Roar

Posted on Wed Oct 28th, 2020 @ 5:04pm by Lieutenant Commander Carolyn Corrigan MD & Liam O'Connor

932 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 107 – Recovery
Location: Kitty O'Shea's
Timeline: MD5, 1130 hours

"Isn't he just adorable?!"

Clapping her hands together in delight, Kitty O'Shea beamed at the cute lion cub who was now very much prepared for his first Halloween. It was a shame, Kitty sighed, that the same could not be said for his father. Arching an eyebrow, Kitty folded her arms as she fixed her nephew with a disapproving stare.

"And just where is your costume?" she demanded. She had called in many a favour to ensure the pair of them had matching costumes. A lion and his cub. It had seemed perfect - yet here Liam was, still in Jeans and a t-shirt.

"I'm a little old for Halloween, don't ya think?" Liam pointed out.

"Liam -" Kitty began, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

He knew better. With a groan he handed off Joshua to his aunt and trudged back into the living quarters. At least he didn't have to change, the costume could be pulled on over his clothes, all the way up over his head. Only his face was visible.

As he got back into the bar, Kitty pointed to a seat and he groaned as he sank into a bar stool and sat perfectly still. With Joshua tucked under one arm, his aunt deftly used her free hand to paint his face which his son seemed to find downright hysterical.

When she reached for a mirror he shook his head. He didn't want to see.

"Lets hear it," Kitty urged.

"What?"

"Your roar."

"Absolutely not!" Despite his tone, his smile was good natured as he took Joshua back into his arms. As he did, he planted a kiss on her cheek as he whispered, "thanks for doing this for us, Kitty. You know we'd be lost without you."

Kitty beamed, "anytime. And I couldn't have the little one missing out on making memories with his daddy now, could I? Besides, everyone around here needs a little bit of fun. Now that breakfasts are out of the way and all tidied up, I better go get ready myself, hadn't I? Be back in a flash!"

And with that she was gone.

"So just to be clear, we don't get to hear the roar?"

Liam stood as he turned to face the familiar voice, a small, uncertain smile playing on her lips. He was sure that he would know that voice anywhere yet it still took him a moment to believe it was really her. And he had hoped, when they were finally face to face again, that he wasn't dressed up like some lion out of a kids book.

While wearing makeup.

"Well to be honest I'm not really a roaring kind a guy," Liam admitted as he tried to keep a secure hold of his wriggling child. But by now every eye seemed to be on him as if some unspoken challenge had been laid down.

So, with a sigh, he drew in a deep breath and roared into a sudden silence that filled the bar at the worst possible moment. For him.

And the silence stretched on until Joshua unleashed a babbling critique (he assumed) and everyone else slowly turned their attention back to their own business. "That was..." Liam paused to consider the right word.

"Bad?" Carolyn suggested as she moved further into the bar, failing to hide her own amusement. "Good thing you are going trick or treating with a cute wingman because that roar isn't going to scare anyone."

Liam nodded, finding that every time he tried to speak in that moment - the words just seemed to evaporate. He had known that he would have to see her eventually. No that was wrong, it made it sound like a bad thing. And he didn't for a moment regret the relationship they had. Or had started to have.
And sending him away was her letting him discover what it was to be a dad to his son.

He could never be angry about that. Yet now it was... something different.

"I should let you both get out there and enjoy the party," Carolyn said suddenly, realising she was literally blocking the doorway. She stepped aside to give room for people to come and go.

"I'm sure Joshua will love it," she added. "And there is a kids area set up on the far side of the promenade that Joshua will love."

"Oh." Perhaps it was his imagination but it sure felt like she was encouraging them to go. He couldn't stop his disappointment from showing. This was not how he wanted to start things off. "Right... Thanks for the tip. I'll make sure to check it out."

She gave him a small smile, "no problem."

"Oh, Carolyn dear! There you are," Kitty sang out as she emerged, poking her head around the corner. "Come on through, I've got your costume in the spare room and I need your help with my makeup..."

Carolyn offered Liam a small smile as she stepped past him and headed after Kitty. "Enjoy the party."

"You too," he said, kicking himself. After a long moment he groaned. "Carolyn?"

"Hm?"

"You look..."

"The size of a small house?" she offered lightly, even as she disappeared out of sight. "I know."

"Beautiful," Liam whispered. "I was going to say you look beautiful."

Liam sighed. It could have gone worse, he supposed. An impatient cry from Joshua got him moving. Stepping out onto the promenade he turned his full attention to the celebration as he held considered where to start. "Okay, lets go enjoy the party Simba..."

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