Fic: Losing Touch (SGA, Gen, PG)
Title: Losing Touch
Author: sheryden
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Word Count: 856
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Neither Evan Lorne nor his dimples belong to me.
Summary: After a chance encounter with an old friend, Evan Lorne realizes he’s lost touch with his life outside the military. Written for angst_bingo for the prompt “chance encounters.”
Evan glanced up at the cloudy sky and muttered an obscenity under his breath. He would be losing his light soon, but his drawing of the little patch of Colorado Springs was only in its beginning stages. He likely wouldn’t have time to sneak away and finish it tomorrow, and he was heading back on The Daedalus the day after. It would remain half-done until he broke down and finished it from memory.
Letting out a breath, he stood to his feet, stretching out his legs as he did so. His fingers were smudged with charcoal, and the lunch he’d brought with him sat uneaten next to the park bench where he’d been planted for most of the morning and afternoon. It seemed like his brief visits home were getting shorter and less frequent. He had taken to sketching different parts of Colorado when he was Earthside, just so he would have a record of the place.
He packed up his drawing supplies and chucked his lunch into a nearby wastebasket then headed out of the park. As he reached his car, he narrowed his eyes at a familiar redhead who was emerging from a little shop across the street.
“Denise,” he called out to her. When she turned toward him, Evan waved slightly and hurried over to her. “Hey,” he said. “This is a surprise. What brings you to my neck of the woods?”
She smiled at him, but it looked to Evan like the expression was just plastered on. There was no sign of her usual radiance. She gazed at him for a moment, then said, “Hey there, stranger. I forgot you were stationed here. Roger always filled out the Christmas cards.”
There was an edge to Denise’s voice that made Evan feel a little uncomfortable. He ran a hand through his hair. “So you moved here or what?”
Nodding, she folded her arms across her chest. “I needed to be close to my mom.”
“I completely forgot you’re from the area,” he said. “Roger mentioned it when I got transferred here, but I guess I’m getting old and losing my memory. So how’s he doing anyway?”
Evan knew he’d said something wrong when a spark of pain ghosted across Denise’s face. “Oh,” she said, biting her lip. “You don’t know.” Clearing her throat, she said, “Roger… passed away. Six months ago.”
“What?” Evan felt the blood drain from his face. “I-how? ”
“My father-in-law had a boat, and there was storm. Just…” She averted her eyes from Evan’s, and let her words trailed away.
Swallowing, Evan shook his head. “I’m so sorry, Denise. I had no idea.” He stood in front of her, stiff as a board. He knew he should probably say something useful, but he was still shell-shocked by the news. He and Roger had known each other since college, and after Evan had been recruited into the Stargate Program, they had tried to keep in touch. Well, Roger had tried. Evan had gotten good at excuses and secrets and forgetting to return e-mails.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Denise spoke. “You’re still stationed in town, then?”
Evan nodded. “Officially… But I’m abroad mostly.”
“And you can’t talk about it, I guess? Roger always thought you were off doing black ops or something.” She reached out a patted his arm.
Shaking his head, he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Denise,” he said. “I’m so sorry about Roger. I can’t believe I didn’t know.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, waving him off. “You lose touch with people. It happens.”
“Well, I try to keep in touch,” he said. “I did get your Christmas card. I wanted to send one back, but I was…” Where had he been? Rescuing Sheppard and company from certain doom? Digging himself out from the rubble of a building?
“It’s fine,” Denise said. “Roger understood.”
“Yeah,” was all Evan could think to say.
***
After he got back to the mountain, Evan returned to the quarters he used whenever he was Earthside. There was a time when he’d had an apartment here, a home, friends, favorite places to eat. Now he was little more than a stranger, a tourist who sat in the park and drew pictures to remind himself of his visit.
He lowered himself onto the bed, trying to bite back the hollow feeling he’d been gripped with since he’d left Denise. If he were being honest, it wasn’t just Roger’s death that was bothering him. No, it was much more than that. Running into Denise had reminded Evan of exactly how much he’d had give up on a daily basis up to do what he did. There were missed birthdays and baseball games. And funerals, apparently. He hadn’t meant to lose touch with his civilian existence so completely, but somehow, when he wasn’t looking, life had moved on without him.
Evan picked up his sketch pad and gazed at the half-drawn picture of what used to be home. With a staggered breath, he put pencil to paper and tried to finish the drawing before the image faded from his mind.
Author: sheryden
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Word Count: 856
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Neither Evan Lorne nor his dimples belong to me.
Summary: After a chance encounter with an old friend, Evan Lorne realizes he’s lost touch with his life outside the military. Written for angst_bingo for the prompt “chance encounters.”
Evan glanced up at the cloudy sky and muttered an obscenity under his breath. He would be losing his light soon, but his drawing of the little patch of Colorado Springs was only in its beginning stages. He likely wouldn’t have time to sneak away and finish it tomorrow, and he was heading back on The Daedalus the day after. It would remain half-done until he broke down and finished it from memory.
Letting out a breath, he stood to his feet, stretching out his legs as he did so. His fingers were smudged with charcoal, and the lunch he’d brought with him sat uneaten next to the park bench where he’d been planted for most of the morning and afternoon. It seemed like his brief visits home were getting shorter and less frequent. He had taken to sketching different parts of Colorado when he was Earthside, just so he would have a record of the place.
He packed up his drawing supplies and chucked his lunch into a nearby wastebasket then headed out of the park. As he reached his car, he narrowed his eyes at a familiar redhead who was emerging from a little shop across the street.
“Denise,” he called out to her. When she turned toward him, Evan waved slightly and hurried over to her. “Hey,” he said. “This is a surprise. What brings you to my neck of the woods?”
She smiled at him, but it looked to Evan like the expression was just plastered on. There was no sign of her usual radiance. She gazed at him for a moment, then said, “Hey there, stranger. I forgot you were stationed here. Roger always filled out the Christmas cards.”
There was an edge to Denise’s voice that made Evan feel a little uncomfortable. He ran a hand through his hair. “So you moved here or what?”
Nodding, she folded her arms across her chest. “I needed to be close to my mom.”
“I completely forgot you’re from the area,” he said. “Roger mentioned it when I got transferred here, but I guess I’m getting old and losing my memory. So how’s he doing anyway?”
Evan knew he’d said something wrong when a spark of pain ghosted across Denise’s face. “Oh,” she said, biting her lip. “You don’t know.” Clearing her throat, she said, “Roger… passed away. Six months ago.”
“What?” Evan felt the blood drain from his face. “I-how? ”
“My father-in-law had a boat, and there was storm. Just…” She averted her eyes from Evan’s, and let her words trailed away.
Swallowing, Evan shook his head. “I’m so sorry, Denise. I had no idea.” He stood in front of her, stiff as a board. He knew he should probably say something useful, but he was still shell-shocked by the news. He and Roger had known each other since college, and after Evan had been recruited into the Stargate Program, they had tried to keep in touch. Well, Roger had tried. Evan had gotten good at excuses and secrets and forgetting to return e-mails.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Denise spoke. “You’re still stationed in town, then?”
Evan nodded. “Officially… But I’m abroad mostly.”
“And you can’t talk about it, I guess? Roger always thought you were off doing black ops or something.” She reached out a patted his arm.
Shaking his head, he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Denise,” he said. “I’m so sorry about Roger. I can’t believe I didn’t know.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, waving him off. “You lose touch with people. It happens.”
“Well, I try to keep in touch,” he said. “I did get your Christmas card. I wanted to send one back, but I was…” Where had he been? Rescuing Sheppard and company from certain doom? Digging himself out from the rubble of a building?
“It’s fine,” Denise said. “Roger understood.”
“Yeah,” was all Evan could think to say.
***
After he got back to the mountain, Evan returned to the quarters he used whenever he was Earthside. There was a time when he’d had an apartment here, a home, friends, favorite places to eat. Now he was little more than a stranger, a tourist who sat in the park and drew pictures to remind himself of his visit.
He lowered himself onto the bed, trying to bite back the hollow feeling he’d been gripped with since he’d left Denise. If he were being honest, it wasn’t just Roger’s death that was bothering him. No, it was much more than that. Running into Denise had reminded Evan of exactly how much he’d had give up on a daily basis up to do what he did. There were missed birthdays and baseball games. And funerals, apparently. He hadn’t meant to lose touch with his civilian existence so completely, but somehow, when he wasn’t looking, life had moved on without him.
Evan picked up his sketch pad and gazed at the half-drawn picture of what used to be home. With a staggered breath, he put pencil to paper and tried to finish the drawing before the image faded from his mind.