Touched
Chapter 3
Nyota.
"Fool, fool, fool..", the internal chant drove her across the quad, in the door, up the stairs, she could not bear the thought of the lift, and into her room where she threw her bag down and fell onto her bed sobbing. Galia came out of the bathroom in her underwear and ran to Nyota. Galia kneeled next to the bed and stroked Nyota's shuddering shoulders.
"Nyota what is wrong? Tell me," she said her own voice cracking.
"Commander Spock, Spock …" Nyota could get any words out between sobs.
Galia straighten, "Did he hurt you?" she demanded in a hard voice.
"No. Oh, Galia I think I hurt him," cried Nyota and sobbed harder.
Galia was perplexed but she knew to wait to the storm passed. She sat on the side of the bed and stroked Uhura's back rhythmically. When Uhura's sobs slowed she asked," What do you mean you hurt him?"
In between sobs and shuddering breaths Uhura told Galia what had happened, only leaving out that last view of him through the door.
"Galia," said Nyota, rolling over to look at her friend, "I think I just ruined my career. What sort of communications specialist will I be if I can not even remember the basics. Vulcan 101, do not touch, and I slammed my whole hand against his and held in there," Uhura lifted her hand and stared at it as if she had never seen it before, "with this hand I just destroyed any chance of serving on the Enterprise." Her eyes filled again.
Gallia acted quickly to cut off a new bout of weeping, "You'll never wash it again."
Uhuras frowned.
"With that hand you fulfilled every second female cadet's fantasy; you touched Commander Spock, skin to skin." Gallia gazed at Uhura's hand too.
Uhura frowned, "Gallia this is not a joke, this is a serious breach of protocol, of manners, of Vulcan decorum. It was conduct very unbecoming."
"But what did it feel like? Did you feel him?"
Uhura knew what Gallia meant, not did her hand feel him but did her mind. Uhura knew there had been a telepathic link by his reaction, she had felt something but she was unsure what, it was so tangled with her emotions. She had been so utterly horrified by her action she had panicked she supposed, although she was not a person inclined to panic. Was some of her panic due to Spock's response felt through this link?
Gallia brought Uhura a drink. As she sipped she tried to think. She had touched him and, yes, in that first touch she had felt warmth, not just the warmth of his skin but an electric tingling warmth and a sensation of yearning reaching toward her mind. Was that the "connection"? From Spock's reaction she knew he had felt something, and it had not been good.
She slowly calmed and was exhausted. The last thought as she slipped into sleep was the image of that final gimps of him, head back, hair in disarray, eyes shut and mouth softly open. It was the single most erotic image she had ever seen.