Post by Captain_Quintus on Apr 4, 2016 6:53:57 GMT
Postby Jocelyn Nidari » Tue Jul 12, 2011 8:24 pm
"Therapeutic"
LtCdr Atton Jetrel & Doctor Jocelyn Nidari
At long last, this hero's retreat seemed to be drawing to a close. For Atton, while he appreciated Le-Gran's gesture, the Captain had done little for him besides delay the start of his rehabilitation -- which left him stuck in this hover chair, paralyzed from the waist down. Not exactly the most fun way to spend your first trip to Risa. Instead, he whittled his vacation away in his room, away from all the awkward glances, and more awkward thoughts. Turns out as a cripple, the majority of first impressions from people were A: How he got in the chair, B: How he managed to live in the chair, or C: If he ever got stuck in doorways. Yes, the silence of his room, and the pleasure of his herb sounded much better then constant, pathetic sympathy.
The door to Atton's room opened abruptly and Jocelyn entered without knocking. She stood just inside the door, hands on her hips, and a look of disapproval on her face. Her stern expression was at odds with her outfit, however. She was still wearing a bikini with a diaphanous wrap about her waist, having not changed into regular clothes the entire trip. "That's quite enough of that," she said. "You've been in here for hours and haven't even made an effort to go to the massage appointments I set up for you."
"I don't want to...." He trailed off as he looked up, jaw nearly dropping at the bikini. This had to be the most skin he'd ever seen on Jocelyn, that he could remember right now. "What are they going to do, massage my spine into sending electrical signals to my legs again?" He gave her an incredulous look.
"They are called therapeutic for a reason, Atton. The more stimulation given to your lower body, the less time you'll have to spend in recover once the surgery is complete. Therapy takes the strain off your spinal cord and aids in recovery." She snapped her fingers at him. "So let's go. We're going to go soak in the steam-pool for a while. It will help relax you and relieve some pressure."
"Stimulate my lower body," he muttered, powering up the hover chair. The rooms, while stately, weren't exactly designed for the girth of the chair. Bumping into the bed, chair, and a dresser, Atton managed to present himself to her at the doorway. "Well, after you."
She didn't even give his maneuverability any thought. Turning, she headed out of the room and strolled down the hallway, bare feet silent on the plush carpeting. Where the corridors widened, she slowed her pace until he caught up and walked beside him. After only a few minutes, they reached their destination -- a large room somewhere in the interior of the mansion. It held an indoor swimming facility deep enough to dive into. Against the wall to one side was the steam-pool. The water was already heated and steam rose from the surface in thick tendrils. Two orderlies were waiting to help Atton into the pool. Once his chair stopped, Jocelyn deactivated and opened the front access panel so that they could lift him out and slowly lower him into the pool. A cushioned seat formed around his body to keep him upright and stable. As the men left, Jocelyn unknotted her wrap and dropped it to the tile floor before descending the few steps to sit beside him.
Atton certainly didn't appreciate being dragged around like a wet spaghetti noodle in front of Jocelyn. Glancing over to her, he frowned. "You should be out enjoying what's left of leave, not babysitting me." His frown deepened as he gazed at the water where his legs were uselessly flopping around under the surface, even if he couldn't feel it.
"Just shut up, Atton. I'm a bit tired of your pathetic attitude. You're moping about acting as though you've got nothing left to live for. So what if your legs don't work? You're alive, aren't you? And your recovery is certain." Shifting in the water, Jocelyn slid to sit opposite him and pulled one of his legs into her lap. Massaging deeply, she worked her way up one calf to improve his circulation. "I am here because I want to be, not because I have to be or because I feel like it's my duty." Hazel eyes flitted to his face.
"I don't understand why," he said. "I haven't done anything to earn such kindness. The opposite, in fact." He could see a faint outline of her arms moving under the water. Again he felt nothing. "We both know it's only a matter of time before I do something utterly ridiculous again. If I were you, I wouldn't give me the time of day."
"...Thanks," he muttered in revelation.
She worked her way up one of his thighs, increasing pressure as she went. "We both know that you could control yourself if you really wanted to, but that has never been a high priority with you. You live in the moment and don't think about the consequences. I was hoping that would change somewhat if I spent time with you. Perhaps you would start doing things for other people without thinking of what you could gain by it."
"People... just let you down in the long run," he grumbled. "The only thing you can rely on other people for is to be unreliable. Everybody cheats, everyone lies. So why not do what I want, and enjoy it while it's enjoyable?"
She sighed and just shook her head as his words cut through her. For a few moments, she said nothing, though her hands continued to work, moving up one thigh before switching to the other. "If you truly feel that way, then I am most sorry for it, but I don't think you do. Those are just words you use to shield yourself from the world. When I have I ever been unreliable? When have I ever lied to you?"
"You haven't," he sighed. "That's almost worse. Because what happens when I do need you, and you don't come through? That's why we have such a great thing here, you and I. You're smart enough to know not to count on me to do the right thing. Otherwise, sleeping with half your department, sleeping with Janelle, would all be such horrible let downs, and we wouldn't even be having this conversation."
"So you think I should just give up on you, then? You think I should have no expectations whatsoever and just float along in your little dream world where you can do whatever you want to do without repercussions?" It was probably good that he couldn't feel his legs for her fingers were digging in mercilessly as a momentary spike of anger flashed through her.
"Well yeah, that would obviously be preferable to a world where I just disappoint and hurt you. In the beginning, the little games, the careless flirting… that was fun. Look at us now. You don't nurse someone back to health when he hooked up with your nurse, during a medical exam...on the exam table." He paused, eyes darting down to his legs. He swore he'd felt something, for a second. Or was that a phantom pain? Or was that amputee's that got that? He couldn't remember.
She winced at the memory and clenched her jaw. Finally working her way back down to his calf, she released his legs and pushed them down to the bottom of the pool. "Do you know what I want, Atton? You should know. I think about it all the time. I want a husband I can depend on to love me and make me feel special without needing to go elsewhere for sex. I want children to raise. I want a family. I'm not getting any younger and the longer I wait, the more difficult it is going to be."
He glanced down again, he knew he felt his feet hit the floor, but at the moment it wasn't that important. "And somehow you think I might be able to fill that need?" His look wasn't one of disbelief, more of... intrigue. Maybe, just maybe she was worth the risk.
"It isn't important what I think, Atton, is it? I could have very high expectations for you, but they wouldn't mean anything if you didn't feel the same." She leaned back against the cushioned seat and closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the heat soaking into her muscles. "If you are determined to never elevate yourself out of fear that you will disappoint others, or be disappointed by others, then there is no point in even hoping."
"...so you, want me to take a chance on you?" It was tempting, he had to admit. "You're like the most meaningful relationship I've had in gods know how long, and if it didn't work, then we wouldn't even have our friendship, or whatever you would call this now."
There was genuine concern in his eyes. "I don't know..."
"I'm not going to dance around you forever." She opened her eyes and tilted her head to look at him. "It either is or it isn't. It will work or it won't. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I'm not going to stop being friends with you just because we figure out we can't mesh. But you either take a chance or we drop this right here, right now, and never bring it up again. If you are too scared to even make the attempt, then this is it. No more flirting, no innuendos, no unscheduled visits to sickbay just so you can steal glances at my ass when you think I'm not looking."
"Well..." He considered. "Not stealing glances of your ass is out of the question. So... I guess we actually try this out for real. No more dancing around this… whatever 'this' is."
She stared at him without speaking for several moments, her thoughts a jumble of shocked exclamations. "You mean that? Seriously? Because you know that it isn't going to be easy. You'll have to actually... you know... work at it."
"And not have sex with women who aren't you," he said. "I know the guidelines of a committed, monogamous relationship, even if I haven't ever bothered to practice both at the same time."
She slipped through the water to sit beside him and snaked her arms around his neck. "I promise that I'll do everything I can to make it easier on you so that you won't even notice the change. If it doesn't work, then at least we would have given it a shot and we won't have to wonder anymore."
"Yes I suppose. Gods, Akena will never let me live this down. Though, not having to steal what bits I can from you sounds appealing." As if staking his claim, his arm wrapped around her side and pulled her to him until she was practically straddling his seat. "See, no slapping. I could get used to this."
"Even more so when we get your lower pieces working properly," she said, grinning. She leaned forward and kissed him, softly and sweetly with no demands for things he couldn't provide.
Oh yes. He could get used to this. He returned the kiss, and in the interest of decency, didn't even try to take her top off or anything. It felt very un-Atton like, but at the same time not...bad. "Oh!" He suddenly shouted, breaking his train of thought, and the kiss. "I almost forgot, I swear I felt some feeling in my legs while you were massaging me, or it might have been phantom feelings. Is that just amputees or can I get that? I can't remember."
She drew back, surprised and looked down at his legs. "If you're feeling sensations, they aren't phantom twinges. Likely, they are real sensations and proof that the stem cells we injected into your spinal cord are helping to heal it." Moving out of his lap, she picked up one of his feet and banged it painfully against the front of his seat, watching his face for any type of reaction.
He instinctively flinched. The feeling was muffled, but he'd felt something, that was for sure. "I felt that...not as...strong as it should be, but I felt it." He smiled.
She let out a small yelp of excitement. "It is working! Atton, do you realize what this means? You're getting better! Soon, you'll be walking!" Grabbing his face in both of her hands, she all but smothered him with kisses.
"Hopefully," he managed to utter between her kisses. Inwardly he grinned, wondering what reward he'd get when he actually managed to stand up on his own.
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Jocelyn Nidari
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