Whatever Happened to Andreus Kohl? (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on 07 Apr 2013 @ 10:43pm by Lieutenant Commander Pola Ni Dhuinn M.D. & Commander Andreus Kohl

1,238 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 4, Sickbay
Timeline: MD 04 - 0750 hours

Previously...

"Good morning, Doctor Ni Dhuinn," Kohl called out --probably too loudly-- in his most formal tone of voice. He stood there stiffly beside the biobed, with his torso twisted awkwardly to face Pola. Kohl offered her a rictus grin.

Looking up as she heard her name, Pola stalled for a moment as she spotted Kohl uncertain what to say or do. Moving the PADD down to her side, she stayed where she was as her eyes never moved away from the nurse. "Lieutenant...So you decided to rejoin us?"

And now the conclusion.


[ON]

Looking up as she heard her name, Pola stalled for a moment as she spotted Kohl uncertain what to say or do. Moving the PADD down to her side, she stayed where she was as her eyes never moved away from the nurse. "Lieutenant...So you decided to rejoin us?"

Kohl had mentally prepared himself for any manner of verbal spars, everything except for the direct question. "I, uhm," he said, faltering from the start, "I reported aboard Venture once we reached Starbase 185. Their medical staff completed my certification examinations. I don't know the results, not yet, but I still have my duty shifts."

Chewing on the right corner of her lip, Pola studied Kohl before pressing the PADD against her chest and crossing her arms over the tablet. "And what happened to returning to the colony? Have you changed your mind?"

Although he was meeting Pola's gaze, he didn't know how to answer that either. Not immediately. His chest tightened and his eyes drifted to stare at the ceiling as he considered his response. "Edias..." Kohl started to say, and he elongated each and every vowel to give him even more time to think about his response. When the eloquent words wouldn't come, he said, "It's done. Vega Colony doesn't appeal without him." --Kohl took a shaky, deep breath-- "But. I haven't passed my certification. Not yet."

Still holding the PADD close to her chest, Pola kept her eyes locked on Kohl's as silence descended between them both before she made to move slightly closer. "And if you pass...will you get fed up again the next time someone catches your eye? Can I rely on you to give this job 100% and to be the Assistant Chief Medical Officer who I need."

Kohl moved closer to Pola too, staring at her hard. His sapphire eyes took on a watery quality and he pursed his lips in conflicted thought. Kohl shrugged at first, shrugged helplessly, and he said, "I don't know." --He sounded dissatisfied with his own answer, but couldn't seem to manage more than simple statements-- "That's the agony of free will. But, uhm, leaving, or wanting to leave, it was never about Edias. It was about the Klingons, still. It was about losing my dad. It was about being promoted. Change hurts."

Pola had kept Kohl's stare but as she heard his first words she felt about ready to give up on the him but still allowing him to continue. She pushed back the memories which Kohl's words invoked, pushed back on the emotions his words caused to raise. "You are no different to everyone else who was onboard, everyone else who has lost somebody in some way. What's matters is how you rein in your reaction and learn to cope."

Because it was more comfortable --more familiar-- in a work situation, Kohl's manner took a 90 degree turn towards levity. "I am a work in progress," Kohl said, "if nothing else."

Finally loosening the death grip she had on her PADD, Pola pushed her fingers through her still loose hair as she pulled the strands back from her face. "But we can't help you unless you want to be helped. If you keep running, you aren't just running away from us and your problems, you are also running away from yourself."

Kohl couldn't quite take that look in Pola's eyes and he looked at the mattress on the nearest biobed. "I'm here," Kohl said, and he nodded as if that would signify greater certainty. "I'm 100% here today. I'm not on Vega or Venture. I do want to be here." He looked at her then, and his lips curled on one side. "I missed you. We never did go dancing anywhere else..."

It took a moment, put a small laugh sounded from Pola's chest as she lightly shook her head. Finally holding out the PADD in her hand she offered it for Kohl to take. "This is for you..."

"What do you--" Kohl started to ask. He scrunched up his face in a puzzled expression until the PADD was sitting on his open palms and his eyes locked on the display. "...Oh," he said impassively. "Hunh." Then he began operating the screen in a quick flutter of swipes and taps until the communication nodes in Sickbay let out a swell of music. The melody was symphonic and the voices sang out in vowels rather than words, and of course there was a beat. Kohl slung an arm around Pola's waist and he grabbed her hand with his free hand. "Dance with me," he insisted.

Allowing herself to be led, Pola moved her body until she could manouver her arms around Kohl. In a motion, she leaned in and hugged him tightly as she tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. "I...I..." Finding herself stuck, she swallowed again as she hugged him tighter. "I'm glad that you are back."

Spinning with Pola, Kohl replied, "And I'm glad to be the Assistant Chief." Referring to the examination results revealed to him on the PADD, Kohl grinningly declared, "I'm glad to be a Nurse Practitioner! We are going to have the healthiest crew in the whole damn fleet."

Laughing as she twirled, Pola held Kohl's hand as a mischievous glint entered her eye. "In that case...haven't you some work you need to get to Lieutenant Nurse Practitioner?"

"Oh, Pola," Kohl said, shaking his head faux-sadly. He continued his artless, saunter-dance with Pola by his side. "I can't live up to your promotion schedule. Give me some time to adjust to my new position. A whole week at least. Maybe two."

Dancing the alien steps, Pola laughed at this before she managed to detangle her hand, her breathing faster than usual due to the extortion. "I can give you a one hours. You are due out on one of the expeditions leaving at 0900 hours."

"I'll do my best impression of a science officer," Kohl said in a light and quippy timbre. He reached over to tap the PADD's interface, which caused the music to stop abruptly. "It'll be refreshing to brush up on my research skills," Kohl said, "but I've prepared a medi-kit for the shuttle as a precaution."

Watching the man as a silence descended around the room again, Pola went to move towards him again but something held her back. "You're not alone in this Andreus. We'll move through this together."

Tilting his head to the left, Kohl stayed where he was too, and he looked to his Chief. "And, remember Pola," he said, "You're not alone in this either."


[OFF]

Lieutenant Commander Pola Ni Dhuinn
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Andreus Kohl
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

RSS Feed