Yet a long day

Posted on Sat Jun 25th, 2022 @ 8:21am by Captain Samuel Woolheater & Commander Sthilg

Mission: Season 5: Episode 4: Reef
Location: DECK 12 - SICKBAY
Timeline: MD01 - Early
1506 words - 3 OF Standard Post Measure

[ON:]

It was early in the morning when Sam arrived at Sickbay. He stepped inside and was impressed by the size of it. Walking further into the medical area, he immediately recognized Commander Sthilg, the Gorn Chief Medical Officer. Sam had never before met a Gorn and he didn't exactly know what to expect. There was one thing he did know. The Doctor's reputation for being a healer. That and the fact that he wore a Starfleet uniform. Sam spoke up, "Excuse me? Commander Sthilg? I'm Lieutenant Woolheater. I'm sorry Commander, I don't have an appointment. I need to talk to somebody though. I just got some news. Some amazing news in fact!"


Sthilg had been getting a coffe from the machine when he heard his name being called. He didn't reconise the face but knew the name from one of the ships attached marines." Yesss that'sss me young man what can this old lizard do for you?" he inquired noting the happiness in his voice.

"Hello Commander, sorry to bother you sir" and a smile kept growing on his face. "It's just, well, I got some unexpected news. I have a baby boy that I didn't know I have. Back on Pacifica." he was beaming and he didn't even know it. "I just got the news this morning" he said. He remembered the PaDD in his hand and said, "I have here some documents. Pictures too."

The words, all of them, came from such a happy place in his heart that they had a twang to them. His Selkan accent revealing itself. Instead of showing the doctor the birth certificate, Sam showed him the baby pictures. Holding the PaDD and skimming through until the actual medical documents and legal documents showed up. Because, in the child, Emily still lived. "How...? I don't know what I do next?" How do I prove that I am the kids dad?"

" Rather sssimple we can run a DNA tessst and sssee if the little onesss yoursss. " Sthilg said looking through the data as he lead the way into his office.

Sam nodded although he didn't really know what a 'DNA' test was. There are simply far too many three-letter words out there. There is even an acronym for Acronym: A Criminal Regiment of Nasty Young Men. So, he simply nodded and filed it away as the 'daddy test'. "So...how does this work Commander?" he asked.

" Jussst need to run your recorded DNA through the databassse along with the DNA of your daughter " Sthilg said as he slid into his chair. " If ssshe was born in a federation hossspital it ssshould already be on file."

Sam corrected him, "Err...Commander? The child is a boy. Bryant Hope. So...the DNA thing is pretty accurate huh? he asked. "How soon will we know the results?"

" Sssorry it's been a long night." Sthilg said looking over the file again. How had mixed that up. " Resssult will take a ssshort while. Ssso tell me why are you only finding out about the child now?" the lizard enquired.

Sam waved it off, "I'm sorry to bother you at all Commander. I didn't know where else to go? His mother..." Sam just left that sentence unfinished. "She didn't tell me that she had him. I only found out about it this morning from her brother. She died. Recently. I think, maybe, she was going to tell me when we met up? But, I don't know why she didn't tell me. I guess now I'll never know?" Woolheater looked around at the medical bay as the Doctor worked. "I want to do the right thing you know? And then it will be like she's not all ...gone. There's still her in him." He stopped talking when he heard a beeping sound coming from one of the computers. Could that already be the test results he wondered?

Sthilg looked over at the results as his eyes read the data on the screen. Despite his best efforts, a frown spread over his face. " Tell me ssson who told you that you were the boy'sss father?" He asked camly.

Sam saw the frown but didn't know what it could mean, "Her brother. He said that they didn't know about the baby either. Emily had, I guess, had the kid...I mean, y'know, gave birth and then she kept the baby at a friends house. She moved in there. They had been roommates before." He could sense something was wrong now. "Why? What's wrong?"

" Well according to the dna tessst you can't be the boy'sss father," The gorn said calmly.

Sam cocked his head to the right. He didn't understand. "What?" was all he could manage. "I don't....what do you mean?" he said. Clearly surprised as he wrapped his thinking around the idea.

" Your DNA doesssn't match. In fact your not even in the sssame DNA group asss the boysss father." The gorn replied honestly. " I'm sssorry Sssamuel it looksss like they lied to you."

He was shocked and he took a step back. It was a roller-coaster of a morning, and it was still just his first full day. He looked at the Chief Medical Officer and didn't know what to say. He nodded and gathered himself together. In a moment he said, "Thank you Commander Sthilg. I guess, I just kind of latched on to the whole idea rather too quickly. It seemed like, such good news." He looked at the PaDD, the DNA results having been downloaded to it. "If I may be excused? I need to return to duties?" he said.

" No, you've had a nasssty ssshock. Take a ssseat and breath in and out." Sthilg replied.

It felt like everything was in slow-motion. He sat down. And felt empty. He wasn't angry, or sad; he felt nothing and it felt like he was inside of a bubble. Looking at the world through some kind of filter. His first thought was that someone had forced himself on her. That Emily had possibly been raped? That would explain why she kept everything a secret from him an everybody. But, he had never known her to be secretive until now. And she would have told someone if that had happened. Maybe she had met someone else? He had many questions and no answers.

He forgot to breathe and so he inhaled which sounded far worse than he meant it to be. "Sorry - I didn't mean to gasp like that. I'm...OK." He then exhaled. Looking down that the PaDD. Not just the PaDD, but the pictures. The old wounds of her violent passing and not being able to bring closure were still raw. "I don't know what to say..." His eyes never left the PaDD. "She trusted me. To be there for her. You know? And I wasn't. I didn't know. I should have gone to her."

He shook his head as the last OP played in his mind's eye. Memories, bad ones, were the stuff that made his dreams so painful. Not just this OP either.
The job was taking its toll on him. He remembered as if it were yesterday, ~~ As he waited for the kill shot. Then the scientist being vaporized. Then, too late, the kill shot. ~~

He shook his head again. "I hadn't seen her in a year. Couldn't call...y'know? Forward deployed." "It was...going to be so good. I was going to be out. I was really going to do it." He looked up. "But I guess that's not going to happen now?" Sam took another breath in, "Commander? Let me go back to work? Work helps. Gets my mind focused on something else. I've got some time set aside to see ship's counselors. And I will. I can't unpack all fo this...and then pack it back up in an hour. Please. Please let me deal with this on my own time? Let me just get back to work? I got some calls to make and; one of them is this." he held up the PaDD in his hand.

" Ssshe didn't dessserve you Sssamuel." Sthilg said as he walked over the replicator and pressed in a code before returning with a neck monitor. " If you wear thisss you can return to duty. Though i will be booking you if for an appointment with the counsssellor."

Sam said, "Thank you Doctor Sthilg" as the monitor was attached to his neck. It wasn't that bad. The monitor was small enough not to interfere and more importantly, wasn't all the noticeable. He got to his feet. Adjusted his neck a bit so the device was covered as much as he could. He said, "I'll see you in a few days then?" Pausing a moment he added, "If they don't find the kid's real dad; I could always adopt the kid huh? So, there's the silver lining."

" One ssstep at a time my boy. One ssstep at a time." Sthilg replied as he watched him leave.

[OFF:]

Cmdr Sthilg & 1st LT Woolheater