(Flashback) Francine's Final Days (Part 1)

Posted on Sun Apr 30th, 2023 @ 7:41am by Commander Patricia Cooke

861 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Auld Lang Syne
Timeline: 2392

Lieutenant JG Patricia Cooke returned to her quarters at the end of a long day. But for Patricia, the day was far from over. Over the past week or so, Patricia had been on calls with her family when she was off duty, as her grandmother had been hospitalized with fluid in her lungs. Though the updates for the past couple days had seemed promising, and that hope had been propelling Patricia through the day.

However, when she sat down at the desk in her quarters and initiated the call to Earth, Patricia was greeted by her parents looking grim, and the color drained from Patricia's face upon the sight.

"Hey, mom, dad." She said, trying to keep her spirits up.

"Hey there, Patricia." Shirley responded.

"So, what's the latest update with grandma?" Patricia asked.

"Not good." Harold sighed. "They can't get the fluid to drain from her lungs. They tried beaming the fluid into containers at night, but by morning, her lungs had filled back up. The doctors said there's a chance that if they operate, they might be able to correct the issue, but they're not sure if she'll survive the operation."

"Come on, dad; you know grandma's tough as nails!" Patricia whined. "If she survived two wars, she can survive a simple surgery."

"Pat, I'm not arguing your point;" Harold replied. "But, at some point, you have to start considering whether or not these things are for her benefit, or for ours..."

"What the hell are you saying, dad?" Patricia responded, now beginning to fight back tears.

"Pat, sweetie;" Shirley spoke up. "I know how much Grandma means to you and how she was one of your inspirations to join Starfleet, but you've got to keep in mind; she's 82 years old and has been battling dementia for the past couple years."

"And that's on top of her existing health problems from the war." Harold added with a heavy sigh. "The doctors recommended putting mom in hospice instead of going through with the surgery."

Harold hung his head and nobody on either end said anything for several seconds.

"It was one of the hardest damned decisions I ever made," He muttered. "But I think it's the humane thing to do. I'd suggest you speak to your superiors if you wish to get over here to say your goodbyes."

"I will..." Patricia sniffled. "Thanks, dad."

After Patricia got off the call, she tracked down the Joliet's Chief of Security, Lieutenant Shishod Libir, to request a leave of absence. Patricia found the Bajoran man finishing his rounds before heading to the bridge.

"Lieutenant Shishod, sir;" Patricia said as she approached her boss and matched his stride.

"Lieutenant Cooke." Shishod responded. "How's your grandmother holding up?"

"Not good, sir." Patricia reported. "My dad made the hard decision to put her into hospice... Sir, I know this is going to sound sudden, but I'm going to need a leave of absence."

Shishod stopped walking, Patrica stopping beside him.

"I was figuring you'd say that." He said, turning and placing his hands on Patricia's shoulders. "You take as long as you need, Lieutenant. You only get a chance to say goodbye once. I'll speak to the necessary parties on getting you on a transport back to Earth ASAP."

"You'd do that for me?" Patricia asked, her eyes beaming.

"Of course;" Shishod said. "The rat pack's gotta look out for one another."

---

It turned out, Shishod did more than just arrange for shuttle transport, for he also got in touch with an old friend aboard a ship heading to Earth, who had spoken to the captain and agreed to take Patricia with them back to Earth. A starship was able to make for Earth at a higher warp factor than a shuttle, and because of this, Patricia was able to make it back to Earth in time to visit Francine one last time, and she made sure to thank Shishod before she boarded the shuttle.

On the way, Patricia received information on Francine's room in the hospital's hospice wing from her sister Marion, who also told her that when Patricia arrived, she could stay in her sister's room, as their mother had converted Patricia's old room into an office. When Patricia asked Marion where she would sleep, Marion revealed that she would be sitting vigil at their grandmother's side, and if she needed to leave for some reason such as to clean herself up, she would stop by her boyfriend's place, which was located closer to the hospital than the Cooke family home.

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.

To be continued...

 

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