Work Text:
She wasn't as fit as Dendra, with most of her time spent in the nurse's office or studying her health textbooks for the program starting next year. But Miriam liked to think she could lift a box of supplies easily enough, even if it was on the heavy side. And to her surprise, she managed to carry it back to her office.
Then she put it down, moved to open it, and her body realized what she'd just done.
"Owww!"
"Miriam?"
"In here, Dendra." She couldn't help being embarrassed, she was usually the one lecturing Dendra about not being so reckless with her own training, and here she was clutching her left side and almost certain she'd dislocated her shoulder. "I guess I forgot to lift with my knees after all."
"What, that little thing?" Dendra hefted the box effortlessly, only to frown and put it back on the table. "Okay, maybe not so little. I don't think carrying an Onix is a good idea for your first workout," she teased. Miriam made a face.
"Very funny! I don't make fun of you when you overdo it at least twice a week!" Dendra smiled.
"No, you just scold me until you're blue in the face," she said. "Come here. I can't fix your back right away but I can at least make it hurt less." Anyone else might have been skeptical, but Miriam had been on the giving end of this more than once. She opened her hand, but no tablet dropped into it. "Not like that. The medicine is for after."
"Then what are you doing?" The answer was the firm but gentle press of a hand against her side. "Hey-"
"You once told me there's more to healing than pills and bandages, remember? When you made me drink that nasty-tasting tea?" Of course she did, one day Meganium had unexpectedly brought her a bunch of herbs she'd found in the wild. Miriam hadn't expected them to be much, but a quick turn of a page told her they were a good muscle relaxant.
She also remembered the look on Dendra's face when she'd taken that first sip and forced herself to finish.
"Yes." She sighed. "Am I really so off today? First I thought I could carry that stupid box, now this." Dendra smiled, the press of her hand never stopping, slow and steady.
"My point is, that tea really helped. I can't make you any myself, but sometimes a good massage helps sore muscles," she said. "It won't fix everything, you'll probably need to take it easy for the next few days, but are you feeling any different yet?"
"A little," Miriam said. It still hurt, and she'd definitely need those pain pills later, but she could feel her inflamed muscles calming down a little. Dendra occasionally pressed her fingertips into the spot, kneading it a little, and soon Miriam felt herself relaxing. Even the embarrassment of her mistake was fading away. "Thank you, Dendra."
"You've always taken care of me when I was hurt." Dendra placed her free hand on Miriam's shoulder. "It was about time I returned the favor."