Sickbay was empty, the lights were dim, and there were no patients and no other staff members on duty. It was the night shift, and Christine found herself alone and reorganising the hyposprays for the third time that night. Hearing the doors open and seeing the lights brighten, Christine brushed her white-blonde hair out of her face and happily smiled as she turned to face La'an.
"Nurse Chapel, oh good, you're on duty," La'an said, holding her hand close to her chest.
"I really do like that you always come to me when you have a medical problem. It's almost as if I'm your favourite nurse," Christine said, winking, as she walked over to La'an. "What's the problem?"
"Crewman Lynch's pet spider got out and it bit me when I captured it," La'an replied, showing Christine her hand.
Gently taking hold of La'an's hand, Christine examined the bite mark between her thumb and index finger and pursed her lips together. The area was already red and angry and taking a second look at La'an, she didn't look that great either. She had a light sweat over her forehead and it looked like the colour was draining out of her face.
"That looks painful. Come with me." Leading La'an over to the closest biobed, she stopped and gave La'an's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "If you take a seat on the bed, I'll be right back with you. Don't miss me too much now."
"I'll try not to," La'an replied sarcastically as she tried not to smile. Christine always had a way to make her smile and she felt like she needed it right now. Her hand hurt, and she didn't feel very well.
Smirking, Christine let her blue eyes linger on La'an for just a moment before she turned away and walked over to the hypospray collection. Finding the vial of a general anti-venom she needed, she loaded the hypospray and grabbed the dermal regenerator.
"This is an anti-venom and it should neutralise any toxins in your system. It works for over ninety percent of spider bites," Christine said, informing La'an as she pressed the hypospray against her neck.
"Thank you."
"Hand please," Christine said, carefully taking hold of La'an's hand. She could see the hypospray beginning to work and as she ran the dermal regenerator over the bite wound, she watched it slowly disappear, the skin smooth once more. "How're you feeling now?"
"A little better but not much. I feel a little queasy and like I'm going to throw up," La'an replied, her hand still in Christine's.
"Hmm, you still don't look much better. Lay down for me please," Christine responded, handing her a vomit bag before grabbing the medical tricorder.
Scanning La'an thoroughly, Christine squinted at the readouts. Walking back over to the hyposprays, she ran her finger over the top of them and pulled out a stronger anti-venom and sighed. She wasn't a fan of using this one as she knew it came with some less than pleasant side effects. Christine also hated seeing La'an in pain, and she wanted to do anything she could to make her feel better.
"There's still a fair amount of the venom in your system that hasn't been neutralised. This is an even stronger anti-venom but you're not going to feel too great. I'm sorry, this is going to suck, but it's the best I can do," Christine said, her hand resting on La'an's leg, comforting her.
"Can it be any worse than what I already feel?" La'an asked. "I trust you to know what's best," she added, trying to sit up but only to have Christine gently push her back down.
"Rest La'an, please. And I'm not going to lie to you, this will make you feel like shit." Making eye contact with her, Christine watched La'an nod her head. Grabbing a second vomit bag from the tray, Christine handed it to her before injecting the stronger anti-venom.
"Is it really going to get that bad?" La'an asked, looking at her small pile of vomit bags before reaching forward and holding Christine's hand in her own. She didn't feel good and having Christine there helped her feel a little better.
"It might, it might not. It probably will, but we'll know in about ten minutes," Christine replied, offering La'an a small smile. Giving her hand a quick squeeze before she let it go, Christine moved over to the tray and took the empty vials out of the hyposprays.
"Will you stay with me?" La'an asked, suddenly not wanting to be alone. She knew she could get through it by herself but she felt safer with Christine there, watching over her.
"Of course, let me grab a chair." Rolling one of the chairs over to the bed, Christine also grabbed another hypospray vial and sat it on the tray near the biobed. She was surprised that La'an wanted her to stay, and it made her feel kind of special.
"What's that for?" La'an asked, rolling onto her side.
"It's a mild sedative. I'm not going to use it unless absolutely necessary but so far you're doing good," Christine replied, sitting down on the chair.
"Thank you for all of this," La'an said softly, reaching once more for Christine's hand. She didn't know why she felt the sudden need to touch Christine but it somehow made her feel better. Sure, she liked Christine as more than a friend but she never would have ever imagined doing this.
"It's more than okay, La'an. All I want is to see you feel better," Christine replied, giving La'an's hand a soft squeeze. La'an's hand was soft in hers and she didn't want to let it go.
"Feeling better would be nice," La'an said, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply as pain shot through her stomach.
La'an suddenly didn't feel good, her stomach was hurting and she felt extremely dizzy and sick. She didn't realise a simple spider bite would do this to her. Feeling Christine's hand begin to gently stroke her head, it was comforting, it was unexpected, and it made La'an very aware of her feelings for the nurse.
"Tell me what's wrong, La'an?" Christine asked quietly. She would usually never do this with any patient but La'an was different, and she knew her feelings for her were influencing her actions.
"My stomach, it hurts, badly," La'an replied, curling into a ball and grabbing one of the vomit bags.
Grabbing the tricorder, Christine scanned La'an and made sure there wasn't a more serious underlying problem. "It's just the anti-venom, it'll pass soon. Do you want the mild sedative? It won't make you sleep but it'll help you relax and take the edge off some of the pain."
"No. No sedative," La'an said, knowing she had faced worse pain than what she was feeling.
"Okay," Christine replied. Comforting La'an as best she could, she stayed with her and gently stroked her hair, letting her know it was going to be over soon.
The pain La'an was feeling felt like a fire inside her stomach, and it felt like it was expanding. She was dizzy and nauseous, and she didn't understand how a simple spider bite could do this to her.
"How could a small spider bite do this to me?" La'an asked, wanting nothing more to do with spiders after this.
"It wasn't just a normal spider bite. I believe Crewman Lynch lied about what breed it is. It looks like a huntsman, pretty harmless, but if you analyse the venom, it's actually an Andorian tree spider. One bite and if you don't get treated immediately you don't want to see what would happen. This is why I gave you a stronger anti-venom, we need that venom in your system neutralised ASAP," Christine replied, her hand resting on La'an's forearm.
"Just my bloody luck," La'an responded, opening her eyes to look at Christine. "Once this passes, I need to get back to duty."
"Not a chance. Once you've been here and symptom-free for half an hour, you're going back to your quarters and taking the next twenty-four hours off. Doctor's orders, no wait, nurse's orders, the semantics don't matter, you're off duty."
"Nurse Chapel…"
"…Christine, please, we are the only ones here," Christine said, interrupting.
"Christine, I have a duty I need to perform, I can't be resting for that long," La'an said, still not willing to move from her current position as she brought the vomit bag closer.
"And I have a duty to make sure every member of this crew is medically fit for duty, and you are currently not fit for duty. Your health is more important to me. How about in twelve hours I'll come and check on you and if you're good, I'll let you go back to duty," Christine replied, adding in an option.
"That is acceptable," La'an replied, shifting slightly. "Is the pain meant to get worse?"
"No, it's not." Quickly grabbing the tricorder and scanning La'an, Christine could see that the anti-venom was working but was wreaking havoc on her body. "There's no more trace of active venom left in your system. What you're feeling is the lasting side effects. I'm sorry this sucks," Christine responded, sitting back down in her chair.
"That spider shouldn't even be on the ship. It needs to be locked away or stepped on," La'an said. Letting out a soft moan, she curled further in on herself and squeezed her eyes shut. "It really hurts," she whispered, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.
"Do you trust me, La'an?" Christine asked, looking at the mild sedative.
"I do, why?"
Loading the hypospray, Christine gently stroked La'an's hair as a stray tear ran down her cheek. "I'm going to give you the sedative, I think you need it."
"Okay," La'an agreed hesitantly. The pain was starting to get to her and it was starting to remind her of her time on the Gorn planet.
Pressing the hypospray against La'an's arm, Christine rubbed over the spot and watched it take almost immediately. Grabbing a blanket, she draped it over La'an and sat back down next to her.
"You're going to be okay, La'an, I promise," Christine said gently, reaching out and holding La'an's hand in hers.
Feeling La'an squeeze her hand in response, Christine knew she was in deep. Ever since their first meeting, she felt something between them, and it had been growing ever since. Her feelings had grown to a point where it was hard to ignore them. She wanted nothing but the best for La'an, and she wanted to be there, with her, experiencing it all. She wanted to hold her close, kiss her, and tell her everything was going to be okay.
"Christine, I'm getting sleepy," La'an said, stifling a yawn.
"If you want, take a nap. I'll get you up in an hour once I know you're in the clear."
"Okay," La'an agreed, finding it hard to keep her eyes open. She wanted to be able to stay awake and speak to Christine but the sedative was deciding otherwise. She wanted more head stroking, more hand-holding, and more touching. She usually wouldn't let anyone touch her but Christine was different. Christine was like a slightly unhinged ball of sunshine and everything about her, La'an found extremely attractive. Christine was beautiful and La'an was surprised she hadn't let it slip out yet.
Waiting until La'an was asleep, Christine sighed and went into the office. Updating La'an's medical file, she added in what happened and the treatment given. Accessing Crewman Lynch's file, she checked that the spider was registered to be aboard. Not being surprised when it was listed as being a huntsman, she flagged it for review. Christine knew it wasn't a huntsman, La'an knew it wasn't a huntsman, and the scans of the venom pinpointed to exactly what kind of spider it was.
Closing down the files on the screen, Christine rubbed her face and looked over at La'an. She was still sleeping which Christine was thankful for. Now that she could take a breath, she felt the worry turning inside of her stomach. La'an was going to be okay, she knew this, but she still worried. She really liked La'an. Every time they spent time together, Christine felt like she was walking on clouds. She could listen to La'an speak for hours on end, her accent and voice was like music to her ears. She was kind and funny, she always wanted to hear about Christine's day, and La'an always made her feel wanted and appreciated.
Checking the time, Christine didn't realise how much time had passed. Rolling her neck from side to side, she felt and heard it cracking. Hearing the doors opening, Christine was relieved to see it was only Doctor M'Benga.
"Busy night?" he asked, looking over to La'an.
"Not really. I've flagged a file that needs to be rechecked, and I've organised everything as you asked," Christine replied, rubbing her face.
"If you want a small early mark, feel free to take it, I can look after things from here," Doctor M'Benga offered, seeing how tired Christine looked.
"I told La'an I'd get her up after an hour, and it's almost time. Once she's up and clear, I'll head off," Christine replied, not wanting to leave just yet.
"Okay. What happened to Lieutenant Noonien-Singh?"
"The file I flagged, it's for a pet spider. La'an got bitten by it and came here. A normal anti-venom wasn't working and when I double-checked myself, the venom matched that of an Andorian tree spider, not the huntsman it's listed as," Christine explained, trying to stifle a yawn.
"I will get right onto that."
Offering Doctor M'Benga a smile before she exited the office, Christine went over to La'an and scanned her one last time. She could see now that everything had settled down and she would be good to go.
"La'an, come on, wake up," Christine said gently.
"Has it been an hour already?" La'an asked, groggily.
"Yeah, it has. How do you feel?"
"Better, actually. Nothing hurts." Sitting up, La'an yawned and looked at Christine. "Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me. You know I'd do anything to make you feel better. You're also free to go now and remember, rest for the next twelve hours and I'll come and check on you to see about going back to duty."
"Okay," La'an replied, looking down at the ground. She was grateful she got to leave but leaving would mean no more Christine.
"Lieutenant, now you're free to leave, please take Nurse Chapel with you. Both of you should get some rest," Doctor M'Benga said, walking out of the office.
"Can do, Doctor M'Benga," La'an responded, a small smile on her face.
"I'll see you next shift," Christine said, joining La'an and exiting sickbay.
"I'll walk you to your quarters, it's the least I can do," La'an offered, leading them down the corridor.
"I think we should get you to your quarters first," Christine replied.
"I don't think I'll be sleeping much tonight," La'an said, rubbing her face.
"Why do you think that?"
"I don't know, I just don't feel right," La'an replied, biting her bottom lip. She knew exactly why, it was stupid, but she knew it would keep her up and play on her mind.
"Hey, what doesn't feel right?" Christine asked, stopping and scanning La'an with her eyes.
"It's nothing," La'an replied, looking to the ground. She was too tired to have her guard up and she knew Christine could tell.
"Talk to me please, La'an," Christine tried, reaching out and holding La'an's hand.
"I'm anxious. For some reason, my brain thinks something else is going to happen or I'm going to have a belated reaction or the spider is going to get loose again. I probably sound stupid." Wishing she hadn't said anything, La'an looked at Christine and was surprised she wasn't looking amused.
"You're allowed to be anxious. Everyone feels it. I have an idea! Since we are both off for the next twelve hours, how about we have a sleepover in my quarters. I can keep an eye on you, and you can get some rest," Christine suggested with a smile on her face.
"You need to get some rest too. I've never actually had a sleepover before, I don't think I'd be very good at it, nor any kind of good company," La'an replied, feeling the butterflies in her stomach doing backflips at the idea of spending more time with Christine.
"You don't have to be good at it, and you're better company than you think. We'll head to your quarters so you can grab a change of clothing or two and then we'll head to mine," Christine said, allowing La'an to lead the way.
"Only if you're sure," La'an said, needing to double-check. She wanted to spend more time with Christine but she was also nervous, something she didn't allow herself to feel very often.
"I'm very sure," Christine smiled, giving La'an's hand a gentle squeeze as they waited for the turbolift.
Making their way to La'an's quarters, Christine stepped aside as La'an opened the door.
"You can come in if you'd like," La'an said, suddenly feeling anxious about having the woman she liked in her personal quarters.
Looking around the small room, Christine could see nothing personal around, no photos, no nothing. There was a pile of PADDs on the table, the bed was half made, and an almost empty glass of water sat on the bedside table.
"Is there anything else I need apart from a change of clothes and something to sleep in?" La'an asked, shoving some clothing into her duffel bag.
"Not really, I have plenty of blankets and pillows so there shouldn't be a problem," Christine replied, holding out her hand for the duffel bag. "Your body needs to still recover, pass it here."
Sighing, La'an handed it over and gave the room a once over. Leading the way out of her quarters, she began to head to Christine's. She had memorised where Christine's quarters were after her first mission on Kiley on the basis that if something went wrong, she would know where to go.
The walk to Christine's quarters was silent. La'an's mind was racing, she didn't want to screw anything up but she feared she would. She really liked Christine, and tonight reminded her of why she had fallen for the nurse.
"Here we are," Christine said, opening the doors and allowing La'an to walk in first.
"How are your quarters bigger than mine?" La'an asked as she looked around. The bed was double the size of hers, there was a very comfy looking couch, and La'an was pretty sure there was a replicator next to the table and chairs.
"One of the perks of being a civilian medical officer who is top in her field," Christine smirked, dumping the duffel bag on the end of her bed.
"Lucky," La'an replied, sitting down on the couch.
"When was the last time you had something to eat?" Christine asked, her stomach reminding her she had skipped lunch to work on genome sequencing.
"Before my shift, seven and half hours ago," La'an replied, wondering what Christine was up to.
"Let's get something to eat, then we can relax and try to sleep."
"Sounds like a plan," La'an nodded. She liked knowing what was going to happen.
"What drink would you like?" Christine asked, raising her eyebrow.
"Water, I don't think I could stomach anything else," La'an admitted. She felt the need to order something fun but she knew it would not go well.
"Can do." Replicating two glasses of water, Christine placed them on the table and ordered herself a toasted sandwich.
"Food?"
"Um, what are you having?" La'an asked, not sure what to get.
"I'm going simple with a toasted sandwich. You can get anything you want," Christine replied, wanting La'an to be comfortable.
"That doesn't sound bad. I used to love toasted ham, cheese, and tomato sandwiches."
"That's exactly what I got," Christine smiled. "Want one?"
"Yes please."
Getting a second sandwich, Christine sat down and La'an joined her.
"So, La'an, tell me something I don't know," Christine said, wanting to start a conversation.
"I am unsure what you do and don't know already." Taking a bite of her toasted sandwich, La'an slowly chewed and watched Christine.
"Okay, so, something many people don't know about me is that I like to do art. I draw and I paint for fun. What about you?"
"Um, I like reading when I have some time to myself," La'an admitted. She really couldn't think of much else about herself. "There isn't much more to know that you don't know about me already," she added quietly.
"It's all good, no pressure," Christine said, not wanting La'an to get into a funk.
"At sleepovers, what do people usually do?" La'an asked, wanting to know more. She knew about them in theory but she wanted to hear it from Christine.
"Usually it involves nail painting, playing with each other's hair, making crank calls to people you like, playing games like never have I ever, or truth or dare, a lot of things teenagers do basically," Christine replied, taking another bite of her sandwich.
"Never have I ever?" La'an questioned. She had heard of it but had never played it before.
"It's a game where someone says something and if you have done what the person hasn't done, you take a shot," Christine replied, picking up the second half of her sandwich.
"I think I understand." Nodding her head, La'an continued to eat her dinner. She still didn't feel great but being with Christine made her forget about the venom that decided to play hell on her body.
"We can do whatever you want to do, and if that's just sit back and relax, we can," Christine said, wanting La'an to feel comfortable.
"I'll think on it."
Finishing their dinner in silence, Christine collected their plates and put them back in the replicator. Stretching out, she felt her back crack which relieved some of the tension she didn't know she had. She was still dressed in her uniform, and a shower sounded really good.
"I think I'm going to shower, it's been a long day," Christine said, offering La'an a small smile.
Collecting something to change into, she stopped at the door to the bathroom and looked at La'an. "Don't miss me too much, now," she winked, seeing the pink blush rise up on La'an's face.
"Go shower," La'an mumbled in reply, rolling her eyes while she spoke.
Offering La'an one last quick smile, Christine closed the door to the bathroom and put her clothing down. Finally getting out of her uniform, she stepped into the sonic shower and sighed. She could feel the dirt of the day washing off her skin and it felt good. Leaning against the wall, she rubbed her eyes and yawned. She didn't realise how tired she was and now that she had finally stopped, everything was catching up to her.
In the other room, La'an was probably waiting for her. La'an. The only woman on the ship who had managed to capture her heart. Christine really liked her, and every time she could she tried her best to flirt with La'an. Feeling her heart begin to beat a little faster, Christine had no idea how she was going to survive the night. Her bed was more than big enough for both of them and there was no way she was going to allow La'an to sleep on the couch.
Christine just hoped that she wouldn't accidentally sleep cuddle La'an during the night. It was something she sometimes did and waking up was always awkward. Knowing she should get back to La'an, Christine got out of the shower and quickly got dressed in a pair of pyjama shorts and an oversized t-shirt.
Moving from the table to the couch, La'an sat straight and looked around the room. She could see a few family photos, what looked like some medical equipment, and a pile of PADDs. She wasn't surprised that Christine had equipment in her quarters, she was an expert in her field.
Training her eyes back to the family photos, La'an noticed that not one of them had Christine in it. The people in the images looked happy, a perfect family almost. In the corner, sitting on the floor, which La'an hadn't noticed, was a small pile of sketchbooks with a few pencils sitting on top. La'an was curious but she didn't want to go and just look through them without permission. She wasn't going to break the trust she had built up with Christine.
Hearing footsteps, La'an turned and looked at Christine. She was in her pyjamas, and La'an had to swallow the lump in her throat. How was she meant to spend the entire night with Christine when she couldn't stop staring at her? She was gorgeous and La'an knew keeping her stern exterior was going to be difficult.
"Like what you see," Christine said, winking at La'an.
Christine did that a lot and every time La'an felt herself blush like crazy. No one had ever had this effect on her before and she was still getting used to it.
"I was just waiting for you to be done," La'an replied, ignoring what Christine had said.
"Would you like a shower? Go right ahead, no rush," Christine responded, noticing how stiff La'an looked. "You look like you need to relax, maybe it'll help."
"I am very much relaxed," La'an said, feigning offence.
"You couldn't fool me." Smirking, Christine sat down next to La'an and ran her finger down La'an's spine. "You are very tense, is everything okay?" she asked, getting a little worried.
"I've just had a very eventful day as you're aware," La'an replied, letting out the breath she had been holding. "I might go shower, actually."
"Okay." Watching as La'an collected her bag and went into the bathroom, Christine sighed and got up.
Going over to her bed, she pulled down the covers on both sides and made sure the pillows were soft yet firm. Doing a quick clean up of the area, she stopped next to her pile of PADDs and picked the top one up. Going over the last thing on the screen, Christine could see where she had last left her research sitting. She was trying to get the human genome to transform to make an accurate Klingon transformation.
Getting lost in her notes, Christine didn't hear La'an exit the bathroom.
"Is that anything interesting?" La'an asked, stopping next to Christine.
"Only if you're interested in the human genome and making it transform to resemble a Klingon," Christine replied, looking at La'an.
"I truly hope I never have to go through that one," La'an responded, looking at the screen as Christine showed it to her.
"If you do ever have to go through this transformation, I'll warn you now, you will be sedated for it, no ifs or buts. This one is going to hurt ten times worse than transforming into an inhabitant of Kiley."
"I will trust your judgement on that one. I can say it's definitely not pleasant and if I could do it again, I would probably get you to sedate me, my nerves were on fire for a good day or two after the reversal process," La'an replied, admitting something she usually wouldn't.
"Oh, so Nurse Chapel was right? You should have told me about your nerves after the reversal process, I could have given you something to help with the pain and ease the feeling."
"I survived."
Putting the PADD down, Christine turned to La'an and gently put a finger under La'an's chin and raised it so she could look into La'an's eyes. "You don't need to survive pain that can be easily avoided. I want you to be able to come to me when you have a problem. I always have time for you and you know I'll do everything in my power to help you in any way I can."
"I know that now. People can't be trusted but I have learned that I can trust you. Like tonight, for example, I let you give me a sedative because I trusted you. No one else would be allowed to do that," La'an admitted, seeing a small smile pull at Christine's lips.
"I feel honoured." Looking into La'an's warm brown eyes, Christine reached out and held La'an's hands. La'an's hands were warm in her own, and when she laced their fingers together, she offered La'an a small smile. Hearing that La'an trusted her made her heart swell with pride and adoration and she wanted nothing more than to pull La'an close and hold her.
Feeling her heartbeat speed up, La'an enjoyed the feeling of Christine's hands in her own. She had never allowed anyone to get this close to her, to touch her like this, but with Christine, it felt right, it felt like something she had wanted all her life. Christine's fingers linked perfectly with her own, and it was like two puzzle pieces connecting together flawlessly.
"Is there anything you want to do tonight?" Christine asked softly, not wanting the moment to end.
"Not really. I do need to take my hair out at some point," La'an replied, noticing Christine smile.
"Can I take the braids out?" Christine asked, gently running her hand over one of them.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, La'an nodded her head and allowed Christine to lead her over to the couch. Sitting down she turned so Christine could begin to undo them.
Undoing the hair tie, Christine gently ran her fingers through the first braid. La'an's hair was soft, and she could vaguely smell something sweet and floral. Letting her fingers softly massage La'an's scalp as she continued to undo the braid, Christine felt La'an lean into her touch.
Moving onto the second braid, Christine did the same thing she did with the first. Running her fingers through the length of La'an's hair once she was finished, she carefully detangled it and brushed it back off La'an's face.
"Has anyone ever told you your hair is beautiful?" Christine asked, still running her fingers through it.
"No, no one has," La'an replied, stifling a yawn. Feeling Christine's fingers against her scalp and gently running through her hair, La'an felt herself relax more than she had since she was first assigned to the Enterprise.
"Well then, you have very beautiful hair," Christine said, making sure La'an knew she meant it.
"Thank you," La'an quietly replied, failing at stifling another yawn.
"I think you're about ready for bed. You're on the left side, and I promise I don't bite," Christine said, reluctantly forcing herself to stop playing with La'an's hair as La'an turned to face her.
"That's fine." Realising that she was about to share a bed with Christine, La'an felt the butterflies in her stomach begin to backflip at the idea. She hadn't shared a bed with anyone since she was a child and the idea of getting to share with Christine made her feel giddy. Having half a mind to tell Christine about her feelings for her, La'an quickly dismissed the idea. If Christine didn't feel the same way, it would make for a very uncomfortable situation. La'an was pretty sure that Christine liked her back but she was still trying to figure out in what way.
Watching as the emotion flickered across La'an's face, Christine inwardly smiled to herself. Knowing that there was a chance La'an felt the same way as she did, Christine hoped that when she built up the nerve and told La'an, she wouldn't be met with an apology.
"Come on, let's go to bed, you're exhausted," Christine said as La'an yawned again.
Nodding her head, La'an followed Christine over to the bed and got in. Helping pull up the covers, La'an laid on her back and sighed.
"How're you feeling? Is the anti-venom still wreaking havoc on you?" Christine asked, turning onto her side so she could look at La'an.
"Not really. Ever since dinner my stomach has calmed down a lot, I can barely notice it anymore," La'an replied. "I am more tired than normal."
"That will happen when you get bitten by a spider and have a reaction to the anti-venom. Let's just hope it doesn't happen again."
"When I'm back on duty I need to figure out whose problem that spider is," La'an said, shifting so she could see Christine properly.
"Luckily for you, I flagged it before leaving sickbay and Doctor M'Benga is likely dealing with it as we speak. He'll probably take the spider and keep it in quarantine until we find somewhere to safely release it," Christine replied, trying not to yawn as she started to get warm.
"Oh, good." Feeling relieved she didn't have to deal with it, La'an exhaled loudly. "I did not want to go round two with it."
"And if you did, I would be there to fix any bites."
Watching as some of La'an's hair fell across her face, Christine reached out and gently brushed it back behind her ear, allowing her hand to linger for a moment.
"God, you're beautiful," Christine whispered, only realising what she had said after the words left her mouth.
Stunned by what Christine had said, La'an reached out and gently stroked the side of Christine's face. She had no words but she didn't want to scare her off. Christine's skin was smooth underneath her hand and she wanted to touch her. Holding Christine's hand instead, La'an closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath in. She wanted to tell Christine how she felt, she wanted to be close to her, and she wanted to kiss her. She wanted to feel Christine's lips against her own.
"I hope this doesn't affect our working relationship but I need to say something. I'm in love with you, Christine, and I have been since our very first conversation. No one has ever shot back at me and flirted with me at the same time and it made my feelings for you grow, and every interaction we've had has just added to it. If this is weird or anything, I'm sorry," La'an said, trying not to ramble too much.
Smiling brightly, Christine felt like her heart was going to burst. "I feel the same way, La'an. I'm in love with you too. You know I would never comfort another patient the way I do with you. You're special to me and you make me feel things I never would have imagined. I would really like you to be my girlfriend," Christine replied, biting her bottom lip.
"Oh, thank God," La'an responded, releasing the breath she was holding. "I would love that."
"Is it okay if I kiss you?" Christine asked, not wanting to do something that would make La'an uncomfortable.
"Yes, definitely yes."
Shuffling closer to La'an, Christine slowly leaned in, giving La'an plenty of time to pull back. Meeting La'an halfway, Christine gently cupped her face as their lips met. It was like an electric shock as the feeling of their lips together sent shockwaves through her body. She could get lost in this feeling of La'an's lips against her own. They were soft and kissing her, and she never wanted it to stop.
Deepening the kiss, La'an felt like a supernova was exploding inside her body. She wanted to get lost in everything that was Christine. Christine was soft, she was warm, and she was in her arms. La'an could feel her heart rapidly beating away in her chest, and as she pulled Christine closer, she rested a hand on Christine's chest and felt her heart beating in time with her own.
Breaking the kiss, Christine pressed their foreheads together. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she grinned at La'an, "I think we should do that again."
Laughing softly, La'an smiled and pecked Christine on the lips. "I agree."
Pulling Christine close, La'an found Christine's lips with her own and passionately kissed her as her fingers softly played with the hair at the nape of her neck. Getting lost in everything that was Christine, La'an never wanted it to end.
