Distant Sun
“Um … what are you doing?”
“Hm? Just thinking.”
Tell sat down at the table Adam was currently stretched across.
“Elise will murder you for contaminating the eating area, you know,” she told him.
“I think I annoyed Kayla.”
Tell blinked.
“Annoyed? Kayla?” she repeated. “Is that - even possible?”
“Well, she didn’t yell at me or anything …” there was not a sign of his usual cheerfulness in his tone. “But I wish she would …”
“You wanted her to yell?”
“Well - tch, not yell but ...”
“At least Tim and Elise know where they stand, eh?” offered Tell with a small smile.
Adam sat up and blinked at her, running his hands through his hair. Tell’s smile faded - she’d never seen him so torn up about anything before. In fact, she struggled to think of a time when he’d ever been this torn up - except when he’d lots his cricket bat for an entire week (turned out it was miraculously found underneath Colonel Sheppard’s bed - however it got there).
“What did you say?” asked Tell.
“Well …” said Adam, his expression giving off the impression that he was in way over his head - and he knew it.
“What do I do when my love is away …
Does it worry you to be alone …”
“Adam?”
He could see her in the mirror, standing in the doorway, the pink rising in her cheeks as though she had caught him in the shower.
“Hey,” he grinned, half his face covered with shaving cream.
“Hello … I am sorry …” Kayla blushed. “It is not important, I can - ”
“It’s okay,” grinned Adam. “Just a little shaving cream.”
To show her how harmless it was, he wiped his hand on it and brushed her face, leaving a blob on her nose. Her scream wasn’t the usual frightened sound, but a girlish squeal of glee. Adam chuckled.
“Adam!” she said, laughing.
“Told you,” he shrugged. “No need to worry. I’m not being attacked by any white blob.”
“While I, on the other hand, am,” she told him.
Adam turned back to her, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
“Lots of things,” he told Tell as he thought of the first time he’d heard Kayla come out with any sort of joke, showing him that she was indeed just as human as he.
“It just … it is so sad …”
She pulled out the handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her tearing eyes. It was a motion that reminded Adam a lot of someone attempting to lift self-raising flower with a sieve.
“Kayla …” he put his arm out to turn her around to him.
She refused to meet his eyes.
“Hey, hey,” he pulled her towards him. “Come on now, nothing’s going to happen to her, she’s here now. Our doctors will take care of her.”
“I know …” sobbed Kayla quietly, keeping her arms crossed over her chest as he hugged her tightly. “But … imagine the time she was out there, alone? Frightened and fragile …”
Adam did indeed imagine all the times she was out there, alone, scared and helpless. He imagined it every time he saw he smile, every time she cried. In fact, he was imagining it now. Kayla had managed to survive it out there and she was still sane and physically unharmed.
“Why imagine those times?” he said gently. “Why depress yourself unnecessarily? All you have to think about is how she’s going to get better. Thinking about the past isn’t going to change it one bit. I promise you. Now, will you come and get some coffee with me?”
“I do not drink coffee …” began Kayla.
“Shh, shh,” said Adam, pulling back and shaking his head at her, grinning. “I just like your company with the coffee.”
“Can you pinpoint the moment you upset her, though?” asked Tell, attempting to be helpful.
Truth be told, she was really quite bewildered by Adam’s deeply thoughtful expression. It didn’t even come with a joyous grin.
“All I am saying is that you’re probably slowly poisoning yourself, unknowingly,” shrugged Elise, looking disdainfully at the suspicious and odd looking things in Kaylee’s sandwich.
Kaylee only shrugged as she took another bite.
“Ah, she’s happy eating, why not let her?” said Adam, cheerfully. “Besides, Elise, you let that food into your kitchen did you not? Means it’s definitely much safer than anything you’ll find in a five start pub.”
“That,” said Elise spitefully. “Is due to the fact that a pub is the least likely place to find any hygiene as you can come!”
“Mm,” shrugged Kaylee. “Still, fills me up.”
Adam looked up then, noticing Kayla sitting by herself a few tables down, huddled over a warm cup of chocolate.
“Kayla!” he waved.
She looked up at him blankly, and smiled briefly, not moving.
“Excuse me …” he told Elise and Kaylee to let them argue it out, and made his way over to Kayla. “Hey.”
“Hello,” she nodded politely.
“Didn’t see us over there?”
“Oh … I didn’t want to intrude,” she said.
Adam sat down on the table.
“Intrude?” he laughed. “Don’t be silly! Kaylee and Elise are having a lively conversation and I wouldn’t be the least bit put out if you were to join in!”
Kayla only nodded, a tired smile on her face.
“You’re all right, though?” said Adam wearily.
“Yes, never better,” replied Kayla earnestly.
“So, you don’t want to -?”
Kayla shook her head, rising.
“I promised Doctor Gallagher I would see her, I’m afraid.”
“No … not really,” admitted Adam, frowning deeply.
“Oh …”
“It was all just a … bumbled time of … frustrating her, really,” he sighed. “We couldn’t be more different.”
“Nonsense!” replied Tell suddenly. “She could be grumpy, like Tim! Then you’d be worlds apart.”
Adam smiled appreciatively.
“Thank you Estelle,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder and sliding off the table. “But I must leave you now. See a man about a dog.”
“Sure,” nodded Tell, watching him exit the Mess Hall. “If that ‘man’ was a ‘girl’ and the dog’s name was ‘Feeling’.”
OOC: Okay, well, I'm at it again. I don't know if this is all that good, really.
Tell is Jess', Elise is CW's again and Kaylee is Inge's. (Yeah, sorry guys - not much brain work here, so I may have ... you know, fumbled with the characters)
The italics stuff are memories, obviously.
Also, in that middle memory, Kayla is talking about Sushie.
Again, this is Jess' fault, because of giving me the song Distant Sun by Crowded House. (Thus I had Mark telling me all day that I am far too young to be allowed to like Crowded House)
“Hm? Just thinking.”
Tell sat down at the table Adam was currently stretched across.
“Elise will murder you for contaminating the eating area, you know,” she told him.
“I think I annoyed Kayla.”
Tell blinked.
“Annoyed? Kayla?” she repeated. “Is that - even possible?”
“Well, she didn’t yell at me or anything …” there was not a sign of his usual cheerfulness in his tone. “But I wish she would …”
“You wanted her to yell?”
“Well - tch, not yell but ...”
“At least Tim and Elise know where they stand, eh?” offered Tell with a small smile.
Adam sat up and blinked at her, running his hands through his hair. Tell’s smile faded - she’d never seen him so torn up about anything before. In fact, she struggled to think of a time when he’d ever been this torn up - except when he’d lots his cricket bat for an entire week (turned out it was miraculously found underneath Colonel Sheppard’s bed - however it got there).
“What did you say?” asked Tell.
“Well …” said Adam, his expression giving off the impression that he was in way over his head - and he knew it.
“What do I do when my love is away …
Does it worry you to be alone …”
“Adam?”
He could see her in the mirror, standing in the doorway, the pink rising in her cheeks as though she had caught him in the shower.
“Hey,” he grinned, half his face covered with shaving cream.
“Hello … I am sorry …” Kayla blushed. “It is not important, I can - ”
“It’s okay,” grinned Adam. “Just a little shaving cream.”
To show her how harmless it was, he wiped his hand on it and brushed her face, leaving a blob on her nose. Her scream wasn’t the usual frightened sound, but a girlish squeal of glee. Adam chuckled.
“Adam!” she said, laughing.
“Told you,” he shrugged. “No need to worry. I’m not being attacked by any white blob.”
“While I, on the other hand, am,” she told him.
Adam turned back to her, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
“Lots of things,” he told Tell as he thought of the first time he’d heard Kayla come out with any sort of joke, showing him that she was indeed just as human as he.
“It just … it is so sad …”
She pulled out the handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her tearing eyes. It was a motion that reminded Adam a lot of someone attempting to lift self-raising flower with a sieve.
“Kayla …” he put his arm out to turn her around to him.
She refused to meet his eyes.
“Hey, hey,” he pulled her towards him. “Come on now, nothing’s going to happen to her, she’s here now. Our doctors will take care of her.”
“I know …” sobbed Kayla quietly, keeping her arms crossed over her chest as he hugged her tightly. “But … imagine the time she was out there, alone? Frightened and fragile …”
Adam did indeed imagine all the times she was out there, alone, scared and helpless. He imagined it every time he saw he smile, every time she cried. In fact, he was imagining it now. Kayla had managed to survive it out there and she was still sane and physically unharmed.
“Why imagine those times?” he said gently. “Why depress yourself unnecessarily? All you have to think about is how she’s going to get better. Thinking about the past isn’t going to change it one bit. I promise you. Now, will you come and get some coffee with me?”
“I do not drink coffee …” began Kayla.
“Shh, shh,” said Adam, pulling back and shaking his head at her, grinning. “I just like your company with the coffee.”
“Can you pinpoint the moment you upset her, though?” asked Tell, attempting to be helpful.
Truth be told, she was really quite bewildered by Adam’s deeply thoughtful expression. It didn’t even come with a joyous grin.
“All I am saying is that you’re probably slowly poisoning yourself, unknowingly,” shrugged Elise, looking disdainfully at the suspicious and odd looking things in Kaylee’s sandwich.
Kaylee only shrugged as she took another bite.
“Ah, she’s happy eating, why not let her?” said Adam, cheerfully. “Besides, Elise, you let that food into your kitchen did you not? Means it’s definitely much safer than anything you’ll find in a five start pub.”
“That,” said Elise spitefully. “Is due to the fact that a pub is the least likely place to find any hygiene as you can come!”
“Mm,” shrugged Kaylee. “Still, fills me up.”
Adam looked up then, noticing Kayla sitting by herself a few tables down, huddled over a warm cup of chocolate.
“Kayla!” he waved.
She looked up at him blankly, and smiled briefly, not moving.
“Excuse me …” he told Elise and Kaylee to let them argue it out, and made his way over to Kayla. “Hey.”
“Hello,” she nodded politely.
“Didn’t see us over there?”
“Oh … I didn’t want to intrude,” she said.
Adam sat down on the table.
“Intrude?” he laughed. “Don’t be silly! Kaylee and Elise are having a lively conversation and I wouldn’t be the least bit put out if you were to join in!”
Kayla only nodded, a tired smile on her face.
“You’re all right, though?” said Adam wearily.
“Yes, never better,” replied Kayla earnestly.
“So, you don’t want to -?”
Kayla shook her head, rising.
“I promised Doctor Gallagher I would see her, I’m afraid.”
“No … not really,” admitted Adam, frowning deeply.
“Oh …”
“It was all just a … bumbled time of … frustrating her, really,” he sighed. “We couldn’t be more different.”
“Nonsense!” replied Tell suddenly. “She could be grumpy, like Tim! Then you’d be worlds apart.”
Adam smiled appreciatively.
“Thank you Estelle,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder and sliding off the table. “But I must leave you now. See a man about a dog.”
“Sure,” nodded Tell, watching him exit the Mess Hall. “If that ‘man’ was a ‘girl’ and the dog’s name was ‘Feeling’.”
OOC: Okay, well, I'm at it again. I don't know if this is all that good, really.
Tell is Jess', Elise is CW's again and Kaylee is Inge's. (Yeah, sorry guys - not much brain work here, so I may have ... you know, fumbled with the characters)
The italics stuff are memories, obviously.
Also, in that middle memory, Kayla is talking about Sushie.
Again, this is Jess' fault, because of giving me the song Distant Sun by Crowded House. (Thus I had Mark telling me all day that I am far too young to be allowed to like Crowded House)