Fallout

Posted on Wed Jan 22nd, 2020 @ 4:20pm by Major Levi Drake & Petty Officer 2nd Class Halla Dezom (*)

Mission: Cosmos
Location: USS Cosmos, Main Sick Bay
Timeline: 2396
1647 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Levi looked up from the biobed as a familiar face appeared on the periphery of his vision. His first worry was that one of his Marines had come to pay him a visit, which caused him immediate alarm. When he realised that the nurse was actually directing a familiar Petty Officer in his direction, he relaxed a little. He even allowed himself a little smile.

"Hey there. What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?" he grunted, tucking an arm behind his head to prop himself up a little more.

Halla was relieved to see at the very least a little smile on his face, she had thought he might be mad at her for causing him to be sickbay. "This nice girl put you in medical so she thought she should come to visit and see how you were doing." Halla said with a shy smile. She should have come to visit days ago but kept chickening out.

"I'm okay. Probably get an honorable discharge, considering my legs don't work any more. I'm going to miss dropping into hot-spots with the rest of the boys, but I'm sure they'll have me riding a desk before long..." he sighed.

The woman paled and paled until she looked practically green. "What?" Halla whispered. She had thought they had been able to use him to create a cure and to get his legs working again as it had just been a reaction to the cure.

He held a straight face for a couple of seconds, then shook his head. "Relax, Halla. The medical staff worked-out the kinks in your antidote." He shuffled and shifted so that his legs dangled off the side of the bed and he gave them a wiggle. "See? I'll be back to running marathons in a couple of days."

"That is not funny. I was really worried I'd broken you then." The woman went from green to red in a matter of seconds and she did the only thing she could think of and thumped his shoulder hard. "I was going to throw up," Halla admitted moving to sit next to him.

"Not on me, I hope. I might not be an invalid, but I'm still stuck here." He grasped her hand in his for a moment, giving it a light squeeze. "Who else made it out?"

The woman moved her fingers to weave through his. “Totally on you for making me feel guilty and sick to the bottom of my stomach.” She said smiling now that the sickness and guilt was leaving her. “Everyone apart from the Marine that disappeared with us and the Chief Engineer. That Security Officer was saved by the cure. Starfleet Science and security are all over the base now hunting down the old crew seeing if the cure works on them straight away or if more research is needed.”

"We shouldn't have left a man behind..." Levi noted, his face hardening for just a moment. "If there's a marine still missing down there we should be sending a team in to recover him."

"I am sure they have. I do not overly know much being enlisted and only just been allowed back on duty." Halla said watching his face harden. "Maybe talk to Major Kolar?" She suggested trying to help,

"Ah, his call." Levi leaned back, trying not to think about it too hard. He didn't like the idea of leaving his people in harms way, but he wasn't going anywhere soon. He glanced around. "No grapes?"

"Grapes?" The Trill wondered standing up to give him some space to lean back. She looked adorably confused but looked around as if helping him search.

"Grapes!" Levi let out a little laugh. "You visit someone in hospital, you're meant to bring them a punnet of grapes or fruit to eat. I guess that's not a custom on Trill, then."

"Um...No not a custom on my homeworld at all." The woman blushed brightly. Maybe she should have better planned her visit but she had been so eager to check in on him and see if she had caused any damage that she had not stopped to think properly. "I will remember for next time." She offered thinking maybe she could bring some Trill fruit.

"Next time?" Levi maintained the smirk on his face. "You make it sound like there's going to be even more opportunities for me to throw myself into danger to save you from murderous science experiments." His eyes flashed with amusement.

"I think I saved you," Halla commented seeing the smirk on his face. "And I mean when I come to visit you here over the next few days unless you are getting out soon? I obviously do not want to visit where I am not wanted." She wondered trying to not sound desperate or needy.

"Up to the medics." He shrugged a little. Truth be told, he'd been through firefights in way worse condition than he was now. He'd always found Fleet doctors to be a little less permitting. "I heard a rumour we're on the way into trouble, so Kolar's going to need his best soldier all ready to go." He looked over at her. "Although if you're expecting another dance I might need a rain check..."

"Yeah, we are at yellow alert. " The Trill admitted. "I am sure Levi you will be back to action quickly. I think you are the type of man that does not even let a woman who you danced with just once and then injected you with a possible cure keep you down." Halla teased him just a little. "And I was not expecting anything." She assured quickly.

"That's a shame," he remarked, fixing her with a gaze. "Because I was expecting a second date."

"Oh..." Was the only thing that came out of Halla's mouth as she looked at the man. She had been expecting after everything that it would not be the same as before.

He stared expectantly, waiting for a clearer answer. "So is that a 'yes'?"

"Yes. Sorry that part was lost somewhere." The woman admitted with a small smile. Was it obvious she was a little surprised?

"Yes. Good." He paused, pleased that she had replied, though a little confused over her hesitation. Was it hesitation? He couldn't be sure. "Hopefully this time we can actually get through it without being summoned to some life-or-death crisis situation."

"I would like that. When you feel better let me know and I will be there." Halla was pretty sure lightning did not strike twice but you never knew on this type of ship at all.

"It's your turn to take me out, I think," he noted. "The Deltan Whispers was my pick."

Halla paused before she laughed and stepped a little bit closer to him. "That is true. You did pick. Well, I am sure I have a little bit of time to think about it. Cannot do any worse than paralysing you can I?" Would she always see it as something to feel guilty over despite him being fit and well now.

Levi chuckled, then made a point of stopping suddenly, as though considering the very real prospect that something just that crazy might indeed happen. "The week is young," he remarked.

"I should not joke really. I am quite guilty over it all." She admitted with a small smile. "I promise not to break you next time I swear." It would be really bad luck if something just as crazy happened.

"I believe you," he replied. "Takes a lot to break me. I mean, getting bitten on the neck and almost turning into a creepy zombie-monster? I'm still standing. Sort-of."

"Sort of." Halla smiled. He was being pretty adorable about it all if she was honest. Maybe there was hope that they would at least have a decent second date. She just needed to get her thinking cap on to find something perfect.

Levi fell silent. Almost awkwardly so. Still confined to the sickbay, he just leaned back into the angled backrest; it wasn't like he was going anywhere so they just spent a minute without talking. "Thank you," he said softly. Best not say it too loud - people might notice. "You saved my life down there."

To the Trill, the silence was not awkward just settled and thoughtful. She smiled and moved over to touch his hand softly so he did not need to speak as loud. "I did the next right thing." The woman assured. "I could not let you die or turn into one of those things like that security officer."

"Yes you could have," he retorted. "Not everyone would have thought of trying to find a cure right then and there. So whatever you think about it, you did have a choice. And you made it."

"I did the next right thing. When I am scared it is all I know what to do. It was the next right thing and I took it and got lucky. It was not perfect according to Lieutenant Karis as the Seabase had not perfected it but it gave you and everyone a fighting chance." She smiled, squeezing his hand as a ship-wide announcement sounded that all hands had to report to yellow alert stations. "I'm alpha watch so I have to report to science."

"Go. Save the quadrant. You seem to be on a roll," he said, squeezing her hand back and then letting go.

"I'll need my sick kick back soon." The Trill assured him with a small grin in his direction before she skipped off to go save the world or clean the science lab whichever came first.

OFF::

Petty Officer 2nd Class Halla Dezom
Scientific Lab Technician
USS Cosmos
(PNPC Gregnol)


Lt Levi Drake
Marine XO
USS Cosmos
(PNPC Jake)