Wow, prepping for college really does a number on you. Yikes.
But on the bright side - thanks to everyone who continues to follow this story and support me through it! You really do brighten my day. :)
Although, fair warning - the waterworks may not be over quite yet... soon.
Disclaimer: I'm so sorry, but no.
It's the middle of the night (he thinks) when he wakes to hear three voices conversing in the living room. "-getting better," Cynthia is saying.
"Really?" Sulu's hopeful tone catches Chekov's attention, putting him on alert.
"That's good news, innit?" Scotty asks.
"He's still got a long way to go," Cynthia says firmly. "But he's not shutting himself off to me, which is a good sign."
"I feel like there's a 'but' coming," Sulu says, caution lacing itself into his tone.
"But there's more to it than that. It's one thing to be able to talk, but if he won't even confront his ghosts at Starfleet…"
"Don't you think you're pushing him a bit soon to be working there?" Sulu asks. "It's taken him almost a year to talk about the people he lost. Won't it take him longer for him to go back?"
"It will if you two still stay here." Cynthia's tone is serious.
"We can't just leave the kid by himself," Scotty says incredulously.
"Scotty, he's getting better. More independent. You can tell - he talks more, doesn't he? You said that yourself-"
"That don't mean we should just up and leave," Scotty argues. "Hikaru, tell her what a bloody terrible idea this is."
There's a long pause before Sulu speaks again, his voice low and worried. "I'm with Scotty on this one, Cynthia. I stayed behind for a reason."
"You helped him get back on his feet. I know that. He knows that. But there comes a time when you have to let him go. He needs to learn."
"So you're just going to throw him to the wolves?" Scotty sounds agitated. "Cynthia, the kid lost his whole family in that accident. We're the only ones left that he's got."
"He can't keep leaning on you two forever," Cynthia insists. "He's got to be strong for himself, not for the both of you."
"I don't-" Scotty begins, but Sulu cuts him off.
"Enough. Look, it's late. We're all tired. We can talk about this in the morning, okay? Right now we're all worried and stressed and that won't help anyone, least of all Pavel." A rustling of coats and jackets. "Here's your raincoat, Cynthia."
"I'll see you guys tomorrow," Chekov hears Cynthia say quietly. Scotty doesn't respond, but Sulu says goodnight before the door shuts with a click.
"We can't leave him," Scotty says right off the bat.
"Scotty, go to bed," Sulu sighs.
"I mean it, Hikaru. You can leave if you bloody want, but I'm not going anywhere."
"You left him literally four months after the accident-"
"That was different, okay?" Chekov can almost imagine Scotty's frustration laced into the throbbing vein under his jawline. "I didn't know how bad it was for him. I do now."
"Well, she's got a point," Sulu says, tone reasonable and level. "We can't just keep supporting him forever. Eventually he's got to get out and do something for himself, not just for us."
"So we should just – leave?"
"He deserves the chance to live his own life without us," Sulu says. His tone suggests to Chekov that Sulu doesn't like it any more than Scotty does. "But I don't think we should leave until he tells us to, Scotty. We obviously can't just up and go."
"Well, that settles it then. He's never going to tell us to leave."
There's a pause. "He told me to last night," Sulu admits slowly. "He said that if I wanted to, I should go back to Starfleet."
"He's got Mandimese flu. The kid hallucinates."
"I know, but…" Sulu hesitates. "I keep wondering."
"You haven't told him yet, have you? That you quit your job?"
"I'm not telling him until he's better."
Scotty sighs. Through a crack of his eyelids, Chekov can see that the Scotsman's shoulders are hunched, left hand rubbing his forehead. "Christ."
Sulu pats Scotty's shoulder. "No point worrying about it tonight, Scotty. Let's go to bed. We'll talk in the morning."
"I just don't think we should leave," Scotty insists one last time.
Chekov strains to hear Sulu's last answer. "What if it's the only thing we can do?"
How's everyone doing so far? Good?
Much love,
ohlookrandom
