Mae Wigan never expected to actually become a surgeon after she left the army. Yes she did the training, yes she loved the job. But she expected to coast a while, find her footing, not complicate things. Its a shame she moved to Seattle where things...
Jackson and Mae sit on the hood of the car watching the busy Dock, ferries going in and out. They have a packet of chips each and occasionally pick at them. Jackson shared a lot about Samuel and April, what happened with his divorce and how he coped. How he sort of dated his step sister - a little weird - and how he's not sure where he is mentally.
And now? Mae has to be all mushy too.
He notices how nervous she seems, taking her hand slowly. "Hey... its okay. Take your time."
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Mae smiles small. "Okay... just..." she sighs. "Right. I um I joined the military in my last semester of medschool. They helped me finish off, do basic, all that. I bounced around during internship and residency. For the last 6 years I've been based in San Diego and I really liked it, it felt safe and-and good. I didn't get that growing up."
"Shitty childhood? Cliché." Jackson jokes as he nudges her with his elbow.
She giggles small but its as forced as it sounds. "Different story for a different time." She says gently, taking a deep breath. "So all that changed a few years back. I was 28... he was 47. And..."
"And your boss?" Jackson guesses, his tone soft.
Mae nods. "Colonel Peter Riker... he was charming and flirty and good to me... until he wasn't." She stares at the calm water. "I should have listened to the warnings - many of the female soldiers of his units would leave or transfer out. I was love sick, I felt safe. He made sure he was all I cared about. Typical narcissist. He was married but promised me he'd leave her - even got me a ring. But his wife found out - apparently she'd never found out about the others and all I could thing was 'why me?'.
"It blew up my life. My squad didn't trust me, I was a joke. He denied everything, claimed I was obsessed, I forced him, blackmailed him. His wife tried to get me discharged, she hated the thought of me out there. And I get it. I get why. I hated me too, I didn't even trust myself. It was a year of hell... I lost so much of myself. In the end it came out that he was a liar; MJ, bless her soul, she found a few former affairs willing to come forward. But it didn't take back everything anyone had said to me. The names I was called, the way I was treated, the way I felt. When I was shot... I felt content. I figured it was the end, that it was all over for me. I wanted nothing more than for it to be over. I sometimes think that's why I never got back to full health - the self loathing, the hatred I felt towards me and my comrades... I didn't want to go back. When they threw around the words 'honourable discharge', I leapt at it. I wasn't that girl anymore."
Jackson watches her for a minute. "I'm... so sorry that happened to you. I get why you have trust issues and hate getting close to others."
"I do not hate getting close to others." She scowls.
Jackson smirks. "You so are. To new people, anyway. You have your little bubble of people and struggle to let others in beside that. How long have you been here?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.
