<USS Avalon> "Caught Running"

"Caught Running"
Junior Lt. Josh Garrity and Ensign Annabelle Chase 
 
 
Their shifts over lapped, the end of hers and the start of his. The problem  
was that he was there at the start of hers too. For a week it seemed like 
every  time Annabelle turned around Josh was there. Normally she wouldnât 
mind 
turning  around and ending up smack dab in his face looking into his amazing 
eyes, but  this was wrong somehow. There was something up with him and it 
bothered 
her. She  watched him from the catwalk as he scurried around engineering like 
a little  lost mouse, avoiding people more then normal. He wasnât talking to 
Mac and it  seemed as if they were right back to him not even looking at her. 
This had to  stop. 
 
Annabelle slid down the catwalk ladder and quickly made her way towards  
Josh. âHey Garrity hold up.â
 
He forced himself not to hesitate, pretending not to have heard her.  
Jeffries tube 23. Erratic systems power differential. Work. He just kept 
moving,  his 
long legs carrying him there swiftly.
 
Groaning loudly, Annabelle had to nearly jog to follow him. âI know you  
heard me, Josh. Either stop a moment or Iâll just climb into what ever damn  
hiding place your heading to. You know I can fit where you can. Iâm just as  
wirery.
â 
 
Sighing, Josh slowed his pace, allowing her to catch up, but didn't stop. 
 
Annabelle came up along side Josh quickly. She had to extend her stride to  
keep up with him, but it wasnât as bad as having to jog after him. 
âWhatâs 
going  on Josh? Youâve been working nearly twenty-four hours a day, you 
donât 
interact  with anyone not even Mac. Iâve never seen you this way before.â
 
Josh shook his head slightly, shrugging, and climbed into the Jeffries  tube. 
He wasn't going to discuss this. Not now. Not even with her.
 
Climbing in after him, Annabelle was suddenly glad she was use to climbing  
through tubes. Josh had never been like this at the academy, not even when he  
looked his most out of sorts. It was honestly scaring the hell out of her. 
âIâ
m  doing to dog your heels until you stop and talk to me, Joshua.â 
 
 Realizing she meant it, Josh stopped abruptly, turning to cast a  bewildered 
glance in her direction.
 
It was a good thing that she was crawling along cautiously, other wise she  
would have crashed into him. Stopping, and pulling back a little, Annabelle sat 
 in the tube cross legged. She looked at him, his eyes were so sad, her 
looked so  haggard.  âWhatâs happened?â
 
He opened his mouth to answer, then stopped, shaking his head, looking  away. 
He wasn't ready to say it out loud. To make it so final. He just wasn't  
ready.
She watched his face, his eyes carefully. There was something in them  that 
seemed familiar to her. She thought back, trying to pin point where and  when 
sheâd seen so much pain in someoneâs eyes before. Then it came to her.  
Sheâd 
seen that same look in her fatherâs eyes when his own father had died.  â
Please tell me, Josh. I know it hurts but you canât hold it in.â
 
 He turned away. Moving further into the tube toward the differential  
systems panel, he answered at last, very quietly,"Zachary's dead."
 
Annabelle gasped. Sheâd seen Joshâs brother a couple of time back at the  
academy. He was a cute kid, a little more open then just but still very timid.  
â
Oh god Josh Iâm so sorry.â She said softly as she followed him again. âHe 
was a  sweet little boy the couple times Iâd seen him. No wonder your acting 
this  way.â
 
Josh didn't respond. He really couldn't do this now, this whole pity and  
sympathy part. He needed not to do this now. Wiping a tear, he cleared his  
throat and focused more intently on his work.  Reroute and reset, then  replace 
one 
and two, test, reset. Done. Log it and go. He headed back out of the  tube, 
hoping he'd said enough.
 
âJosh you canât keep hiding and running away.â Annabelle told him as she  
once again followed him through the tubes. âThis isnât good for you. Itâs 
only  
going to end up with you hurting yourself.â
 
He shot her a look, filled with anger and pain, then shook his head. It  
didn't matter. Not anymore. Without another word, he turned and, moving as  
swiftly as he could, headed to the next job on his PADD without looking  back.
 
Annabelle kept quiet until they were out of the tube and back in the  
corridor. Then she quickly stepped in front of Josh, snatched his work padd,  
threw 
it down the hallway away from them, and then stepped back out of reach.  âGo 
ahead, Josh, do it. I saw it, the pain, the anger, go ahead and let it out.  
Yell at me, scream at me, tell me to go to hell and to fuck off.. Do anything.. 
 
Just let it out.â
 
Josh looked at his boot tops. She had no idea what she was asking. At last  
he looked up, eyes meeting her own. Very quietly, he told her. "I can't. Not  
now." He drew a breath as she opened her mouth to argue and held up a hand.  
"Please." 
 
She felt utterly helpless but what could she do? He was looking at her with  
such raw pain that she didnât have it in her to push. âAlright, but Josh 
you  
canât keep working and living the way you have been. You need to stop, to 
rest,  and you need to deal. Please, go home.â 
 
 "Soon," He answered, fighting to regain control. Turning, he went to  
retrieve the PADD she'd thrown and entered the turbo lift, letting the doors  
close 
between them before she could push any further.
 
Annabelle just sighed as she watched Josh enter the turbo lift. This wasnât  
good. He was going to self destruct and she didnât wanna see that happen.  
Turning on her heel, Annabelle headed back to engineering. She needed to talk 
to  
Mac. Maybe they could do something for Josh together.

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