Movies, Sharks, and Deep Conversations -- Oh my

Posted on Sat May 23rd, 2020 @ 10:24am by Lieutenant Commander Carolyn Corrigan MD & Lieutenant JG Ilan Rol

2,687 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Episode 106 – Stalemate
Location: Carrigan's Quarters
Timeline: MD4 0830hrs

Go big or go home... Bypassing the main Sickbay where she was destined to spend most of the day, Doctor Corrigan made her way to the domain of the counselling department. Since the battle and the subsequent events which led to the evacuation of SB400, this was a department which had seen an almost overwhelming caseload. Even with assistance from SB23, there was a lot of trauma to work through.

Pausing in the open doorway to Lieutenant Rol's office, she paused and watched him work. He looked exhausted. Which he probably was.

Chapping the doorframe to announce her presence she offered him a smile and held up a paper bag containing two boxes. "I wont keep you but I wanted to say a proper thank you for your gift. You are gonna want to start on box number one before it melts. In hindsight, ice cream was a bad choice... but the cake you can eat whenever."

Rol looked up feeling and looking exhausted. "Thanks" He smiled without it ever reaching his eyes.

“Okay,” she said firmly as she set down her offering on the edge of his desk. “You look like day 7 of a pub crawl... it is not a good look. Have you slept at all lately?”

"An hour here or there." He shrugged. "It's been a rough time. For everyone."

She moved to lean against the edge of his desk. "An hour or so isn't gonna do you or your patients any good. I'll speak to the base, have some additional support. I have some cadets I can move from surgical to psych rotation, but that's more a long term solution. Anyway, pretty much I'm saying you, my friend, are going home to sleep. Or you can use the doctor's lounge as a one off special offer - but being in there, you hear way too much about Mendez' love life and it will not relax you at all."

He laughed a little. "Yeah. My love life I think flew out the window when we came here." He scrubbed his hands down his face. "Bajor made their decision. They ruled in my favour. I wasn't banished."

“That’s great news!” She grinned before adding, “isn’t it?”

"On that front but my family has still decided that they wish nothing to do with me." His shoulders hunched

“Oh, Rol,” Carolyn said softly as she knelt down on the floor to be able to look up at him. “I’m sorry. Families can be ... something else. And I know it isn’t the same but I kind of had something I wanted to ask you.”

He smiled at touched her hand. "Of course. Anything."

“You can say no, but I was kind of hoping you would be godfather to the baby when she arrives,” Carolyn said with a hopeful smile. “With a grandfather like Hades, she will need some balance and I trust that if anything took me away from her, I know you would look out for her.”

Rol was silent for a moment. His eyes oddly burned. Standing he pulled her into a bear hug. "Of course I would! I would be honoured!" This time the prickling stopped and he felt his tears fall freely.

“Hey,” she said softly, holding him. “Thank you for saying yes.”

"Thank you for asking me." For a time of pain this had brought joy. "Thank you for making me a part of your family."

She grinned, “well as families go it’s a complicated one but it just got better. Now, will you please get some rest? For me?”

He sighed. "Working keeps my mind off things. I have to confess that's part of the reason I haven't rested so far." He sat down. "I was seeing someone before we left SB400 you know."

“You mentioned but were super secretive about who... do you mind?” She asked, gesturing to a nearby seat.

He motioned. "Of Course. Let me get us some drinks. What would you like, keeping in mind that baby doesn't like anything too strong," He grinned. He couldn't wait to meet the little one.

“She loves hot chocolate, obviously,” Carolyn grinned, “it’s about the only Corrigan trait she will hopefully have.”

"Please She'll be a mini you." He grinned ordering two hot chocolates. He handed her one and sat down. Suddenly he looked even more tired. He held up the cup. "To friends lost."

“And those we still have with us,” she added as she studied him. “Rol... what happened?”

"And those we have with us." He sighed "Do you remember Ensign Daniels?" She probably didn't. Daniels was in the Engineering department.

“Broken wrist, spiral fracture from a holodeck programme,” Carolyn said after a moment. “He seemed very nice. Chatty. Was Ensign Daniels the mystery man?”

"Yes. He was. I just got word this morning. He was a fatality on Starbase 400." He sighed. "I had not seen him since we left but I knew he was to be aboard the Ventanor. He never made it off the station."

“Rol I am so sorry,” she whispered, setting aside her drink. “You absolutely should not be here right now. You should take some time. Grieve.”

He sighed, "I will. There is people ho need me here." He looked at her. "So any names for the little one?"

“Names? Wow...” her eyes widened a bit, surprised at the question. “Nothing decided. Caoimhe is top of the list. It has a few meanings in Gaelic but one is ‘precious’. But I also like Iona, Orlaigh, Aimee and about two dozen others. I tried to think what Harris would have liked and keep realising he would think any name was perfect. Especially when he was planning on having many many more.

And you, my friend, are deflecting. We have people on the station who can help with appointments that can’t be moved. If it helps we can crash on my couch, I’ll provide junk food and bad movies.”

"Perhaps I can take an evening off. I just realized something disturbing."

“Disturbing?”

"I had a crush on Hades when I first came onto SB400." He shuddered. "Perhaps I should see a counselor?"

“Absolutely,” she said with a firm nod before grinning, “you can’t help who you like and he had lots of good qualities. And some infuriating ones. And some new ones. I don’t know that I have ever seen him so uncomfortable as he did last night at dinner.”

"Oh?"

"I kind of got used to not seeing them the past few weeks so I'm going to give that situation a lot of space," she told Rol, wondering how Skye was doing. "So, dinner, and bad movie? I will be finished by 1900 hours, so I want you showing up well rested, counsellor, or I will pull rank. Deal?"

He smiled, "Only if you agree to tell me about dinner last night."

“One spoiler,” she said as she stood, “he wore a vest...”

"Oh man. Now I have to hear this. Make it 1800" He laughed.

“Nope, you’ll have to wait until I finish work, you can wait an extra hour,” she teased. “You can use the extra time to get some popcorn.”

"See you then!"


Dr Corrigan’s quarters, 1920 hours

Messaging Rol as soon as she returned to her quarters, it didn’t take long for the door chime to ring out. “Come on in!” She called out as she finished replicating snacks and drinks. As Rol entered she flashed him an apologetic smile, “sorry, been a bit of a crazy day. Did you get any sleep?”

He shrugged. "A little." He held up a box. "I brought chocolate!"

“My favourite,” she grinned. She gestured to the table, “wherever you find space. I replicated some pizza. Then realised I had no idea if you liked it. Do you? I hope so because I have three kinds.”

"Absolutely." He smiled, "I lived on pizza for a few months at the academy." He grinned. "Now make with the dinner story."

Grabbing a slice of pizza she settled down in one of the seats, letting him pick a slice for himself before she recounted the tale. “I think he’d have gone for tweed given half the chance. It was both disturbing and kind of adorable. I think she will be good for him. When he stops worrying.”

He grabbed a couple of slices and a drink of water. "Why on earth would it matter what he was wearing." Then it dawned on him. "Crap. Are you telling me that he wanted to look fatherly?"

“Yep,” Carolyn grinned as she took a bite. “Honestly I think he is so used to losing those around him, having someone practically gift wrapped for him has ... well, thrown him. I’m not sure either of them know what to do. He was like a man possessed in that OR. She had a branding on her neck, from the Syndicate. I’m not sure if he is more angry or guilty.”

"That would explain the video call I eavesdropped on earlier."

“Oh?” She asked, taking a long drink.

"He was yelling at someone. You know, typical stuff, doom, gloom, revenge. I assume it was Skye's mother or the Syndicate. Either way I was shaking in my boots." He sighed. "Is it me or is Hades a tad scary?"

“Yeah, he can be,” Carolyn agreed. “He feels guilty so I guess the revenge part is natural. I don’t know, you are the expert. On the flip side, he has his daughter back in his life providing he doesn’t scare her off. This will be good for him, I hope. After Harris and then Fal... he needs something good to happen.”

"Well his name is Hades....so omen wise." He said. He shrugged. "Now let's not talk about the vest king. How are you getting on?"

The Vest King. It had potential. Taking another bite of the pizza slice she considered his question. ‘Fine’ would never ever cut it with Rol. Never had and never would. Especially if he was determined. “Honestly? I don’t know.”

"It's okay not to know. How come. Is it a lot of little things or big things?"

She set down her slice of pizza, “sometimes little, sometimes big. Yesterday was tough. It was this huge reminder of how much he had planned out this grand future for us before he even really knew we would be together. He had this faith and certainty. I don’t. I can’t even close my eyes without locking every door. Some sounds or smells just make me on edge.

Adari unlocked all of these memories but they are so jumbled and terrifying and he isn’t here anymore to make it okay. He used to be up most nights with me. Just holding me and promising everything would be okay. He never complained, never pushed. He was just there. And then everything with Hades...”

"Ah." Rol said. "Harris had a way about him." He thought about the memories. "Have you thought of keeping a memory journal?"

"I did that when I was five," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "Enough psychoanalysing, eat some pizza already."

"I am eating and psychoanalysing. I'm a man of many talents." He grinned. "Seriously it might help with jigsaw memories. To make sense of things."

She stuck her tongue out at him, "I'll think about it, okay?"

He grinned. "Well okay then." He sat back. "Movie then?"

"Yep, I have options from so bad they are funny to actually intentionally funny. None of that romance or drama in these quarters," she said with a grin as she took a drink. "I've queued them up so you, my friend, get to pick."

He selected one that sounded interesting and then settled in. He noted the dog snoozing in the corner. "So how has Rainbow been?"

“Don’t let the sleeping fool you, more energy than a supernova most of the time,” Carolyn said fondly as she brought a tub of popcorn over. “And a great watchdog obviously! She obviously knows you are okay.”

He laughed. "Has having her helped a little?"

“Definitely,” Carolyn nodded. “She’s always so happy and stops me getting lost in my own head. When I’m on my own it’s worse. I get jumpy.”

"Understandable." He grinned. "That's why I'm here to make sure you are not on your own."

“Rol, I’ve spent most of my free time on my own since I got back. You are here so that you aren’t your own,” she countered. “Popcorn?”

He sighed "You're right. I've been a horrible friend. I should have been around more." He truly felt bad for not being there for his friend.

“Everyone has their own stuff to deal with Rol,” she reminded him. “You didn’t need to be anywhere. You have always been there when I’ve asked you to be be. And a lot when I didn’t,” she added with a grin, nudging him gently in the ribs.

He laughed, "Yes well I'm good at being around when needed not always wanted." A serous look crossed his eyes. "But you are family Carolyn." He took her hand.

“Thank you. Now watch the sharknado and eat the popcorn before you get me all hormonal and crying,” she told him, pushing the tub of popcorn into his hands.

He smiled. "Sharknado?"

“You picked bad sci fi, so this was next. There are about a million sequels,” she added as the film began. “This will blow your mind. Just wait!”

Wait he did. They watched it, Rol with a serious face. When the move ended he turned to her. "Flying sharks?" He burst out laughing. "Now there is a holo program!"

She grinned, “now that is a great idea!”

He looked at her. "Geez. Are you trying to get me tossed out an airlock? If Hades found out he'd .... well he wouldn't be happy."

“He has his hands full and until the incident the other day we hadn’t really spoken in a month. I decide for me.”

He smiled. "You do know he loves you. He's adopted you."

Carolyn frowned, “I don’t know what he feels. I can’t keep up with him. He tries to make me hate him then not. I don’t doubt he loves this baby, the rest I’m not so sure of. And I’m definitely not taking a house as a birthday gift. It’s absurd. I just couldn’t find the time to tell him that.”

He laughed. "You do realize Harris' house is yours by right. So you technically own land." He grinned. "You know what else?"

“What?” She frowned.

"Harris was head of the medical council on the colony. That would fall to you if you wanted it too."

"Ooooh no. Nope," she said with a firm shake of her head. "I'm not him. I have more than enough to do here."

Rol shrugged, "There are options, I'm just saying." He sighed. "Oh and you may want to avoid Kalani a while."

“Why? What’d I do?”

He laughed, "I saw her today when I was meeting a client for lunch. She's been shopping."

“Oh no...” Carolyn groaned, sinking back into the sofa. “What am I gonna do?”

He laughed. "She's excited. She's harmless."

“She’s obsessed,” Carolyn chimed in. “She is buying enough to fill a castle.”

"But she's also grieving. She lost her child and in a way she wants to spoil yours."

“I remember that feeling... and now I feel terrible,” she groaned.

He laughed. "Richard was right about you. All steele and a fluffy bunny heart." He took her hand.

“Says you making sure you are holding my strongest punching hand,” she muttered.

He laughed. "Why not let your mother in law spoil you." he laughed again. "Ohhh mother in law."

“Shut up and eat some popcorn,” she grinned, grabbing a handful and throwing them at him.

He laughed. "Don't have to tell me twice."

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