Hard Truths

Posted on Thu Mar 28th, 2019 @ 6:10am by Lieutenant Commander Ariana Monroe-Wayne & Brigadier General Kaden Ross
Edited on on Thu Mar 28th, 2019 @ 8:18am

1,235 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 97 - Cultural Exchange
Location: USS Sutherland
Timeline: MD5 (After Making the Rounds)

Having had her fears more or less confirmed by Doctor Corrigan, Freya made her way across to the Sutherland to speak to Ariana. She knew her friend was still recovering from Rigellian Fever and she herself was still recovering from Vulcan flu but she just needed to air her thoughts to someone. Knowing how hard things were for Kaden she’d left him a note saying where she was going but she’d only just stepped down off the transporter PADD when the next party that beamed aboard the Sutherland included her husband.

“Kaden?” She looked at Kaden. “I wasn’t expecting you to join me. I just...wanted to speak to Ariana about something.”

“Actually I wasn’t, I was here to took into some candidates from other marine divisions to help me get things rolling for the 22nd.” Kaden said holding the PADD up in his hand. “How did things go with Doctor Corrigan?”

“You...know about that?” She paused. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you, I wasn’t sure if you’d want to be with me. She....confirmed there’s signs of old scarring that confirm my nightmares.” She hung her head.

Kaden patted her on the shoulder. “Well, first was kind of hard to not notice your appointment with her when you leave your planner on your PADD on.” He paused a moment feeling a bit disappointed. “I was kind of hoping it was just a nightmare.” Kaden didn’t want to sound insensitive and be calling Freya a liar but he was hoping it was just her being stressed or something.

“I didn’t actually have a scheduled appointment with Doctor Corrigan I just wrote that in my schedule so I’d remember when I saw her.” She looked at him as they walked. “Kaden this isn’t going to make you love me any less is it?”

Kaden stopped and looked at her clearly somewhat shocked by what he heard. “What kind of question is that? Of course I still love you, Freya, just cause some animal did what he did isn’t going to make me love you any less I am with you on this all the way. It’s just...I feel I let you down and your family in looking out for you.” He confessed.

“Oh Kaden...of course you didn’t! You have never let me down! You’ve looked after me since the day I met you, what happened to me wasn’t your fault!” She gave him a loving cuddle even though they were standing in the middle of a corridor. “I trust you, I will always trust you. What happened to me must have happened when you were away giving a witness statement, the memory is still foggy...I don’t have all the details yet.”

Kaden shook his head clearly still upset at himself. “Freya, you was the one looking after me more than I was you always had been! I tried to live up to your standards and look after you the best I could and I failed!” He pulled away from Freya’s loving embrace. “Don’t you see? If I can’t even protect you then what will happen if we have kids? I feel that my failure in looking out for you is just going to result in something happening to our children if we have any where they wind up hurt or worse dead!” The large marine leaned up against the bulkhead of the corridor and crossed his arms. “You may trust me but now...I am not so sure you should I can’t even trust myself anymore...”

“Yes you can!” She looked around they weren’t exactly in the best place for a marital talk. “You won’t, and you haven’t, failed me Kaden, what happened....happened we can’t change that but we can work through it. I need you with me, I need your strength. I can’t do this without you and as for kids...if you don’t want them then we won’t have them!” She meant it as much as it pained her to say it.

Kaden sighed as he shook his head unsure how to reply to that he wanted to be a father but as things stood right now he wasn’t sure how to feel about children. He let out a long drawn sigh covering his eyes with his hand. “Dammit, I shouldn’t be like this right now cause you are right I need to not be worrying about myself and focus on you.” Kaden looked at Freya gathering himself best as he could. “So...what do we do now?”

“Nothing...” Freya stood and looked at her husband. “Right now you have work to do and I have a friend to visit. We’ll talk later this evening.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek before stepping back bumping into a crewman who was on his past. She almost leapt out of her skin at the contact of another man against her and quickly stepped aside apologising as she did so. She stood for a moment to regather her emotions.

“Freya, wait...” Kaden took a step forward taking her hand in his. “I want you to know you don’t have to worry about me loving you any less cause of this or that I am not going to look at you differently cause if anything you mean more to me than ever. Hell if I have to quit Starfleet go on a quest cross the galaxy to find the man that did this I will in heartbeat.” He told her calmly.

Freya smiled and relaxed. "Okay Imzadi, but no quests!" She grinned. "As long as I have you that's all I need. We'll get through this together."

Kaden tried to smile but couldn’t matter of fact he was doing the best he could to not think about it but nothing worked. He wanted to say something to Freya and tried to open his mouth but nothing came out instead he broke down crying walking away from Freya as fast as he could pushing past a passing crewman.

Freya watched as he walked away, she could feel his pain and her greatest fear was he wouldn’t want to be with her anymore. Without him now life wouldn’t be worth living.

Kaden felt lost in what to do he had really hoped that this was just a bad dream she was having instead the thought of another man making love to her although by force disgusted him. It was as if he saw Freya in a different light now and that the stench of the man who took her was still on her. Kaden still loved Freya but he was torn on what to do now he needed help but was unsure where to look. His desires for her had changed Kaden always thought she was his all his and nobody else’s but that no longer was the case.

Freya was about to set off to see Ariana but given how she was now feeling seeing Kaden walk away in such pain she changed her mind. Ariana needed her rest not to be Counselling so instead Freya turned and made her way back to the transporter room to head back to the Sutherland.

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