Dark Night Of The Soul

Posted on Thu Oct 10th, 2024 @ 12:36pm by Lieutenant JG Zai & Lieutenant Chloe O'Connor MD

1,026 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Zai's Quarter | USS Arcadia
Timeline: Current

ON:

Zai had come back to his quarters and had pretty much laid down right by the door just curled into a ball. He had gone through all that he said to Fang, he even gave a little hint as to who he was but luckily Fang hadn't noticed. He went over the hurt and pain on Fangs face but also his own pain was washing over him. This had literally been the biggest fight they'd had and he'd sent this resignation. The Ensign had reported that Fang had shattered it and that was as good as no. Part of him was relived but another part felt like it was too much. There was so much going on in his soul and mind and even his body was betraying him. It was pure chaos.

True to her word, Doctor O'Connor had gone straight from engineering to see one of the medical bay's most recently discharged patients. By all accounts, this was not the restful time he had been ordered to take although she was still unsure as to what was exactly going on. Sometimes it was best not to know too much.

Standing outside the lieutenant's quarters she pressed the door chime and waited. And waited. Finally she relented and rang the door chime again and a few times more before finally getting a response.

It had taken many a chime to get through to Zai. At first he thought his ears were pinging and then he thought his mind was going. Finally it filtered through that the chime was buzzing at his door. It wasn't Fang. He could sense a different emotion. He sat up from his position on the floor a few steps from the door itself. His hair was in a ponytail that had loosened to create a mess, his eyes swollen and red and he was pale and slightly trembling. There was also that persistent throbbing where his heart was but that was more from the earlier incident then anything physical. His voice called out, rusty and husky from his yelling match with Fang, "Come in."

“Just to warn you, we are gonna start charging for house calls by the second,” Chloe warned as she was finally given permission to enter. She had decided best to keep things as far away from whatever chaos was going on as possible. “I came to make sure you were following orders and resting.”

Of course she knew he hadn’t been but that wasn’t the point. Holding up an empty vial she added, “and I need to run an updated bloodwork. Just think of me as your neighborhood vampire. Grab yourself a seat and I will be out of your hair in two seconds.”

He looked at her. "I'm fine." He didn't argue though. He stood up, off the floor, with great effort. It took him a few tries but he got to his feet and shuffled into a seat. "I'm resting, didn't it look like I'm resting when you came in?"

“Actually you looked a little like my friend Nadine when she broke up with her fiancé,” she admitted as he sat. “And I am fairly sure right now, I could push you over with a finger. I mean I won’t, it’s too much paperwork and I’d rather not.”

Taking a sample she hummed a little tune to herself as the vial filled with blood. Sample taken, she sealed it in the kit bag to analyse on her return to the medical bay. “Before I run this I need to ask, have you take any medication that was not prescribed? Or consumed any alcohol in the last twenty four hours?”

"First," He made a 'pffft' sound. "I didn't break up with my fiancé. Second no medication, yes alcohol, half a bottle of the good stuff."

“Good stuff? Let me guess, Grappa?”

"Well that's good but I needed something with a bitter taste. Engineer's hooch. No effect on me."

Her arched eyebrow made it abundantly clear that she wasn’t buying the ‘no effect‘ claim. Reaching into the med kit she pulled out a small chocolate bar and tossed it to him, “sugar, it will help. Slightly better than hooch or Grappa.”

Sealing the bag she straightened. “The counsellor said she is planning to stop by later. Whatever this is,” she said with a sympathetic smile, “I have no medication on the world which can fix it. But I think the counsellor will get you there, if you let her help.

And I am ordering actual rest. In a bed. With no more detours to engineering,” she added. “I don’t pretend to know what is going on but at some point perhaps you and Lieutenant Fang need to have a conversation. But not today. Now, come on, I want to make sure you are tucked up in bed before I leave.”

He looked at her. "You are pushy!" He smiled a bit obviously a tiny bit tipsy. "I like pushy! It's all about kicking butt." He looked at the chocolate bar. "I can't argue with sugar." He looked down at himself, he hadn't changed but didn't have the energy to change right now. He headed into the bedroom and crawled onto the bed. "There is nothing to talk about with Lee Fang. I know my place, a worker bee and nothing more."

“Nothing wrong with being a working bee,” she assured him as she pulled the blanket over him, “otherwise nothing would ever get done. Sweet dreams, Lieutenant.”

He was out before she finished her sentence. The last few days and hours having taken their toll on him. He knew that she was right, he needed to talk to Fang but that would not come anything soon. Both sides had said things that they probably regret, more so him then Fang but for now, he would let the oblivion of sleep overtake him. Just before he entered sleep fully he wondered if he would dream or if the nightmares would visit again tonight. Gods knew that he didn't need the nightmares. Maybe life would cut him this one break.


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