[Round 18] Goodbye

[Alana Devar]

((Starboard Umbilical, DS-285))

::Tyr watched as Toni said goodbye to the crew. He stood quietly,

unassumingly, off to the side, obscured behind one of the bulkheads and with

his head lowered. His long hair obscured his eyes, which were focused on the

floor. He knew that the news he'd broken to her...perhaps that was the best

word to use-broken...had shaken her to her core. Still, bravely, she had the

strength to say goodbye to those she had served with, and to his surprise,

the strength to speak with him as well. When she approached him, he looked

her squarely in the eye, attempting to gauge her emotions.::

::Toni's eyes fell gently on Tyr as the others left. And after an awkward

moment, she spoke quietly::

TURNER: You have to be proud of them. They are a great crew.

WALTAS: I have always been and will always be proud of them. They're my

family. They're going to be missing a member now, though. You've become part

of us.

TURNER: Yes, they made my time here very enjoyable, as did you.

WALTAS: I just wish it could have ended on a better note, Toni. I think...

::He paused as another form, walking slowly and stiffly with pain, made her

way through the now-quiet group of crew. She was dressed in her Starfleet

uniform but a very noticeable sling was on her arm and a bandage protruded

from the top of her loosened collar. Daisha kept her dark eyes fixed on her

father and Toni, her face attempting to hide the pain. She noticed a few

heads turn as she made her way to her father.::

DAISHA: I wanted to say goodbye, Doctor. And thank you.

::Toni was so touched that she had come to see her off, she couldn't help

but want to hug her. Carefully she wrapped one arm around her good shoulder.

She was definitely Tyr's daughter. Her caring was exactly like his.::

TURNER: No need to thank me, I didn't do anything. It was a pleasure getting

to know you. ::letting her go:: You take care of yourself so you can heal

properly.

DAISHA::Smiling:: I'm sure we'll meet again.

TURNER: We will... ::whispering:: Take care of your Dad. Now go get some

rest.

::Turning slowly, Daisha made her way out of the Constitution and to the

nearest turbolift.::

OOC: Anyone's welcome to chat with Daisha.

::Tyr watched her go, his chest swelling with pride at the effort his

daughter had made to say goodbye to a shipmate. He could tell with a single

look that she was still in a great deal of pain, and made a mental note to

check on her as soon as he was on-station. Finally, his eyes fell on the

Fearless, berthed at the station. He was reminded of one of the old earth

movies where the two friends, who were more than friends but weren't, were

saying goodbye and the taxi had just pulled up.::

TURNER: Escort me to the Fearless?

WALTAS::Reaching for her bag, he shouldered it:: I'd be happy to.

::They walked in silence for a few moments, Tyr's eyes straight ahead,

searching for words that would somehow reassure her or at least soothe what

he was certain was abject pain.::

:: With every step closer to the Fearless, Toni felt the tears building.

Tears for having to say goodbye to the Discovery Crew, tears for her loss,

and tears for what she was going home to face.::

WALTAS: You know our thoughts and prayers go with you, Toni.

TURNER: ::Quietly:: Yes, I know. And I hope you know mine will always be

with you and your crew too. I'll never forget any of you.

WALTAS::Sighing, his eyes grew distant, recalling his own pain in

relationships past:: If there's one thing I've learned it's never say never.

Things have a way of working themselves out when you least expect them to.

TURNER: Yes, with time I'll find a way to go on without Heath. I have to

look after Vee and ... quite honestly, I don't know what to do or where I'll

end up taking her. I know I have to make a life for her. She deserves that.

WALTAS: Well, if it helps, you'll always have a home on

Discovery..::Pausing, he met her eyes:: And you will always have a friend in

me.

::Spontaneously, she hugged him. Not in passion, but genuine love and

affection for the dear friend she had come to care so much about.::

TURNER: And you have one in me too. Take care, Tyr.

:: Hurrying to go before he saw her tears, she took her bag onto the

Fearless. But she took with her a lot more than that. Friendships she would

cherish for the rest of her life, and the memory of a love that could have

been.

===========================

Captain Tyr Waltas

Commanding Officer

USS Discovery

-and-

Lt. Commander Toni Turner

Acting CMO

USS Constitution