Papa!

Posted on Mon Jun 22nd, 2020 @ 11:27pm by Cailus Griffin & Eva Griffin
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:11pm

Mission: Divided We Fall
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Shortly after "A Very Odd Afterlife"

A Mission Post by Lieutenant Cailus Griffin
Mission: Divided We Fall
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Shortly after "A Very Odd Afterlife"
Mon Sep 24th, 2018 @ 8:27pm

Even after he had awoken, Cailus was still distinctly off-kilter. Brookes had warned Cailus that his recovery time would be considerably longer than the others, as his consciousness had to quickly adapt from being in a dying, moribund old body to a strong and vital one, and the doctor had been quite right. Even two hours after waking, Cailus was still barely able to walk across Sickbay, forced instead to suffer the humiliation of lying on the biobed in a red medical gown as he convalesced.

On the bright side, Cailus mused ruefully, at least his gibblets were pleasantly cool and free in the gown. And at least he was now in a separate smaller ward of Sickbay, which granted a modicum of privacy.

He desperately wanted to go find Aoife and hug the little one for all she was worth, but apparently such ‘stress’ wouldn’t be healthy at present, so Cailus was forced to stay put. Only consistent nagging of the nurses had gotten him a PADD, allowing Cailus to type a rapid-fire message to Nurse Davies, ordering her (politely) to bring Aoife to Sickbay as soon as was practical. In the meantime, as he waited for her response, Cailus worked, reading security and tactical reports as he refamiliarised himself with the Pandora as a starship, and not just the upper three decks. It was strangely wonderful to read those dry reports, to see the status displays of the whole ship, something that Cailus hadn’t seen in so very long.

Aoife was agitated; no one had told her that Cailus had returned, but her restless energy seemed to suggest that she was aware that something had changed. Then Rebekah received a message and it was like Aoife knew. ‘As soon as practical’ ended up being immediately, because Aoife was not sitting still for any of her lessons, not even her new music lessons, so Rebekah gathered up the restless child and took her down to Sickbay.

As soon as the doors opened and Aoife’s eyes fell on Cailus, she chirped loudly, calling for him with wild abandon. She wriggled furiously trying to get out of Rebekah’s arms because clearly they weren’t moving fast enough. Rebekah barely managed to get Aoife safely to the deck plating without dropping her completely, but she maintained a hold on the child’s hand so she had enough balance to walk.

“Papa!” Aoife called out, to everyone’s surprise. She walked towards Cailus with her free arm outstretched, practically pulling Rebekah along with her. “Papa Papa Papa!”

From grinning widely, Cailus’ face switched to total shock as he sat up on the biobed when Aoife called out. “What did you say?” he said faintly, utterly stunned.

“Papa Papa!” Aoife finally reached the biobed and she reached up trying to get to Cailus. Seeing no harm in doing so, Rebekah lifted Aoife onto the bed where Aoife promptly flopped against Cailus’ chest, hugging him as tightly as her little arms could. “Papa…”

“Aoife,” Cailus said with surprised laugh, and true enough, he hugged her fiercely, burying his face in her curls. Pulling his head back to look at her properly, he grinned, his eyes glistening. “You’re right, little one. I’m your papa, and you’re my daughter, and I love you so much!” He hugged Aoife even tighter for emphasis, the tears flowing freely as he kissed the top of her head. “When did you learn that word, hm? Do you know any other words?”

“You can thank Dr. Ashshy for this development,” Rebekah said with a smile as she watched the heartwarming reunion. “I don’t know what he said to her, but they had a nice little talk, telepathically apparently, but I know this change came from him.”

Aoife wriggled her way into Cailus’ lap and cuddled into his embrace, and as she breathed in his scent she began to purr happily, but in her heart she was still sad because Mama was still missing, but at least now she had her Papa.

“Dr Ashshy, you say,” Cailus repeated, still grinning like an idiot with Aoife in his arms. “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him, but I’ll certainly drop by to thank him. Telepathy. So is that we all needed all this time, Aoife?” he asked the little one. “The right person to talk to your mind?”

Aoife understood more than enough to nod yes in response, then she turned her teary eyes up to look at Cailus, her Papa. “Don’t go,” she said softly, shyly, like a whisper; people always left her, and maybe new people came along, but she didn’t want to lose people anymore.

“Never,” Cailus said seriously, his smile growing sober as he looked his new daughter in the eye. “I will never, ever leave you, Aoife. I’m your papa. Papas and mamas never leave their daughters. Sometimes we’re away for a while, but we always, always come back. Mama will be back soon too, I promise, and she loves you very very much.”

At that, Cailus looked at Rebekah with a serious mien. “Thank you, Rebekah. We owed you a debt before, but that debt has grown tenfold for looking after our little one while we were gone.”

“Oooh, tenfold and then some,” Rebekah replied with a grin as she watched father and daughter rebonding. “She’s so headstrong, it was not easy looking after her, but I was happy to do it. And of course, seeing her with you now, the hassle was all worth it.”

At that, Rebekah looked around, even taking a glance at Cailus’ biobed monitor. “Hey, you want to see if I can get you out of here?” she asked. “You’re clearly stable, I can try to get you released back to your quarters so you two can have some privacy,” she offered.

“I would be very grateful,” Cailus replied with a genuine grin, glancing down as he stroked Aoife’s hair idly. “We have a lot to talk about, you and me, hm? Like how to eat dinner without throwing everything all over the room, how to poop properly…”

“Well, looks like you’ll have more to thank Dr. Ashshy for,” Rebekah said, leaving it vague so Cailus could guess at what that meant while she went to go talk to the doctor about getting him released.

While Rebekah left, Cailus contented himself with just hugging Aoife. After everything he and Shae had gone through in the Bubble, all of the heartbreak and despair, thinking that Aoife would have to grow up without them...it was indescribable. Thus he simply sat there and basked. Shae would wake up soon enough, and they’d all be together again.

A short while later, the doctor relented, allowing Cailus to return to his quarters. Rebekah replicated some clothes for Cailus, and with the help of a cane Cailus was finally able to go home. Aoife was a ball of energy the entire time; she had wanted Cailus to carry her, but for the moment that had been out of the question, but she contented herself with being close enough that she could reach out and touch him periodically as they made their way through the ship.

On the walk back to his quarters, with Rebekah and an excited Aoife in tow, Cailus found it damn near impossible to keep his smile off his face. A few passing officers in the corridors, especially the gold-shirts, briefly looked alarmed at the lieutenant’s clear happiness, but they nevertheless smiled back and congratulated him on his return. There would be hell to pay once he returned to duty, Cailus knew, but right now, he was past caring about his professional reputation.

Reaching his quarters, Cailus opened the door and stepped inside, looking around for a long moment. It had been decades since he had last set foot inside the room, and with a thud of the cane, Cailus steadied himself as he looked around. His memories had faded over time, but in a rush, they all came back in an instant. Aoife’s toys, Shae’s bow and quiver, the model starship hanging on the wall...

“We’re home, Aoife,” Cailus said simply.

Aoife wriggled in Rebekah’s arms, and this time Rebekah was quick to let her down. Aoife took Cailus’ hand and walked with him to the couch where she quickly climbed up to sit with him.

“Any idea how long it will be until… you know…” Rebekah asked, attempting to be tactful around Aoife.

Understanding Rebekah’s meaning, and her concern, Cailus sighed as he looked at Aoife. “It depends on certain factors,” he said quietly. “When I left, the ship was more or less intact. Our power reserves would hold out for another thirty years at least, while food and water supplies were stable. Given her anticipated lifespan, and if they find a way to harness another power source, the ship could hold out for a century. Or longer. Maybe months in real time. I just don’t know.”

He didn’t share another more guilty and selfish worry. In the course of decades, even centuries, how long until Shae found another mate among the crew? Bore other children, children that might live where Madeline couldn’t? What might that mean for their little family?

Aoife slid down from the couch, holding on to the cushions and then later the wall to keep her steady as she wandered off for a moment.

“But it was just a dream! Did you really not know while you were in there?” Rebekah asked curiously; it was all quite fascinating, yet utterly horrifying to her, and she couldn’t help but express both aspects of that curiosity. Aoife was on her way back to the living room with her bunny and a blanket in her arms, intent on taking a nap on the couch with her Papa. “I’m sorry, I know it’s probably a lot to ask of you, and you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to… It’s just mind boggling! I think a lot of the crew are still reeling from all this, I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you,” she said sympathetically as she helped Aoife back up onto the couch and settle in for her nap. Aoife rested her head on Cailus’ lap, her face one of utter contentment.

Amused at Aoife’s prompt decision to have a nap, Cailus waited for her to settle down, stroking her curly hair before responding. “It felt real,” he said quietly, nudging his head sideways to invite Rebekah to sit on the couch next to them. “As real as it can be. We had no way of knowing. It was just the same thing, day after day, trying to survive.”

He hesitated, glancing at Rebekah appraisingly, before making a decision. “Shae and I had problems. The confinement was bad for me, but much worse for her. Eventually we tried to have a child, but she...Madeline didn’t make it. We damn near lost Shae too.” Suddenly, Cailus frowned at the realisation. “I wish we had. She would’ve gotten out of that place twenty years sooner.”

At the invitation, Rebekah got something to drink for herself and Cailus and set them on the table, then pulled up a chair so that the couch would not get too crowded. “Oh God!” Rebekah replied, unable to hide her shock and horror at this revelation. “Jeez, Cailus, I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” she said sympathetically. “Although… it occurs to me that it’s just as well that the child didn’t make it, because she was just part of the dream. Right? There was no possible way she could exist here. I’m sorry if that was a little insensitive.”

There was a hint of restrained challenge in the look that Cailus shot her then. “She existed in our memories and in our hearts, so she existed, regardless of the universe,” he said quietly. Forcibly relaxing himself, a feat made easier with his daughter dozing away so peacefully in his lap, Cailus sighed. “The fallout from this will be severe. Aurora, Smith and Kaleri’s child, she was an adult by the time I left. They’ll lose their daughter when they wake up. A few others will too.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it, just that if I was in your position, or even Smith or Kaleri’s, I just don’t know if I could leave my kid behind, even an adult one… It’s an impossible conundrum, I was just trying to offer sympathy, I didn’t mean for it to come out the way it did or to offend,” Rebekah said hastily in her defense.

“None was taken,” Cailus said gently, smiling again as he glanced down at Aoife, quiet for a moment. As an aside, he added, “After I proposed to Shae, we agreed that I’d adopt her, all the way. With two full time parents, after Aoife’s therapy has progressed far enough, you can leave the Pandora earlier than planned should you choose to. I understand that you must have left another posting to help Shae.”

“Yeah, I heard you two got married in the dream, so congratulations,” Rebekah said, smiling. “As to my posting, I was in between assignments, so it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience, and I owed her brother a favor. Anyway, I’m getting a fantastic research paper out of all this, so it was totally worth it. But you’re right, it is about time for me to think of moving on, and in preparation for that I had been researching civilians who could fill in as a regular nanny once I’m gone; you know, for when you and Shae are required on the Bridge at the same time, or something... I hadn’t worked up a list to give to Shae yet, but if you want I can work on it with you, and help you get the adoption paperwork together so it’s all ready to finalize once Shae is back.”

“That would be good,” Cailus replied with a nod, and as his mind turned to more mundane matters, the ecstatic joy of being reunited with Aoife finally started to fade, replaced with his typical grimness. Even so, there was still a glimmer in his eye, a little bright spark that hadn’t been there before they’d been sucked into the Bubble.

No longer was Cailus living with his girlfriend and her daughter. Now he was living with his wife and their daughter, and with that little one snoozing with such contentment in his lap, it made all the difference in the world.

Rebekah smiled knowingly at the way Cailus looked at Aoife; this was a development she had seen coming a long time ago, but it was still so sad the circumstances that had finally caused this change to come about. Even still, Rebekah was happy for them, and would be happier still once Shae was finally back with them too.

“So,” Rebekah spoke up after a moment. “Would you like me to stick around for a while? Since you’re still ‘adjusting’ and all? She’s a handful for someone who is fully able, and I don’t want to cause any stress that could set you back.”

Now Cailus raised his eyebrow in amusement. “Rebekah, I have survived the finest warriors of both the Klingon and Tholian militaries. I can handle Aoife for a while. You need rest.”

“Okay, you keep telling yourself that; it’s good to think positive, just don’t aim for too lofty a goal,” Rebekah teased him, then got up and returned her chair at the dinner table. “I’m just a call away if you need me.”

“Duly noted, Miss Davies, thank you,” Cailus said evenly, and right on cue, a strong yawn betrayed his own fatigue. Realising that there was no point in fighting it, Cailus simply sat back comfortably against the couch, not wanting to disturb Aoife. “Rest well.”

Cailus would maybe get 45 minutes of blissful sleep before something tapping against his chest woke him.

“Papa… Papa.... PAPA!”

Jerking awake suddenly, Cailus looked around the living room with alarm before realising that they were quite alone and safe. “Yes, Aoife?” he asked dully, wiping his hand with his face. Blast, he needed coffee, and soon. To hell with what Brookes said.

Aoife crawled off the couch and took his hand, giving it a pull as she tried to get him to follow her.

It took a moment for Cailus to pull himself together, reaching for his cane before standing up and allowing himself to be pulled along. “Aoife, where are we going?” he asked, flummoxed.

Once they were moving, Aoife led him back to the bedroom and then to the loo. There was a little step-stool to help her get up, but her issue became clear when she tried to sort out her clothing, which was getting stuck on her leg braces, and she couldn’t figure out just yet how to get her tail untangled from her pants.

Understanding what Aoife was trying to do, but amazed all the same, Cailus helped her get settled, showing Aoife how to get herself arranged. “No more dirty nappies,” he said with a grin, clearly proud as could be. “That’s my girl.”

Aoife beamed with pride at his little compliment, then waved goodbye so she could have privacy like the adults, because she was a big girl now! Although moments later, Cailus would hear through the door an exhilarated, “POOPY!” followed shortly by Aoife calling for him to help her get her clothes sorted again.

“Poopy,” Cailus repeated under his breath, chuckling as he went back in to help Aoife. It was all well and good, but if experience was any indicator, he suspected that ‘poopy’ would become Aoife’s new catchphrase whenever she used the potty...and so Cailus made a mental note to catch Shae’s expression with a camera when she first heard her beloved daughter celebrate a successful poop.

END