Apologies?

Posted on Mon Nov 14th, 2022 @ 9:43am by Captain Kelly O'Connor & Lieutenant JG Cara Ross

1,341 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Mission 8 - A Blast from the Past
Location: Meeting Room
Timeline: 2296/03/13 0830 hours

"Miss Ross, do you mind staying for a moment?" O'Connor asked as the meeting dismissed.

Cara's eyebrows shot up for a moment and then nodded, hanging back as the others filed past her. "Certainly, Captain."

When the last person had left, O'Connor sighed and said, "I could use a drink. To bad there are none in the meeting room." She paced for a moment or two and then walked back over to Cara and said, "Look, I know you liked that doofus, Adams. I do not like that he had a prepared resignation and that he had little respect for my decisions. I do not get involved in other people's relationships, especially when you seem to balance them well, despite your lack of taste." O'Connor gave Cara a crooked but sympathetic smile. "I just hope that you will stay here and not go chasing him."

In truth, Cara was feeling as much whiplash, if not more, than Adams' newly promoted replacement, and adding to that the shock that the Captain was well aware that she and John had been intimate did nothing to help her in that moment. She felt heat rise up into her skin, and nothing she could do would keep her embarrassment off of her face or out of her features. She opened her mouth once, twice, then shut it and swallowed, shaking her head a bit.

"With respect," she said, carefully, "I'm still a wee bit gobsmacked at what happened, and ah know that's hardly professional of me, but here we are." She gave a small shrug, and bit down on her lip for a moment. The color in her cheeks did nothing at all to abate as she probed on. "My...relations with Lt. Adams dinnae change the fact that ah'm well aware tha'ah'm damned lucky to be in charge of a whole science department, at my age, and given my relative lack of experience compared t'some other officer ye could have requested be transferred into the spot.

"I dinnae want you to think Ah'm ungrateful, nor that ah'd throw away a chance like this. Even if I do like the lad quite a bit um...outside of work."

Her accent had gotten thicker with her mild humiliations at having to have this conversation, though the sympathy she saw in her Captain's gaze, despite her less than kind words about Adams himself, eased quite a bit of the sting and potential ire that Cara might have felt.

O'Connor nodded. "I thought you were sensible, which is why I gave you the post. Glad that you continue to be." She sighed softly and told Cara softly, "Better that you found all of this out now than later. If you want to drink it off, you know I have some grand whiskey from the old country...."

Ross knew that this was going to be a lot to deal with and that not all of it had settled in yet. She really liked John and had enjoyed herself with him. But that didn't mean that she saw herself with him in the way he did, and certainly not enough to tender her own resignation from the ship, or Starfleet for that matter. Her future was still with the fleet. As much as that might hurt over the next few days.

"As long as medical can whip up a hangover cure before my next duty shift, ah just might take ye up on that, Captain."

"I'm sure that could be arranged, Cara." With that, O'Connor reached into a hidden cabinet brought out some shot glasses and whiskey and poured some of her Irish whiskey into two shot glasses. "To bad relationships!" O'Connor toasted, while raising her glass.

Taking one of the glasses, and sure that she would regret it later, she clinked the edge of hers against the Captain's. "To life choices. Good or poor," and downed it straight.

O'Connor threw her head back at the same time, downing the entire shot glass full of whiskey in an instant. "Just remember some of the poorest decisions are some of the most fun."

As the drink burned a path down her throat, pooling into a ball of warmth in the pit of her stomach, Cara reflected on the last few days, the decisions she'd made, and the fun she'd had. Adams had been fun, there was no denying it. Might there have been a place for the two of them in the future? Perhaps if they were on a different shift. But things were not so far along that she could pass up the posting she had to follow him.

"For a bad decision, he was certainly fun."

"I find that a little difficult to believe," O'Connor replied with a small laugh and scoff. "But, lord knows that I've had my share of those, too." O'Connor gave Cara a warm smile. "And some of those are rather fond memories."

Flushing a bit in the cheeks, Cara stiffly raised her nose, and affected a haughty attitude. "Everyone has differing tastes. The lad has - had - his charms," she then dropped the act and added, "and he could be very...attentive to certain needs. Ah am truly sorry tha' his attitude and demeanor made for a poor fit here."

O'Connor's face flushed red instantly and her voice raised loftily, "DO NOT EVER APOLOGIZE FOR HIM!" Her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes narrowed. "HE MADE HIS CHOICES. YOU DID NOT DO IT FOR HIM." Realizing that she was getting close to shouting, she took a deep breath, her face turning more pink, "Take responsibility for your actions, your choices, and your deeds. Do not do it for others. You can't stop stupid and you can't save everyone, no matter how much that you want to do so."

Putting her hand on Cara's shoulder, she continued, "I'm glad for your sake that he gave you pleasure. Just remember that it was fleeting and he was an ass the other 95% of the time."

Grateful that she hadn't had anything in her mouth to spit out when O'Conner blew her top (figuratively), Cara did nearly jump out of her skin all the same. It took her a second to realize what exactly the Captain was saying, and she forced herself to set aside any fleeting ire that might bubble up. After all, she wasn't wrong. "Aye ma'am. Ah'll take responsibilityy fer any of my own screwups. Ah suppose I'm just sad to see it end the way it is, but it has, and tha's that. As ye say, tis fer the best."

The Captain scrutinized Cara, wondering if she had just intimidated the woman into saying what she wanted to hear or whether Cara meant it. For the moment, O'Connor was not sure that it mattered. She poured another glass of whiskey into her glass and held the bottle over Cara's, silently asking if she wanted another.

Promising herself that she would make a call to the on duty nurse down in sickbay before she went to bed that night to have something for the hangover already ordered and available in the morning, Cara gave a short nod of her head. Then she took the bottle, and filled her glass, raising it again in a new toast. "To whatever comes next."

O'Connor laughed slightly. "I think this shot," she answered simply. "And whatever shot after that, until one of us has had enough."

Ross pulled a bit of a face, wrinkling her nose up slightly. "Ah walked right inta tha'one, didn't ah? Eyes wide shut," she added with a laugh.

"You did, but there are worse things to walk into," O'Connor replied with a throaty laugh.

"You're nae wrong there, ma'am," Cara agreed, settling back with her glass, rolling it between her palms.

The two continued to enjoy a couple of drinks, O'Connor stopping before Cara got completely drunk. After all, both were on duty. "I believe we both have some work to attend to, Ms. Ross." With that, the Captain dismissed her Chief Science Officer.

 

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