<USS Avalon> "And Now for the Rest of the Story"

"And Now for the Rest of the Story"
By: Lt. Melanie Redgrave 
 
It was all right there on the screen. Every answer to nearly every question  
she had, including why she had been on that outpost with her mother, it all 
sat  before her, at her finger tips. There were old logs, files, messages, and  
reports; some were Celeste‘s, some were Georgia's, others were from doctors  
she‘d never be able to remember. Melanie sat at the small desk in her hotel 
room  looking over the medical files that were displayed on the screen, tears 
falling  freely from her reddened eyes. She had been the reason why she and 
Celeste had  been on Leopold. It was her fault they were there when the 
Romulans 
attacked.  Melanie drew her legs up onto the chair with her and hugged them 
tightly. No  wonder her sister didn’t want to remember her. It was her fault 
their 
mother was  dead. 
 
     
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

2373
 
Starfleet Medical
 
The small room felt cold to Celeste as she sat on the bio bed holding her  
small feverish infant. She rocked slightly as she hummed softly trying to keep  
Soliel calm as they waited for the doctor. The baby had been so fussy the last 
 few days and had barely slept. She still wasn’t asleep but she was resting 
and  for that Celeste was most grateful. Celeste sat there stroking her daughter
’s  cheek and frowning at the heat she felt. She was about to call for a 
nurse to  bring in another hypo spray when the doors to the exam room opened. 
 
“Her fever is rising again.” Celeste stated as the white haired doctor came 
 
in. When she looked up at his aged face Celeste’s heart sank. “Michael?” 
 
Michael Judd was a kind man. He, like Henry Lewis, had been Celeste’s  
mentors and friends. As Michael settled his heavy frame into the seat next to  
the 
dark haired, light eyed, Betazoid he was taken in by the fear in her eyes.  All 
he could do was nod and then place a large comforting arm around her  
shoulders. Finally he had to give in and say it out loud. “Your suspicions 
were  
right, Celeste. I’m afraid Sunni does have Jalara fever.” 
 
The medical part of Celeste’s mind went right to work on defining and  
analyzing, while the part of her, which was the largest part of her, that was  
the 
mother was terrified. Jalara fever was an illness that normally struck  adults 
on her homeworld, not infants on Earth. “But how?” She finally asked.  
“There’
s never been a known case of Jalara fever ever effecting a child under  the 
age of sixteen, not even on Betazed.”   
 
“I don’t know, Celeste. Did you treat anyone or were you around anyone with 
 
the fever while you were pregnant or after Sunni was born?” Michael asked. 
 
Celeste thought about it for a moment and then shook her head. “I wasn’t  
seeing panties during the last few months of my pregnancy. I took a leave of  
absence after Max died.” The fear over her child’s health was joined by the 
 
lingering sorrow of her husband’s death and Celeste took a shuddering breath  
that caused Soliel to whine. Pulling Soliel closer to her Celeste looked down  
into her daughter’s tiny face. “Shh my little sun. Mommy will fix 
things.” 
 
Michael hated to add onto the piling amount of emotional strain but he had  
to. “Celeste, the only known treatment we have here is for adults. The  
medication to treat the fever could very well kill her long before the fever  
does.” 
 
Sad, dull green eyes turned angry and full of blazing green fire as Celeste  
looked at Michael. “My daughter is not going to die, Michael.”
 
Celeste’s Home - Napa, California, Earth
 
Celeste finished packing the last of the things she was going to need to  
take with her. As soon as she’d come home after seeing Michael, she had 
gotten  
on the comm. She called the head of the medical board on Betazed and was able 
to  find out that the leading researcher on the Jalara fever was working with 
Kate  Pulaski at a medical station near the Beta quadrant boarder. No sooner 
had she  disconnected the link with the medical director, Celeste had an open a 
link with  Pulaski. 
 
Despite the older woman’s ice queen image Celeste found the doctor somewhat  
comforting. Pulaski said she’d have transport arranged and would get all of  
Soliel's medical recorders sent to them. She assured Celeste that they’d be  
ready for her little girl when they got there. 
 
“Are you sure you can take the time to come with us, Georgia?” Celeste  
asked as she watched the slightly older woman helping Skyler bring her travel  
bag 
into the room. Georgia had been an anchor for Celeste for as long as she  
could remember and even more so since Maddox had been killed in the war shortly 
 
after their youngest daughter’s birth. 
 
Georgia walked up and hugged her dark haired friend. “You and the girls  need 
me, Miss Celeste. Where else would I be?” 
 
Celeste hugged Georgia back and swallowed the lump in her throat before  
walking over to Skyler who stood next to her sister’s bassinet. She knelt 
down  
next to the girl and then put her arm around Skyler’s waist. 
 
“Is Sunni going to be ok, Mom?” 
 
Celeste hugged her daughter to her. “Of course she is sweetheart. We’re  
going to take her to see Doctor Xenex and Doctor Pulaski and they’re going to 
 
make her all better.” 
 
“Promise?”
 
It was getting harder to fight down the fear and hold back the tears but  
Celeste did her best for her daughters’ sake. “I promise you my precious 
little  
Sky.” Celeste picked up the baby and took Skyler by the hand. She walked them 
 over to her favorite chair and pulled Skyler onto her lap. She held both of 
her  girls tightly as she whispered. “My Sun and my Sky.” 
 
Deep Space Three - Starfleet Medical Research Facility
 
Celeste, Georgia, and Skyler all watched through the window outside baby  
Soliel’s hospital room as Doctors  Xenex and Pulaski scanned the child.  
They’d 
been on DS3 for nearly a month now and for the last two weeks it had been  
pretty touch and go. The infant’s illness had baffled both doctors but what  
amazed them more was the eight month old’s fight. Jalara fever could take 
down a  
fully grown adult if treatment wasn’t started right away, there had been a 
delay  in trying Soliel because there simply wasn’t one for someone so young, 
and 
yet  the little one seemed hell bent on giving in to the illness. 
 
“Well?” Celeste asked as Doctor Xenex came out of the room. 
 
Xenex looked back over his shoulder at the child and Pulaski who was  
starting yet another round of treatment. “The spores in her lungs have been  
neutralized. We still have to flush her system and it’s important that she 
build  an 
immunity to the bacteria the spores will leave behind. We’re not completely  
out of the woods here, Celeste, but we’re out of the thick of it.”
 
Celeste sighed and quickly grabbed a hold of Georgia’s arm before her knees  
could give out. She hadn’t slept more then a few hours every couple of days  
since the very first sign of Soliel’s illness, a little over a month ago, and 
it  was starting to catch up to her. 
 
“You should get some sleep, Miss Celeste. Skyler and I’ll stay with 
Sunni.”  
Georgia offered as she lead her friend to a chair. “You might not get another 
 chance after we leave.” 
 
“I don’t wanna go!” Skyler protested once again. Georgia gave Skyler a 
look  
that told the girl she best mind her manners and not to start again, but 
Skyler  ignored her. “I don’t wanna leave without Sunni.” 
 
“You have to go back to Earth with Georgia, my little Sky.” Celeste told  
her daughter as she pulled the girl towards her. “You’ll be starting school 
at  
the end of the month. Junior high, that’s a big deal and you don’t want to 
miss  anything.” Skyler went to protest again but Celeste put a finger over 
her 
 daughter’s lips. “Sunni’s getting better my little love and she and I 
will 
be  home as soon as we can.”
 
“Promise?” Skyler asked. 
 
Celeste smiled down at her daughter and kissed the crown of her head as she  
projected ,”I promise.” into her budding telepathic mind. 
 
Guest Quarters - USS York
 
“Sunni’s doing so much better. I know we’re over a week late getting home 
 
but Doctor Pulaski didn’t want to release her until we knew for sure she  
wouldn't relapse.” Celeste said into her comm terminal as she held Soliel on 
her  
lap. The baby, who was reaching her first birthday with in the next few days,  
was more animated and happy then she’d been in nearly four months. “I think 
 
Sunni misses you Skyler. She’s been yelling ler-ler.. for days now. I hope 
your  being a good girl for Georgia. I was so glad to hear how much you like 
your 
new  school. I can’t wait to get home and meet your teachers.” 
 
Celeste watched out the window of the small transport ship as it approached  
an outpost for a brief layover. Then she looked back into the screen on her 
desk  to finish off her message home. “The York is stopping at the Leopold 
outpost to  pick up some ambassador mucky muck. It’s only an over night lay 
over so 
there’s  not even a need for us to sign in with the outpost. I don’t even 
think I’ll be  leaving the ship.” 
 
Soliel reached out for the screen and cooed something that sounded like  
ler-ler and then yawned. Celeste laughed. “Well, looks like someone needs a 
nap.  I
’ll call as soon as we’re close enough to get a sub space connection that 
isn
’t  crap. We love you both. Be good my little Sky. Mommy and Sunni loves 
you.”
 
 
Outpost Leopold 
 
It was a surprise to find out that the small outpost had a shop that sold  
toys and Celeste thought it was a perfect excuse to stretch her legs a bit  
before the ship left for Earth. She walked out of the small shop pushing Soliel 
 
in a stroller that had a bag hanging from one of it’s handles. She’d gotten 
 
Skyler a new holo-game and a stuffed Bajoran cat that came with a little kitten 
 that she was going to give to the baby who also got a new Vulcan baby toy. 
 
Celeste paused just outside another little shop to see if she could find  
something for Georgia. Georgia had been so good to her and the girls that she  
knew anything she’d be able to find wouldn’t equal in anyway how she felt 
but  
Celeste liked buying the people close to her little gifts. 
 
“So my little Sun, do you think Georgia would like this?” Celeste asked as  
she held out a beautifully woven blanket. Soliel voiced her option in the form 
 of spit bubbles. Celeste was about to approach the sales clerk when the red  
alert went off. Her heart leapt to her throat as she dropped the blanket and  
headed back towards the York. An explosion rocked that section of the station 
 and she and the baby stroller were thrown forward. 
 
Celeste got Soliel out of the stroller as fast as she could. She held her  
baby close as she ran towards safety. She stopped only a moment to ask someone  
what was happening and as the man told her the Romulans were attacking her 
face  went white. She nearly made it to the ship when there were a series of  
explosions. Celeste took cover as quickly as she could. She held a screaming  
Soliel closer to her and sang softly as the outpost rocked around them, tears  
rolling down her cheeks. 
 
   *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
 
“The man from Starfleet told me that there wasn’t no baby near Miss  
Celeste’
s body and if there had been a baby, there was no way for it to have  
survived. I had to tell my poor little Miss Skyler that her momma and her baby  
sister was gone. She cried so hard she went and made herself sick. She finally  
fell asleep that night from just being so wrecked. The thing is, Miss Skyler,  
she don’t remember nothin’ now. I was ‘fraid something like this would 
happen.  
So was Miss Skyler’s parents. Miss Celeste told me after Mister Max died that 
 Skyler might block out the trauma. She told me it’s somethin’ Betaziods 
do. 
Miss  Celeste made me promise that if Skyler ever did that I wouldn’t tell 
her what it  is she’s blockin’. Said it could be dangerous and cause the 
poor 
girl to go into  some telepathic coma. A safe place from the all the hurtin‘. 
So I’m  guessin’  I’s gots to keep that promise now about Miss Sunni. 
I’s can’
t  tell no body ‘bout her until Skyler remembers she had a baby sister. 
I’ve 
taken  steps to protect the girl. As far as anyone’ll know Miss Skyler was an 
only  child. I hate it but it has to be this way.” 
 
Melanie watched the image of Georgia on the screen. Her heart hurt, her  head 
hurt, it was all so much to take in and process. She’d gotten sick and  
because of that she and her mother were on the outpost. She wondered if it were 
 
only the loss of her mother and sister that made Skyler forget about her or if  
it was because she had blamed Sunni. Melanie wiped at the flood of tears and  
refocused on the last part of Georgia's log.
 
“I’s going to keep all of Miss Sunni’s things. I’ll put them with the  
things I’s got of my dear Henry’s. All the records, profiles, and even Miss 
 
Skyler may not remember her but I will. I’ll grieve for that precious baby 
for  
all of us.” 
 
Melanie’s hands were shaking so bad she could barely reach out and turn off  
her terminal. It all seemed so unreal and so cruel. For the past thirty some 
odd  years Georgia grieved alone for a baby that was growing up healthy and 
happy in  London. The thought of all the birthdays she must have thought Sunni 
was  missing, while Melanie was off taking some lesson or off on some trip 
blissfully  living a life unmarked by true loss until her father died and the 
truth 
about  her adoption came out, it made Melanie feel sick. 
 
She knew the truth now. She knew who she was, who her parents were, how  she’
d been lost to her family. She knew she’d been loved and missed and grieved  
over. Melanie got up from the desk and went back over to the bed where she  
curled up, gripping the pillow for dear life, and cried. She wished she 
weren’t  
alone. She wished had allowed Elijah to come with her. She wished she could go 
 running to Georgia, but all Melanie could manage to do was lay there crying  
until she feel into a restless sleep.

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