The Lull of the War

Posted on Tue Oct 6th, 2020 @ 4:07am by Karen Dawson MD & Alden Loxley

Mission: Just A Short Hop to Priam
Location: Echo, Dorm Bathrooms
Timeline: Late Night, After Daiyu's Surgical Spirit Drinking

Karen waited for Alden to leave Daiyu's room during a shift trade-off with Niamh, and practically dragged him into the dorm area's bathroom. When she looked him in the eye, she was neither angry nor annoyed. A concerned look, however, was on her face.

"I am sorry for disrespecting you and being vicious to Daiyu at the dinner table," Karen spoke instantly and quietly, and let go of his shirt so he could take in this rare, assertive and impulsive side of the Doc.

It was a strange feeling, being grabbed by a pretty lady in the middle of the night, but definitely not an unpleasant one. Alden didn't fight it, safe in the knowledge (or at least assumption) that no one on the Echo wanted to kill him. When he stopped long enough to focus, the lady in question was Karen, which brought a wrinkle to his nose and a question to his lips.

The question was answered before Alden could voice it, though, and he opened his mouth to react, closed it again, and considered the woman before him. Karen Dawson, MD. Trusted confidant, honest speaker and person who had patched him up more than anyone else in the last year.

"You're forgiven, Doc," Alden said, gruffly and with an attitude that dissolved as he spoke his next few words. "Sorry for being a Chewn about it." He winced and reached for her wayward hand as he locked his gaze with hers. "Moving forward, can you not take my decisions out on Daiyu?"

"Your decisions weren't why I snapped at her... I also, am not exactly emotionally stable at the moment," Karen subtly confessed, and squeezed his hand in return, "but I will try harder to control my feelings, yes."

"I ain't asking ya to keep all your feelings under control or in check," Alden said, his expression one of gently amused support, eyebrows raised, smile small. "Just if you need to yell and curse, do it to me, not the unstable young lady I seem to have adopted. Deal?" It wasn't perfect and neither was he, but Alden did care and he hoped that was at least obvious here. He was missing something, and he knew it, though ht was unsure exactly what.

Karen let go of his hand long enough to make sure the door was closed and looked in the showers before she was sure they were alone.

"...I will respect your decisions always," the Doc reminded him before she turned her blue eyes back upon him. Her voice still maintained a very quiet volume. "I don't want Daiyu gone. I'm angry that none of your crew were asked how they felt. And I'm concerned that if she has more episodes, that people might take drastic actions because of this burden you've placed on all us."

She held no accusing tone. Just one of uncertainty.

"Okay..." Alden said in a voice that implied things clearly weren't, but he wasn't sure how to fix that. He leant his back against the wall and gifted Karen his full attention, unconcerned about the presence (or lack of) of anyone else. "I don't understand," Alden admitted openly, in the interest of asking the dumb question so that he might move towards such a feat. "Asked how you all felt about what? Me and Ali rescuing Daiyu from the escape pod, or me not kicking her off at Hera?"

"These type of ships have two types of people," Karen informed. "Crew who are loyal because you pay them too, and crew who follow you because you trust them... I'm saying you need to do damage control before this gets out of hand because if she hurts someone, they might think their paycheck isn't enough."

Alden didn't like the sound of that, but he couldn't say she was wrong either. He valued Karen's opinion, regardless whether he agreed with it or not, so he took her words seriously. "Paychecks aside," he said. "I don't want anyone to get hurt."

Then there was the other issue.

"Drastic actions?" Alden pressed, his mood visibly darkening though his hands still held hers. "Like what exactly?"

"Your crew may walk on you," Karen spoke soberly. "Or worse, mutiny... Neither is likely to happen in the next few days, but most people don't spend a career in the mental health profession so most people don't know the stresses and dangers that brings."

Alden opened his mouth and inhaled, ready to argue his side of things.

Karen held her hand out to interrupt him. "I know you want to keep this all on you and I commend that... But You will find yourself strung thin physically and mentally - Thus you need to share the load. It will get to you. So I'm imploring you to at least apologize to your crew, for putting them in this position as it was never your intention."

"Apologise?" Alden winced, not liking the sound of this. "I'll be fine," he countered, gently but firmly. He wasn't a hundred percent sure of that in his mind, but outwardly he felt a need to project confidence. Then he frowned and repeated his initial question once more. "You really think I need to apologise?"

"There were many times I knew I was right, during The War," Karen went on to explain. "My CO only ever wanted to yell at someone... So I gave him the visual victory, while I took the moral one."

Karen gestured to the rooms outside, "Apologizing is but a visual gesture... You still have the moral victory, unquestioningly, over Daiyu staying here. But anytime she goes off and attacks, bites, hits, or spits on your crew, yes... Apologize. You pay them to do the jobs, not take the abuse out-of-control patients can inflict."

He hung his head a moment as the Doc spoke, but Alden listened to Karen's words and he didn't interrupt. "Sure, okay. I guess that makes sense," he conceded, slowly but surely. "I'm gonna be working on making sure she doesn't attack anyone though," Alden noted. "Definitely not planning on apologising all the time. And I'm gonna get her more plants too. Plants seem to calm her down, and I don't mean on account of any narcotic influence ..."

"Does beg the question why she had narcotics," Karen spoke sagely. "Had we been boarded, that's illegal goods we'd never known to hide."

"Fair point," he agreed, but Alden had far more questions than answers with regards to Daiyu. "I dunno, Doc," he said, unhappily. "She's been through some serious Go Shi..." And there he was, defending the unknown again. Alden sighed. "Sorry," he muttered on an exhale, then looked down at his boots as he spoke. "Honestly, I know you and Ali are right, but I have to help her." Another sigh. "Well, I have to try."

"I'll try to help as well," Karen confessed, then ran her fingers through her hair. "But I'm not exactly in a great emotional state either. I will try though."

Alden didn't answer right away, but silently regarded Karen with a look that suggested a mixture of empathy and frustration at the lack of any available quick fix. People weren't that simple, and he damn well knew it. "Thanks. And I know," he said, softly and with emotion clearly wrapped about his words. Dark blue eyes looked up from beneath a lowered brow. "Going back to Serenity Valley kicked up a hella lot of mental dirt, battered our hearts and stamped on consciences... Hoping Niamh can help us all some, cos I sure ain't great at that stuff..."

A wry smile and Alden mirrored Karen's sentiment. "I'll try though."

Karen kissed him on the cheek, "Thanks for listening... I like you. I want you to stay in charge. Thus we're here in the bathroom talking lowly."

He had the decency to blush slightly at the kiss, look a little awkward and then muster up actual words. "Thanks for being honest," Alden said. "I like you too, Doc. And I like me being in charge too, but you and Ali, you even me out when I get too soft, and I know I need that sometimes." He looked to his boots, then back up again. "I should go check on them. And I promised Niamh I'd get some coffee."

Karen smiled and waved him out, "Go get your coffee."

Alden nodded, walked away, then stopped at the threshold and turned back to give the doc a sheepish look. "I know you're missing Jacob," he said. "I'm not as polished or as wise, but I'm here for ya, though, if you need to talk."

"I will," Karen promised, yawned, and waited a minute before she too, left the bathroom.