It was late evening in San Francisco as Caridee Severn picked up her infant daughter who insisted on being cuddled before being (hopefully) put down again for the night. Her and Kian were learning that sleep regression was an actual thing. But she had patients first thing in the morning and Kian said he’d take the night shift if needed. No one needed a psychiatrist falling asleep in the middle of a session. Not to mention she had a hospital shift later that day.

She hit the button to answer the call and smiled at the face that appeared. She swore Uncle Roger’s red beard was getting more grey with each day.

=/\=Did you hear from her?=/\=

Caridee shook her head as she stood and rocked Alais back and forth. “No, but I took your advice and contacted Cort. I didn’t want to bug him, but it was a good call. Apparently something came up and she needs a couple days. I don’t know how to read that, not anymore. Oed is a different beast than a starship. At least on the ships, there was yellow and red alert and we knew what to do to keep safe and stay out of the way, but with this? Outside of a planetary emergency or something else huge that breaks the news, I feel so… helpless. Cort would tell us if something was actually wrong, wouldn’t he?”

Kellen gave her gentle smile. =/\=No, Dee, maybe not. Not unless he was cleared to or there was a very specific reason to. I know that’s hard, but you’re right, it’s different there, but don’t forget that even when she was in uniform, you still knew nothing until after the fact when you weren’t living with her.=/\=

She sighed. “I know. I guess I got used to talking so constantly and hell, even her being on the same planet at times. I got spoiled,” Caridee said with a grin.

=/\=We all did. I miss having her a transporter trip away too.=/\=

Caridee gazed at him more seriously. “You’ll tell me the truth, won’t you? Am I reading too much into this? Into her not even replying? It’s not like her, Roger. I can’t help but be worried.”

His gaze also turned more somber. =/\=No, Dee, you’re right, it’s not like her to not even give a few words if she can’t make a call. I understand you’re worried and I am too, but let’s give her-=/\=

A beep drew Caridee’s attention and she held up a finger as she checked something. Her expression shifted, the frown deepening and she stopped swaying Alais.

=/\=Dee? What’s wrong?=/\= Roger asked, watching her expression shift to confusion and her hand fly to her mouth.

She switched back to her call with him and blew out a breath. “Okay, so I got worried and set up an alert for any specific news categories out of Oed.” She shrugged. “Something was just posted and I don’t believe it. I’m just seeing things I think but can I send it to you and you can tell me if it really is what it seems?”

Roger smiled and nodded. =/\=Of course, I’ll take a look.=/\=

“Okay sending now.” She forwarded the video clip titled Crazy Scene at the Seven Palms Hotel and inside the swanky hotel lobby someone was filming a bunch of heavily armed security folks leading a man through the lobby. They were filming from behind mostly until they moved around and caught an image of the man’s profile, though he was gazing downwards so it was hard to see his face clearly.

Dee watched Roger’s face as he clearly got the clip and his expression told her everything. Eyes wide, his mouth actually dropped. “Oh no. He didn’t! Please tell me you’re not thinking it’s him too?” she said with so much desperation.

Roger was very still and silent for a moment before he finally looked up to gaze at her. “It’s possible it’s not. But… yeah, Dee, it really does look like your father.”

“What’s he doing on Oed?!” Her outburst startled Alais and Kian was already stepping into the room, the Napean sensing his wife’s distress. He quietly took the baby and stepped out, knowing she’d fill him in after.

=/\=I don’t know, Dee. But him going there was never going to go well,=/\= he said with more certaint y than she thought he should have. He knew something.

“I don’t understand. I mean, it’s not a good idea, no, and he didn’t tell me or Jour that he was going to be off-world, but…” She collapsed into her chair. “Please tell me you don’t think mom’s silence and this video are related,” she said, her eyes fixed on his, ever so hopeful.

The problem was that he knew all too well that Eela had shielded a lot of what had happened the last few years from Caridee. It had been between her and Cory, and she didn’t think it fair to put that on his relationship wth his children, especially after the separation. But did he think Cory was selfish enough to go to Oed to make himself feel better about everything. Hell, yes. He had zero respect for the man after Eela showed up at his door sobbing inconsolably. Worse yet was when she had walked him through that argument. It was the last straw after a pattern of beahviour he had been keeping an eye on and the part that others didn’t know is that he was certain it had began before the accident, not after. Cory Fletcher was fortunate Roger cared too much for Eela and opted to not punch him in the face the way he felt he deserved.

But Caridee wanted him to reassure her that everything was okay and he couldn’t. =/\=Dee…=/\=

“Oh gods!” Her hands covered her mouth as she braced her elbows on the desk.

=/\=Dee, confirm first. Call him, send a message, something, and find out if he’s around. Maybe we are jumping to conclusions, so let’s start there.=/\=

Caridee gazed at the man she’s known since she was four years old and nodded. Roger always knew what to do. It was late enough that she would send dad a message and they could just chalk all this up to a strange doppelgänger, right?

[to be continued…]

~Caridee Severn & Rear Admiral Roger Kellen