Something familiar

Posted on 26 Jul 2019 @ 1:38am by Captain Jonathan Reynolds & Lieutenant Jeremy Ezio
Edited on on 26 Jul 2019 @ 1:38am

Mission: Mission 1 - In the pale moonlight ...
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD2
1874 words - 3.7 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

It was earlier than Jon ever liked what with this moon suddenly appearing and then disappearing. However he had seen that this person had ended up in sickbay on the night shift and as the counselor was heading that direction, he decided to drop in on him. He had some time to kill before his new security chiefs ETA anyway.

Liam had recommended this guy. Apparently they had worked together. Jon was curious. Anyone who had impressed his twin he wanted to know about. So he decided to drop in on the guy.

"Hey," Jon said as he parted ways with True and grabbed a nurse. "Im looking for Jeremy Ezio. Can you point me in his direction?"

She looked startled for a moment realising who he was but recovered. Jon suspected that she would have made Naiya proud in her professionalism as she showed him the way.

Jeremy was sat in the back of the ship's medical bay. Since it was very early in the morning and he was soon going to be off duty, he had sat himself on one of the furthest beds, trying to read up on junior staff psychological profiles. Though most of the night had been quiet, somehow it hadn't felt right to use that time to read. He looked up when someone approached, his sensitive hearing picking up on the unfamiliar footfall of the approaching officer.

"You got stuck with the nightshift ehh," Jon stated looking him over.

The hybrid's eyes widened in surprise. "Liam?" he asked, sizing him up. "What are you doing here? And what's with wearing the red, did you give up on counseling?"

Jon chuckled, "I'm not Liam. I'm his twin brother. Jonathan Reynolds." He held his hand out to shake his.

"Liam will never give up on counselling. That much I know wholeheartedly. You can thank him for being selected for this posting though. He spoke very highly of you Lieutenant."

"Aww that's most gracious of him. Apologies for the identity foul sir." Jeremy smiled uncomfortably as he took the offered hand. "Please call me Jeremy... in my profession I really do hate the use of ranks."

"Yeah my brothers very much the same," Jon observed. "Okay Jeremy." The handshake was firm but the man in front of him was uncomfortable. Liam had described him as occasionally nervous, decent but always came through. "So how are you settling in?"

"We're settling in fine sir. Altaïr is doing a better job at adjusting than Adira. That might be due to her having been unsettled as a toddler though. I adopted her when she was two." Jeremy sighed softly. "It's not always easy sir, being a single dad and having no family close to help out. My sister runs a restaurant on earth, I have no other family."

Jon nodded, "Yes I am beginning to realise parenting when you are not with a partner is difficult. My wife and I divorced and we are having to find a way to coexist. She is on the ship," he shrugged at the complexitity of it all. "I cannot imagine being completely alone. But you are not the only lone parent. Perhaps setting up a support group or social group?" he asked, "for single parents onboard would help matters?"

It sounded like a good idea to Jon. Definitely something he could see a counselor excelling in.

"That might not be a half bad idea. Though for you if your child's mother is on board that's a good thing. My son's mother died after giving birth to him. My daughter's parents were killed in a bombing, she was orphaned when me and my ex-husband adopted her. I've not heard from Ahira, which is probably a good thing. I'd kick him out the moment he'd show up." There was clearly no love lost for the counselor's ex husband. His eyes flashed angrily at the very mention of his name.

Jon sensed the anger off the other man. He wanted to say Trill due to the spots but he looked like he had a little more and different DNA in him. That name Ahira it was ringing bells in his head too. Maybe Liam had mentioned him in the past. "Well with us going into the Beta quadrant I think theres little chance of your ex husband showing up," he suggested gently. He was still very pained at how things had ended their clearly.

"Oh I very much doubt he'll show up anywhen. I'm not even sure he's still with starfleet." A touch of malice resounded in the usually fairly patient man's voice. "I hope he's returned to the gutter he came from. That lying, cheating bastard."

"I'm sorry things ended badly," Jon said really not sure what else to say on that score. Clearly Jeremy was still suffering from the breakdown of that relationship.

"Don't be. We are better off without him." Jeremy took a few deep breaths. "So... you're Liam's brother... I seriously thought I was meeting with Liam here. We didn't serve together for very long though, but I remember him as a good man."

"Twin, almost identical. I won't tell you how to determine between us though. Where's the fun in that?" Jon chuckled. "He's a better man than me. Was a bit worried about him recently. He disappeared off his new ship. Apparently they ended up in a parallel universe."

"Handsome as you are, I don't think you bat for my team," Jeremy chuckled, "so no I don't think I need to know how to tell you apart. Otherwise it would've been an interesting endeavour." He grinned briefly before sobering. "Is he alright? Did he get home safely?"

Jon blinked several times. He hadn't realised making that joke would have solicited that response. Neither him or Liam needed to get naked for someone to tell them apart. Someone just needed to look under their hair and behind their ear ..... Unless ..... oh did this guy know about the tatoos?

He focused on the other questions and ignored the emotions from the man in front of him that confirmed he thought him handsome. "Sorry no. Yes he's safe if not a bit wigged out by his experiences. I spoke to him before we departed. We try to speak weekly."

"Sounds like me and my sister," Jeremy nodded, "we try to talk as often as we can, as often as work and distance allow obviously." Seeing the response, the hybrid Trill chuckled. "I'm neither empathic nor telepathic," he said, "just a very perceptive symbiont who still occasionally startles the living daylights out of me by directly conversing with me." He grinned once more. "Yes... I'm joined, have been for nearly a decade now, and I'm still getting used to it. I know it's unusual for a hybrid to be joined but at the time neither Ezio nor I had any choice in the matter. We've learned to... cope."

Jon nodded. He wasn't sure he agreed with him it was unusual. He had heard of a few others. Even an underage one.

"How were the symbosis commision about things?" he asked.

"What Symbiosis Commission," Jeremy scoffed, "they were never involved in this. Ezio's prior host had been killed and I was the only one available. I could hardly let him die and at the time I was assured it was only temporary. Except days passed and we went beyond the point of no return." He folded his hands across his abdomen, as if to guard his symbiont. "He's part of me now, and while we're not the whole blend that most joined Trill are, we are who we are now, and we are content."

"They must know about things though. Have they been okay?" Jon asked carefully. Stories were ripe about how single minded the symbiosis commision could be.

"Oooh no they've not been okay, and when I turned to them for help, they refused. I've not tried since. But as I said, we're a team now, and I'll do my best to protect him for as long as I live and try to be a good host. But as I'm a hybrid, I occasionally need isoboramine boosters, especially when I'm stressed or injured." He bit his lip. "Me and Ezio were briefly separated when I was dangerously injured about a year ago. It was an extremely traumatic experience. Ezio was temporarily placed in who I thought was a friend. Turned out...when Ezio was placed back into me, that obviously had a few memories that weren't my own and that's how I found out my husband had cheated on me...because he had cheated with the officer who held Ezio... while he held Ezio."

"Ouch," Jon said again not really knowing what to say. "Again I'm sorry to hear that." He figured the poor man was stuck with that memory recall more vivid due to being joined. Must really sting finding things out that way too.

"Yea we're much better off now," Jeremy answered, smiling once more. "All of us. It's not easy, but I'm doing the best I can on my own." He smirked now. "One of the reasons I'm not a chief I suppose, nor do I really want to be."

"Why not?" Jon asked. "You can be a lone parent and a chief you know. Although I don't think dr hope plans on stepping down any time soon."

"Oh I'm not that kind of doctor," Jeremy chuckled, "I'm a counselor sir, that's all I want to be. Even if Ezio's pasts hosts have been a great many things, among which indeed a doctor, I am not. And I'm happy just helping people, and still having time for my children. I don't need the added stress of being a department head."

Jon kicked himself mentally. He was a counselor of course. Wrong officer. He should have said True not Hope. The lack of sleep might be something to do with it he reasoned. "Fair enough," he said. "Well I have to get going. I'll tell Liam hi next time we speak. If you set the support group up let me know how it works out ehh?"

"Yeah..." Jeremy paused, then reached to grab his arm. "When was the last time you slept at all?" he asked, starting to steer the man towards a bed.

Jon took the mans hand off him. "Don't worry counselor. I'm heading to my quarters now solely for that purpose."

The hybrid counselor studied him for a moment, not entirely convinced the captain was telling the truth. Finally, he nodded. "I'll know if you won't," he said finally.

Jon bit his cheek, looked at him measuredly and refused the urge to say, "yeah cause your so psychic."

"Good night Counselor," he added.

Jeremy just smiled. "No I'm neither psychic nor telepathic. But I am perceptive and I do know captains are stubborn creatures." He waved the man off. "Good night captain."

Crap Jon thought. He is psychic. He certainly wasn't telepathic that much he did know.

OFF:


●● Lieutenant Aidan Datari
Chief Science Officer
USS Andromeda

●●● Commander Jonathan Reynolds
Commanding Officer
USS Andromeda