Pain

[Kairi 0]

Kairi quietly sat upon Jamie Kroell's bed. She had broken into his quarters, using her engineering code. It was quiet in the room, save for the few sniffles coming from Kairi. Things hadn't been disturbed. None of Jamie's personal belongs have been packed and placed into storage yet. She looked around at the room, tears streaming from her eyes. A picture of her and Jamie rested in her hand.

 

Unknown to the engineering lieutenant, passive alarms had been temporarily rigged since Jamie’s quarters had been sealed by security. A minor alert had been triggered in the offices, prompting the ensign on watch, Holt, to investigate.

 

Arriving at the quarters, the young officer did a tricorder scan from the corridor; once the device had registered one of the senior Lieutenants inside, he had opted for discretion - letting his chief delve into the situation.

 

Coming straight from the holo research program she had been conducting with Lt. Black-Knight, Kansas was highly cautious as she stepped inside the quarters.

 

Kairi barely noticed the door open. She was entranced in her own little world. Finally looking up, the crying woman saw the Caitian standing in the doorway.

 

JoNs remained where she was, one paw resting on the door jam and her feline form half obscured by shadows and backlit by the corridor lighting. After several moments had passed, the Caitian spoke gently. "Kairi? I know that nothing official has been sent out, but you know that these quarters are temporarily off limits."

 

"How long have you been standing there?" the engineer said wiping away her tears.

 

"Not long." JoNs moved farther into the darkened quarters. "What's going on here?" Her tone was still gentle, with the usual undercurrent of purring.

 

"I...I just felt like I needed to be here."

 

The Caitian sat down on a nearby chair off to the side of the bed. "That must have been some need. You used classified bypass coding to bre...er...gain access to Jamie’s quarters." The statement held no recriminations, no anger.

 

"I'm sorry," Kairi said as she lowered her head.

 

The lieutenant commander waved a paw and smiled. "No worries. In fact, I may have need of that particular engineering skill of yours at some point in the future." Then the smile disappeared. "What is going on Kairi? This isn't an interrogation, but I'm not exactly asking a rhetorical question either."

 

"I miss him, Kansas."

 

The Caitian’s ears drooped in sorrow. "I know you do."

 

Tears began to fall once more as Kairi looked down at the picture. "I was so happy when I was with him. I had never felt like that in my life." A single tear struck the image in her hand. "I loved him..."

 

The security officer froze. Tactical engagements - check. Dangerous missions - check. Going undercover with a pain in the ass Bajoran - check. She had it all covered, no problems. How to handle crying? Note to self: suggest course corrections to the Fleet Academy.

 

With feline grace, Kansas moved from the chair to the bed, gently sitting down next to Kairi. She placed her arm around the engineer, a warm furred paw resting on her shoulder. She didn't say anything, but increased her purring.

 

Kairi immediately gripped the Caitian in a big hug. Burying her head in Kansas's fur, she cried.

 

Kansas let Kairi cry herself out, ignoring a comm badge beep at one point.

 

Gasping abruptly, the engineer broke the hold as she moaned slightly. "I...I'm sorry. I haven't been feeling good lately."

 

The felinoid let her break away, but didn't relinquish all of the control; she kept one paw gently but firmly on the woman's arm, studying her tear streaked face. "If you are feeling unwell, I think a trip to the sickbay is a good idea." It was a suggestion, but there was a slight undercurrent of worry.

 

"I tried going once, but they were busy. I've just been a little tired the past couple of days. I've probably been overworking myself lately."

 

"Kairi, take it from me, since taking on the security chief position I have been a princess of overworked freaked outness - it's not worth it. Just go get checked out."

 

Kairi placed her free hand on her stomach, rubbing it slightly to soothe it. "I will...But first, can I stay here a little while longer?"

 

Kansas sensed that it was time for her to go, and that she would have a difficult time getting the conversation to move forward. She stood. "Aye, it’s not a problem if you want to stay for a little bit. Just promise me you won't, ah, break in again? Incidents like this tend to make us barnacles nervous."

 

Smiling faintly, the engineer nodded. "I promise."

 

Kansas lingered in the doorway for a moment, looking back at Kairi with an unsure expression. Finally, she nodded and offered a small smile of encouragement before turning and exiting the quarters, leaving the engineer to her thoughts and inner demons.

 

After the door closed, Kairi laid back on the bed. As she rested there, her eyes slowly became heavy and she drifted of into sleep.