Missing Pieces

Posted on 17 Jan 2017 @ 3:57am by Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler & Commodore Harvey Geisler

3,636 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Endgame
Location: Captain's Quarters
Timeline: MD 11 || 1900 hours

Joey walked into the quarters she shared with Harvey and the two canines, who happened to be laying on Rico's bed curled up in a ball together. She carried the large wrapped parcel over to the couch and set it down. It was rectangular in shape, but on the thin side... perhaps an inch and a half thick or so. It would be safe there for the time being.

She moved over to the desk and set the PADD she'd had in her other hand on top of it, then stretched. A shower was in order, and some time off of her feet. The Security officer couldn't wait until this day was officially over, and that would happen once she fell asleep. That wasn't too far away.

Once she made sure Rico and Pequeno had food and water, she made her way into the bedroom where she made quick work of getting out of her uniform, then moved into the bathroom where the shower was screaming her name. Even though she'd gone to sickbay after what happened on the bridge, there hadn't been time to get cleaned up... something that would be remedied momentarily. She started the shower and stepped inside, slumping back against the wall as the sonic waves started to work their magic.

Harvey exited the turbolift, bound for his cabin. As expected, he saw bits of debris around the corridor from a damaged EPS relay. Why would Deck Two be spared from recent events, especially since it was a mess since the encounter with the Valdore.

The rest of the ship looked the same. Damaged, bruised, torn and bloodied. And, for the last few days, everyone felt the same.

Until today. They might not be home, but at least they were reunited with the Cochrane. That would be enough to take the edge off. But they still had to get home...

Harvey entered his quarters, seeing that the dogs had moved over to a full bowl of food. He also noticed the wrapped parcel on the couch, but paid it no mind for now. His ears heard something coming from the bathroom... was that the sonic shower? He crossed the quarters to the back room, confirming that Joey was in the shower. Standing in the doorway, he wondered what he should do. Should he join her? But they'd hadn't gone to that level yet.

He shook his head. If anything, he was hungry. He thought Joey would be hungry as well, so he returned to the main room to start browsing through the replicator options to see if there was anything that struck his fancy.

It wasn't long before Joey finished up in the shower. Once out, she pulled on a red silk robe and stepped toward the sink to brush her hair and teeth. She had to admit she felt a little more human after what happened, but she was still exhausted. The bed was calling her name... loudly at that, but there was time for it. There were other things she needed to take care of first, and some that had to wait until her significant other was home for the day.

Running her fingers through her freshly brushed hair, she made her way back out into the main living area with the intentions of settling down on the couch to read for a bit... until she spotted Harvey standing near the replicator. She swore her heart skipped a beat just before her pulse began to race. Despite going to bed with him at night, and waking up with him every morning, seeing him like this made her feel like it was the first time all over again.

"Hey," she said softly, leaning against the wall where she stood.

He turned around, holding two steaming bowls of beef stew that the replicator had just created. "Hey," he said with a smile. Harvey hadn't expected to see her in a robe, nor did he know she possessed such an attractive garment. He promptly set both bowls on the table before crossing the room to embrace her. Not all of the stress had fallen off his back, but between recent events and seeing her okay after the exploding console, he felt some relief. "Are you doing okay?" he asked her, looking at a couple places he'd remembered seeing lacerations and burns.

Joey allowed him the chance to see that she was fine, turning her head and lifting it to show there weren't anymore marks from what happened earlier.. "I'm okay... physically. Mentally and emotionally are a completely different story," she answered honestly. "It's been a hell of a day, and I'd love to put it behind me, only... I can't."

She leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek, then moved over to pour them each a drink from her private stash. Thanks to careful packing, it managed to survive the past chaos. Moving back over to him, she held the glass out. They were going to need it. "I should go put my uniform on. I've got some official business to talk to you about."

"Nonsense," Harvey said, shaking his head. "I know we're new at this, but I don't think it's proper for us to change in and out of uniform when we need to talk about the affairs of the ship."

He was right, of course, and it was just the two of them. Joey settled down at the table and crossed her legs after going to retrieve the PADD she'd placed on his desk when she got home. Sadly, she didn't know where to start... though, the beginning was likely the best. Taking a deep breath, she began. "It seems that Jackson tried to escape again this morning. I assigned Gutierrez and Miller to bring duty just in case we lost power or anything."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "He was awake for whatever reason, and they chose not to pump his cell with Aesthezine right away. Jackson caused a self inflicted head injury that required medical attention, and that's when they called for help and released the gas," she said, pausing so he had a chance to absorb what she told him. "Nurse Blake was the one who answered the call. The forcefield was lowered, and the three of them went inside. Jackson must have held his breath, because he attacked Miss Blake. She ran off after Gutierrez and Miller put him out again. I'm paraphrasing, mind you, but the entire report is on this PADD."

As she recounted the situation, Harvey found only two emotions that boiled to the surface: disappointment and frustration. He'd gotten to know the two men during the away mission to Razmena. Twelve hours in close proximity would do that to anyone. His disappointments with that mission were few, and on that short list was Gutierrez following that Founder to the back room.

But, this... This was unexpected.

He then thought of the nurse who'd fallen victim to another of Major Jackson's schemes. It didn't take him long to remember that the name belonged to the nurse who tracked him down shortly after coming through the rift. Harvey recalled Nurse Blake's kindness and expertise, and that only caused his frustration to mount further. "How is Miss Blake?" he asked.

"I spoke to her, and she said she was okay. A little on the freaked out side, but that's to be expected. She didn't want to press any formal charges," she replied, taking a sip of her drink. "Gutierrez and Miller have both been moved to guarding waste extraction, and will run through training simulations daily as a result with the stipulation that if one of them dies, they start from the beginning. Of course, I know that's likely to change now, but I had to punish them somehow."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I know there have to be consequences for their actions... or lack thereof in this instance, but I ask that while you're thinking about a more suitable punishment... discharging them not be one of them."

"They put a crewmember's life into the hands of a murderer," Harvey bluntly pointed out. "Rank or position matters not in this case. You know as well as I that Major Jackson is the biggest threat on this ship."

He sighed. "Were we in the Alpha Quadrant, or even back in our Universe without the Consortium breathing down our necks, you can bet that I would have both men court martialled. Hell, I'll probably make sure it's done after this mess is over. Right now, they're lucky we need every hand we can get."

"Or... you could handle the matter yourself. A Captain's Mast would take care of the matter," Joey pointed out, reaching for her spoon. "There's something else, too. Doctor Kij found out about the incident and flew into my office like a bat out of hell. Of course, some words were exchanged, but she took it to a level that it didn't need to reach. Her parting words to me, and I quote It's not much fun having a conversation with someone whose bra size is bigger than her IQ anyway."

Harvey scoffed at the Doctor's comment. While it didn't sound like something the Jayla Kij he knew would say, it certainly fit what Mila had told him earlier. "Then the rumors are confirmed. Our doctor is without her smile." He sighed. Between the two incidents, it was apparent that the crew was even more stretched than he thought.

What was worse was that he knew there was nothing he could do, not until they got back home anyway.

"It's not just the doctor who is having trouble finding a way to cope," she stated, rising from her seat to grab the parcel from the couch. Joey was nervous now. What if he didn't like it? Many things played through her mind, but she did her best to ignore them. "You haven't smiled much lately, either. This is for you. Open it."

"For me?" Harvey replied, rising from the table to meet her by the couch. He accepted the parcel, noticed its light weight and gave the wrapping a glance. Brown paper and twine. Quite archaic, but a fine throwback to a forgotten era. He pulled one of the loose ends to release the twine. The paper came off next to reveal a painting.

"Wow..." Harvey declared, loving the crisp color of the sky and fine sandy beach. It reminded him completely of the night he and Joey first... what would he call that? It wasn't a date or was it? Perhaps it was best for now to just call it the night he learned to surf.

"Does that mean you like it?" Joey asked, finally seeing the painting for the first time. Aidan had done an amazing job on it, and she definitely needed to see him in person to thank him properly. It was so much better than she imagined it would be.

"Like it?" Harvey asked, looking up from the painting, but not at her. In fact, his eyes began to scan the room. He'd known all the time how bare his quarters were, even after he started going through his trunk... how long ago was that now? Just a few days? It felt like at least a year or so. Harvey spotted an empty space above the table next to the replicator, so he promptly hung it there. Satisfied, he turned to her and said, "I love it."

Joey smiled. She was glad he loved it, and the fact he hung it so quickly proved that. "I'm glad. I wanted to do something special for you," she said, looking to the place he'd chosen to hand it. Out in the open where it could be seen by anyone who came by. "It's a reminder of the moment you decided to take a chance and start breaking out of the shell you spent so many years burying yourself in. It's a symbol to keep moving forward... to live."

"Keep moving forward," he muttered, crossing the room to stand next to her. As he turned to enjoy the painting, he didn't notice that his hand slipped behind her back and found a place to land on the opposite side of her waist. "That's become the entire ship's mantra at the moment, hasn't it?" Harvey observed. "Keep moving forward..."

"It has, and it's a good mantra to live by," she told him, resting her head against him. He may not have noticed his arm slipping around her, but she definitely did. Her pulse picked up a bit, and her cheeks flushed. This was all new to her. She'd never met any man that could make her feel weak in the knees like Harvey could. "I know you're still getting used to all of this... us, sharing your space, having two dogs... it's a lot of change, and I'm very proud of everything you've accomplished so far. You've come a long way in such a short time, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you do next."

He didn't even know what he was going to do next. The last few days, he'd been absolutely focused on finding the Cochrane that he hadn't thought of himself at all. The only moment of freedom he'd allowed himself was when he invited Joey to move in. Though, looking at the new painting, the thought of surfing came to his mind.

Harvey suddenly became aware that his arm had acted on its own power, and he consciously yielded to its action when he leaned against the couch and drew Joey a bit closer. "I look forward to Earth," he remarked. "When this is over... Home and no more Consortium, I think I want to find a real beach."

"We'll get there one day," she said softly, slipping an arm of her own around him. "And when we do, we can go to every beach you want to see. We can go surfing, snorkeling, diving, or just lay in the sand and let the sun wash over us. That... is pretty therapeutic. We'll definitely get there."

He nodded, his mind now moving back to their earlier conversation. "You know, I've never performed a Captain's Mast before. I have an inkling to give Guiterrez and Miller a piece of my mind after what Jackson did to you. It hurts to imagine what he would have done with Blake."

Joey shivered at the thought of what happened, and she hoped he wouldn't notice, but given their close proximity, it was likely wishful thinking. "Gutierrez and Miller are both good at what they do, but had a momentary lapse in judgment. A rather large lapse, but momentary. I think Miss Blake, like myself, wants to forget what happened to her. It will be so much better once Jackson is off the ship. I'm looking forward to that more than anyone."

She sighed. "I think you should give them a piece of your mind, and hand down a punishment worthy of what they did, but I believe everyone deserves a second chance. If that's something you wish to consider, I'll personally see to it that the two of them do whatever it is that's required of them."

Required. That word gained more meaning than it deserved over the last few months. Harvey thought the Dominion War, where he was thrown from ship to ship, trying. Nothing compared to this, to the Consortium and the Confederation. Hopefully, they'd gotten something out of this unfortunate experience that would be worth it in ending the Consortium mess. "I'll deal with it in the morning," he said. Standing, he kissed Joey on the top of her head, and then started to take off his uniform jacket to toss into the bed room. He'd been in uniform for over fourteen hours and even though his stew was getting cold, he didn't want to eat in uniform.

Joey moved over to the table and settled down once more. She even noticed that Rico and Pequeno took up residence next to her chair, which didn't surprise her. "If you do decide to give them another chance, and should they squander it, I'll resign," she told him, reaching for her drink to finish it off. The alcohol burned going down, but it helped take the horrid taste of those words out of her mouth. She was putting her career on the line, but it was because she believed in Ricardo and Allen.

Harvey had just disappeared into the bedroom to change, but her comment brought him back like a boomerang. His jackbet was off, leaving an unzipped uniform vest. He hadn't the chance yet to pull down the zipper on the red tunic. Both hands were nowhere near his uniform as he had been stunned by her statement. "Seriously?" he stammered. "If they waste the chance, it's on them, not you. You can't put that kind of stress on your shoulders."

"My career is really all I have," she answered softly. "Gutierrez and Miller are both still a bit wet behind the ears. They haven't seen or done some of the things that we have, but they deserve the chance. It doesn't matter to me that they're enlisted. They chose to jump straight into their careers instead of going through the Academy like us. I rather admire enlisted personnel. They had the guts to dive in head first. Me... I went through years of training."

Joey shook her head. She was passionate about a lot of things, but her career topped that list just behind family. "Ignore me. Go change and get comfortable so you can eat dinner."

He stared at her for a bit, unsure of how best to approach his response. "Joey," he said, joining her at the table, even going so far as to reach out and cover one of her hands with his own. "I've been in the service for twenty years. If it's one thing I've learned, it's that rank and uniform doesn't matter. It's the person wearing it that does. People can bounce back from anything. Hell, I wasn't the perfect officer for the first fifteen years of my service. It's a wonder Starfleet didn't kick me out."

"You're right," she conceded, slipping her free hand over his. Joey wasn't a huge believer in fate, but she had a feeling Harvey was put into her life for a reason. The fact she got to love him like she did was definitely an added bonus. In her eyes, she was the lucky one. "Someone saw great potential in Harvey Geisler, and decided to see what kind of great things he'd do. And he did do great things. Look at where you are now. You're the Captain of a starship, and just like the rest of us, you've been through hell and back."

She moved her hand from his and brought it up to cup his cheek with a smile. "Your strength is admirable, and it's what keeps the rest of us going. I'm so incredibly lucky to have you in my life. Your strength gives me strength."

He smiled at her and squeezed the hand he covered. "And your strength keeps me going," Harvey told her. It was incredible, how much of his life was incomplete on his own. The Black Hawk did a lot to fill the void, but lately, it seemed that Joey that filled in the remainder of the gaps. "It's just part of why I've come to love you, Joey."

She couldn't seem to help herself. A large part of her thought she may have been hearing things, and since she'd gone to sickbay after the console explosion, she couldn't blame it on that. "Did you..." Did he? There were those butterflies again.

His eyes widened, actually realizing what he indeed had said. Harvey chuckled and smiled as he nodded his head. "I don't think I would have brought you in or opened by valuable sock collection to Rico otherwise."

Joey laughed and glanced down at the sleeping dog, before turning back to him. She couldn't put how she felt into words, and would mangle it horribly if she did try, but it did feel like a missing piece of her puzzle was slipped into place. Being with him made her feel complete, but the fact he loved her... "I love you, too, Harvey," she said softly, then leaned in to kiss him in a way she hadn't quite kissed him yet. Her heart and soul were poured into it. It was a sign that she wouldn't take his love for granted or betray it in any way.

Had there been a thought of duty or reports or the Black Hawk in Harvey's mind, it was certainly gone now. He returned the kiss with something just as passionate, if not more so. Though a whisper of the beef stew on the table wafted into his nose, Harvey thought nothing of it. Finally, he came up for air, smiling as he gazed into her brown eyes

Joey couldn't keep the smile from her lips. It was so genuine, her eyes actually sparkled. She leaned in to kiss him softly, then rose to her feet and made her way to the bedroom. It didn't take long before a sea of red silk flowed through the air and eventually came to rest in a crimson puddle on the floor not too far from him. Of course, he didn't have to follow her. And if he decided not to, she wouldn't be upset. In fact, she would understand. However, this wouldn't be a reaction of their trials, but an act of love.

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