Homecoming -- Part 1

Posted on Sat Aug 3rd, 2019 @ 3:25pm by Commander Hades,MD & Lieutenant Commander Carolyn Corrigan MD

1,658 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 99 - Exordium / Epilogue
Location: Sickbay, SB 400
Timeline: MD01 --0550 hours

ON:

Home sweet home ... the moment her foot crossed the threshold, Carolyn Corrigan paused to take in the scene. The bay was quiet, calm and a far cry from the night she had left. All the familiar sights and sounds mixed in with both familiar and new faces.

That she had expected; her time away lasting a few weeks longer than she intended. Fresh from the shuttle, however, she had only one destination in mind.

“Doctor Corrigan,” Cadet Winters smiled, one which seemed oddly relieved. “Welcome back! You look amazing by the way, spend some time at the beach? When did you get back? Oh! Doctor Reid had her baby! ”

Nurse Carey had just finished her rounds. She couldn't get over how much the sickbay had changed over the last four weeks. It was cleaner so clean you could eat off the floors! It was more organized and new equipment....it was, by all respects, thriving but...at what cost. She rounded the corner and noticed Corrigan and Winters in conversation. "Doctor Corrigan! You're back! Thank the gods!"

“Hi,” Carolyn offered with a wave, happy to know she had been missed but beginning to feel like she was missing something. Especially when Chloe gave an enthusiastic nod in agreement. Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear she shifted her bag on to the other shoulder and simply said, “Hades?”

Carey looked around as if expecting the man to jump out from behind something. "He's..." She looked around again. "What time is it...?" She saw it was 0600. "Okay so he'll be at the logic centre. I can speak freely now." She pulled Carolyn aside. "He's .... different. The sickbay has changed too much. We're more productive, we've helped more people, and our sickbay is so sterile you can eat off the floor, we have new equipment.... but..."

“But ...?” Carolyn prompted, having a bad feeling about this.

"He's cold Carolyn." Carey said. "After you left Nurse Lynn was arrested and taken to Starbase 89 to stand trial. She was...acquitted. Charged with a lesser charge and Hades...I've never seen him so angry." She shook her head. "He retreated into himself. He lives here for goodness sake! He does the same thing every day. He goes at 0600 to the logic centre then at 0800 to the Orion shrine to light a candle for Kalani....He comes back visits her...works barely eats, barely drinks anything, works too late, visits with her again, sleeps on the floor of her room for a few hours…works the rest of the night. Showers at the logic centre in the morning....He's all Vulcan as if he has no emotion. Logical to the core. Very cold."

“When is he due back here?” she asked the nurse.

"Soon but...he won't talk to anyone. He goes straight to see Kalani. He's even hired body guards to stand outside her room."

“Wait, what room? She hasn’t left?” Carolyn asked, stunned at the news.

"No...she's still.... in a coma."

Carolyn cursed under her breath. She should have stayed... “I’ll wait in his office then.”

Without waiting she headed into his office, dumped her bag on the floor and settled in to wait as long as it took. She hoped it wasn’t as bad as they said. Although T’Mira would no doubt be thrilled. She wondered where the ice queen was now.

As Carolyn waited Nurse Carey walked in to place the day’s appointments on his desk. She smiled at Carolyn and left quickly but as she dropped the PADD something shook loose and a screen on the wall came to life. There the image of Kalani in her room. The door opened and Hades walked in wearing full Vulcan robes. Alone he sat by the bed and took her hand. He kissed it gently and then placed a kiss on her forehead. Replicating some tea he picked up a PADD and began to read form it the latest Archeological finds as he did daily. After twenty minutes he shut the PADD dawn and took her hand. "You have to come back to me." He whispered.

Sighing he headed out and minutes ticked by until his office opened. He had changed into uniform. He stopped and stared at Carolyn with a raised eyebrow. "You have returned. Fascinating."

“Fascinating indeed,” she commented, gesturing at the monitor. “You should have told me.”

He noted the screen wondering how much she'd seen. "That was not the logical thing to do. You had things to deal with. You could not do anything to change this. There was no point." He walked over to the table picked up the PADD and then read through it. "When will you be available for duty?"

“That depends,” she mused, studying him. Logical, fascinating... this was bad. She felt angry. Why had they just let him become so - Vulcan? This was not him. At his questioning look she asked, “Did my book survive all of the changes around here?”

She knew it wasn’t what he expected her to say. But she realised she wanted to push his buttons just a little. To see if he was still in there. She had skimmed over Kalani’s file while she had been waiting, every detail now burned into her memory.

"Indeed." He stood and walked over to the wall. Punching a few numbers a panel slid up. He removed the book which he had placed in a cloth bag. He opened it and pulled out the book handing it to her. "Your book."

“Thank you," she said, her smile absolutely genuine and full of gratitude as she carefully set the book down.

"There is one other thing I need to ask,” She told him, gesturing around them, indicating the department as a whole. “Lots of changes, or so I’ve been told. Do you even want me back? I could have been back anytime but you approved extended leave... why would you do that and not even say a word about Kalani? One word from you and I’d have been here. I thought...”

She fell silent, realising the only person who was going to end up angry or upset was herself. She reached into her bag, pulling out a small tube, sealed at both ends. She set it down on his desk, “obviously not framed but if you wanted them for your quarters. I drew them so feel free to do with them what you will. I’ll go, unpack and change and you can put me straight to work. Then you can rest. At home. In an actual bed.”

"Take your time. I am not going anywhere." He pointed to her book as he reached for her gift to him. "Do not forget that." Just as she was reaching for it the door chimed “Enter."

The door whooshed open and a Klingon walked in. He smiled. "Hades my friend! I was passing through. Bound for Earth. We are negotiating another planet share."

Hades gave a nod. "Indeed." He turned to Carolyn. "Doctor Corrigan this is Topeth of the High Council. A very important man."

Topeth threw his head back and laughed. "Or so I like to think!" He gave a nod do Corrigan. "The resemblance is startling!"

"Yes, I have always thought so."

Topeth turned to Hades. "My special request was granted. Starfleet has approved your best nurse....Lynn is it? They have approved of an exchange. I have brought your new Klingon Nurse to the station and Lynn..."

A cold look passed over Hades' face. "And Lynn?"

"She arrived today on Rura Penthe to take over as head nurse."

A cold smile crossed Hades' face. "Excellent. May she prove useful on your prison planet."

The Klingon clasped Hades' shoulder. "I wish your beloved a quick recovery. May she rest well knowing the woman who was responsible won't ever be able to harm her again."

Hades bowed. "Your guards have proven well trained."

He smiled. "Of course they are! They are Klingon! Now I will take them with me with your permission."

He gave a nod. "They are not needed now."

Topeth gave a nod. He said his goodbyes and left. Hades seemed to let out a breath of relief.

Carolyn stared after the Klingon, here and gone in the blink of an eye. At least his brief visit had seemed to bring out a little of the Hades of old. “Rura Penthe?” She repeated after a moment, “I’d have thought you’d have shoved her out an airlock... and resemblance to who?”

"Topeth is a good friend." He sighed, "He chose Rura Penthe. It is the prison that holds the worst of the worst and a ticket there is usually one way. Topeth chose it because of family honour."

It was, Carolyn considered, the very least that she deserved. “Family honour?”

"Well that is a lengthy story. He married a few years ago. I did not get a chance to see his wife. When he sent me an image I noted that she was half Klingon half Orion and looked a lot like Kalani. We found out that they were half-sisters. Kalara's mother worked for the Orions. She became pregnant and when he found out he took the child. He raised her. Kalara and Kalani's mother was spirited away. He found her two years later and freed her. They searched for Kalani who was taken away along with Kalani's twin brother. They couldn't find them. When he found that Lynn was involved with harming his sister-in-law he insisted on...including Lynn in an exchange where she would do medical service on Rura Penthe. I gave my blessing of course. I was the logical thing to do." He sat down. He studied Carolyn. He was much changed, thinner, paler, but with more muscle.

"As for the resemblance...that is a...complicated story."

To be continued...

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