With Respect to Caretaking
Posted on Fri Mar 6th, 2020 @ 11:06am by
Mission:
Cruel Meridian
Location: Lilith's Quarters
Timeline: MD 01: 0530
2079 words - 4.2 OF Standard Post Measure
Self-Discipline.
Devotion.
Routine.
Lilith woke gently. Though her eyes were still closed, she could sense the familiar presence of Cassie next to her, still fast asleep judging by the rhythmic rise and fall of her breathing. Opening her eyes in the dark, she looked over her shoulder to the chronometer sitting on the nightstand and groaned. She knew that in order to complete her full morning routine, she was going to have to get out of bed in the next ten minutes. A great number of thoughts ran through her head, comprised of ways to wake up her girlfriend - some innocent, some less so. For a moment, she considered rolling back over and staying in bed, but her absence would certainly be noticed. The ship was scheduled to depart the station that very morning, which ended up being the final consideration that made Lily crawl out from under the duvet and into the cold darkness.
Some mornings were more difficult than others.
As quietly as she could, Lily got dressed for the gym and made her way towards the door to start her day, but not before leaving her usual handwritten note on the table. Somewhere deep inside of her was a latent fear of waking up to find that the person she cared about had left with no explanation, so she kept this up despite constant assurance that it was unnecessary. As the doors parted, she took one last look over her shoulder, smiled, and disappeared around the corner.
An hour passed by in a flash, and Sullivan zipped up her jacket as she left the weight room behind her and started into her morning run. She had incorporated a visit to the arboretum into her path, part of a promise she had made to Stef to tend to the chickens, who in turn had become more and more accustomed to her early morning ritual. However, to her great surprise, the feeder had already been topped off with a healthy amount of cracked corn and grain. Lily pulled out her earbuds and looked around, spotting a familiar silhouette nearby.
"Stef? Is that you?"
Startled at being suddenly spoken to, the young Vulcan whirled around, but quickly re-composed himself. "Ah yes ma'am," he replied sheepishly, "what are you doing here so early?"
"It's me, Lily! It's good to see you up and about," she smiled warmly. "I'm usually up this early. Recently, I've been swinging by to make sure the chickens are fed as a part of my morning routine." As if to prove the fact, several of the hens bounded over, casting a sideways glance at the sound of her voice.
"Up, about, and camping in the arboretum," Stef grinned as he watched the hens respond. "I am forever grateful that you took care of them while I was... unable to. They do seem to like you, usually they are very flighty." He paused. "I do not recall if you have any pets that need taking care of."
"Aww Stef, don't get all sentimental on me. I was, and still am, more than happy to help." Sullivan took a step forward. The motion of her leg caused a rift to appear in the chickens, but they soon regathered around both of their caretakers. "I don't have any pets, but I might need to get one soon. I'll have to talk to Cassie about that, but enough about me, let's talk about you! How goes the road to recovery?"
"It goes very well, though I do have to take things slow." He grimaced. "I still tire very easily and having a child I have to be strong. I cannot be weak in front of my child." He nodded backwards towards a small tent. "Who fortunately is still sleeping. We camp here a lot, we both like it here."
"I'm happy to hear things are going well." Pausing for a moment, Lily's thoughts drifted back to her childhood and her parents, remembering the lessons that she had been taught ever since she was a little girl. A thoughtful look gave way to another smile. "I would normally say don't be afraid to show a little weakness. We all feel it from time to time. Perhaps it could be a chance to show your son as he grows older how to deal with it."
"From a cultural perspective, technically I am not supposed to show any kind of emotion, let alone weakness," Stef answered carefully, "I am not certain how to show it even if I did want to. My son will have influences from other cultures that I never had as a child, I am certain he will be better at this than I, when he grows older."
"Ah, yes, of course. I am the last authority on emotional control. To be frank, the same could probably be said for parenting." Lily had lowered the volume of her voice ever since Stef had motioned towards the tent a few meters away, knowing that Alecx was likely still snoozing away. She had even made an attempt to hush the chickens, but naturally, they kept going about their business as usual, having no concept of what she was trying to communicate to them.
At that precise moment, a rooster with brilliantly speckled, red and gold plumage crowed his welcome to the dawn of the new day. Sullivan rolled her eyes with all of the annoyance that she could muster.
"Boys."
Stef turned his head and arched an eyebrow. "Well..." He started kneeling down to observe the rooster. "Where did you come from...are you claiming my hens now?" He looked up at Lilith. "I have not seen a rooster here before," he admitted, " he must be a recent addition."
"Huh, you know, now that you mention it, I honestly don't know where he came from either," she shrugged in return. "But he is pretty. Hopefully he didn't disturb your boy's rest. I like to come down here myself from time to time with a hammock between those two trees over there," she gestured to a grove towards the center of the arboretum. "It's... nice to have a place like this on a starship. I underestimated it at first."
"Do not worry about Alecx," Stef smiled, "he is a very sound sleeper. He does not know any better than be surrounded by noisy animals. He really does like being here, so we spend most of our time here, when my other duties allow it. And of course, if Beata agrees. She... does not spend as much time here, but at least she is no longer afraid of the chickens."
"Beata? I'm not sure I know her."
"My girlfriend," Stef answered, "at least I hope so because we have been dating for quite some time now. Even before I was stranded on Mardra III."
"Mardra III..." Sullivan's voice trailed off as she crossed her arms in thought. When she had first arrived on the Majestic, the mission logs included in her briefing had mentioned the ship's previous mission, but a few bullet points could never really paint the entire picture of what happened. The perplexity of five years squeezed into days, depending on perception, could not be overstated. Truly one of those experiences where there was no substitute for having been there, regardless of how empathetic one might be.
"I don't mean to invoke a rite of friendship if it has not been earned, so I completely understand if you don't like talking about it. But curious minds have to ask, how was it? The briefing I received was... sparse as usual. I'd like to hear it from someone who was actually there." As she spoke, Lily took a seat on the grass.
"I felt abandoned. When after for me several months there was no word from the Majestic, I realized I needed to make a life for myself because I felt I had no hope of being retrieved. I got married, had children and was widowed almost at the same time as becoming a father. My wife and daughter fell ill, and died. I am grateful I still have my son. When he was just two, suddenly an away team appeared and I learned that while for me five years had passed, for them only a handful of days had."
"Oh, Stef..."
Abandoned.
The word echoed around in Sullivan's head. The decision to move on, only to find that the impartiality of life continued to deal him bad cards. Then, the unthinkable - reinserting himself back into a world where almost no time had passed whatsoever. A wave of emotion surged through her body, and tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. Quickly wiping them away with the sleeve of her jacket, she laughed through her tears. It seemed out of place, but it was mostly at her own, human response.
"See, I told you," she said softly, barely louder than the soundscape around them. "The last word on emotional control. You've been through a lot. I understand more now - about what you said about being strong for Alecx."
The young Vulcan nodded. "I was a teenager when I was stranded... I had to grow up fast to make a living for myself. If I had lost Alecx too.." He didn't finish but looked back as his keen hearing picked up something.
A small boy came running, clutching his father's leg. "hello!" he said brightly, while rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Are you daddy's friend?"
"Hi! Well, aren't you a cutie pie!" Lily's face lit up. Any trace of the melancholy affecting her a moment ago evaporated like the dew in the morning sun. "Yes, I'm your daddy's friend. My name is Lily. It's nice to meet you. Did the big rooster wake you up?"
The boy yawned but determinedly shook his head. "No ma'am," he answered politly, "animals don't wake me up."
Stef hugged the boy to him. "You should try to get some more sleep, I will join you shortly," he promised the child. He offered a bright smile. "Perhaps Miss Lily would like to go camping with you sometime?"
"What a great idea! I'm sure I can manage to find a night where I can come here and spend some time with you," Sullivan ignored the short vibration emanating from her PADD. The message would have to wait. "I always like making new friends. Will you be my friend, Alecx?"
The child nodded, though he didn't move from his father's side. "Maybe she can when you have to work daddy?" he asked carefully, "and when Miss Beata can't?"
Stef nodded, gently nudging him back towards the tent. "She certainly can," he promised, "now go back to bed please." As the boy grudgingly went back, Stef cast the woman a small smile. "It'll make him very happy but please don't make him any promises if you can't keep them."
"I've kept my word when I said I would assist with caretaking here," Lily motioned to her surroundings. "I have no intentions of doing anything that causes you to doubt any trust you have placed in me thus far. Plus, we're a small crew. We're at our best when we act like one, big extended family anyway."
"You will pardon me if I do not see the big extended family the way you do... Stef sat down in the grass, gathering one of the hens into his lap. "I do not distrust your intentions, or yourself. But I have a hard time accepting promises at face value."
Lily could do little more than smile. She knew her own intentions were good, but even the thought of going through what Stef had been through... It would have been enough to make even the most loyal of crewmembers slow to trust again. And he wasn't the only one to have been stranded on Mardra III. That sobering realization reinvigorated her determination to earn his trust, if for no other reason than to show him and the rest of those who had been stuck out of time that it was possible to do so again.
"Trust is earned, and it isn't earned by words. One step at a time, you'll see."
Stef just nodded, not sure what else to say.
Lieutenant Lilith Sullivan
Chief Flight Control Officer
(PNPC Hanover)
Crewman Apprentice Stef
Yeoman/animal caretaker
pnpc Lhaes
