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A cold wind left you shivering as you walked along the dark park near the academy, on your way back to your dorm.
Some friends of you had talked you into joining them at a party in one of the many bars close to campus and you didn’t want to be the only one not going, so you joined them, but soon became tired. Too many people in a too small room with too much booze and cigarette smoke. It didn’t take long for a headache to begin to form behind your eyes which became stronger and stronger as the time passed.
After half an hour it was so intense that you had trouble seeing properly, excused yourself for the night and started walking home.
More than once you were asked if someone should walk you home, but you wanted some time to yourself and a quiet walk, so you declined every single offer.
Now as you were passing the security guard at the gates to the campus, you wished you hadn’t declined.
The headache made your breathing ragged; you could barely hold your eyes open and every noise made you flinch in agony. You had to stop and let yourself sit down on one of the many metal benches, which stood around the whole campus.
Instantly you buried your head in your hands.
Suddenly a warm hand was placed on your shoulder and a concerned voice was next to you: “Hey. Are you alright? You look like you might throw up in a second… Didn’t cope well with alcohol?”
With a small groan you lifted your head and tried to make out the face of the person talking to you, but everything was blurred and you slowly shook your head. You mumbled a slurred “migraine…” and let your head fell back down. “Ugh, I… I feel sick.” You closed your eyes and tried to take some deep breaths, wishing the nausea away.
“Okay. Come on, I’ll bring you home. Which dorm are you staying in?”
A small frown formed on your features, as you tried to form a straight thought, but everything was overshadowed by white noise and it took you some time until you answered properly and slowly in which building you lived.
“You think you can hold on to me, while I give you a piggyback ride?”
A short while passed again; while you tried to make sense out of his words but finally nodded as an answer. “Are you sure though? I might really throw up on you.” You were visibly uncomfortable with the thought and your voice dropped.
“Don’t worry about it. Come on. Hold on tight.” The person changed their position and got on their knees in front of you, so you could crawl on their back and hold onto them.
You closed your eyes again and let your head rest against the strong form underneath you as your hero walked with slow but energetic steps in the direction of your dorm building on the other side of the campus. A warm summer wind made the leaves rustle around you two and you could smell the cologne of the man carrying you.
A deep sigh left your lips and you nearly fell asleep, lulled in by the feeling of safeness and home that suddenly spread through your body.
—–
“Oh! Mister Pike! Yes. Yes, of course. It’s room 246. Second floor on the right. Thank you, Sir. Have a nice evening.”
You could hear a dimmed conversation, that seemed to be far away and only could make out some parts of it. Somehow the room number rang a bell in your head, but you couldn’t remember why. An orchestra of pressure and pain was clouding your mind with more intensity again and a small sob escaped your lips.
“It’s alright. We are here now.” The man’s voice was kept hushed and low; trying to stay in a comfortable volume for your noise sensitivity.
You heard a low “swish” and blessed darkness surrounded you soon afterwards. You could feel a change of position and let go of the man when he told you to do so. You slumped against the hard mattress and sobbed again as you tried to find a more comfortable position on it.
“Shhh, it’s okay. Here, let me help you.” Strong arms helped you to properly lie down and a cool hand was pushing away some strands of hair off your forehead.
The coolness let you relax a bit into the touch and you breathed in deeply.
“I’m going to get you a cool, damp cloth. Do you have any medication for the migraine on hand?” “In the bathroom cabinet…” you whispered into one of your cushions. “I’ll be back in a second.” The soft answer came and you waited without daring to move a muscle, afraid of getting hit by another wave of nausea and pain. It wasn’t long until you felt a hand on your shoulder and a cool, damp cloth on your forehead.
“I’ll give you the hypo now, alright? Is the dosage a recent one?” You nodded slowly as an answer and flinched a bit as you felt the familiar sting of the hypo’s injection on your neck. After, you felt something rub softly against the spot, you could make out the soft voice next to you again: “Try to sleep now. I will send someone to look after you in the morning and you should make an appointment at the clinic for a new check-up.”
You nodded again and felt the medication kick in and begin to drag you down in a merciful, painless sleep. A whispered “Thank you” was the last thing you slurred before you blacked out completely.
The next morning you woke up with a shock as light shone onto your bed through a gap in the curtains and you were wide awake in an instant. “Shit! I’m late for my shift!” You cursed while grabbing your PADD to let your supervisor know what happened… just to find a mail from him that you were on sick leave for the next two days and you should get well soon.
You frowned at the mail and wondered who called in sick for you with a strange feeling in your gut. It was like having a mental blackout after drinking too much, but you were sure that you hadn’t had this much alcohol at the party. You fought with your curiosity for a moment or two and decided to ask your supervisor who called in your sick days.
While waiting for a reply, you slowly stood up to test your footing when you felt something fall down next you. Confused you looked at the damp cloth next to your pillow and pictures of being carried over the campus, low spoken words and a cool hand at your forehead flashed before your eyes. A hypospray injected into your neck and a nice smell had made you feel at peace with everything despite the consuming pain in your head.
“…FUCK!” As the realization hit you like a brick, your PADD pinged with a new message from your supervisor.
You stared at the screen while your thoughts crushed into a wall and a little voice inside your head started screaming.
>>
I got a message from the general of student advisory, Captain Christopher Pike, this morning that you wouldn’t be able to come to work. I hope everything is alright. It must have been something serious if you couldn’t call it for yourself. Please call me tomorrow and let me know when you are coming back to work. Get well soon and take good care of yourself.
Greetings
Josephine Jenkins.
<<
You froze like a deer in a headlight.
Oh God. Captain Pike!
The man who carried you halfway across the campus and into your dorm room was no one else than the man who got the highest ranking on every “I would fuck this professor” chart and was one of the most beloved professors in the academy next to being one of the best captains in the fleet.
You felt like your soul was leaving your body as your PADD pinged again and you saw the sender of the new mail: Captain Christopher Pike.
Your mind went blank once again and, with trembling fingers, you opened the message:
>>
Good morning, lieutenant. I hope you feel better this morning. I wanted to let you know that I called in sick for you. After that nasty migraine attack yesterday you should rest a bit. Furthermore I’m letting you know that I arranged an appointment with Dr. Boyce today at 1500 in the clinic to let him check out your migraine status.
Greetings
Captain Christopher Pike General of student advisory
Ps. You should take better care of yourself, beautiful.
<<
______
One month later
“Hey, beautiful. How are you feeling?” Christopher Pike walked into the dark living room making as little noise as possible. After hearing about your current migraine attack, he had come home straight away.
“Better. The medication is truly a blessing. Remind me to thank Phil for it again.”
Your boyfriend settled next to you on the couch and you rested your head on his shoulder before a warm hand started stroking softly through your hair. “I will. Oh, besides, I took the day off tomorrow, so I can take care of you.”
A small grin spread on your lips and you kissed him on the small spot under his ear. “That sounds lovely, dear. Thank you.” You closed your eyes and let the feeling of home and warmth lure you to sleep with the promise of waking up next to the man you loved and who cared so deeply for you that he would carry you halfway across the country, to make sure you’d be alright.