Lovers Spat

Posted on Tue Jan 31st, 2023 @ 10:03pm by Lieutenant JG Melinda Sommers & Lieutenant Commander Hiro Sommers-Yoshida

1,944 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 5 - Objects In Motion
Location: Quarters of Melinda Sommers & Hiro Yoshida

ON:

These days it was rare for Hiro to be on time for dinner. But he'd managed to "escape" work after he'd delegated some of his tasks to a a few Operation/Engineering Officers that he knew were experienced enough and could handle it. It had been too long since he had some quality time with Melinda, Rowan, and Miri.

As soon as he stepped into their quarters he smelled that Melinda had already prepared dinner. He saw her standing at the Replicator taking out what looked like a salad. "That looks delicious..."

Melinda turned, her expression a mix between joy of seeing him, and annoyance at him yet again being pretty much late for dinner. "You do know that one of these days, the children will be in bed before you decide to come home?" she asked as she walked over to the table, where the young children were already sat and waiting.

Hiro just stood there, a meter or so from the entrance to their quarters, a little stunned at her reaction. He let out a soft sigh before he answered. "..I know, Melinda,...but Operations has a lot of work to do these days. I can't walk away every time and be there for dinner. I wish I could, but I can't."

"Why not? I'm here on time for dinner aren't I? I have duties too. In fact, I may be needed on the planet soon, to help catalogue all the plant-life there. I do expect you to be here at least half the time to help with the children. Unless you want me to take them with me?"

"Melinda, what's..." Hiro started to say, but stopped mid-sentence. "Planet? What planet? You don't mean that planet where Liam is going, are you!?"

"The very one." Melinda nodded as she sat herself down to help feed Miri. "Why. Someone's got to do it and I am the most experienced botanist on the station. I finally have something I love to do Hiro....besides running the shop."

Hiro let out a short nervous laugh. "This has to be a mistake. Liam wouldn't do this." He crossed the distance to the table. "You do know that they found creatures out there similar to the Dinosaurs that roamed Earth long ago, right? One mistake and..."

"And what? You doubt the ability of the security division to protect us? You doubt the scientists? Or even your own engineers? I have no doubt we'll be perfectly safe down there. And what wouldn't Liam do? Want me on his team? And why wouldn't he, when he needs the best there are?" She crossed her arms over her her chest in defiance, earning her a scrunched up face from their hungry daughter who now had to make a grab for the spoon herself.

"I don't doubt anyone. But no one is perfect and technology can only do so much in preventing situations getting out of hand." Hiro sighed as he sat down besides the woman he loved so much. He turned in his chair facing Melinda, leaned somewhat towards her, and gently laid a hand on her right upper leg. "I just don't want anything to happen to you..." he finally said with a soft voice.

Gritting her teeth, she pulled away. "You don't want me to go," she said accusingly, "I know what you're thinking. It's too dangerous and you don't think I belong there. Well, I'm a botanist and my place is down there."

There was an awkward silence when Hiro didn't react but looked away from Melinda and down at his feet. When he slowly looked up his eyes met those of Rowan. Hiro could see he understood what was going on and wasn't happy. To try and comfort him, Hiro mustered a smile but was unsure if it helped. "Perhaps we can have dinner first and then talk. ..I think it's getting cold."

Miri made another grab for the spoon and splashed her hand into her plate instead. "Food!" The girl cried angrily, glaring at her parents.

"Yeah well...it wouldn't have been if you'd bothered to be on time," Melinda answered, finally managing to feed their daughter. "Rowan finish your food then get ready for bed."

Without answering, Hiro put some food on his plate and took some of the salad next. He felt it was useless now to argue with Melinda now since he no doubt would "lose". It would be wiser to wait until both Miri and Rowan would be in bed and Melinda and he would be alone.

And he was probably right. Melinda didn't say another word during the remainder of dinner, barring instructing Rowan to give his father a hug before bed. She then tended to Miri, making sure she was washed, changed and comfortably tucked in. "All yours," she said as she returned to the living area, fully expecting him to see to their daughter now.

"Okay..." Hiro said as a placed his tea on the table. It would probably get cold as he expected to be some time with Miri and after that be talking to Melinda. "How's she doing?"

She cast him a withering glare. "Really?" Melinda nodded towards the little girl's bedroom. "Waiting for daddy to tell her a story, what else?"

Hiro shook his head a few times. "You and I need to talk when I'm back. There's something more going on than you wanting to go down to the newly discovered planet."

Melinda just shrugged as she started to clear the table while Hiro went to appease their daughter. When she was done, she went to making a pot of herbal tea and set it on the coffee table along with two cups. At last, she sat herself down, waiting for Hiro to return. At the same time, she tried to recall when the last time was they actually had time for a decent conversation and came to the realization it had been quite some time.

Appeasing Miri this evening was easier than usual. She'd fallen asleep before Hiro finished her bedtime story. He carefully made his way out of the bedroom so as not to wake the little girl. A bigger challenge lay ahead and he wasn't sure what to do. When he approached the coffee table his first thought was to sit opposite Melinda. Though on second thought he decided to sit next to her. They had a disagreement, nothing more. "She fell asleep halfway through the story..." he said, not really knowing how else to start the conversation.

"Of course she did, she always does when you tell her a story." Somehow the toddler slept better when her father did the storytelling, it was something Melinda had actually noticed recently. Quietly, she poured the tea and handed one cup to Hiro. "She's a daddy's girl, haven't you noticed?"

Hiro took the cup of tea from Melinda. He wanted to take a sip but noticed it was still too hot, so he placed it on the table. "I wouldn't say exactly that. The stories wouldn't help her sleep if she knew her mother was not nearby."

"I doubt that...she's definitely a daddy's girl. You achieve things with her that I simply don't. I don't know why that is, except that I guess the saying 'some bonds are greater than blood' is definitely true." She shrugged as she sat down and held her own cup between her hands. For some reason the anger she had felt earlier, had evaporated like clouds before a sun and she didn't really like stirring it up again.

All was quiet in their quarters now that Rowan and Miri were in bed and sleeping. Hiro tried to enjoy the silence for a moment or two, though he didn't really succeed as the confrontation with Melinda earlier this evening was still fresh on his mind. "Have you told them you are going away for a while?" he said finally, making he spoke softly.

"They are coming with me," she answered quietly, "if you can't guarantee half the time to be with them here, then I'll have to take them with me." It wasn't an easy choice to make. "Rowan loves being outside anyway, he has done since he was a baby but that has to do with that unique genetic quirk that he has. Miri, I don't know yet...."

There was a long pause before Hiro reacted to what Melinda had said. The idea of her leaving him and taking the children with her down to that Jurassic world made him feel helpless (though that word didn't cover all the emotions he felt). Of course, Melinda had gone through much of the same training at the Academy as him. But this newly discovered world was out of the ordinary. There were so many unknowns, so many things that could go wrong. A voice inside him told he he had to stay close to his family. Only then would he be able to be there for them if things would go wrong.

"Would you feel better if I give up my position as Chief Dry Dock Ops Officer?" he said suddenly. "I can request a transfer to the Operations department on this station as an Operations Officer. That way I can spend more time with you, Rowan, and Miri."

"I'd never ask that of you," Melinda countered, looking horrified. "This is something you earned, and worked hard for. All I'm asking of you is that you make time to be with us. At the very least be home for dinner. But I can't pass up this opportunity either, so we're going to have to find a way for the children to be with both of us, at least half the time." She knew it would hurt him deeply if she mentioned that they were in fact her children, and she'd never do that, not even to spite him. It didn't make it any less true, but he was their father in more ways than blood. And she'd never confront him with that fact, even if she might think it.

A deep sigh escaped Hiro. It became obvious to him that Melinda would not change her mind. And from a professional point of view he could understand her. “Then I’m coming with you. I can see if my Assistant Chief can cover for me while we’re at the planet. Though I’m not sure yet if Aizza is ready.”

"As long as you're not going to give up your position," Melinda insisted, "you worked hard for this. And I think the commodore will be quite pissed if you did give it up."

“Aye, ma’am. Thy will be done.” Hiro smirked while he said it.

"Of course it does," she smirked back, "you worked hard and I won't have you give it up. We'll find a way to make this work, it just needs a little time right?"

"It won't be easy, but yes, I believe we can make it work." Hiro gently pulled Melinda near to him and kissed her softly. "I love you... And I'm very happy, and proud, that you're my wife."

She allowed him to pull her over and burrowed into him. "And I'm happy you're my husband," she whispered back around the kiss. "I love you, and we'll make this work, somehow. It'll take time but we'll make it work."

"l'll talk to Aizza first thing tomorrow. After that I'll ask Liam if he could use an Operations Officer with Engineering skills down on that planet." Hiro said while holding his wife in his embrace a little longer.

 

RSS Feed