Emily Peters (dragonkenna) wrote in wherehomeis, @ 2008-07-03 20:30:00 |
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Current mood: | curious |
Having the afternoon off wasn't always the best thing. The bio-systems lab had slowed down now that Tim had taken over a lot of projects for Caitlin. The further along she got, the less time she could stand to be there. She knew the tiredness was a normal part of pregnancy so she wasn't worried when she started taking afternoons off to rest. She still got a lot of work done in the morning and no one had to pick her slack. But it still got a little boring at times, especially when she couldn't sleep. She didn't want to disturb Rodney and Carson as they worked, which meant finding her own things to do.
As she laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, she suddenly remembered the report she needed to give to Katie Brown. Getting up, Caitlin slipped her shoes back on and left the quarters, and went toward the greenhouses. When she got there, she walked in and looked around. "Katie?" she asked the room. When no one answered back, Caitlin shrugged and looked for a place to put the report.
While she was looking, she noticed an orange flower that looked very much like a rose. Caitlin walked over to it and ran her fingers over the delicate petals before she leaned down to have a smell.
"Doctor Beckett?"
Caitlin jumped a little and looked up to see Paul standing there. She automatically took a step back as her heart started to pound in her chest. Deep down Caitlin knew he wasn't dangerous anymore but she couldn't help but to remember how he'd kidnapped her and tried to feed from her. She still had a small scar from where his fingers had punctured the skin of her chest.
"Y-Yes," she said, her mouth becoming dry with fear.
"Is there something I can help you with?" Paul asked. He looked a little worried that she was there. Luckily, he stayed where he was standing and didn't attempt to move closer to her.
"I-I...um, I came here to give something to Katie."
Paul nodded. "Katie is off-world for a few days. Is there something you wanted me to tell her?" he asked while not moving from his spot in the room.
Caitlin held up the tablet she was holding. "It's some research she wanted," she said before she set it on the table next to the orange rose. "I'm sure she'll know what to do with it."
"I'll make sure she gets it," Paul said. He took a step forward, which caused Caitlin to take a step back. Sighing, he rubbed his face and looked at her. "I'm sorry for what I did to you, Doctor Beckett. I...there's in no excuse for what I did and I'm very sorry. I've been wanting to apologize to you but I didn't want to push anything on you."
Caitlin stared at him for a long moment. At first, she didn't know if she should believe him or not. But then she remembered all the things Sam had said about his progress. The two spent a lot of time together and Paul had never tried to hurt her. Maybe it was time to put things aside and forgive him for what he'd done. Everyone made mistakes and everyone deserved second chances.
"Apology accepted," she quietly said.
"Thank you," Paul said before he waved his hand toward the orange flower. "I see you were looking at my Puccha."
"Oh, yeah," Caitlin said with a nod. "It looks like a rose." When Paul gave her a confused look, she shrugged a little. "It's a flower on Earth. But they don't come in this color."
"Ah," Paul said with a nod. "The Puccha flower is only found on certain planets in this galaxy. Many races use them in their medicines." He picked up a pair of scissors and carefully cut the flower off the stem and handed it to Caitlin. "If you would like to learn how to grow one, I'll be more than happy to show you."
Caitlin smiled at that and took the flower from Paul's hand. "Thank you," she said as she started to reach for another plant. "What's this?"
Paul suddenly grabbed her hand, which made Caitlin jump a little. "That plant is a bit poisonous and I wouldn't want you to get sick," he said, his hand still around her wrist.