Open Souls

Posted on Tue Nov 29th, 2011 @ 10:58am by Lieutenant Commander Kh'ali & Lieutenant James Holbridge

Mission: In Our Time of Need
Location: Quentin's Quarters

Kh'ali rose, moving quietly off to shower once more and dress. She was off duty today, given everything that had happened and was determined today to get to Quentin. The temptation to put her comm badge on do not disturb was great. Every time he'd messaged her, something had happened.

First, she got kidnapped,which turned into an extended ordeal. Then she had been held in Sickbay as they did their best to restore her. She had not told Patrick what the doctors said about her managing to live through it only because of her internal Klingon structure. He had been worried enough as it was. And then, she'd broken out of Sickbay when the last message came, only to run off to help thwart an assassination attempt.

"Today I am off, dammit, I don't care who calls." She stood silent, waiting for her badge or her terminal to beep, just to prove her wrong. Nothing came and it was with some relief that she hurried back to kiss the sleeping Patrick's forehead and hurry out.

Several minutes later, she stood before Quentin's door, rang the chime and waited.

Inside the quarters, Quentin heard the doorchime but had imbibed quite a bit of whiskey the previous night and his naked body was not working quite right. He jerked quickly, then relaxed as his head began to pound. He quickly threw on his robe, then settled into his hover chair and made his way to the door. He opened it and there stood Kh'ali. Quentin's mouth opened and he tried to greet her with the traditional Klingon greeting of "Nuq'nehk", which meant 'what do you want?' in Klingon-ese. Then he remembered how besotted he was and quickly looked away, retreating into his room, the greeting forgotten.

"No hello?" She stepped inside, letting the doors close behind her. Her gaze swept over the room, and Quentin, sadness pricking at her. "I'm sorry it took so long to get here, a lot's been happening, all of it beyond my control."

Quentin suddenly doubled over in a coughing fit, the righted himself long enough to take a puff off an inhaler. "I thought I would have a thousand things to say to ye when I saw you again. And i heard about ye being kidnapped and all. That fella Holbridge kept me up to date on the hunt for you."

Quentin turned and sat in his chair, showing his gaunt frame. "You better pull up a seat, lassie. What I have to tell you isnae good at all." Quentin waited until she had seated herself, then he took her slender hand (for a Klingon) in his. "I have Baringer's Disease, a degenerative nervous disorder that destroys the victims neurotransmission capabilities. The prognosis is terminal as I am in the secondary stage." He looked at Kh'ali and saw that something wasn't quite right about her. She seemed detached, aloof.

Her eyes narrowed at the news. "What's Connor saying about this? You have seen him yes? Tell me you have." She squeezed his hand, somewhat shell-shocked to see the formerly robust balls-to-the-wall Scot in such a state.

"I've seen every bloody quack and snake-oil salesman on this station and they all say the same thing, get me affairs in order and live it up!" Quentin smiled sadly, feebly returning her hand squeeze. "starfleet determined that my condition was a result of my service so they are graciously putting me up in this lovely VIP suite. But enough about me," Quentin said, staring at her lip with interest. "Who's your new man?"


The focus of his gaze wasn't lost on Kh'ali. She reached up with her free hand, somewhat self-consciously, to touch her lip. "This is the least of my worries, Quentin. I've been through cracked ribs, dehydration, no food and broken bones in my face. I'm amazed I even look like myself. But as for your question...it's Patrick Leroy, the Chief of Science. Strangely enough, the one person I never expected."


A smile creased Quentin's pain-wracked face. "That robot! I dinnae know he had a heart left in him. He was such a tight-ass on the Berkeley! A lot of things were different then. But you deserve to know how I got this. The new captain of the Berkeley was hell-bent on glory for himself, which meant I had to ride herd on him a lot. He decided to beam down to a planet with class-K atmosphere to recover probes from a science vessel. Guess who led the bloody away team! Anyhoo, what I didnae know was that me EVA suit had several micro-tears in the flexible partsand some unknown microbes got in and made themselves at home in me lungs. The Berkeley's CMO got the microbes out of me system but they triggered this disease that has been in me family's DNA for some time." Quentin bent over and coughed again, this time blood leaking from his lips. He held up a hand. "No worries, Tis almost time for me second round of regenerator treatment. My lungs are shot from all the coughing I do."

Quentin spat the blood into a container then rinsed his mouth with a slug of scotch. "I'll bet yer wondering why I am so hot to get in contact with ye. I know I am gonna die, and soon, and I wanted to be around the one person I let inside me heart since me own sweet wife died. But..."

Quentin wanted so much to take her face into his big hand, but decorum, and a fast right hook from Kh'ali if he even tried, wouldn't allow it. Instead he settled for just gazing into her eyes and knowing that he was loved by a warrior woman who would protect him as he and after he died.

"You do everything they tell you, no arguing. I know you, remember?" She smiled gently. And know that I'll take care of...everything. I promise."

And with that statement, Quentin Harrison, erstwhile member of Starfleet, broke down crying, sobbing huge tears that dripped down onto his shirt.

Kh'ali held him tight, biting back her anger at the injustice of it all, speaking softly till at long last he was soothed.

(Should we wrap it here?)

*********

Lt. Commander Kh'ali

&

ex LT Quentin Harrison
(written by James Holbridge)