Digging a Little Deeper pt1

Posted on Fri Jun 18th, 2021 @ 2:09am by Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell & Remal Kajun

Mission: Gamma Quadrant
Location: USS Sunfire
Timeline: Current-ish

Digging a little deeper

The time was 07:00 hours. He stood at her threshold, a gift within his hands. From his many years of experience, he understood a soul which needed help. And after her drunken stupor after saving the Alla crew, Bonnie was in clear need of some soul searching. He pressed the chime.

Inside her quarters, Bonnie rolled over sluggishly, her hair providing a mess of canopy that shielded her face from the light. “Computer, snooze.” She mumbled before fluffing her pillow and returning to sleep.

He waited a moment, then pressed the chime once more. Everyone was entitled to a morning wake-up call now and again as much as they were entitled to rouse themselves in their own fashion. He had taken the liberty to check her schedule and knew she had a couple hours before her duty schedule began.

“Ugh.” she grunted, annoyed the computer didn’t snooze like she had asked. “Computer, 5 more minutes, please.” To which the computer responded. “Snoozing for 5 minutes more. Acknowledged.” That’s better, Bonnie thought, just before the pounding began.

On strike three, you knock right. His large fist struck the door several times, even while a smile remained upon his face. He had a message to deliver along with a gift he hoped she would appreciate.

She sat bolt upright, eyes wide. Someone was at her door. Instead of sitting still, remaining covered and inviting her guest in, she did the opposite. In true Bonnie fashion, she tossed her blankets aside, jumped up, and promptly tripped over her boots landing face-first into the carpet. At least it wasn’t her sheets today.

From outside he heard a thud, followed by a continuous string of expletives. Many of which he had only ever read in books. And only a few of which he had ever heard from his own wife’s mouth. He made a mental note to keep Bonnie and Rhenora apart when they were not at their best.

A minute later, still dressed in her satin pajamas and still fighting the hair that refused to be anywhere but in her face, Bonnie stepped up and opened the door. There before her stood a 6’7” tall Remal Kajun, carrying what appeared to be a medium-sized potted plant. “Um.”

“Rough morning?” He asked. “I thought I’d stop by and have a quick chat. Do you mind if I come in?”

She batted her eyes, still attempting to wake. “Um, okay, I guess.” She stepped backward into her room. “Can I, uh, can I get you something to drink? Maybe a chocolate milk?” She asked as she hurriedly straightened up her living area despite it already being pretty neat and tidy.

“Never had one. Yes please, that would be lovely.” He entered and gave a quick glance around. The last time he had been in her quarters, it was dark and she was drunk. But now, he could see the starkness of her room. Of course with the move, she had not had much time to decorate. He moved into the living area but did not immediately sit down.

She swished over to the replicator and ordered two chocolate milks which appeared in a shimmer. Then she carefully walked them over to the coffee table and sat them in front of where she was going to sit and where Remal stood. “Please.” She said, offering him a seat.

“Thanks.” He reached out the plant for her to take, “But first, meet Zeezee. Also known as the Zanzibar gem. Careful not to rub the leaves too much, or make sure you wash your hands after as some species are known to be slightly poisonous.”

As she took the potted plant with a dumbfounded look, “You’re giving me a poisonous potted plant, um, how… sweet?.” She turned and carefully placed it into the window area. “And here I didn’t get you anything.”

Amused he was already reaching for the chocolate milk. “It’s only mildly poisonous. You have to take great care in their cultivation otherwise you end up itching for days. Their roots tend to spread out on the surface if poorly planted, so the goal is to dig a little deeper during the initial planting. That way they are more firmly rooted.”

“Do I, uh, do I need to water it or anything? I don’t really do plants.” She gestured around at the quarters.

He sipped the milk, then smiled at its thick creamy texture. “A bi-monthly watering will suffice. They are very hardy plants. I know you are a busy girl so...”

His statement was very open-ended and leading. Despite being tired still, she caught on to the fact that he wasn’t there simply to talk plants and drink chocolate milk. “So, um, what brings you to my door?”

He smiled, his upper lip presenting a chocolate mustache, causing her to smirk. “You got me. In truth, I came to chat about the other night when I found you slumped over at the bar. You seemed out of sorts and at first I believed you were talking about Naprem, but then…”

“But then what?” She asked while trying to recall what was said that night. In truth between the events and the drinking, she didn’t even know how she had made it back to her room, let alone what was said.

He took another sip. “Well, I believe you mentioned something about someone leaving when you needed her. And I don’t mean to pry, but I looked up your history and I took a guess that you might be referring to your mother.”

Both hands on her glass, her glass firmly in place in front of her mouth, Bonnie stared through Remal into the distance and wished her chocolate milk contained vodka. After what seemed like several minutes of silence, Bonnie blinked.

“Um, yep.” She nodded vigorously. “Mum was in Starfleet. Died at Wolf 359. My Papa raised me. And I’ve seen half a dozen shrinks over the years who’ve claimed I’m okay, or going to be, so…”

“But you’re not, are you?” He asked with tender eyes and a caring soul. “And there is no reason for you to have to be.”

She fought back her tears, “I’m usually fine. My Father is a good man. A wise and loving man. He was strong when I wasn’t. And now that I’m out here, I find it a struggle to not have him there to be my rock anymore. And then when Naprem left like she did, so abruptly, you know, I just lost it. I felt like maybe I was abandoning my Papa like Mum abandoned me.” The tears had burst through the gates and now racing for the drip line at her chin.

TBC