Suspended Imagination Chapter 6: Legacy of the Past
Last time on Suspended Imagination: "She's bat-shit crazy."
"I apologize, Dr. McCoy, but that doesn't sound like a medical diagnosis to me," Pike said, and Len sighed.
"Of course it's not a medical diagnosis, since I haven't spoken to her to get the true opinion. And I won't be talking to her, because I'm too close to the situation. I'm more likely to lock her up on principle. You need to have her evaluated by someone who practices regularly."
"You have a PhD in Psychology."
"I'm also the victim's fiance. I can't make an objective diagnosis. She's out on Antares at the moment; I'm thinking that's why Jim ended up here, and not in backwaters for the rest of his life." Pike looked thoughtful for a moment, before noting something on his PADD.
"I'll send a message to the ship's CMO. You are aware that if she is found to be mentally unstable, no charges will be brought against her."
"I don't care about charges. I want her away from people she can hurt. She destroyed over 3 years of my life. I don't want her to destroy any more." He settled back into his seat, mildly uncomfortable now that he'd gotten through his main reason for being here.
"Dr. may I call you Leonard?"
"Yes, sir."
"Call me Chris. I want to ask you something, off the record about Jim. How much do you actually know about him?"
"Are you asking about when we were living together? Or now?"
"Both." There was something in Pike's eyes that he was leery of, but he answered anyway.
"When we were together, I didn't even know his last name. Well, I did, but it didn't register with me, even after he was gone. He was just Jim, a bookstore clerk who was taking English classes at night at Ol' Miss. Once I got here, I learned a hell of a lot more about him, like his status as 'The Kelvin Baby'."
"And has any of that changed anything for you?"
"No." His answer was prompt, no hesitation. "Nothing about that changes who he is, a strong man who's seen a lot of bad things, and come out the better for it." He sighed. There was nothing that had changed from his side, but Jim might not think so. Knowingly or not, he'd married someone else, had a daughter, an entire life.
"Leonard?" He jerked, looking up, to see Pike looking at him with an inscrutable expression. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, sir, I'm fine. Just thinking. Will you let me know what the Antares CMO figures out? I don't need specifics, just to know if anything was found at all."
"I will. If there's nothing else, Leonard, you can go." He stood and saluted before going back to the hospital, where Jim was waiting for him, sitting up.
"Hey, Jim. Welcome back to the world of the living." He sat down beside the bed, and when Jim put his hand out, he took it automatically.
"Hey, Len. Where'd you go?"
"Had to see a man about a deal. How're you feeling?"
"My head hurts a little, but not nearly as much as it did. How are you? Christine told me you've been living off of bad coffee and worse food. I'm fine, aren't I? At least, I will be."
"Yeah, you should be good as new by Monday. for now, though, rest is what you need."
"You need to go home and get some sleep. I love you, but you look like shit." Len grinned despite himself, lifting Jim's hand and placing a kiss to the palm.
"I love you, too, Jim. I'll be back later today, I promise. Don't run Christine ragged." He reluctantly let go of Jim's hand. wondering at the part of him that breathed a sigh of relief. He stood and kissed Jim's forehead. "Love you."
"Love you, too. See you later, Len." He left the room and passed Chapel in the hallway, nodding to her.
"Good thing he's making you go home. I was getting tired of seeing the scruff," she commented lightly, and he shook his head, a chuckle escaping as he made his way out and to his apartment just off-campus.
Once he had slept for a few hours, and shaved the growth from his face, he returned to the hospital, where Jim was waiting for him, a pensive look on his face.
"Len!" he said, the look clearing instantly. "Sleep well?"
"Well enough. What's wrong?"
"Um, how long have you... remembered us?"
"Since the shuttle coming here. The block broke then."
"So when you got married..."
"That was her doing. The block, I mean. We had dated briefly in high school, and I guess she wanted the money I was starting to make."
"You had a daughter."
"Joanna. She's 2."
"I... I can't fault you for what you did when you didn't remember me, Len." Despite his words, Jim looked about ready to throw him out on his ear, and he wouldn't blame him one bit. "Hell, some of the things I've done... Len, how can I fault you?"
"Don't talk like that, Jim. It wasn't your fault. Your mother, she's crazy. She did this to us."
"Thought it was your ex that blocked your memories?"
"It took her more than 6 months to get it done. I searched for you all that time, but your records were locked up tighter than Ft. Knox. So it was your mother that did this." The look on Jim's face changed to anger. "She's insane. I've got her CMO checking up on her mental health, I should hear something back in a few days. You don't need to exert yourself right now. You need rest. Please, Jim. Rest."
"This isn't the end of our conversation, Len. We have things to get over, both of us."
"We're neither of us who we were, Jim. I know that. Let's just take it one day at a time." He reached out, gratified when Jim took his hand.
The end of Suspended Imagination. Will be continued in Obscured Reality.
"I apologize, Dr. McCoy, but that doesn't sound like a medical diagnosis to me," Pike said, and Len sighed.
"Of course it's not a medical diagnosis, since I haven't spoken to her to get the true opinion. And I won't be talking to her, because I'm too close to the situation. I'm more likely to lock her up on principle. You need to have her evaluated by someone who practices regularly."
"You have a PhD in Psychology."
"I'm also the victim's fiance. I can't make an objective diagnosis. She's out on Antares at the moment; I'm thinking that's why Jim ended up here, and not in backwaters for the rest of his life." Pike looked thoughtful for a moment, before noting something on his PADD.
"I'll send a message to the ship's CMO. You are aware that if she is found to be mentally unstable, no charges will be brought against her."
"I don't care about charges. I want her away from people she can hurt. She destroyed over 3 years of my life. I don't want her to destroy any more." He settled back into his seat, mildly uncomfortable now that he'd gotten through his main reason for being here.
"Dr. may I call you Leonard?"
"Yes, sir."
"Call me Chris. I want to ask you something, off the record about Jim. How much do you actually know about him?"
"Are you asking about when we were living together? Or now?"
"Both." There was something in Pike's eyes that he was leery of, but he answered anyway.
"When we were together, I didn't even know his last name. Well, I did, but it didn't register with me, even after he was gone. He was just Jim, a bookstore clerk who was taking English classes at night at Ol' Miss. Once I got here, I learned a hell of a lot more about him, like his status as 'The Kelvin Baby'."
"And has any of that changed anything for you?"
"No." His answer was prompt, no hesitation. "Nothing about that changes who he is, a strong man who's seen a lot of bad things, and come out the better for it." He sighed. There was nothing that had changed from his side, but Jim might not think so. Knowingly or not, he'd married someone else, had a daughter, an entire life.
"Leonard?" He jerked, looking up, to see Pike looking at him with an inscrutable expression. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, sir, I'm fine. Just thinking. Will you let me know what the Antares CMO figures out? I don't need specifics, just to know if anything was found at all."
"I will. If there's nothing else, Leonard, you can go." He stood and saluted before going back to the hospital, where Jim was waiting for him, sitting up.
"Hey, Jim. Welcome back to the world of the living." He sat down beside the bed, and when Jim put his hand out, he took it automatically.
"Hey, Len. Where'd you go?"
"Had to see a man about a deal. How're you feeling?"
"My head hurts a little, but not nearly as much as it did. How are you? Christine told me you've been living off of bad coffee and worse food. I'm fine, aren't I? At least, I will be."
"Yeah, you should be good as new by Monday. for now, though, rest is what you need."
"You need to go home and get some sleep. I love you, but you look like shit." Len grinned despite himself, lifting Jim's hand and placing a kiss to the palm.
"I love you, too, Jim. I'll be back later today, I promise. Don't run Christine ragged." He reluctantly let go of Jim's hand. wondering at the part of him that breathed a sigh of relief. He stood and kissed Jim's forehead. "Love you."
"Love you, too. See you later, Len." He left the room and passed Chapel in the hallway, nodding to her.
"Good thing he's making you go home. I was getting tired of seeing the scruff," she commented lightly, and he shook his head, a chuckle escaping as he made his way out and to his apartment just off-campus.
Once he had slept for a few hours, and shaved the growth from his face, he returned to the hospital, where Jim was waiting for him, a pensive look on his face.
"Len!" he said, the look clearing instantly. "Sleep well?"
"Well enough. What's wrong?"
"Um, how long have you... remembered us?"
"Since the shuttle coming here. The block broke then."
"So when you got married..."
"That was her doing. The block, I mean. We had dated briefly in high school, and I guess she wanted the money I was starting to make."
"You had a daughter."
"Joanna. She's 2."
"I... I can't fault you for what you did when you didn't remember me, Len." Despite his words, Jim looked about ready to throw him out on his ear, and he wouldn't blame him one bit. "Hell, some of the things I've done... Len, how can I fault you?"
"Don't talk like that, Jim. It wasn't your fault. Your mother, she's crazy. She did this to us."
"Thought it was your ex that blocked your memories?"
"It took her more than 6 months to get it done. I searched for you all that time, but your records were locked up tighter than Ft. Knox. So it was your mother that did this." The look on Jim's face changed to anger. "She's insane. I've got her CMO checking up on her mental health, I should hear something back in a few days. You don't need to exert yourself right now. You need rest. Please, Jim. Rest."
"This isn't the end of our conversation, Len. We have things to get over, both of us."
"We're neither of us who we were, Jim. I know that. Let's just take it one day at a time." He reached out, gratified when Jim took his hand.
The end of Suspended Imagination. Will be continued in Obscured Reality.