Sleepless Nights
Posted on Wed Dec 1st, 2021 @ 2:03am by Remal Kajun & Captain Rhenora Kaylen
Mission:
*CD*
Location: Ikars Villa - Bajor Capitol - Outskirts
Timeline: Current End of Day 1
Later that night
The bed provided left something to be desired, but there was comfort in safety and peace of mind, right? It was sufficient and surprising no one, Remal nodded off first. A talent. Meanwhile Ikar, relentless as usual, remained just outside their door, ‘watching’ over them.
Rhenora was restless, her sleep was light and although the bed was comfortable she didn't feel safe with a Jem Hadar this close by. It was almost as though someone had picked up her dislike of Cardassians and amplified it without her even realizing it. She hadn't even seen a Jem Hadar since the war, let alone spoken to one or had dinner with one.
She turned over again, one arm underneath the pillow, snuggling her back into Remal's side so she could see the door. Why did she not trust him? Why was she so on edge?
Cursing herself under her breath she closed her eyes and schooled her body to relax, recalling the techniques she had learned so many years ago when sleep was hard to come by but still so absolutely necessary. Visualizing her body powering down, toes, feet and ankles, lower legs and knees and upper legs, deep slow breaths in between, focusing her mind on her body relaxing instead of the angst her subconscious was trying to confront her with. Pelvis, abdomen, lower back….slowing down as she progressed through her body.
************ Within a dream**********
I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord
And I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh lord
The night was dark, waves crashing on the nearby beach the soundtrack to the most important moment in both of their lives. Candles flickered as a storm raged, slashes of brilliant yellow followed immediately by a rumble of thunder so ferocious that it rattled the windows in their sills. The storm had disrupted the local power grid, shut down the transporters and grounded all shuttles. They were well and truly on their own, and of course, her body had decided this would be the perfect time to deliver their child. This was not how it was supposed to be, she was supposed to be calm, Remal and her support team aiding the journey, guiding and assisting seamlessly the arrival of the Emissaries' infant. Instead, she felt near panic as her body rebelled against her, driven by millennia of genetics to do just as it was doing despite what her headstrong mind wanted. Whether she wanted it or not, she would give birth tonight. The question would be if the visions she had experienced time and time again would come to pass?
She had tried to calm her mind and her body, tried to enter the trance-like state Bajorans are supposed to effortlessly deliver their children in, but it was far beyond her reach. This was primal, raw and as far from a trance as one could possibly get.
A candle flickered as a draft whispered under one of the doors, driven by the take and ferocious rain indoors. It danced and bent as though moved by an invisible force, echoing the struggle within the room.
Drenched in sweat she stalked from one end of the room to the other, frazzled and frustrated and angry with the Prophets for throwing her into this situation. Little did she know it was all about protection. If they couldn't move around in the storm, neither could anyone else. All pretense of control was gone, for someone very much used to being in control, she wasn’t coping with the lack of it.
A sharp and deliberate kick from within was enough to wake from the nightmare, leaving her breathless and frazzled as the dream faded from her mind like a retreating fog with the coming of dawn.
She hoped she hadn't woken Ikar or Remal with her restless dreams. She had had this dream before, but this one was slightly different, it felt more real, more truthful. With a groan Rhenora rolled over and attempted to get back to sleep, she would need her mind to be sharp tomorrow.
He sensed her struggles and a moment after she rolled over, he rolled over as well, wrapped his arm around her and snuggled uptight. She was in distress and though this was not a time to talk about it, he was sure she would share in the morning. He ignored the sweaty wetness and focused on just being the weighted comfort he felt she needed.
She snuggled into his bulk, the feeling of safety and security providing the reassurance she needed to get some sleep. From that point, her dreams were no longer as unsettling.
TBC
