Kate felt a cold wave of relief sweep through her body as she listened to Captain Clark announce the end of the Dominion War. Finally, the long nightmare was over, and she could get back to a more normal routine. She had lost far too many friends in the last few months, and she never wanted to experience that again.
Sagging down onto an empty bed, she buried her face in her hands and allowed herself a moment of private grief, a luxury she was loathe to indulge in very often. And then, her mind wandered to Lwaxana. They hadn't spoken in close to four months, not since the Founders had taken control over Betazed, and Kate found herself longing to hear her lover's voice once more.
As she staggered to her feet, needing to put a closed door between her grief and her Sickbay, an ecstatic ensign burst into the room, a large grin on her face. "Did you hear the news? We're going home! To Earth!"
Kate frowned as she shook her head. "Is everyone being recalled?" she asked as she swiped away a few errant tears, hoping the woman hadn't noticed them.
"Just the deep space vessels like us. We'll be docking at Deep Space Nine to pick up some new crew and then on to Earth. Oh, I can't wait to see my parents again! They've been so worried about me!" The young woman quickly hugged Kate before skipping from the room, jubilance exploding from every inch of her body.
Kate slowly made her way over to her office and shut herself inside, trying not to think about the spot near the door where she and Lwaxana had kissed so passionately. Such memories would only cause her pain, and she needed to put on a brave face at this point.
Her comm badge chirped, and she touched it, wondering who needed her. "Pulaski here."
"Doctor! I need you here on the bridge. We're being hailed by Deep Space Nine, and I was told to have my CMO on hand."
She groaned lowly, not particularly wanting to put in an appearance, yet knowing she had to. "Do I have to change into my dress uniform?" she asked, trying to stall for time.
"No, there's no need for that. Just get down here as soon as possible." The comm link cut off, and she sighed a little before standing up and smoothing her uniform across her hips. There was nothing to be done about the lines on her face, and so she drew in another deep breath as she stepped out of sickbay and made her way to the bridge.
When she got there, a familiar face was on screen, and she smiled in relief to see Worf speaking with her captain. "Ah, Doctor Pulaski, it is with great pleasure that I acknowledge your survival. I look forward to seeing you aboard Deep Space Nine and catching up on the last few years."
"I look forward to that as well, Commander Worf," she replied before taking a seat in her chair as she listened to Worf and her captain discuss how the transfers on her ship were going to go. There wasn't much to interest her, until she heard Worf mention that he would be taking some shore leave, in order to leave the dust of the war behind him.
Catching his eye, she gave him a questioning smile, an expression that she hoped he remembered. When he gave her a small nod in return, she knew that he would be on her side, no matter what she asked of him. Finally, the captain signed off, and Kate quickly stood, hurrying over to her side. "Yes, Doctor Pulaski?"
"I need to talk with you in your ready room," she replied, looking around the room at her colleagues. This was not something she wished to discuss within earshot of them, since there wasn't really anyone who had understood her relationship with the brash ambassador. The captain seemed to know exactly what she was thinking, since she gave Kate a tight nod before stalking off to the room. "I'm taking shore leave as well, once we reach the station."
"Absolutely not. The Federation needs all doctors available to deal with the fall out of the war. You are needed."
"Not when my ship is going back to Earth for refurbishment. My crew will be fine with whatever personnel that board at Deep Space Nine. I have obligations that I must fulfill."
"You're just going to see your lover."
The bitter words stung, and Kate struggled to keep from crying once more that day as she coolly regarded the captain. "I am. And either you let me use my shore leave, or I resign from Starfleet, effective immediately. I rather doubt that, with their need of trained medical personnel, that would be taken lightly."
The woman regarded her balefully, and Kate could almost see the wheels turning in her mind. It would be a disgrace for her, if she had to explain exactly why a decorated medical officer was resigning her commission, and that was the one bargaining chip that Kate would play to her advantage. "And how long are you looking to take?"
"At least six months, if not a year. As I'm certain you're aware, Betazed was an occupied planet, and there will be a lot of rebuilding to do. They're going to need my services, especially since I have an in with Lwaxana." Kate gave her captain a look that told her she would brook no argument from her, and the woman deflated beneath her gaze.
"I believe that I could arrange that," she finally said, and Kate gave her a sharp nod as she turned on her heel and made her way for the doors. "But the moment that we're out of drydock, I'm coming to pick you up. You're still a commissioned officer, and as such, you will be expected to fulfill your duty to the Repulse."
"That will be fine," she bit out as she stalked from the door, knowing that at some point, things would be coming to a head between them, and she wasn't entirely certain that her captain would be happy with which side of things she'd come down on. By the time she was back in her quarters, she found her breathing labored and she sat heavily on her bed, staring up at the ceiling as she tried to get her feelings back under control. After all, she was one step closer to her lover, she couldn't afford to make a muddle of things now.
Turning onto her side, she picked up her padd and flipped through pictures until she found the one she was looking for. Mister Homm had been very kind and taken a picture of the two of them together, when they had been on Earth at the same time so many months ago. Right now, it was her only tangible link to Lwaxana, and she wanted to hold onto it, knowing that the connection was the only thing in her life that made sense. "Soon, soon, I'll be with you again, beloved," she whispered as she turned onto her back and let herself cry for everything she had lost in the war, and everything she hoped to gain now that it was over.
