Familiar Faces

Posted on Sat Oct 24th, 2009 @ 12:26am by Lieutenant Commander Eliza McAdams & Commander Curtiss Drake

2,538 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Shoreleave - Welcoming Old Friends and New
Location: Sickbay, USS Archimedes
Timeline: Current

Sleep was not coming easily.

Aside from the fact that she was still having to forge some sort of timetable for use of the bedroom, Kate simply found it difficult to sleep when her mind was full and it had been a while since she'd had this much to fret about. On top of the expected adjustment to her new living arrangements and the change to her career structure, the recent investigation and her inability to pinpoint pertinent information before the case solved itself preyed on her mind, self-doubt waging war with her desperate need to reestablish herself as a worthwhile contributor. Now the crew were on leave and she was somehow expected to come up with a place of significance to share with Ryan. She still didn't understand the events surrounding Harwood's mutiny and now Lane had undergone the joining process, a procedure that may well have changed the one person she had found herself willing to rely on so far.

Not a good week, really.

Still, the young lieutenant was determined to use the extended leave period to find her feet and that meant catching up on a few procedures that had fallen by the wayside with the rush to solve her predecessor's murder. Routine physicals secretly always worried Kathryn, as much as she was usually one of the first through the door, not so much because she doubted her health or fitness but because the more astute doctors tended to subtly edge her in the direction of the counselor and those sessions really only increased her tension. Kate really only shared herself, her true self, with a select few and even then it was doubtful she actually told them everything. Her father, for instance, was adept at reading her and, in a way, Kate had grown comfortable with that. Being understood without having to explain was rare and rather precious. Reservations aside, however, she had made the appointment and now she intended to keep it, with a punctuality that was trademark. As the doors to Sickbay opened to admit her, the chronometer showed exactly one minute remaining until her scheduled consultation and, since the place seemed quiet and relatively empty, the lieutenant cast her eyes around once and then directed them to the floor, hands clasped behind her back as she prepared to wait patiently. A slow sigh escaped as she expelled her breath slowly, a visible relaxation technique that wasn't really working.

Absorbed in her own thoughts, she didn't see Doctor Fox slide into the Sick Bay behind her. He was just in time for their meeting, but he certainly knew she had no idea who the Chief Physician really was. Smiling to himself, he headed towards his tool station, squeezing Kate above her hips as he passed and eliciting a startled jump and short giggle.

"You're early, Kate." he said, moving a few data PaDD's off the table and slipping a tricorder in his pocket as he turned around and smiled at her. "Not who you expected?" he winked.

Being grabbed from behind wasn't exactly what Kate had come to expect from her trips to Sickbay, though it could be argued that she'd not come to expect it in any situation since she'd gradually started to limit the amount of time she spent socializing in congregational areas. There were bars that got lively enough for a few brave souls to try their luck with manhandling pretty girls but that's about as far as Kate's experience ever got given that one wayward hand out of place usually sent her running. This, however, was not so much suggestive as familiar and the gaping look of astonishment on her face only intensified as she found herself staring at a man who seemed wholly out of place...in all the right ways. "Uncle Cail'?" Startled eyes fluttered for a moment before the first rays of genuine delight started to dawn across the far-too-serious features. "What are you doing here?"

"Keeping an eye on you." Fox replied seriously, before cracking a broad smile. "This is my new gig." he continued, "Fancy meeting you here." he added sarcastically.

He knew Kate was on this ship, it had been part of the reason he'd agreed to the transfer to this particular vessel. He wanted to have a new family on board the Archimedes and what better way to start that than with a person that was practically family already.

As always, sentiment took a backseat to contemplation even despite the fact that Kate was ridiculously pleased to see the doctor, arguably her father's closest friend and someone who had been an important feature in her life for as long as she cared to imagine. Kate was methodical, however, somewhat painfully so, and she had a tendency to want her facts straight before she proceeded. Intent eyes scanned the physician's face, momentary confusion giving way gently to hopeful understanding as she processed the situation as best she could from the available information. "You've been reassigned?" Several seconds later, his first remark hit home and the security officer's brow flickered with a faint frown. "Wait, you're keeping an eye on me?" Her frown intensified briefly before her features relaxed into weary resignation. "Dad."

Cailean laughed heartily, but shook his head, "A joke, Katie." he replied, "I came here of my own accord, though I won't lie. I knew you were here." he said, gesturing to a bio-bed for her to sit down and commence the reason for her visit.

"I was getting tired of the medical board circuit." he continued, unfolding his tricorder. "I wanted something real, and with Constance out on her own now there's no reason for me to stick close to home anymore." he said, smiling as another thought hit him. "Your pop tell you I'm going to be a grandfather?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

Hoisting herself up onto the bed, Kate forced herself to abandon her concerns and simply allowed herself, for once, to enjoy the comfort of a familiar presence, even going as far as to offer Cailean a genuine smile that lit up her eyes as he mentioned his daughter. "Yeah, I heard, I keep meaning to write to Connie but things have been..." A shadow passed over her features briefly, culminating in a slight wince before Kate afford him a far softer smile and simply continued. "I'll do it soon. It's kind of scary though," she admitted with a chuckle, "Motherhood is so....grown up."

Kate fell silent for a moment as she considered the woman who had become something akin to a sister over the years. Being close in age had served them well when they were younger and still kept them close despite life taking them in different directions, but this was something new. It wasn't exactly true that they'd always done everything together but this was certainly something vastly different to anything Kate had experienced or seemed likely to in the near future. It was unsettling, though she wasn't exactly sure why. Shaking herself free of the thoughts, she remarked instead, "So, it'll be Grandpa from now on, huh?" Her features relaxed enough to permit a rather impish grin. "Suits you."

"Remember, Kate, I literally have your life in my hands." Fox replied, not looking up from the tricorder in his hands, but smirking just the same. He hadn't quite gotten used to the word's 'grandfather', but he had gotten used to the fact that his daughter was going to have her own child. He remembered when he first found out he was going to be a father, and it was that feeling that had kept him from pulling every favor he was due to have Constance's gentleman lover cast out into deep space patrols for the next twenty years.

"What about you, Kate?" Fox said, turning the conversation on her. "Enjoying your time on the Archimedes?" he asked.

"I've not been here long." The response was a diversionary tactic, as was the smile that completely failed to reach her eyes. "Though in that time, I've been promoted into a position formerly occupied by a murdered man." The smile turned wane and then faded completely, dissolving into a tired sigh as the look in Cailean's eyes reminded her that she was dealing with a man she stood about as much chance of fooling as her father. Her shoulders sagged. "It's been...not too bad," she said quietly, coming about as close to complaining as she ever got. "The promotion was unexpected and better than I could have hoped for really, even though the circumstances surrounding it weren't the best."

"Yes, I read the report." Fox replied, snapping his tricorder closed and sliding his hands into his blue coat pockets. "Seems life on the Archimedes was quite interesting before shoreleave commenced." he said. "You ok?" he asked with genuine concern in his voice.

Kate risked a look up into the sparkling, kindly eyes of her surrogate uncle and realized too late that it had been a mistake. Her father could get her to tell him anything with seemingly little effort and he seemed to amass friends with similar characteristics. It had taken her a while to wise up to the fact that Cailean wasn't fooled by her attempts to appear in control, probably because he didn't impose himself very often, but this was different. He was a dear friend but he was also now her Chief Medical Officer and combine, the two attributes gave him a lot of power. The last thing she needed was further complications because the one in charge of judging her capacity to serve happened to see through her like a sheet of glass.

"I'm tired," she admitted quietly. "Sleep has been a bit..." Smiling ruefully, she broached the subject she'd realized all along would eventually arise. "I guess you've heard all about my new 'marital' arrangements." Disappointment stung even now despite the fact that she was resolved to simply put her head down and work through it. "I messed up," she continued, subdued. "And though the situation isn't ideal, it's... I'll get through it but they have us sharing quarters and at the moment, there's only one bed. So I guess I haven't been sleeping much."

"Have mine." Fox replied, smiling. "I haven't been sleeping there anyway." he grinned.

That wasn't exactly what she'd expected. Surprised and confused, Kate frowned and simply asked, "Why not?" As relieved as she was to have avoided a long quiz about the situation with Ryan, Kate couldn't for the life of her figure out what was so funny about not going to bed. She was renown for it but she wasn't sure she'd ever actually enjoyed it.

"I've been sleeping somewhere else, haven't actually made it much to my quarters. Most of my personal effects are up in my office." he said, thumbing back over his shoulder. It was the honest truth, he hadn't spent too many nights in his own quarters but rather in Amy's. There was something about a woman's touch to a room that made it so much more comfortable, so much more livable. It was a touch that hadn't graced his room, but was all over Amy's and as a result, he felt much more comfortable with her than in his. Amy certainly wasn't complaining, she seemed to enjoy having Cailean all to herself every night.

Somewhere in the recesses of Kate's mind turned several wheels that didn't often get much of a workout. Lack of use had left them rusty and stopped them from moving with any kind of speed but gradually they caught up and the resulting flush of mortification was so profound that it was possibly comical. Had she realized the implications behind his words sooner, there was no way Kate would have questioned Cailean further and she was now very much regretting her lack of foresight. "I see." It took an incredible amount of concentration not to stammer but it was effort that left her without much else to say. "Well, I'm sure it'll be all right. I mean, it's early days yet and things have been a little hectic. Ryan and I will figure something out." She absolutely did not want to stay on the topic of why her honorary uncle was not in need of his own bed though she rather suspected she wouldn't be able to avoid the matter forever, not if the...reason...was also on board.

"Katie, it doesn't take a physician to see that you're exhausted." Fox replied, "I'm offering my quarters to you, at least for a few nights, as a family friend." he said, looking to her seriously. "Don't make me force as it as the ship's Physician." he added.

"I'd like to see you write that report." Despite her embarrassment, Kate was experiencing the first real relief from her recent misfortune and the immense gratitude she felt at having a familiar and dearly loved face nearby more than made up for the fact that Cailean was a rogue who couldn't be trusted not to set her up for further humiliation if the opportunity arose. It was loving humour, however, and never inflicted cruelly or in front of an audience, which was why it was easier to return in kind. "Patient refused to cooperate when I ordered her to my bed." Innuendo was all but lost on Kate and, as usual, her focus was more on the ridiculousness of the order than any inherent suggestiveness as she grinned and then relented. "But all right, fine. The Captain has enough to deal with without you complaining that his security staff aren't doing as they're told."

"Glad you can see reason." Fox smiled, rubbing her shoulder fatherly. "Now, as your Chief Medical Officer, it is my job to tell you that aside from needing some rest, you're in perfect health." he said seriously, "And as a personal friend, I insist you have dinner with me tonight. Officer's mess, eighteen-hundred hours." he smiled broadly. A bio-bed was hardly the place to really catch up wit anyone, especially anyone as close as Kathryn. "Is it a date?" he asked.

Tired as she was, there was relief in Kate's face as she smiled. Smothering herself in work kept her busy and usually exhausted enough for her not to dwell, but the loneliness was there no matter how much she paid attention to it. Cailean was someone she could talk to and as much as she was loathe to admit it, Kate really needed someone to talk to. Slipping down from the biobed, she gave the doctor's cheek a quick peck and then gave a weary chuckle as she replied, "Don't argue with the doctor, right?" Looking him in the eye, she added quietly, "I'll be there...," before turning and making her way towards the door, waiting until they opened before she shot back her final retort. "...Grandpa."

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This family reunion brought to you by:

Lt. Cailean Fox
Chief Medical Officer
USS Archimedes

and

Lt. JG Kathryn Martin
Assistant Chief Security Officer
USS Archimedes

 

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