[Backsim] [JP] LtCmdrs Adea, Reynolds, Marshall - Good Morning, Sunshine (Part I)
Jo Marshall
((Outside Jo & Erin’s Shared Quarters))
::If there was one universal truth following a wedding, it was that someone, somewhere caused trouble. Thankfully, the only issues Jo had were remnant slivers of sleep invading her eye sockets as she moved lethargically through the shared quarters to where the coffee granting replicator sat flush inside the wall cavity. She already missed the spacious bed of the Castle from the night before. The Germans knew how to do breakfast to excess.
::Half asleep, with a neck that wanted to crack and pop in all directions, she prodded her finger into the controls of the replicator and covered a barely stifled yawn with the back of her hand. Only, the final input didn’t happen. The door buzzed loudly, the sound echoing around the room, and Jo jumped out of her skin.
::Genkos had checked her schedule, and Erin should be free. Eventually, the door swished open and Jo faced him. He swooped in for a hug, his cane dangling loosely from one hand.::
Adea: Jo! Hello!
::Faced with an armful of lean Doctor and dark hair first thing, Jo defaulted to zombie mode — like a deer in the headlights of a forlorn and bottle carrying Doctor — and issued a lazy pat on his back with her palm until he released her.::
Marshall: Hey, ‘Kos. ::Another yawn shunted into the elbow crease.:: How’s it going?
Adea: I’m very well, or rather, ::he gestured to the bottle,:: I will be. Is Erin in, and can I offer you both a drink? I have a Deep and Meaningful Discussion to have with you both.
Marshall: She should be, unless she’s beamed out mid-snore. ::With a nod of her head, she gestured inside the living space and stepped out of the doorway.:: In you come.
::He stepped inside with some deference to his host.::
Adea: I am having boy troubles.
::Jo lifted her chin slightly, with a raise of the eyebrows as if to convey that she absolutely knew what he was talking about, but of course, did not. A roll of the eyes and a shake of the head, she pointed to the replicator.::
Marshall: Coffee black for me. Get what you want. ::Her eyes widened for a second as they became accustomed to being open and a finger scratched at her forehead.:: You’ll know what Erin likes. I’ll go wake up Sleeping Beauty.
::Genkos nodded sheepishly and walked over to the replicator, ordering three black coffees. He'd never had a coffee before, but he'd heard Jo extoll its virtues many, many times.::
Adea: I apologise for barging in like this, you really don't have to wake her. I didn't realise the time.
Marshall: You’re in luck, ‘cause neither does she. ::She chuckled and drummed lazy fingers on the outer edge of the archway to their bedroom.:: Two minutes. Make yourself comfortable. You’ve been here enough times now.
Adea: ::He smirked.:: That's true…
::He dropped heavily into a thick armchair after depositing the coffees on the table that apparently humans had designed specifically for the beverage. He leaned back and felt his eyes well up with tears. Rubbing them with the back of his hands, he pushed that sadness down and tried to focus on the mere fact that he had such friends. But that made him well up even more…
::Meanwhile, Jo had slipped through to the couple’s bedroom, and, with a gentle prod in one hybrid Deltan’s kidney, was in the process of waking Erin from the land of slumber and silence. She dropped down beside her and shuffled sleeping curved legs up toward the centre of the mattress. Even asleep, the woman looked as beautiful as ever, and Jo watched as she started to come around. The wonder of shore leave still in full swing, Jo had been meaning to grab a drink and go back to bed — a hope seemingly dashed now — but Genkos was in need, and who was she to argue with the guy who had a carbon copy of her partner in his brain?::
Marshall: ‘Kos is in the living room. ::Spoken softly as the Deltan began to stir.:: He’s got some boy trouble. Sounds pretty serious.
::A sigh born of ages escaped from underneath the duvet, a tangled blonde head and bleary hazel eyes emerging shortly afterwards. With an incoherent grumble, Erin pushed herself up and yawned, running a hand through her hair. It felt like only yesterday that Genkos had decided, full of hope and optimism, to pursue his old flame. Now it looked like the fire had sputtered out — or flashed over, consuming everything in its path.::
E. Reynolds: So soon? ::Rubbing her eyes, she nodded.:: I'll be out in a minute.
Marshall: No rush. I’ll keep him entertained.
::With a drop of her head, Jo placed a chaste kiss to the woman’s shoulder, and with a soft pat to her partner’s warm waist, she pushed herself up. Arms stretched above her head, then behind her back, she shuffled through to the living room in her bunny slippers, aiming a double set of finger guns to Genkos.::
Marshall: The Doctor will be with you shortly, Doctor. Where’s the coffee?
::Genkos gestured to the trio of mugs sat on the coffee table, each filled with the bitter, dark drink that she so favoured.::
Adea: On this table that you have specially designed for just such mugs. ::He raised an eyebrow,:: Are you allowed to put non-coffee on a coffee table?
::He picked up his own coffee and took a sip. He was glad he didn't take it black — it was bad enough with cow milk and sucrose. Jo, however, picked it up possibly quicker than anything she’d ever done before and cradled it like a newborn child… if one would cradle a child like a mug.::
Marshall: This one’s allowed tea.
Adea: ::He heaved a sigh of relief.:: Oh thank the Gods ::He stood up and got himself some uttaberry tea as a cover for the tears streaming down his face:: So… did you enjoy the wedding?
Marshall: I did. ::Said post sip of steaming java.:: The ceremony was beautiful. I swear Walter got a tear in his eye, but I’ll never know for sure, and hell will freeze over before he’ll tell me. ::She exhaled a laugh through her nose, and perched on the arm of the sofa.:: How about you? Get a dance or two in with Ghant?
::Genkos leaned heavily on the replicator and let out a bark of laughter. This was followed by another and then another and another until he was in hysterics. His shoulders shook with the laughter that rapidly turned into wracking sobs. He turned around and shrugged at Jo, showing his palms to her. One of which was still scarred from the shattered glass.::
Adea: Yeah, no, I didn't get a dance. I got a show though — walked in on Ghant and Caedan together yesterday. Oh, boy, I just jumped right in there didn't I?
::If Genkos had decided to strip off there and then in full display of everything his Betazoid mother gave him, Jo would’ve been less shocked. Mug poised halfway between chest and mouth, she brought it down to her lap as her lips opened and closed, completely bereft of the right words to say.::
Marshall: Wait…. ::A penny dropped from a great, great height.:: Caedan… and Ghant? Your Ghant?
::A derisive snort emanated from Genkos' nose as he walked back to the armchair.::
Adea: He's not my Ghant... at least, ::he teared up,:: not any more. Not after that…
::Genkos sat, placing his tea gently on the now tea table. He wiped his eyes on the back of his hands, and looked up at Jo.::
Adea: I'm sorry to spring this on you… I didn't know who to turn to.
Marshall: Yeah… Seems like… a bit of a shock. ::She forced her eyes back to normal from their dinner plate width and cleared her throat to knock herself out of the stare.:: And I thought the water on Trill was tainted.
Adea: ::A small humourless exhalation came from his nose.:: Ah Trill. I wish we were there right now. It was like the bottom fell out of my world. We were fighting and then suddenly he's doing the first man he sees. Totally uncalled for, unfair and frankly undeserved.
::Jo looked down at the coffee mug in her hands and nodded, blowing out a sigh from puffed up cheeks. It stung a bit — hearing Caedan referred to as “the first man” Ghant found, as though the Rodulan wasn’t the special rarity he was — obviously not nearly as much as it would be to find them in the midst of it, and Genkos did not deserve that in the least. Her eyes flicked to the arch leading toward the bedroom, then up to the dark-haired Doctor.::
Marshall: Do you need a hug? You look like you do.
::Genkos looked up from his hands which he had been focusing on intensely and nodded a barely perceptible nod.::
Adea: ::Almost inaudibly,:: Yes, please.
::Mug on the table, coffee abandoned for a singular purpose, Jo crossed to the Doctor and wrapped her arms around his middle. Her chin rested on his shoulder as she squeezed his midriff with all the warmth and affection she could muster in the early morning for one going through a hardship.::
Marshall: Who needs boys anyway. ::She rubbed his back, patting between his shoulder blades in gentle taps.:: They smell funny.
TBC
--
Lt. Commander Genkos Adea MD
Chief Medical Officer
USS Gorkon
G239502GS0
&
Lt. Commander Jocelyn Marshall
Executive Officer
USS Gorkon
G239304JM0
&
Chief Science Officer
USS Gorkon
T238401QR0