Lt Commander Serala & PNPC James Davis: Back from the Dead
Jim Davis
(( OOC: This scene happened much sooner than I expected, so it may seem incongruous with other sims I have posted for this Shore Leave, but I will try to post some sims that will piece it all together. Many thanks to Stephen a.k.a Maddi for helping set this up. ))
(( Sickbay, Deck 5, USS Atlantis ))
{{ Time Index: Day 2 of Shore Leave }}
Serala lay in the bed restless. She was still tired and sore from her ordeal yesterday, but the roil of emotions running through her veins made it hard to sleep. T’Saara had already fed a short while ago and was laying in her bassinet nearby sleeping like a - well, like a baby. Tomorrow would be the memorial service for Stevok. An event she was not looking forward to, but which she knew she needed. In truth, the crew needed it as well. Stevok hadn’t just been her husband. He was one of them and they would need to pay their respects. She understood that, but it didn’t make the event any more pleasant to face. She was just about to actually drift off for a bit, when Ensign Pex came in.
James had followed the Trill man hastily, determined to learn if this really was his daughter. It was too good to be believed and he was resisting his urge to hope that it was her. However, he found himself anxiously wondering how she was going to react once she realized her father was not dead after all. It was a lie he had hated, but it had been necessary to save her life and the life of her mother. His enemies needed to believe he was dead. Arriving at sickbay, Tenai had ordered him to wait outside and then had gone in.
Pex: :: whispering :: Can we clear the room. It’ll be only for a few minutes if anything needs your attention I shall let you know.
Despite his whispers, her keen ears had picked up the words. The medical staff nodded, and Serala wondered what exactly was going on here. Ensigns, even Ensigns in Intelligence just didn’t walk into sickbay and request the room be cleared. That was normally a privilege reserved for senior staff. Still, he was an officer on the ship and technically had the authority since the only other officer in the room was herself. She nodded at them, though they seemed to sense something odd was happening and had already begun to clear out. No doubt one of the doctors would be asking her about this in the morning. She hoped she would have answers for them. Pex finished walking over to her and began to address her.
Pex: You up for a visitor?
Serala: What exactly is going on here, Ensign? Who is this man?
The grin the Ensign gave her made her even more curious, as did his answer.
Pex: That would ruin the surprise.
The Ensign walked over to the door and motioned a man inside. Someone she didn’t recognize came in. She knew there had been some new arrivals recently, but she hadn’t met any of them yet and she assumed this man must have been one of them.
James walked in, nervous now about this encounter. He had dreamed of this day for years, never believing it could happen. Now that it was actually going to occur, he found himself almost wishing he was still hiding in exile.
Pex: I will leave so you have some privacy.
The Ensign quietly made his way out and Serala found herself very curious as to what was happening.
James had taken one look at her and knew. She was older, of course. A young woman. She would be in her early forties, but for her that was about the same as a young twenty something for a human. But it was definitely her. He even saw a clear resemblance to her mother in her, and he wondered if the reaction of his daughter would be a foreshadowing of his wife’s reaction. He just prayed it would be a positive one.
Davis: Tenai, would you stay please. I might need you to help me in a minute.
Tenai nodded and walked over to the side staying in the room as he had been asked to do.
Serala: Ensign Pex, what is this about? Who is this man?
Pex: I don’t think it’s my place to say. He should tell you.
Davis: Yes.
Steeling himself, he reached down and turned off the holo-imaging device revealing his true appearance. That of an aged and worn human man in his late seventies. His full head of hair was snow white, and his face lined with craggy wrinkles.
Serala gasped as the device was switched off. The man before her was much older in appearance than the one she remembered, and she had been a young girl of ten when he had died, but this man greatly resembled her father. But that just couldn’t be.
Davis: Yes, Serala, it is me. Your father. Hello, my darling.
James watched his daughter struggle with the revelation for several long minutes and became considered. He remembered that she had a temper when she was young and if she hadn’t outgrown that, this could end quite badly.
Serala was stunned. For several long minutes all she could do was stare at him slack-jawed. This just couldn’t be happening. Not right now. When she finally recovered her composure enough to speak, she calmly turned to the Intelligence officer and spoke in a forced calm and quiet tone of voice.
Serala: Ensign Pex, please take T’Saara out of this room. You and I will need to have a discussion later. For now, I can’t afford to have her here.
Pex: Response?
After he had taken her daughter out, she turned to the man.
oO Calm Serala. Remain calm. Don’t kill him. Don’t. Oo
Serala: I don’t know who you are, but you are not my father. My father died thirty two years ago. You cannot possibly be him. Now, give me one good reason why I shouldn’t call Security and have you thrown into the brig?
Well, her reaction was far better than he had expected. Yet the coldness in her voice sent a shiver down his spine.
Davis: Serala, it really is me. I can understand your skepticism …
Serala: :: voice rising in anger :: Skepticism? This goes far beyond skepticism. This is a cruel joke and I will have the truth. Who are you? The truth this time or I will come out of this bed and break you in half!
Davis: Serala, calm yourself!. It is really me. I had to fake my death. But I am here now.
Serala: You had better pray to whatever gods you serve that this is just some hoax, because if you really are my father then I am going to find myself hating a man I have always admired and loved. And that is the worst thing I can think of to have happen right now.
James was dumbfounded. How could he convince her that he was really her father? And did he want to after what she had just said?
Davis: Serala -
She held up a hand to forestall him.
Serala: Leave. Get out of here.
Davis: :: pleadingly :: Serala …
Serala: OUT!
James turned and walked out, defeated. He had expected that she might not be very receptive, but this was worse than he had thought. She refused to accept him for who he was, and once she learned the truth, she was going to hate him. No girl should ever hate her father. And the knowledge that this was all because he had done what he felt he needed to do to keep his family safe made the knowledge that much worse.
Serala lay in the bed for several minutes literally shaking in rage. She tried to practice some of the calming techniques Stevok had taught her, and eventually it did help some. She was just glad Pex had taken T’Saara out as she had asked. She really needed to have a conversation with him about this.
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