"Heart to Heart"
Previous was "A Little Spying Amongst Friends"
-----------------------
Stardate: 60328.0800
"Operations?" Susan leaned in across the table to her friend, not sure
she had heard correctly.
Lea smiled and took a sip of her mint tea "That's what I said."
Susan propped her head up on one hand and stared at Lea until the CMO
flung her arms out in exasperation, "I'm not lying to you! Serenna said that,
since there isn't going to be much for me to do in sickbay, I would
need something else to keep me occupied..." she grinned, "Hope you aren't
jealous?"
Susan knew she wasn't serious and laughed. She had done Operations as
an Academy minor - under her father's instruction - and had hated every
minute of it. "Goodness, no!" She took a sip of her own tea before stating,
"I'm probably going to have my hands full with David anyway. How is he?"
Lea smiled, "Getting better by the minute. I'll be lucky to find him in
sickbay when I get back."
It had been an effort for Susan to get Lea away from David's side for
breakfast, but she was glad she had. She was also glad to get off the
ANUBIS for a few minutes, or at least out of her quarters, office, sickbay and
Black Hole as they seemed to be the only places she visited recently.
It was good to sit and talk about normal things again - or at least as normal
as things got in Intel. Lea had told her all that she had learned about
the HATHOR and to Susan it sounded like the perfect shoreleave - except
that it wasn't on shore and she wasn't on leave. Nevertheless, it sounded a
whole lot less risky than TANGIERS ORBITAL. There was just one question that
she had to ask, "So it's only members of the senior staff?"
Lea nodded, "I'm not becoming an Ops officer for my health." she joked.
"Why do you ask?"
Susan sighed and looked down at her cup, "Remember when the Cardassians
rammed us and we found that man trapped under a pillar?"
Lea nodded slowly, not sure what that had to do with anything.
"Well..." Susan said, "he was married and his wife came for counseling.
Only... she's in denial and seems to have adopted me as a kind of
surrogate."
"Husband?" Lea asked.
Susan couldn't help but smile at the thought, "no... I don't know.
Daughter, I suppose."
"And she's stalking you?" Lea seemed to be trying to contain laughter,
aware of how serious the situation could actually be.
"No!" Susan declared, "No... at least I don't think so" she looked
thoughtful, "I've never been stalked before."
"Well, what has she done? Does she follow you around?" Lea looked around the quiet coffee shop nervously.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Susan pulled Lea's attention back to their table, giggling and hoping that she *was* actually being ridiculous.
"Well, what *has she done?" Lea asked.
"Made me breakfast." Susan admitted.
Lea's eyes widened, "Now *I'm* jealous."
"And cake."
The doctor smiled "Even better."
"And coffee when I woke up with a hangover."
"Wise woman" Lea said, nodding and taking a sip of her tea.
"Yes." Susan said, not sure if she should tell Lea about the photographic memory. She decided on a compromise. "But she shouldn't have been in my quarters when I woke up with that hangover. She kind of moved in."
This really took Lea by surprise, "Moved in?"
Susan hurriedly explained the story about the re-location after the MERCURY crew joined the crew. When she had finished, Lea looked thoughtful, "Sounds plausible."
"That's just it." Susan stated, "It is plausible... and I do feel sorry
for her... but..."
"It's kind of creepy too." Lea finished for her.
And she didn't even know about the photographic memory.
The counselor shrugged, "I want to support her, but I'm not sure that
my support is what she needs at the moment. It feels as if I'm aiding her
in her denial... I guess my time on the HATHOR will be good for both of
us."
"You might find you actually miss her." Lea said, half joking.
"You'd be surprised." Susan admitted quietly, think of how much she
still missed her father, even though he could be so stubborn and
disagreeable.
--------------- 2005 post #482
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, a coffee shop
Tallulah Habib {thabib@eject.co.za}
Ensign Susan Mei
Head Counselor
USS ANUBIS
---------------
"Life is mostly froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another's trouble,
Courage in your own." - Adam Lindsay Gordon
