So Long, Fare Well (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on 07 Dec 2012 @ 3:20pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Lieutenant JG Drusilla McCarthy

2,461 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 02 - Resupply
Location: Vega Colony - Scenic Overlook
Timeline: MD05 1251 hours

Previously, on So Long, Fare Well (Part 1)...

Dru had known that this was coming, that even if she hadn't been in the middle of a transfer that things wouldn't be continuing. Moving her hand from Lirha's back, she caught a single tear on her fingertip. "I think the universe has been against us in this since day one. My accident, your disappearance."

"It's...my fault." Lirha admitted with a sigh, "I knew that I was violating protocol when I first approached you. But I didn't listen to the commanding officer-voice in my head, and let my feelings take over." she explained, then paused for a moment. "I should have known better not to violate protocol and put you in such a bad position." she added.

Shaking her head, Drusilla moved to take Lirha's fingers in hers as she watched the Orion. "Don't beat yourself up Lirha...If you learned one thing in all of those you learned the kind of woman I am. I went into this knowing the risks and chances involved. Your a Captain and then your a woman...Sometimes you have to reverse the roles of you'll loose the woman who you are."

And Now, the Conclusion...

[ON]

Remaining silent for a few long seconds, Lirha looked down at her green hand and squeezed her fingers around Dru's. "You know, Nesh really liked you...she's going to be upset when I tell her you've left." she replied, changing the subject slightly.

Smiling slightly, Dru reached out and tucked a loose piece of hair back behind Lirha's ear. "She's welcome to visit me when I'm back at Starfleet medical. It'd be nice too see her again..of course.." Looking down at her legs, Dru rubbed her free hand over one thigh. "..this might be too much for her to see."

"Well, she is a tough girl. I'm sure she might be a bit stunned at first, but I think it is important for her to realize the sacrifices that Starfleet personnel sometimes have to make. I mean...that's not to say you won't be all healed up soon...but I wouldn't worry about it too much, and it might be a good learning experience for her." Lirha said and patted Dru's leg to reassure her.

Swallowing back a quick instinct to react to the pain in her leg, Dru eased herself back against the back of the seat. "Maybe..I guess I'll judge it on when I get back. If you give me her contact details I can look her up if it is ok for her to come see me..." Dru wasn't going to tell Lirha the truth, the Doctor's had already told her that she'd never have complete use of her legs again. She was lucky to still be in Starfleet once the report got back, she figured it was in her benefit that she was a counsellor.

"I think she would enjoy a visit with you, I'll be happy to send her your info as soon as I get back to the ship." Lirha replied with a happy smile. "And maybe you can convince her to get off of Earth for a few months and come stay with her big sister."

Laughing softly, Dru closed her eyes and she leaned her head back. "You're still looking to bring her onboard? Have you talked to her since we got here?"

One of Lirha's biggest regrets during the past mission had been her lack of communication with her family. As with every deployment, she knew that she would be away from home for a while, but had still hoped to be able to send some sort of subspace communique. Unfortunately, the circumstances of their mission had resulted in substantial radio silence including the days during which Lirha was kept captive. She had hoped to have more time to herself every since Galileo landed, but that too was proving difficult.

"No." she finally replied with a shake of her head, "Not yet. It's something I keep meaning to do but I've been so busy since we arrived...hopefully with shore leave beginning I can speak with her soon."

Looking across at Lirha, Drusilla had to wonder. She knew Lirha was close to her sister, after everything the CO had been through she would have thought her first priority would have been to reassure her family face to face...well monitor to monitor anyway. "Make time Lirha...you don't know when the time may come that it's too late. Your family is far more important then your position."

The Orion captain sadly remembered why she had become so attracted to Dru. The counselor's way of calming people and explaining the situation objectively was one of her strengths, and something which Lirha often lacked. Being a full-blooded Orion, she knew she was prone to the occasional emotional outburst, and often times her feelings seemed to cloud her judgement if she wasn't careful. But having someone like Dru with her, who could take a step back and evaluate things rationally, was a blessing in disguise. And now she was leaving Galileo, much to Lirha's distress. "I know." was all she could manage to say as she hung her head a bit in sadness.

Dru was starting to realise that something wasn't quite right with Lirha. There was something different. Having been removed from her duties, even before the incident with the Klingons, her knowledge was extremely scarce on what had happened, all she had was what people had told her while she was in sickbay. Moving her hand to the Captain's knee, she squeezed it gently. "I'm never far away Lirha...you realise you can still talk to me whenever you feel the need."

Taking a deep breath and gathering her composure, Lirha lifted her head up and once more surveyed the scenery in front of them. "Yes, I promise to keep in touch. And I'm sure it won't be too long before I find myself back at Starfleet HQ for some reason or another." she replied. "So have you thought about what you would like to do for your new assignment? Perhaps I can call in a favor or two..." she offered.

"I'm not certain...I went straight from a deep space mission to here with you...Maybe this opportunity to place my feet firmly on ground is what I need right now, a chance to catch my breath. After that....well I'm not sure." Absent-mindedly, Drusilla's fingers caressed Lirha's knee gently as a small smile cross her lips. "Remember that first time we met?"

"Yes, of course." the captain replied, suddenly grinning as she remembered their brief time on Earth together. "You know, you almost seemed like a different person then...a bit shy and sort of clumsy." she joked as she let out a light laugh.

"Funny thing that...who'd have thought the clumsiness would end up saving my life?" Dru smiled slightly as she recalled her last memory before she banged her head, the sensation of falling when the pain had hit. Forcing herself to move on, she found herself smiling again at another thought. "Or the first kiss in the garden...the truly cliched first kiss under the starlite sky."

"Mmm...that was quite lovely." Lirha remarked as she thought back to the night after their commissioning ceremony and the subsequent walk in the garden which had led to their first intimate moment. It was a night that Lirha would never forget, nor did she want to.

Looking intently at Dru, the captain leaned in again and locked her lips on the counselor's, giving her a slow and deep kiss.

As she tasted Lirha's lips, something in Dru knew that this was a final kiss, a kiss to say good bye. It didn't hurt as much as she expected, she more so felt extreme disappointment that it had to end. Feeling a damp tear roll down her cheek, she wasn't sure who it belonged to as she moved her hand to gently cup the side of the Captain's neck.

Lirha closed her eyes and let out a sad sigh accompanied by a weak smile. She leaned her head into Dru's hand then turned it, giving her a kiss on her palm. Despite her best efforts, the Orion couldn't help but notice the wetness in her own eyes. "Would you like to take one final walk with me before you go?" she finally proposed, "It will be just like old times...well, almost." she added with a forced grin.

Looking across at her walking stick, Dru shrugged her shoulders lightly as she used a hand to wipe away her own tears. "If you don't mind me hanging off of you, then sure...for old times sake."

"Of course I don't mind, I'll actually enjoy it." Lirha replied, then stood from the bench and helped Dru to her feet. She wrapped a supportive arm around the shorter woman's waist and stood there next to her, glancing out over the water one last time. "Ready?" she asked.

Stumbling as she tried to get back to her feet after sitting so long, Drusilla realised how much of a shell of the person she used to be that she had now become. Leaning her weight against Lirha, she just closed her eyes for a moment as she rested her head against the CO's shoulder. With a smile, she gathered back her strength to start walking. "This is nothing like the evenings we spent together."

Dru was right, it was much different. And much had changed in only the span of a couple weeks. "I like this planet." Lirha commented somewhat absentmindedly. "Maybe you could settle down here if things don't work out on Earth?" she wondered out loud.

With a smile, Dru shook her head. "Honestly...I miss Earth. If I'm forced to actually have to settle Earth is where I'll end up. Somewhere rural away from San Fran maybe..." Walking slowly, Drisilla tried to watch her footing. "What caused these sudden thoughts of settling down?"

Lirha sighed and for some reason, her thoughts drifted towards her Starfleet history classes and the state of Iowa, birthplace of the great James. T. Kirk. Maybe Dru would fit in well in such a farm-type area, she pondered. As she walked along with the counselor, her mind finally focused on the question which had been presented. Lirha knew exactly why she wanted to settle down, but hadn't told a soul about it yet. But if there was ever someone to confide in, Dru was the best choice. "I want a child." she finally admitted with a sheepish smile.

Drusilla stumbled a step before using Lirha to regain her balance. For a moment or two she said nothing while they continued to walk. "Well...I definitely wasn't expecting that. What suddenly caused this thought to occur?"

The captain shrugged, still holding on tight to the counselor. "I'm not sure." she said, then paused for a long moment as she tried to think of why she was recently having those feelings. "I was always very content with how my life had played out, but after our last mission...I think I'm starting to re-evaluate things." she explained with a bit of sadness. "I realized that my time in this world could end on any given mission, and I want to make the most of it while I can."

"It's a big step to make Lirha....especially in a situation where you currently aren't in a relationship." Moving a hand to push back a strand of her own hair, Drusilla slowed her steps as she started to feel exhaustion seeping into her bones. "You're 29 now...have you set an age which you would wish to have the kid by?"

"Sometime in the next couple of years." she answered quietly. Lirha honestly hadn't given much thought to an exact time frame. "But I'm somewhat concerned about my Starfleet posting. I don't think it will be easy to look after a starship and an infant."

"I depends really...I certain would advise you against going alone and raising the child as a single mother. No matter how much of a strength a parent has, juggling this situation and being a Captain truly would be too much." Kicking a stone, forgetting for a moment her disability, Dru quickly recovered herself before she lost her train of thought. "You need to be careful who you choose to have the child with, that it's a parent who can be there when you can't, who can ensure that the baby is never wanting for love and attention."

The captain nodded slowly in agreement. "Yes...I figured as much." she replied, making sure to keep a tight grip on Dru so the counselor didn't lose her balance. "But assuming I did find a partner, and she did have the time...do you think it could work? Even with me being in command of Galileo?" she asked with a bit of hopefulness in her voice.

Shrugging her shoulders lightly, Drusilla still continued to concentrate on the ground infront of her. This conversation was hurting more than she would have thought, the idea of Lirha moving on so soon. "Honestly it could, especially with Galileo. The ship is so small, she doesn't have the same strain on you as the likes of a Sovereign would."

"That's a valid point, I never really considered the chaos that would ensue aboard a larger starship." Lirha commented. "Well, either way...I think I have a lot of decision-making to do in the near future. It's ironic that you happen to be returning to Earth right when I could use some guidance." she added as she gave Dru a playful squeeze.

Smiling slightly at the squeeze, Drusilla stumbled as she realised that exhaustion was starting to seep into her muscles and bones. "You know where I am anytime you want to call." Stumbling again, Drusilla realised she might have pushed herself too far as she gripped Lirha's arm.

Lirha noticed the counselor struggling to walk and gently began to move her to a nearby bench. "Yes, I will. I promise." she said with a firmness to her voice that conveyed her sereneness.

Closing her eyes as she tried to regain control of her body, Drusilla smiled very softly as she squeezed Lirha's hand. "Whatever else...I will always love you."

Smiling on the outside yet crying on the inside, Lirha returned the squeeze. "I love you too, Dru." she whispered.

[OFF]

--

CAPT Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Drusilla McCarthy
Patient
USS Galileo
NPC'd by Pola Ni Dhuinn

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