Are You Okay?

Posted on Tue Sep 2nd, 2025 @ 7:15am by Commander Jennifer Baldric & Commander Dean House

1,145 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Character Development
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Backlog

Since leaving the Bridge, Sickbay was his only focus and the direction he was headed. Technically this wasn't breaking their agreement about staying professional during duty hours. Sickbay doesn't count and he did wait until things calmed down before doing so. Still there now next to the Bio-bed that Jennifer was on. Simply waiting for her to wake up, holding her hand, giving the back of it a kiss.

Baldric stirred at the motion, feeling something make contact with her hand enough to rouse her from the cocktail of sedatives and painkillers they were using to keep her still while she healed. It took a few moments before she had the strength to open her eyes and another before her eyes followed the contact with her hand back to its owner.

"Hey stranger...missed you"

"I missed you too," Dean gave her a soft smile and kissed the back of her hand again. "Aren't I suppose to be the one doing stupid shit?"

"If I recall from the Doc's report, you did do some stupid shit" Jen mused as she rolled over to face him, forcing the drowsiness into the background for a few moments. "Something about pathogen hosts and drawing antibodies to help the planet....and Sarah" her eyes lingered first on Dean then on the unconscious Sarah on the next biobed.

"Oh that? That was just a little thing. Silly zombies. Hey, I got this badass shield out of it." Dean shifted just enough she could partially see it on his back. "Sarah will be okay."

" I hope so, I heard you all were pretty, you know, touch n go for a while" Her eyes drifted to the shield. "Hey...that what I think it is?" There was a random memory of a long ago movie with something similar.

He raised an eyebrow, touch and go? Not as far as he was aware of. "That is what you may think it is."

"How did you?..." the words faltered as her eyes lingered on the shield. "So it's permanent?" She knew this was important to Dean and she wanted him to feel seen and appreciated.

Dean pulled it off and gave room if she wanted to hold it. "Replicator. Aurora and I were stuck in Sickbay with the Doc when the zombie things were on board. Use it as a well..shield from them. Keep them from grabbing us, bust some heads with it."

"And you reckon the Captain will let you wear it on the bridge?" There was a playfulness in her voice that belayed her condition. "Can you imagine even?" There was a light giggle that died far too soon. The Doctor frowned at them from afar and returned to whatever it was he was doing.

"I don't know, there's only one way to find out. Though she didn't seem to notice before I came down here, or..didn't care right now." Dean smiled since she was up beat and in a good mood. Giving a curious glance at the frown from the Doctor.

"I'm over this place already, Doc says tomorrow I can bust out if my brain doesn't decide to swell anymore. Apparently there are drugs for that...but they require supervision" her words were almost defeated. "I swear I'll go nuts."

Dean looked back to Jennifer, "I don't have anything to do, I can stick around and supervise I suppose."

"You mean you'll make sure my brain doesn't explode all over your quarters...or we could go to mine. Same diff" she shrugged, sitting upright and wriggling her toes as though to make sure they still worked. "You reckon the Doc will buy it?"

"Well of course I would. I mean unless you have some kind of parasite in your brain and I have to let your brain explode of course." Dean smiled and his tone teasing. Looking to her toes wiggling and that was the best opportunity to find out how she was.

His hands moved seductively down her thigh, then to her foot. Fingers starting to tickle. He'd hoped that it would get a positive response so the Doc would let them take her home instead of sickbay. He could torment her with 20th century movies or TV shows.

"Oi!" Baldric squeaked, recoiling her feet as they were tickled. "That's not playing fair" she laughed, the emotion banishing the darkness of the last day's. Tarsis looked up with a raised eyebrow.

"Feeling better i take it. You know the drill about bot being on your own for 24 hours, and I'm assuming the Commander here will vouch for your well-being." He looked at them both critically before reviewing her data one last time. "Go...be gone. Come back tomorrow 1000 hours"

Glances to Tarsis then back to Jennifer, "Well see, there you go." Moving back and holding his hand out, once she slid off of the biobed he took the shield off and held it out. "It's not a hammer, but still." She should get the reference.

"Well we can't all be Thor... or whoever his name was" Jen smirked as she stood, testing her balance for a moment before taking his hand. "Now... let us be off and out of this place before Tarsis changes his mind."

"Yes, Thor. There is a female Thor. Would you like to be mine?" Dean smirked a bit and let her test herself and balance before trying to help if necessary. Taking the shield back. "There's nothing wrong with Sickbay," said loud enough so Tarsis could hear. "Except, there's nothing to do. Could have TVs in here, or monitors, or more PaDDs, even real books."

"If people are in sickbay, they should be resting, not entertained" Tarsis tossed at them as the doors opened before the two, a winked softening the words. "Go. Books, TV, whatever, however she needs to take it easy for 24 hours."

Dean raised an eyebrow looking in Tarsis direction still, "You do realize that part of the reason they don't like it, is because it's drab, and nothing to do. There was one time more than not, that I almost died and that was a god send. Something to do other than laying about with only your own thoughts. Come now, Doctor, even you should understand that."

"Yes boss" Baldric smirked as the doors finally closed and ensured her freedom from the boredom of Sickbay. Her head still hurt a bit but it was worth busting out of there, she could deal with a headache.
"So....yours or mine?"

"What we work on first," he let go of her, sliding his arm from her waist, "You walk the rest of the way to the Turbolift without assistance, then you get to decide."

"That's a fair deal." She made it to the turbolift without assistance, but leant on him as they waited for the lift. "Mine are closer"

TBC

 

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