Posted by Lieutenant Commander Faye Calloway (Counter-Intelligence Officer) in Calloway’s Quarters- Mentoring in All Forms

Posted by James Sinclair in Calloway’s Quarters- Mentoring in All Forms

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Faye Calloway (Counter-Intelligence Officer) in Calloway’s Quarters- Mentoring in All Forms
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Micah nodded. “I get it hun. I really do. And I know you are probably still pissed and hurt she left ya… as you have every right to be. And I ain’t askin ya to make it all better or make her feel good about her past… that ain’t on you, that’s on her. But she is tryin, Faye. I’m just asking for you to give her a chance to tell ya about the stuff she’s carryin’. Maybe help her shoulder some ‘a that weight like she’s tryin’ to do for you.” He took a deep breath. “And the past ain’t just the past… it sets up our future. Choices we make now build bridges in the future… or burns ‘em down. I just know you and her need one another. Maybe not in the same way, maybe not at the same time. But she stood by you when you talked about your past that she missed… I just don’t want you to miss your chance to do the same is all.”

But it was different now wasn’t it? Faye had to tread cautiously because the last thing she wanted to do was trigger her mom’s PTSD. It was a good thing she didn’t have any more big revelations to drop! “I’m not trying to burn anything down. I just need a hot minute to process.”

“And listen… I know this ain’t pretty or perfect. Far from it. But she loves you, Faye. Not sayin’ that to guilt ya into anything, either. Just a reminder that some things are more important than some other things. You got a shot at bringing your family back in from the cold. Don’t lose it ‘cause your pissed, ok?” He slid back as if to close the comms, but paused and looked back at her.

She blew out a breath.

“I ain’t your dad… but I’m proud of you like I am. Be good. Make sure you tell Cochrane I know he was listening. Talk to ya soon.” and he winked at her and the comms went dark.

Micah

“He already heard,” she said softly, glancing towards Alex. “Well that was fun,” she said dryly. Getting up from the desk, she moved back to the sofa and all but flopped down. At this point she just felt numb. “I love you Alex, and you’re great and all, but I wish Dag was here,” she said softly, missing him more in this moment than she ever expected to.

~Faye

Alex stood up and said “And I love you too, Faye. That’s why I’m going to leave so you can call him. Do it. That’s an order.” He walked up to her and gave her a firm hug, holding onto her for a few moments before letting go and walking to the door. “Call me if you want to talk after… or just come by.” and the door closed behind him.

Alex

Alone in her quarters, Faye stared at her blank screen, her mind so very confused. Finally, she sent a little text message to Dag that simply said BD and was flagged urgent. It was her code for Bad Day. More specifically it meant she was in distress or had dissociated, or both. The Athena was far enough away that she couldn’t just call and expect him sitting there. It would take time. Flagging the message meant that he’d get it no matter if he was on or off-duty, but she’d still have to wait.

So in the meantime so got up from the desk and stroked Tess’ head. “Some day, huh?”

Rolling out her yoga mat, Faye began a flow, not really thinking about what she was doing, just moving. It was something.

~Faye

A half hour later, the comms beeped with an incoming call.

Faye was lying on her back with her hands resting on her chest as she felt her lungs expand fully and deflate. Tess had come to nap not far from her head and every once in awhile, Faye would reach her hand back and pet the top of her head with the back of her hand. But the chime brought her attention fully into focus and she got up, scooping up Tess and carrying her with her.

Daggum sat his comm terminal uniform top on but opened. “Hey, love. You okay? Bad day, huh… why don’t you tell me about it.”

Daggum

Holding Tess, Faye just stared back at Dag, almost blankly, but she was clearly there. She went to say something once, but no words came out. But then she found words, Not many, but she found a few. “So I sent the video mom sent me to you, and it’s hilarious… mostly. But then she called and told me… I have a sister.” It sounded weird to her. Unreal.

~Faye

Daggum stared at her for a minute and then said “I’m gonna assume this isn’t some weird her and Pikelsimer pregnancy, so… a sister? From where? When?”

Daggum

Still, the details were hard to put together, but the basics were simple. “Before Dad. She was sixteen and the guy she was with didn’t want to be a dad, so she had the baby on her own and tried to raise her but gave her up for adoption after a month. And…” Faye shook her head. “I’m just… overwhelmed. I looked Gavin up, Dag, after she sent me her wedding video and Gavin has a wife and a daughter. All this family, Dag, and…” The tears flowed and she wasn’t sure if it was because she was happy, or sad, or what. “And then I was angry, and it took me a moment to realize that I’m angry at her but feel like I shouldn’t be. She kept it a secret all these years, and on top of it, I wasn’t there. They eloped rather drunk, so sure, wasn’t exactly time, but we’ve missed so much and now I’ve missed something else and it hurts, Dag. It just does!” Tess was rubbed her head against Faye’s hand.

~Faye

Daggum let her tears fall and didn’t respond right away. All he wanted was to wipe them away… but billions of kilometers separated them. Finally he leaned close and said “Faye… my love… you haven’t missed it. Because the moment was theirs, no one else’s. Just like that first time we sat down together… that was just us, no one else. Do we share that moment with others? Sure. But the moment itself is only ours. Your mom and Pikelsimer… that is a conflagration of immense willpower coming together. I don’t think anyone being there would have made a difference… and actually they probably wouldn’t have done it if anyone was there. And I know in my heart you were the very first thought she had when she thought about who to tell.”

He leaned back a bit and took a breath. “Now… this sister… thats… thats something, for sure. And I can understand you being mad… and you have a right to be. Thats a big secret to keep. But think about it… she was sixteen. You said she raised the kid on her own? Hell, that means she probably ran away from home. Can you imagine the shame… the guilt she has carried all this time? Be mad at the secret, Faye… you have that right. But don’t hold that against the woman. She did what she thought was best, and I can say that because I know she does that all the time.” He paused for a moment and then he smiled. “I just realized… I’m gonna have a sister-in-law. And you have an Aunt and a cousin. Faye… do you see? We spent all this time alone… and now you have a real family. Like… an actual family! That is so amazing! To go so long, so far, through so much s#!+… and now you have an entire family? That’s… Thats crazy and wonderful and scary and just… Faye thats just beautiful. So look at the beauty when you can. I know you are scared. But honey… we have faced so much more that was terrible… let’s try and see how we do facing something wonderful.”

Daggum