Encouraged by Kevlan's reaction to her singing to him, Bernadette
  begins to investigate other ways to start helping her beloved back to
  his normal self. She continues to hum or sing softly around him as
  she can - she can't help but notice that this seems to make him sleep
  more easily, and seems to seize his attention when he is awake, bring
  back a spark of life and animation into his eyes. Not once does he
  try to sing himself, but any little progress is enough to hearten
  her.

She can't forget, though, that Kevlan has a visitor awaiting him up
  on Shankill Station. He's had a few visitors by now - Alexandra,
  Rhianna, Rykos - and he seemed to handle each one well enough. But is
  he ready to go out and visit someone else himself? Particularly
  someone as close to him as his father?

'I hate to keep Orynn waiting,' Bernadette thinks to herself. She is
  unnerved by the man - not through any fault of his own, surely, but
  nevertheless his strong resemblance to his son, coupled with his more
  forthright manner, and the general stress of the last several weeks
  makes her nervous about meeting Orynn Sharr again without his son
  present. But still... she isn't sure whether Kevlan could handle
  seeing him.

At last, she decides to follow Tamber's suggestion of getting an
  official medical opinion; thus, Bernadette leaves Kevlan in the
  company of Tamber and Jerrik, and ventures down to the Infirmary to
  find a medic she trusts for a sound verdict. As usual, the Infirmary
  is bustling with activity... she catches talk in passing from this
  and that tech about the emergence from her retirement of Shenzen, the
  old head of the Psychology section, and more than one young meditech
  expresses relief that a senior member of the Heptite Guild will be
  once more available to help handle the burden of dealing with
  mentally unstable Singers.

Bernadette smiles half-heartedly at this talk as she flags down
  Morgan - who has patched up both her and Kevlan more than once, and
  who has periodically been coming by their suite to make sure that
  Kevlan is getting a proper diet, to do regular scans of his vital
  signs, and to suggest this or that exercise to help return strength
  to his frame. The older woman's forthright, blunt manner has served
  well in avoiding coddling Kevlan - and this, Bernadette appreciates.

"What's this? Well, hmm, come to my office and we'll talk," the
  meditech replies cheerfully as Bernadette asks if she has time to
  talk about Kevlan. The two women settle down there, and Bernadette
  hopefully presents her question. Given Kevlan's current status, would
  it be medically advisable for him to make a short trip up to Shankill
  Station to see his father? Morgan considers this, and after some
  thought, agrees to approve a _short_ visit, provided Kevlan himself
  doesn't object.

Morgan then surprises Bernadette by asking gently how she herself is
  doing, taking the young woman by surprise. Bernadette protests that
  she's quite alright, but Morgan regards her knowingly and remarks
  that she knows how stressful the recent days have been for _her_. The
  unexpected sympathy touches Bernadette... and she sheepishly allows
  that she _has_ been extremely frustrated. "Kevlan's _not_ a
  six-year-old, he shouldn't be acting like one....!" she blurts.

Nodding quietly, Morgan says, "Which is why we have to be careful not
  to treat him like one. Michael's suggestion you told me about,
  nudging Kevlan into doing things for himself, even if they're as
  small and trivial as picking out what color shirt he wants to wear,
  is the best strategy I know about to make him function again.... "

As the two women talk, the Guildhall's intercom system blares with an
  announcement: "Storm warning, there is a mach storm due to hit the
  facility in approximately ten minutes. All available personnel report
  to the Hangar for unloading duty."

Bernadette blinks. "Storm? I should get back to Kevlan... " She
  frowns, still nervously.

Morgan eyes her, and then says candidly, "He should be alright with
  his two friends, Berni. The storm shouldn't bother him, not on level
  11." She adds, "Besides, you look as if you still need to talk - and
  as you mentioned, he's not a six-year-old, you needn't babysit him
  nonstop."

Bernadette blinks once more, then blushes just a bit, and grins
  weakly. "But... I'm medically sound, I should report -"

Morgan waves a dismissing hand. "Let the recruits and the Hangar
  personnel handle it, no reason you should go up and help unload other
  Singer's cuts." She smiles. "Besides, I've been asked to update
  Kevlan's file for the Psychology department, and I'd like you to help
  me out on this so that Shenzen will be fully briefed on his current
  status. If you'll stay, I'll get us some pastries, and something
  bracing to drink....?"

At that engaging offer, Bernadette agrees to stay... and not until
  she emerges from what turns into a half-hour discussion of Kevlan's
  recent dreams and behavior patterns does she remember that she'd left
  Kevlan in the suite with Tamber and Jerrik. Anxious to make sure,
  despite Morgan's warnings, that Kevlan _did_ weather the storm
  without anxiety, she hastens back to their quarters....

... only to find Tamber and Jerrik, both of them looking rather worn,
  kneeling by a clearly shaken and exhausted-looking Kevlan on the
  couch. She blinks, and hurries into the room. "Kevlan, what in the
  world... love, are you alright?"

Tamber looks up, and Jerrik shifts, just a bit, restlessly. Kevlan
  blinkblinks, and mumbles plaintively, "L-lo-loud up theah... "

Bernadette frowns, and glances to the other two men as Tamber
  clarifies quietly, "We reported for storm duty, my dear - the Hangar
  buzzed for Jerrik, the Sorting bay for me." He pauses a beat, and
  then adds, "We took Kevlan with us."

Jerrik hastily puts in, "I kept him with me - protective gear and
  all. We did sled work -"

Bernadette blinks incredulously at the Sorter and the Sledtech. Her face turns
  an interesting shade of crimson and she slips a hand under an elbow of each
  man and steers them towards the door of the suite, saying over her shoulder
  to Kevlan "We'll be right back...I need to have a word with Tamber and
  Jerrik." She doesn't wait for a response.

Once in the hallway with the door shut soundly, Berni releases the men and
  paces a bit before she whirls around to face Kevlan's warders.

"What in BLAZES came over you two?" she begins, trying valiantly to control
  the level of her voice. Before either man can answer she launches directly
  into "Don't you think he's having enough problems in the mental department
  without adding a fardling MACH STORM? I'm all for getting Kevlan out and
  about, but IN A FRIGGIN' STORM?!" She gestures wildly with her hands, her
  face beet red, her eyes practically bulging from their sockets, she's got
  them opened so wide. Again, she continues ranting, leaving no room to get a
  word in edgewise. "I would have thought you'd both have more sense than
  that! You could have sent for me if you didn't want to leave him alone! I
  would have come!" She shakes her head and concludes "Just what, in the name
  of all that's holy, were you THINKING?!" She taps her temple rapidly, and
  hard enough to leave little marks before holding her hand out
  questioningly.

Bernadette clamps her mouth shut tightly, and folds her arms across her
  chest, equally tight. She glares at the two men, one foot tapping
  impatiently on the carpeted floor as she waits for a response.

Jerrik and Tamber both reel back in astonishment. The Sorter's green
  eyes have gone wide, and Jerrik seems to have gone pale, even under his
  dark complexion. The sled tech doesn't need functional ears to get the
  gist of Bernadette's fury, and he nervously glances from face to face
  as Tamber swallows, discomfited, and actually stammers over a response.
  "M-my dear, there was no time... "

"Corbin wanted me on the floor pronto," Jerrik adds helpfully.

"... and young Kevlan insisted that he come along, dear girl. He wished
  to help," the Sorter finishes.

Bernadette appears to be having none of it and she shakes her head quickly,
  almost violently. "Wasn't time, my foot!" She shifts angry brown eyes, gone
  nearly black in her fury, from one face to the other and stabs a finger
  down towards the floor. "I was one floor down and could have been here
  almost instantly." She puts her hands on her hips and turns her complete
  attention on Tamber. "He insisted, did he?" she nods her head without
  waiting for a response. "Kevlan hasn't insisted on ANYTHING since his
  return. I find it hard to believe you couldn't have stalled him for two
  minutes until I could get back to the suite." She starts paces again,
  bringing her hands up in the air on either side of her head, fingers
  splayed, as she shakes her head. "No...no...You know what?" She stops and
  looks at you two again, still awfully infuriated, her body trembling as
  she tries to contain her rage, "It doesn't matter. What's done is done."
  She steps in close, facing you both, and looking from one face to the other
  again. "But don't EVER think of doing something this foolish again, do you
  hear me?" She folds her arms across her chest again and repeats firmly.
  "_EVER_."

Both plainly taken aback by Bernadette's outburst, Jerrik and Tamber
  exchange uneasy glances. Jerrik scowls darkly; Tamber sighs, and faces
  Bernadette levelly. Years of having dealt with infuriated Singers
  suggest to Tamber that he enter his 'smooth conciliatory' mode, but the
  young woman's gaze on him is different from that of Singers simply
  angered over insufficiently high takes on their cuts. And furthermore,
  the Sorter does not appreciate his word being called into question, not
  over Kevlan. At last, Tamber says quietly, his face gone taut and pale,
  "If you no longer wished our assistance, Bernadette, in aiding Kevlan's
  recovery - in giving him constructive things to do rather than wasting
  away to a shadow in his rooms - then you had but to say so."

With that, Tamber turns on his heel, and stalks off down the corridor
  towards the lifts. Jerrik eyes Bernadette for a moment, then growls,
  "The kid _wanted_ to help," before he heads after the Sorter.

Bernadette, not liking being walked out upon, watches the two men's
  retreating backs in astonishment for a moment before she raises her voice
  and calls out, her bad temper returned, "That's right! Walk away! Make ME the
  bad guy in this! Well that's just FINE!" She shakes her head angrily, snorts
  and, with a waving hand gesture that suggests she's washed her hands of the
  whole deal, stomps back into the Sharr/Marshall suite.

Kevlan, when Bernadette comes into the suite, is curled up with his arms around
  his knees on the couch. His gaze lifts plaintively to her as he sees
  her come in, and his brow furrows a little, puzzledly, as he fails to
  see Tamber and Jerrik come in with her. He starts to sit up.

Bernadette is still red-faced and showing clear signs of anger. She
  glances at Kevlan on the couch and looks away quickly, heading straight across
  the room and sprawling face down on the bed without a word. She brings her
  arms up to encircle her head, effectively hiding her face.

For a few minutes, all is silent in the room. Then, Bernadette catches the
  tiny sound of the curtains around the bed being pushed aside, and then the
  bed shifts slightly beneath her as Kevlan awkwardly clambers in beside her.
  His hand shyly touches her shoulder.

Bernadette tenses for the briefest of moments, then relaxes as she peeks
  out from under her arm at her love. Her face is shadowed and only one brown
  eye can be clearly seen, but it's not a happy eye that blinks at him.

Kevlan's face is drawn, and white, and his hand on her shoulder is trembling.
  His blue eyes have darkened with apparent fear, and his voice, too, trembles
  as he whispers, "B-b-berni?"

Bernadette lifts her head and blinks at him. Her expression is hard to read; 
  not anger, not necessarily sadness; not...well, anything. Her brows draw 
  upwards and together in a sad frown and her lower lips trembles as she shifts 
  her body suddenly and clings to him. She blurts "Oh, Kevlan! Why am I such a 
  jerk?" as she hides her face against his neck. She's not sobbing...but tears 
  are definitely being shed, if the moisture on his neck is anything to judge 
  by.

You seem to no longer hear ANY resonance in your blood, and somehow this is 
  disquieting.
Non-singers around you see: Kevlan seems to be distracted.

Kevlan freezes up for a moment or two, as if uncertain how to react to this. 
  Finally he shyly curls his arms around you.
"D... don-don' cry, Berni... p-pl-please don' cry.... " He pleads this into 
  your hair, sounding frightened.

Bernadette tightens her grip on Kevlan and hiccups "I can't help it...I'm 
  sorry, Kevlan...I'm so sorry..." She keep repeating the last three words in 
  a mutter as she tries to control herself but loses the battle, dissolving 
  into fresh tears.
  
Kevlan tentatively snuggles closer to her, though his movements are slow and 
  languid in his exhaustion. Plaintive as a small child, and trembling a 
  little, he entreats, "D-don' be sad... you... you don' hafta g-g-go 'way... "

Bernadette shakes her head, sniffling, her voice muffled "I don't want to go 
  away...I don't..." And she babbles a bit incoherently.

Kevlan is silent for a long moment, still shaking slightly, unnerved by seeing 
  Berni break down. He finally swallows hard, and manages to sound almost like 
  his proper self as he entreats, "Don'... fret, honey... d-don' fret... "

Bernadette hiccups again and tightens her grip a little more, still weeping. 
  She starts babbling once more, her words hard to discern as she takes little 
  gasps of air to talk in between tears. Kevlan can make out a few distinct 
  sentences: "I can't help it...." and "Need crystal soon...." and, in the most 
  forlorn tone "I need you, Kevlan..."

She can feel him freeze up again next to her, as once more he seems uncertain 
  how to react to her babble. Finally, timidly, he tries to assure her of his 
  presence by cradling her as close to him as he can manage... though even 
  still, his motions are those of a shy child trying to soothe a grownup and 
  not knowing how.

Kevlan mumbles huskily, "Pl-please don' be sad... please.... " Not once does he 
  mention the crystal, but he hugs Berni shyly, trying to comfort. His voice 
  grows slowly rougher, with exhaustion - from the storm duty? - and with 
  fright, as he clings to her.

Bernadette keeps herself pressed as tightly against him as she can while she 
  continues babbling among hiccups. "I miss you so much..." can be heard 
  clearly at one point. At another she leans back just a little to give his 
  shoulders a little shake as she mumbles "Need you back, Kev...I need you 
  back!" before she tightens her arms again, burying her face against his
  shoulder.

"Ah...Ah'm...lost... " The mumble trails off as his weakened body begins to 
  demand that he rest, but he clings to her nevertheless.

Bernadette's arms begin to loosen around him eventually, her sobs diminishing. 
  She finally leans her head back and turns sorrowful brown eyes on him as she 
  whispers "Come back, Kevlan...please..." Her eyes start watering again and 
  she tips her face down as she falls silent.

You seem to no longer hear ANY resonance in your blood, and somehow this is 
  disquieting.
Non-singers around you see: You feel tense as Kevlan paces and become more and 
  more irrational and moody.

Kevlan blinks awkwardly at Berni, shaken, his face pale and drawn and 
  fearful... though his gaze seems almost alert, almost responsive to the 
  plea. But the look passes, and it is the shy-child Kevlan who finally once 
  more begs her in a barely audible whisper not to be sad, as he hugs her to 
  him timidly and hides his face against her hair.

Bernadette remains silent save for a little sigh amidst a few random hiccups 
  and soft sobs. As she lays within Kevlan's child-like embrace, her mind keeps 
  telling her that it's hopeless....she'll never get her Kevlan back. Her hand 
  twitches as the urge to just smack him hits her. Her body jerks as she 
  admonishes herself for even entertaining the thought, horrified at herself. 
  She settles down again with another despondent sigh and lets herself drift 
  off to sleep.

[End log.]