Leave Out All The Rest

Posted on 21 Oct 2016 @ 2:08am by Ensign Kelly Khan & Lieutenant JG Shay Mitchell

2,586 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Click Three Times
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD 9 || 1530 Hours

Shay Mitchell laid in bed with her eyes closed, a PADD playing a song she'd had on repeat for a better part of the day. She was struggling with her current situation, and despite the reassurances from Doctor Kij, it just didn't do a whole lot to ease the depression she felt. Her physical therapy was set to start soon, but sadly, she just didn't care enough to want to do it. All her life, she'd been active, and now here she was... stuck in bed barely able to move anything below her waist.

What did she do to deserve any of this? Who did she piss off in a past life? None of it was fair, but it could have been worse. She could have died with the others, so that was something to be grateful for, wasn't it? Shay knew she should be, but the darkness she felt on the inside rooted too deep. With a frown, she muttered a curse and ordered the computer to dim the lights. The Ensign would sleep, but the issue with that was she'd still be plagued with everything that happened.

Once Doctor Abrams had left and Kelly managed to do a bit of unpacking, she thought again about the young Security Ensign who had gotten hurt and decided to pay her a visit. It was a shame that no one had gone to see her since she had been brought back to the Black Hawk, but Kelly resolved to solve it. She grabbed a roll of tape that she had gotten from one of her boxes and opened her trunk of candy bars and set to work.

Soon the young brunette headed to Sickbay and checked to find where Ensign Mitchell was while she carried a bouquet of candy bars with a red bow tied around the candy bar container she had taped together and knocked lightly on the Ensigns room door.

Mitchell cracked her eyes open and turned her attention toward the door as the song began to play again. What number was this? She didn't know, nor did it matter. "Come in," she called quietly, thinking it was her doctor or one of the many nurses who came to check on her multiple times a day. Sure, they'd tried to cheer her up, and Doctor Kij had succeeded in doing so for a while, but then she was left alone. Again. That's gave her plenty of time to let her mind stew in everything that'd happened to her.

Kelly came in with a bright smile. "I come bearing gifts!" she declared as she headed for the woman where she lay on the biobed. "I hope you like chocolate because I have a lot for you." She offered the homemade bouquet to Shay. "Careful that it doesn't fall apart. I didn't have an actual vase to put them in."

Shay reached out to accept the candy bouquet. "Thank you," she said softly, recognizing the young woman from the Chimera. "Kelly, right?"

"Right the first time," Kelly said. "Ensign Kelly Khan of Flight, at your service. I would have came sooner except I had to help change out a runabout, move to a new quarters and everything else. Still, I remember you were one of the first ones off the Chimera and I wanted to visit you and thank you for your service."

"It's not a problem," Ensign Mitchell said, pausing the music on her PADD and setting it aside so she could give Kelly her full attention. She hadn't had many visitors since being in sickbay, but she didn't expect to have many, either. So, that meant there wouldn't be any disappointment as far as that went. "Thank you for coming to see me. As for my service, it's what I signed up to do. Thank you for getting me out alive."

"It was the least I could do," Kelly said. "I may not have asked to have command of a starship and the people on it, but I was determined not to let people die while under my command. I know that not everyone was saved and I'll probably remember that forever, but each person that was saved is another person who can continue to do good. You're one of those people, Ensign Mitchell."

Shay couldn't help but frown at the mention of the ones who didn't make it. She knew all too well. After all, a man died on top of her after they'd both been slammed into the floor. That was an image that was never going to leave her. As a matter of fact, it was one of the main scenes that invaded her mind when she closed her eyes. "Yeah... not everyone could be so lucky. Call me, Shay."

The petite brunette winced at the frown and nodded. "Shay it is," she said. "You can call me Kelly. I didn't know what kind of chocolate or candy you might like, but there's thirty different kinds in the bouquet and even the container is made of them."

"I'm not picky," Mitchell said, offering the faintest of smiles. "Thank you again. No one's ever done anything like this for me, so I truly appreciate it."

"No one?" Kelly asked, a bit incredulous. "Surely someone has brought you something at some point. I mean, you're a very attractive young lady and we have more than enough guys on the ship who are probably fighting each other just to get near you."

"Doctor Kij brought me this PADD," she said, gesturing to the device settled on the table next to her bed. She carefully laid the candy bouquet next to it, and smoothed her hands out over the covers with a shake of her head. "No... no one is fighting over me, but that's okay. I have more time to dedicate to my duties. Well... I did."

"PADD, schmad," Kelly scoffed. "I'm going to have to do something about that. I know a good looking woman when I see one and if guys aren't fighting over you, they're obviously blind. Or do you prefer females?"

Shay shook her head. "I prefer men, and I seriously doubt they're blind. I'm just not interested, and no one is interested in me, either," she said softly. "Don't waste your time."

"I'm done matchmaking," Kelly said. "I did that once and that was enough for me. Besides, I don't have time to do stuff like that anymore. I do know there's a couple cute guys in Security, but I don't know their names. I only have eyes for one guy, anyway." She decided to change track. "So what do you like to do that doesn't involve being physical?"

"Then there's nothing to worry about as far as wondering if men are fighting over me, which they're not," Shay said as she settled back again. "I don't do much, honestly. I have a couple friends I hang out with on occasion, but that's about it. They've been busy lately, so I haven't seen them since I've been back."

"Well, now you have one more person who can hang out with you, Shay," Kelly said with a bright smile. "A friend with chocolate at that."

"That's very sweet of you, and as soon as I'm able, I'll take you up on it. I'm just going to be in here a be while longer," Mitchell said softly, trying not to dwell on that fact too long. "I'm sure you understand, though."

"No chance," Kelly said. "I'm going to break you out of here. We can race down the corridors in matching hoverchairs and the winner gets candy. Sound like a plan?"

At the mention of hoverchairs, Shay frowned. She didn't want to spend a single second of her life in one of those things. With a look of sheer determination, the young woman pushed the covers back and sat up, using every ounce of strength she had to turn her body toward the side of the bed. Since her legs weren't going on their own, she used her hands to move them in position, then scooted herself to the edge.

The second she pushed herself to a standing position, she crumpled to the floor in a heap. Without the ability to feel her legs, there was no chance she'd be able to even stand on them, much less walk like she wanted to. Angry tears rolled down her cheeks, and that mixed with the pure frustration she felt... Shay felt completely broken.

Kelly was caught off guard and despite trying to catch the other woman, Shay was both taller and heavier than her and slipped through her hands. She spat a Klingon curse of frustration and bent down to try to help the woman back into bed. "Why....why did you do that?" Kelly asked as she grunted and worked to maneuver Shay back into bed.

"Because I don't want to be in this position anymore. I want my life back. I want to be whole again."

"Doing stupid shit like that isn't going to get you out of here faster, Shay," Kelly growled. "When I first joined Starfleet, I had what they thought was a stroke caused by Progressive Arteriosclerosis. Turns out, it was a parasite that caused it. Anyway, I was in Sickbay thinking that my career was over, feeling sorry for myself and other shit and I proved them wrong. I got better, got caught up on my homework and completed Flight, Engineering and Command School. If I can do that, you can get better, too. It isn't helping you to throw yourself on the floor when I make an offer."

"You'll have to excuse me for wanting to feel a bit sorry for myself, Kelly. I'm just having a hard time coming to grips with being confined to a bed. This is something I'm not used to. I just want physical therapy to start already so I can get back to some semblance of a normal life," she said softly while Kelly helped her back into bed. "I don't like that people have to take care of me."

"Look...I'm sorry you're in here," Kelly said more softly. "I really am. I want to be your friend if you'll let me and that includes the good with the bad. I understand something of what you're going through, but when I make an offer for fun...and I had to be in a hoverchair too when I first got out of Sickbay, don't take it personal, okay?"

Shay swallowed back a lump in her throat and sniffled, nodding her head in response. "I'll try not to. Thank you for coming to see me, Kelly, and for bringing the candy. It means a lot. I'd like to be friends, too, and hopefully I'll be up and moving around so I won't have to deal with this form of bad anymore."

"Now which one of these do you want first?" Kelly asked as she indicated the fattening bouquet of candy bars. "I offered Doc Abrams my gold pressed latinum one, but he said he didn't eat sweets and would save it for a patient or someone. That's guy is ginormous!"

"The Butterfinger, please," Shay answered with a smile.

Kelly plucked one of the Butterfinger's from the bouquet and handed it to her. "It's okay, but definitely not one of my favorites. That's only because it doesn't have chocolate in it. How can they even call it a candy bar without chocolate? I mean, really."

"There's chocolate, there's just not a lot of it," the Security Ensign said, opening the candy bar and taking a bite of it.

"That's what I'm talking about," Kelly said. "A surface coating is just a tease. I mean, it's good and all, but I don't know about the slogan of nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger. It's more peanut buttery and sugary than chocolate."

"They're one of my favorites," the bed ridden woman said with a smile. She was rather glad Kelly popped in to visit her. Things were becoming pretty lonely, and she had to wonder if Doctor Kij was going to give her a roommate, or if she was going to be spending the rest of her time in sickbay alone. "Then again, I'm pretty partial to most things sweet. I can see myself gaining a little weight while I'm in here, though."

"You should ask Doc Abrams if you can have some free weights to work out with," Kelly suggested. "It'll keep you in shape until you can get moving again and I'll even come to spot you. I may not be the strongest person on the ship, but I have spunk and that has to count for something."

"I'll have to ask someone, but I don't know if they'll let me," Shay said. "I'll let you know if they do, though, and I'd like it if you'd come visit me more while I'm in here. When I'm out, we can hang out then, too."

"I will and I promise," Kelly said. "Is there anything else you want or need while I'm here?"

"I'd love something to drink. Juice, maybe. It doesn't matter what kind, though, just as long as it isn't prune" Mitchell said with a laugh.

"Prune vIychorgh SuvwI' HIq!" Kelly declared, the universal translator making it 'Prune juice is a warriors drink!' as she came to her feet. "One juice coming right up." With a smile, she headed out to get her new friend an orange juice before she returned with it. "Here you go."

Shay accepted the glass with a laugh at Kelly's declaration. "Thank you, but in my defense, prune juice isn't a good thing considering I can't get to the bathroom on my own right now."

"I didn't think about that," Kelly said. "No prune juice for you. Do you want anything else, Shay? I could sneak a nice steak or something in for you."

"As much as I'd like that, I don't think it's a good idea. I've got to be careful with what I eat all things considered," Mitchell said with a slight frown.

"Just cheer up and I'll bring you some music and a flight simulator," Kelly told her. "That should keep you busy for hours. If you need anything, I'm just a combadge away unless I'm on duty."

"I'll remember that, and thank you again," Shay said with a genuine smile. Not that the others ones weren't. "If you have time tomorrow, come stop by and see me."

"I will, I promise," Kelly said. "And I don't want to see any more frowns. Deal?"

"Deal," the young woman said, smiling at Kelly. She could definitely see herself being friends with the Flight Ensign, and that wasn't a bad thing. There was just something about her positive nature that was contagious, and Shay found herself wanting to conquer her current situation to get back on her feet. She would make it happen, too, and it would be with the help of the medical team. There was still a ton of fight left in her.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow," Kelly said. "Try not to eat all the candy bars at once, Shay." Giving Shay's hand a reassuring squeeze, the brunette headed out.

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