[snip]
Faith looked up from her job emptying the bedpans, as Dr. Cross returned to Sickbay. She could see Joe leaving had deeply affected her.

The door of her office was open, behind the desk was doctor Hunter, as Cross entered she took a deep breath. It did not take a person with a high mental acuity to realize she had been crying and the male doctor knew all to well the reason why .

He stood up and closed the door to give the CMO some privacy, walking over and putting both hands on her shoulders, knowing full well the relationship they had between her and Joe ‘’I’m so sorry Cross ‘’ he whispered, at that moment she took him rather by surprise wrapping her arms around him and sobbed her heart out ‘’I’ll never hear him calling me Miri ever again ‘’.

Now it was Hunter who tightly held her close to him, expressing sympathy and showing compassion as her body shook with each and every sob. The male doctor stood silent ,knowing there where no words to ease her distress.

Outside in Sickbay, Faith returned to her duties but also began to cry. She remembered how she had felt when Crewman Doolittle had left the Merrimack. She had been heartbroken, but it did result in her most productive period writing her novel. I must finish that one day, she thought. Still, Miriam had lost Joe from the Merrimack, not once, but twice, and there wouldn’t likely be a third time either.

• Faith