Chapter Text
Ben had never been as grateful for a plate of beets as he was when he finally reached the end of the line and showed his food card to the sanctuary ward. His comrade, Julian Bashir, seemed to be going through the five stages of grief as they sat under the small shade one of the few trees at the sanctuary was able to gift them.
Thomas, Frank and Elias, the guys that currently held their uniforms approached them with a friendly smile. Thomas had a baseball ball and glove, and Franks and Elias had their gloves on as well. Elias had a Dodgers baseball cap that did nothing to hide the sweat from his dark brow.
“You still up for that game of ball?” Asked Thomas.
Ben smiled, one of the good things of the past was baseball. “This afternoon right.”
“As soon as the sun starts to hide.” Said Thomas.
“Count me in,” Ben said.
Elias nodded and said to the doctor, “And you brother, are you up for it?”
“I am afraid I am not very good at baseball,” said Bashir in that characteristic way of his.
“I can teach you,” said Frank in a way that old Ben that he wanted to teach more than baseball to the Doctor.
“Thank you very much but I am going to the Rodriguez’s later, they still have yet to come out their tent.”
Julian took a mouthful of beets and for his expression it seemed like he had just eaten a bunch of red ants that were currently biting at his tongue.
“Are you alright doc?” Asked Frank.
Julian sighed and nodded. “I miss your cooking captain.”
“I miss cooking as well.”
“I didn’t know you cook Ben.” said Thomas, “What is your specialty?”
“Creole food. My dad has a restaurant down in New Orleans.”
Elias whistle. “Nice brother, if we ever get out of here you gotta take me there.”
After the initial distrust of the residents about two newcomers from God knew where had dissipated, Ben and Doctor Bashir had found a place at the makeshift community of sanctuary A. Ben thanks to his charisma and natural ability for leadership and the Doctor thanks to his medical skills and bedside manner. Michael Webb had let it slipped that the new gimmie with the strange accent had quite the caring hand and more and more people had come to the doctor with their various health issues. Doctor Bashir, with that sweet heart of his, couldn’t turn down a person in need. It went against startfleet protocol and Ben in his position as Captain had to in-forced it which had let to a heated conversation with the young officer about what was morally right and what were the rules. In the end they ended in a shaky truce, where the doctor would help the people that came looking for him, but he would not go out looking for patients. Ben for his part had fallen into the role of community leader. Thanks to the collective effort between Michael, Ben and Thomas, now there were community assemblies every Thursday at the Green Building. The subjects range from the systemic problems that faced the residents of sanctuary A, to news and events of importance, to planning mobilizations, protests and demonstrations to make the city listen, Ben hoped the Bell Riots will sprung from one of these, however most of the residents had given up hope that they would ever be heard and the few that hadn’t were very stubborn by nature.
Late at night Ben and Doctor Bashir would reunite in a small apartment they had managed to found a room thanks to a series of join favors. Their room was just a little more big than a walking closet, they would take the mats from the place on the shelf and roll then on the floor, the moonlight would shine from the windows set high on the wall. The doctor had made a paper cutout and pasted it on the glass panel, so that when the light passed through, a series of star shaped shadows painted the room.
Sleeping each night with the same person, eating together each day, being thought as an item when being around others, it was a type of intimacy that Ben hadn’t experienced since the death of Jennifer. If Ben was honest with himself he wasn’t ready to experience something like that quite yet but the Doctor made it easier somehow, maybe it was the blase way he went around it or his burning devotion glossed over in professionalism.
The one time he had woken up to the sound of Julian screaming his heart had almost gotten out of his body. The doctor had had his eyes closed, his body had been shaking but when Ben had finally been able to put him out of his dreams the young man had acted like nothing had been amiss. The rest of the people at the apartment had come knocking on their door asking them to “shut up” or “if they were alright”. The young officer had turned really quiet, his gaze seemed to be lost, so it had been up to Ben to handle their room mates.
Ben was certain the doctor had seen as much of him as he had seen of the young man that night, that vulnerable part of his that he concealed as a Captain, however when and how Ben did not know.