Just Trill Things

Posted on Tue Jun 10th, 2025 @ 4:07am by Ensign Ezmyrae Varin & Lieutenant Didrea Zade

Mission: Character Development
Location: Zade's Quarters, USS Athena
Timeline: MD7 - Morning
2648 words - 5.3 OF Standard Post Measure

The quiet of Zade's quarters was interrupted by the hum of the transporter, which deposited two figures in the space. As much as she appreciated finally being released to quarters, Zade would have rather done it alone, however she understood the presence of the Trill-shaped crutch beside her, ready to offer support. It was strange, seeing the quarters untouched during her unplanned absence, but it wasn't enough to keep the tension in her shoulders from easing up a bit. While strange, it was far better than the sterile blandness of sickbay.

After the transport completed, Zade waited a second before cautiously taking a step, a hand gently on Myra's shoulder just in case. The downside to convincing Ame to release her early was that she was stuck with a compression sleeve around her thigh, which helped support the healing leg injury. She pressed her lips together at the discomfort and made sure to take her time in the five-step journey to the couch. "I'd offer you something to drink, but it's probably better if you help yourself," she said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

In a way, it was fair to say Myra had been given no opportunity to fully process her current situation. Having not met the Lieutenant prior to helping piece her back together, the gravity of being responsible for a senior officer's well-being within the privacy of Zade's own sanctuary was lost amidst the more immediate concerns surrounding the set-up of monitoring equipment to permit the officer's remote convalescence. It was only a matter of calibrating the dispenser to manage the timing of antibiotics and pain-medication but it was exactly the kind of responsibility that would thrust the Security Chief back into danger territory if the pair of them didn't establish a good routine.

"I can get you something if you like," the young Trill paused in the process of stabilising the dispenser on the kitchen bench.

Zade waved her hand, turning down the offer. Reaching the couch after what felt like minutes, she shifted to brace her hand into the arm rest before gently guiding herself to sit. While most of yesterday was spent sleeping, she still found herself exhausted, not helped by Mason and Savin visiting earlier. The burden of the department was clearly not hers to carry for the meantime. "I'm alright for now, thanks," she answered, leaning back into the couch and closing her eyes. "So how does this setup work exactly?"

"Oh, this?"

It as a perfectly reasonable question and, as Myra turned to stare at the device as if seeing it for the first time, she flushed a little at the awkwardness of her response and reached out a hand to settle on the small box. "Ostensibly, it's just a storage box. Temperature controlled, because its full of pre-measured doses," she added, "but otherwise not particularly fancy. I think the Chief mentioned ordering in some of the portable medical replicators now that they've been upgraded for starship use but we don't have any yet." You're rambling. "Anyway, this will dispense your prescription of painkillers and antibiotics, in conjunction with the device you're wearing."

Drawing in a deep breath, Myra approached the Security Chief and kneeled to lean against the arm of the sofa, which allowed for not only decent balance but let her check the medical cuff Zade had been fitted with before leaving Sickbay. Wrapped snuggly around the woman's upper-arm, the only indication it was there was the slight bulge where the detachable capsule protruded.

"This snaps off," she continued, mimicking the action without actually deactivating the device. "Then it attaches to the dispenser to be refilled. You won't have to worry about doing that, I'll be handling it when I stop by to update your bloodwork. Every six hours," Myra added, offering what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "And you can call at any time if something doesn't feel right."

Zade had reopened her eyes when she heard Myra approach, looking at the band on her arm that was half-hidden by the sleeve of the shirt she had been discharged with. Nodding at the instruction, Zade turned her attention to the other Trill and offered a slight smile in return. The idea of a visit every six hours only served as a reminder that she truly didn't have time to herself until the medical staff decided she was back to normal, but at least she had the luxury of recuperating in her quarters. "Makes sense." If there was any displeasure over the continued lack of privacy, she didn't show it. "And how long should this last?"

The slightly rueful tug of the young doctor's lips spoke volumes. "It depends on your progress," Myra replied gently, the eyes that scanned the older woman's face too poignant with empathy to be anything other than sincere. Convalescence was hard, and if the Lieutenant's experience was true to form, she would have inherited the same impatience for non-productivity that many Trill succumbed to. The universe was difficult to explore from one's couch, after all. "We need to keep a close eye on secondary infections and..." Myra hesitated. "Some of your injuries wouldn't have responded well to invasive techniques. Sometimes healing can't be rushed."

The only obvious indication that the head of security disliked that answer was a frown toeing the boundaries of a light pout. Being told to simply take it easy and allow the body to heal left Zade with a stubborn insistence to find something to make herself useful, despite the limitations imposed on her. "Right," she sighed. "Are there any movement restrictions beyond the obvious inability to run a marathon?" The healing bones alone were enough to restrict how much she moved around the ship or even in her quarters, but broken bones weren't her only injuries.

"Out-patient care does generally require a confinement to quarters," Myra explained hesitantly, taking no pleasure in adding to the Chief's woes. "You should be okay to get yourself food and use the bathroom, though no sonic shower with the device on. We'll, uh, tend to all that during one of my visits. "As much as possible, I would advise that you remain in one place, however. Any exertion is likely to fatigue you quite quickly and that will elevate the risk of a fall."

Zade nodded, the action solely an acknowledgement of an answer she didn't really want to hear. The knowledge that she couldn't do something as simple as shower on her own only reinforced the lack of privacy. "Be careful, don't overexert, and no showers. Got it," she repeated back. "I suppose there are some holomovies I've been meaning to watch."

The attempt at pragmatic optimism made Myra smile, though it was almost immediately overshadowed by a surge of empathy she had no appropriate means of expressing. Now wasn't the time to disclose just how personally she understood the Security Chief's situation. Hesitating, most of the set-up now complete, the young doctor hovered awkwardly for a moment before asking, "Is there anything I can grab for you before I go?"

A prompted self-assessment made Zade aware of the soreness again. Never intense enough to cause pain, but always present, like how it sometimes felt after she lifted weights. Absentmindedly, she rested a hand on the sore area, which happened to be near her abdomen and to the side. "Maybe a heating pad? Or something similar to ease soreness?"

Myra froze for a moment, not because the request was an odd one, but because she felt instantly apologetic for not having anticipated it herself. "Of course," she moved quickly to the supplies Ame had sent her with and returned with several pads of varying sizes. "See which one feels the most comfortable." As she waited, she studied the older woman's face intently. "Are you dizzy at all?," she eventually asked, her tone quiet despite the fact there was nobody to overhear.

With a nod of thanks, Zade accepted the pads and gave a couple of them a try. "No, mostly just fatigued," she answered, deciding on a pad that she liked. Using the back of her hand to test the temperature, she deemed it too hot for direct skin contact, so she rested it on the outside of her shirt, on the spot she had rested her hand earlier. "There was a little dizziness when we first got here but it went away once I sat down." The older Trill studied Myra for a moment. Something about her hinted to a wisdom few had at her age. "Is dizziness something to watch out for, aside from the obvious increased fall risk?"

A surge of panic twisted Myra's insides, completely irrational and yet potent enough to make her blanch. Scurrying for the right clinical response to clarify her concern, the young doctor opened her mouth, struggled for a moment, and then forced herself to at least pretend she was a professional simply executing her responsibilities. "Your abdominal injuries caused some glandular damage." There wasn't really the same need to go into details with Zade as there had been with NVeid; every Trill knew what risks blunt-force trauma to that area of the body could mean. "Hormonal fluctuations may present as dizziness, difficulty concentrating, headaches..." Myra's shoulder relaxed into a sympathetic slump. "I'm sure you know the signs."

Oh. Right. Myra's concern was a bit clearer. Solemnly, Zade nodded her response, silently thankful that this was coming up in the privacy of her quarters and not in the public eye of sickbay. During the Initiate Program, she was informed that significant damage to the abdomen could impact her ability to join, and the three symptoms the younger Trill mentioned were part of a longer list shared with initiates. "Am I still able to join? Or is it too early to tell?" The question was hushed, reflecting Zade's internal concern.

I don't want to have this conversation.

Not for the longest time had Myra been confronted by such a strong urge to flee. She was grateful to have put some distance between herself and the Lieutenant because there seemed no way that the furious thud of her heart wouldn't have deafened both of them.

"There is bruising to the membrane but no perforation that we found." Her voice sounded distant to her own ears, having left the vast majority of her response to auto-pilot. "The glandular damage is likewise superficial but it will require monitoring."

She wanted to say more, to let the other woman know that she had watched her levels like a hawk for the entire surgery. That she had insisted on thorough scans once the Lieutenant was stabilised enough to warrant investigation of the more minor injuries. How she'd fumbled and flailed to adequately express the need to prioritise, that there was nothing minor about potential loss of compatibility, how no Trill would ever dismiss the possibility as an acceptable sacrifice no matter how unlikely such an injury was to be actually fatal. She said none of it though, just as she mentioned nothing of her own reasons for empathy. Instead, Myra swallowed and forced a smile.

"You should heal just fine."

There was something in Myra's response that made Zade's expression soften into something more understanding. That learned wisdom was there again. "Getting blown up hasn't impacted my ability to read people." She didn't need to verbally point out the tension in the redhead's body language, or how tight-lipped that smile was. The last thing she needed to be in this moment was the head of security, for her own sake as much as Myra's. "You are under no obligation to share whatever you're holding back, but you will get no judgement from me."

You're here to do your job, not add to her problems.

Interestingly, the older woman's compassion was enough to snap some sense back into Myra. There was no question, of course, of confiding in the other Trill. Even if it had been an appropriate time, which it wasn't, and if they knew each other sufficiently for divulgence to pair easily with trust, which they didn't, it certainly wasn't even remotely responsible to lean into her own issues when the Lieutenant was recovering from significant trauma. Myra relaxed, this time a little more genuinely, and softened her implied apology with an explanation that was at least partially truthful.

"I had to advocate for the importance of being able to properly reassure you when the time came, which may have broached the issue of whether you intend to petition for Joining or not." It was an intrusion, a necessary one, but something that was still enough to make the wince on Myra's face nothing to do with her own loss. "I'm sorry if that leads to any awkward questions."

That news wasn't quite what Zade had expected, though it wasn't really fair to say she knew what she was expecting. She could feel her cheeks heat up with embarrassment. While she had never really minded talking about symbiosis if it came up, it just wasn't something Trills talked about, especially to those who couldn't join. It was a deeply personal matter, often compared to enquiring about the intimate details of someone's sex life. More importantly, she was denied a voice in the conversation, albeit through the mere fault of unfortunate timing, and that bothered her.

"I... um... I understand. Thanks for the heads up," Zade responded, after finding her voice again. No wonder Myra seemed so uncomfortable... no Trill should be in that situation. "You did what you had to." As much as she wanted to know who asked about such personal information, she really didn't want to know at the moment. Even if she did know, and she asked to talk, they'd likely have to come to her, which was another intrusion that would only further strip her autonomy.

Relief came with a portion of guilt. Nothing that Myra had said had been false, and it was important that she gave the Lieutenant fair warning, or at the very least transparency over a situation where she'd been forced to speak on her behalf despite being a total stranger. The guilt was more aligned to the solace of being able to use the explanation as a shield, though Myra didn't really think Zade would thank her for sharing an exceptionally personal situation of her own with no prior connection to warrant the intimacy.

"They mean well." This was as much to reassure herself as anything else. "Though I did make a point of saying it wasn't any of my business to know or discuss."

The conversation had become awkward enough that Myra felt like she'd more than definitely overstayed her welcome. Drawing in a deep breath, she mustered another smile, albeit a little rueful, and added, "And with that, I should let you rest. Either myself or someone else will check in with you in six hours to check your dressings and change over your meds. If you need anything before then, though, let us know."

All Zade could really do in response was nod, and even after Myra had left, the older Trill didn't move from the couch, staring passively at the table as her cheeks continued to burn. What would she do with this knowledge? What could she do? She was only thankful that she had been informed in a space where she felt comfortable. After what felt like several long minutes, she asked the computer to play a holomovie, something to shake the intrusive feeling that kept her stomach in a knot. It would blow over, eventually... she only hoped that the one who intruded on her privacy would dismiss it as something worth forgetting.