<<OCC: this takes place at about the same time Shane Guzman is recovering as well>> =/\= Sickbay =/\= Thomas O'Connell walked into sickbay with Athena over his shoulder and started scanning for someone to help him. Dr. Quiocho saw the doors open and thought {Here we go again, whoopee} as she headed for the man who just walked in. As Maikai came closer to the marine, she noticed the man had a woman flipped over his shoulder. {Wonder which one needs the help} the young doctor thought. "Can I help you," she asked as she approached. "Well... um... Yes," the marine replied. "I sort of bumped into this lady," he started as he shrugged the shoulder that Athena lay over, "I think she needs help." Maikai was trying to see through all the black hair that covered the woman's face as she listened to the marine. {Oh my God, its the counselor.} Maikai started walking toward a biobed and said, "Just lay her down here." The young doctor wasted no time in inoculating the counselor. {Another one of those nighties} she thought as she rolled her eyes and systematically began checking Athena's vitals and administering any other need medication. Maikai turned to the marine and said, "You did the right thing bringing her here. She'll be sleeping for a while." Then Dr. Quiocho walked off in search of a cup of coffee. =/\= Later =/\= Athena woke up feeling stiff and with a raging headache. She lay where she was blinking her eyes hoping they would adjust to the brightness eventually. It seemed like forever but her eyes were finally beginning to focus and she recognized she was in sickbay. She groaned inwardly as flashes of memories flipped through her head. The little bits of memories didn't make Athena feel any better. {Maybe I can just slip back to my room and disappear for a month or so} she thought. She slowly worked herself up to a sitting position and then let her legs fall over the edge. She eased herself to the floor and took a look around. Athena wished everything wasn't fuzzy around the edges yet but she chalked it up to her headache. She started off toward the door like she was doing what she was supposed to be, hoping no one would notice until much later as she sensed something was getting ready to happen. Lucy Fleming was crossing the main ward, tray in hands, steps quick yet quiet, when she noticed a figure walking towards the main exit. She slowed to a stop, considering the retreating figure, glanced around, set the tray down on a nearby consol and headed after the person now nearly at the door. "Counselor!" she said in a loud whisper, not wanting to rouse the sleeping patients nearby. "Lieutenant! Where are you going?" Athena resisted the urge to hold her head at the nurse's harshly spoken words or at least that's how her mind perceived them. She barely glanced at the nurse and replied, "Some place more comfortable and quieter," as she took another calculated step towards the door. Lucy moved quickly so as to block Athena's way. "Lieutenant......" Athena didn't even look at the others woman's stern face when she said, "I'm sensing that you have a problem with that." She couldn't resist the need to gently rub one of her temples as she waited for the nurse's response. An added bonus was that the short pause would give her the time and hopefully the energy she needed for the last few steps to the door. Rangi stood in the doorway of her office. {They will wait for tomorrow} she thought, looking at the padds stacked neatly on her desk, turned and went out, closing the door behind her. She checked once more on Shane and found him sleeping soundly. Satisfied that her work was done for the time being, she made ready to leave sickbay and return to her quarters for her own well deserved res t. {Athena?} Rangi walked towards the counselor and nurse. "Is something wrong?" she asked as drew near. "Athena...where are you going?" Athena groaned inwardly again and repeated, "Some place more comfortable and quieter." She briefly glanced at the doctor and noticed the tiredness there and felt guilty for her part in that. Not quite meeting the doctor's gaze she said, "If you'll excuse me." "Just a moment!" Though quiet, Rangi's voice was firm and commanding. She looked Athena up and down and flashed a glance at Lucy who scuttled off in search of a robe. "You would be best staying here," she told the counselor. "You need treatment...the antidote to the pollen. Please..return to your bed." The briefest frown clouded Rangi's face for no more than two seconds. She couldn't explain the sudden flood of distrust that flowed through her at the sight of Athena in her red satin gown. Unable to resist a backward glance in the direction of Shane's bed, Rangi looked back at Athena. "Please.." she repeated and indicated that the counselor return the way she had come. Lucy hurried towards them with a simple robe, standard dress for patients. "You'd better put this on" the nurse said holding the garment out. "You'll catch cold." "If I'm being ordered back to bed I hardly need a robe," Athena said as she took a quick turn back to the bed she came from. She instantly regretted the speedy action and chose to sit down in a nearby chair instead. She rested her elbows on her knees and held her pale face in her hands. It was another second or two before the nausea that she felt went away. Rangi took the robe from Lucy and followed Athena. The nurse made herself busy, though kept an eye on the pair. Unfolding the robe and laying it about Athena's shoulders Rangi said, "I know you'd rather be in your quarters...few people want to stay here longer than they need...but you DO need to rest...have a few hours sleep and wake up feeling 'much' better. What do you say?" "I must have a chart around here somewhere because I don't remember getting here," Athena replied. It bothered her that she couldn't remember that and some of the things she could remember she wished would go away. She glanced up at Rangi while still holding her head and she still sensed something. She couldn't put her finger on it with her head pounding this badly but it was something she'd felt before. Athena looked back down at the floor as other memories flashed through her head. {Some counselor I am. I let a whole base go insane before my eyes and did nothing about it.} She scrubbed her hands down her face as she let her thoughts go free and willed her headache to go away. Rangi stepped away, collected the medpadd from near the vacated bed and glanced over it. She held it out to Athena. "There.." she said "..the arrival time...your vital signs...that, that and that..." Rangi leaned forward, pointing to places on the padd "...are the effects of the pollen in your system. There's the antidote...and there's the result." She straightened up and watched Athena read over the padd. "Great then there is nothing to do..." Athena's words trailed off as she let a wave of pain streak through her head, then finished with a touch of irritation in her voice, "but find some place where those infernal beeps won't be." Her face paled again as another wave of nausea from the headache hit her. Rangi was annoyed. She took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, closing her eyes for a moment and willing herself to be calm. "Very well," she said in a tone that made Lucy, standing nearby, look over at the CMO. "If that's what you want then you can go to your quarters..." She raised her chin. "Athena?...I am tired." Rangi's voice was controlled but Lucy had never heard her speak in a such a way. She stood silently listening and watching with growing awe. "Its been a crazy few days.." Rangi continued ".... resulting in more work for me and my department than I care to think about. We have dealt with one hundred and forty-eight patients. We have been tested to breaking point...and we have come out of it on top. That has taken a great deal of effort as I'm sure you'll understand. Now... if you have a headache or something else that I can help you with then tell me....but please don't make it an excuse to go back to your quarters simply because you do not like it here." Lucy stepped forward."Rangi?.." she said uncertainly. Athena nodded her head in understanding and then winced. "I have a headache that seems to be making me ill, but I truly just want to be where I'm out of the way and not being a bother." {A place where I can deal with my own short comings and get rid of this headache} she finished in thoughts to herself. She placed her head on her knees and rubbed the muscles at the back of her neck. In the few moments of silence Athena recalled anger, resentment and jealousy. They didn't make sense in her memory and they didn't make sense now. She didn't feel them as strongly now as she did in her memory but it was all jumbled up in her head and mixed in with that debilitating thump that pulsed through her brain. Rangi, looking down at Athena, regretted her angry words. {Perhaps I'm too tired} she thought {...perhaps the pollen has..IS..effecting me in some way.} "I'll find something for you." She told Athena quietly and turning away became aware of Lucy standing close by. "I'll do it if you like ." Lucy said and after a pause when she considered her words she added. "Would you like me to ask Maikai to take over in here?" Rangi frowned, glanced at Athena and back to Lucy. "That might be best." She answered at length. "Yes...yes..please do that." Lucy nodded. "Athena...Nurse Fleming will...help you," Rangi said to the counselor. Athena sat where she was quietly and soon there was a hiss and a few moments after that a quiet voice said, "Dr. Quiocho says that you may rest in your room for now. But... please be careful counselor." "Thank you," Athena said softly and slowly made her way out of the sickbay. =/\= End Log =/\= LtCmdr. Rangi Summers CMO USS Chimera & Lt. Athena Wellington Counselor USS Chimera