Her Little Slice Of Happiness

Posted on Dec 08, 2016 @ 4:03pm by Ensign Lynette Ryan
Edited on on Dec 08, 2016 @ 4:03pm

Mission: Aftermath

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“HER LITTLE SLICE OF HAPPINESS”

(Continued from “Points of View”)

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Location: Starfleet Security

Stardate: 2.16.1208.1515

Scene: Medical Ward

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The afternoon sun shone brightly through the window of the medical ward slowly shrouding every bed in radiant warmth. Lynette began to stir as the radiance touched her eyes. Her eyes flickered as she slowly came to, vision blurred, as they adjusted to the bright light that had brought her back to consciousness. A dark shape appeared before her vision blocking her sight from the light and then a voice spoke.

“Linny! You’re finally awake my baby girl.” Alike the light that warmed her body outside, the unforgettable voice warmed her heart upon hearing it.

“Mum!?” Her voice was raspy, her throat dry after awaking from her long sleep.

“Yes Linny. Here take a sip.” Lynette felt the cup be placed into her hands and she raised it to her lips and let the refreshing cool liquid slide down her throat. Linny, Her mother’s nickname for her was also unforgettable and as much as she disgusted it as it made her feel like a baby again at this point in time, but everything that had happened to her in the last few days, it was comforting.

“My God Mum...what are you doing here? Where in hell am I?” It was as if the covers had been pulled from her senses and were back at full attention. Lynette’s eyes now were fully open and she looked around startled and confused at her unfamiliar surroundings and unsure how she even came to be here.

“It’s okay just calm down. You’re in the medical ward at Starfleet Security.” Lynette’s mum placed her hands on her daughters shoulders in an attempt to calm her down as she tried to clamber out of her bed.

“What….what happened?” Lynette held her hand to her head still in a state of confusion as the last thing she remembered was being verbally attacked by the andorian woman in the inquiry and then dizziness started to consume and then she must have blacked out.

“If you had bothered to actually call your mum once in awhile. I could have done something to help. Instead you got yourself mixed up hip-deep in trouble once again.” Lynette felt her mothers comforting hands leave her chest, adopting a more aggressive tone as she stood upright and glared at her.

“It’s like you’re a magnet for it. Kicked out of your first school and nearly the second. Barely made it into the academy and you almost got expelled from that and now….now you are in the middle of all of this.” Her mother continued and all that Lynette could do was sigh as she tried to block out the lecture. She felt like a teenager all over again after getting into trouble at school, whether it had been skipping classes to spend time with a boy or her friends, getting into the fights with the arrogant girls and that one incident of nearly causing an explosion in the chemistry lab. Lynette had heard the lecture one too many times during her rebellious teenage phase and she didn’t particularly enjoy hearing it again now as an adult.

“Mum…..I’m sorry.” Lynette sighed again and her face turned sour and once her mother saw this her tone changed and she returned to her side and cradled her head to her chest.

“I know you are….I’m sorry Linny. I just wished you were able to tell me what’s been going on. I haven’t heard from you for months then I get word that you have been involved with these terrorists.” Her mother let out her worry and began to stroke Lynette’s hair.

“Mum, it was a classified project. We were in communications lockdown.” Lynette explained enjoying the comforting safe feeling of being close to her mum again after so long.

“I just worry about you that’s all. Your uncle misses you you know,”

“That’s only because his farm equipment keeps breaking down and he hasn’t got his niece around to help fix it.” Lynette withdrew from her mother and responded with a cheekish smile on her face. It was working on her uncle’s farm helping him fix things that she developed the mechanical aptitude and passion for machinery and it fueled her curiosity to the point that she did receive some not so nice words from him for taking some his machines apart without asking him first.

“Something like that.” Her mother smiled in turn and Lynette felt good for the first time in a week after the worst few days of her life, she was glad that this feeling had not fled from her totally and that she still held onto a slice of happiness.

“So tell me, what has been happening?” Then came the serious face again which caused Lynette to let out another heavy sigh. In truth, she didn’t want to really explain everything in detail or even at all but she needed to let out these feelings bottled inside her.

“They believe I’m one of these terrorists mum. Part of the Neo-Essentialists and that I’m somehow responsible for helping those murderers.” Anger was predominant in Lynette’s tone as she explained in brief while she had been arrested and put forth before a board of inquiry.

There was a brief moment of silence where she expected her mother to say something but she just continued to glare at her and Lynette somehow knew that she was running the possibility through her head that perhaps she had truly been part of the movement and a terrorist. Lynette took offense at the silence and that particular train of thought.

“Mum! I’m not….how could you even think that I could be with...Them.” Lynette lashed out tossing aside the bed sheets with a degree of force a sense of her disgust and then leapt out of bed towards the window, her back turned to her mother.

“I’m sorry, I just can’t help but think...after months of no contact from you. What am I supposed to think.” This is how the arguments started which usually escalated into screaming matches and 25th century equivalent of door slamming before they separated off into their own areas to calm down. Usually hours later an apology followed but sometimes in extreme circumstances it would be days before they would really have spoken to each other before the proverbial hatchet was buried.

“Well I’m not...in fact I helped stop them.” Lynette spun sharply back around to face her mother directly, the volume of her voice growing louder and louder. It was just as well that the rest of the medical ward was empty.

“Now they are pushing me for information wanting me to tell them everything I know about the Neo-Essentialists….but I don’t know anything.” She returned back to the window slamming a fist against it to let out some of her anger. Her eyes looked down upon the lush trees and grass that inhabited the grounds of Starfleet HQ. Watched as people walked the paths, sat on the benches admiring the view and Lynette just wished that the inquiry would just believe what she told them and let her go. She needed to let go of the pain she had experience even in its minute form, needed to regain some aspect of her life again even though Sam was never going to be a part of it. A heavier sigh escaped her breath as she closed her eyes firmly remembering him.

The silence was broken by a rapping on the metal entryway.

“Knock, knock...You have someone who wants to see you, cadet.” Lynette spun around instantly at the familiar voice and saw the smiling face of the Security officer that had helped her earlier but more importantly she held a cat carrier in her arms.

“Oh my god Mackie!” Lynette’s eyes were awash with tears of happiness and she ran over to the carrier and immediately open the carrier door and picked him out of the confining space.

“I’m sorry am I interrupting?” Kelsey then looked between Lynette and the older woman and was suddenly hit with an immediate thought of if she had just walked in on something personal.

“No it’s okay. Thank you for bringing him. She loves that cat.” Lynette’s mother smiled as she thanked the young Lieutenant.

“It’s my pleasure. I’m glad to see her up and smiling.” The young lieutenant glanced over to see Lynette absolutely fixated on Mackie to the point she almost seemed to have tuned out to anything else said.

“Have you been a good boy for…” Lynette stopped and looked up at the Lieutenant. “I’m sorry I never got your name.” She felt kind of bad that she had been so kind and helpful to take Mackie in while she was detained here that she did not even know her name.

“Lieutenant Rees….Kelsey.”

“He hasn’t been too much trouble for you?” Lynette asked as she cradled the tabby cat in her arms, stroking his belly lightly which he enjoyed as he did not struggle.

“*He* hasn’t...just my boyfriend.” Kelsey’s face went glum at the mere mention of his name. She was angry at him for his stubborness and inability to even compromise.

“But….lets not go into that.”

“I just thought you would need some cheering up before you are to appear back before the board in a few hours.” Kelsey explained but there was no reply from Lynette as she was now back on the bed and fixated again with her cat. They all smiled and giggled as they watched as Mackie pounced on Lynette’s hands under the bed covers.

Her little slice of happiness.



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NRPG: Just a short one.


Phillip Wright

Writing for

The slightly happier soul of Lynette Ryan