So - how much do her friends manage to help...? Ehliena's not as stubborn as it may seem....
Enjoy
Lucy
Chapter 27
Ehliena walked shyly into 10 Forward, for the past week her confidence returning slowly, contrary to what she personally believed – her greatest weakness was not her sensitivity, but her insecurity. Now back to her duties full time, she had still kept to herself during her off duty periods. Her friends had given her the space to sort herself out, but still occasionally checking in on her to make sure she was ok, giving her the one thing she needed most – their support.
Taking advantage of some shore leave, she had spent a few hours on a Pacifican beach, alone with her thoughts, yet when she had begun to brood her thoughts turning a little dark, a soft contact had once again lifted her spirits. She was convinced more than ever that someone was watching over her, but who?
A call to Deanna had revealed that there were others on the Enterprise that had some telempathic skill, especially among the medical personnel and she had admitted that there were people keeping an eye on her. At first Ehliena had been a little angry, but calmed down almost instantly when she realised that it was another demonstration of how worried her friends had been about her.
However she was now feeling better – and there was no need for her to be watched any longer. She admired them for their skill, accepted and thanked them for their soft gentle help, but now the involvement was beginning to feel intrusive.
Guinan walked over, smiling broadly, “Good to see you Counsellor, orange juice?”
Ehliena chuckled and nodded her head. “You always know what I want… before I ask for it. I still maintain that you have some kind of gift.”
Guinan chuckled, “Well, a little – all good listeners do you know.”
Ehliena nodded her head, “So it was you that brought me out…”
The bartender raised an eyebrow, “No… not me… A couple of people helped you out; I was just there to keep you calm in case you panicked. Why, is there a problem?”
“No, it’s just that I think I’ll be ok now, I don’t need any guardian angels anymore. I’m just feeling a little uncomfortable knowing someone is watching me.”
Beverley was just entering the bar and overheard the comment, “I wondered if you’d work it out, but I have to tell you Ehliena, we haven’t had anyone monitoring you for the last week or so…”
The empath was curious and as they discussed the matter joined their friends, Beverley explaining what was happening.
“Maybe someone is just making sure…”
Ehliena turned at the Ambassador’s voice about to answer, but fell silent. She had bumped into Horatio a few times while they were ‘on duty’ and he had come to see her once or twice during a break in his working day. Recently she had noticed that he was now wearing his hair slightly shorter and thought it suited him, but due to the fact that she had remained in her quarters after the Romulan incident, she had not yet seen him in his ‘casual’ attire.
The dark green polo shirt and dark slacks showed that Horatio’s workouts with Worf were indeed paying off. A trimmer waist was accented by broad shoulders and well defined arms, a look that was strong, but not bulky.
Ehliena could not help but stare for a moment, until she noticed Horatio become uncomfortable under her gaze and blushed. “I’m sorry Horatio, it’s just…”
Will Riker roared with laughter, causing the empath to blush even more, “I’m sorry Ehliena, but if Horatio ever wondered if his new look suited him, the expression on your face would soon give away the truth.”
Geordi grinned, “He’s been worrying about whether his new appearance is suitable over the last couple of weeks and wouldn’t believe it when we said he looks great. I hope now he won’t challenge that anymore.”
Horatio gave a soft smile and sighed, “Ok, so I guess the joke is on me… I’m sorry Ehliena, it seems that I’m to be forever startling you. I really must remind myself to warn you of any changes I choose to make.”
Ehliena chuckled, “Well, warnings would certainly be appreciated, though I have to admit – your surprises are nearly always pleasant.”
Will Riker raised an eyebrow toward Geordi, who grinned in response; Beverley spotted the exchange and hid a smile. Ehliena’s upbeat reply had certainly confirmed that the empath was well on the road to recovery.