Prescription Please (Part 1)

Posted on Sat Jun 27, 2015 @ 3:47pm by Commander Caleb Ryan & Civilian Aleczandra Naqiis-Ryan

1,318 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Eye of the Beholder
Location: Quarters
Timeline: MD 3/0700

It was the searing pain in his leg that woke Caleb. It wasn’t an uncommon thing. Mornings were always the worst, but his leg only flared up like this occasionally. The strangled cry Caleb only allowed to partially come forth before he bit his pillow. Once his brain had registered and adapted to the pain, he slapped his hand at his bedside table, pulling open the drawer where he kept a small black case.

Caleb forced himself to sit up, tossing aside the blankets. His hard, muscled body was covered in sweat. He fumbled the case open and pulled out the hypospray. And then he noticed he was out of cartridges.

“Shit…” Caleb’s head thumped back against the wall hard enough to bring stars to his vision. It was a new pain that distracted from his leg. The wicked scar along his thigh was healed, just puckered, hard flesh. That thigh wasn’t as filled out as his other, indicating some muscle loss. To Caleb, it seemed to throb with each beat of his heart, but he knew it wasn’t.

“Daddy?”

Caleb looked up. He hadn’t even heard his door open. Aleczandra stood there in an oversized shirt, leaving her long, lean legs bare. Her rainbow-colored hair was tousled from sleep and her blue eyes filled with concern.

“It’s okay, Zandy-Bear,” Caleb grunted, pushing himself up a bit further.

“Another spasm?” Zandra asked, coming to sit on the edge of the bed, keenly aware that her father was just in his boxers. Inside of her, Kinony and Mika were very interested and she flushed with their thoughts inside of her head. Ew! Not now! Not ever! But those feelings were a part of her now, and she wasn’t quite sure how to deal with them.

“Yeah,” Caleb said. “And out of my painkillers.” He tossed the case and hypospray onto the table beside him.

“Didn’t you have Dr. Mahone fill it before we left Leto?” Zandra asked. “Or Dr. Desatu on the Nemesis?”

Caleb shook his head. “Leg was doing well, an’ there was so much ta do with the move, Ah plum forgot,” he admitted ruefully.

“Well, get some more.”

“Nemesis isn’t in dock anymore,” Caleb pointed out.

“The station has a doctor,” Zandra said, giving him that teenage look that let him know he was being stupid, in her opinion.

Caleb smirked. “New doc means new physical an’ all kindsa questions,” he reminded.

“They should have your file, right?” Aleczandra frowned.

“Never met a doctor that trusted another doctor’s word,” Caleb chuckled. “They all want to do the work themselves.”

Zandra shrugged. “What do you have to worry about? I’m the one avoiding doctors, right? I don’t want to see you in pain like this.” She put her hand on his leg, gazing into his eyes.

Caleb stared back, those eyes so much like Mika’s. For a moment his breath caught, his heart stopping as the grief came surging back.

Both of them looked away, unable to handle the intensity of their feelings, but for different reasons.

“You should get ready for school,” Caleb told her.

“Let me help first,” Zandra said. “I expect you’re not calling in sick?”

“My first week on the job?” Caleb replied rhetorically.

“Stubborn ass,” Zandra said, just like Mika used to say. “Lie back. Let me at least help you loosen up until you can get on your feet.”

There wasn’t much Caleb could do. He wasn’t getting out of bed until the spasms ended. He watched Aleczandra push her rainbow hair back and exit the bedroom. He pulled the sheet back over him as she came back with a tall glass of cold water. He drank half of it down as his daughter settled on the bed again, pushing the sheet off his leg.

Caleb sighed. Aleczandra’s fingers were like magic as they massaged his thigh. He didn’t know where she’d suddenly learned that magic touch. No, correction. He did. Mika had given him massages quite often. She said Kinony had been an expert masseuse. Of course, Kinony and Mika’s massages had been a lot less…therapeutic.

Okay, not thoughts Caleb wanted to have with his daughter kneeling on the bed next to him.

“How’s that feel?” Zandra asked.

“Much better, thanks.”

“Want to try getting up?”

“Sure. Grab me mah sweats?”

Zandra rolled her eyes. “You’re just going to take them off again to get in the shower. It would be easier to just leave them off. It’s nothing I haven’t seen befo—“ She cut off.

Again, the awkwardness.

“Come on.” Zandra broke the silence and grabbed his arm, heaving him bodily to his feet and letting him lean on her for support.

“Thanks, Bear,” Caleb murmured as they hobbled to the bathroom.

“I’ll get breakfast,” Aleczandra said. She got him a fresh uniform and left him to get in the shower himself.

Caleb undressed and leaned against the wall of the shower. He put his thigh next to one of the sonic emitters, letting the low throb of the sonic waves loosen his muscle further. By the time Aleczandra called him for breakfast he was feeling half himself again.

Caleb dressed carefully and hobbled out of the bathroom. He eased himself up onto a stool at the table and gratefully took the coffee Zandra handed him. At least the pain had subsided enough that he didn’t want to vomit.

“Help yourself,” Zandra said, putting a plate of eggs and bacon and toast in front of him. “My turn for the bathroom!”

Hungrily, Caleb tucked into the food. Before he realized it, it was time to go.

“ZANDY!” Caleb yelled. “You’re gonna be late for school!”

“Of course I am,” Zandra said as she came out of her bedroom. Rainbow hair was perfect now, combed out and framing her face. Black eyeliner made her blue eyes pop, and a touch of color to her cheeks, lips glossy pink. She wore her school uniform, a blue dress that came to mid-thigh and hugged her young figure, finished with black knee boots, her PADD tucked in her shoulder bag. “I’m going to make sure you get to Sickbay first.”

Caleb shook his head. “Ah can find mah own way.”

Aleczandra snorted. “Like I trust you to get yourself to the doctor?” she smirked. “You forget. I have Mom. She always had to drag you kicking and screaming to your physicals.”

“Ah never forget that,” Caleb said quietly.

More awkward silence, avoiding eye contact.

“I’m sorry,” Zandra murmured. “I just…care…”

Caleb gave a soft smile and pulled his daughter in for a hug. “Fine,” he said. “We’ll get you a doctor’s note,” he chuckled.

Zandra wriggled away. “You’ll wrinkle my uniform!”

Caleb gave her the fatherly stink-eye. “That dress is too tight ta wrinkle. Ah think ya input the wrong size.”

Zandra grinned. “You noticed?” she laughed. “How do I look?” She turned.

“Like Ah should make ya go change.”

“But there’s no time,” Zandra smirked, sticking her tongue out at him. She quickly disappeared into his bedroom and returned, tossing him his cane.

Caleb made a face, but caught the cane. It was black wood with a silver top that consisted of two rattlesnakes curled around the upper part with the heads going out in opposite directions to form the handle. Caleb hated using it, didn’t like to appear weak, but sometimes it was needed, especially in the mornings when his leg was still stiff from sleep. He usually just walked it off and so didn’t need the assistance, but when his injury flared up, it was necessary.

TBC

Lt. Cmdr. Caleb Ryan
Chief of Security/Tactical

Aleczandra Naqiis-Ryan
Daughter
NPC Caleb Ryan

 

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