something to do (Pavel Chekov)

28

Pavel doesn't sleep. Without Eadie's fingers in his hair, he can't manage to bring himself to drift off. He's overthinking far too much. He tiptoes into the kitchen and finds Eadie not sleeping either. He takes a seat beside her and sighs.

"I don't like sleeping alone."

"I don't like it either, Eadie. It's a lot easier to sleep with your fingers in my hair."

She takes his hand and they head to bed together. He curls up close to her and she starts digging her fingers into his hair. It's dark but she knows he's looking into her eyes. He places his hand on her cheek and smiles at her softly.

"I don't know what I'd do without you."

She smiles at him. "Goodnight, my love. We need sleep."

Pavel wakes up alone. He calls out Eadie's name and finds the bathroom door closed. He calls out to her again and she replies back, telling him not to open the door. He asks if she's alright and she doesn't reply.

"I... I'm bleeding. I don't know if it's something I need to worry about or not."

"I can page McCoy?"

"It might just be easier for me to go in. Do you mind getting me a change of clothes?"

Pavel comes back with a change of clothes and Eadie takes them from the other side of the door. He waits a little and realises his palms are sweating. She comes out with her hands wrapped around her abdomen and they walk to medbay together. She groans a little and Pavel puts his hand on the small of her back, worried about the faces she's making.

McCoy is in medbay and he seems concerned looking at Eadie's face. He asks her to sit up on a biobed and she does, squeezing Pavel's hand. McCoy pulls out his PADD and a scanner, running it above her abdomen.

"I'm bleeding again but it's only a little bit, so I don't know if it's just my period or if it's something else..."

"It could be. Those hormones could have triggered it but when I checked last your uterus wasn't fully developed. I don't see how you could be menstruating when-"

He's cut off by Eadie sitting up and starting to cry, clutching her abdomen. She nearly cuts off the circulation in Pavel's hand as she squeezes it and starts sobbing. McCoy calls over a few nurses and starts loading a hypo. Eadie shakes her head and McCoy apologises, pushing it into her abdomen.

A nurse is scanning Eadie and she stops, looking at McCoy and showing him her PADD.

"We need to get you into surgery," McCoy says, starting to move her biobed. Pavel watches as she's pulled away from him screaming and his own breath starts catching in his throat. He feels a huge sense of déjà vu and finds his vision going funny before he slips under.

---------

Pavel wakes up with a throbbing headache and he groans loudly. He looks around for Eadie and can't see her. McCoy is at the foot of his biobed typing something on his PADD and he asks Pavel how he's feeling.

"I have a headache, where's Eadie?"

McCoy opens one of the cabinets near Pavel's bed and pulls out a small packet. He opens it and passes it to Pavel. There's a pink square in it and McCoy tells him to put it on his tongue.

"I have some news and you're not going to like me for it."

Pavel swallows and looks at McCoy, waiting for him to continue.

"Eadie's body went into shock. The medical team made a decision to put her in a medically induced coma so her body has some time to recover from everything that's going on. We've given her something to stop her body from constantly trying to regrow organs. I've also made contact with a doctor who specialises in treating people who have been taken by this race of aliens. There's actually quite a lot of you."

"She's in a coma?"

"That's correct."

"I... How long for?? When will she wake up?"

"When this other doctor arrives and can examine her and advise treatment. He should be here in a few days."

"I can't... I can't go that long. Doctor, please knock me out of a few days too. I'm not going to cope. I can't do it! Please!!"

"You'll be doing sessions and staying with Sulu. He's going to keep an eye on you. You'll be okay. Trust me, I know how scared you are. It will only be for a little while. This is probably going to be really good for you."

"How can you possibly know how scared I am!!! How could you possibly understand?!!" He yells, breathless and with tears quickly clouding his vision. He breaks into sobs and McCoy passes him a spray. He takes it, passing it back to McCoy and still sobbing.

"Is now a bad time?"

Pavel turns his head and Sulu is standing a few meters away. Pavel wipes his eyes.

"The holodeck is free. You two can go for a walk for a while. You need to try and clear your head a little. Plus, some sun would be good for you. The spray will kick in a minute and help you relax. You're going to be alright, Pavel."

Pavel doesn't have the words to express what's going on inside his head. He looks at McCoy and back down at the floor, he gets off the bed and starts walking with Sulu. Sulu guesses that McCoy told him and he nods. He admits how scared he is. He admits how he doesn't think he can go a few days without Eadie by his side. Sulu tells him it'll go faster than he thinks it will.