Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in Galley/Lounge- Holding Boundaries

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Leah Hart (Nurse Practitioner/Counseling) in Galley/Lounge- Holding Boundaries

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in Galley/Lounge- Holding Boundaries
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
She sat in her quarters and looked around at the blank walls. In her mind she could see what the space would look like when she could finally decorate but right now she hadn’t had the time. Nor the energy. Her days were busy and work was intense. It was more or less what she was used to but the venue was different and rather than a rotation of people, her days were spent mostly around the same people. It wasn’t a negative thing, just a difference she had noted.

What was harder was the sudden drop in the spaces where she could be social. Sure, she could hang out in galley slash lounge, or go workout, and she did both those things, but she was missing the variety. For someone as active and social as she was, this was an adjustment that was harder to make. She knew it would take time, but in the meanwhile she would have to work harder to negate some of the loneliness that was already seeping in.

Her comm announced an incoming call. Leah pushed herself to her feet in one graceful motion and sat at the desk. She activated the screen and braced herself after seeing the source was from Aldebaran III. One of two options, and neither were particularly great just now. She could ignore the call but that would only make it worse. She plastered a smile onto her face as a woman appeared. Anyone who saw them together always commented that they could have bene twins. But of course Ana Isabel (who went by Anabel) was nine years older than her and had lighter coloured hair and their mother’s green leaning hazel eyes. Leah slightly darker complexion, hair and brown eyes were all from her father. [O]Hello, Anabel.[o]

[o]Oh, you actually answered. Wonders never cease!,[o] Anabel said with a smirk.

[o]Actually, it’s quite late but I couldn’t sleep, otherwise I wouldn’t have answered. And you could have sent a message so we could arrange a time that was good for both of us.[o] Evan as she said it, Leah chastised herself for even mentioning it. Doing something that was equally convenient for others and took them into consideration was not her sister’s way. Or her mother’s for that matter.

[o]Oh, don’t be like that. I just thought it would be nice to chat given you’re who knows where now. Mom said you weren’t stopping to visit first.[o]

Leah shook her head. [o]There wasn’t time. I was on six ships in two weeks and when I got here I’ve had to jump right in.[o]

Anabel waved her hand. [o[Well, it’s good to know you’re alive. How’s the new assignment? Is being on a ship weird?[o]

Leah drew in a deep breath. [o]It’s very different, but there’s lots I’m enjoying about being here.[o] As per her personal rules, she kept the details of her life out of the conversation as much as possible. Sometimes that seemed impossible, but where she could, she tried to not let her sister and mother grab hold of things to use against her later. Everything went so much smoother that way, at least for her.

[o]What did Daro say about you leaving?[o]

Sh!t, she thought. Leah deeply regretted opening her comm when she was drunk one night and spilling anything about her relationship with Daro Kelreden that had gone rather badly all told. She took a measured breath and maintained a neutral expression. [o]Daro and I broke up… three months ago. He has no opinion on the matter because I never told him.[o]

Dismay swept across Anabel’s face. [o]Oh no! Oh, I’m so sorry, Leah. He seemed like such a nice guy. What happened? Why didn’t you tell me?[o] Anabel actually looked hurt.

Oh, there were a lot of reasons, but Leah was not about to share those with her sister. Not only were they not close enough for that, but the last thing she needed was for her mother to get a hold of all the details. As much as she did love her sister, Anabel was not a person she could safely share her secrets with without deeper repercussions that Leah just honestly didn’t want to deal with. [o]I honestly just didn’t want to go over it then, and I’m not up for discussing it now. Just need to deal with it myself.[o]

[o]Okay then, don’t have to get all weird about it.[o]

Leah just smiled and didn’t take the bait. [o]How’s Randall?[o]

Anabel’s face lit up. [o]Oh, he’s good. Been really busy with his caseload, but he’s gotten word that he’s up for Assistant Colonial Counsel.[o]

[o]That’s wonderful![o] Leah said, genuinely happy for her brother-in-law.

Anabel leaned forward, suddenly shy as she flushed. [o]And well, I do have some news as well.[o]

Leah never prodded and only ever responded to what was asked because to do otherwise was to have the expectation of reciprocity. That was not possible if she was to maintain loving boundaries with her very complicated family. She simply nodded and waited.

[o]Well, Randall and I have finally decided to try for a baby![o] she gushed. [o]It just seemed like the right time because I’m done my residency and both our careers are going well. We’re so excited! And you’ll get to be an auntie![o]

Leah smiled and it wasn’t entirely a facade. [o]I’m happy for you.[o]

They chatted for a few more minutes. Well, Anabel just gushed about all the details that Leah honestly didn’t want to hear about, but creating confrontation by interrupting in this case was not worth the backlash. So Leah smiled and nodded and let her sister be excited. She had every right to be, after all. It was a big step in her life. But Leah also knew that there would be a trickle down that she needed to prepare for.

[o]Well, that all sounds great. I do need to go now though. I have a shift in the morning and it’s quite late,[o] Leah said.

[o]Alright, well, you can call me you know. Let me know how you’re getting on?[o] Leah nodded. [o]We miss you, Leah. I’m always going to wish you were back here with us, but I know you need to do you thing.[o]

For once Leah felt like the comment came from a genuine place. [o]Thanks, Anabel. I’ll talk to you later.[o]

[o]Bye![C]

The call ended and she was left sitting there and trying to work out how she was feeling. Untethered was one word for it but also resigned. She was truly happy for her sister but all she could think about was how every call going forward with her mother was going to be that much more difficult. Feeling her flurry of emotions, Leah braced her elbows on the desk and held her head. Anabel was a lovely person and Leah did love her, but she was so deep under their mother’s influence that she couldn’t see how Liliana tried to manipulate and control everyone around her.

After a minute, Leah felt antsy. Though it was 0015 and she should be going to bed, she threw a colourful floral tunic over her leggings and left her quarters.

~Leah Hart, NP

Stepping into the eating and social space of the ship, it was rather quiet as she suspected it would be. What she wanted was to go out on the town, find a club, down several shots of tequila and dance till her brain stopping thinking about her frustrating family. Maybe she’d meet someone, maybe she wouldn’t, but at least she wouldn’t be alone in her quarters wishing she were elsewhere.

It was hard to get her bearings here outside of work, but Leah was doing her best to be patient with herself. These things took time and effort. Truthfully, she hadn’t had much downtime since she had arrived and while she would rectify that soon, there was a certain level of overtime she needed to do in order to get caught up and carve out a space for her practice here on a ship that wasn’t intuitively designed for it.

She had pondered opening one of the bottles of Bobal or Petit Verdot. Her abuela had insisted she take them with her when she had popped in briefly before shipping out. But drinking in her quarters alone was sad, and besides it was a terrible waste of really nice wine. That wine was meant for celebration.

Wrapping the chunky loose knit lavender shawl around her snugly, Leah moved over to the stasis pantries to see if there was anything enticing. Sure enough there was a lone piece of chocolate cake that looked like it had a decently decadent fudgy frosting. She smiled at a crewmember who was just finishing their mea, looking like they had just come off shift and were ready for bed. She’d let them be. Grabbing a glass of water, she sat at a table near one of the windows and watched the stars for a moment, entranced. Yes, that was a part of the appeal. It always had been. Wonder, curiosity, possibility. She had inherited a wanderlust from somewhere, but she wasn’t sure from whom. Slicing her fork through the moist layers, Leah tried to banish her sisters words to the recesses of her mind. Still, her mention of Daro had twisted her emotions just enough. It wasn’t even Anabel’s fault, either, yet her sister’s sadness at the breakup made her uneasy- especially since her sister had no clue how lucky Leah had been to get out while she could. She slipped the cake into her mouth, willing the chocolate to replace four shots of tequila and knowing, no matter how good a recipe, it wouldn’t even come close.

~Leah Hart, NP

It was a late night for Rand and the captain. That wasn’t unusual though. Rand was used to keeping odd hours. She was sitting at an out of the way table, two PaDDs sitting on the table. She was writing on one and scrolling on another. A cup of tea was sitting between them, and she sipped from it every so often.

Yeoman Rand

Leah sliced through more of the cake, the tines of the fork hitting the plate with a sharp ting. She glanced up and saw Rand and smiled, despite her annoyance. “Hey, Rand, what are the chances I could requisition a bar on this ship, you know, for crew wellbeing and all?” she said, her expression fairly neutral.

~Leah Hart, NP

Rand looked up, seemingly startled to be addressed. She hadn’tnoticed anyone come in. She spotted Hart and smiled gently. “Gorshin had a fully stocked liquor cabinet. He keeps it tightly controlled though to make sure no one over indulges. Cook Haddon worked as a bartender all through Academy. When we have parties and such she mixes drinks. She’s back there now, would you like me to ask her to make you something?”

Yeoman Rand

Leah chuckled mostly to herself. Overindulging was kind of the point right now. “I’m not sure shots of tequila would quite count or be allowed. It’s okay, I appreciate the offer though.” She cut into more of the cake. “I do miss having a place to just go and let loose. Parties are great, but they require planning. Sometimes I just want to go, have some drinks, and dance.” Or in the case of tonight, a lot of drinks.”

~Leah Hart, NP