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Confession is good for the soul

Posted on Sat Jan 2nd, 2021 @ 11:59pm by Lieutenant Commander Melanie D’BrooNi- Haistro & Commander Peter Horn

2,536 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Episode 2 - Echoes Of An Empire
Location: Counselling offices
Timeline: MD7 09:30

ON:

“My hosts are loud, I'm sleeping with the Captain and one of the new pilots wives thanks to Charlie thought I was having an affair with her husband, ” Mel confessed to the Vulcanoid.

"One of the wives?" Peter gave her a long look. "You mean your symbiont is loud, right? Former hosts through the symbiont, I mean? Just so I understand right..."

"Yes my hosts. The persona's of them. Its like each one actually speaks and has opinions. And they can be loud," Mel said. "I don't remember them being as loud but I think its due to me being older and joined longer. And its one of the new pilots, wife who thanks to Charlie thought I was having an affair with her husband. I wasn't. He was helping me refresh my flying skills and landings," Mel shrugged. It had been a long week.

"Except they should not be talking individually, should they?" Peter asked curiously. "How are your isoboramine levels, are they at the correct levels?" He was no medic, so the specifics on Trill biology were pretty lost on him. "How did your daughter perceive that you are having an affair with a married man? Did you not just say you are involved with the captain?"

"They have always talked individually but never as much," Mel mused. "And ones hiding something to do with Tkon. This is all new. But I'm pushing there. I want to find out what's going on." She almost pouted in annoyance.

"Yes. Keiben. Oh Peter I kissed him. I suddenly realised after the attack. If I had lost him I couldn't have bared it. I cared about him. So we started something and its so wonderful but now its a mess and I don't know why he's so upset.

And Charlie. Oh gosh such a big misunderstanding. She cottoned on I was seeing someone. And started following me. But she followed me to a flying lesson. I couldn't land the shuttle any more. I asked this new pilot to help me refresh things. I crashed a holographic shuttle more than 30 times. I used to be able to fly. Anyway he helped me and I managed it again. I was so excited, I hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. She saw that and put 2 and 2 together and got to a very bad conclusion. Followed the pilot to his quarters and then decided to take it upon herself along with someone called Minka to tell his wife I was having an affair with her husband," Mel answered his questions.

"Do you think she may have done so to protect, or even to spite you?" Peter didn't really know the daughter, if he had to be honest. Not as she was now anyway. "Have you asked her what motivated her to do as she has done?"

"Oh gosh no. Peter if she wanted to spite me she would have announced it on the bridge or something. She put it all together, got it terribly wrong and I think in some sense yes she was trying to protect me. She threatened to march the Captain down and have him order me not to see him. Called me a Harlot in-between it all though," she chuckled starting to see a slim funny side of the whole mix up. "We both know Leiko is the only Harlot blended with D'BrooNi."

That caused the counselor to chuckle, visibly more relaxed in private with his old friend than what he appeared to be in public. "Is that not what daughters are for then? To protect their mothers? How is Paddy these days? I have not heard from him in quite some time, and Tay? Seleya has mentioned him, but otherwise remains suspiciously quiet on the subject."

“Paddys actually with Tay now on Earth. He was there for precourses to the academy with a view of starting next year. He wants to do security. Ian would be proud. Tay is in year 3 and also doing security and intelligence. That is down to your affect on him the Phoenix. You do know how much he looked up to you right?”

"I remember," Peter answered with a fond smile.

“Seleya... Such a sweet girl. You also know Tay fell hook, line and sinker for your daughter right? Love at first sight at such a young age. That never changed Peter. We as a family had to move away from the Phoenix but she was always in his heart despite all the years that passed. My brother has it in his head he's going go make something of himself, worthy of her. Worthy of you, ” Mel said seriously.

"I have no doubt regarding his worth, and Seleya was broken-hearted when you had to move away. She still speaks very highly of him, and I would not be surprised if they do get together." He frowned minutely, as the memories of a future he'd experienced through Q's meddling flashed through his mind. "And I would not get in her way," he added solemnly.

Mel nodded. “It would make me very happy if they did. He didn't want to leave but mother needed us back on Trill. That turned into a long few years.” she said sadly.

"We are here now," Peter answered. "And you are chief medical officer now. I understand you have been through a great deal recently, and I am here to help you give that all a place. I am not certain how yet, but I do know we will find a way."

“I gave the pip back, ” Mel said looking tense and uncomfortable suddenly. “I lost so many people in that attack. I couldn't be promoted for that. The second he placed it on my collar it was like a weight in my neck. It's difficult Peter. I see them. I can recall any memory..., well most except this TKon stuff. So I see them. Piled up in my office. The morgue wasn't big enough.... “

Nodding, Peter reached out and placed a comforting hand on her arm. A gesture only reserved for those close to him. "We will get through this Melanie," he promised, "and if the captain thought you earned that pip, then you did. You are an excellent officer, and you deserve to be recognized for it. That attack was not your fault, it was not something you could have prevented."

“Im not having a physical reminder of it Peter. No. I try to be a good officer but they can give me that for something far more meanful at another time. I gave it Keiben back, ” she placed her hand briefly on his appreciating the comfort he was offering. “I'm perfectly in my rights to refuse promotion.”

"That you are," her old friend acknowledged, "but you also have to admit that in your long career, that promotion was well overdue. Why do you feel it is a physical reminder of what happened? For all you know this promotion was already due, and there was just no time to see to it before this tragic event."

“I don’t know. It's just bad timing I guess. It's like that pip is tainted right now, ” Mel answered honestly. “I appreciate what you're trying to do but really that promotion is the least of my worries.”

"Then tell me about your worries," Peter prompted her.

She nodded. “Okay what if I always see them. You know on my desk?

What if Charlie, next time she does something crazy the fallout is worse than a unnecessarily upset wife and me a broken clavicle? Oh she's a Cardassian hybrid. Her hormones were off the chart. I went to see her to try smooth it all. That wasn't her fault.

And... Then there's Keiben what if I've blown that? He told me to just go....

What about this attack? Who were they? Are they going to return?

And why and how do my prior hosts keep managing to hide things from me?”

That threw the freshly appointed chief counselor a little and he had to ponder on the answer. "I am not certain I understand your train of thought here Melanie. Why did the captain to tell you to go? Go where?" He paused. "I do not know who attacked this ship but I am certain that in due time we will find out. As for your hosts, have you considered that it is perhaps to protect you? To not overwhelm you and just inform you if and when information is needed?"

Mel chewed her lip. “Its not supposed to work that way. They tell you in the suitability tests and preparation for blending that you're going to share everything. I'm not aware there was a way they could withhold information but clearly the symbiosis commission are keeping that strum. It will play out I guess.

Keiben was upset I hadn't told Charlie about us yet. When I stayed back after....the promotion it turned into well I don’t know. He shared some personal things about his past, told me he considered Charlie the closest thing to a daughter to him and I felt he was pushing me to do something before I was ready to. He was upset, I was upset and when I explained I would but it needed to be the right time... There's a memorial coming up. I wanted that out the way, he told me to go.”

“I wasn't completely honest with him though, ” she confessed.

"How long have you and Captain Keiben been involved?" It felt a little like prying but he needed to understand the precedence that was being described here. "And why did you elect not to be honest with him?"

“Its recent but he was always a close friend before they made him captain. He's been wonderful since Ian passed. He worked with him a little when we first joined the crew of this ship. Ian liked him. I.. I think I've liked him a long time but it took contemplating what if I had lost Keiben too in the attack to make me brave enough to make a move beyond friendship.

I didn't really elect to be dishonest. I just didn't offer it or fully realise till I did speak with Charlie. I was being selfish Peter. I was enjoying myself. I was suddenly more than just mum or ships doctor. It was exciting and wonderful. Someone cared about me again and despite the attack and the fallout I was beginning to feel like well... Me again. I was enjoying having him to myself.”

"There is nothing selfish about wanting to be yourself." He offered her a kind look. "There is also nothing selfish about wanting some joy out of life. Ian would want you to be happy, would he not? Have you considered speaking with the captain, and resolve your issue with him? Just explain how you felt, and what you are and are not yet ready for. Especially with a teenage child, I assume new relationships can be challenging."

Now he offered a wry smile. "Of course, I have no basis here as I have Harley and we have been married for over eighteen years now. But I do have teenage children as well, four of them, if you recall. So I do understand some of your struggle."

“I'm sure Keiben and I will talk again. As hurtful as it felt in the moment he clearly needed some space at that point. He shouldn't have an issue now though, Charlie knows now.

When she accused me of the affair... Oh if I wasn't so mortified right now it would be amusing. I thought she knew it was Keiben I was seeing until she uttered the sentence “ “You’re going to end it or I’m going to go tell Keiben and get him to order you not to see him.”

“Yes teenagers, ” she agreed with him.

"But do you and him have a formal relationship? If not... then is it not your affair who you do and do not see?" He arched an eyebrow at her. "It is not your daughter's affair, who you see, is it?"

“I think it's too soon to put a label on it, ” Mel said. “I mean if I am honest that might be another reason I hadn't told her. We are still figuring it out. Though I assume if he wanted Charlie to know so badly he wants to make it more formal. I certainly hope so.

Oh it's definitely not her business who I decide to see but I would rather it be someone she likes. She's certainly a consideration but in this case she was telling me to end it as she thought I was seeing a married man and quite rightly that's not acceptable,” Mel said firmly.

“Speak for yourself, ” Leiko rang out in her head.

"Well... I would agree that seeing someone else's spouse is somewhat of a no," Peter mused, "and I would find it equally uncomfortable if someone were after me, or my wife to pursue a relationship. So I do understand her point of view. Are you going to speak to the captain regarding your pending relationship? I do recommend that you do, sooner rather than later."

“I'm going to wait for him to come to me when he's ready. He's got enough on too, suddenly being in the centre chair. And he's dealing with the aftermath of the attack as well. In don't want to put any additional pressure on him, ” she said.

Peter nodded. "That might not be a bad idea," he agreed, "so we go back to the other issue... bodies on your desk?"

Mel swallowed. “In the attack, we lost a lot of people. The morgue was full. We didn't have time to find anywhere else as all who were left in medical. We were trying to save the next one. A lot ended up in my office stacked, ” she said quietly.

“I see them Peter, ” she burst into tears. “D’BrooNi can suppress the memories, soften them... But I still see them. Every day, if I have to be in that office.”

Taken aback briefly by the burst of emotion, Peter allowed her a moment to recollect herself. "Of course you see them," he finally said, "and it is likely that you will for some time. But you need to give it a place, accept that it happened and that there was nothing you could have done. This was the most dignified way to keep them, was it not? Would you rather, they had been transported into space?"

Mel hadn’t considered that but nodded quickly. “I see your point.”

She just didn’t want to deal with it yet. It was weird she could open up about Charlie and Keiben but this ... this was too upsetting still. “Look I need to go sort things. Schools nearly done. Next session yes, ill make an appointment.”

She was up out her seat and out the door.

Peter sighed and watched her leave. He would contact her later as he had a possible solution for her. Except, this would be a friend's solution, not a professional one.

OFF:

 

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