Don't Die On Me

Posted on 23 Apr 2016 @ 9:44pm by Ensign Elisha Cherno & Ensign Xavier Hernandez

1,334 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Outbreak
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD 7

Once he got off duty, Xavier made sure that Pequeño was secure and fed in his quarters, then replicated a bouqet of orange and yellow flowers in a green crystal vase and headed down to Sickbay. There, he checked with the nurse on duty and was allowed to go see Elisha for a short time.

He walked to where she lay and put a warm smile on for her. "How is my Querida today?" he asked.

"Exhausted," moaned Elisha. "I just want to go to sleep, but no matter how long I lay here, I can't!" She spotted the flowers and gave him a weak grin. How thoughtful! Not many men thought to bring flowers anymore. "Aw, you're so sweet," she told him.

Xavier set the flowers by her bed and reached for her hand. "If we were back on Earth, I could ask my Abuela about a sleep aid recipe she has. She always refuses to write them down because.." His voice took on a suspicious tone. "if I do that, then everyone will know what I use."

Elisha grinned despite herself. "The doctor's tried everything," she said. "Nothing seems to work."

He gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm sure that Doctor Kij will try everything in her power," he told her. "Things will work out, Elisha. I would have brought Pequeño with me to cheer you up, but they don't allow pets in sickbay."

"It's okay," she said quietly, a single tear slipping out. "I'll see him as soon as I get out of here." No matter what anyone told her, she was going to worry that she would never get well. Just the thought of what would become of her parents should things go badly was enough to reduce her to silent weeping.

Xavier reached up with his free hand to gently brush the tear away. "Don't cry, Elisha. You'll be out of here before you know it."

"I sure hope so," she said. "I just wanna sleep. Why can't I sleep?"

"Maybe we could have a Vulcan give you a nerve pinch," he jokingly said.

"Could we?" she asked hopefully, not realizing he was joking. "There's a Vulcan nurse wandering around here someplace."

Xavier looked at her. "Do you think it would help?"

"I don't know," whined Elisha. "Probably not. It only lasts a few minutes."

"What if the medical staff could find a way to apply constant pressure to that area?" he asked her.

"Maybe, I dunno," replied Elisha. "Do you think the doctor has thought of that before?"

"I don't know," Xavier said. "I'm not a doctor. Maybe we should ask."

"Maybe," agreed Elisha. "Oh, I don't know! I'm too tired to think."

Xavier sat on the edge of the biobed while he kept her hand in his. "No matter what, I will be here for you, mi Querida," he said. "I'm not going to leave you just because you get sick. Did you want me to get a message to Joel for you?"

"If you could," she answered. "See if you can get him here. I'm not sure how long-" but she couldn't finish. She didn't want to think about the outcome, but she'd heard the Doctor talking to her staff and it was clear that the end game was very tragic.

"You're not sure how long you'll be able to get his sympathy before you get better and he starts to razz on you again?" Xavier said to dissuade the negativity. "Good plan. I'll see what I can do."

Elisha smiled up at him through her tears. "Thank you," she said weakly. "You're the best boyfriend ever."

"Shhh...don't cry," he said before he leaned down to kiss her softly. "It'll be okay, Elisha."

"I mean it, though," she told him. "Most men would be sick of me by now and would have left. And yet, here you are."

"Why would they be sick of you?" Xavier asked, looking confused.

"Because I'm whining," whined Elisha. "And I'm not very much fun right now. Nobody likes whiny girls who just lie here and... and whine!"

"You aren't whining, Elisha," he said softly as he gave her hand a squeeze. The young Ensign looked at her as he reached with his free hand to brush a lock of her hair to the side. "You're not feeling well, you're tired and you're scared. It's understandable. I'd probably be doing the same thing."

Another tear slipped out of the corner of the eye. "I love you," she said softly. It could have been the lack of sleep, but at the moment, she meant it.

Xavier brushed the tear away. "You are mi Querida," he said softly. "I could not help but love you."

She sniffed. "You really are the best," she said. "How'd I get so lucky?"

"I heard you singing," he told her. "And I want to hear you sing again."

"I'll sing for you," she said. "I promise. But, only for you."

"What is your favorite song?" Xavier asked her.

"All of Me," she answered instantly.

"I haven't heard it, but I am looking forward to hearing you sing it for me when you get out of here," he said.

"Well, now I have to get better," she said with a weak smile. "Because you simply must hear it."

"I will look forward to hearing it," Xavier said. "You have a very beautiful voice."

"You're the sweetest," she said softly. She yawned. "I just want to sleep," she whimpered.

"Let me find a nurse and see if they can give you anything," he said before he gave her a kiss and headed to find a nurse.

"Excuse me, has there been any luck in finding something that can help the patients sleep?" Xavier asked one quietly.

"Nothing at all," said Hurley, brow creased in concern. "We've tried everything. One patient suggested we hit him over the head with a blunt object, but we can't do that. It's too dangerous. Doc thought maybe something is blocking the melatonin production, but even massive doses of melatonin doesn't seem to help."

"What about a Vulcan nerve pinch or something adapted to it?" He suggested.

Hurley shook his head. "We thought of that, too," he said. "The problem is that they wake back up after a few minutes and prolonged pressure to the nerve can cause severe heart palpitations." He glanced around. "Doc's working on something. I don't know what it is, but she's been in the lab since just after lunch. She's working like she's figured something out. Just... try to keep her spirits up, okay?" he added, nodding towards Cherno.

Xavier nodded. "Thank you," he said before he went back to Elisha and took her hand again. "I talked to the nurse, but they don't have any idea on how to stimulate sleep, mi Querida. I wish I could take this from you so you could get up and sing."

"No, I don't want you to be sick," she told him. "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy."

"I just want to see you get better, Elisha," he said.

"You and me both," she replied.

"Is there anything you want which I can get you?" Xavier asked her.

"Not right now," she replied. "Just having you hear helps. I don't feel so depressed when you're here."

"It will be okay, mi Querida," he said as he gave her hand another gentle squeeze. "I will stay here as long as they let me."

"Thank you," she said. "As futile as it seems, I'm going to try to sleep now, okay?"

"Then I'll stay here and make sure you aren't disturbed," Xavier said with a smile.

"Thank you," she said, closing her eyes. "Have I told you that I love you?"

"You have and I love you as well," he said softly.

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