Rating: T
Pairings: Lorne/OC Friendship
Summary: Lorne is grieving for a friend
Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate characters but I do own Dr Stirling
Authors Notes: This story has been running around my head for a while so I thought I would trip it up and tell it to you. It is not particularly good but the bunny kept nudging me.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Will anyone who knows the whereabouts of Major Lorne please report to Dr Weir or Dr Heightmeyer" said a voice over the tannoy. Dr Delilah Stirling sighed, why couldn't they leave the poor bloke alone? He'd lost his best friend in a Wraith attack three days ago and the last thing he needed was Dr Heightmeyer patting his hand and telling him it was ok to cry. Lilah didn't particularly like Major Lorne and he didn't have much time for her but she wouldn't wish what he'd been through on anyone. Major Chris Harper had gone off world a forty-year-old airforce officer and had come back as a desiccated husk, no wonder Lorne had withdrawn into himself his gaunt face and silence had haunted her as she'd seen that look on her own face quite a few times in the last five years.
Lilah entered the Astronomy lab and started to realign the telescope ready for tomorrow when she noticed the balcony door was open, it had defiantly been shut when she'd sloped off for a cup of tea earlier. She gingerly made her way across the lab and peered out
"Hello" she called
"Go 'way" said a voice, Lilah peered further out and let out a sigh
"Major Lorne, you know that they're about to turn out the guard to look for you" she said
"So" replied Lorne. Lilah tapped her earpiece
"Dr Weir it's Dr Stirling, I've found Major Lorne" she said, he started to get to his feet and she put her hand over the mic "don't worry I'm not going to rat on you to the grown ups"
"Lilah, where is he?" said Weir
"Don't worry he's still on Atlantis and he's ok" she replied as she took her earpiece out and put it in her pocket.
"Wha' you doin' here?" he said, Lilah smiled
"I work here, I take it you're playing hooky from grief counselling," she said
"Damn right" he said as he took a swig from a whiskey bottle
"Good for you" she sat down next to him "you seem to be dealing with things in your own way" she held her hand out for the bottle. He glared at her and snatched it out of her reach "I don't want to take it from you, I want a belt myself," she said, he gave a half smile and handed the bottle over, she tipped her head back, took a large gulp and handed the bottle back. She coughed as the whiskey went down "now I remember why I don't drink Bourbon unless I have to"
"Thanks for not telling them where I am" he said, she smiled
"S'ok, Dr Weir and Dr Heightmeyer want to drag you kicking and screaming back to grief counselling and Colonel Sheppard and Dr Beckett want to let you get over it in your own time" she said.
"What about you, I'm sure you have an opinion," he said with a scowl
"I think you should do whatever the hell you want; no one has the right to tell you how to grieve. As much as Dr Heightmeyer is a competent therapist she can't tell you how to deal with it unless she's been there, done that and got the t-shirt because you can't grieve by numbers, you can't tell someone "You'll get over it in three weeks if you do it my way" everyone's different," she explained. Lorne looked at her, he wasn't that drunk, not yet, his mind could still put things together and it was telling him she knew what she was talking about
"Who'd you lose?" he asked, she looked up and gave a sad smile.
"My sister, she and her husband were killed in a car crash five years ago," she said, he handed the bottle back to her
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," he said. She took another swig of Bourbon.
"Don't be, the worst thing is that she was my twin, I know it sounds clichéd but when she died something in here died too". She tapped her chest "all that stuff about twins is true, each one knowing when the other's in trouble, knowing what the other's thinking that kind of thing, there's a kind of...emptiness there now" she said.
"I know me an' Chris we'd been together since basic training, twenty years, Desert Storm, Afghanistan, SGC and god knows where else in between. Yeah I know everyone's lost someone close but no-one can understand how close we were, that's why I had to give Dr Heightmeyer the slip I kept trying to explain to her but she didn't understand" he said. Lilah nodded
"I don't think anyone really knows what it's like until it happens" she replied
"So how did you deal with it, I guess grief counsellors didn't figure in your plans?" he asked, she gave him a smile
"Noticed that huh" he nodded "I guess having family helped because we went through it together, we cried, argued, screamed, shouted, punched walls, kicked furniture, sat for hours in the rain, stayed in bed for days on end, anything that seemed a good idea at the time I suppose" she said.
"So is that your advice, do what seems best at the time?" Lorne asked
"If you want to take it, sure it worked for me, but I'm not saying it'll work for you, you're the only person that knows that," she replied.
"Thanks" he said
"My pleasure" she replied, she took another drink out of the bottle and handed it back
"You know you're the only one who bothered to talk to me" he took a swig out of the bottle "sure people have said they're sorry to hear about Chris and the like but no-ones actually talked to me" he said
"Most people don't know what to say in a situation like this so they tend to avoid you" Lilah replied.
"You really do know what you're talking about" he murmured sadly
"Yeah I guess I do" she replied, the bottle was now empty.
"Can you tell me something?" he asked
"If I can," she replied
"Will it get any easier?" he said, she smiled
"Do you want me to make you feel better or do you want the truth?" she asked.
"The truth would be nice for once," he said
"Some days are better than others" she replied honestly "sometimes, when I see something or hear a joke I think to myself I must tell Lula when I see her next, but...then I realise she's not here anymore".
"Is that what I can expect?" Lilah nodded "thanks for being honest with me and not sugar coating it" he said. Lorne looked up and saw that it was dark; they must have been talking for hours. He got unsteadily to his feet
"I've gotta get to bed" he groaned, Lilah pulled herself to her feet
"Sounds like a good idea" she said. Lorne hugged her tight
"Thanks" he murmured as she wrapped her arms around him
"Anytime" she replied.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Major Marcus Lorne groaned as he opened his eyes with great difficulty, it felt like someone was clog dancing on cobbles inside his head. He blinked a few times and the world came into focus, he saw a can of Diet Coke on his bedside table and propped against it was a note. He picked up the note and read
Drink this before you do anything else
It's a tried and trusted British hangover cure
You know where I am
Lilah.
He smiled, he'd seriously misjudged the astronomer, everyone knew she was slightly eccentric in a way that would even put Dr Zelenka to shame, he'd heard rumours that she sunbathed naked in the astronomy lab and that she liked to sing rugby songs. However, after last night he guessed that was part of the way she dealt with the loss of her sister, he picked up the can and noticed it was opened, he swallowed half of it down and grimaced as it was flat, still, he drank the rest and headed for the shower. While he was in the shower he went over what had happened last night and decided he owed Lilah Stirling a huge favour, not only had she been able to understand what he was going through but she'd actually bothered to sit with him and talk, yeah he owed her a hell of a lot. He got out of the shower and started to dress he stopped as he realized that the pounding in his head had stopped; hell flat Diet Coke really did cure a hangover. When he'd finished dressing he grabbed a pen and notepad and headed out to the mess hall, he was going to take Lilah's advice and deal with Chris's death in his own way and the first thing he was going to do was write to his mother.
"See, I told you it would work," said a voice behind him, he turned around and saw Lilah smiling at him
"Yeah, thanks for the tip" he replied
"Friends of mine swear by a greasy fried breakfast but I've never had the nerve to try it," she said with a grin, Marc frowned
"I think I'll stick to Diet Coke and coffee," he said. Lilah laughed
"Sensible man" she replied
"Thanks again for what you did last night," he said
"S'ok, I'm glad I could help" she replied. She glanced over his shoulder "uh-oh grown up at twelve o'clock" she said as she spotted Dr Weir coming through the door, Marc glanced over his shoulder and groaned
"Join me for breakfast" he asked, Lilah smiled
"Sure" she replied grabbing some tea and toast and sat with him at the nearest table "my niece would love to be in my shoes"
"Why?" he asked, surprised by the sudden change in topic
"Being in the Lost City of Atlantis, she's studying Mythology and Folklore at university and her sister's studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London" she smiled mischievously "I'm the only normal one in the family" she said, Marc chuckled
"You, normal" he said as he leaned forward "is it true that you sunbathe naked in your lab" she leaned towards him
"You're head of security why don't you find out" she replied with a grin and he laughed "I didn't know Chris that well but what I do remember is his laugh". Marc sighed
"Yeah, he enjoyed a good joke" he said
"Start the day by telling a joke, as a tribute to him, I sing the Habanera from Carmen for Lula" she said. He nodded absent-mindedly
"Yeah maybe" he replied
"Major Lorne, you missed your appointment yesterday," said Dr Kate Heightmeyer
"Oops, that'll teach me to keep my eyes peeled," murmured Lilah
"I know Doc but I got it covered thanks" he replied
"I really don't think you have Major" Heightmeyer replied.
"As much as I love being a spare prick at a wedding I think I'd better leave you kids too it" said Lilah as she got up "see you around Major"
"Yeah, I owe you big time" he said as she left
"I didn't know you and Dr Stirling were friends," said Kate as she sat down. Marc frowned she was the last person he wanted hanging around
"We weren't until last night" he snapped "I was sitting on her labs balcony, we talked, she listened and she helped me" Kate gave a patronizing little smile
"As well meaning as I'm sure her advice was I hardly think she's qualified to help you through the grieving process," she said. Marc narrowed his eyes at her
"I don't mean to be rude Doc but she's a hell of a lot more qualified than you will ever be and I don't think I'll be needing you anymore I'm going to do things my way, now if you don't mind I've got to write to Chris's mum" he said. Kate got up, her smile still frozen in place after being dismissed
"I see," she said in a strained voice as she gathered up her papers and stalked out of the mess hall. Lilah was waiting by the transporter as Kate swept passed, she chuckled to herself
"The things you see when you don't have your sketchbook" she muttered, she touched her earpiece "Major Lorne"
"Yeah" came the reply
"Well done," she whispered
"I don't think I'm gonna hear the end of it" he replied
"Let it go in one ear and out of the other" she said
"Sounds good to me, hey Doc, where did General Grant keep his armies" he said
"Go on" she replied
"Up his sleevies" he said. She groaned
"That's as old as the city," she said
"I know" he replied
"See you later Major" she said. Marc turned off his radio, it may have been an old joke but it was a start, he picked up his pen and started to write.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AN: Yes the flat Diet Coke thing does work.