Not Even Close To Okay

As she steps into the medbay, Nika has that somewhat neutral expression that she's carried since the day the ship left Decatur. "Arden?" Her query is made in a quiet tone, one that is perhaps more deferential than her norm with him. When he looks in her direction, her brow has that furrowed look that says her head's bothering her again. It must be reasonably bad, because her next words are ones she rarely uses. "If you can spare the analgesics, I could use a painkiller." She hasn't come more than a couple of steps into the medbay, though she doesn't seem uneasy about it. More... perhaps annoyed at having to take the medication. She doesn't particularly like to.

Arden swings around, his concentration totally broken. Nika had that effect on him, now more than ever, but what to do about it, if anything? That's the question, Arden thought plaintively. Which cause a wry smile to appear on his face, though he quickly banished it from his expression.

"Nika," He said trying to project some warmth into his professional voice and wondering if he suceeded. He paused, "I was going to ask if you are okay, but obviously you aren't. Come in and take a seat on the couch." Arden gestures to the medbay's examining table. Arden swiftly moved to the counter where he washed his hands and slipped on a pair of sterile gloves. Then he got out a retinoscope and returned to where Nika was sitting.

"If you shine that light in my eyes, I might have to hit you," she commented drily as she moved to settle where he indicated. "My head's aching enough already." But she doesn't actually make a move to do so in spite of the threat. She knows he'll look no matter what she says to him.

She sits, stoic, through the inspection of her eyeballs, commenting mildly, "And if it's not already at the top of your list of supplies, make sure Joshua's medications are put there. I'm ... concerned. He's not acting quite right, but he says it's merely the residuals of the derelict." She looks up at him as he takes the light away from her finally and awaits the verdict -- and hopefully the painkillers too.

Arden exmines the inside of Nika's eyes, then checks their dilation and response. "Sorry to shine the light in your eyes so much. Pupil reaction is one of the best ways to tell without advanced equipment if the concussion has gotten more serious. So far so good."

Arden places the instrument aside and then gently removes the bandage on her head, "Is the headache constant? or does it come and go? Do you wake up with one? Anything cause a headache? Looking at a computer screen? Eating? Drinking something hot or cold?"

Once the bandage is removed, Arden uses some saline to clean the area and the once again, looks for anything abnormal. Just a bruise, Arden thinks. Good.

Nika suffers the ministrations in silence, murmuring her responses in the order in which he asked. "Low-level, constant. Yes, I woke up with it. And no, nothing seems to be aggravating it. It's just there and annoying as hell." She pauses and then shrugs, admitting, "Reading the computer screen is aggravating it just a little, so I quit doing it."

When he cleans the bump and the small cut that accompanied it, Nika flinches a little. It's still tender, though not as bad as it could be. Blue eyes flicker upward and she says quietly, "I'm fine. It's a bump on the head. I've had worse." Her tone is still dry. After all, he's fixed worse on her. The scar down the middle of her chest attests to that fact.

"I *know* you've had worse," Arden says with a smile, "but that's no reason to take any injury lightly. I could site you cases where someone bumped their head, was fine for a day or two and just dropped -- deader than stone."

He takes a step backwards after redressing the wound, "You seem to be fine, but just in case take it easy until you actually wake up without a headache." Arden rummages in a cabinent and then pulls out a small plastic bottle of blue and red capsules. "These should set you fine, its a mild analgesic, stronger than aspirin or ibuprofen, but not to the point you need a Rx to take it." He pulls out a label and joys the instructions down on it as he repeats them to Nika, "Take 2-3 every 3-4 hours as needed. Do nbot take more that 7 in any 12 hour period."

Nika rolls her eyes a bit and takes the bottle, shaking out two of the capsules and hands the bottle back. "That'll tide me over. I told you, it's low-level." Well... low-level for her probably does mean splitting for most people, considering how loathe she is to complain. Still, she doesn't want to be doped up out here.

As she slides off the table to leave, Nika bites her lip and pauses, looking toward him. "Are you... doing okay?" she asks softly. It's the first time she's actually asked him since the brawl in his quarters, and her blue eyes on him have a flash of uncertainty as she does it. As if she's not sure of the answer, nor of the wisdom in even asking the question.

Arden looks at the returned bottle, then turns away avoiding eye contact with the pilot. What could he say? Yes, he had a problem? No he didn't? Either way the resulting conversation might be painful and awkward.

Still turned away, Arden shrugs, "Yeah I guess." He turns around slowly to face her, "I guess the real question, for me at least, is 'Are you alright?' The answer to that question will help me determine if I am alright."

He deserved better than a flip response, though Nika's instinct was to make one. She bit her tongue and dropped her eyes to look away for a moment. When she looked back up at him, a frown line furrowed between her brows -- consternation, not anger. "Things... didn't go well." The quicksilver smile that flashes across her face is rueful. "That's... something of an understatement, I suppose." She shifted her weight uneasily, unwilling still to really talk about the situation but struggling to find words for his sake. Her arms crossed in front of her in an unconsciously defensive movement. "I don't know what to say about it all. I don't.... really know /how/ to say any of it. You deserve an explanation," she acknowledges quietly. "But I don't have one to give right now. If I... if /you/ need it, if you need the words, I will /find/ a way to articulate it for you. But... " She caught her lower lip between her teeth and worried at it for a moment. "I really ... don't want.... /can't/... deal with what happened yet. I need a little time to come to grips with it for myself."

Nika looked away from him again, her demeanor still closed down. "I'm not okay," she admits softly. "I'm not sure I'm even close to okay." Then she looks back at him again, her jaw firm. "But I will be. I hope that's enough."

Arden's face was closed during her talk, but then he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes again, the tenseness that was there was gone. His eyes weren't shielded and the only emotion there was.... Acceptance?

"I know that it was tough," Arden begins, "And if I could have made it better I would have. Knowing that you are there, and processing things, if enough for me." He smiled gently, "If you need to talk, or punch someone," He grinned, "I am here for you and I have no plans about going anywhere. Just remember that you are not alone, no matter how isolated you feel."

Nika forced a small smile and retreated behind the Border drawl. "Not to worry, darlin'. The only place people die of what ails me is in sappy songs. It's all good. Now getcherself back to work, slacker." There's a wink to show she's teasing him, and then Nika ducks out of the medbay.

Arden frowned as Nika disappeared through the open medbay door. That was not what he wanted. Then again he didn't really know what wanted, but it seemed to him that Nika was avoiding the, admittedly painful, topic and that was impacting her and the ship. Not then, Arden had no degrees in mental health, just physical health. Things would work out one way or another. Unsatisfying, but that was the way it was and is.

Arden stripped off the latex gloves and washed his hands again, his brows knitted in thought. Then he rubbed some lotion in -- I have to remember to thank Christian for this lotion, its great, Arden made a mental note -- and sat back down at his terminal.