Rumours

Posted on Sat Apr 20th, 2019 @ 4:01pm by Lieutenant Commander Carolyn Corrigan MD & Lieutenant Commander Ariana Monroe-Wayne

1,535 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 98 - A Raid on Peace
Location: Dr Corrigan’s quarters
Timeline: MD1, 0630 hours

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Carolyn swept her hair away from her face to inspect the damage. While she had slept a bruise had formed from her temple almost down to the jawline on the left side of her face. She sighed as she rummaged in her own med kit, deciding there was no way she was venturing over the door until it was gone. Before she could even get to work, the door chime rang out.

“Come in,” she called out, while at the same time lowering the music which had been keeping her company. She let her hair fall back down, hiding the worst of it, as she headed out to find out who it was, throwing on an oversized T-shirt over her leggings and vest top as she walked.

“Hi,” she said, clearly surprised to see Ariana standing there. “Is the baby okay...?”

"Hi and yes, thank you." Ariana glanced at Carolyn concernedly. "I heard that something happened to you last night, infact I heard several stories." She stepped forward and glanced at Carolyn's face. "Want to talk about it?"

Relieved that it was gossip rather than a health issue, that had brought Ariana here, Carolyn gestured for Ariana to take a seat. "Do you want something to drink? Or eat?"

"Just a fruit juice would be fine thank you" Ariana smiled.

"Coming right up," Carolyn promised, moving to the replicator. She returned a few moments later, handing over the drink. "What kind of stories?" she asked, sitting down. She was curious what kind of wild stories had come out of last night.

"Just that you were involved in an incident. There's several different stories, giving several different versions so I thought I'd see what the real version was." She gave Carolyn a concerned look. "What happened?"

"A mix up," Carolyn explained with a dismissive shrug. "One of the nurses loaded up a hypo with enough medicine for a week, but didn't programme it to split the dose. Which led to me having a disagreement with a bedside table. Hades patched up the cut but the bruise is new."

"Is that all?" Ariana looked at Carolyn curiously. "What kind of medicine was it she was giving you?"

"It was a sedative to help me sleep," she explained after a brief pause during which she debated not saying. But Ariana was part of the medical staff and if she spoke to Hades, officially, they could talk about it anyway. This seemed a much more honest way somehow.

"I get the feeling there's more to it than that?" Ariana smiled. "I'm your friend, after everything you've done for me the least I can do is help you. Is there more to it?"

"No more to it. Lynn misread the script but Hades got here in time," Carolyn said. "Obviously it could have been worse but it wasn't."

"Okay glad to hear it" Ariana smiled. "Like you said it could have been a whole lot worse! I'm glad it wasn't."

"Me too," Carolyn smiled softly, wincing a little as she shifted in her seat. "I'd have been happier if the furniture hadn't tried to catch me on the way down."

"Yeah that does tend to hurt doesn't it?" Ariana grinned. "I did that once when Jonathon and I came home from being out, there was snow on the ground and my shoes were slippier than I thought and I went a cropper on the stone steps that led up to our door! I did a pretty good job of cutting my head open at the time!! Luckily Jonathon had his military field training to go by, the doctors said if he hadn't been there I'd have most likely bled out before being able to make a successful call for help." She shrugged her shoulders. "I've still got the scar under my hair."

“Our scars tell stories,” Carolyn commented. “Just give me a sec, if you don’t mind me multitasking, I’ll get rid of the bruise from hell.”

Ariana nodded. "Sure carry on"

Carolyn disappeared for a moment before coming back with a small mirror and the end kit. Sweeping her hair up into a messy ponytail she set to work. “Wasn’t today your big moving day?” She asked suddenly.

"It was supposed to be" Ariana nodded. "I gave some thought to not moving in with Frey & Kaden."

Frowning, Carolyn looked at her over the top of her mirror. “Why not?”

"Kaden and I have a history. He used to be my boyfriend many years ago. We broke up because....well he was afraid of having children incase they had his medical condition. I couldn't face not being a mother!" She sighed. "Now he's doing the same thing to Frey when he promised her they'd have children." She paused. "Is there anything you can do for them? Doctor Hades seems to think that a child of theirs would inherit, is there any chance that might not be true?"

“If it is a genetic condition then there is that risk,” Carolyn said, “but the exact risk is down to the condition and - well, it gets complicated. There are some procedures to minimise the risk, gene silencing etc but that is a whole ethical can of worms that you do not want to open. Mostly because any doctor or ethics committee is likely to refuse permission anyway.

"Sorry, I’m sure that isn’t the answer you wanted to hear.”

"No it isn't" Ariana sighed. "So even if they gave permission there's no way a doctor could help them? I understand genetic alteration is considered against the law but they're both fleet officers and they just want a healthy baby nothing more."

“If an ethical committee gave approval then yes, a doctor might. At that point it is the physicians choice. Some would, some wouldn’t.”

Ariana nodded. "Well at least I can tell them that much, hopefully it'll bring out a little hope for them." She sighed. "Some things are never easy."

"Please be careful," Carolyn urged. "I know they are your friends but we are talking astronomical. I shouldn't have even said it. He'll kill me."

Ariana nodded. "In that case I won't mention names. I might not say anything at all. Do I get the feeling there's something going on with Hades?"

"He's... unhappy," Carolyn sighed.

"Oh? Why?" Ariana looked at Carolyn waiting to see what she'd say.

Carolyn slumped back in her chair, tossing the dermal regenerator into her kit even though she was only half done. "Most of it isn't my story to tell. But he was far from thrilled that I even had tried to use a sedative in the first place. I think we agreed to disagree."

"I see" Ariana nodded. "Why would Hades be worried about you taking sedatives?"

"Exactly!" Carolyn cried in exasperation.

"Do you want me to talk to him about it for you?" Ariana wondered why Hades would be worried about such a thing.

"You don't have to, honestly. I doubt you'd get anywhere. It's his legendary stubbornness," Carolyn sighed. "God, it was like worry wrapped in some kind of disappointment or something."

"We'll leave it with me" Ariana smiled. "I'll see if I can get some idea of what it is he's worried about."

"Thank you. But you are supposed to be resting. And what are you going to do now? Do you think the Freya living situation can be fixed?"

"Maybe" Ariana smiled. "I'll see, right now I've got an appointment with my sofa, a replicator and a good book."

Carolyn grinned, "now that is a plan. Thank you for stopping by though. I appreciate it."

"What are friends for?" Ariana smiled warmly. "If you need me you know where to find me okay?"

"I'll be fine, thank you," Carolyn assured her as she stood. "You just worry about getting all that rest we ordered."

"I'll do my best!" Ariana smiled. "I don't plan on making your workload any harder!"

"Good," Carolyn smiled. "I'm sidelined until my boss says otherwise so if you need help moving - hopefully - or anything, just let me know."

"I will. I'm still keeping my quarters as this move isn't permanent so I won't be taking too much when, or if, I do move." She smiled warmly. "I will call if I need you though."

"It'll work out," Carolyn assured her. "If anyone is able to work through a problem, it is you."

"Thank you Carolyn" Ariana smiled as she headed towards the door. "I'll leave you to it for now."

Watching her go, Carolyn waited for the doors to close before throwing herself down on the chair, staring at her reflection in the mirror. A million thoughts running through her head, none of them willing to stick around for her to follow them through.

She did know she was going to go stir crazy in here already. And she'd only been away half an hour. Deciding she could go see Hades sooner rather han later she resumed her work on healing the bruise. Before she went anywhere, she needed to not look like she had gone ten rounds with a Klingon.

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