Lieutenant Commander Talia Ohnari ~ What are we going to do?
Roxanna Dorion
((Indulgence of Chocolate-Coated Jama’haron - "The Dairy Godmother"))
So, he had finally asked the question. She had given him the answer she gave everyone. And...a little bit more.
C. Dewitt: :barely a whisper:: The Ferengi…?
She mimed zipping her lips and locking them. Truth be told, it was mostly Amelia. Talia had no idea how Amelia accessed what she had, but considering it was in service of their children? She decided not to be too concerned.
Yet.
C. Dewitt: I’m not going to ask how you convinced him. ::pause:: But I’m impressed.
The flustered Ferengi was a sight she would never unsee. The old adage about never getting between a mother and child had never been as on point as when the two women teamed up to protect their progeny.
Ohnari: Wherever they are...I have a feeling they will be ok.
C. Dewitt: He’s resourceful. Tori is, too. ::a pause:: They had to be.
Both had been raised in the last vestiges of the Federation, and even that seemed to be fading fast. Of course they risked so much to try and stop it. And hopefully, they had.
C. Dewitt: With Tori involved, they’re probably halfway to the Gamma Quadrant by now. Or running a small shipping empire under assumed names.
Ohnari: ::humorless laugh:: Well, better than being in a temporal office for an eternity. ::quietly:: I know it doesn't make any sense but...I miss him. And her. I wish we had...I don't know, more time?
Her throat got tight. It was hard to think about Kael and not become emotional. She also wondered what her future timeline counterpart was feeling. She lost Kael too. And unlike current Talia, she had known him his whole life. The loss she was feeling had to be a mere fraction of what the alternate timeline parents were experiencing.
Tori had lost her Amelia. Maybe Kael had lost both his parents and decided against sharing that part. They would never know.
C. Dewitt: It makes sense. He was our son. However briefly. ::beat:: We met a version of our son who survived something we didn’t. ::another beat:: More time would not have made it easier to let him go. It probably would have hurt differently.
Ohnari: ::sighing heavily:: He is our son. And also practically a stranger. But you are right. Had we had more time? I wouldn't have been able to let him go.
She would stand in front of the entire temporal regulations department and dare anyone to touch him. So, it was clearly best for all involved that the two had slipped away, unnoticed.
C. Dewitt: It can’t be easy for them either. Leaving their parents behind. For a second time.
A wave of grief radiated from Connor. He didn't get to say goodbye to Kael, and he lost his own father.
C. Dewitt: No matter how old you are… that doesn’t get simple.
Ohnari: I'm so sorry about your father, Connor.
It wasn't enough, and at the same time? Far too much. No words in any language appropriately conveyed the loss of a parent. The unnatural reality where one half of the duo had brought you into being...suddenly wasn't. Her vocation had her up close and personal with loss. And he was correct, it never became simple.
C. Dewitt: I’m glad you’re here, Talia.
She linked her arm through his, and gave him a reassuring squeeze.
Ohnari: I'm glad you're here too, Connor. ::laying her head back on his shoulder:: You really are going to make a great first officer.
She meant it. Maybe something about engineers and attention to detail. Or maybe it had just been these engineers. Either way, as much of a gut punch it would be to lose Nolen, there wasn't anyone she could see filling his position as efficiently.
C. Dewitt: Don’t let me get too dramatic about it.
Ohnari: ::snorting, with a grin:: Oh you know I'm here to keep you humble.
Connor chuckled. He laughed now....
C. Dewitt: You know we could have Nolen over for the weekends.
A surprised bark of laughter escaped.
Ohnari: Brilliant, we'll tell Sturgis we have joint-custody.
C. Dewitt: Response
She blew out a breath, slow and steady. It was mostly effective in staving off the wave of tears.
Ohnari: Honestly? I'm terrified. After the battle....You know how bad it got. How bad it could have gotten...::her voice became strained:: Don't let me fall back into that....
Saying it outloud made it ever more real. After the attack, the majority of the Isles were walking, gaping wounds of PTSD. Every time she closed her eyes, she was back in the trauma bay, fighting against the worst weapons the Lattice Alliance had unleashed. And if it wasn't that, it was the silence of the morgue. It was overflowing and beyond capacity.
In order to keep herself going, she and many like her, had taken to self-medicating. It was a dangerous slope, and thankfully, one she avoided careening down. But, barely.
C. Dewitt: Response
Ohnari: No, and you can't tell him either. He has enough to think about. ::scoffing:: Besides, how selfish would it be of me to make his transfer somehow about me?
C. Dewitt: Response
Ohnari: ::snorting:: That is brilliant. A Nolen-shaped body pillow.
It had been a joke....But now, she was absolutely going to nab one of his shirts. She could put it over the pillow he always used when they slept in her quarters.
She had to pivot, she knew he was losing his best friend, but she had been shoving frozen confections down her throat to stop the ever increasing ache in her chest. It wasn't kind, but it was also necessary.
Ohnari: So Ayemet...are things....um...unless you don't want to talk about it....
C. Dewitt: Response
TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant Commander Talia Ohnari, MD
Chief Medical Officer
USS Khitomer
C239205ME0