*** Sickbay * USS Chimera *** {{It went well}} Rangi was satisfied with the first emergency that the new Sickbay had dealt with. She was pleased that her team had responded so well, that the equipment (after so many hiccups)had worked perfectly and that the injuries, though in one case severe, had not brought fatalities. The three men in question would make a full recovery with only a story to tell of the event. Sgt.Longser suffered concussion and minor burns.He would be released after an overnight stay as would the centaurian PFC Jascar. The gash on his head, though deep, was no cause for alarm. The burns which had looked so bad had been treated. Lt Richards had been the most seriously hurt, with a broken leg,two broken ribs,a puntured right lung, burns and other minor abrasions and cuts. Rangi began writing a report for Major Nejor detailing the injuries and estimated time for release of his men. She moved quietly from one to the next. The first two slept but as she neared the third biobed, she saw the Lt grimace in pain for a second or so and heard the in take of his breath. He opened his eyes and saw her. "Rangi...I.....I want ... you.." His words were hardly more than a whisper, disjointed and yet compelling. "What is it?" she asked going quickly to his side and checking the monitors."Do you have pain?" He swallowed and tried to speak again. "No....I w....want....." "You need to rest Rob. Try to sleep." "....to talk to you..." Laying a hand on his shoulder as he tried to move she shook her head. "I need...to tell you...something.." he said haltingly and looked at her with mute appeal in his eyes. She hesitated. "What is it then?" she asked quietly leaning nearer to him, torn between wanting him to settle and rest at that moment or letting him say what he seemed to think was so desperately important. He felt for her hand and held it with surprising firmness. "I know...you're with..Guzman now." he said holding her gaze and seeing her frown "...thats what ...I..." He couldnt prevent a moan of pain escaping him. Rangi freed her hand and turned to the side table, quickly picking up and checking the loaded hypospray. She administered the dose of painkiller. "Dont talk about it now. " she told him."Just rest...its what you need." He lay silently as the medication began to take effect.Rangi took up the padd and updated his notes. "I never meant to scare you...or hurt you...it was..never intentional...never...you know that?....Rangi?" She paused and met his gaze. "If I hadnt seen Sandi that day.." his voice said steadily in a quiet tone."Nothing would have gone wrong.....it was a mistake...a stupid 'stupid' mistake". He was willing her to reply..to have the 'talk' he had asked for for so long. They regarded each other in silence. "Look.." Rangi laid the padd down, considered her words for a moment and stepped nearer to him. "At the time..I was upset by it...what did you expect?..everything we planned was destroyed....but I can see the larger picture now." His attention was centred on her words and his eyes never wavered from her face. "We were too young...to much in a rush...we werent suited were we?...not really." she asked answering her own question. "It was bound to happen..the end came sooner rather than later thats all. If it hadnt been Sandi..then it would have been someone else...or some'thing' else." "We loved each other." he said simply." "...and we were happy..I made you happy didnt I?..." "Ofcourse you did..ofcourse we were happy for a while.But it was a short while..before the... arguments, the blame, the anger..before all that set in. I didnt want to live like that and neither did you....did you Rob?" Rob began to reply but squeezed his eyes as a spasm of pain swept across his face. She instinctively reached to his hand, concern springing to her expression. After a moment his eyes opened. "Please rest now.." she said. He gave the slightest shake of his head "Tell me one thing..." his eyes met hers again. "If...Guzman....asked you to... give it all up...what would the answer be?" Rangi broke their gaze and looked down at the coverlet,head bowed, remembering a day when such a question had been asked. "He would never ask it.." she said in a voice scarcely more than a whisper and raised her eyes to find his studying her. "But if he did...?....your career...?...your plans....?" She lifted her head and looked at him directly, almost defiantly. He knew her answer before it came. "Then I would say 'yes'" He closed his eyes and relaxed the fingers that had held hers. She looked down at them for a long time before gently laying his hand across his body. Glancing once more at his passive face, she saw that sleep had claimed him and hoped that now, at last, he would accept it. ***End Log*** Ltjg Rangi Summers CMO USS Chimera & Lt Robert Richards as.ODA com. npc by Rangi