Mistaken Identity

Posted on Sat Feb 27th, 2021 @ 9:30am by Laurier Cami & Micheal Robertson

Mission: Mission 12 - Railway
Location: Infirmary
Timeline: Pre-Search
871 words - 1.7 OF Standard Post Measure

The endless testing, poking and prodding that Cami seemed to have to endure being in Dixoho's body was starting to grate. She understood the woman was ill, but this was becoming a bit much, and having these regular runs to the infirmary to get checked over again and again felt unnecessary. That said, she felt an obligation to Dix that she needed to keep it up, not just for appearances sake.

"Prophets..." she sighed to herself as she strolled through the door and looked dourly at Oliver, who appeared the only medical tech present. "Here we are again," she declared. "Back for round twenty-two..."

Laying in his biobed, at the back of sickbay, Micheal was trying to rest, following his surgeries. Suddenly, he heard a voice that he could recognize in the middle of a maelstrom. "Di?" He called out, weakly, but hopeful all the same.

Cami heard the noise. She didn't know what the word was, just that one of the patients had made a sound. It could only really be one of them, laid-up as he was after some crazy happening that a few of the others were abuzz over. Curiosity catching up with her, she edged towards the barely-conscious man in a biobed.

"Hello," she whispered tentatively, eying some of the still-healing wounds. The man had been through hell and back, by the looks of it.

Micheal brightened when he saw the face of the angel that held his heart. Suddenly, all the pain that he had endured during his time in the Andromeda Galaxy and the violent return home started to fade away. "Di!" His voice was quiet, yet full of emotion. "I'm so sorry I left, honey! I never meant to abandon you for a whole year!"

Cami hesitated. Maybe he was delirious, or suffering PTSD or something. "I didn't...I'm not-" she wasn't sure she could fully explain. Nor was she meant to be breaking the illusion that she wasn't Dixoho.

Micheal’s brows knitted in concern. "Whst..what's wrong, sweetheart? You didn't what?"

She didn't like being called sweetheart. "You're confused. Go to sleep," she directed, half-stepping back. It also made her feel uncomfortable to see someone suffering as he seemed to be. She wasn't old enough to remember the ore mines or any of the occupation, but she'd imagined it when hearing stories as a child. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

Micheal started to sit up. "Wha...what's going on?" He was starting to get insistent in his tone.

"Oh Prophets..." Cami sighed. "Sit...no - stay there - don't..." She had to move forward and almost force him not to. "I'm not Dixoho. I mean, I am, but I'm not. I just look like her."

Micheal was surprised by the strength that Dixoho possessed. But then, his mind caught on something she had said. "Prophets? Di, since when did you start worshiping Bajoran deities?" Then his mind clicked on the rest of her words. "You were one of the crew that got switched. I assume then that Di is in your body? And I also imagine that the Cap'n hasn't told her yet that I'm in here, has he? Otherwise, she'd be in here, probably breaking my neck for leaving." He chuckled softly at the last part.

"Oh. So you know." Cami felt a little bit of relief at that. Explaining would have been difficult. "Yes. My name is Cami, and yes, we swapped bodies. I'm sorry this wasn't exactly the reunion you would have hoped for...I guess he hasn't said anything to her yet. But I'm sure he will, eventually."

Micheal gave Cami a friendly grin. "Maybe I should stay in sickbay, for when she finds out. Heh." He then turned a bit more somber. "Can...can you tell me...how, how has she been, you know, this past year?" The look in eyes turned to one of potential heartbreak over causing any pain to the woman he loved.

"She's been..." Cami had to think about it. She'd learned a lot about Dix over the past few days - she'd literally walked a mile in her shoes, after all - some of it was positive, some of it was a little melancholy. "She's been okay," she finally said out loud. The state this guy was in, it was the unwritten rule to be positive. "She's been keeping me in good spirits, promising we'll get back to normal and everything."

Micheal smiled warmly. "That's my girl. Always trying to help others...." His words slurred a bit as the automated medication delivery system that Vinny had hooked him up to injected the next dose of scheduled medications. As he looked at Dixoho-not-Dixoho, his eyes started to glaze over. Soon, they fluttered shut and he fell asleep.

Cami smiled sadly. After all her hopes that she would get her own body back, she realised that they were mostly selfish ones - but she hadn't really considered Dixoho's life and the friendships (or more) that she was missing out on. It gave her pause to consider that it was important for her swap-twin to be back to normal as much as her. Leaving Micheal's bedside she headed for her check-up with a different perspective.