A Visit With Family

[John Randall 0]

OFFICIAL LOG

LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL

USS CHALLENGER

 

(Personal Log Stardate 11311.03)

 

 

John stormed into his cabin after the mini-confrontation with Commander

Rinax on the bridge. The lieutenant had been on the bridge fixing the

comm problem between engineering and the bridge. While he was there,

Randall had also found some other problems with the comm, and had

been coordinating with his engineering crew from the bridge.

 

The problems were taken care of, and John had reported as such to the

female XO. But, Rinax had made a comment that Randall and the engineering

crew might just be temporarily fixing the problems so that they could take

shore leave on the starbase Challenger was currently docked at. John had

taken immediate offense to that remark, and had told the XO as such. Rinax

had been about to say something, then apparently changed her mind when

John requested to be dismissed. The XO told him he could go, and Randall

angrily entered the turbolift, and rode it down to the deck where his cabin

was located.

 

He contacted his friend, Jeff Michaels, and told him to take charge of

engineering. John sat down on the sofa in his cabin, and expelled the

breath from his lungs in a loud, audlble sigh. He almost immediately felt

better. He sat there for a few moments, his eyes closed, his head propped

back on the back of the sofa. The tension eventually drained from his body,

and he opened his eyes. He sat there a few moments more, then a thought

came into his head: he knew just what he needed; a call to his mother.

 

He got up from the sofa, and went to the computer terminal at his desk.

He contacted the starbase, and got the computers of the starbase and the

Challenger to coordinate with each other to send a subspace call to his

mother's terminal on Centaurus. After a few minutes, the computer beeped

him, and told him the link had been established. John sat in front of the

monitor, waiting for his mother's face to appear on the screen.

 

A few seconds later, the face of Denise Sharon Mulder Randall swam into

view, and John smiled. His mother then smiled widely as her son's face

came over her monitor screen. "Johnny!" she exclaimed happily. "Oh, son,

it's good to see you! How are you, my angel?" John smiled again. "Hi, Mom,"

he said. "I'm doing great, thanks. Rick sent me a e-mail on how you were

doing, and I am very happy your health has improved." Denise smiled warmly

at her son. "Thank you, my son," she replied. "The new doctor has really

worked wonders, I must admit. I didn't like it at first when you and Richard

stayed on to me about seeing him, but, I have to admit, you boys were right.

He has helped me a lot."

 

"Well, from what I understand from Rick, Vicki kinda stepped in there, too,

Mom," grinned John. Denise made a wry face. "All my kids ganging up on me,"

she pouted, and John laughed. "Yeah, Mom, you really hated it," he said

sarcastically, and it was his mother's turn to laugh. "I know, but I have to

blow off some steam to my oldest once in a while," she said, and Randall

laughed again. Then, his face changed as his eyes involuntarily blazed, and

his mother caught it immediately. "Johnny, what's wrong?" she asked, her

eyes now boring into her son's with immediate concern.

 

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently, and Denise's eyes blazed this time.

"You know you can't hide anything from me, son, don't start trying now," she

said sternly. "Something's wrong with you, and I want to know what it is, so

start talking, my angel." John sighed heavily, and his mother's face grew even

more concerned. "Johnny, I haven't seen you like this since your father----,"

she faltered, then squared her shoulders. "Out with it, son," she said. "You

cannot keep this bottled up, like you so often try to do. Talk to me."

 

John looked up at his mother's face, and there were tears in her eyes now. He

closed his eyes briefly, then began to speak. It all came out, and his mother

listened patiently. The lieutenant talked for almost five minutes; when he

finished, Denise leaned in a little closer to her monitor screen. "Now, don't you

feel better, son?" she asked gently, and John's lower lip quivered. "Are you

alone, my angel?" she continued, and he nodded. "Then let your emotions

out, son," she said gently. "It's going to eat you alive if you don't."

 

With that, John buried his face in his arms, and muffled sobs arose. Denise

watched her son on the screen, aching to be there with him so she could hold

him. A few minutes later, John raised his head, and drew his sleeve across his

eyes. "Thanks, Mom," he whispered, and his mother's eyes shone with love.

"I'm always here for you, my angel," she said gently. "Now, let me say something

to you. You stand your ground with that commander. You've never let anyone

intimidate you, don't start now. When you stood up to her, as you described it

to me, the first thought that went through my head was: your father would have

been proud. He didn't take anything from anybody, and I'm glad to see some of

that trait was passed on to you. You keep going like you are, my lamb, and you'll

be just fine."

 

John nodded. "I will, Mom," he said. "Thanks for talking with me, it's time for me

to return to duty. I'll call again when I get a chance." "You call any time, my angel,"

said Denise. "Take care of yourself, and remember what I said." "I will," promised

John. "I love you, Mom." "I love you too, my darling," replied his mother. "Bye

for now." "Bye, Mom," said Randall, and he put his hand to the screen. His mother

did the same the same, then John touched the key that severed the link. He felt

much better, and there was also a new resolve about him. He got up from the

desk, and went into the head to take a quick shower. He stepped out, toweled

himself dry, and went to the bedroom to put on a fresh uniform.

 

He exited the cabin, and went down the corridor to the turbolift. "Deck 12," he

said, and the lift whisked him away.

 

 

END LOG