2165

Winter Morning

            “Oh, oh gosh, it’s almost oh eight hundred. The sun is up. Jon, oh-eight hundred,” Riaan told the man sleeping next to her. She nudged him roughly. “Jon, look at the time!” Riaan hopped out of the bed and wrapped a heavy robe around her shoulders. Her first stop was Ariannaa’s room. Asleep. She’s still asleep!

            She skittered into the living room and looked out the large windows at the beach. The sun glistened on the waves and in the distance she could make out two small people, one with Brannigaan’s gait, walking along the shore.

            “She’s asleep!” Jonathan said quietly, almost skipping into the kitchen. “And it’s Saturday.”

            “You know what else?” Riaan said with a smile, joining Jon in the filtered light of the kitchen. “Today,” she said wearing a huge smile and sparkling eyes, “I become a doctor!”

            “It’s a beautiful morning!” Jonathan couldn’t contain his excitement but he kept his voice low to make sure Ariannaa wouldn’t wake. He curled his arms around Riaan and gave her a two quick kisses. “Where’s Branni?”

            “Beach.”

            “Isn’t it a little cold?”

            “He doesn’t care. It’s sand and water. Geoff’s with him.” Jonathan took her hand and led her back to bed. They crawled under the covers and spooned up.

            “I need this time right now with you,” he told her quietly with a heavy sigh. He simply wrapped himself around her and felt her radiating heat. “Who knows when we’ll have another morning like this.” He yawned and closed his eyes. Yawns being contagious, she yawned as well.

            “I thought you had something uncivilized in mind,” she said, but Jonathan was instantly asleep, breathing slowly and deeply. Riaan wanted to go back to sleep but her mind raced. She had so much to do did she even have the luxury of lying in bed, as peaceful as it was. She was, however, trapped like a falcon in a python’s coil, so she gave her anxiety a little vacation before her life changed forever in a couple of hours. It was going to be a very, very busy day.

            Phlox was one of the first to congratulate Riaan on her stunning accomplishment. As acting director of the IME in San Francisco he insisted she take her internship with his office and no other. She didn’t hesitate at the offer.

            “That’s what I was expecting to hear,” he told her. “I have a sleep cycle coming up so you’ll be seeing the patients. I expect you may want to take over the admiral’s case as well?” Riaan looked at Jonathan, then back at Phlox.

            “Not necessarily; that might be one I leave in your hands.”

            “Then I don’t want to see you until the first of February,” he said cheerfully. “Admiral,” he nodded, and then he disappeared in the crowd. She saw Jonathan staring at her from the corner of her eye, and quickly caught his gaze. He reached over and flicked the golden tassel on her black mortarboard.

            “You did it, Doctor.”

            Jonathan was home when Riaan’s diploma arrived; he wanted to have it framed for her before she saw it. He knew what the roll of cardboard was, and took it unopened to the art shop that served Starfleet. They were happy to mount it and give it back to the admiral without a peep. Archer didn’t realize it at the time, but when he picked up Riaan’s treasure he would never be able to forgive himself for a transgression he didn’t think was important, until just that moment. The honor was conferred on:

Riaan Kellam
Doctor of Medicine

            He wanted to be fine with it. He really tried to put it out of his mind, but in truth it bothered the hell out of him. It wasn’t just that she’d spent years with Kellam and had a long history with him. It wasn’t that he was partly responsible for Kellam’s death at the factory. It wasn’t that she chose to put Kellam’s name on her diploma. It was that he forced her to put Kellam’s name on it. It should have been Archer. He knew that. She would forever be Doctor Riaan Kellam, even if one day she did become Doctor Riaan Archer.

            He simmered the predicament all the way home, walking the slowest route possible. It’s just a word, a name, a way to identify yourself and your family. What's in a name? It shouldn’t matter. He planned to keep her forever. He loved her to death. So why hadn’t he married her after more than a year together and the birth of a beautiful daughter? Half of Starfleet considered Riaan the admiral’s wife anyway. Was he going to tell himself that he didn’t have time for that either? He knew that was as much crap as not making time for a family.

            When he arrived home, he had a message waiting from Starfleet Command.

            February 20, 2165
Admiral Jonathan B. Archer,
               As of April 1, 2165, you will be promoted to Starfleet Chief of Staff of United Earth Space Probe Agency, to succeed Admiral Gardner upon his retirement. You will be assigned to Starfleet headquarters in San Francisco, California, North America. A celebration and official transition event is planned for March 30, 2165.

               Congratulations,

            He’d been grounded. At least he hadn’t been dismissed or sent to Vulcan. Perhaps he could finally plan on staying near home for four or more years. He stared at the message another minute. This was actually damn good news! It would be a new direction, a new focus, a command on the ground. He took off his jacket and tie, left them on the desk chair, and before he could get another step the com chirped, startling him out of his thoughts.