Let Her Eat Cake

Posted on Wed Mar 27th, 2019 @ 5:54pm by Lieutenant Commander Ariana Monroe-Wayne & Commander Hades,MD

1,754 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 97 - Cultural Exchange
Location: Sickbay, USS Pegasus
Timeline: MD 05 0800 hours

ON:

Aeryn was sitting up enjoying her first meal since the whole Rigelian Fever outbreak began. She was still feeling weak and shaky but a whole lot better than she had before. Her senses had returned but not to the degree they should have, which was one thing she wanted to ask Hades about.

Hades was glad that people were recovering. He'd had his people transferred up to the ship especially since people were ready to rumble. He transported Ariana to the Pegasus where he could keep an eye on her. She was one of the patients he was worried about.

He'd also heard of Lai'lira's death and had pretty much sat in the cargo bay with her body all night. He'd failed. He'd promised her brother to protect her and he'd failed. Braxton had taken it hard. Hades had had the theory that Braxton had developed feelings for her. Hades had encouraged it because he wanted to see his cousin happy. He'd also had to request Braxton be assigned to a different ship on the way home. Rol had known of Lai'lira's death and hadn't told either Hades or Braxton and Braxton was rearing to put his fist through Rol for that. He couldn't handle his cousin and his friend hating one another. He sighed. His life, instead of getting easier, got harder.

Nonetheless he was here now to check on Ariana. He put the rest of it all out of his mind. "How are you feeling? I see you have your appetite back," he said picking up a PADD that had her latest medical information.

"Definitely!" She smiled. "I'm okay I guess, although my abilities aren't what they were. I was born with my abilities so I'm used to having screaming voices in my head all the time. During the worst point I lost my senses altogether and they haven't come fully back." She looked at Hades. "They're not going to come fully back are they?" Her expression changed to one of worry and concern. "Has the baby been affected in any way?"

He sighed, "We have to do a lot more testing. I have heard some never get their full senses back some do....I won't know until I get you back to the station."

“To be honest...when I was growing up with my abilities I found it overwhelming, as an adult it was still hard to bare at times. If I don’t get my full abilities back I won’t complain. I can still function at my current level. I’m more worried about my baby.” She gently stroked her stomach. “I just want to know everything is alright and this hasn’t done any long term damage.”

"From initial scans it has not. I will do a deeper scan on the station but I believe that all is well." He smiled at her. "I'm so sorry you went through that."

"It wasn't your fault" Ariana smiled. "I've been out and about since we got here, I must have come into contact with someone who was a carrier. None of us would have known at the time. I'm just glad I didn't infect anyone else." She looked at Hades curiously. "I hear Freya came down to help? From what I've been told she interjected into an argument and it wasn't appreciated very much. She's a skilled Counsellor but she has a crisis of her own she's trying to overcome as well." She let it drop at that.

"Yes well tensions were high. I can't say I didn't want to deck a few Cardassians myself." He sighed. "Well tell me, any aches and pains?"

"I'm a little stiff but I don't think that qualifies as a problem." She smiled warmly. "I'd like a chance to get out of this bed at some point for a little exercise but I'm going to wait for your okay on that one."

"I'd like you to stay in bed today, walk every hour and tomorrow Doctor Richards will release you. I'll be leaving on a personal errand a bit later and wont be back for a while but I will check on you when I get back."

Ariana nodded. “I’ll do that and thank you. I owe you and the medical staff twice over for saving us now!” She grinned. “I aim not to give you anymore worries.”

He tried for an exhausted smile.

“One more thing....if there is damage to my own neural pathways is there a way to reverse that damage? I know it’s not like I’ve been deprived of my senses but at the same time I’d like as much back of them as I can. Obviously not at the risk of my baby though.”

"I shall see what I can do. Let me run a scan." He pulled out the tricorder his hands slightly shaking.

"I don't know about me being alright, are you alright?" Ariana looked at Hades concernedly. "Is there anything you need to talk about?"

"I am fine. I will be better when we are back on the way to the Starbase." He said as he turned towards the window.

"I may not have my full abilities but I can still feel what you're feeling. You can talk to me, what is said between us, stays between us."

"Perhaps, when we are on our way back." He looked over at Ariana. "I did notice something on your chart when I looked at it. Your sugar levels are low. For a Betazoid that's not good during pregnancy."

"What does that mean exactly?" She looked at Hades concerned about what it could mean for both herself and her baby.

"Nothing. Just that you get to have all the cake and ice cream you want." He tried to smile but tension and down right anger was rolling off him in waves.

Ariana offered a smile but she was feeling his anger and tension. It was starting to show in the way she was tending up as well. "So why are you so angry? What is it that's made you more tense and angry than I've ever known you to be?"

"Counselor I am fine. I am a Vulcan and am used to what you Humans and Betazoids call stress. I am perfectly fine and I do not understand why my staff finds it necessary to check on me. I am a chief medical officer not a pet." He gestured with his finger his hand clearly shaking.

"As a Counsellor and your friend I would be failing you if I didn't ask when you're clearly not alright. Do Vulcans feel emotion? I can feel how tense you are and how angry!"

"This is..." One of the nurses walked in.

"Hello doctor." She said cheerfully.

"Enough! You," he pointed to the nurse. "Get her some sugar." He stormed out.

Nurse Wilkins sighed. "He's been like that for a while now. Since just before we arrived to be exact."

"That's not good " Ariana shook her head. "He did say I could take walks, perhaps now is a good time." She gently slid out of bed. "I'll be back shortly." With that she followed Hades. "Hold on Doctor! Either you stop or I'll be the one making a formal statement that you need to be taken off duty."

He sighed and turned, "Make your statement if you must I am still the medical officer ranking while I breath. Back to bed with you and grab some cake. I have patients to see elsewhere."

He was able to slip into an opening turbo lift just as Braxton slipped out. Braxton stood looking at Ariana. "Are you alright?" He noted the look on her face.

Ariana motioned for Braxton to give her a moment as she calmed herself down. "Sorry....what is it with Hades? He's....angry, extremely angry," She sighed. "Would you walk me back? It seems my sugar levels are low enough to warrant cake!"

Braxton looked towards the lift with concern for his cousin. He sighed, "Let us go back and get you some cake." He waked with her. "I sense it too, when he walked by. I promise I will speak with Doctor Corrigan about it."

She nodded. "He's bottling it Mikhail, the longer he bottles what he's feeling the larger the explosion when he finally either accepts it or it overwhelms him and that won't be good. You know that as much as I do." She sighed. "I just want to help him that's all."

"Yes well that is Hades but this is different. I have seen his hands shake... I am hoping it is not the same illness that took him a while ago. He had just recovered before his posting here."

"What illness was that?" Ariana looked at Braxton as they walked.

"Nobody knows. It was...like a total body shut down. One morning we found him and he was comatose and stayed that way for a year. We've learned it's due to the genetic mix of El Aurian and Vulcan blood and DNA. He lives in fear that it will happen again."

"We have to do something to help him Mikhail, my senses may not be completely up to scratch but he's at levels of emotion I've never felt from a Vulcan before! The mix of emotional and non-emotional species in his genetic mix makes any instability worrying. He won't speak to me but maybe he'll speak to you?"

Braxton looked back for a moment before they entered sickbay again, "I will do what I can. He is a stubborn man." He turned back to Ariana. "Now in bed and eat cake."

Ariana grinned. "Of all things for low sugar, I wouldn't have thought medical staff would tell me to eat cake! Not that I'm complaining of course. Cake it is and I intend to enjoy it.

He smiled, "you must carry chocolate with you. Betazoids require it. I must admit being half Betazoid I am partial to it."

"Oh trust me it's the one thing I do indulge in after a long day at work!" She grinned. "This low sugar isn't going to be a problem is it?"

He shook his head. "No." He helped her back into the bio bed and replicated some chocolate cake. "Now if you will excuse me I will see to my cousin."

"Okay..." She smiled and tucked into the chocolate cake. She had to admit this was the best doctor's advice she'd ever had.

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