The treasure of friendship.

Posted on Tue Nov 17th, 2020 @ 7:58pm by Lieutenant Commander Alicia Kelea-Salik & Lieutenant Tate Sullivan Ph.D.

Mission: Season 4: Episode 2: Rest And Relaxation
Location: Alicia and Savar’s Quarters on Pacifica
Timeline: Current
1929 words - 3.9 OF Standard Post Measure

{ON}

After seeing to the patients in the main infirmary, Tate wanted to check in with Alicia. as a colleague and fellow counselor, Tate wanted Alicia to know she didn't have to worry about things within the counseling department or the crew in general.

Having reached out ahead of time to make sure Alicia was up for visitors, Tate pressed the door chime and waited, caring a basket of goodies in her other hand.

Alicia was sitting on the sofa, she had a comfy pillow behind her back and a soft blanket over her legs. Connor was sleeping peacefully in a cot in the bedroom where it was quieter. When the door chime rang she looked towards the door “Come in”

The doors opens in response to Alicia's command and Tate entered, a bit hesitantly. She wanted to check on Alicia, but wasn't sure she should've come by without checking first. "It's just me. Is this an OK time?"

“Sure come on in Tate!” Alicia smiled warmly, “Come on over and make yourself comfortable.” She motioned to any of the available seats. “It’s good to see you.”

Tate smiled warmly and as she approached, she held up her basket of goodies. "I didn't want to disturb you, I wanted to check on you. I brought chicken soup, some crackers, orange juice for the morning and chocolate chip muffins. The soup and OJ are good we're helping you feel better physically and the chocolate chip muffins are good for you emotionally," Sullivan added with a chuckle.

“Yummy!” Alicia grinned. “Thank you Tate it’s very kind of you to think of me. Just pop them on the table and I’ll sort them out in a little while. I’m going to enjoy those muffins no end!”

Sullivan's smile widened as she did as Alicia had requested. Taking a seat across from her, she offered sincerely, "I won't keep you, but I thought I'd check in and see how you were. It occurs to me, sometimes were so busy taking care of everyone else, we can forget to take care of each other. How are you holding up?"

“Better now thankfully” Alicia smiled. “Savar has been taking extra good care of me since events of the mirror universe. He’s very attentive.”

"I wouldn’t worry about you if you enjoyed it," Tate answered with a chuckle. "I'm glad to hear you're being taken care of. One of the perks of married life, I suppose."

“Actually I err ... have some news to tell you.” She grinned. “I’m pregnant! Around twelve weeks now. I didn’t get a chance to tell you before.”

"That's fantastic," Tate replied, genuinely excited. She reached out to hug Alicia. This was the kind of news that called for it. "It's a big step, but know I will support both of you however I can."

“Thank you Tate” Alicia smiled warmly. “My last pregnancy ended in disaster” she paused. “Losing Kal resulted in me losing my baby, so I’m looking forward to having another chance.”

"I'm so sorry. That must've been incredibly painful," Tate replied sincerely. It didn't surprise Sullivan Alicia would share information about her past, but it meant a lot to her she would share something that wasn't accessible to Tate in her standard personnel file. She would never share it with Alicia, but given the mass trauma the entire crew had experienced while fighting for their lives with the mirror universe Elysium, it wouldn't surprise her if all of them had experienced physiological changes because of prolonged exposure to trauma and stress hormones. She had to wonder how that would impact everyone's health, including Alicia's pregnancy.

Alicia nodded. “It was an incredibly huge blow, so much so I ...” She motioned to the old scars on her wrists. “At the time it seemed the universe was ending and I couldn’t face it anymore. But now ... I not only have little Connor but my own baby too!”

As Alicia gestured to show Tate her wrists, Sullivan was surprised to see the scars but such a personal disclosure spoke to Alicia's confidence as a professional and as a woman. "It's amazing how life can come full circle, isn't it? I realize life has probably changed for you quite a bit since then, but I also know with two children, that's a lot of additional stress on top of a Starfleet career. If you need any help, either personally or just with the department, as I said, you can count on me. I know pregnancy can be rough at times, especially in the beginning."

“I have been feeling pretty rough I’ll admit, I think it’s slowly starting to wear off now though.” Alicia sighed but offered a smile. “Still it’s all part and parcel of being pregnant and I’m not complaining.”

Tate smiled. "Well, I am no doctor, but I think by now I've taken enough first aid courses and basic medical training to know a little something about pregnancy. From what I understand, ginger helps ease nausea. I'm sure the replicator could do a semi-decent job, but how about I get to the mess and bring you some? Also, I can help with the morning meetings on days when you're not feeling up to it and need some time to get going. I promise, I'm not trying to treat you like an invalid, just give you a little extra support."

Alicia smiled warmly. “I know you’re not trying to treat me that way Tate, I’m thankful for the offer. There are going to be times I’m going to need you to take my place on the bridge or in meetings. It’ll be nice to have you there to rely on.”

Tate chuckled. "Sorry, I guess I forgot whom I was speaking to. So much of the crew is incredibly strong, but sometimes, I think they're a little bit too strong, afraid to show any sort of vulnerability, so I think I inevitably anticipate such a response and try to counter it." She paused, somewhat hesitant, then offered, "I was recently interviewed by the ship's reporter, and one of the questions and my answer got me thinking about my own life. This may sound a bit crazy, particularly given what you've just told me, but I started thinking about what has brought me joy in all this craziness, and I kept coming back to those times when I was present in the infirmary during emergencies and I saw the births of children. it goes without saying they were something to celebrate and as I'm sure you understand, we are all searching for things to bring us joy after everything we've suffered, but more than that, I want to continue to grow as a professional. I'm thinking of expanding my medical knowledge in a more formal way, perhaps some nursing courses with an emphasis in obstetrics and pediatric nursing. Give it to me straight, counselor," she added with a grin. "Am I nuts?"

“You most certainly are not nuts!” Alicia grinned. “I think it’s a wonderful idea. I can’t think of anyone better to be there for women and children in need. In fact would you consider being my other birth partner? To be there for both Savar & myself when the time comes?”

"I would love that, assuming the medical staff would allow that. Are you sure I wouldn't be intruding on an intimate moment?" Sullivan had to admit, as soon as Alicia told her about the pregnancy, she had been thinking of this ferry opportunity, but she also understood how intimate such a moment would be and she wanted to make sure both of them would be comfortable with the idea.

“I will speak with Savar” Alicia smiled. “I just thought it would be nice to have you there. If Savar agrees then I will mention it to the medical staff as well. There’s plenty of time before then anyway.”

"Of course," Tate replied. " in the meantime, I will keep you apprised of my progress. Of course, I will be keeping my schedule open. Not unsurprisingly, the crew has a lot to process."

“I think we all have a lot to process” Alicia offered a smile. “At least we have each other.”

Sullivan smiled, but when she spoke, her tone was decidedly wistful, "Many of us are lucky to be alive and yes, we are lucky to have each other. I can't help but think of those we lost. Beyond letters, have members of the staff gotten in touch with grieving families?"

Alicia sighed. “To be honest, I haven’t had chance can I rely on you to take charge of it?”

"Of course," Sullivan replied. "I'm sure the command staff has already written letters themselves, but I like to make sure one of us follows up as well, if only to provide resources for grief counseling or to ensure a member of the department is available to answer questions. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

“A helping hand with all the reports we’ll have to file would be great!” Alicia offered a smile.

Thanking of their losses and making contact with the families, Sullivan's smile was genuine but didn't quite meet her eyes. "Another reason to hate the mirror universe."

Alicia nodded in agreement. “I couldn’t agree with you more on that. It’ll be nice to get back to normal, even though the repercussions of this last mission will be long lasting. It’ll do the crew good to get back to normal.”

Tate nodded. "It will be a new normal for sure. Trauma recovery always depends on survivors being able to integrate their experiences into their lives and to find meaning in them. I'm hoping that can still happen in this case, despite the fact the source of their trauma comes from people that look like themselves or people they know and trust."

Alicia nodded. “I’m worried about my father ... Sthilg that is.” She smiled warmly. “He hasn’t spoken to anyone as far as I know. I’m going to try talking to him, see if he’ll talk to me about his experiences.”

"Your father? I'm not sure I understand." For obvious reasons, Sullivan had no reason to think the two of them were related.

“I’d best explain.” She smiled at Tate. “Sthilg has lost everything, his whole family. He’s alone and I couldn’t bear to see him unhappy so I suggested he be part of my family. He found a ritual of adoption that his people perform and he adopted me!” She grinned. “To be honest it feels wonderful to have a father again. I lost my own father, Kal and had a miscarriage all in a short space of time, now I have a whole new world and I’m very grateful for it.”

Tate smiled. "I suppose after all we've been through, we are all family now."

Alicia nodded. “That’s true and I couldn’t wish for a better group of people to call family.”

Sullivan's smile widened. "Speaking of family, I should let you rest so you can continue to keep your growing family healthy. If you need anything, personal or professional, please know I am here."

“I appreciate that Tate I really do” Alicia smiled. She was starting to realise just how lucky she was to be a part of the Elysium crew and how much they all meant to her.

{OFF}