You Need to Decide....

Posted on 04 Feb 2016 @ 10:33am by Lieutenant JG Drusilla McCarthy & Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen M.D. & Command Master Chief Markum Quinn

1,890 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 10 - Symposium
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 3 - Sickbay
Timeline: MD 24 1337hours

[ON]

As she moved through the corridors, Dru's eye observed each person whom she passed, out of habit more than anything. With the events of the last number of days, tensions were high as the crew was placed on double duty in order to try and salvage what was left of their ship.

Everybody was over worked and over tired as they worked effortlessly on both the ship and asteroid surface to scrounge what they could and slot together the pieces of what remained.

Dru herself was finding this different. It had begun to seem like her life was finally taking a positive turn. Markum had entered her life but as soon as they reconnected he'd been snatched away just as quickly; leaving her living in a limbo where she wasn't sure there would be an end.

As the doors of sickbay came into sight, it brought Dru back to the current matter at hand, or matters as this case maybe.

During the turbulence of the ship incurring its further damage after the war, Dru had been knocked unconscious. Her only memory was that was the senior briefing when the ship went to yellow alert. After that it all became a blur of rushing bodies and missing memories until she awoke in the chaotic after math.

Although now discharged, sickbay had ordered that she be placed under careful observation. One of the reasons being because of the hybrid child which she carried, the pregnancy was already complicated enough without adding concerns of the mothers brief moment of unconsciousness. The second reason was more severe...the last time Dru had found herself knocked unconscious the resulting outcome was one which no one wished to see repeated.

The last time something similar had happened, the end result was brain surgery and a period of rehabilitation as Dru was thought how to relearn her motor skills. Despite it having been in the past, no chances could be taken; especially not now.

Inside sickbay, Tuula heard the whoosh of the opening door and, as the closest person, pushed on her wheels to turn in that direction. "Dru," she called out, immediately recognizing her. "How have you been feeling?"

Dru tried to smile a little as she greeted a woman who was becoming a sight she was adjusting easier to. Shrugging her shoulders lightly in responce, she glanced around the sickbay as if trying to find a focus. "Ok...I guess as well as can be expected." Her eyes moved back to Tuula as the counsellor attempted a shift in conversation. "And you Tuula? How are you faring after recent events?"

"I'm..." Tuula took a deep breath. "I'm just glad it's all over," she said, before looking over at Markum, who was lying unconscious on another biobed. "He took a pretty bad beating; it looks like someone tried to get information out of him. I had to put him in a medically induced coma, but he's stable."

Dru noted Tuula's glance away and knew the direction in which it went, the cousellor didn't need to hear the next words to know it was Markum. It was all still so raw...they had only just reconnected and now she had lost him again. "What damage has been done?" She knew she had no place asking but she didn't to hear, to have it all laid out for her.

"Doctor/patient confidentiality..." started Tuula. She knew that Markum and Dru were close, but she wasn't listed as his next of kin or an emergency contact, so she technically couldn't say much. "I can't go into details, but I can tell you that there's only so much we can do for him here. He's going to need to return to Earth or somewhere with better medical facilities. It's going to be a long and painful recovery..."

The words same as no surprise to Dru but that didn't mean that they didn't hurt any less. There was always going to be that void because as far as anyone was concerned, Markum had been married to someone else. He hadn't had enough time to make his divorce and their budding relationship public. Perhaps it was better that way, no pitying glances or unanswered questions but still...it didn't take what she felt for him away.

"Has his son been contacted? I believe he is deployed at the moment..the Academy would be able to get a message to him." As she said the words, she finally allowed her eyes to glance across to Markum's prone body. Tears moved to fill her eyes as she bit down on her bottom lip before forcing herself to look away again.

"Yes... we've sent a message to the academy," explained Tuula. She pushed herself closer and took Dru by the hand. "He's going to get better. The important thing is he survived and he's stable. We won't lose him on my watch, I promise you that."

The touch on her hand was her undoing as Dru felt the tears begin to trickle down her cheeks. Attempting a smile, the counellor's other hand moved to try wipe away the wet trails, "I can't seem to catch a break lately...anything or anyone I touch ends up damaged and hurt...."

Tuula moved in closer in an attempt to comfort her patient. "Dru..." she started, gathering her thoughts. "We all have challenges in our journey of life. Some of us more than others. But none of this is your fault, and I know you have it in you to persevere."

Shaking her head, Dru tried harder to wipe away the tears which seemed intent on dominating the surface of her face. "I thought I could do it....I thought that I had everyone and everything that I could ever need. Now...I've got nobody."

"You have people," replied Tuula, gently trying to comfort Dru. "The Galileo is like a family, and we all care for one another. You have me, and Allyndra, and all the others."

Pressing the heels of her hands flat against her eyes, Dru didn't respond as names and faces moved like a wave through her mind. Memories buried deep threatened to resurrect themselves as the fringes of the thoughts where tugged and threatened to unravel.

"Sometimes it's never that easy...sacrifices are made, betrayals happen, people pass or they just leave. No one is ever guaranteed to stay in the same place for a long period of time." Even as she said the words, some semblance of control could be detected in her speech as Dru tried to pull it all back in, knowing that the door trying to break open needed to stay locked and could only be that way if she pushed back hard.

Tuula placed a hand on Dru's leg, attempting to comfort her. "But one constant in all of this is your strength. I know, whatever decision you make, you have the strength inside you to carry on with it."

"I can't give up this child." Dru wasn't certain where the words she spoke came from, she could feel the blood drain from her face even as comprehension flooded through her mind. "I can't...." she felt faint as she seemed to weaver a little, leaning towards Tuula for support.

"That's all right," said Tuula, leaning forward in her chair and placing a comforting hand on Dru's shoulder. She could only barely imagine what Dru was going through right now. "This decision is yours and yours alone. It was a decision that I had to make years ago, and I know as long as you do what's in your heart, you will have no regrets. Just know that I'll be there for you, as your doctor, to see this through."

Dru felt tears well up in her eyes before her hand moved to wipe them away once again. A weak smile passed over her lips as her eyes stayed glued to the floor, "Markum wanted the baby...come hell or high water he said he'd support me in my decisions but that he'd help me if I'd just let him. The stupid man always found a way to get what he wanted...no matter how long he'd have to wait." The word stupid was said with no malice behind it, if anything anyone who heard would have detected an embedded affection. That's how Markum had been to her...even though it's been nearly two years since they'd seen each other it turned out he'd always held a torch for her.

"You really do love each other," replied Tuula in a warm voice, doing her best to comfort Dru across the chasm between the couch and her chair. "That's good..." she said, her voice getting a little more excited, "you two make such a cute couple... I know together you can overcome anything."

At Tuula's words, Dru glanced across in the direction she's been avoiding; to the area where Markum lay resting. Love...the words had never been said between them, there hadnt been enough time. Only weeks had passed since her return to the ship and as it was, everything with her and Markum had happened so fast.

Love...it was partly almost a redicilous notion. They loved eachother as friends, as friends they had been very close but as lovers...what had they been? Markum had been such a rock to her in the weeks since her return, always being there when she needed it. No matter how hard she's tried to keep a distance, he'd broken down the walls shed built and waltzed right in before she could try block him back out.

But love? Was it even possible? "Can I see him?"

Tuula paused for a moment. She didn't know if that would be possible, given Markum's medical condition. "He's in a preventative coma. You can visit him anytime, but he won't be conscious..." Trailing off, Tuula thought about it once more. "I'll check his condition tomorrow. If he improves, I might be able to bring him out of the coma for a little while."

Dru looked back down at her lap to where her fingers were knitted together, whitened from the sheer force in which she had pushed them together. "I understand...if I could just sit with him? So he isn't alone...I don't want him to be on his own if even only for a short time....I know he won't know I'm there but...." The counsellor trailed off as she realised that her ramblings were beginning to become non sensiqual. "...Ill understand if you feel it better that he's left alone."

"I read a study in a journal a few weeks ago that said that for comatose patients, having visitors can assist with recovery." Tuula placed a hand on Dru's knee to get her attention and smiled at her. "You can see him anytime you want."

It toko a few moments for Dru to be able to look away from Markum, her eyes moving back to Tuula's and instantly seeing the truth of the woman's words in their depths.

Attempting a small smile, the counsellor nodded her head before looking back over at the stationary man, "I at least owe him that...."

[OFF]

Lieutenant (JG) Tuula Voutilainen
Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Drusilla McCarthy
Chief Counsellor
USS Galileo

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