[Paradise-IV] SD970401.00 JL - Happy Birthday (aCapt T. Blake, CO USS Tremaine; Cmdr C. Blake, CMO Paradise)
Paradise-IV Logs
After visiting the Captain but before returning home Toby made sure that the
new pip he was entitled to, now, was upon his collar though he sailed into
the quarters he shared with his wife with a bit of trepidation and dread.
Today was both of their birthdays, and he was pretty sure while she would be
surprised by his new rank, that hearing of the new posting would… put a hole
in the birthday celebrations. He looked around as he entered their quarters,
“Anyone home yet?”
The first things Toby noticed was a large crate in the middle of the room
and the aroma of good coffee in the air. The next thing was his little
princess riding a Rose size pony heading right for him, fairy lizards
hovering just above her. The child was dressed in a proper English riding
habit with cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. “Daddy! Pony!”
Cait came out right on the child’s heels. “Meet robo pony. Granther’s box
arrived finally.” She loAoked happy, though tired.
Toby watched his daughter and smiled, she always made him smile and he
failed to mention that western cowboy boots and hats don’t generally go with
an English riding habit. “I see! Careful now.” He lifted his eyes to his
wife, “Is that coffee I smell? I could use a cup… a big Cait sized mug style
cup of it actually.” He shared his wife’s love of coffee, though he was the
kind who was alright with replicator coffee, but he did not share his wife’s
ability to drink it. The woman drank way more of the stuff than he did, but
now… With that new pip on his collar, he needed it.
“Yes, it is.” Cait all but beamed. “Christmas and Birthday presents from him
and your father. About 20 kilos of my favorite beans, a new roaster, and
just ~wait~ till you see what they sent for our Birthday dinner! There’s a
stack of presies in there for you.” She looked up at her tall husband, her
smile turning to a look of shock. “F-f-f-our pips???”
“Presents for me?” He moved over to the crate to look within, “Really?
Wonderful, though I’m afraid I don’t have time to open them right now.” He
looked at Cait, “Yes, you’re seeing right. Just came back from talking first
to the Admiral, and then to Captain Dharmajiva. I have a new assignment, to
Captain the USS Tremaine.”
Cait blanched white as milk but got her smile back in place and was
genuinely happy and proud for him. “Oh, Toby! Your own ship?? That’s
incredible! And the Tremaine too. I know its not after Josh but…well, you
know. When do you take command of her?”
“As soon as I can, she’s in orbit. She brought some supplies and personnel,
and she’s now waiting for her captain. She has some crew; some of them are
as green as I was when I first arrived on the Audax.” He sniffed and went
looking for some coffee, and poured a cup to drink. “It does leave us in an
interesting position.”
“What position would that be?” Cait followed him into their little kitchen
and leaned against the counter watching him.
Sipping his coffee he looked out of the little kitchen to watch Rose play,
“Oh, the position of being separated. Since there’s nothing in the
information K`y gave me to say you were being transferred as well, and what
we do about little Rose. I’d be happy to take her, as busy as I’d be, she’d
still be safer on the ship than she is here. I made her and you a target
with my little performance during the riot.” He wasn’t meeting his wife’s
gaze, not wanting to meet her eyes and see the pain and hurt and anger he
was sure would be there.
“I think you’re absolutely right. She would be safer there than here. That’s
a no brainer.” While the thought of not having either her husband or
daughter with her was almost to much to bear, Cait would do whatever it took
to protect those she loved. “I’ve wanted to get her away from this place
since the day we came and with the hours I keep and the places I end
up…there’d be half a city or more between us. You’d actually be closer.”
“Especially since it would be rare that I would be away from the ship now.
My X will get all the fun.” He sighs and picks up the PADD to look at it,
“Mmm… don’t have a Chief Medical Officer yet.” There was no way he was going
to let Cait know that both he and K`y then he and Vin spoke about Cait.
For one moment, Cait wanted to scream and kick and throw things but she’d
put away childish things a long time ago and Toby had supported her when she
was sent to command Katan’ka. She could do no less for him. They were a
partnership. While she hated being an administrator in the hospital, she’d
come to know and care about the people she dealt with at her clinics. It was
there she made a real difference. There was a moment of hope when he
mentioned not have a CMO as of yet but she took her big girl pill and asked,
“Do you have a list for consideration as of yet? I could take a look and let
you know what I know of them.”
“No, no one yet… I do have one verified med tech, a Warrant Officer Zoe
Saden.” He sipped his coffee and looked at his wife finally. “Have you ever
heard of her?”
“Only that she’s a solid noncom and good at her job. I haven’t worked with
her personally but I know several doctors who have and they’ve never had
anything negative to say about her.”
“Michael Phoenix… Chief engineer and he seems to have a hand in the building
of the Tremaine. You ever hear of him?” He sipped his coffee and looked at
Rose, “Careful with your pony Princess, don’t knock down a wall.”
“Otay, Daddy!” Rose got the little pony turned and walking in another
direction, looking really pleased with herself.
Cait smiled as she watched her daughter. Like Toby, their little flower made
her smile, no matter how tired or worried or upset she was. Cait often
wondered if the child’s gift was manifesting early. “Phoeby? Yes, we served
together on the Erinys. He was a very good friend and an excellent engineer.
Glad to hear he had a hand in building the Tremaine.”
Toby chuckled, then looked at Cait, “He’s going to be the chief engineer.
I’m sure he wouldn’t know you as anything other than Brody, or the girl who
gets in bar brawls with beer bottles?”
“That is good news.” She snorted. “More like the naïve first time poker
player who cleaned him out and got his holodeck time to boot.” There was a
perfect look of earnest innocence on her face.
Toby chuckled and sipped more coffee, then he crouched down, “Rose, sweetie,
come here for a second.” It was time to ask the important one.
Rose rode over to her daddy, heels drumming into the side of the pony trying
to get it to go faster. She looked at her father, little cheeks rosy and her
smile lighting her up. “Daddy! ‘pot not go fas’.”
“He goes fast enough Princess. I wouldn’t want my little princess getting
hurt.” He reaches out to pick her up and stands up holding his daughter in
his arms now, “Daddy has a new job Princess, it means he has to leave here
though, but as far as I know Mommy is staying. Daddy is going to be up on
his very own ship.” He stops and waits for his daughter to catch up with him
making sure she understands what he said so far.
It didn’t take the child but a second to catch up and she didn’t like what
her father said one bit. Gone was the smile and she got the same little
wrinkle between her eyes her mother got as she frowned. “Momma tome.” She
figured that settled matters just fine by her.
“I’m sorry Princess, but that’s not possible. Not right at the moment any
way. Momma and I both have our jobs… and we have to do them, that means we
don’t always get to pick if we are together. Though you can come be with
Daddy on his new ship. His princess and good luck charm.” He smiled a bit,
he understood her wanting both her parents, and not understanding it
couldn’t be that way.
“Aun’ T`y say momma go!” Rose would stamp that little foot if her daddy
wasn’t holding her.
Cait came over. “I have to stay for now at least,Rose. Remember me telling
you about my work? Momma needs you to take care of Daddy for her and I’ll
make a holocube reading you your most favorite book so you can hear me every
night and we can talk and see each other when Mommy can call.”
Toby put Rose down, “You go play again. Daddy needs to talk to Mommy.” He
straightened and looked at Cait once more, “As I said I don’t have a Chief
Medical Officer.”
“If you want me as your CMO, I couldn’t be happier. I think we’ve proved to
not only Command but each other that we can keep our professional life
separate from our personal life. I don’t mind admitting that the idea of
being a target did not appeal to me. Because I’m surrounded by a lot of
people, that puts them in danger too and that, I don’t like one little bit.”
“Cait, I know you. I know you in ways that no one else ever will, and I’m
not talking about telepathically or empathically. I knew the moment that K`y
gave me the posting you would want to come with, so when I went to talk to
Captain Dharmajiva, I mentioned that you would want to follow. I told him I
understood if he didn’t want to lose you, Paradise really could use you, but
that you would want to go. He said he wouldn’t break up a family. So you can
put in for the transfer and I won’t reject it, nor will he.” He smiled a
bit, “Though I had to know, you know I did, if you would allow duty to
separate us if that is what needed to be.”
“Of course I would want to go. You know how I am about ‘losing’ people I
care about but you’ve taught me a lot. Most importantly that you sometimes
have to let a person you love go so they can grow.” She reached up and
touched the fourth pip on his collar. “You’re good at this and you are going
to make a fantastic captain. For that, I could nothing else but let you go.
If any couple could stand the test of separation, it would be us..because
you also taught me how to trust again. I’ll go put transfer in right now.”
Toby blinked to clear his eyes and reached for his coffee to drain the cup
until the tears that threatened to flow went away. “You’ll have to let the
specialist from Betazed know that they’ll have to change their destination.”
Cait smiled. “I’ll get that done. Why don’t you open your presents and I’ll
start dinner. How do you like your steak?”
He got more coffee as he spoke, “Medium.” Then he headed for the crate once
more to start with the presents.
____________________
aCapt Tobias "Toby" Blake
CO USS Tremaine
Cmdr C Blake
CMO Paradise (Future CMO USS Tremaine)
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