From: Christine Fontaine
Date: Sat, 22 Mar 1997 17:55:36 -0500
Subject: USS CHESAPEAKE: Realization
SD 90322.1753
MD 03.2010
Scene: USS CHESAPEAKE: CMO's Quarters
Lieutenant Commander Catherine Ledoux returned to her quarters in a very
thoughtful mood. Something that Commander Brennan - Daniel - had said had
really hit home. Contemplating his words, Catherine could hear them echoing
softly in her mind: "you are both very lucky people. To love, and be
loved...."
Those words had struck a chord that continued to resonate, forcing Catherine
to reflect upon her recent behaviour. Yes, she *was* lucky, very lucky. No,
not only lucky, but blessed. To have the love of such an incredibly
wonderful man such as Rich, well, she was incredibly fortunate. And here
she had been, languishing in self pity, focusing on what she had lost,
instead of keeping in mind what was important: the love that she did have.
Catherine realized that she had been acting like a fool; she had been
letting her negative emotions run away with her. Again. Instead of
treasuring the thoughts of Rich and his love, she had been mourning the fact
that they were no longer lving and working together. After all, she hadn't
lost Rich, they were just physically separated for the time being. They
would be together again someday, they had made that promise to each other.
Catherine now realized that she needed to cherish the memories, and hold
tight to them, until she and Rich were together again. Thoughts of Rich
should conjure smiles, not tears.
Smiling now, as she thought of her love, Catherine had to admit to herself
that it still hurt. Being apart from Rich left an empty space inside her
that nothing else could fill. But Rich was more than worth the pain of
separation. Rich was more than worth the wait. Knowing that she had his
friendship and his love made everything else possible.
She was blessed. The love that she and Rich shared was a priceless
treasure, a precious gift, to be cherished and honoured. Rich and his love
meant everything to Catherine, and Catherine and her love meant everything
to Rich. They were soul-mates, kindred spirits, they were meant to be
together.
Even so, they each still had their own lives.
And Catherine had to live hers.
Which was why she hadn't resigned her commission and followed Rich back home
to England when he had been called back to Earth for a family emergency.
Not that she hadn't been tempted. Oh, she had wanted to leave with him so
badly. But, as Rich had said, and as she had realized, she had her own life
to live. While Rich meant everything to her, she couldn't base her life
solely upon him. It was unhealthy to depend on someone so much that you
couldn't live without them. Catherine valued her independence, and Rich
valued it too. Which is why she was here, and he was on Earth, each of them
living their own lives, yet looking forward to the day when they would be
together again.
With a warm smile painted on her lips Catherine realized that as long as
Rich was in her thoughts and in her heart, they were never really separted
at all. They were always together, united by their bond of love, a bond
that could never be sundered. For the first time in several days Catherine
truly felt lucky. She and Rich were truly blessed.
With a little shake of her head, Catherine came out of her reverie, as if
she were breaking the still surface of a smooth lake after a long,
refreshing dive. As her long, loose curls tumbled down her back, she
blinked her eyes a few times, letting her room come back into focus.
Immediately the blinking message light on her terminal attracted her
attention. Deciding that she might as well check her messages and get that
task over and done with, the vet walked over to her desk, a new lightness in
her step.
As Catherine sat down and began scrolling through the list, one message in
particular caught her eye. As a bright smile lit up her face, a smile that
even reached her deep blue eyes, Catherine eagerly called up the message.
It was from Rich.
My Dearest Catherine,
Happy Birthday my love! :) I'm sorry that I can't be with you on this
special day, but remember that you are always in my thoughts. I love you,
Catherine. You mean everything to me.
I miss you terribly, my love, but I know that we will be together again
soon. I will write as often as I can, but it's not easy sending messages
from here. Hopefully once things have settled down, it will be a little
easier to get messages to you. Perhaps we could even arrange a real-time
link or holo-connection...
As Catherine continued to read the message, her beautiful face alight with a
glorious smile, tears began to well in her sapphire blue eyes.
This time, they were tears of joy.
Respectfully submitted,
Chris Fontaine
LCDR Catherine Ledoux, DVM
Chief Medical Officer
USS CHESAPEAKE
<< NRPG >>
Yes, Catherine is coming to accept the fact that she and Rich are no longer
physically together. I had planned on getting her to this point soon, but
her conversation with Brennan helped her to realize how lucky she is right
now.
Takako: Thanks. :) Excellent job with Catherine. :)
Masako: Thank you as well. :)
TTYL!
Chris
***********************************************************************
* Chris Fontaine * "If I waited for perfection... *
* cfontain@uoguelph.ca * I would never write a word." *
* http://www.uoguelph.ca/~cfontain/ * - Margaret Atwood - *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* LCDR Catherine Marie Ledoux, DVM, CMO, USS CHESAPEAKE, NCC-31813 *
* LCDR StarSong to-Ennien, MD, PhD, COUNS, USS LEVIATHAN, NCC-25002 *
* RADM FireSong to-Vensre, MD, ALB Adjutant, Armstrong Lunar Base *
***********************************************************************
Go to messages for
March 1997 or Main Archive Page