Is it the end of the Nightmare yet? (part 2)

Posted on Fri Feb 17th, 2023 @ 8:11am by Commander Ashe Rii'Na MD & Captain Landon Mabrade
Edited on on Fri Feb 17th, 2023 @ 8:11am

1,506 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Pirating Typhon resources
Location: Sickbay

OLD:

“Commander Rii’Na is awake, but we have an issue. Nobody can go near her. She keeps lashing out at staff and we cannot honestly keep on sedating her. We could use some help to get her to calm down. We don’t know what happened to her but reacting like this is clearly outside of the norm here.”

New:

"Conroy safe, tell her." Lurch suggested. "Loves her, will help she is told. Mabrade will be there soon."

Not one to complicated things Mackenzie moved to her side while still under sedation but not so far, the last stages of it while waiting for Rii'Na to come out.

"Rii'Na..." The nurse said in calm but firm words. Conroy is here, he is alive and recovering. The Marines are here to keep you and him safe... I promise no one will try to hurt either of you.”

There were some twitches and winces. It was hard to truly know what was going through the mind of Rii’Na with all that she had gone through. She was coming lucid once more , but things were still fuzzy and her mind was racing. The lights were bright and the noise a bit much and all of her just seemed to hurt. It was hard to focus, she started to squirm and fuss the more lucid she became and the brighter the lights felt.

A few minutes later Captain Mabrade strode through the door, the look of concern and fatigue showed as he crossed to the nurses caring for Rii'Na.

"Nurse, Is she able to be lucid?" Mabrade inquired. " I think I can help but I need talk to her alone, just trust me."

The nurse nod slowly and stayed out of earshot as Mabrade made his way to Ashe’s bed side leaning over and made sure she saw him.

"Ashe, it is Mabrade, I am here." Waiting until her groggy and scared eyes met his and he; in a rare showing he touched her cheek to make sure she looked at him. "Gal'Nor was killed, I confirmed it is him, took some doing from Intel, he tried to kill JC and two Marines shot him...." nodding with a grin. "I can show you the body but you need to calm down, JC is safe and you are free. My word, you are free and JC is safe from him."

Ashe seemed to constantly wince and squint her eyes, the lights where she was seemed to keep hurting her eyes. Maybe it was the fact that she had been kept in the dark for a while. She did her best to look up and was grateful some of the light was being blocked out…by Landon Mabrade? Her arm tensed and her eyes went wide. She could feel the touch to her cheek, at least she wasn’t dreaming or was she? It could be one of those vivid nightmares. It took a moment for the words to register and it was like a stone dropped. JC was not only hurt but that snake, he had tried to kill the man she loved. Ashe had tears start to bubble over. She sat bolt upright,

Ashe was shaking and couldn’t stop crying. This was a bad dream and she wanted to wake up or was she already awake? Ashe was so confused. Had she truly woken up, was all of this just some very bad nightmare that she couldn’t seem to wake up from, some sort of perpetual torture.

She was staring ahead; tears streaming down and couldn’t shake the feeling of her life being lived in a never-ending nightmare. Having had Gal’Nor weaving lies to her and her just outright denying everything, trying to stop him from getting in her head. In reality, it was pointless as he was already there. her eyes closed and seemed to squeeze shut. Ashe bunched up hugging her knees, shaking like a leaf and bawling.

“It’s all just a REALLY bad dream. You’ll wake up from this any minute now…. JC will wake you…. he might even pinch you jokingly…. please tell me this is just some bad dream……it’s just…. too much otherwise….” Ashe truly was a mess, it was like life was repeating itself, was she ever really meant to be happy or was the happiness some sort of short-lived lie?

Mabrade took her by the shoulders to stop her trembling a bit while looking her in the eyes, making sure to stay there until she acknowledged his gaze before he spoke.

"Ashe, you are awake, and the nightmare is O-V-E-R." He spoke slow but firmly. "Conroy is resting and Gal'Nor .... well get on a robe as I can show you where he is; on a slab in the morgue." He nod slowly. "I am going to take you there and show you that this nightmare will not be real ever again."

Landon’s voice seemed a little clearer. He was right there, holding her shoulders. Could it really be all over? She looked down and pinched herself rather roughly. Naturally the pain response followed. Her eyes went wide, she was awake, and it really was her CO who was trying to convince her this was going to be behind her. She nodded to him and reached for a robe close to her. She slowly slipped off the biobed and wobbled a moment. She managed to stave off the dizzy spell and looked to Landon. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

It was a Site to Site later that Ashe stood with Mabrade putting a supportive arm around her shoulders. The cold of the room; a testament to keeping the dead on ice it might seem to anyone in just a hospital covering and this robe. The large room had the usual trapping of a morgue, two examination tables and on the rear wall the bank of 24 holding drawers. The cabinets and open shelves on opposite walls, but what was significant was the white sheet over the body on table one.

Her eyes were drawn straight to the sheet. There was a body on the table. Looked like the right height to be that snake of a Cardassian. She looked up at Landon, doing her best to stay calm, this would not be easy by any means. “The Marines got him??” It was slowly starting to register. “Can I see him? I would know that snake anywhere. I…I …. Lived a nightmare with him as the figure haunting and terrifying me…” Ashe was having a hard time holding it together.

It was then the man came out of nowhere after the nod from Mabrade; who guided and support Rii'Na towards the body; he kept himself ready should she become weak from the impact of seeing the bastard alive or dead.

The sheet was pulled back to show the face of Gal'Nor in death. No visible wounds but severe bruising of the bare chest; the Marines sought to take him alive but were denied that honor. Also, it was luck they had not since without a body would Rii’Na truly have closure.

She looked into the face of that snake, cold and dead on the ‘slab’. “Blasted Snake, may the Pah’wraiths claim your rotten Pagh.” She said quietly. She saw a tray of medical tools and moved to pick up a laser scalpel. She came back over and with some force stuck him in the neck. The was now an open hole yet blood was not pouring out of it, as was the ‘norm’ of the dead. “I….had to be sure.” She replied numbly. Ashe turned and hugged Landon. She looked up at him, tears shining at the corners of her eyes. “JC!” her eyes went wide, thinking of the man she loved.

"He is resting." Mabrade told her.

Arriving back in Sick Bay Mabrade half carried the worn out Rii’Na to the Biobed she sought. They are testing from the surgeries and letting his body to continue the healing process. His face was like she recalled from other nights, a serene expression on his face. Not in pain just sleeping.
"I did tell you he was resting." Mabrade had arranged a chair beside the bed for her. "I am told he will recover."

Ashe held onto Mabrade, giving him a squeeze. “Thankyou. I felt lost in a living nightmare, at least you were there to help fish me out. I can never truly repay you for that.” She quietly cried on his shoulder for a moment. JC was safe and Gal’Nor was on ice, never to bother her again. Now, at least she could rest and recover. Ashe shook her head. “I’ve taken up enough of your time, Mabrade. I am sure you are exhausted and the station is needing your attention more than ever. “Thankyou, this means more than you know.”

OFF

Captain Landon Mabrade
Commanding Officer
Starbase Typhon

Commander Rii'Na Ashe
Executive Officer
Starbase Typhon

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