It had been over a year since Doreen found herself a permanent resident in a city on Houston. What had started out so promising fizzled out. Once promised to be the chief surgeon at a new complex by the now disbanded Tinkers group she was once a part of, she found herself doing family practice on a place she now disliked.
She was a Rheinlander by birth and while her Libertonian was perfect, some within the government detected the now faint accent. Finding the job she once had was now near impossible due to that mistrust even if she herself was a victim of the Rheinland government. Her only saving grace was her internship within Med Force Enterprises and her time being administrator on Canaria Medical.
She found her largest clients to be people practicing the Zoner way and Junkers. She often travelled to the Bering System to treat the Zoners of Freeport 2 or to Beaumont Base. As she was well known for her taking seriously the Hypocatic Oath, even the odd pirate whom she had treated before would give her safe passage. Unioners and Xenos gave her no trouble despite their differences wtih each other.
It was government officials of Liberty that caused her the most trouble. Her openess to treat anyone to them was "aiding and abedding the enemy." She was often stopped in her ship for inspections. Some corrupt policeman would take her medical supplies as contraband. Threats were often made against her and her son. Her son was often bullied at school and would be disciplined for retaliating even if school staff would ignore his plights for help. Even once, a man she was on a date with attempted to force himself on her only to be stopped by a Junker friend of hers with a bullet into the back of his head. She made sure the body was never found to save them both.
Still, she went about her daily life. When she was done a day's work, she came home to the only young man in her life, her son, Benjen. He was growing up quick and he was smart. Not having a father didn't seem to bother him. Doreen was more than his Mom, she was his best friend. He already knew more about medicine than people going through Cambridge Medical in Bretonia and was a whiz with Mathematics and science. He also fluently spoke Libertonian and Rheinlandic fluently and partially spoke Hispanic and some Gallic, both of which he never used in public for fear of being persecuted. Evenings with Mom were spend playing a game of some sort or watching a movie.....after the homework was complete of course. He could often be found with her assisting on her "base calls" to Freeport 2 and Beaumont.
But when Benjen was asleep, Doreen herself unwound. She would retire to her room and lock the door. She would slip into her favorite lace gown and pour a glass of Gallic wine. She made a dress look good as she was shapely and very attractive. She would let down her long, red hair and let the cool breeze of the evening air blow on her exposed skin through an open window. The lace was gentle upon her skin and revealing. Even in her doctor's whites she was shapely. The gown made her look heavenly. She would enjoy her wine in the breeze, sometimes stepping out onto the patio of her home to overlook the capital city off in the distance as it was the only time where she felt at peace.
It was here she would wonder what had become of the Junker crew she once worked for or of Canaria Medical. Last she knew, the latter was still fully functional. She wondered how her old boss, John Holliday was doing. She had no knowledge of his whereabouts or even if he was still alive. Still, she wondered about her family, the family she left in Rheinland. Last she knew, her father was still designing ships at Freeport 10.
She took a deep sigh as a breeze made the gown flow. She followed this up with a sip of wine only to have a light smile cross her face. While things could be worse, they could be better too. She just had the feeling that a new opportunity wasn't far off. Was it professional? Was it personal? Maybe it was time to find out.
Planet Houston, Texas System
It took some time but finally, a new Sunburst. It wasn't flashy nor something for a fight but for running house calls to far away bases, it was perfect. A good hold for medical supplies, food, water and essentials was provided and a small galley and a place to sleep or for Benjen to tag-a-long were also there. Yes, for Doreen, it was perfect.
After taking it for some exercise, she returned to Houston. Benjen awaited Mom's arrival and she would spend the remainder of her evening with him. It had been awhile since she had a nice day and today was that day. What would tomorrow bring? Time would only tell.
"What's this?" she asked herself as she sat at her comm desk after a long day's work. In her right hand was a glass of Gallic Wine. Her son fed and watching a movie in the other room, she settled down for the night in a red gown.
She read the transmission from the Crayter Republic. She could only smile. Finally, someone took an interest in her background.
"Copernicus," she thought to herself with a perplexed look, "I don't remember it." She then thought a moment about a potential new opportunity.
Houston wasn't showing a lot of promise. As more figured out she was a native Rheinlander, she met more non-acceptance each day. Patients sought new doctors and Benjen even came home from school bruised from a fight. All that she knew of the Crayter Republic was that they had been pushed hard by the Gallics and had a lot of conflict with Rogues and Outcasts. She wasn't a fighter herself but she also loathed Cardamine. The sounds of something besides an arid planet in Texas did sound appealing.
Looking over at Benjen, she first smiled and then sighed into a straight face. He deserved better. He had no father and met just as much resentment and ridicule because of the war. He did nothing to deserve it. She knew that it was time to find somewhere that he too felt wanted. Moving again would suck but it seemed like the best thing to do.
She replied an affirmative response to the transmission and smiled at positive thoughts. "Now, I await an answer."
Packing for a long trip, she arrived at Bethlehem to tend to patients at the request of the Zoners. What made it easy was that Benjen made a friend and kept occupied. It was her intention to depart for Coronado and the Crayter Republic from the base. Already she didn't miss Houston.
One patient was smiling at her while she was treating him for a severe burn on his forearm. He sighed and said, "Miss, you truly belong here with us."
"Thank you, " she smiled, "I might consider it.
What she didn't want was recognition. Many Zoners knew her from her time at Canaria Medical. In fact, Corsairs, Bounty Hunters, Bretonians and even some Junkers knew her. "But," she thought, "they're a long way from Bethlehem."
She smiled a bit as she worked at the thought of Canaria. It was a good time and her first big break. She gained a lot of experience there and was able to hone her medical and surgical skills. It afforded her time to treat and befriend Bretonian refugees. It was where she took up pediatrics because of the many children there.
Children........that thought almost always brought her to Benjen. He was nine now and still asked who his father was. She always evaded the subject. He wanted siblings but being a single mother of one was hard enough. Maybe if the right man came along, she would think about it. She wanted more but the time wasn't right nor were circumstances.
In between patients, she worked on her dossier. She wanted it perfect for what seemed to be a perfect opportunity.
It was done. She now had residence and a job on New Thessolonica. The Crayterian government gave her a place to stay, a good school for her son, a solid income and work. Also, she found acceptance amongst them. No longer was she being judged for her Rheinland birth. Her condo on Houston now sold, she had plenty of credits to live on as needed.
For now, though, it was late, about 1 AM, and she was exhausted. Benjen was tired too having met a new friend in Peter. Slightly younger than Benjen, the two boys played much of the night. For Benjen, it was nice to have a friend and parent of that friend not judging him either. As he went to bed though, he spoke briefly to him mother before nodding off.
"Mommy," he said softly. She just sat next to him, her fingers running through his hair. "Mommy, Peter said something sad to me."
"Oh? What did he tell you," she inquired gently.
"Mommy, he told me his mommy died two years ago. I mean, we were talking about you and I asked what his Mommy did and he told me that. Mommy, he was sad. I hope I didn't hurt his feelings," he explained.
Her heart sunk and she sighed. "It's OK, Sweety," she replied gently, "You didn't know." Then she smiled, "I think he liked you. He was able to talk to you about it in a way that he couldn't to me or his father."
He just smiled back at her. "Nacht! Nacht!"
She smiled back and kissed him, "Nacht! Nacht!"
Doreen hadn't yet removed her evening gown from dinner. Her heart sunk for Peter but she understood. It was the common tale amongst Bretonian refugee children back on Gran Canaria. Deceased mothers and fathers or both. Often, they had only other children to turn to. In a way, it was a good thing. For a few minutes, children spoke of it only to start playing. Within minutes, it would often seem as if all was right with the universe.
Going to her kitchen, she poured a glass of wine. Then, she went to her room to get into her favorite night gown, a red almost see through lace. It was revealing on showed her cleavage well. She only wore it alone as she never wanted to give the appearance of a tramp to others.
The Yuma night wasn't too hot but a steady breeze made it feel cool. She stood on the small deck overlooking the water. The sound of the waves coming ashore was relaxing. Placing her glass on the rail, she stretched. Then, she leaned on the rail and continued to sip her wine. She would enjoy the time for about an hour and another glass of wine before turning in for the evening herself.
Things had been a whirlwind. Residency was established for both her and Benjen, her government ID issued and Benjen placed in a good school. Both were happy.
For Ben, he could go to school with acceptance and not being bullied. For Doreen, she got a good piece-of-mind knowing her son was happy.
The past couple of days were spent establishing her office and touring facilities. As of yet, no real medical work but being in a warzone, that wasn't far away. For now though, her personal escort so it seemed, was professor Erik Corvin.
He was smart, educated and to her, a good looking, single father. For now though, things were professional.....as she wanted them to be. She remembered all too well what happened the last time she pushed a relationship so it wasn't close to being time.
Erik was gentle and kind. One wouldn't think he was part of a war, but he was. Now, so was she. Working for the Republic and her new transponder reading =CR=Hippocratic, she was a target too. Hopefully her soft demeanor and value as a medical professional would deter that. For now though, she continued with her work. It's what kept her grounded.
It was late. Very late. 0200 wasn't a time she was used to getting home but the day was worth it. She carried Benjen to his bed and lay him down. Covering him in his blankets, she kissed him good night and quietly closed his door. Per usual, she poured herself a glass of wine and stood in the window looking out over New Thessolonica and the waters beyond the dome. Her face was expressionless, her mood neutral.
Staring out the window, she gave a deep sigh and sipped her wine. She had just witnessed a great deal about her new home. Nano technology......it wasn't new to her but she had little experience with it. A very light smile crossed her face when she thought of Erik. His knowledge of everything was comforting and the fact that he was so willing to share it with someone he had only known a few days was refreshing. She had no intention of disappointing him or losing his confidence.
If there was one thing she learned from her search for her father was to not be so trusting. Open trust in the Rheinland underworld almost cost her everything. While her left hand remained on her glass, her right came to a rest on her stomach as she continued to stare. She took another sip. After a pregnancy by a man she never really knew all because a young, naïve teenager had nothing to give for a cigarette and information, she became very cautious of the male persuasion. But Erik, Erik was different.
He was gentle and caring. His love of his son was evident and the doctor in her could sense a man in recovery from loss. Still, they had known each other but a few days. She wanted to know more about the man who was teaching her so much but for now, patience and time.
She finished her wine and set the glass on a stand before her. She stepped back and lifted the blouse over her head as she got ready for a night's sleep. That was when she saw the old scars on her bottom left forearm and hand. She had long forgotten about them but, Erik...he found them. He touched them and cared. Still, the horrible memories of that time were forever etched into her mind. But, it was late. She found her way into a nighty and crawled into bed. Within minutes, she was fast asleep.
She found her own on Planet Yuma and was making the most of the opportunity she had been given. The hospital was at times overwhelmed but the team she was leading was getting through. When casualties came in, they came in bunches. She developed a strong reputation to where she would often go to smaller hospitals to assist with out patient procedures there. Adding to her staff helped as well as she had free reign over that area.
Benjen was settling as well. He loved school and was doing very well. For as much as he loved school, he loved his new best friend, Peter, even more. They were together almost daily. If it wasn't play time in either her apartment or Erik's estate, it was beach time. For now, Benjen retired for the night and Doreen began to wind down herself.
A glass of wine while she stood on her deck. She was wearing an open bath robe so the breeze felt so good on her skin. Her wine finished, she retired for the evening.
"I know but it doesn't make me feel any better," she said into the com.
"You're in a different situation than you were here," replied the male voice, "the people out here fight for prestige. I mean, I doubt that they know what they're fighting for. The Crayterians have been fighting for a long time now for their homes and very existence not just against the Gauls but against the Maltese as well. You need to remember that."
She sighed, "I know but...."
"Dr. Naggar," the voice interrupted, "if it helps, to see you again after all of this time doing well makes me feel better. You just keep being who you are and you'll be fine." He paused a moment and asked, "So how's Ben doing?"
She smiled, "He's well. He loves it here and has a new buddy so I can't complain."
"Excellent!" replied the voice. "By the way, I spoke to your father at Lividia. He's busy but well. The route there is hostile and different so I don't recommend you try going there."
"I won't," she answered.
"Listen, I've got to scoot. Don't sweat today. Tomorrow you'll be fine. You've dealt with worse. You have a good night," was his final message.
"You too," she answered and turned off her comm.
She couldn't sleep. Benjen was asleep but she wasn't. She went on her deck overlooking the water and leaned her back on the wall. She kept asking herself if she had done the right thing. In her mind, in the mind of other's, she knew that she had. Her old friend was right, tomorrow would be a new day.
I took on five crewman from the cruiser Dunkirque today. Fortunately, their wounds weren't serious. All were treated and will remain in my care overnight. I've also noticed a rise in child births. I guess the men returning from long tours are being missed by their significant others. I guess I can understand that. New life is wonderful considering the ongoing war. Hopefully it'll end one day.
I've received word that my medical cruiser is coming along nicely. It'll be time consuming but it will be well worth the wait. It'll be nice being able to commission a field hospital.
Well, off to surgery. I have some out patient procedures to perform today.