Together again

Posted on Tue Nov 16th, 2021 @ 8:02am by Lieutenant Commander Callie Raven-Grayson & Commander Samantha Howard & Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T’ghann-Travis Dr

Mission: Breen in Paradise
Location: Sickbay

After everything that had happened to all three of them lately Callie made her way to see, and talk to Dex and Sam. She wanted to check on them both plus let them know what she’d discovered during her talk with Jortho.

Arriving at Sickbay Callie made her way in, she paused for a moment noticing the new arrivals before walking across to Sam’s office hoping to find Sam there. The door was open so she paused outside peering in. “Knock, Knock.”

" Hey Callie, come on in" Sam looked up as a shadow passed over her door.

“Hi Sam” Callie offered a smile as she walked in. “Am I catching you at a good time? I can come back if not.”

" No no it's fine, please, I was just filling in some paperwork on out latest patients" Sam replied, indicating the seat opposite her.

Dex saw Callie walk into the office and turned back to what she was doing. It was cold within the bio beds range to account for the temperature of the Andorian child. She had now been there for five hours trying to rid the infants cells of the radioactive Celebium. The electrophoretic analysis had shown only thirty per cent had so far been removed. Working with the infant felt decidedly eerie as she was now conscious moving her toes and fingers.

The hyperenchephologram had shown a growing brain activity and every so often her face would turn as though looking at Dex through those pale eyes.It was as though she was trying to make contact with her. Dex’s Vulcan brain was receptive to some empathic thoughts and there seemed to be a slight low tone that moved through her like an electrical current. She felt suddenly dizzy stepped back and decided to take a quick break. She blinked as she stepped out of the anti radiation field and it took a minute for her eyes to react to the normal illumination of sickbay.

She walked into the office forcing a cheerfulness she did not feel she smiled. “Hello Callie.”

Callie offered Dex a polite smile. “Hello Dex. Looks like you were being kept busy out there.”

She walked over to the replicator “A mug of Vulcan dela leaf tea, hot with Vulcan supplement 10 gamma 2.” She took the mug and sipped. “Sam, we need to talk about the children, I am thinking of asking the crew if they would foster some of them. We also need to ask Celes to contact the home planets of Denobula, Vulcan and Cait. I know it is a long shot but maybe the children have been reported missing.” She sipped more of her tea. “We also need to arrange for urgent counselling for the Denobulan girl….and” she stopped as she felt a tear in her eye. ‘Most unusual’ she thought and wiped it away.

"Of course" Sam agreed and tapped a few controls on her data terminal to begin making the necessary arrangements.

Dex looked at Callie as if analysing her. “Callie I need to talk to someone, how do you feel about that? If you do not feel you can I will ask counsellor Jortho.”

Callie nodded. “I am more than happy to help Dex, I need to get back to work. What happened with the children? Can I help?”

“I am having trouble processing what I saw in the Breen base, I cannot sleep, I cannot eat and I am unable to meditate. I feel overwhelmed by the sheer cruelty we found down there. Taking infants and children Surak knows how many, the number of tissues contained in those vats could be in the 100’s.
The few children we have managed to bring back are physically and mentally scarred. I brought back the body of a small Caitian girl, I could not leave her there and I think about her all the time as I do the Hybrid Aenar infant whom I feel a growing connection with. The Denobulan teenager who was physically violated…Callie as you know I have had trouble with my emotional state during my Pon Farr but that had stabilised following Sam’s serum. I am unable to figure out why I’m having trouble with this. I need help?”

Callie nodded. “I’m not surprised. How could children be subjected to such cruelty!” She motioned for Dex to sit down. “I’m not surprised you’re having problems reconciling your emotional state given what was found, you're feeling emotionally attached to these children.”

Dex nodded and sipped her tea. “The thing is I have never been one to like or think about them. The closest I got to them is that I was one once. The Vulcan part of my mind cannot rationalise with the Riasan part. I can usually get control with meditation, but now not at all. I am having to take nutritional supplements and I have not slept Since we returned. I need to take charge and I cannot.”

Callie nodded. “That isn’t good, you can’t keep functioning that way. It sounds very much like post traumatic stress, it’s not easily cured but maybe Sam can help with some meds to start?”

Moments later there was a loud cry and screaming from Sickbay, a nurse came racing in. “I’m sorry Doctor! We need help, the boy had a nightmare and he’s huddled up in a corner. He won’t let any of us near him.”

Callie quickly hurried out into Sickbay, as Counsellor this was her job. She slowly and cautiously made her way over to the corner where the terrified 5 year old was huddled crying. She crouched an arm’s distance away and offered a smile. “Hi there, I’m Callie. The nurse told me you had a nightmare, it’s okay...no one here will hurt you.”

Dex followed Callie out and stood a little way from her and the little boy. “Callie he told me his name is Harry. And he likes crocodiles.”

Callie nodded. “Thank you” She turned back to Harry. “You’re Harry huh? Hang on I’ll be right back...” Getting up she walked to the replicator, returning moments later with a stuffed toy Crocodile. “Would you like this?” She placed the toy on the floor in front of Harry. “He can be your friend, you can talk to him and love him.” She sat hoping for a positive reaction.

Harry sat for a moment then stopped crying and wiped his runny nose with his hand. Gradually her reached out and pulled the stuffed animal towards him. He looked at it and pulled it to him sucking the crocodiles mouth. He smiled at Callie.

Callie smiled back. “I’ll tell you what I give very good cuddles. Would you like a cuddle? I won’t hurt you I promise!” She held out her hand hoping Harry would trust her.

Harry slowly held out his crocodile and pushed it towards Callie. “Cuddle” he whispered.

Callie picked up the Crocodile giving it a cuddle before gently easing closer to Harry. “Cuddle?” She held out her arms to him hoping he’d trust her.

The little boy seemed to want to trust Callie, he looked up at Dex standing behind her and she nodded. He scooted slowly towards her still unsure. He flinched as though he expected to be beaten for asking for human consolation. Slowly he put out a small hand towards Callie.

Callie gently grasped the small hand, reassuring Harry with a gentle hug as she gently eased him towards her. “It’s okay Harry, you’re safe now.” She gently ran her fingers through his hair. “We’re not going to let anyone hurt you, that’s a promise!”

Harry gave up all pretence and thrust himself into her arms, he held her tight and cried. He did not intend to let her go. “Stay, stay” he kept repeating.

Callie hugged the little boy gently. “I’m not going anywhere little one.” She looked up at Dex and Sam. “Does Harry need to stay here tonight? He can come home with me if he likes. I’ll take care of him.”

“No Callie, there is nothing physically wrong with him but there was as yet no where for him to go apart from a nursery and he needs more than that.” Dex looked at Sam, “ We need to warn you that he has nightmares frequently during the night. If you need any medical input let sickbay know.”

Callie nodded. “I will, thank you.” She offered Dex a smile. “We still need to talk, How’s about I get this young man off to sleep in my quarters and then we can arrange a talk?”

“I am not sure you will have time now and you will not be able to leave him alone at night. I will be fine I am sure Callie.”

Callie looked down at Harry, then back at Dex. “I said I’d help you Dex, I’m not going back on that. I’ll have to make arrangements for childcare during my shifts anyway.”

Dex nodded “Thank you Callie, you just tell me where and when and I will be there unless work prevents it. She looked at the boy sucking his thumb in Callie’s arms, he was actually smiling. “Be good for Callie young man.” She said.

Callie offered a smile. “This is a new experience for us both” she looked down at Harry. “Let’s go to my quarters get you settled huh?” She looked to Dex. “I’ll give you a call once Harry is settled, that’s a promise.”

Dex could not help but think what an good family they would make. She looked at Sam, “ I forgot to ask how you were doing today, any more nightmares?”

Sam took a breath now the commotion had settled and refocused her attention back on Dex. "I'm ok, had a semi decent night's sleep and a good meal this morning. I'm much more like my old self now thanks to you" she smiled at her 2ic.

“I am so glad to seem to be more settled now and thank you for returning Puss. I wanted to ask you for something to help me sleep. I do not know if you heard what I was telling Callie but I have not slept since returning from the Breen laboratory. I cannot eat and what is much more troubling I am unable to meditate. What we saw down there Sam….I am unable to process it.

Unspeakable things are done in war I know that but to experiment on children, to remove them from all they love, torture alter and kill them.” She shuddered. “ I have been working to remove the radioactive Celebium from the hybrid Aenar child and I think of her to the point of forgetting to do other things. For some reason I seem to have a connection to her.” Dex shrugged her shoulders. “Well I had better get back”

Sam nodded, watching her team work with the youngsters with expert care and experience. She was concerned for Dex who seemed to be struggling post Pon Farr. Sam made a note to give her a once over at the end of the shift with a sedative and a nutrient hypo.


Meanwhile Callie was busy getting Harry ready to go back to her quarters, she smiled as she lifted him up. He was almost asleep as it was, his nightmares were obviously sapping his body of energy through lack of proper sleep.

Callie looked across to Dex and Sam. “I’m heading home with Harry” She looked towards Dex. “If you need me feel free to call or drop by my quarters and see me.”

“Dex had never looked more serious her eyes black with dark rings around them. “You get Harry back safe and tucked up in bed. I will be fine thank you.” She turned away and continued back to where the Hybrid infant lay. Dex entered the anti radiation field once again. She looked down at the infant lying on the biobed, she was moving her arms and legs as though looking for contact with another person. Dex switched off the bio sensor alarms, picked up the infant and cradled her. The reaction was instantaneous. The infants face turned to hers her antennae waving towards Dex. A tiny hand clenched her uniform.

Dex found a chair and sat. “You need a name little one I shall call you….Evella.” In a few moments the newly named Evella was asleep, Dex rocked her slowly making plans. She needed to talk to the Captain, what did Aenar hybrid infants need, how did they develop? …so many questions needed answering and she would find those answers. She was so exhausted but every time she closed her eyes a wall of rock and flame rolled towards her bringing with it the horrors of the Breen caves and she could not sleep.

Dex knew she should be performing other tasks but the connection she was making with Evella was almost hypnotic. The low resonance humming filled her mind almost as if Evella was trying to learn. She tried to make her own connection but the Aenar’s ability seemed to smother her own..or was it that she was just too tired? She found her mind returning to the Breen caves and those huge vats of human and alien tissue gathered from the bodies of Surak knows how many children. How many had they not been able to rescue?

Doctors should do no harm, yet they had. The little Ciatian infant had no chance at life, did she know she was dying? It was the best Dex could do to honour her little life in any way she could. At that moment she wanted to take the virus and spread it around the Breen killing every last one of them, or take a phaser and blast them all into hell. Was she dreaming or were they back there Celes, Ayana, Aiko, Weasley and the Captain. She shivered, sweating and held Evella to her.

{OFF}