People often asked him why he didn't talk to his ex-wife, why he didn't try and get some sort of contact with her so he could see his daughter
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Christine had heard the commotion from down the hall as she came from the recovery ward. By the time she'd reached the main area of the med bay, Leonard was gone and the staff were all chatting with mixed looks of excitement and worry on their faces. Once she'd gotten the story out of them, she headed to Leonard's office to investigate.
Her brows lifted when she came across the mess, and she automatically set to straightening up. When she came across the frame on the floor, she carefully turned it over, glad there was no shattered glass to clean up.
The photograph showed a baby swaddled in a blanket, held by arms that showed off delicate, feminine nails at the end of small hands. Christine set the frame back up on the desk and sighed. That had to be his daughter. She wondered if his destructive rage had had something to do with her. Christine hoped the little girl wasn't ill.
The more she thought about it, the more she worried until she was walking through the med bay, handing over control to one of her nurses before heading for Leonard's quarters. A minute later she was ringing the bell.
By the time the chime rang at his door, the color was high in his cheeks and his smelled more like alcohol than the bottle did. Taking a moment to collect his thoughts as best he could, Leonard put the flask away, his thoughts of Joanna away, his thoughts of Jocelyn.
'Just forget about her. 'Bout Jocelyn. Two-timing wench don't deserve none of your time.' He tried to tell himself, but even his mind's voice fell on deaf ears as Leonard walked to the door and opened it.
There was no hiding the surprise on his face seeing Christine standing there, waiting for the door to be opened. Well this was fantastic. What a state for her to see him in - not that she hadn't seen him like this before.
"Somethin' wrong in Medical already?" He said, a slight slur added to his drawl.
The reek of alcohol greeted Christine when the door opened. Shocked that he was drinking on shift, she couldn't form an response for a moment, just staring at him with parted lips. Finally her brain caught up and she answered.
"Yeah. Someone's trashed your office. Can I come in? Thanks." Not waiting for the go ahead, she squeezed in past him. The last thing that Leonard needed was someone to pass by and see the state he was in.
Normally, Leonard wouldn't drink on shift. He knew better, and Christine knew he knew better. But this time it was different. He had to get his ex-wife out of his head, had to do something.
Before he could protest her coming inside, she was already in,the door hissing shut in his face. "Christine, damnit, just what d'y'think y're doin'?" The CMO was a mess, shirt wrinkled, hair mussed up, and red visible in his eyes.
He moved past her back over to his couch and plopped down heavily, swearing mentally to himself that he had forgotten the damn flask back up in the cabinet.
"I'm checking up on you," she explained as calmly as she could. If anyone else found out that he was drunk, Starfleet would show him the door so fast it would make his head spin.
"What happened back in your office? Something bad must have happened to be affecting you this way."
Checking up on him. How nurse like of her. If he weren't so damn drunk, he'd probably be more appreciative of this. Instead he scowled as he slouched on his couch. So much for really wanting that flask of his.
"I d'n't wanna talk about it." If he had, he wouldn't be sitting her, drunk, scowling and slouching. The room swam a little before him, making Leonard make a noise of slight pain and cover his eyes. Things had gone from worse to bad to hell all in one go.
"So t'table's turned now?" He muttered, almost sourly. "I'm the patient, y're the therapist?" Leonard peeked at her through his fingers after the lights in his room dimmed.
"Y'kinda sound like me fr'm that one day in Medical." Pulling his hand aside, Leonard pushed himself a bit upright on the couch. He had a feeling he wasn't going to get out of this very easy - if at all.
Which is what he was referring to, but he was a little too drunk to get things right in his head at the moment. Leonard felt his head swim a little and he got up to his feet, intending to get a cold glass of water to help clear his head.
He swayed a little here and there before he finally hit the counter that held the sink. Groaning slightly, Leonard shook as he got a glass of water and drank it down. There was a noise of him clearing his throat before he moved to turn. He could do this. He could tell her.
Christine nearly jumped up when he reached the sink and looked to be hanging on for dear life. But once she was sure he had everything well in hand, she sat back, smoothing out the skirt of her uniform and folding her hands in her lap.
Then she waited patiently for him to speak. She had to get to the bottom of whatever was upsetting him so much.
He was good with holding his liquor, it was just...moving around while he was holding it was a completely different story. Leonard ran a hand over that worn face of his, trying to figure out a place to start with it.
"I j's...j's wanted t'see my baby girl. Joanna. Haven' seen her since I shoved my shit in a suitcase and hauled ass outta Georgia. All this time up here in this God forsaken death trap gave me a bit of nerve t'call up Jocelyn and ask if I could get some sort of updated picture..."
"I had two pictures, one of her tha's in my office now, 'nd the other was lost in a fire durin' the Nero shit." Leonard let himself slide down the counter and his head thump against it. "I ain' got anymore of her. Stupid wench gets t'see her e'eryday and I gotta sit here in this god damn death trap and wonder what she looks like."
He reached up, putting a hand over his face. God damnn it he didn't understand why Jocelyn had to be like this. Maybe it was because of her new husband - the man Leonard had punched in the face and 'won' Jocelyn from. That's probably what hurt the most out of the divorce.
Leonard started to shake, almost like he was trying his best to keep from crying, especially in front of his Head Nurse, his damn friend.
Christine listened patiently, her heart going out to him. When he began to shake she only hesitated a moment before getting up and moving over towards him. She was a bit worried he'd shy away, but she had to try.
Slowly she came over and sat down beside him, tugging down the hem of her uniform and tucking her legs under herself.
"That isn't right. Not at all. She -- your ex -- she's an adult and she should know better than to act this childish."
Luckily for Christine, he didn't shy away. Leonard just sat there, hiding his face from her. This was quite unbecoming of him, letting his ex-wife get to him like this, but he only asked for one thing! It was just a simple picture, not asking her to jump from Mississippi or wherever she was now to the moon.
"Court took her side in the divorce, told me t'stay away from Jocelyn and Joanna. I still try for a picture sometimes... but I think her new husband... he's controllin' Jocelyn and she's pickin' up on his attitude." It was only a hunch, because Leonard knew that Clay Treadway liked to be controlling.
"Damnit, I just want to see Joanna! T'hell with Jocelyn!" He said, almost shouted in frustration before he leaned over, putting his face to his knees as he...yeah he started crying. Poor man hadn't see Joanna since he left Georgia and ended up in Starfleet.
Her brows lifted when she came across the mess, and she automatically set to straightening up. When she came across the frame on the floor, she carefully turned it over, glad there was no shattered glass to clean up.
The photograph showed a baby swaddled in a blanket, held by arms that showed off delicate, feminine nails at the end of small hands. Christine set the frame back up on the desk and sighed. That had to be his daughter. She wondered if his destructive rage had had something to do with her. Christine hoped the little girl wasn't ill.
The more she thought about it, the more she worried until she was walking through the med bay, handing over control to one of her nurses before heading for Leonard's quarters. A minute later she was ringing the bell.
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Five turned into ten.
By the time the chime rang at his door, the color was high in his cheeks and his smelled more like alcohol than the bottle did. Taking a moment to collect his thoughts as best he could, Leonard put the flask away, his thoughts of Joanna away, his thoughts of Jocelyn.
'Just forget about her. 'Bout Jocelyn. Two-timing wench don't deserve none of your time.' He tried to tell himself, but even his mind's voice fell on deaf ears as Leonard walked to the door and opened it.
There was no hiding the surprise on his face seeing Christine standing there, waiting for the door to be opened. Well this was fantastic. What a state for her to see him in - not that she hadn't seen him like this before.
"Somethin' wrong in Medical already?" He said, a slight slur added to his drawl.
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"Yeah. Someone's trashed your office. Can I come in? Thanks." Not waiting for the go ahead, she squeezed in past him. The last thing that Leonard needed was someone to pass by and see the state he was in.
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Before he could protest her coming inside, she was already in,the door hissing shut in his face. "Christine, damnit, just what d'y'think y're doin'?" The CMO was a mess, shirt wrinkled, hair mussed up, and red visible in his eyes.
He moved past her back over to his couch and plopped down heavily, swearing mentally to himself that he had forgotten the damn flask back up in the cabinet.
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"What happened back in your office? Something bad must have happened to be affecting you this way."
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"I d'n't wanna talk about it." If he had, he wouldn't be sitting her, drunk, scowling and slouching. The room swam a little before him, making Leonard make a noise of slight pain and cover his eyes. Things had gone from worse to bad to hell all in one go.
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"I'm sure you don't, but we both know that bottling things up doesn't help at all. Things just get worse and worse until one day you explode."
She frowned as she watched him cover his eyes and murmured for the computer to turn down the lights a bit.
"You can tell me anything. I'm here to listen."
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"Y'kinda sound like me fr'm that one day in Medical." Pulling his hand aside, Leonard pushed himself a bit upright on the couch. He had a feeling he wasn't going to get out of this very easy - if at all.
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Seeing him move to sit up gave her hope that he'd open up to her, and she turned her body towards him to give him her full attention.
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He swayed a little here and there before he finally hit the counter that held the sink. Groaning slightly, Leonard shook as he got a glass of water and drank it down. There was a noise of him clearing his throat before he moved to turn. He could do this. He could tell her.
She told him her problems after all.
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Then she waited patiently for him to speak. She had to get to the bottom of whatever was upsetting him so much.
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"I j's...j's wanted t'see my baby girl. Joanna. Haven' seen her since I shoved my shit in a suitcase and hauled ass outta Georgia. All this time up here in this God forsaken death trap gave me a bit of nerve t'call up Jocelyn and ask if I could get some sort of updated picture..."
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"And she said no?" What kind of heartless woman did something like that?
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He reached up, putting a hand over his face. God damnn it he didn't understand why Jocelyn had to be like this. Maybe it was because of her new husband - the man Leonard had punched in the face and 'won' Jocelyn from. That's probably what hurt the most out of the divorce.
Leonard started to shake, almost like he was trying his best to keep from crying, especially in front of his Head Nurse, his damn friend.
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Slowly she came over and sat down beside him, tugging down the hem of her uniform and tucking her legs under herself.
"That isn't right. Not at all. She -- your ex -- she's an adult and she should know better than to act this childish."
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"Court took her side in the divorce, told me t'stay away from Jocelyn and Joanna. I still try for a picture sometimes... but I think her new husband... he's controllin' Jocelyn and she's pickin' up on his attitude." It was only a hunch, because Leonard knew that Clay Treadway liked to be controlling.
"Damnit, I just want to see Joanna! T'hell with Jocelyn!" He said, almost shouted in frustration before he leaned over, putting his face to his knees as he...yeah he started crying. Poor man hadn't see Joanna since he left Georgia and ended up in Starfleet.
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