Sestra to Sestra

Posted on 19 Dec 2017 @ 5:24am by Senior Chief Petty Officer Mila Rasputin & Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler

2,562 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Crossing Over
Location: Deck 8, Gymnasium
Timeline: MD 15 || 1430 Hours

As soon as Mila finished her shift and delivered the last of the PADDs she had to the Captain's ready room, the Russian headed for the nearest turbolift. She felt absolutely horrible about the comment she had told Joey about scheduling an appointment with the counselor and knew she had to make it up. "Computer, location of Joey Geisler, please."

"Lieutenant Geisler is currently in the gymnasium," the computer replied in her normal emotionless tone.

"Deck eight," she requested.

***

Meanwhile, down in the gym, Joey traded her duty uniform for a red fitted tank top that hugged her curves, a pair of black yoga shorts and tennis shoes. Her long dark locks were pulled back in a ponytail to be out of her face while she worked out, which started with her being on a treadmill at a steady jog. Of course, she took the time to stretch first to avoid cramping up. Her day was already pretty crap, and adding avoidable discomfort to that was something she just didn't want to do.

She kept her eyes locked ahead, keeping pave with the speed of the treadmill with ease. A frown formed on her lips as she replayed the last couple of days in her head. First Harvey, and now Mila. It was impossible not to feel hurt... especially by the two people she carried about the most. Tensions were running high, but then, maybe she deserved it. She didn't know.

But now... being here in the one place she was capable of clearing her mind... it made her wonder if she should just give up... go back to DS15, then arrange transport back to DS11 and stay there until she could get back home. It couldn't hurt anymore than the constant feeling her heart was being broken a little more with each day that passed.

As tears welled in her eyes, Joey let out a frustrated grunt and turned the machine off, stepping off to the side to avoid being thrown as it came to a halt. "What the hell is happening with my life?" she asked herself, making her way over to her towel to dab the fine sheen of sweat from her skin. That was a question she couldn't answer, and it frustrated her. Nothing seemed right. It felt like her entire world was caving in on her.

Joey sat heavily on a bench and placed her head in her hands, fighting to keep her tears at bay. She didn't want to cry. What good would that do her? It wouldn't make her feel better. It wouldn't miraculously solve any of her problems. It wouldn't make anything better. All it would do was make her already tired eyes, with their dark rings and haunted appearance, red and puffy. She didn't need that.

She took a deep, shaky breath in and let it out slowly, rising to her feet once more. The only thing that would help, even if for a little while, was working out within the parameters her pregnancy allowed. And that... was exactly what she planned to do as she stepped back onto the treadmill.

Mila got off the turbolift on deck eight where the gymnasium was on and took a moment to clear her mind. She still wasn't sure what she was going to say or do, but she knew something would come to mind. She took a deep breath and headed down the hall until she came to the doors of the gym and slowly entered, her brown eyes scanning the crew taking advantage of the weights until she spotted Joey just getting up from a bench in workout clothes.

The Russian steadied herself, then approached with a bit of trepidation and took another breath. "Sestra," she said in a soft voice. "May I be having moment with you, please?"

“That depends on whether or not you’re going to accuse me of needing a counselor again,” the taller woman said as she continued on with the steady pace of jogging. Mila’s words hurt, and to be honest, Joey always thought she’d be the last person to ever hurt her. She was wrong, but then people had a way of surprising others. That’s what free will was all about.

It didn't help that the woman she cared about was still jogging as if it were not a big deal, but Mila acknowledged that it would be on Joey's terms. "I am being incredibly sorry for what I was saying, Joey," she said. "It was not being right of me and I am apologizing sincerely. I am thinking that stress is getting to us all, but is not being excuse for what I am saying."

After stopping the treadmill, Joey stepped off of it again and turned her attention to the shorter woman. She understood what stress could do as well as anyone, because she was dealing with it, too. Not just in her professional life, but her personal one as well. “I get it, Mila. We’re going through hell right now. We’re always going through some kind of hell. But it’s a different kind of hell when you feel like the people who should care just don’t."

"I am understanding that," the shorter woman said and meant it. "I am trying to be doing everything in my power to be getting Harvey to talk to me. I am listening to you. I am having many difficulties and I am not always right in what I am saying. Is part of being human, but I was not meaning to hurt you."

"Harvey isn't going to talk to anyone. I figured that out yesterday," Joey said, moving to her stuff to grab her water. She took a long drink and sat down, placing her elbows on her knees. Her posture, as well as her features showed just bow defeated she felt. "And you don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine. I always am."

"What is happening last night?" Mila asked as they hadn't discussed that over lunch, but with so many other things being discussed and the abrupt ending of it, she needed to get caught up and try to put the pieces together. "But I am worrying, Joey," she said. "You are being my sestra and carrying my...what is word? God babies, da?"

"Nothing happened last night aside from giving him some space. I curled up on the couch and read until I fell asleep," she replied.

The Yeoman looked confused for a moment and it reflected into her words. "You mean he is not being romantic in bedroom?"

Joey shook her head. "That's not what I'm talking about," she clarified. And even if that were an issue, she wouldn't advertise it. "Everything happened yesterday morning... before my shift started. We haven't really spoken much since then."

"I am getting feeling that I am like mushroom," Mila said. "Meaning that I am being in dark on this. What is happening that I am not knowing?"

"Nothing aside from him shutting me out and pushing me away. I told you about it at lunch," Joey said with a frown. "It's fine. It's okay. He has a lot going on right now, and I'm going to keep doing what I do. Give him his space and support him. If he needs me, he'll come to me."

"For having eidetic memory, I am forgetting and seeking your forgiveness," the short brunette said. "When I am talking to him, he is giving me weird looks, but I am not sure what to be thinking of it. For now, I am thinking that we should not be leaving him alone for too long. Who is knowing when he is needing to open up?"

"He isn't going to open up, Mila," she said softly. "Whatever is really bothering him is something he's going to keep bottled up. Harvey won't allow himself to be forced to do anything. You know that."

"I am having idea, but I am not having clearance to do it," Mila said after a thoughtful moment. "You are being Intelligence now, da? That is meaning you are having higher clearance. Why are you not doing some digging? Science Lab Six is being on lockdown and even I am not having access to what is being down even on PADD. Can you not be checking?"

“It’s locked down for a reason, and while I’m sure I could, that’s a violation of trust,” Joey said with a frown. It hurt knowing that there could be people on the ship that might know what was going on, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Not without breaking a sacred trust. “Maybe Jayla was right. Maybe I should leave the ship. I’m clueless. I have no idea what’s going on, and I feel like I’m just in the way. My team is capable of doing things without me. Hell... they’ve all been doing it a lot longer than I have been.”

The Russian sneered at the mention of the Chief Medical Officer. "Nyet. She will never be right about anywhere where you or Harvey is being concerned," she spat. "As for trust, where is being trust from Harvey to you about what is bothering him? I am not saying to be confronting him, but if we are having chance to analyze data from probe, perhaps we would be seeing something that was being missed?"

“That’s just it. I don’t think there is any trust where we’re concerned. I’ve never given him any reason not to be able to trust me, but things change... people change,” she spoke softly. “I know he loves me, and I definitely know I love him, but is that enough? I suppose this will be just one of many tests.”

"I am not thinking is not so much a matter of trust as it is being a Command issue," Mila said after another moment. "I am being certain there are things which you cannot be telling me from what you do, just as I am having certain things which I cannot be telling you. Love will win for it is love."

“Which is another reason I can’t dig into any of this,” Joey said softly. She wished she could be as positive about things like Mila, but recent events left her jaded. “You came to me for forgiveness, you have it. I know I’m difficult to be around right now, and that makes me part to blame. I’m sorry, too.”

"You are also in need of rest," the short brunette said. "And I am hoping that whatever is going on is dragged into light soon. If you are being done with workout, I am having recipe for replicator which will be making taste buds sing."

“I only just got started. I planned on working out for a couple hours, then head back to my office for a few hours,” the taller woman spoke not wanting to admit out loud that she still didn’t have an appetite. “How about a raincheck?”

"You did not finish lunch," Mila said. "Which was being my fault, so I am sending recipe to your terminal for Strawberry Hazelnut Pavlova Roll. Last person who is trying it was stuffing their cheeks while growling."

“Thank you,” she said, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. The headache she’d had for most of the day was growing by the second to the point she could hear her heartbeat in her ears.

"Here, be letting me take care of that," the Russian woman said as she reached for Joey's free hand. She gently pinched an area between the thumb and index finger on the other woman's hand and applied a little bit of pressure. "Should be helping headache soon," she assured her.

“Until it comes back, but I thank you nonetheless,” the tall brunette said as she offered a small smile. The past couple of days were the same. Headaches, trouble sleeping, no appetite... all things she could do without in her life.

"Then just be doing what I did," Mila said. "Just pinch spot for thirty to forty-five seconds. Will be gone. So, aside from that, are you wishing to have party or be cancelling it?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "On one hand, it would hand me something to do to help occupy some of my free time, but on the other... I don't know if anyone would even come. I'm not even sure Harvey would."

"Then let us leave open invitation to whole ship," the Yeoman suggested. "Is not mandatory to attend."

"Okay. Let's do it, but you have to be my co-host. I can't do it all on my own," Joey pointed out.

"What are sestras for?" Mila asked as she leaned forward to give Joey a hug on impulse.

Joey returned the hug. "There's a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in."

"Psst," the Russian scoffed. "Is plenty of holodeck programs of winter wonderlands and requires minimal change. Rest is food and invites. Simple."

"Then it shouldn't take too long to do. Something like this will hopefully get peoples minds off of the big blue blob," she said, unable to keep anger from flashing across her face. Joey quickly rose to her feet and staggered for a few steps before she grabbed onto the treadmill to keep herself upright. Her eyes drifted closed in an attempt to stave off the room spinning.

Mila jumped to her feet when Joey staggered and reached a hand to steady her enough to get back to the bench. "Joey? Say something." she told her, her Russian accent disappearing in her concern.

Joey took a few seconds to gather her bearings and steady herself a bit. "I'm okay," she said softly, reaching down to pinch the area Mila indicated earlier. The taller woman continued to lean against the treadmill with her eyes closed. "I'm okay."

The shorter brunette got up and moved in front of her before she held up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up, Joey?"

The taller woman cracked an eye open and looked to Mila's fingers. "Three," she answered before closing her eyes once again. "I'm fine. Just a little dizzy. No big deal." Her face was a bit flushed, too.

"You are flushed, have a headache, and just got dizzy enough to have almost fallen." Mila said as she held out her arm to her. "You have more than yourself to worry about, Joey. Come, I'll help you get to Medical."

Joey sighed. Mila was right. "Okay, but I don't want you to tell Harvey about this. He has enough to worry about, and there's no need to add more to it."

"He will find out from medical report if he is reading them," the Yeoman pointed out as she helped Joey to her feet and offered her arm. "I am thinking he is only reading top summaries of each or where his signature is being required. Now come. Medical is waiting."

"Let's go," the taller woman said, grabbing her duffle bag on their way out. All Joey wanted to do was get this over with and put Mila's mind at ease.

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