Posted by Lieutenant Julien Smith (Doctor) in Flashback- Earth, Starfleet Medical (2386)

(snip)

Julien had no problem with the silence, he thought he knew the reason for it, though when he had been at that point, his old school counselor had called it sulking. That prick. They arrived and it took him some time to get out, then there was this embarrasing moment when his weight was finally off the glider and it seemed to bounce up several inches, as if it was happy to be free of Julien’s considerable weight.

“Man you don’t look that heavy.” the glider driver commented. Julien just gave him an exhausted look, but couldn’t find the energy to be upset about it.
“Yeah yeah.” he just said, standing by as Koraia disembarked, close enough to help, but not offering of course.

Questions… oh she had them, but like any sensible person under the circumstances, she politely kept them to herself. Casting a glance over to Julien, she couldn’t help but inwardly feel slightly amused at the sight of the two of them. After all, while amputees were no uncommon in Starfleet, this wasn’t the Dominion War where Medical had been rehabilitating officers as fast as they could to get those who could still serve back to duty. This was peace time, so she could imagine that their presence would gather some interested glances.

They limped in together. There were still a couple of empty tables, though the bar was already quite full and he suggested a table for two a bit to the side. Of course the chair creaked as he sat down and the waiter was there really quickly.

Resting her crutches so they hung off the ear of the chair, Ghubari planted her hands flat on the table so she could maneuver herself into a sitting position. With her long skirt, no one would immediately know she little in the way of a right leg, but the telltale sign was the way the fabric of her skirt flowed freely.

“Hello, so listen, the lady gets a double burbon, straight, on ice, but I would need to use your replicator for mixing my drink, as I have special medical requirements.” he said. The waiter just nodded, so close to Starfleet medical they were used to these kinds of requests and their crutches were hard to miss.

Julien got up again. “Be right back.” he said to her and went with the waiter. Some time later he came back with the waiter carrying two large glasses filled to the brim and while Julien sad down, he put them on the table and left.

“Do your worst,” Koraia replied, curious as to what he would choose.

|>Once he was gone Julien switched their glasses and smiled. “It was a wee bit demanding, but this will work, it’s got a liquor basis, more like a cocktail if you like, if you’re a sweet tooth it may be a bit too bitter for you, but I had to make sure there’s no shred of sugar in it. I could give you the details if you like, but it will do the trick.” he said. Then he raised his glass of brown joy to her. “To getting back on the bridge.” he said.

• Julien

There was a flash of pain that crossed through her features as she lifted the glass. It had been so easy to plaster a smile on her face for the benefit of Stuart and their captain, Terrence Barnes, and believe that she could just knock out the recovery steps in quick succession without much fuss. Even that first prosthetic Stuart had given her hadn’t been too bad. At least she could stand in it. But as her residual limb changed and began to reduce in swelling, everything shifted dramatically and the pain had set in. Unbearable and random pain that made even the most basic actions like sleeping very difficult.

Taking a good swig of the drink, Koraia nodded at the interesting concoction that was hitting exactly right. “I had just applied for and been given my first command,” she said quietly, gazing into the glass as if it might hold some much needed answers. “USS Nike. But… while they could wait months for their new commanding officer, I didn’t see it as a reasonable option. They needed a captain now, and it could no longer be me. I told Admiral Sanchez to give the ship to someone else.” It was simple logistics, but the bitterness in her voice was audible even to her. All those optimistic words in Sickbay spoke to Barnes and their CMO now seemed hollow and simplistic. It all made her feel a bit ill. Yes, another chance would come. Of course it would. But that didn’t make this easier. Nothing could. Not even a glass or two of a finely concocted drink made just for her. At best, it would temporarily dull the pain.

~Commander Koraia, XO on Medical Leave