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Midday Confessions - A Lifetime of Memories

Posted May 26, 2021, 11:28 a.m. by Lieutenant Shaun Grecken (Doctor) (Steven Sigle)

Posted by Lieutenant Shaun Grecken (Doctor) in Midday Confessions - A Lifetime of Memories

Posted by Lieutenant Kate O’Neill (Chief of Security) in Midday Confessions - A Lifetime of Memories

Posted by Lieutenant Shaun Grecken (Doctor) in Midday Confessions - A Lifetime of Memories
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Snip

Twenty Minutes Later

“Come on you two, the dock is just a few feet away, we can get in the boat and make it across far faster than walking around the lake,” Shaun said, growing impatient of trying to keep the two girls from killing each other. He had gotten to a point of just ignoring them, taking either side ended up with him get side glares, and then the bickering continued. With the dock in sight, the two finally had a moment to focus on something else.

“Come on Katie bug, you have more experience in a boat so hop in… and before you ask, no this lake doesn’t have any beavers,” he said with a slightly roll of his eyes as he knew that would be one of the points she would hesitate on.

“You think vicious aquatic mammals are something to toy with,” Kate put her hands on her hips. “While they don’t have rabies here you know we do back home.” She looked around as if on the look out for anything that had fur and was swimming.

“She’s scared of beavers,” Dillon raised an eyebrow. “Those harmless things that build damns?” The more she met the magnificent Kate the more she doubted how brave, amazing and fun this chick was.

“Old joke, she…” Shaun said as he looked over at Kate he was already shaking her head no as he felt a slight shift in his stance.

“I was left on a platform in the middle of Lake Champlain while the rest of the family high tailed it the second they came squawking out of no where. Besides if I remember it correctly you were crying too big man.” If Shaun was going to act like it didn’t scare the bejesus out of him too, Kate was going to set the story straight. “If I remember correctly you told me that if we were going to die I was always going to be your best friend.” A smile started to spread across her face. They were so little when it happened and while it was a terrifying experience for a couple of kindergarten and Pre-K kids.

“Wait you were crying Over an animal the size of a house cat,” Liam started to feel a belly laugh start. His shoulders began to shake the more he held the laugh back. The idea Shaun who was almost as tall as most grown up men at 14 was scared of a critter an eighth of his height was almost too hysterical to contain.

“Anyway, get in and then we can help Dillon get in. It’s much faster and Liam can then push us off as he hops in.” Shaun said, trying to wrangle everyone but feeling more and more like this was getting out of hand.

“Come on girls… just one foot at a time,” Liam said, hoping that the silence could continue for just a moment. He was used to this behavior when they went to visit Shaun’s family in Dublin. It seemed like every girl on every corner was always coming to see Shaun’s visit. Right now though, so far away from the big lights he was feeling a little irritated at the yammering.

Grecken, Doctor

“Thank you,” Dillon reached out taking Shaun’s hand before Kate could step into the boat.

She watched at Dillon moved to the bench next to where Shaun was standing. With only two real seats in the boat this meant Kate was stuck sitting by Liam or was she. Reaching out she took Shaun’s hand but stopped him before he could speak or act. “Sit,” she said in a firm tone giving Shaun the don’t test me look. Stepping into the boat, Kate did not take the seat next to Liam as he pushed them off. Instead she plopped down in between the two seats propping her feet up on the bench next to Liam. Wiggling her shoulders she wedged her body between Shaun’s legs and propped her elbows up on his knees. As she suspected the place to sit was not next to Shaun this round. He had to row and with each rotation of his arm, he would be banging Dillon in the back. Kate’s seat gave her all the comfort and none of the inconvienence.

“God look at this lake,” she let out a huge exhale as she settled back resting against Shaun. “WIth the threat of aquatic critters looming, this would be amazing to play hockey in the winter.”

“You play hockey,” Liam looked at Shaun. “I thought your gig was football but not the soccer kind.”

“You become limited by what the people around you play… Hockey somehow became the sport of choice… it’s basically angry golf and we used to go to Scotland and play during the fall festival. Just act like hooligans and knock out some teeth on the ice.” Shaun said, knowing they would want to know more but hoping that would help.

“He is the freaking best and each time he gets a hat trick when I am not playing with him or against him he gets a treat from the O’Neill leg warmers.” Kate’s tone was neutral but the expression on both Liam’s and Dillon’s face was priceless. Kate knew how it sounded. She wanted it to sound exactly like it did.

Letting the moment last a few seconds longer than necessary she nudged Liam with her toe smiling. “Okay get your head out of the gutter. I’m talking about hot chocolate. We play outside on the small pond between our properties or in the rink. Either way its freezing so if I am not playing I buy several cups of hot chocolate and hold them with my legs. Keeps me warm which is why Shaun doesn’t get any unless he is a God on the ice. If he drinks them, I loose my heat packs,” she laughed.

“I didn’t know you played that much hockey,” Dillon said letting out a small grunt as she tried to shift positions to get out of Shaun’s rowing.

“Oh he is the best. Our families have tournaments all the time. When we are on the same team we are unstoppable. My brother’s can flatten anyone. Shaun’s sisters tend to only play when we have the family matches but as the only O’Neill girl I had to learn to hold my own whether I am on Team O’Neill or Team O’Grecken. That is what we call our team when the families combine. I am still trying to convince Shaun that would be a cool last name one day.”

“You are planning on getting married to Shaun,” Liam’s eyes grew wide. Kate seemed to be planning things like all stupid girls did all the time. Why did girls always want to steal your future before you were old enough to have one.

Kate shrugged. “Somebody in our family will one day. I have four brothers. Shaun has four sisters. Between all of us someone will get hitched. My guess is it will be Dave and Elspeth.”

Kate O’Neill.

“I think you have been reading holo novels too much… Dave and Eslpeth hate each other. Besides, we all are like siblings with each other… wouldn’t it feel weird if we were married?” Shaun said as he looked over at Kate as he took a deep breath. The truth was, while he had not been thinking of marriage, he would be lying if as he got older he was seeing Kate as just a sibling. She was growing and becoming more of a woman every year. Knowing her better than anyone made it easy for him to feel a bit more than just familiar with her. At the end of the day though, he had always promised he would take care of her to her brothers. He doubted they would appreciate him making out with her under a castle anytime soon.

“Oh my god yes,” Dillon genuinely smiled happily at the turn of the conversation. “You talk all the time about how Kate is like your sister and at least in Ireland we don’t have hill billys. Makes sense you two are close as friends. While technically you have to be blood related to be family there is the psychological aspect there. The only way it wouldn’t be weird to explain your friendship was to say Kate was your best friend and like your little sister.” Dillon laid it on thick placing the idea on the table as something taboo and expertly sweeping Kate into the friend zone.

Kate sharply elbowed Shaun in the inner thigh hard. She was not going to sit here and listen to Dillon subterfuge everything she and Shaun were.

“What do you mean we don’t have hillbillies? It’s literally the rolling hills of Ireland… your Uncle Titus was arrested for selling illegal Romulan Ale from his cottage in Kirkwood… ” Shaun said with a puzzled look, it wasn’t like Ireland wasn’t filled with its share of rednecks. No matter what area you lived in, there were always rednecks.

” Granted… there are worse things than finding someone you are friends with and seeing a future, it’s how my parents started. I just don’t think we have to worry about that anyway. Katie bug seems to be really into Frank Griffin, or maybe he is just into her. That kid comes by our home every day looking for her. Maybe you have a future somewhere else…” Shaun said knowing fully well she hated Frank. He was obnoxious and annoying, but part of Shaun always liked her choosing Shaun to be with vs anyone else. It felt comforting, and safe to know she always had his back.

Grecken, Doctor

Kate jumped up from her seated position on the floor of the bothering Shaun tease her. The boat rocked viciously back and forth due to her movement. “Take that back,” Kate glared at Shaun. She was not really mad at his comment. Griffin was a joke among the family about how much he hung around the place. The kid had tried to sell several times the friend story waffling between Kate and Shaun as to why he was around so much. The problem was Griffin was not the type of guy Shaun tended to hang around with and Kate was a year younger than the kid. There was only one reason why Griffin was around and Kate hated that it sucked up so much of her hang out time with Shaun. Not hearing a response from her friend, Kate planted her feet and shoved Shaun hard as she yelled, “take it back.”

Kate O’Neill

“Do you want to go to overboard?” Shaun asked as the boat swayed as Kate kept yelling as he tried to keep control of the craft. “Sit your ass down before you get us wet!” Shaun demanded, not wanting to throw her overboard he was trying hard to keep her settled.

Grecken, Doctor

Kate let go and looked past Shaun. The dock was only a few feet away. It was a long swim but she could do it if she had to. The question was did she want to. It was summer in Ireland but that equated to early spring or late fall back home. The water had to be freezing so going in head first would only serve to make her cold all day. “Make me,” she crossed her hands definantly. There was no way he could really force the issue and there was really no way Kate wasn’t going to do it. It was just a matter of whose will was stronger. Unfortunately for Kate, Shaun was not a rational man or even a slightly rational boyfriend. He was a fourteen year old boy who still thrived on dares and challenges.

“Oh really?” Shaun said with a crooked smile as he looked at Kate. These moments, they were moments that Shaun always felt his world melt and slip away from him. She was more than a best friend if he ever had the courage to confess that to her. Nothing seemed to be on the boat but her and him, and he wanted nothing more than to take her up on the challenge. Her scream then eventual laugh was all he wanted as he pressed hard on the throttle, forcing her as she stood to lurch. She would have to have some sturdy sealegs to stay upright.

Kate felt the bottom of the boat lurch forward. Her feet slid from the momentum causing her to start to lose balance. Pin wheeling her arms, Kate reached out trying to grab anything as she rocketed back towards the stern of the boat. The more she moved her feet, the less traction she had on the slick surface. “Shhhhhhau.....nnnnnahh,” she yelled out feeling the back of her legs impact the thick plastic bulkhead. The wind pressed hard on her as the boat zipped towards the other end of the lake causing Kate’s upper half to continue to backward momentum.

“Kayyyy,” a second voice yelled out as he felt Kate’s body slam into his. If Liam had just been sitting in the seat there might have been a chance of not going over board however he had been sitting up on the gunwhales. He reached up to try and catch Shaun’s American friend but Kate’s impact was too great. If Liam had not grabbed her waist, there could have been a chance that she could have stopped herself. Her fingernail raked the soft surface of where the boat’s hull met the deck but Liam pullingher back stopped Kate from doing anything but maybe hitting him slower. The force of her slamming into his body forced Liam to flip off the back of the boat.

“Liam,” Dillon jumped up from her seat placing a hand on Shaun’s arm. “Shaun....Liam and Kate fell off the boat,” she yelled moving to the back seats. Kneeling down on one of the soft cushions she looked back and forth between Shaun and the men overboard not quite sure what to do.

Kate O’Neill

Shaun stopped the boat as he turned it around to rest next to Liam and Shaun. “That was the point Dil…” he said as he grabbed her by her waist and launched her over the edge of the boat before he did a cannonball off the bow of the boat as he splashed hard right next to kate as he grabbed her and began to dunk her underwater for a few seconds before he pushed off of her.

Coming up out of the water Dillon looked at Shaun angry for half a heartbeat. She had not expected to be tossed off the boat so unceremoniously but now that she has in the water she let a smile cross her face. “What was that for,” she shook her wet hair out of her face.

Kate was tired of taking a back seat to a little Irish upstart. American’s were known for ingenuity and creativity. Kate was about to demonstrate this to Dillon. Ducking under the waves, Kate swam up to Shawn underwater and pants him. They only got partially to his hips before she felt Shaun’s hand press down on her head pushing her back. Coming up from under the water Kate splashed Shaun in the face with a handful of water.

“What was the sudden use of breaks for,” Kate treaded water looking at Shaun.

“I told you to seated, now look what you did,” he said, the noise of the others voices drowning out around him as he couldn’t help but focus solely on Kate as if in tunnel vision as he smiled that crooked little smile that always meant mischief for the two of them.

Grecken, Docotor

The smile on her face was not entirely due to joking with Shaun. Recently that smile of his was making her feel on edge but not in a bad way. Well, it was bad because she had known him since they were still young enough to need afternoon naps. The more she thought about the situation, the more Kate felt her happy, silly moment sliding away from her. Kate felt goosebumps rise all over her skin as she looked into Shaun’s brilliantly blue eyes. For the first time in her entire life, she wanted him to look at her not as his best friend but as anything else. The edges of her mouth dropped as Kate turned around and swam towards the shore.

She ignored Shaun calling out to her as her swimming strokes lengthened. Kate needed to put some space between her and Shaun until she figured out what had just happened or more accurately why it just happened.

“God do you two ever stop moving,” Liam moaned exiting the lake a few strokes behind Shaun and Kate. “It’s like neither of you know how to sit still.” Summer with Shaun was always active but death by a car ride, being thrown from a boat, and competing in a third of a triathalon was something they did all summer and not in a single day.

Kate O’Neill

“Oh have some fun Liam… we could always ask your brothers to come next time and they can hide you in the fields like last year during Saint Paddy’s. We didn’t find him for a few days.” Shaun said as he looked over at Kate to explain a little.

“Look, we are like 10-minute boat ride, I can see the shore.” he said pointing at the shoreline. “Let’s just get back in and we can go. Last one back in the boat is a loser.” Shaun said as he pushed off Kate as he began to swim back to the boat.

Grecken

Groaning Kate had enough. Shaun’s growth spurt meant his leg span and arm span were greater than hers. This meant there were no longer fair fights with her best friend. Keeping pace with him the best she could, Kate reached the boat a few seconds later. “You know you are cheating right,” she looked at him hanging on the side of the boat as it bobbed in the water. “Those long spindly arms and legs give you a physical advantage but make you so less graceful trying to get on the boat.” Pulling herself up next to the boat, she held the rail, twisting her body to her feet went straight up and her face under the water. When she felt her hips reaching the pivot point, she dropped her legs back creating a lever effect that pulled her head and upper body out of the water. It was an old white water rafting trick she had learned but the length of her body made it easier for her to get in then Shaun.

“Okay that was a crazy neat trick,” Liam said raising an eyebrow at her.

“Yeah and hurts like hell when it is not a rubber raft side but instead hard plastic gunwales,” Kate rubbed her hips and wiggled a bit. “But what is a girl to do when she needs to get in a boat and can’t ask for help.” The comment was a slight dig at Shaun and she instantly felt sorry for it. Slumping into the seat, Kate started to take a hard look at what was really going on.

Kate O’Neill

“Well there is always this.” Shaun said as he got to the side of the boat as he began searching before he found what he was looking for, the collapsable ladder that was tucked on the side as he pulled it over. “Sometimes you just gotta look at the tools around you to get a job done…” Shaun said as he began climbing back into the boat as the others began swimming over to them.

“Okay, we can get to the shoreline and the village is near, so is the castle… you never been to one right Kate?” Shaun asked as he popped up and slid next to her at the front. “First times for everything.”

“Hurry, I’m not gonna wait, my Uncles need us to get the parts.” Shaun said to Dillon, clearly annoyed as she seemed to not know how to climb up the ladder. “Use your chicken arms and climb up, it’s not that hard you climb that castle every time we visit, if you can get up the rocks you can get up this.”

Grekcen, Doctor

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