Scars Of Time

Calm Before The Storm

Tenley sighed as she slumped onto the couch in the infirmary. She stared up at the dingy ceiling. Her mind started to drift to thoughts of home, places that were cleaner and more comfortable than this. Internally, she was kicking herself for complaining. She had been to third world countries. She's slept in filth, mud, dust, and a variety of places that made the bunker seem like the Ritz-Carlton hotel. She felt guilty for complaining.

A knock landed on her door before it opened. She looked over her shoulder to see Lucy walking in slowly. Lucy seemed shocked to see that Tenley was resting. She asked, "Am I interrupting?"

Tenley sat up straight. "No, no...not at all. What's up?"

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest, almost protectively. Tenley watched her body language carefully and could instantly tell how uncomfortable Lucy was. Lucy admitted, "I was wondering if you had anything for anxiety?"

Tenley stood up. "Are you okay? How bad is it?"

Lucy didn't budge from her spot. "I can feel it rising."

"How long has this been going on?" Tenley probed. She didn't want to just give meds away, willy-nilly, especially if it was just a small case of nerves. She understood, somewhat, what she might be faced with. She was informed briefly about how Lucy's mother and the rest of her blood family were the masterminds behind the whole Rittenhouse exploits.

Lucy shrugged. "It's been going on for a while...usually I can manage it on my own, but...I'm having trouble." She stopped and shook her head. "You know what, just forget it. I'm sorry that I bothered you."

"Wait," Tenley said, just before Lucy could dash out of the room. "I can give you something to help you relax...It's a habit for me to ask and screen patients."

Lucy smirked. "Am I your patient?"

Tenley gave a half shrug. "I guess all of you are now." She walked up to her cabinet of medications and started to remove the pill bottle that she needed and promptly held out the capsule for Lucy. She asked, "Do you need some water?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, thank you." She paused at the door and admitted, "Thank you for this...I appreciate it."

Tenley nodded and watched as Lucy took her leave. Tenley began to wonder just how much this time-traveling ordeal was taking its toll on the team. She couldn't begin to imagine all that they've witnessed, endured, and had to deal with after the fact. She worried that perhaps everyone was struggling, somehow, with everything. She wasn't a psychiatrist, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to help them cope with it as well as one could, but she knew that she'd have to allow them the opportunity to talk to her as though she was one if they needed to. The problem was letting the team know about it without offending them.

Tenley sighed, rubbing her face with her hands. She was tired, but her mind was racing with all of these new thoughts and ideas. She stood up and exited her room, heading for the common living area. She needed coffee, or at the very least, some tea to help settle her down long enough to work until she was tired.

As she walked down the corridors of the bunker, she noted how quiet everything was. There wasn't even the faintest sound of conversations to be heard. When she turned into the common living area, she approached the coffee pot. Lifting the carafe out of the warmer, she felt how empty it was. Hopeful, she shook the carafe gently, hoping to hear the sounds of a few dregs left inside...but her luck wasn't with her. She sighed, putting the carafe back down. She set to the task of looking for teabags and a mug.

Watching her from across the room was Flynn. He had set himself up in one of the chairs with a book and the last bits of coffee from the pot. It wasn't even that good, which meant that Wyatt had made it last. Flynn had a knack of being able to tell who made the coffee for the day based on how it tasted and how strong it was. Wyatt's always tasted burnt and it wasn't very strong. Rufus, Jiya, and Mason were the ones who always made a full pot of incredibly strong coffee. Flynn believed it to be because they were always up late working on the Machines and computers; they had to be sharp and alert. The way they made the coffee, it certainly would wake anyone up for good. Agent Christopher was never in early enough to make the coffee and from his observations, she always brought her coffee from home. Lucy usually drank whatever was made without complaint, so he wasn't sure she knew how to make coffee.