You can go home again

Posted on Wed May 26th, 2021 @ 10:40am by Lieutenant Lydia Whitlock M.D. & Captain David Hawkins

Mission: A New Legacy
Location: Mess Hall
1237 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

After dropping off her things at her new quarters, Lydia had some time before her meeting with the chief medical officer, so she decided to take a chance. The computer directed her to the mess hall and after scanning the room for just a few moments, she spotted her target and smiled. He seemed to be absorbed by something he was reading, which gave her the perfect opportunity to have some fun.

Placing a mug on the table in front of him a dull thud, she offered, "Your coffee, sir."

"Thanks..." David muttered for a moment before looking up and seeing the good doctor, Whitlock. "Lydia! Hey, I haven't seen you in a bit. How are you doing? I do apologize I haven't come by to check up on ya after we transferred over to the Arcadia."

Lydia's grin widened as she found herself equally excited to see her commanding officer again, glad that she had decided to finally track him down. She waved his comment away with a friendly flick of her wrist. "If the captain can't come to the mountain, the mountain shall come to him. May I?" She asked, gesturing to the empty chair across from him. She didn't want to intrude, but she was hoping to catch up.

"By all means," he replied as he stood for a moment to allow her to sit before he returned to his chair. He leaned back slightly in the chair and relaxed as he shut the tablet off before sitting it on the table. He hadn't seen her in a while and had wandered what she had been up to. "So you settled in yet on this mobile starbase?"

Lydia sat and offered a nod of thanks before she replied, "I just dropped off my stuff, so I'm still learning my way around. I know it's not exactly protocol for me to meet with the commanding officer before anyone else. But honestly, I was excited to encounter a familiar face. I gather things have been eventful in my absence?" She offered a small smile to indicate she was partly joking, but also genuinely interested in how he was doing. She knew things had been rough for him of late.

"Oh not much honestly," David replied as he leaned back a little before thinking it out through his head. But it honestly seemed like a life time. It was like his life story had closed one book and a new book had started for him. Nothing seemed the same anymore. New ship, new crew, new faces... it was almost to overwhelming. "After my name was cleared and my command was reinstated, I was given this new ship and assigned as a task force executive officer. So... yay me. What about yourself? I had hoped you would take me up on that position under my command once again."

Lydia thought she detected more than a few notes of sarcasm in his voice, but also more than a bit of melancholy. She may not have been able to be with him during his recent trials, but that didn't mean she didn't have some idea of what he'd been through. "I am honored that you would ask me, sir, and I can see seniority has its advantages," she added with a small smile. "I've spent the intervening years going where Starfleet and I believed I could be the most use, though I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel like whiplash at times." She paused then, a twinkle in her eye. "Is it too soon to ask how you're doing really?"

This caught him slightly off guard as he hadn't actually planned on having this conversation with her or anyone else, for that matter but as the breath went in and out of his lungs, he allowed his internal barrier to lower just enough. "Honestly, I am still getting used to the new ways of life. Never really expected myself to be back in admiralty levels once again. I have always been enjoying tackling the odd jobs over the years."

"It sounds like you're dealing with your own sense of whiplash," Lydia posited. "I can't imagine what it would be like to go from being accused to being praised and promoted in such a short period of time. It would be completely understandable if you couldn't just pretend none of that ever happened."

He smirked as he waved down a waiter. "Yeah it wouldn't be easier to just pretend none of that ever happened, but have you ever known me to act oblivious to all the corrupt things out there in which I feel compelled to do what I can to prevent others from having to go through that as well," David spoke out truthfully before the waiter was given his order of a beer and a shot before looking over at Lydia. "Want anything?'

"I'd love a lemonade, thanks," Lydia replied, turning her attention back to his words. "I've never known you to be anything but a standup guy. It's good that you can find a bigger purpose and meaning from a difficult personal experience. I'm just suggesting that you give yourself some time to come to terms with it, and that it's okay to still be healing from it."

"Yeah..." he paused for a moment and thought it all through. Her words weren't completely unappealing for him, but he wasn't used to just simply being able to move forward with out getting answers. Doing so allowed him to close the case on things, but this time now, it just seemed like it all never seemed to close. "... sometimes easier said then done. So tell me, what is your plans for the foreseeable future on Arcadia?"


Recognizing she had gotten as far as she was likely going to get on the issue for now, Lydia turned her attention to his question. "My plan? I suppose if you're speaking professionally, that's fairly straightforward. I've been assigned as the ACMO, of course, and I'm looking forward to using my medical skills more directly, but I'm also hoping to be able to serve as a counselor as my time allows. I will certainly check with Lieutenant Swan to make sure she has no objection, but I was also hoping that would be okay with you."

"For the doctor that fixed my leg, I would have to say you have my full support," he smirked as he rubbed his leg. Years prior, he had taken an axe to the leg and he had her to thank for taking care of him. "I have full support if they have an issue with you. And yes, maybe its special treatment."

Lydia chuckled. "Just promise me you'll stay away from axes from now on. To be fair, if anyone has a problem with me asking for extra work, perhaps they are the ones that need their heads examined."

"Sounds about right to me," David replied as he smirked slightly. He took a sip of his drink and thought about the times that he had leaned onto many people when he hadn't wanted to, but when it came to Lydia, he knew all too well that she was one that could be trusted. "Tell you what, if you run into those types of people, tell them to come talk to me, directly. How does that sounds?"

Lydia smiled. "It sounds like a deal."