From: Christine Fontaine 
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1997 22:05:19 -0500
Subject: USS CHESAPEAKE: Almost aboard...

SD 90227.2204
MD 01.1030
Scene: SB DELTA
Dr. Catherine Ledoux left Admiral Jokinen's office in a daze, nearly losing 
the grip she had on the PADD that contained her jacket and transfer orders.  
Taking in a deep breath in an effort to centre herself, the vet felt numb, 
as if this was all a dream, and none of it was really happening.  Any minute 
now she'd wake up to find herself wrapped lovingly in Rich's arms and feel 
the warm comfort of his solid presence next to her.  Closing her eyes, 
Catherine slowly exhaled, and it seemed as if she could feel Rich's warm, 
soft lips pressing against hers.  The fantasy was seductive, and Catherine 
found herself pulled deeper into the enticing reverie.
A loud curse startled the vet, causing her to spook like a high-strung 
Thoroughbred filly.  Dropping the PADD that she had been holding, the sound 
of it impacting the floor struck Catherine like a physical blow.  Suddenly, 
reality returned full force and she closed her eyes once again, this time in 
an effort to block the tears that were threatening.  As Catherine bent down 
to retrieve the fallen PADD, her sapphire eyes caught a glimpse of the 
orders inscribed upon the PADD.  Those words only served to punctuate the 
harsh reality of her current situation.  Rich was gone.  They were no longer 
aboard the REGENT.  She was alone.  She was alone...
This time, Catherine couldn't hold back the tears, and a few salty droplets 
escaped from the corners of her eyes, whose telltale tracks she quickly 
wiped away.  Would the tears ever stop? she wondered.  Would the pain ever end?
Absently, the fingers of Catherine's free hand strayed to her uniform 
collar.  Next to the two familiar solid pips was nestled a third pip, this 
one hollow, its contours feeling unfamiliar beneath the vet's fingertips. 
Lieutenant Commander.  Catherine shook her head, loose curls cascading down 
her back, hardly believing that it was possible.  Imagine, people addressing 
*her* as Commander?  The very thought was almost laughable.  But the pip's 
very real presence on her collar confirmed that she had not been dreaming, 
her promotion was real.
Catherine's new rank brought her no joy, however.  Somehow, the vet thought 
that she should be happy, she should be pleased, but taking any pride or 
satisfaction in the promotion was far beyond her at the moment.  If she had 
remained aboard the REGENT, she would have likely remained a Lieutenant for 
the rest of her career, and  she would have been perfectly content with 
that.  Catherine, unlike many Starfleet officers, had no ambitions for 
command.  All that she had wanted out of life, she had had:  the love of the 
most incredibly amazing man in the entire universe.  Yes, she still had his 
love, and he was more than worth the pain of separation, but still it hurt, 
it hurt so much.  Catherine pressed her lips firmly together, struggling to 
keep a tight rein on her emotions.
In a sudden revelation Catherine realized that she now bore the same rank as 
Rich, Lieutenant Commander.  Blinking back tears, the vet fondly remembered 
how Rich had loved teasing her about the fact that he out-ranked her.  While 
*she* might be older, *he* was her superior officer.  When he had started 
teasing her like that, an infectious grin dancing about his lips, Catherine 
had usually resorted to tickling as her only retort.
Fighting to keep the tears at bay, Catherine forcefully tried to push the 
memories to the back of her mind, locking them away, where they could not 
disturb her fragile equilibirum.  Everything seemed to remind her of Rich, 
and every thought of Rich brought an aching loneliness that threatened to 
set Catherine crying again.
Perhaps she could put on a mask, assume a role, and pretend that she was 
just some character in one of the theatrical productions she had taken part 
in.  Someone bubbly and cheery, like the ditzy Nellie Forbush, from the 
musical _South Pacific_.  One small problem though:  Catherine didn't feel 
bubbly or cheery enough to pull it off.  The mere thought of one of Nellie's 
songs, "Cockeyed Optimist" was enough to cause the vet to cringe.  No, she 
couldn't go around pretending that everything was all right when it felt as 
if her world was coming apart at the seams.
Sighing, Catherine knew that she was over-reacting, yet again.  Emotional 
control was one of those things she was perpetually "working on" it seemed.  
Counselling appointments, which had been regular at Starfleet Academy, had 
become close to non-existant aboard the REGENT, mainly because Catherine had 
felt very uncomfortable around the REGENT's half-Betazoid counsellor.  
Catherine preferred keeping her thoughts to herself, thank you very much, 
and she didn't like the thought of someone rummaging around in her mind.  
Rich had become her confidant aboard the REGENT, someone in whom she could 
confide, and share all of her innermost thoughts, hopes and dreams.  
Trembling slightly, Catherine's throat became tight.  Rich.  Again.  It 
seemed that no matter what, her thoughts always returned to Rich.
Such thoughts were only natural though, weren't they?  After all, they were 
in love, and not a single moment passed in which they weren't in each others 
heart and in each others soul.  One's thoughts were naturally gravitate 
towards one's true love, would they not?  Another tear escaped Catherine's 
tenuous control, and this one she did not bother to wipe away.
Arriving at the transient quarters she had secured for herself, Catherine 
keyed open the door, which slid open with a low hiss.  Carefully stepping 
forward, the vet expected to be assaulted by her two energetic felines, and 
was rather disappointed when they didn't put in their expected appearance.  
Sighing, Catherine realized that they were probably asleep, curled up 
together in a corner somewhere.  Almost flinging the PADD she was still 
holding down on the room's desk, the vet flung herself onto the bed as her 
dam of self-control finally crumbled.  Allowing her emotions free rein, 
Catherine wept until she could cry no more.

Respectfully submitted,
Chris Fontaine
Lieutenant Commander Catherine Ledoux, DVM
Chief Medical Officer
USS CHESAPEAKE

<< NRPG >>
Hello all!
Nothing but gratuitous character development. 
Yes, Catherine does have a tendency to be over-emotional (as you'll see in 
her bio ) but, as someone with experience in a long-distance relationship, 
I know how painful the separation can be.  So, I don't think what she's 
experiencing is exaggerated, for someone who is as sensitive and as emotional 
as Catherine is.  There are also some other factors at work - some character 
development stuff that's been in the works for a while, so you'll just hvae 
to wait to find out what happens. 
I will get Catherine actually aboard the ship in my next post - I promise! 
TTYL!
Chris - who will get Catherine to sickbay - eventually... 

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