Staying on Target (Bay)

[Gar]

Bay's comforting embrace, although startling her at first, helped return Ni to the present and regain control of her breathing. His soft voice and warm touch became the pleasant distraction that she so desperately needed. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on the steady drum of his heartbeat.

The Zeltron was focusing so intently on the rhythm inside Bay’s chest that she barely noticed when his arms moved under her to pick her up. Then she realized he was tucking her into bed and telling her she was safe. A wave of embarrassment washed over Ni, but she could sense the voices and faces waiting to reclaim her attention, and so she quickly switched her focus to Bay’s gentle words, contemplating every syllable and inflection. She stared down at the floor, finding a black smudge in the middle of the room and studying it quietly, unable to meet Bay’s eyes. Her tremors slowly ceased and her heart no longer felt as if it was trying to break from her chest.

Ni almost panicked when Bay's voice paused momentarily.

Then he began to narrate softly, "Once upon a time, there lived a young girl who lived in a forest..."

The Zeltron breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes. His story proved to be a very effective distraction, carrying her mind away to a different world with different people and different problems. She wondered how Bay had known that this was what she really, truly needed. As she listened she became aware of a generalized heaviness in her limbs and her thoughts strayed into a void. Ni welcomed the nothingness as she drifted off to sleep.