Stumble, not a Setback

Posted on Sun Aug 15th, 2021 @ 11:28am by Lieutenant Percival Bálor Ph.D & Lieutenant JG Elizabeth Stone

1,730 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Out of Time
Timeline: After - "Porcelain Rose"

Siren sat a bit nervously on the couch. She'd pulled the box out from below the couch. The hidden box. The box could have saved her a lot of heartache had she taken Paul's scoffing at it to heart, instead of writing it off. She took a deep breath and opened it. Inside were a set of plain, but very well made knitting needles.

She'd been doing well in physical therapy, and with Dr Varik. She might be ready to take up her secret hobby again, at least in very short burst. She'd start with the simplest technique, and a thick yarn. It was child's play, literally she'd learned to do this at age 8.

She took another deep breath and set things up. It wasn't long before her wrist was cramping though, and one look at her work showed that she'd done a better job at 8. She loosened her wrist up and focused. She could do this. It only got worse, and her wrist was now throbbing in time to her pulse.

One moment she was ready to boil over in rage and frustration, and the next the box was shattered against the wall, and she had a razor blade clumsily held in her left hand. Shit, shit shit shit. The mental mantra just continued. She knew better than this, she did. She hadn't even consciously gotten the razor blade. She flung it towards the shattered remains of her knitting box, and went back to mentally cursing. She was over this. She was over this. One failed knitting attempt for pete's sake and she was almost back to cutting? No. no no no no no. A stumble, not a setback. She's hadn't even touched the skin, she'd stopped. She was ok, she was ok.

She wasn't ok. If she stayed here alone, she was going to do something stupid. If she went out to the lounge to try and blow off steam, she was going to do something stupid. She needed to focus. What to do. She quickly grabbed her combadge and called Percy.

Percy was in his quarters, in bed, but asleep he was not. He was restless and every time he tried to count sheep and get some sleep, he would begin to nod off only to jerk awake having a nightmare about Amanda Rose. She truly was a demon, plaguing him in his everyday life and haunting his dreams. insufferable little red-headed gobshite he thought just before his communications badge lying on the nightstand chirped.

He reached across the bed and smacked it. "It's a quarter after one," he replied. It didn't matter who it was. He was not sleeping very well these nights though he was in general happy. "What is it?" he added.

"Percy. I need you to come to my quarters." Siren stated, actually sounding quite calm, but inside she was near panicking.

"Ugh" replied and a long sigh. "Right message, wrong sender. Now, say it again but be Yiv," he replied and chuckled. Good grief woman he thought to himself. "I'll be right there but give me a few minutes. I'm buck ass naked and nobody needs to see my love handles. Yeah that's right, I sleep commando."

"I don't fucking care, just get over here." And now the panic in her voice was there. She paced, then decided that wasn't working and just sat straight down, her hands under her ass.

what the Eff girl, you need laid more than I do he thought scrambling to get clothes on. He barely had his trousers on when stumbled out the door into the corridor shoeless. It sounded like there wasn't time to mess around with sticking his hooves into boots. He just trotted down the corridor with his socks on. "Move aside, Tellarite coming through! We got a pink alert, girl in distress."

As soon as her door opened Siren popped up and shoved her wrists in his face, practically hyperventilating. "I didn't. I didn't. I didn't" Her focus had narrowed to that fact, fixated on it.

He walked in and studied the mess, examined her, and it was not the first time Percy had seen what he saw. "JAYSUS!" he exclaimed, his Irish boiling up to the surface. His heart sank deep and he grabbed Siren and pulled her close. He held her for a moment and looked into her eyes "Are you okay? Do you need a Doctor?"

"No!" She instantly exclaimed. "I didn't" She finally managed to take a deep breath, making no move to remove herself from his embrace. She actually leaned in for just a moment, then took another breath. "I'm sorry to wake you up." She stepped back a bit. "I just.... I didn't want to do anything stupid. I couldn't think of what else to do, so I called you." She tried to explain herself.

He gave her a tighter hug. "And you can always call me, whenever you need to. That's what friends are for. We look out for one another, and don't force bad romantic comedies on one another because that's just shy of torture."

Siren laughed. "Thank you for that." She let herself be hugged, but then it got uncomfortable. A sure sign she was feeling better. She stepped back again, then finally looked around. "Shit, I made a mess." Then she blushed. The knitting needles and yarn were a dead giveaway. "You see nothing."

"You knit me a sweater or a scarf and I don't know anything, what yarn?" he replied and smiled. "So, this is your hobby? The yarn and such, not the wrist thing."

She didn't sniffle. She didn't, her nose just itched. "It used to be. I thought. Well I thought it would be better enough. I was clearly wrong." She walked over and started to pick up her mess with her left hand. The box was hopeless, she'd have to just toss it. But her knitting needles were fine. The yarn was probably not worth trying to untangle either. In fact, she should toss it all.

"It's not weakness," Percy said looking at Siren. He gestured to his wrist. "I don't know how long it's been or if you kept the scars, but they don't mean you are weak. They show a fighter, a survivor, someone that's strong, Siren. Relapses happen to the strongest of people. You showed your strength tonight by calling me."

"I know." She left the mess she's managed to pick up sitting on the replicator pad. The rest could wait. She plopped onto the couch. "I'm just tired. I'm tired of having everything taken from me. My career, my fiance, my fucking knitting." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'll be ok. Nothing happened." She looked over at him. "Thank you for coming over. Can you just stay for a bit?" She would be ok, she would. But not right now.

"Oh you didn't know?" Percy replied in a mocking but playful time. "You wake a guy up after midnight and have him come over, yeah he's spending the night. I can take the sofa, but I'll stay up a bit longer to keep you company. Now what the hell is all this you say? Fiancé? Well hey there. I don't know about this yet."

Siren chuckled. "He didn't take my brief stint as Security Chief well at all. We had an epic fight in the middle of sickbay, and I dumped his sorry ass." She smirked at him then. "I do know about the whole calling after midnight rule, but we both know you have eyes elsewhere." She waggled her brows playfully at him. "Even if you do have questionable taste." She couldn't help but tease.

"I have !questionable taste?" Percy scoffed. "I wasn't the one cuddled up with Amanda Rose watching romantic comedies. I mean the homoerotic subtext just writes itself there -lesbi-honest."

Siren burst out laughing even as she cringed. "If I were to suddenly decide to be experimental, I could do better." She kicked out at him, but the contact was light.

"Oh good. That's a relief," Percy replied. "If you were going to fall for Amanda Rose I was about to drag your ass down to the ship's chapel and research the rite of exorcism."

Siren just rolled her eyes. "Just leave me out of whatever little war you two are having. I really don't need or want the drama." She suddenly yawned. She curled up in the corner of the couch. "You're a good friend." She closed her eyes, suddenly exhausted.

"I have tried to end the war several times, Siren...several. According to her there isn't a war. It's all in my head because you know we all have serious issues and need her help, but she's perfectly sane."

"What happen to leaving me out of it?" Siren asked sleepily. "I'm sorry though. I believe you when you say you tried to end it."

Percy smiled. "Siren, I'll leave you out of it, but Amanda probably won't. She will spin things, wrap you up into this web she's weaved, and likely try to paint me as some sort of egotistical mastermind manipulating and pulling strings, but let's be honest..I'm not that smart nor that patient. Just remember that I'm you're friend, because I doubt Amanda will settle on putting this damn thing to rest."

"Just what I don't need. More drama. Think the Cappy would accept a transfer request?" She quipped. "I'm not that gullible though, no worries. You've been a good friend." Then she rambled in another direction." Start thinking of hobby ideas. I wonder if I should take up baking. But then I'd probably gain 10 pounds." Siren was practically mumbling, clearly leaning more towards sleep than coherent conversation.

Percy nodded. "I'd eat all the food for you. Now, time for you to head to your room and sleep. I'll settle in nicely on the couch, and I'll see you in the morning for breakfast."

The room seemed awfully far away, but she nodded and shuffled herself off to her room. "Ni Percy. Thank You." She called out before crossing the doorway and flopping onto her bed.

"Goodnight and sweet dreams," replied Percy.
___________________

Lieutenant Percival Bálor, Ph.D
Chief Science Officer
USS Ontario

Lieutenant JG Elizabeth "Siren" Stone
Assistant Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Ontario

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