Posted by Lieutenant Alexis Bonner (Scientist, Medical Researcher) in Enduring Correspondence

(snip)
Alexis was wrapping up another long day of experiments and research. Solomon had sent the fake data files out and the longer the week went the edgier she got. Every noise, every movement of a shadow set her nerves and reflexes to screaming. Alexis didn’t socialize much, but it was to none by the middle of the week. She was either totally immersed in her work or totally unable to focus because everything startled her. Their quarters and the R&D lab was the only places she was willing to go. And the Arboretum because of Frigga. She refused to let GALEN lead her there and back. “GALEN lock my work station.” She patted her leg and Frigga got up and followed her out and they headed to the arboretum.

Entering the arboretum, Frigga took off, it was busy and there were plenty of greetings and people to play with Frigga. Alexis found the box of toys near the entrance and grabbed Frigga’s ball and started along the main path, it was more open and easier to see who was around. Her PaDD started beeping and Alexis looked down at it, an incoming call from Hannah. She found a little spot to sit, easily seen but enough room for privacy.

The blonde haired, blue eyed woman appeared on the screen and Alexis began signing immediately. It was odd for her to take calls anywhere but her quarters, but that wasn’t an option right then. “Hannah! How are you? How is Daniel?”

“I am good, Alexis. Daniel is wonderful. Or I think he’s wonderful, but I’m biased. He’s still on duty, settling into his new position. Are you in the arboretum?”

Alexis nodded, “Frigga needed to run so this is where I was when you called.” Frigga appeared eager for Alexis to throw the ball for her. Her nose snuck into the corner of the screen and then Alexis threw the ball hard and the Frigga took off. “You said he was promoted to XO last time? But…” Alexis had a hard time with ‘girl talk’ but Hannah was her best friend and understood that Alexis does care; she just wasn’t wired to think that way. “You said you would tell me all about it.”

Hannah signed ‘yes’ and paused, her head tipped to the side, thinking. “You remember I decided to ask for a transfer off of the Fearless. I had been there so long and needed a change. Well I got the transfer to Saracen and of course I looked at who the captain was and the CMO but didn’t look at the rest of the crew. And then my first night on board we got pulled through a temporal rift. It was chaos. There were so many injuries from where the ship was damaged. I didn’t have time to notice anyone who wasn’t a patient or medical staff.”

Temporal rifts and alternate realities and parallel universes. Past that wasn’t past, present that was different and though Hannah wouldn’t know it, the similarities between Solomon and Daniel, and the mathematical statistics of probability. Alexis nodded understanding as Hannah continued to sign. Sickbay was usually routine, until it wasn’t and then nothing mattered but the patient in front of you. “So three days later everyone is taken care of and we are back across the rift. My duty nurse, Claire Temple, comes in and says ‘You have a patient, it’s his knee.’ I get up and go into the main med bay…” Alexis stops her, “I remember you said Daniel had a damaged knee. An old injury from before.” Hannah grins, Alexis never forgot details. “He did. So I walk into the main med bay and there he is, larger than life, out of nowhere. He’s there on the biobed, knee swollen, damaged, and needing replacing.” Hannah shakes her head going quiet thinking about it. “He hugged me. After so long without him, it was just…” How to explain it to Alexis? “Like you told me about your Solomon. I was alive again, home, cherished. Like I had simply been on autopilot. There but not aware of the world going on around me.” She paused again wondering if Alexis understood.

Alexis was still for long moments except for momentarily wrestling with Frigga to get the ball and throw it again. Alexis was very careful to keep her left hand out of Hannah’s sight. It would be too difficult to explain and she couldn’t over subspace anyway. Alexis wasn’t sure she could explain it any better than she had during their last conversation but, and it seemed so suddenly, she did understand exactly what Hannah meant. “Two months ago I wouldn’t have understood, and I don’t think I can really explain it. But I am very happy for you Hannah.”

Hannah watched Alexis for long moments. “I think you do understand Alexis, and that makes me very happy for you. This Solomon is good for you I think.” Alexis didn’t really understand how or why they worked, only that she and Solomon fit together. Hannah’s laugh, different sounding, but genuine, filled the small silence between them when Alexis turned a shade of pink. “So there Daniel is after all this time, and he needed surgery. I’ve never been so nervous to do a surgery. And I’ve done hundreds. But it went fine. The next day we talked for a long time.”

Alexis was not great at reading people, she knew this, but she’d known Hannah a long time and something about the way she hunched her shoulders told her something wasn’t quite right. “Is something wrong Hannah?” Was he there, but it didn’t work out? Did they fight? Alexis couldn’t imagine Hannah arguing with anyone, she was just too sweet.

“He’s been back for two years, Alexis. Two YEARS. He…he saw me on Starbase 12, but he…” A small sigh escaped Hannah and she shook her head, “He thought I was with someone. He thought I’d moved on, and so he left. I feel horrible about it Alexis. That my actions, though misinterpreted, only extended…” and Hannah’s hands expressed the situation as descriptives rather than words.

Alexis was fluent enough she was able to understand the concept Hannah was trying to convey. Daniel had misunderstood, and Alexis could actually empathize with that. Observing a social encounter and not understanding what was actually going on. She wasn’t sure how Hannah would interpret her thought, but she liked Daniel immensely for wanting to let Hannah be happy. Alexis knew Hannah hadn’t been, she was miserable without Daniel, but he’d put her before himself. She liked that. “But he’s there now. So what has happened? You aren’t wearing his dog tags anymore. So that’s good, right?”

“It is good. Daniel asked me to move in with him, and of course I did. He suggested we knock a wall out to make more room. After shift that next day I come home and he tells me he went to the Cot and demanded the XO quarters because we needed something bigger. Threatened to leave the ship and Star Fleet if we didn’t get it.”

“He did what?!” Alexis couldn’t quite wrap her head around that. Hannah laughed, “He was joking, Nugget. He was just teasing me. Cpt Knight promoted him to First Officer. I am really proud of him. Oh! Aaannnddd I got a promotion, too! Full lieutenant.”

“Hannah, that’s amazing! You deserve it. Tavenough should have promoted you years ago. You are one of the best doctors in your field. I’m glad someone finally noticed your brilliance.”

Hannah shrugged, Alexis knew that Hannah didn’t put much stock in the number and color of pips on her collar, but she was brilliant and she was very proud of her friend. Frigga came back and Alexis reached up with her left hand and started wrestling the ball away from her and then threw the ball. Hannah looked hard at Alexis’ hand, “Nugget? What is that? Oh My God! Alexis Claire Bonner, Is that an engagement ring?!”

Alexis looked at her hand and the fake ring that she was already used to wearing. It was meant to look like an engagement ring but it wasn’t and now she was going to have to lie to Hannah. It was so much more important than an ‘engagement’ ring - it was going to keep her safe from him. She smiled and nodded, confirming Hannah’s question. “Honey, are…are you sure?” Hannah asked. Alexis supposed it seemed very sudden to Hannah, but she knew that Hannah’s question was meant genuinely. Alexis nodded again, “I am. Hannah I have to go. My shift is soon and I have to take Frigga home first.” Another lie, in order to avoid telling an even bigger one. Alexis paused, hesitated. Had she ever told Hannah how important she was? Did she forget to say it? Probably, and now…now everything had gone side-ways and up-side-down. And whether it all worked out right, wrong, or somewhere in the middle it may be a long time before she’d get to tell Hannah. Her Daniel had disappeared 400 years into his future leaving everyone behind, Hannah had been torn through a temporal rift and back, Solomon ripped from his reality into another one, and Alexis…she had a sociopath after her. “Hannah…I don’t know if I say it enough, but you’re my best friend and you’ve always done so much for me. I probably don’t thank you enough; you mean a lot to me, I hope you know that.”

Alexis cut the com link off and stood, heading back for the door. Frigga found her, still carrying the ball. Alexis shook her head. “Sorry girl, we’re all done now.” Frigga dropped the ball by the door and they went back to Solomon’s their quarters, or they would be…some day. Frigga’s combadge opened the door and they walked inside. Right now, all Alexis really knew for sure, it was the only place she really felt safe.

Lt Bonner, med research