[open] The Story Without Me

[rightawaydoctor]

WHO Christine and OPEN to CGM residents
WHAT Christine finally sees her window.
WHERE The CGM kitchen, though if you'd like another location within the mansion, just put it in your subject line and Chris will come there!
WHEN Tuesday the 21st

Comments

[rightawaydoctor]

Hearing her name, or what was close to her name, come from a familiar voice made Christine look up in surprise. How could Leonard be there in the doorway when he was on the vid screen? It took her a second to snap back to reality, to realize where she was and what was going on. Emotions flooded through her. For some reason, she wanted to be mad at him for choosing another Head Nurse, though her logical side quickly rushed in to point out that a Head Nurse was necessary, even in a place where she didn't exist.

Her eyes darted back to the fridge at his question, and she could plainly see him there, signing a PADD that Nurse Harrison handed him. Had anyone else asked her what was wrong, she wouldn't immediately spill out everything, but as this was Leonard, and he was in the damn holo or whatever it was, she wanted to tell him, even if he didn't know what to say to make her feel better. She reasoned she would feel somewhat better just letting it out.

In a shaky voice, she said, "I'm seeing things t-that aren't real, or that I hope aren't real in some universe out there." Christine tore her eyes away to look at him again, more closely this time, and now she noticed that he looked either tired or drunk. Possibly both. "Are you all right?" Leave it to Christine to worry about her boss when she was questioning her worth.

[doctornota]

"That horseshit again." McCoy glared at the refrigerator like it had personally offended him. Actually, it had, because how dare that refrigerator make his head nurse feel bad. He wondered what she saw, what kind of lies it was telling her. Wondered if it was anything like what he'd seen. "That," he pointed now with the bottle of bourbon still in the hand that wasn't clutching the doorway, "is a load of lies and crap. None of it's true. You," he pointed to her, blinked, and managed to get it right the second time, "are important. T' lots of people. Am I clear?"

[rightawaydoctor]

As he pointed with the bottle, Christine knew her observation was correct. He was definitely drunk. She kind of wished she was at that moment, then maybe she'd forget everything she saw.

"Am I though? If I'd never existed, nothing would even be missing in your lives. My parents would be happier, the Enterprise would have a, a better..." Her voice faltered and she looked at the floor, unable to finish the sentence.

[doctornota]

"Fuck that shit." McCoy gestured with the bottle again, nearly pitching over before he grabbed at the doorframe again, barely managing to keep himself upright. If only the world would stop spinning for just a sec, then he could get this whole goddamned situation under control. Taking another swig, he continued, "None of that is true. It's. Bullshit. There's not a ... a single goddamned nurse in Starfleet who's as good as my head nurse."

[rightawaydoctor]

Christine quickly jumped to her feet when it looked like he was going to fall, but stood in place when it looked as though he had a hold of himself. She had never heard him swear this much and had the situation not been so upsetting, she probably would have found it amusing.

Coming over to him, she wrapped an arm around his back and pressed the other to his chest to steady him. "Thank, Leonard." She kissed him on the cheek, not caring if he would protest it, and added, "But just so I'm sure, you'd never make Nurse Harrison Head Nurse if anything were to happen to me, right?"

[doctornota]

"Nurse Harrison?" McCoy repeated, scowling at the kiss to his cheek, even as he silently appreciated the extra support. Something was making the floor all wobbly, and it was irritating him. "She doesn't even know which end of the der - derm - dermal regenerator to point at the patient."

Quietly, he held up the bottle to her, an offering.

[rightawaydoctor]

A smile came to her face as he agreed that Nurse Harrison was pretty much terrible. Christine had a hunch she only graduated because, after the Romulans destroyed so much of the fleet, crew members were in high demand. So they had gotten stuck with her and her incompetence.

She took the bottle from him, knowing that an offer of booze from Leonard McCoy was like an embrace and an "Everything will be all right," from anybody else.

"Thanks. I think I need this right now. But what you need right now is a chair or something. Can I help you sit somewhere?"

[doctornota]

"Chair's fine," McCoy mumbled, gesturing with his now-free hand to the kitchen table. A moment passed, and he added, "And I want the one facing the fridge, so you can't see it, because I don't want you seein' all that bullshit nonsense. Better yet, 's go to the living room. Away from that goddamned thing."

[rightawaydoctor]

"It's not going to follow me, is it?" she asked as she tried to get him turned around to get through the doorway and into the hall. Belatedly, she thought she'd need a glass for the alcohol, but she worried if she let go of him, he'd fall flat on his face, so she decided to just drink from the bottle. It was problem what he had been doing anyway.

[doctornota]

He staggered with her, leaning heavily on her as they began to make their way out into the living room. "Shouldn't. Haven't heard of it happening yet. Be absolutely fucking cruel if it did; spreading those lies then not letting you get away."

[rightawaydoctor]

"Yeah," Christine agreed glumly, finding a position that allowed her to take on more of his weight and still walk, though her arms were starting to shake.

"I'd heard some things on the Network about these screen things, but I didn't know what they were talking about until now." She sighed and looked at the bottle clutched in her hand. Hopefully alcohol would make her forget what she'd seen, or maybe Leonard could just say more nice things laced with profanity. She's take either.

"Couch?" she offered, making her way there, though it was just a courtesy. He was heavy and she was dumping him there whether he liked it or not.

[doctornota]

"Couch is fine," he replied, though really, he wasn't giving her a choice either. He was quite a bit bigger than she was, and he was starting to go down despite her best efforts. So down he went, landing with an 'oof' and grimacing as the world took a delightful set of spins around. "Shit - sorry. You okay?"

[rightawaydoctor]

She lost her balance and went down with him, one arm trapped underneath him, but most of his body breaking her fall. Letting out a similar 'oof' sound, she winced at the pressure now on her arm.

"'S ok. Just need my arm back. And look: I didn't even spill any." Wiggling the bottle at him, she grinned proudly before reaching out and setting it on the coffee table.

[doctornota]

"Best goddamned Head Nurse in the fleet," McCoy declared expansively, moving just enough for Christine to take her arm back. "Exce - except - damned good balance. See, you can't learn that kind of thing. Gotta have it."

[rightawaydoctor]

Christine slid her arm free, flexing her fingers, but there was no damage done. Grabbing the bottle she flopped back on the couch and took a long gulp, squeezing her eyes shut as it burned all the way down. It probably wouldn't take much to get her drunk, seeing as she'd barely eaten that day. Maybe then she'd forget everything she saw in the window. But until that time Leonard could reassure her.

"Say more nice things about me."

[doctornota]

Normally, Leonard would have laughed at a request like that, and told the asker that if they wanted to hear nice things, they were in the wrong damn place. But he understood that deep feeling of worthlessness, that realization of how much better things could be without you, the validations of what the demons in the darkest corners of your brain whispered to you.

"Told you already," he said simply. "Best goddamned head nurse in the fleet. Wouldn't have asked for you otherwise."