JDL | LtCmdr Rinehart, Lt Quoicho - "A Song For the Sullen"

Posted on 241502.23 @ 5:35am by Commander Tierney Rinehart

Mission: Holy Cow

Back at camp, things had only looked the part of heading in the right direction. The injured were being treated, everyone was together. Reinforcements had been sent down. The Starling had caught sight of the Executive Officer milling about with Karim -- the very thought of the two command officers both being down on a hostile planet made her quiver with anxiety, but cold and hurt and tired, there was nothing she could do about it. Nor was it her place, she was nothing but a simple Spook. Luckily, the silver blanket wrapped around her had offered her a chance to warm herself and the blue tint to her lips had slowly dissipated and relinquished its hold back to the soft coral pink of 'normal'.

It was a start to what was going to prove to be an interesting recovery process, one that would require both physical and emotional healing. She hadn't given herself a chance to acclimate to or truly accept the life she had been creating and harboring within her, but when the Trill medic had shown her face with eyes dark and somber, she'd known it was over. Between the tumble down the ravine, the shock of being injured, and her core temperature dropping so low... It was over. Since then, Nanee had hovered close by as if sensing and knowing that the usually aloof Tierney would need the comfort of another living being close at hand. "How long until everything returns to... Normal?" She finally mustered the strength to ask, peering out from beneath the silver blanket. She was just small enough to fit her entire being beneath it, using it like a cocoon.

Nanee was exhausted her ribs were healing but she was still sore and she hadn't slept since the explosion, "soon I hope." Nanee said as she ran another scan looking concerned over it,"commander I need to get back to the ship. I need access to all my resources." Nodding over to Jackson letting her know that she would be going back up to the Enterprise and he would be heading up the medical teams.

"Fair enough." The Starling replied quietly. Normal was one of those things that was ever evolving. To her normal didn't involve being shot at by Romulans or sleeping out in open fields. It didn't involve deep retrospective thoughts about loss or trying to understand why she was so easily accepting of death. More of her face came out from under the blanket as she looked at the Trill. "You look like Hell, Lieutenant. After we get back to Enterprise, you should rest." They both should.

Nanee nodded to tired to fight that she couldn't and or shouldn't until she knew everyone was safe. "Trust me that feeling of loss will become manageable over time." Nanee said having hell of a time dealing with yet another lost child. "We're gonna beam up now." Tapping her badge, "lieutenant Quoicho to Enterprise I need to a medical evac for for two. Myself and lieutenant commander Rinehart."

"Copy that lieutenant I need your authorization code for the medical fly up." Scant minutes later after Nanee gave her authorization code, a shuttle was carefully piloted back to the Enterprise by the careful hands of the Andorian helmsman. After they landed, Tierney was rushed into a private room and Nanee got another set of scans "well physically you're perfectly healthy all things considered. We're lucky we got to you as fast as we did and were able to do what we did. But I would like you to speak with someone it can be me or someone else but you need to speak with someone."

"I'll find someone." The diminutive redhead nodded, thankful for the quiet comfort of an actual bio-bed and privacy. Enterprise was a small sanctuary, and while the Arrain remained planet-bound, he wasn't her problem. She could rest. "Right now..." Her head shook. "Not the time. Not ready."

Nanee nodded she still hadn't talked about her loss to anyone outside of her former CO and even than that wasn't actually talking about it. "Of course but please remember this I'm always here for you." She added closing her eyes as those memories came back, "alright commander get some rest."

Rolling over, Tierney spied the Trill once again and considered her for a long moment with big, tired blue eyes. "I won't forget that." She replied softly, nodding to cement that fact. Friends were few and far between and Nanee had always been kind to Fabla and Tyglegor. She could be trusted and that was a rare quality among the people she'd met. "I promise to rest, but when can I take up at least light duty?"

"After you get 8 to 10 hours of un-interepputed sleep." Nanee said looking at Tierney, "than my guess is you'll be on the bridge seeing as both the CO and XO are both planetside."

The Starling nodded. "Any chance I could get that in my own quarters? I'd feel more comfortable just being able to curl up in my own bed."

"You can as long as you promised me that you won't run out after we get you settled in." Nanee said giving Tierney a small smirk and wink.

Managing a small smile and nod, Tierney replied, "Scout's honor." and slowly sat up, swinging her legs to hang over the edge of the bed. "Thank you, Doc, for understanding."

"Of course," Nanee said remembering that she didn't quite get that when she went through this on Zetari than again she wasn't exactly hospitable or even willing to try. "Do you need assistance to your quarters?"

"No. I think I've got it from here, thank you." The Starling replied and gingerly tested the stability of her legs against her weight. They were stable, for now. Warm and patched up by the good doctor, she was likely to make it to her quarters in one piece before crashing into the warm expanse of her bed for that demanded length of sleep time. Even if she wanted to she wouldn't have been able to just jet off wild and care free. Taking a couple slow step, she reached to pat the Trill on the shoulders on her way past and carefully made her way home, the regenerated length of her burnt hair swaying lavender in comparison to the rest of her strawberry dye job. It was time to come to terms with many things... Her heritage being one of them.

Nanee nodded not turning around to watch the commander leaves was an intriguing women in away very similar to her but so very very different. Looking down at her hands she realized they were slightly shaking her guess was it was from sheer exhaustion. Walking out of the private room Nanee headed back to her office to get some shuteye or at least she hoped she would.


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Lt Commander Tierney Rinehart
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS ENTERPRISE, NCC 1701-F

&

Lieutenant Nanee Quoicho
Chief Medical Officer
USS ENTERPRISE, NCC 1701-F