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Sacred Heart Hospital // Harris’s Room - The Mannings Come to Visit

Posted Nov. 12, 2022, 7:14 p.m. by General Calvin Harris (Command General- Colonial Customs and Defence Authority) (Jerome Davis)

Posted by Captain Amelia Manning (Visitor) in Sacred Heart Hospital // Harris’s Room - The Mannings Come to Visit

Posted by General Calvin Harris (Command General- Colonial Customs and Defence Authority) in Sacred Heart Hospital // Harris’s Room - The Mannings Come to Visit

Posted by Captain Amelia Manning (Visitor) in Sacred Heart Hospital // Harris’s Room - The Mannings Come to Visit
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Six years had passed since they had last been on OED V, and a lot had changed during those six years. However, despite their absence, the Mannings’ estate was well managed and well taken care of, and even though the couple might not be present to use it, they enjoyed being able to lend it out to anyone that needed a place to stay. The place had a full staff on call if necessary, and as such, with Amelia having taken the opportunity to organize everything during their week long journey, when the group arrived to the mansion, it looked like the Mannings had never left.

Still, Pete and Amelia allowed for a day or two to pass before making their way to see Calvin, not wanting to get in the way of family visits. Which was why, it was the middle of the second week after the incident when the couple finally made it to Sacred Heart.

With their names on the list that Molly had given the medical staff before hand, they went through the security protocols with no issue whatsoever.

“Knock knock!” Amelia said peeking through the door before walking in with Peter following her inside. A grin lighting up her face as she saw Cal sitting on the biobed. He looked well considering, and much better than what Manning had imagined. The relief showed in her features.

“Oh my God, it’s so nice to see you!” The words were genuine, with no sarcasm or jokes, as she walked around the bed to hug her former Commanding Officer. “How are you doing? You look great!”

Capt. Amelia Manning

Calvin beamed at his former Exec, his eyes misting very slightly. “Amelia! Peter! Goddamn it’s good to see you both!” As he spoke, Boomer made a beeline for Amelia… almost running into her but stopped at the last moment before gently rubbing his head on her stomach. Calvin motioned to a young redheaded woman in a hoodie and jeans. “Amelia… Peter… this is my daughter, Alexis. Ali… this is Captain Amelia Manning… my Exec on the Dresden and her husband…” He paused and said with a slight nod. “… Lord Peter Manning. Lord Manning worked in Starfleet before deciding the life of a college professor better suited him.” There was a big smile on Calvin’s face as Peter rolled his eyes and offered Ali his hand. “It’s nice to meet you Alexis…” Peter said warmly and Ali immediately blushed. “… your father’s always spoken fondly of you. He’s incredibly proud of you.”

Amelia laughed heartily as Boomer moved towards her, promptly scratching the dog’s ears. She had never met the dog before, but she was no stranger to them. “You know, you remind me of Pete’s family’s dog, Moose. Although he’s a little bigger than you, but just as much of a goofball.” There was a wide grin on her lips.

The dog was very happy to have Amelia’s attention and wagged his tail wildly.

Ali blushed brighter still and smiled. “Please, my Lord, it’s just Ali.” There was a brief pause before Ali said rather sheepishly to Amelia after she looked down at herself, obviously embarrassed. “I do apologize, m’Lady, had Daddy mentioned I would be meeting nobles today… I’d have put more thought into my attire.”

Cal/Ali

Manning rolled her eyes. “Ah, I see, like father, like— wait…” She stopped abruptly seeing how serious Alexis’s expression was. “You actually mean that?” Quickly turning to Cal she continued. “What have you been telling your daughter, Colonel? You of all people should know better than that!” She scolded.

Harris chuckled and shook his head. “Nope! Not I… didn’t tell her a thing other than when, after a Semester Abroad at King’s College, she asked if I knew anyone in peerage… I mentioned you and Peter.” He smirked as he glanced over at Ali. “She, like many American girls, are obsessed from childhood with princes & princesses… lords & ladies.”

Turning back to face the younger Harris, Amelia shook her head before smiling politely at her. “There’s no need for formalities, dear. We’ve left that life behind a long time ago.” Her smile was wider. “No matter what your dad tells you.” She glared at Calvin before looking back at Alexis and continuing. “Titles are just that. Nothing more. We’re not more important because of them. So, Amelia is fine. I know Pete here agrees with me too.” She shot her husband a knowing smile.

Capt. Amelia Manning

It was Peter’s turn to smirk before a warm smile crossed his face and he grinned at Ali. “Not at all. Outside of formal occasions, Ami & I rarely even use our titles anymore.” His smile was Pete’s normal, charming self. “So, please… just Pete.” Manning winked and Ali looked like she might faint. Harris rolled his eyes and snorted softly.

Pete/Cal/Ali

Amelia’s lips were so often curled into a smirk that one might wonder how they were not permanently tilted to one side. This time was no exception, as she shot Peter the same smirk he was so used to seeing and patted her husband playfully on the back of his shoulder.

“Anyway…” She hesitated for a moment, her gaze first on Cal and then on Alexis. “We were told that the visits were restricted to two people per room… and I don’t want the staff to kick you out…” Manning smiled at the young woman. “Why don’t you grab Gunny Reyes and head over to our place? It’s not tea time yet but if you hurry you’ll get there just as the scones are coming fresh out of the oven.” Her smile widened. “And they are absolutely amazing.” She turned to Cal. “I’ve tried to convince Maggie to tell me her family’s recipe but she won’t budge.” Amelia chuckled. “They are incredible, though. I’ll make sure you try some too before we go back.”

Ali lit up and smiled first to her father then the Manning’s. “I would love to! I’ll grab Jersey and head over! Thank you so much!” She started to dart for the door before slamming on the brakes and trotting back to her father. “Bye Daddy!” She smiled as she kissed his cheek then beamed at Amelia. “Captain…” Then Peter. “… Lor’.. er… Peter” She blushed even brighter and bolted out the door.

Amelia smiled softly as she watched the young woman leave, shaking her head slightly as she saw her blushing with the interaction with Peter, a small smirk forming on her lips.

Harris smiled warmly, watching Ali go. “Sometimes I forget just how young she & Jersey really are. They’ve both been through a lot the last week… I just don’t want them running y’all crazy. Your people will have their hands full as is.” He paused before continuing, more somber. “Amelia… you and Peter being here is…” He seemed lost for words for a moment, before the old Marine’s eyes misted again slightly. “… it means the world to me. It’s been a damn rough week and every friendly face has been a real blessing. Please… won’t you two grab a seat?”

When the Mannings were finally alone in the room, Amelia pulled one of the chairs next to the biobed and sat down, her expression turning serious. “You gave us quite a scare Cal…” She shook her head slightly. “How are you really? And… what happened? We saw it on the news but they were quite vague… at the Academy there’s talk about a missile strike… is it true? Is this because of Lucas Holloway? I’ve heard of the attacks in New York months back. How’s Molly?” The questions were uttered quickly, one after another, almost in a single breath. During all the years Cal had known Amelia, he had never seen her rapid fire like this. They had gone through hell and back together, but for the first time she seemed truly worried.

Capt. Amelia Manning

Cal sighed and nodded. “Yeah… missile strike Amelia…” He closed his eyes as he continued. “… I don’t remember anything myself. I apparently got bounced like a goddamn basketball all over the inside of the shuttle.” Harris shook his head. “Restraint failure. Broke both legs and destroyed my left arm.” The General nodded to the arm still in a sling. “Nearly lost Lucas, apparently. He flatlined at one point… at least…” He winched as though speaking the words caused him physical pain. “… but he pulled through. They are fairly confident he’ll make a full recovery.”

Harris looked at both of them and plunged on. “As for the attack… and it was a frackin’ attack… the missile took out the aft of the port nacelle. The ACS Approach Tracking System picked up the launch about the same time as the Holloway One flight crew.” Calvin became suddenly very somber. “Great folks.. both of ‘em.” The Marine sniffed and a couple tears fell free. “They both..” His voice cracked. “… they both deserved better than that… that terrible end.”

Speechless at the revelations, Amelia patted Cal’s shoulder in a comforting gesture as she let him grieve.

Harris shook his head, wiped away a few tears, steeled his jaw and pressed on. “The flight crew entered into the beginning of an evasive pattern… but… the launch was too close. They dove for the hard deck… the missile followed. According to reports and the visual recordings from the FNN journalist on site for… something else, Holloway One was less than 100 meters above the ground and was already starting to bring the nose up for a combat landing when the missile got us and the damaged nacelle had caused the shuttle to roll on its back the moment before crash. About a second later…” Harris visibly shivered. “… we slammed into a storefront across from City Center… after…” He swallowed, hard. “… after sliding along on the nose for close to 50 meters and… and grinding the first three meters off the shuttle.” Harris looked white as the next words left his mouth. “There wasn’t enough left of the flight crew for a proper burial.”

“I’m… I’m so sorry.” It was all Amelia could say, her hand still on the former Marine’s shoulder. There were no words that would soothe what Harris had just told them, and Amelia was not going to pretend otherwise. Her expression was sad and somber, reflecting her own emotions.

There were fresh tears, tears even Molly hadn’t seen. “Had I fallen two feet to my left during the dive… I’d… I’d… I’d have fallen through the open door into the cockpit… beyond the safety of the crash shield.” Harris took a slow breath before saying. “They gave their lives for Lucas & I… and by sheer dumb luck, I didn’t join them.” The General paused, taking a deep breath, he sighed. “I’m sorry… I… I just really needed to talk to somebody about it. I’ve read the reports, watched the videos a thousand times… I guess I just… I just needed to talk to someone… someone not Ali or Molls.”

Cal

“It’s okay.” Amelia said leaning forwards towards the biobed and pulling her former Commanding Officer in for a hug. Her arms were surprisingly strong around Harris. “It’s okay.” She repeated, trying to comfort the man who against all odds had become a very good friend of hers. “If you need to talk, we’re here to listen.”

Harris gave Manning a surprisingly tight hug, patting her back before releasing her… looking as though a weight had lifted off him.

There was a worried look on her face when Amelia let go of Harris. “Wait… why wouldn’t you want to talk to Molly? Is everything alright with you two?” The smirk made an appearance again, as Amelia tried to lighten the mood. “Did me not being here to chew your butt made you run her off?”

Capt. Amelia Manning

Calvin looked puzzled for just a moment and then laughed. “Molls…!? God no Amelia, we’re fine!” He smiled, wiping a happy tear from his eye as his laugh subsided. “She just has her hands full with the company and the…” He paused, looking to both former officers before huffing. “Oh to hell with it! Peter, you will know soon enough… look you two, Molly is currently aiding to hunt the bastards down that tried to kill Lucas and I. I keep my head down and mind my own business most of the time but goddamn if that woman ain’t a mean lil pit bull when she’s pissed!” He laughed again. “They’ll find’em and God helped when they do!!”

Amelia smiled. Her relationship with Holloway was not very deep, even though they had served on the same ship for two years. In the beginning, she had been too scared of the then Chief Intelligence Officer to approach her, but with time Amelia had come to realize that she wasn’t as frightening as she tried to be. Not to those on her crew anyway. It was only when it was brought to her attention the amount of respect that Cal’s other half had for Amelia, that the Engineer had felt more at ease around her.

Peter raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “If Captain Molly Holloway looking for them, they should be the one’s on the lookout!” The professor smiled as he grabbed the seat near Calvin Ali had vacated when they entered, settling into the still warm chair. “So Calvin…” Even so far removed from service, it still sounded weird in Pete’s head to address the man by his first name but he hadn’t served with then-Colonel Harris as his wife had. “… other than, you know, the obvious… how have things been being back on OED?” Their dynamic was different… special, and Pete knew the pair admired the other very much. He had been incredibly thankful that of all the people Ami could have served under during her time as XO of a Combat vessel, she was lucky to have a decorated Marine like Harris to keep her safe.

Harris smiled at Peter and laughed. “I believe the correct Okie adage is a ‘tornado’ Peter. I’ve spent the last year building a small military from the ground up. I’m beyond thankful to have Devri & Sam’s help in doing so…” He chuckled. “… I’ve watched those two go after some of the Federation’s best and brightest with such gusto you’d think I’d made them flag officers or something!” After a moment, Cal looked at Amelia and added. “I think we yanked the head of our Engineering Training School from the Deans at Starfleet Academy. Those two didn’t care who they pissed off… when they wanted a particular person, 99 times out of 100 they got’em!”

General Calvin Harris, CCDA

“Oh, so that’s what it was.” Manning chuckled. “I’ve heard some things at the Academy, but honestly I try to steer clear of any type of administrative business like that. I’m there to teach, and as long as they allow me to do so, I really don’t care who signs the papers!”

Capt. Amelia Manning

Harris laughed softly, a smirk crossing his face as he nodded. “Why am I not surprised at your approach!” Pausing, Calvin looked out the window for a moment before looking back to the couple. “Anyway… enough about my delusions of grandeur and my attempts at becoming the next Napoleon…” He snickered. “… tell me about you two! What’s been going on in your lives?” The former Marine winked, Peter snorted… rolling his eyes and looked to Amelia, asking. “My love… you wanna take the lead on that particular question?”

Gen. Calvin Harris, CCDA


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