Bears and Angels

Posted on 18 Jan 2017 @ 4:31am by Commander Terry Walsh & Lieutenant JG Daniella Blake

2,737 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Endgame
Location: Dani's Quarters
Timeline: MD 11 || 1800 hours [Backpost]

It had been a long...day, or however many hours he'd been up. Terry had finished all the reports that needed to go to the Executive Officer's office and taken a quick nap in his office. He had performed a quick walkthrough of the Flight Deck and then headed out for the evening. After a quick shower and change into a pair of khaki shorts and a tan t-shirt that read 'Starfighter Pilots' on the front and 'Because Helmsmen need heroes, too' on the back, he slipped on some shoes and headed to Dani's quarters. She had become his classical music, that which calmed and relaxed him after a mission. Though this time, he was quite sure that he was already relaxed enough what with the lack of sleep. But he still wanted to see his spider monkey.

Terry found himself standing outside the doors to Dani's quarters soon enough and thumbed the chime. There was no immediate answer from within, so he waited a few seconds and touched it again.

Even after the second time, no answer came. Things on the other side of the door were dark and quiet. In the bedroom, a small figure lay sound asleep in the middle of the bed that looked bigger than it actually was thanks to her small frame. Getting to sleep was no easy task for Dani. In fact, she spent a lot of time tossing and turning, praying to whoever would listen that sleep would come quickly. It wasn't until after a visit from the CMO, and letting her know what happened, that she was finally able to get some rest.

There was still no answer. Terry wasn't really worried, she could easily have been in another part of the ship. So he tried another avenue. "Computer, locate Lieutenant JG Daniella Blake."

When the computer responded that Dani was in her quarters, Terry turned his head to the side and made a face. She had given him the code for entrance to her place, but he hadn't expected that he would have to use it. Terry entered the code into the panel and watched the doors slide open. Everything was dark and there was no noise. He stepped inside to let the doors close behind him.

"Dani," he called out softly, "it's Terry. Are you in here?" With the room still dark, he ordered the lights to ten percent. Once they came on, he saw that she wasn't in the main living area. The bedroom was the only other option and if she was asleep, he didn't want to wake her. "Wait, asleep already?" he said aloud as he realized the time. "What?"

Dani stirred around when she felt another presence in the bedroom with her. She cracked an eye open and made out the figure of a large man. Jackson was rather large, but her logical mind told her he was locked up in the brig. Still, that didn't keep a bit of panic from seeping into her.

She sat up quickly and dove for her nightstand to grab something to serve as a weapon in the event she needed to use it. The only bad thing... it was her combadge. What good was that going to do? She could call for help if she needed to, but then she noticed the man in her bedroom was bald. She only knew one bald man.

Tossing the combadge aside, Dani launched her little body out of the bed and straight into Terry. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him as a sob escaped her lips. The petite woman hadn't really felt safe all day, but that suddenly changed with the presence of the man she clung to. He'd become her safe space, and she was beyond happy to have him there.

Terry watched her dive out of the bed in the dim lighting and then come at him. He thought it was odd, seeing her react like that. But he did just enter her bedroom and surprise her. While she was clinging tightly to him, Terry heard a sound escape her mouth that wasn't 'hello' or anything of the sort. She was starting to cry.

"Dani," he said, his arms wrapped her petite frame, "what's the matter? Are you okay?"

Showing no sign of letting go, Dani sniffed and nodded her head as she forced herself to calm down. She was safe. No one was going to hurt her with him around. "I'm okay now," she answered softly. "But, something did happen this morning."

Terry picked up Dani and held her by putting one arm under her legs and the other around her back. He hefted her up so she wouldn't loose her grip on his neck and so that she would be better positioned to lay her head on his shoulder. He could tell that whatever had happened really shook her to the core. "Good. I'm glad to hear you're okay. You tell me about it whenever you're good and ready, Angel. There's no rush." He hugged her tight as he stood her holding her.

A smile formed on her lips when she heard what he'd just called her. "I was attacked by a prisoner in the brig this morning," she told his as her head moved to rest against his shoulder. Still, though, a shiver crept up her spine. "He injured himself, and sickbay was called for a medical emergency. I answered the call. I think he wanted to kill me."

He hugged her tighter. He didn't like the thought of her being attacked by anyone, let alone a prisoner in Starfleet custody. "If he was a prisoner, then that might be pretty accurate. But he didn't and you're home and you're safe. I'm sure Security was there. And I'm sure that the Chief handled the fact that they got to you. But that's all behind us now. I'm here."

"I feel safest when my Terry Bear is around," Dani said, leaning in a bit to press a kiss to his cheek. He was right. It was over, and she could leave it where it was.

Terry Bear, he thought. I like that. He felt her warm lips touch his cheek. When she pulled back, he turned his head to face her and leaned in, whispering, "You are safest, Angel. You are." He placed his lips on hers and lingered for a moment before leaning back up. "You'll always be safe when I'm around. Now, have you had anything to eat for dinner?" The large man was still holding his petite blonde and smiling at her.

Dani smiled at his words. It was just too bad he couldn't be around all the time. "Not since breakfast this morning," she answered. "I've been doing a lot of sleeping. I just know it's going to throw my entire schedule out of whack. What about you? Have you eaten yet?"

"I haven't eaten since before the battle," he said. "Got all my reports filed, showered, and came down for a visit. What do you want to eat and where do you want to eat it? Here? The living area? The table? I'll carry you wherever you want to go."

"A cheeseburger sounds really good, and we can eat in the living room," Dani replied. "No one got hurt, did they? I wasn't in sickbay today, so I don't know." Now she felt like an ass for shirking her duties.

"You got it, Angel." He carried her into the living room and set her down on the couch. "You keep right on resting. You deserve it." He went over to the replicator and ordered himself a double hamburger with lettuce, tomatoes, and ketchup. And a large glass of Concorde grape juice. When it materialized, he set it off to the side. "What do you want on you cheeseburger, Dani? And to drink?"

"Everything but onions, please," Dani replied, shifting around a bit until she was comfortable. She couldn't quite explain it, but Terry was unlike any other man she'd met in the past. He genuinely cared. "Since you came to see me, does that mean you're going to stay with me tonight?"

Terry put in Dani's order, watched it materialize, and took it over to her. "Of course I'll stay with you tonight, hon," he said as he went back to get his. He sat down on the couch and put his plate on his lap. "I wouldn't leave you after the day you've had." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Just wouldn't be right."

Accepting the cheeseburger, she offered a smile up to him. "Thank you," she said, getting her on food settled on her lap. She brought his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. "I'm glad you're going to stay, too. I really like having you with me when we're not on duty."

"You're sweet, Dani. And I like being around you, too. And it doesn't matter if we're taking a walk around the ship or enjoying some beach time on the holodeck or just hanging out here." He paused to take a bite of his hamburger and swallowed. "Oh, I forgot, yeah, everyone made it back. We didn't lose a single fighter or pilot or hangar crew member during the attack. I'll admit, it was pretty rough at times, but we got the job done. How did you do here in your quarters during the attack? I know it rearranged some of the furniture in my quarters office and knocked some things down."

Dani raised the lights a bit more, revealing a few bruises around her neck. That's what she got for trying to do a rush job healing herself. "To be honest... I slept through most of it. I still haven't really unpacked, so I'm sure my stuff is fine."

"That's not a bad thing," Terry said. He took a drink of his grape juice and set the glass back down. "As far as unpacking, maybe that's something I can help with when we both have the...." He had turned to face Dani and finish his sentence. But his thought was cut off when he saw a few bruises still around her neck. At first, he fumed inside and swore to himself that if that man ever actually escaped and he caught him, he would stuff him a torpedo tube. Then the redness immediately left his face and the anger subsided. His spider monkey, his Angel...no wonder she dove from the bed when he first came in. No wonder she slept through most of it.

"Dani...I, I didn't realize. The bruises on your neck, was that...then?"

Dani's hand instinctively went to her neck. She'd have to take care of that soon. "It happened this morning. He grabbed me by my throat. I'm not entirely sure what all took place because it happened so fast. One second he had me, then the next, I was running," she said with a frown. It was something she hoped never happened again. "It doesn't hurt, so that's a good thing."

"I'm glad it doesn't hurt. But, here," he said putting his plate on the coffee table in front of them, "if you have something in here, a dermal regenerator, I'll take care of it for you." Yes, she was nurse, but that didn't mean she would have an emergency med-kit in her quarters. And if she didn't, he had another idea. It wouldn't remove the bruising, but it would make her feel better. He knew that.

"I don't, but I think I'll be okay until tomorrow morning. Does it look that bad?" Dani asked, feeling a bit self conscious. They resembled fingers, and would match up to the unconscious man down in the brig. She didn't even hold the two Security officers responsible for what happened. None of them knew Jackson would be so crafty as to hold his breath.

"No, it doesn't look that bad at all. I just was just going to take care of if for you. Which, I'm still going to do by the way," he said, "even though you don't have a dermal regenerator, I think this will help." He shifted so that his body was facing her and allowed him to lean in easier. The large pilot gently kissed each bruise on the blonde's little neck. When he finished, he sat back and said, "There ya go, Angel, all better until tomorrow." He gave her a wink on top of it all.

The petite blonde shivered, goosebumps appearing over her skin. That was the last thing she'd expected, but it was welcome. "I think that will definitely help," she said softly, completely forgetting about her cheeseburger. "My Terry Bear is quite distracting, and I like it."

"Good," he said, "You need a distraction. And if I can help with that, I'm gonna." He picked up his plate of food and scooted closer to Dani. The burger was small enough now, he could grab it with one hand. The other, he placed around Dani's shoulders. "So how's things in Medical? I mean, I know you haven't been in there today, but how was it yesterday? Things going okay?"

"Things went pretty good, so I can't really complain. I am a little concerned about going in tomorrow, though. I know I'm going to get my butt chewed out for not going back," she said with a sigh. "I'm sure anyone else in my position would have done the same thing. I mean... look at me... spider monkey or not, he could have killed me pretty easily."

"And I think if you point that out, especially not having been able to clear up all the bruising, Doctor Kij might understand," said Terry. "She seems like a real nice person, from what I know. Always smiling and stuff." He paused for a few seconds and took a deep breath. He didn't like to think of Dani dying. She was a nurse. She saved lived in the Medical field. She wasn't supposed to get into a position that could see her killed. "Yeah, he could have. But he's not here now. I am. And you're safe." He squeezed her shoulders with the arm and hand that he had around her as he took another bite of burger.

"I know, and I'm grateful that you're here," Dani told him with a smile as she leaned against his broad chest. "I'll talk to Doctor Kij in the morning, and hope she's feeling understanding. She hasn't been herself lately."

Terry swallowed a bite of hamburger. "Really? I guess this whole thing has taken its toll on everyone if Doctor Kij isn't herself. What's she been doing?" He looked at his plate and couldn't bring himself to finish the last bite. He put it on the coffee table and picked up his glass of grape juice.

Dani, who'd been eating right along with him, finished a little more than half her cheeseburger and set the rest aside. "Just being a bit of a grump. It's still pretty early. What do you feel like doing?"

Terry laughed a little. "I can't imagine that bubbly, smiley Trill being a grump. But, everyone has their days. More so as of late. As far as what else to do, I can think of a couple things, but they both require us to leave your quarters. And if you're not ready to do that, I don't want to make you." He paused a moment as a memory came to mind. "Or...and this wouldn't require us to leave...you said something about teaching me yoga on our walk around the ship the other day. Remember? Something about demonstrating a downward dog?"

Dani grinned as she rose to her feet, moving to the part of her living room that had the most space. "You asked for it, Terry Bear. Let's see what you've got." She raised her arms above her head to stretch, then started to show him some basic yoga moves and how flexible they made a person.

"Yeah, I asked for it alright," he said quietly. Terry watched and grinned as Dani showed him some yoga moves. And they most definitely made a person more flexible. He hopped up from the couch, happy that she was happy, and joined her as soon as he finished stretching.

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