Original: Grief (Massey and Chapel) PG
Title: Grief [ INDEX]
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Massey and Chapel (mention of El and Adora)
Rating: PG
Summary: Chapel has to make a call she really doesn't want to.
Warning: a day or so before Return of the Living *Written for Round Three of love_bingo. Prompt: grief Original titles are wholly unoriginal.
Disclaimer: The original characters of The Wizard of Oz belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters of Tin Man belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The OCs are mine and bizarra's. And, now gatechic's, by default. Garrett Cain belongs to gatechic and is, as always, used and abused with love. ♥
Chapel Barnes stared in disbelief at the woman lying on the medical table in front of her. It was never easy when someone had reached a point where taking their own life was the only way out. But, it was harder when it was someone she knew. Thankfully, the doctor had only had to deal with that situation twice before, but this one seemed different, somehow.
She didn't actually know the blonde in front of her. Sure, she knew who the woman was, but they really hadn't ever socialized past a few 'Hellos'. Chapel never held any sort of ill will against her ex-girlfriend's new infatuation. She and El'Ari Brooks had had their fun, but both women knew that they were just better off as friends.
The blonde had been pulled out of one of the smaller ponds, on the north side of the city. How the woman even found her way up there, Chapel didn't know. She stared for another moment, as if she could see the pain on the woman's face, and Chapel finally had to look away.
Now came the hardest part; the part she hated the most: contacting family.
It seemed like only yesterday that Lieutenant Masterson had been sitting in her office, asking her - someone he didn't even know - to be the woman's emergency contact. She wondered if he had known something was coming, and that was why he had come to her.
Now, nearly four months later, she was having to make good on her promise to the burly officer, and let him know that the woman he thought of as his mother was gone. Oddly, for not having much of an emotional connection to this woman, seeing her lying there hurt. Maybe it was simply because Chapel knew that El was going to be hurt by this news.
She had heard grumblings from El that the two women had broken up, which had partially prompted El's sudden departure on the outgoing starship. Chapel didn't deny that El was a little rough around the edges, but whatever had happened between the women wasn't her business.
Chapel would do anything she could to comfort El, though. They may no longer be together, but she still loved the brash brunette.
Chapel knew that she would have to go back to her office to get the contact information for Lieutenant Masterson, but instead, she simply went to the wall display and pressed a button, accessing the information link. "I need an assignment location on Lieutenant Masterson. Home base Celcia," she requested of the tech who responded to her call.
As the young woman rattled off the name of his ship and its current location, Chapel nodded. "I need a connection, please. Medical emergency override Alpha-two-six-six-Kelvin." It took a few minutes for the tech to send the message to the coordinates, then patch through the real-time relay, as the message was traveling much further than an average call.
A moment later, the image of the officer in question appeared on the screen and she nodded to him. "Doc," he said, with a hint of expecting her call in his tone.
"Lieutenant," Chapel started, then glanced sideways to give another look to the blonde. "I'm afraid that-"
"How long?" Massey interrupted. Chapel's brow raised and he nodded. "How long has it been?" Chapel shook her head slightly, not understanding. "Look, Doc. That bit I told you about that I couldn't tell you about," he nodded. "This is it. Since they called you, how long has she been down?"
"Half an hour," Chapel replied, still not sure what was going on. "But before that, at least a day." She watched as Massey glanced sideways, then looked back to her and nodded. "I'm so sorry, Lieutenant," she offered, knowing that it wasn't at all comforting.
"I told El she should have called. They needed to talk this out." He huffed and shook his head. "I need you to stay with her," Massey replied, acknowledging her condolences with a nod. "Don't let her out of your sight." He knew that was a lot to ask, as she probably had other patients. "Lock her in a room or something. But don't do anything," he requested, hoping she would understand that to mean an autopsy or burial preparations.
He wasn't really able to say much more at the moment, due to their connection. "Call the Mystic Man," he added, nodding again.
"What?" Chapel asked, surprised at that.
"Call the Mystic Man," Massey repeated. "Tell him: 'The smoke is red.'" Massey nodded again. "As soon as you can."
"I can't just call the Mystic Man, Lieutenant!" Chapel replied with a derisive snort.
"Doc, he knows what to do. Even if you put an order in right now, I still won't be able to get off this ship for at least an hour, and then it's still a good day's trip back home. Seriously, Doc," he nodded again. "Mystic Man. Smoke is red."
Chapel shook her head again, completely confused by the continued mystery. "Lieutenant, what is going on?"
Massey gave her a serious look and shook his head. "I can't say, Doc. Not here," he added in a low tone. "Trust me. Call him." Glancing over his shoulder, Chapel didn't know that El had just walked into his line of sight. "Doc," he continued, still in a whisper, "add El's name to the order." Chapel knew that, under the circumstances, she could only get family on a medical leave.
"I swear to you, Doc, I will explain everything. To you and to El. But we need to get home, fast as possible."
Chapel could hear the pleading in the man's voice, and she finally nodded. "I'll put the request through... after I call the Mystic Man," she added with an obvious sarcasm.
"Doc," Massey said, nodding to her, "Thank you." He knew, in that moment, he'd made the right decision, trusting Chapel to be his backup.
~*~
An hour later - after the Mystic Man had expedited the recall orders for Lieutenants Masterson and Brooks - Doctor Barnes nearly had a heart attack when Elizabeth Springer woke up.
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Massey and Chapel (mention of El and Adora)
Rating: PG
Summary: Chapel has to make a call she really doesn't want to.
Warning: a day or so before Return of the Living *Written for Round Three of love_bingo. Prompt: grief Original titles are wholly unoriginal.
Disclaimer: The original characters of The Wizard of Oz belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters of Tin Man belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The OCs are mine and bizarra's. And, now gatechic's, by default. Garrett Cain belongs to gatechic and is, as always, used and abused with love. ♥
Chapel Barnes stared in disbelief at the woman lying on the medical table in front of her. It was never easy when someone had reached a point where taking their own life was the only way out. But, it was harder when it was someone she knew. Thankfully, the doctor had only had to deal with that situation twice before, but this one seemed different, somehow.
She didn't actually know the blonde in front of her. Sure, she knew who the woman was, but they really hadn't ever socialized past a few 'Hellos'. Chapel never held any sort of ill will against her ex-girlfriend's new infatuation. She and El'Ari Brooks had had their fun, but both women knew that they were just better off as friends.
The blonde had been pulled out of one of the smaller ponds, on the north side of the city. How the woman even found her way up there, Chapel didn't know. She stared for another moment, as if she could see the pain on the woman's face, and Chapel finally had to look away.
Now came the hardest part; the part she hated the most: contacting family.
It seemed like only yesterday that Lieutenant Masterson had been sitting in her office, asking her - someone he didn't even know - to be the woman's emergency contact. She wondered if he had known something was coming, and that was why he had come to her.
Now, nearly four months later, she was having to make good on her promise to the burly officer, and let him know that the woman he thought of as his mother was gone. Oddly, for not having much of an emotional connection to this woman, seeing her lying there hurt. Maybe it was simply because Chapel knew that El was going to be hurt by this news.
She had heard grumblings from El that the two women had broken up, which had partially prompted El's sudden departure on the outgoing starship. Chapel didn't deny that El was a little rough around the edges, but whatever had happened between the women wasn't her business.
Chapel would do anything she could to comfort El, though. They may no longer be together, but she still loved the brash brunette.
Chapel knew that she would have to go back to her office to get the contact information for Lieutenant Masterson, but instead, she simply went to the wall display and pressed a button, accessing the information link. "I need an assignment location on Lieutenant Masterson. Home base Celcia," she requested of the tech who responded to her call.
As the young woman rattled off the name of his ship and its current location, Chapel nodded. "I need a connection, please. Medical emergency override Alpha-two-six-six-Kelvin." It took a few minutes for the tech to send the message to the coordinates, then patch through the real-time relay, as the message was traveling much further than an average call.
A moment later, the image of the officer in question appeared on the screen and she nodded to him. "Doc," he said, with a hint of expecting her call in his tone.
"Lieutenant," Chapel started, then glanced sideways to give another look to the blonde. "I'm afraid that-"
"How long?" Massey interrupted. Chapel's brow raised and he nodded. "How long has it been?" Chapel shook her head slightly, not understanding. "Look, Doc. That bit I told you about that I couldn't tell you about," he nodded. "This is it. Since they called you, how long has she been down?"
"Half an hour," Chapel replied, still not sure what was going on. "But before that, at least a day." She watched as Massey glanced sideways, then looked back to her and nodded. "I'm so sorry, Lieutenant," she offered, knowing that it wasn't at all comforting.
"I told El she should have called. They needed to talk this out." He huffed and shook his head. "I need you to stay with her," Massey replied, acknowledging her condolences with a nod. "Don't let her out of your sight." He knew that was a lot to ask, as she probably had other patients. "Lock her in a room or something. But don't do anything," he requested, hoping she would understand that to mean an autopsy or burial preparations.
He wasn't really able to say much more at the moment, due to their connection. "Call the Mystic Man," he added, nodding again.
"What?" Chapel asked, surprised at that.
"Call the Mystic Man," Massey repeated. "Tell him: 'The smoke is red.'" Massey nodded again. "As soon as you can."
"I can't just call the Mystic Man, Lieutenant!" Chapel replied with a derisive snort.
"Doc, he knows what to do. Even if you put an order in right now, I still won't be able to get off this ship for at least an hour, and then it's still a good day's trip back home. Seriously, Doc," he nodded again. "Mystic Man. Smoke is red."
Chapel shook her head again, completely confused by the continued mystery. "Lieutenant, what is going on?"
Massey gave her a serious look and shook his head. "I can't say, Doc. Not here," he added in a low tone. "Trust me. Call him." Glancing over his shoulder, Chapel didn't know that El had just walked into his line of sight. "Doc," he continued, still in a whisper, "add El's name to the order." Chapel knew that, under the circumstances, she could only get family on a medical leave.
"I swear to you, Doc, I will explain everything. To you and to El. But we need to get home, fast as possible."
Chapel could hear the pleading in the man's voice, and she finally nodded. "I'll put the request through... after I call the Mystic Man," she added with an obvious sarcasm.
"Doc," Massey said, nodding to her, "Thank you." He knew, in that moment, he'd made the right decision, trusting Chapel to be his backup.
~*~
An hour later - after the Mystic Man had expedited the recall orders for Lieutenants Masterson and Brooks - Doctor Barnes nearly had a heart attack when Elizabeth Springer woke up.