Posted by Lieutenant Hannah Lori Asimina (Asst. Chief Medical Officer) in The Long Goodbye (Tag Dr. Asimina)

Posted by Civilian Jason Reilly (Deputy Director - Colonial Intelligence) in The Long Goodbye (Tag Dr. Asimina)

Posted by Lieutenant Hannah Lori Asimina (Asst. Chief Medical Officer) in The Long Goodbye (Tag Dr. Asimina)
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

<snip>

Hannah watched the rose fall, her heart breaking all over again. Those horrible empty days, the grief, the loss, the anger. The realization that there was nothing to wait for anymore. There was nothing left holding her in limbo, that she had no idea what to do with her life. She looked away towards the wall and wiped her cheeks before meeting Daniel’s gaze. “Thank you. I just need a moment.”

Jason waited for the door to close and then looked at Hannah. He walked over to her and took her hand and squeezed it. You okay? I can’t say I’m surprised, but I can say I’m surprised it was this soon. and he shook his head; a slight smile of disbelief on his face. He looked at her and them took a deep breath.

Hannah shook her head in a negative motion. She wasn’t okay, certainly not emotionally and she wasn’t to sure about physically either. The lights that started flashing on the arm monitor seemed to support that. Hannah felt like she was going to have another of those anxiety attacks. Which was annoying, she’d never been that way. She knew it was just a part of her recovery though, as her body learned to regulate itself again.

I cannot begin to understand how hard this is for you… especially right now. Just know that, no matter what, I will support you and any choice you make. Even if that means… and he cast a glance at the door, … even if that means him. Your happiness is all that matters, Hannah. And I know history is sometimes a very binding thing.

Jason

Hannah glanced at the door and then back at Jason. I belong here. This is where I want to be. We she took his hands and placed her fists on the outside of his and circled them together. I know you might not want to understand, but I need to talk to him. I owe that to myself. She would have said she owed Daniel too, but she knew Jason would protest over it. I don’t know how long it will take. You don’t have to wait if you don’t want; I can call you to come get me when I’m done. My monitor is connected to your PaDD, so you’ll know if anything happens. She leaned forward slightly and kissed him.

Squeezing his hands she took a deep breath and then stood and moved over to the door and let it open. “Daniel?” She stepped out into the hallway and looked at him. “Let’s go for a walk.” She led the short distance to a side entrance and then across the street to the central park of Oed, Sloan Square.

Asimina, SFAMO

Daniel didn’t say a word as they left the hospital and crossed the street. His face was emotionless, but he was full of anguish inside. He stopped mid-stride and grabbed Hannah’s hand turning her to face him.

Hannah came to an abrupt stop, turned to face him, he could see the sorrow there. She looked down at their hands and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

With a look of resignation, he asked, “Do you love him? Do you love him like you loved me? Would you hold on for 5 long years, waiting for his return?”

Hannah looked at him softly, “I’ll never love anyone like I do you, Daniel. And I’ll never love you the way I do him. You are two very different people. It isn’t a comparison.” The last answer went unuttered. Jason would never make her wait.

“Does he love you, Hannah? No one can ever love you like I do. We’ve been through so much together and made it through everything, never giving up. We were supposed to be forever. We were supposed to have children and be a family. You and I, forever.”

Colter (XO-USS Saracen)

Hannah glanced around and spotted a bench. “I…I need to sit down.” She took him with her, the few feet to the bench and sat. She waited for him to sit beside her. In the sunlight she looked tired and more worn than she had the last time he had seen her.

To his credit, Jason didn’t follow them… at least not personally. The three centimeter-small fly-drone designed by the R&D crew at Colonial Intelligence however, was doing a fine job of that on its own. Through its optics where it sat high up in a tree , Jason had a clear view of Hannah and Colter. He had the mic turned off. After all… he wasn’t watching because he didn’t trust Hannah. He had no doubts about her. Colter, on the other hand, was a narcissistic, self-centered, selfish oaf who Reilly trusted less than all of Star Fleet Intelligence combined. And that was saying something, considering Reilly’s decades of service to that particular organization. So with the drone, he kept watch on his fiancee… and waited for Colter to make a mistake and overstep his boundaries.

Reilly. DD-CIA

She took a moment, leaned sideways against the back of the bench. “This isn’t about him, Daniel. It’s about what we thought we were and what we really were.” Hannah sighed and squeezed his hand. “That’s just it. We haven’t been through so much. You have and I have but not together. Our relationship, us, was marked by many stretches apart, where we, individually, went through a lot. All we had was an idea of each other. Then when we were together,” she smiled sadly, “we held onto that excitement of when we first met, but we can’t stay there.”

“We never talked about children and family, Daniel. We never talked about our future. And when I was told you died…” A tear slipped out and Hannah paused to take a breath, “I realized, after 8 years, I had nothing and no one. My career was stagnant and I was alone. After a little while, though, I realized I was used to being alone.” She shook her head slightly. “People don’t come back from the dead. There was no possibility of you coming back.”

Hannah

Daniel wiped the tear from her cheek and let his hand trail down to her chin and lifted so their eyes met. “But I did come back, Hannah. I came back for you, like I promised.”

Hannah stared back into those so familiar eyes. “I know, and that makes this so hard. Life times have come and gone since you left.” She took a steadying breath. “I really am sorry, Daniel. Before…before I never knew, there was no answer, nothing concrete. I held out hope. You died. They told us you were dead and I just…I couldn’t. I couldn’t spend my life living with a ghost. Not again. A huge part of me died when you did. I had to leave the Saracen. I had to find a new life for this new me. I am not the same person I was. I never will be.”

At that moment, Colter’s sixth sense kicked in and warned him that they were being watched. He looked around and spotted the drone in the tree. “Your boyfriend is a spook, isn’t he? He and I are more alike than you know.”

Hannah gave him an incredulous look. He was determined to make this about Reilly and it wasn’t. He wasn’t getting what she was saying. Even if she had never met Jason, she still could never go back. “I know exactly how you are alike and exactly how you are different. It is still not a comparison.” Her voice was firm and matter of fact and her expression and body language told him she was telling the absolute truth and that she would not entertain anymore discussion on that front.

Squeezing her hands, he finally admitted, “This is it, isn’t it? It’s really over. I just want you to be happy, and if you’ve found happiness with him. . . . I guess I have to let you go, even though a part of me is dying inside. Hannah, there will always be a place in my heart for you. Always.”

He stood and let her hands fall from his. Turning to face Reilly’s drone so Hannah couldn’t see, Daniel signed, If you hurt her in any way, I can and will make you disappear, no questions asked.

Hannah’s posture noticeably altered. Stiffer, rigid. Her monitor recorded the sudden rise in pulse and BP as her anger flared. She pulled out her micro PaDD and sent a message to Jason. ‘I’m ready to go home, now.’

Turning back to Hannah, he pulled her to her feet and gave her a tight, final hug. “I love you , Han. . . .goodbye. . . .”

The hug was quick and sudden, but Hannah was angry. “I hate when you do that! Turn your back so I can’t read your lips, so you can keep a secret. As if I don’t know what you are doing. As if I don’t you well enough. And now you’re using my own language to keep more secrets from me.” She took a breath trying to calm down. “How about I just call him. Then you can say whatever threat to his face rather than to empty air. Where I can hear it since it’s about me.” She knew that much because he had pointed at her, and she knew Daniel well enough to know it was a threat.

Asimina, SFAMO

Stepping away, Colter hit his comm badge, =^=Orbital platform, this is Cmdr. Colter of the USS Saracen. One. . .only one to beam up.”

Colter (XO-USS Saracen)

There was a pause… and nothing happened. Then Colter’s comms beeped. =/\= Commander? This is Ensign Mctay in Platform Transporter room Six. Um… uh… I’m sorry sir, but we are not allowed to transport you. You have to go through CCDA to arrange a flight up to the platform, sir. =/\=

=^=Never mind, ensign. I’ll take care of it.=^=

At that moment a figure familiar to Colter and very familiar to Hannah walked towards them from about fifty yards away. Jason was strolling, but his eyes were focused on the two figures he approached with a wave to Hannah. When he got close, he looked at Hannah and smiled softly. “So there aren’t any miscommunications or missed gestures, I am going to speak rather than sign. I hope that’s okay.”

Hannah nodded. She understood the concern and appreciated his consideration.

He looked at Colter and said “Look. I get that you have a history with Hannah. And I have been nothing but respectful of that history- both with her and with you. You, on the other hand, have been nothing but a selfish, self-centered prick about Hannah’s and my present. So, I am going to be very direct and very clear so that maybe this will get through to you.” He took a breath and locked eyes with Colter, obviously completely unafraid of him. When he spoke, his words were calm and even, and his posture relaxed. “You left. Multiple times. Sure, you made promises to come back and you and I and Hannah all know that with the work you do those promises aren’t a thing you can actually control. Hannah is not obligated to stay with you while you do what you want and leave her alone for months and years at a time. And frankly, you have never been obligated to continue to leave. You could have chosen her over the job. At any point in time. And you didn’t. And that isn’t a condemnation, Commander. It’s just a fact. And yes, I do know what I am talking about… probably more than you do, if not at least as much. But that is neither here nor there… this isn’t a competition. Hannah didn’t choose me over you. In fact, you have nothing to do with us. At all. You were completely a non-factor until you showed up without so much as a comm to let her know you were ok. I don’t know if you watch too many romance vids or if you really are just that selfish; but that’s not how people who love one another treat each other. When you love someone, truly love them, you treat them with respect… dignity… and support them over anything else. Especially something as mundane as a job.” He stepped to stand next to Hannah and took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “Now then, I believe Hannah asked you to repeat what you said to me through the drone. So go ahead, Commander. And please, do so exactly as you signed it… because she is going to see the vid anyway.”

Reilly, DD- CIA

Colter remained calm the whole time Reilly spoke. “Really? You finished? Resorting to name-calling, Mr. Reilly? I thought that you above that. A selfish prick?!? What I do, I do to protect and save the people I care about, and I’ve done so more times than you can count, and I swore an oath to Starfleet to do just that. It’s part of my duty, and yes, that duty pulls me away at times. But when the job is done, I always come back to where I’m needed. I tried to reach out to Hannah and let her know I was okay. Why she didn’t get my message, I have no idea why, but, yes, I did try. If Hannah’s duty as a doctor would have pulled her away for whatever reason, I would have expected her to do the same. That seems to be something you don’t understand. Your job here in the CIA isn’t the same. You’re pretty much grounded to OED, so you don’t get it. . . .. . .Y’know what? I’m done. I don’t have to defend my choices or my duty to you, AND I’m not going to stoop to your level of name calling.”

Hannah couldn’t breathe, her chest hurt, watching these two men she cared so deeply for face off like two gladiators. Horrible scenarios tripped and chased through her mind. Her hands moved in shakey movements rather than graceful. Stop. Both of you. Please stop. Lights flashed in warning on the band, going unnoticed.

She stepped toward Daniel, but still where Jason could see her hands. I have never asked you not to do your duty. Your dedication and loyalty is something I have and always will love about you. I am not asking you to defend your choices or change them. I changed, me. I never wanted to hurt you, and I know I have. In the end though, I’m just not strong enough anymore. You deserve someone who can walk beside you through your life, not sit on the sidelines and watch.

He turned back to Hannah. “I’m sorry, Han. When I noticed him spying on us, I told him that if he hurts you, I will see that he disappears. You know I can. I honestly only want you to be 100% happy. I see that now I’m not the one to do that anymore. I’m sorry for everything I’ve put you through. You know me better than anyone, and you know I mean everything I’ve said to you today. Just. . . . be happy.”

Hannah shook her head. That’s not your job Daniel. It never was. It isn’t his either. It’s mine. It’s my decision who has hurt me and what I want to do about it. It is up to me to decide if and when I need help dealing with it. She glanced from Daniel to Jason and back. I know and you BOTH know, you can each make the other disappear with no trace and no questions. You BOTH know I would never want either of you to harm the other. If you did, you aren’t doing it for me, but for yourselves.

Hannah stepped up to Daniel, setting one hand on his cheek and then lightly kissing the other. She stepped back, Find someone worthy of you. Someone that makes you happy and can walk beside you through everything. Hannah met his gaze for one last time. Go and play football, Crixus. Hannah stepped back, away from him. Good-bye, Daniel. She returned to the bench and sank down on to it. She didn’t feel good. She was sure her doctor would have something to say about avoiding extremely stressful situations.

“I think we’re done here Reilly, so you’ll have to excuse me. I have a transport I apparently have to arrange to get to the platform.”

Turning back to Hannah one more time, he simply said, “Goodbye, Hannah.” before turning and walking away.

Colter (XO-USS Saracen)

She looked up at Jason. I want to go home.

Asimina, SFAMO

Jason took her hand and helped her up. He turned so hee faced her directly. You are wrong, you know. You changed, yes, but that isn’t the center of this. The center is You, Hannah, deserve someone who puts you first… not a job or duty. That is what YOU are worth. You are worth a hundredof him… and probably at least ten of me. and he smiled and winked at her. You deserve someone worthy of you, Hannah. And I want to spend the rest of my trying to be exactly that.

Jason

Hannah grinned when he winked, and it turned to a warm smile. We are both right. I changed. When I did, I realized I wanted different than what I had. She took both his hands in hers. “I found you, and I want to walk through life together. Me and you.” Hannah slipped her arms around his waist, leaning her forehead on his shoulder, she rested against him. For still moments she just breathed. Allowing the stress and adrenaline seep out of her.

Lifting her head to look at him before kissing him. “The rest of our lives started the day I met you. Let’s go home, so we can keep spending them together.”

Hannah

Bump