as you taking advantage of me...I would have backed off when you kissed me, but I didn't, I kissed you back because I wanted too" he smiled. "And to be honest I really wanna kiss you again..."
"Are you sure?" she still doubted herself but she too wanted him to kiss her again, she just needed to be certain it was okay with him, truly okay.
Ryan smiled and nodded his head slightly. "I'm sure" he told her, hoping it would reassure her.
Pia had been the confident one up to now. Sure of the job she had to do. Now she was the one with the self-doubt and he was the strong one. The turnaround of roles wasn't lost on either of them. She nestled contentedly in his arms, feeling safe and comforted. "So, Counsellor, what do you see when you look at *me*?" she asked softly, turning that around too with a shy smile. "Be gentle" she laughed.
Ryan smirked. "Well I see a beautiful, intelligent woman, also one of the best counsellors i know..." he looked deeply at her " But a woman who is also lonely and tries her best to hide it..." he added softly.
"Ouch" she murmured.
"You should take up counselling.... you'd be good at it." she said, winding her fingers amongst his.
"Do you think?" he asked. "I don't...but obviously i've been a doctor so I did get a little training but not anything extensive" he replied as he stared at their fingers clenched together.
"I think you'd be awesome" she confirmed honestly. "What gave me away?" she asked. "I thought no-one ever saw that side of me....." she was referring to his observation that she was hiding her inner loneliness.
Ryan shook his head. "I'm not sure...I just got the impression...good with stuff like that" he smiled. "You seem to be the go home after duty, and read with a cup of tea or something, listen to music, have a bath and eat alone type...if I think completely wrong then please tell me...i don't want to offend you"
"I'm not offended." she smiled. "You're every bit the detective, putting the pieces together and making the puzzle come together.”
"Can you also tell I’m afraid of getting hurt? I guess you kinda took advantage too, in a way, although you never knew it. As a patient, you could let me see that you're not like some men who just lie to get a girl to think they love her, get her into bed and then go off and collect the bet from their friends the next day..... “ The story came out with a hint of bitterness.
Ryan sighed. "I'm sorry that had to happen...but I wouldn’t do that, never"
"I know" she smiled. "And don't be sorry, it wasn't your fault. Perhaps it was my own fault. There *must* have been clues, i probably didn't want to see them."
She sighed, untangling her fingers from his reluctantly. "Anyway, books and vid-films aren't so bad... “She smiled.
"Definitely not, gotta love them" he smiled back. "Shall we head back?" he asked.
"Yes" she agreed, getting up. "Wait.... just one thing...." she began but then blushed.
Ryan chuckled. "What? Go on?" eager to hear what she wanted to say.
"You said that you'd kissed me because you wanted to, right?" she spoke shyly, not looking up at him.
Ryan nodded and lifted her face up with a finger gently. He leaned in and touched her lips with a kiss; it became more intense with each second that passed.
Pia's knees weakened and she leaned into his arms which closed around her. She returned his kiss with all the feelings she'd been keeping back and some of that loneliness he'd identified too. A bridge had been crossed and there was no taking this back later. Pia had no regrets.
The kiss lasted longer than the last one, Ryan didn’t want to stop or let go, but he did and held her close for few moments. "Do you want to come back to my quarters?" he asked.
"Only if you don't have a bet on with friends...... “She smiled.
As the look on his face changed, she laughed. "It's okay, I was kidding. You have to be able to laugh at yourself and your mistakes, or they haunt you. Besides, it's time I learned to trust again." she took his hand and squeezed it, a lightness in her step as she walked beside him, noticing he wasn't hiding his face this time as they passed crew members on the way back.
Ryan couldn’t have been happier as they walked into his quarters. "Make yourself at home" he smiled again and kissed her on the cheek before walking off to get his medicine. He came back seconds later also with his usual bowl of cold water and a cloth and sat down on the sofa, and waited for her to join him once she was finished with the replicator.
Pia brought them both a drink. She got him the same as he always had. 'Pepsi'. She had a Bajoran tea and when she put them both on the coffee table, she reached across and took the cloth and water, setting about *her* job of soothing his facial ridges. "With your meds taken these should cool and get more comfortable in a few minutes" she reassured him. It was nothing he didn't already know, he was, after all, the doctor. Pia fussed, she was happy doing that.
"Thanks" he smiled as he picked up the glass and took a drink. "Are you sure...you don’t have to do this for me you know" he told her
"I want to" she insisted, gently squeezing the water from the cloth so it ran down the red ridges. She put the cloth on his cheek and soaked up the drips and then repeated the cycle. That way she didn't get the cloth itself in contact with the raw skin. "Won't they regenerate the skin on these? It would be so much less sore.... we should have asked Chelsea..... “Pia asked. "Is it because they have to stop doing whatever they're doing first? Do you think there will be much more to come?"
"They have to stay like this until they fully form, although we can’t see the changes each day, there is and if we regenerate them it could disrupt the formation" he told her.
"I guess that makes sense but I wish you didn't have to suffer. I wish I could take the pain away" she sighed.
“It’s alright” Ryan smiled. “I’m coping” he said, reaching for the hypospray and then injecting it into his neck.
Tbc...
OFF
A JP between:
Lieutenant Ryan Milarno
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
and
Asst. Counsellor
Ensign Pia Rimmec
(NPC'd by jools)