Things that go bump...

Posted on Sat Oct 17th, 2020 @ 9:30am by Lieutenant Commander Carolyn Corrigan MD & Lieutenant Commander Ariana Monroe-Wayne

1,967 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 107 – Recovery
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD4 0815 hrs

"... more than your nose if you pull a stunt like this again," Doctor Corrigan warned as she set aside the dermal regenerator and fixed her 'patient' with an icy stare. How many times? While a good surgeon, he was becoming a bigger liability every day. Not for malpractice, but for bad judgement outside of a surgical suite.

Scanning to ensure all the damage was now healed and there was no lasting damage from his encounter with a fist, she sighed. If this had happened while Hades was around? She didn't know if he would personally escort Mendez to an airlock or simply not care. The latter was worse.

"Go home and you are on nights the rest of the week," she told him, glancing over her shoulder at Dr Reid, "yourself and Dr Davis can take tonight off and swap to alpha shift from tomorrow. A think Halloween nightshift is just want Dr Mendez needs."

He opened his mouth to start protesting and wisely reconsidered.

"Most sensible thing you've done today," Carolyn congratulated him, heading out of the room with Dr Reid in tow. "Is Aria alright?"

"She'll be fine. Quite the right hook on her, huh?" Elle Reid commented.

"Make sure she is okay and knows this isn't on her at all," Carolyn said, "then go home and get some rest. I hear there is quite the party planned for tomorrow."

"Yep," Elle nodded. "You coming?"

"I promised Kitty I'd stop by, she wouldn't stop fussing otherwise, but I'm not staying for long. Besides, I don't even have a costume," Carolyn replied. Not adding that it felt wrong to be thinking of a celebration of any kind when she was so worried about Hades following Kalani's death. He was a ghost of himself. Nothing seemed to touch him.

Approaching Sickbay Ariana walked through the doors and looked around, she too was worried about Hades but right now she wanted to see Carolyn and arrange her maternity appointment while she was at it. Walking through the doors she smiled warmly.

"Hey," Carolyn waved as Dr Reid took her opportunity to head off for some well earned sleep while Carolyn headed in Ariana's direction. "Everything okay?"

Ariana nodded. “Everything is fine, actually I came to see how you’re getting on and I also need to arrange my next maternity appointment.” She smiled warmly. Both she and Carolyn were within a similar timeframe in their pregnancies and Ariana had a small bump starting to show.

"I can check when Dr Kelly is free," Carolyn offered as she led the way to her office. Once in she lifted a pile of reports from one of the seats so that Ariana could sit down and dropped them on the only free spot on her desk. "They multiply like rabbits..."

Sinking into her own chair, she activated her terminal and within seconds had Ariana's appointment confirmed. "If you need to change it nearer the time, just let her know. Do you want something from the replicator? It isn't just giving out water anymore."

“Mmm a hot chocolate would go down a treat right now” Ariana grinned. “I think it’s definitely becoming a craving!” She relaxed back in her seat. “How are you doing? Any cravings?”

Climbing to her feet, she ordered two hot chocolates as she considered the questions. "Tired. Pulling double shifts didn't used to bother me this much," she admitted as she handed Ariana her drink and took a sip of her own.

While it was not quite so obvious if she was face to face with someone, when she turned to her side her own baby bump was unmistakable for the past few days. Dr Reid had grinned and told her it was because she was 'too damn skinny' to start with. Carolyn assumed it was a compliment. Only yesterday she had conceded defeat and swapped out her standard uniform for a maternity one and confined her favourite pair of skinny jeans to the back of the closet. It was a sombre occasion.

"No real cravings. I mean, I was addicted to chocolate already so it doesn't count."

“Ohh but it does!” Ariana grinned. “My chocolate intake went up fairishly before but I must try not to binge eat so much of it this time. I’m watching my caffeine intake too. So ... how are you coping with losing Kalani? I know the two of you were pretty close.”

Carolyn sighed as she sank back into her chair, quiet for a moment. "I don't often feel completely helpless when I'm in there," she gestured towards the surgical suites. "People come in, I fix them and life goes on. But Kalani... she was already too far gone and nothing could change that. Not even Hades.”

“I miss her. A lot. After Hades found Skye, she was like this whirlwind. Always making me go along to dinners while trying to hide how much she had bought that day for the baby. And the baby will miss out on so much not having her around."

Ariana nodded understandingly. “But you can talk about her, tell your child all about Kalani. Keep her memory alive and remember all the good times, it might not sound like it now but it will help.”

“There are quite a few she’ll never meet,” Carolyn sighed. “Her father, now Kalani.”

“I know it’s hard” Ariana offered her friend an understanding smile. “When I lost Jonathon my world collapsed, it took a long time to truly accept his loss. Then I lost my baby ...” She shrugged her shoulders. “It was only when Splendora took me to the holodeck and I had, what I can only describe as ... a miracle moment, that I truly came to accept losing them both. Now I have Cameron, Stacie and this new little one.”

“This baby is the miracle moment,” Carolyn pointed out. “I just don’t believe in happily ever afters. I’m glad you found yours.”

“Then you’d best start believing my friend” Ariana offered a smile before sipping her drink, then cradling the cup in her hands. “You never know what the future might hold.”

“Unfortunately I do,” Carolyn said with a rueful smile thinking of the message she had received that morning. “Right now I’m more worried about Hades.”

Ariana looked at Carolyn curiously wondering what she meant by knowing what the future held. “I know, I’m worried about him too.” She looked at her cup of chocolate. “I’ve never seen Hades so ... listless, and quiet. I need to talk to him, I just didn’t want to intrude on his grief.”

“The only one he seems to respond to is Skye,” Carolyn observed. “But she’s a kid who had just found them. It’s a lot on her. Although I haven’t seen much of either of them, I’ve been doing more here so that Hades can come and go as he likes. Being with patients helps. I think.”

“It’s a good idea, some normality will help but I will talk to him.” Ariana sighed. “First Harris now Kalani. At least he has you, Skye and his grandchild.”

"I'm not sure he even realises any of us are around," Carolyn said with a sad smile as she sipped her drink. "Its like the whole universe has faded into the background for him. And I don't know how to help him get back from it."

“If necessary we do the cruel thing and use shock treatment, but I’d rather avoid that to start with.” Ariana sighed. “I’m hoping he just needs time.”

"Shock treatment?" Carolyn repeated. It sounded... well, horrific.

“I shake him out of his own little world. Telling him something has happened to you would do it but I’d rather not! He’d never forgive me and that’s something I couldn’t bear.” Ariana sighed. “He’s Hades he won’t give up.”

"Perhaps. And no, I'd rather not make him think something has happened to the baby," Carolyn admitted. "Even when we were weren't talking he was there in a heartbeat to make sure she was okay. I can still remember the veins popping in Dr Kelly's neck from trying to do right under his glares. She aged about ten years!"

Ariana nodded and pulled a funny face. “I’m not that cruel, so let’s just hope I can get through to him. I hate to see him so upset. Hades has been like a father to me, with my own father gone he’s the closest thing I have to a father figure here.”

"He had been planning on taking Skye and Splendora to the First Federation. Before I left the Mercy, he told me his plans. His promise that he'd come back. I don't know if he still plans to. Not sure he'd ever come back if he did, not now. Kalani was always going to be staying behind. Now he wouldn't have that reason," Carolyn mused. "As for fathers, you are welcome to mine. He has an opening for youngest daughter at the moment."

“No thank you!” Ariana grinned and shook her head. “To be honest it wouldn’t surprise me if he went home to the First Federation. I hope he doesn’t but it wouldn’t surprise me at all.”

"I don't want to ask him. If I do he may say he is going. And then what?" Carolyn sighed. It was a mess. Kalani had left this huge hole in their lives, having so ingratiated herself to them all. Taking a long drink she frowned, "maybe just try the regular kind of talk first?"

“It will be and no shock treatment, I’d rather not incur the wrath of Hades” Ariana grinned. “Oh are you attending the Halloween party? I have no clue what to go as!”

"I promised Kitty I would stop by but I have no costume yet. Maybe I'll get some of the med students to just wrap me in old style bandages and I can go as a mummy," Carolyn shrugged. "It might be the best I can muster. I'm going home for a couple of hours of sleep and then back for another double shift."

Even as she said the last part she yawned. "With about a dozen naps in there."

“Trust me, sleep when you can because the tiredness only gets worse as the months pass by.” Ariana smiled. “Enjoy your peace and quiet, it’s a whole new world when you have a little one to look after.”

"Maybe when our new medical staff arrive, we are short about six people still, especially experienced surgeons," Carolyn shrugged, "until then, we make do."

“Just promise me you won’t push yourself too hard okay?” Ariana gave her friend a stern look. “Last thing we need is you ill, if I have to I’ll have you removed from duty if I think you’re pushing yourself too hard.”

Carolyn arched an eyebrow, "you'd need Hades to consent to do that and you know it. But that wont be necessary in any case. I mostly need to be here, just in case."

“I know” Ariana grinned. “Besides I wouldn’t want you being mad at me!” She stood up ready to head off. “I guess I’d best be going, thanks for arranging my appointment for me.”

"No problem," Carolyn assured her. "And good luck finding a costume for tomorrow."

“Heavens I’d forgotten again!” Ariana sighed. “Guess I’d best go and look. I’ll see you at the party.” With that she headed on her way.

"Good luck!" Carolyn called after her, reaching for one of the reports on her desk to start working through them.

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