Waking Dream

[Capt Ayers 0]

Nick sighs quietly to himself as he stares up at the ceiling above his bed. After the meeting with Ambassador Joy things had finally settled down enough that Nick left the Control Tower and returned to his quarters to get the rest that the Doctor had told him to get. Though to be honest it was more the looks and the reminders that Ethan had used that convinced him that he had been on duty much too long while still recovering from the injury he had sustained. So with a smart aleck thought that he didn't give voice to, though he was sure Ethan picked up on it, he returned to their quarters. After showering and changing he crawled into bed and fell asleep.

 

However, he made one stop along the way and that was to show up in Sickbay and have Dr. McKinny check him over to see if he was well enough to return to duty full time in the morning. That had led to an interesting conversation that stirred up a lot of bad memories for him..and he suspected for her too.

 

That conversation had led to him having a rather bad nightmare which had caused him to wake up just a few minutes earlier. It takes him a minute to slow his breathing and it's in that time he notices Ethan sleeping against him. He must have been sleeping quite deeply for her to be able to slip into bed against him without him picking up on it subconsciously.

 

Sighing quietly he slips from bed and steps over to the window showing the stars beyond. He stares out the window while in his mind he thinks over the conversation with the Doctor and the memories that talk brought back to the surface. Memories of a friend of his who died believing that one day he would love her as she loved him, even if the only love he felt towards her was that of a brother has for a sister and not the romantic love she felt for and wanted from him. Unbidden, all his memories of that friend come back to him and it's almost enough to overwhelm him. A single tear, however, is all the emotion he shows.

 

He senses more then hears Ethan stir behind him. He turns to see her with her head propped on her hand watching him quietly. He sighs quietly and as he steps back towards the bed he starts to apologize. He cuts the apology off short, knowing that it wasn't needed really. She'd understand whether he talked about what made him wake up and slip out of bed or not.