Ensign Trovek - A Good Death - And Coffee?

[Arys Trova]

((OOC Warning: Innocent title but this sim is quite heavy and deals with the death of Arys’ grandfather. Please make sure you’re in the right headspace for something like that.  )) 

((Ihalainen Residence, Rovaniemi, Finland, Earth - Arys’ room)) 

Arys sat in her room, once again by the open window, waiting. Her grandfather’s blanket kept her warm while her gaze was fixed on the edge of the forest she could see from here. It was easily two or three o’clock in the morning until she was sure that Lukin was asleep, but if someone would ask her later why she had waited for that, she wouldn’t be able to offer an answer. The wind sent a shudder of movements though the branches, disturbing the silence, and Arys got up.

Arys wondered why she did not take the help that Lukin had offered, and why did she not even want him to know that she had made her decision. He would understand, she was sure of it. More than that, she was fairly certain that he would approve.

Perhaps she worried that he would think badly of her and of her decision on how to handle the matter. Perhaps she was worried about losing his respect, or losing another person, now that she was aware that her decision would cost both her father and her grandfather. Or perhaps she simply didn’t like to think of Lukin as someone who, without a second thought, would end someone’s life as a favour to someone he barely knew. 

With a quiet sigh, Arys walked over to the closet, tossing dresses, skirts and blouses on the floor until she had found what she was looking for - the old-style pastel dress she had last worn when she graduated medical school. The triaxian silk slid over her hands as she held the dress out in front of her, praying to any god that would listen that she still fit into it. Arys hated the dress, but her grandfather had loved its soft colors - “You can’t keep dressing like you’re in mourning, Arys.”  

Once she had gotten dressed, she quietly moved to the door and stepped into the dark hallway. 

She had planned to leave right away, but found herself standing in front of the door to the guest room Lukin occupied. Perhaps he was still awake? She didn’t want to do this alone, she didn’t want to do this at all.  Slowly, her hand moved towards the wooden door, about to knock… and then she shook her head. As much as she liked Lukin, he was a man with his own agenda, and if her trust in him was misplaced, she did not want anyone else to suffer the consequences. She lowered her hand again and instead made her way to the other end of the hallway, where she opened the door to her grandfather’s quarters.

The familiar scent brought tears to her eyes, but she managed to pull herself together, knowing this was the easiest part. Quietly, Arys collected a few things. Her aim was to make her grandfather’s last moments as pleasant as possible. She folded his blanket and placed it into a bag, followed by a few framed pictures. She knew where her grandfather kept his medication, and pocketed a cocktail of dylamadon and melorazine. Not the most professional approach, but a workaround that wouldn’t cost her medical license. Probably. 

She made sure to move quietly, and once she had packed everything she had decided to take along, she slowly moved down the stairs, put on her coat, and left. The snow crunched underneath her footsteps as she made her way to the nearest transporter pad. 

For a moment, she wondered what she would do if, by now, her ID-bracelet had been deactivated. Would she turn around? Give up? Reconsider her actions in fear of consequences? 

No. 

((Ihalainen Medical Facility, Helsinki, Finland, Earth - Leevi’s Room))

Helsinki never slept, but Rovaniemi did. It took Arys longer than expected to secure a transport, and eventually she had to use the ID Bracelet for the Medical Facility as an exclamation mark to her request. 

She was scared of losing the courage she had gathered in the past hours, and every delay - no matter how small - put her on edge. After what felt like hours but in truth was a lot less than that, Arys found herself making her way through the harshly lit hallways. Finally, she arrived at the door leading to her grandfather’s room. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was waiting inside. At least this time she wouldn't be caught off-guard. Slowly she opened the door, stepped inside, and began her preparations. 

Arys changed the window-setting to transparent, instantly making the room less claustrophobic. She smiled as she looked out at the city lights one could see from here, vibrant and even in the middle of the night, and ,reminding her that life would go on. 

She placed the picture frames on the unused table by her grandfather’s biobed. She had made a good selection - most of them showed  him and Arys, or him and Tuomas. Whatever had happened between the two of them, right now it didn’t matter. It would be dealt with, yes, but not now. Both he and Arys had been his closest family for the past three decades.

Another, older  picture showed him as a young man, his arm wrapped around a short woman with soft features and blonde hair. Arys didn’t have the pleasure of meeting her, and even Tuomas barely remembered her. Her name had been Heidi, and she had been Leevi’s wife until an accident had taken her from her family. They looked so happy in this picture. 

The lights were lowered to a comfortable hue. Arys had thought for hours about how she would play this. She was a doctor of this hospital - the consultant status had never been revoked - and she was legally in power to make decisions in case of Leevi’s incapacitation. 

Arys had decided to do it the proper way, even if everything else that had happened here had been anything but. 

Trovek: Computer, open medical file fourty-two dash six dash two - Taari Turunen. 

The VA confirmed her query, and after making sure that the file under the  Alias was merged with Leevi’s actual file, she continued. 

Trovek: Computer, open a new log entry. Doctor Trovek Arys, Startdate 239811.09 - After reviewing Mister Ihalainen’s medical file, I have come to the conclusion that an improvement of his current condition is, due to the patient’s progressed age and the deterioration of both heart- and muscle tissue, unlikely. In line with Mister Ihalainen’s wishes, as attached to this file, I will end life-extending measures. 

She took a deep breath and deactivated the stasis unit, and administered ten ccs of an analgesic to alleviate any discomfort. Then she sat down on the chair next to the biobed, and waited. 

It was a gentle way of waking up, and eventually the fragile looking body on the bed stirred, and his eyes sprung open. Leevi gasped for air, a terrible rattling coming from his lungs, but Arys had expected this. What she hadn’t expected was the expression of sheer panic and desperation in the old man’s eyes as they darted across the room. He was looking for Tuomas, and he was afraid. 

Trovek: ::soothingly:: Everything is fine. Just me here. 

Finally his eyes  settled on Arys, who did her best not to cry. She reached for his hand, concentrating all her strength into maintaining composure. 

Trovek: All this time… :: her voice choked off :: I am so sorry. 

Leevi looked at her, but there was no recognition in his eyes. Still, she seemed to be someone he associated with something positive. There was less panic, now that he knew they were alone. A spasm rippled through him and he let out a hacking cough. Breathing was difficult for him. Still, he tried to sit, and Arys nodded, adjusting the bio-bed to prop him up.. 

Leevi: ::hesitantly:: You are a doctor? 

Arys nodded, doing her best to offer him a comforting smile. She had prepared herself for the possibility that he wouldn’t recognize her. And even though she had hoped she would get to say goodbye, it wasn’t her wishes that mattered right now. 

Leevi: That’s-.. good. I.. :: he wheezed, each word brought forth in pain:: … I haven’t been feeling well. 

Trovek: I know. But it will get better soon, you just have to bear with me for a little longer.  Does that sound okay? 

Arys’ voice was gentle. A suggestion, not a command. She took the blanket and placed it over his torso to keep him warm. He seemed to recognize it, smiling as he felt the blanket under his fingertips. Then his eyes settled on her once more, and spoke with childlike wonder:

Leevi: :: I know you. 

Arys: I… it’s me. Arys. 

Did he recognize her? 

Arys heart leapt at the thought of a few more moments with the man who had raised her, who had inspired her, and whose approval meant more to her than that of anyone else.

Leevi: ::he smiled, then pointed at the pictures on the table next to him:: My granddaughter. Her name is Arys too. 

Arys smiled, trying to choke back tears as her hopes were shattered.  The spasm came again, and he endured another racking cough, but this time he struggled to catch his breath. His face contorted in pain and he clutched his chest, and his breathing grew faster and faster. The fluid in his lungs was drowning him. Arys considered draining the fluid, selfishly hoping for a few more moments,  but then decided that there was no point to it. His clawlike hand gripped her wrist with surprising strength. 

Leevi: I am so very tired. 

Arys: That’s fine. You work a lot. How about you get some rest. I’ll make you mannapuuro tomorrow morning, okay?

Leevi: ::closing his eyes:: And coffee? Heidi says I drink too much of it. 

Arys: ::squeezing his hand:: And coffee. 

Arys pressed the hypospray to his neck, and the familiar hiss announced the sedative to enter his bloodstream - enough for a quick end to his suffering.  It did not hurt him, or at least he made no sound of pain. Arys held her hand to his chest and felt his heart flutter and drop. A last exhale pushed from his mouth, his body grew still, and lifesigns were no longer registered.

Trovek: Time of death, 4:21am. 

___________

Ensign Trovek Arys 

Counselor 

USS Juneau 

J239809TA4