(Flashback) Francine's Final Days (Part 2)

Posted on Sun Apr 30th, 2023 @ 7:42am by Commander Patricia Cooke

782 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Auld Lang Syne
Timeline: After '(Flashback) Francine's Final Days (Part 1)'

Previously, on Star Trek Missouri:

When Patricia arrived at the hospital, she used the information from her sister to find her grandmother's hospice room.

"Hey, Mary; hey grandma." Patricia greeted her sister and grandmother as she entered the room.

"Hey, there's my little 1st Lieutenant." Francine wheezed.

"It's Lieutenant JG, grandma." Patricia corrected.

"Pat, it's good to see you." Marion said, getting up and embracing her sister.

"Likewise." Patricia said. "There's no place I'd rather be in the galaxy than right here, right now... How's grandma holding up?" She asked, turning to Francine.

And now, the continuation:

"I'll give her this much, she's a tough old bird." Marion said. "But, there are signs she's starting to go..."

Marion motioned for Patricia to take the chair by Francine's bedside while she took the couch by the window which pulled out into a bed. A few minutes of silence passed before Francine glanced in Patricia's direction.

"So, Patricia; how's Starfleet Academy treating you?" She asked.

Patricia smiled, though it was more her putting on a brave face for her grandmother.

"Well, grandma; I graduated almost 2 years ago now." Patricia explained, knowing that her grandmother had already been battling dementia for the same amount of time. "I reached the rank of Lieutenant JG, and I'm currently posted aboard the Joliet."

"Nice. Good for you." Francine said. "Now, question; does Aaron know about what's happening? Is he on his way."

Patricia sighed. "Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but Grandpa's dead. He's been dead for about 10 years now."

"Oh..." Francine muttered. "Well, that's unfortunate..."

After learning that her first husband had passed away again, Francine's attention returned to the room's viewscreen. Patricia watched her grandmother as she appeared to be pondering something.

"I wonder what she's thinking about right now..." Patricia said to her sister after a few minutes of sitting in silence.

"Knowing grandma; she's probably devising a strategy for when she gets up there." Marion chuckled. "Like how she's going to explain Todd to grandpa."

Marion of course was referring to Francine's second husband, whom she had married after moving into assisted living following the death of her first husband. Todd had also passed away 2 years ago, and after Todd's passing, Francine's dementia developed to a point that she had to be moved to a nursing facility that specialized in dementia.

"Yeah, that sounds like grandma..." Patricia giggled.

Patricia remained at her grandmother's side with her sister for a few hours. When a nurse came in to check on them, noting Patricia's Starfleet uniform, which she hadn't changed out of, Patricia went on to explain how Francine was one of Patricia's inspirations for joining Starfleet, and how she served in both the Cardassian and Dominion Wars and had witnessed the Dominion surrender. The nurse, understandably, went on to thank Francine for her service.

"Yeah, when she was young, replicators as we know them were in their infancy." Patricia said as she repeated the story to the night shift nurse.

Once the nurses changed shifts, and Patricia had told the story again, Patricia decided to head home. Marion told Patricia about the leftovers their parents likely had in the fridge for her.

"Bye, grandma;" Patricia whispered. "I love you..."

---

The morning of Francine's passing started like any other, with Patricia waking up in her sister's bed and ordering tea from the replicator. As she stepped out, her mother emerged from her office.

"Oh, good; you're awake. Your father just got off the phone with the hospital; grandma passed away this morning." Shirley said, explaining it all before giving Patricia a chance to speak.

"You mean, grandma's...?" Patricia gasped, dropping her tea.

The next thing Patricia knew, she was hugging her mother tight, sobbing uncontrollably, as one of the lights that had inspired her to enter Starfleet had been snuffed out.

"Does Marion know?" Patricia asked when she had regained enough of her composure to speak.

"Yes, dear." Shirley replied. "After your father got off the phone with the hospital, he called Ron to let your sister know."

"How's she taking it?" Patricia asked.

"Not well." Shirley said. "She seemed visibly upset when your father spoke with her."

It wouldn't be until the funeral that Patricia learned that Marion had told Francine when she left for the final time that she would be back. When Patricia heard her sister repeat her last words to their grandmother, she almost broke down again.

That had been before Shishod and Akira had arrived and lifted Patricia's spirits, even if it was only for a little while...

Posting by

Lieutenant JG Patricia Cooke
Security Officer
USS Joliet

 

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