Coping

Posted on 29 Aug 2016 @ 2:33am by Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler

1,130 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Click Three Times
Location: Security
Timeline: MD 7 || 0830 Hours

It was just a little over an hour into her shift, and Security was finally starting to get back into some kind of order, but Joey found herself sitting on the floor in the small room dedicated to the kennels. Instead of putting Rico and Pequeno inside, she allowed to the K-9 officers to lay across her outstretched legs so she could pet them both at the same time. She was still exhausted, but it was more mental and emotional than anything else, and like she’d done for most of her adult life, she was going to cope with it on her own. It was just easier dealing with the burden of what bothered her by herself rather than put it off on anyone else. Especially when so many others were dealing with their own issues after everything that happened.

She turned her gaze down to the two canines and managed a small smile. Neither of them really knew what was going on, but it was Rico that sensed something wasn’t quite right with his handler considering how long they’d worked together. He’d refused to leave her side, which was one reason she was in her current position. The second she tried to walk out, he let out a whine that broke her heart, and now here she was… being used as furniture for the two overly spoiled animals. She definitely didn’t seem to mind it, though. They brought her comfort, and that was exactly what she needed.

With a frown, Joey thought back to what she just couldn’t get off of her mind. Jackson. She was so good at faking her way through things, and this time was no different. It was easy to put on a smile and pretend you were okay on the outside, but felt like as though she were unraveling at the seams on the inside. Like… at any given second… she would just fall apart completely.

Joey closed her eyes as tears began to well up. She prided herself on being a strong person, but even she had her limits. Her limits came in the form of two assholes who wanted to do who knew what to get. One of them was now dead, and the other was under serious guard until they got back to where they needed to be. And yet… part of her was scared he’d find a way to get out again and come after her. He’d managed to escape once, so what was to keep him from getting out a second time?

Logically, she knew he was being kept unconscious for that very purpose, and Joey was eternally grateful for that, but the human mind had a way of making up scenarios that only made bad situations worse. It wasn’t surprising that Jackson wanted to kill her… or whatever it was he really wanted to do with her. She’d humiliated him… taken him down. He was a Marine, and it was no secret how prideful they were. No one did what she did and got away with it. No one made them out to look like a fool, and that was exactly what happened. More than once.

She swallowed a lump back in her throat and opened her eyes again. Never before had she actually been afraid of another person. She was able to take care of others, but this time, it was different. Joey was more than capable of taking care of herself, but the man on the other side of her inner turmoil was a sneaky son of a bitch. He’d already posed as a member of the Black Hawk’s crew once. What was to stop him from doing it again? What was to stop him from doing anything he could?

“I’m being completely ridiculous, huh?” she asked Rico while Pequeno napped between her shins. He couldn’t give a verbal answer for her, but he lifted his head and kissed her chin. Joey smiled and run her fingernails through his fur.

It just sucked that when she started to drift off the night before, his snarling face invaded her mind like he was allowed to be there. And, it didn’t seem to matter if she focused on something else, he’d find his way back. Tormenting her… threatening to get her when she least expected it. What she wouldn’t give to have him off of the ship, but that wasn’t a possibility. Jackson needed to be watched closely, which meant she was stuck knowing he was close by. He needed to stay put until he could be turned over to the proper authorities once they arrived back to Unity. It… it just couldn’t happen fast enough for her.

What she needed to do was to keep herself busy. If she was constantly doing something, then she wouldn’t even be able to think about the man who betrayed everything Starfleet stood for. Or that he’d had a hand, even in a roundabout way, of murdering innocent people who had their entire lives ahead of them. A court martial just wasn’t good enough. Living out the rest of his days on a penal colony somewhere wasn’t good enough. No punishment anyone could think of was good enough. He deserved to die a thousand deaths in every way that those innocent people did. Repeatedly. Until his suffering was so great, and there was nothing left but the shell of a man who sat and stared off into the distance for the rest of his days. But, even then, it just wasn’t good enough.

Joey shook her head and coaxed Rico off of her lap, then got him into his kennel. She needed to get back to work before someone noticed she was missing. If they did, she’d have to explain, and that wasn’t something she was willing to do. Not right now… maybe not ever. Carefully, she scooped Pequeno up and slipped him into his kennel, smiling when the little black pup stretched out. If only life for the rest of them were as easy.

The sound of her Chief filled the silence briefly. =^=Lieutenants Corwin and Cooper, please report to my office immediately=^=

“I’ll be back for you two soon. I promise,” she said, getting to her feet. Joey dusted herself off and took a deep breath. It was time to put on a smile and go back to work. Mentally, she prepared herself, then made her way back out into the main facility where Camila's office was. Keeping herself busy... this was what she needed to do in order to forget… even if it was only for a little while.

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