A Serious Discussion

Posted on Sat Jan 18th, 2025 @ 12:33am by Lieutenant Commander Alicia Kelea-Salik & Captain Gary Taylor & Commander Sthilg

Mission: Season 6: Episode 5: A church beyond heaven
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Before all the Doors are Locked.
1595 words - 3.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Gary sat on a stool and stared at the stasis tube in front of him. More precisely he was staring at Lia, his wife who from all appearances looked like she was sleeping. Her expression was peaceful and serene. However, appearances can be deceiving and Lia's was. She had been infected by some unknown virus. The virus first affected her mental state making
her irrational and short tempered. You risked an explosion just saying hi to her until she had lapsed into a coma and following Dr. Sthilg's advice she had been placed in stasis in hopes of finding a cure. That had been months ago and here had been no improvement. All which led to Gary being here, sitting on a stool looking at Lia.

"Hi sweetie. Just came by to give you the latest news. We rescued a number of people some being Starfleet officers from a race of slavers. We're still on course and headed for our galaxy but as you can imagine it is slow going. But we remain hopeful of finding a wormhole or some other shortcut to lessen our trip, something else Lia, we are docked at a large space station. The inhabitants who call themselves Brothers and Sisters seem friendly, but I am wary. I don't know why. It is just a feeling, nothing specific. Something else and far more ominous. We can't seem to remember who the chief flight control officer was before Maxine took the position. There is no trace, nothing in the database and even Avalon has no record. Something to investigate. On a happier note, LL sends her love. She misses you a great deal Lia." Gary stopped as he was overcome with emotion. Taking several seconds to compose himself and wiping the tears from his eyes. "You would be so proud of her. She is smart and has a great sense of humor but It is hard for her not having you here. I love her and I do my best, I take her to the arboretum, and we feed the ducks, or ride the merry go round and get ice cream but she misses you just as I miss you." He took a deep breath. "Come back to us Lia. So, we can be a family again." He stopped as the tears he had battling finally won and streamed down his face. "Come back Lia. I miss you so terribly. Please come back." His voice an anguished whisper. As he continued to sit, head down and shoulders slumped.

Alicia had been passing by Sickbay when her senses had picked up on the emotion Gary was feeling, his pain and anguish had lead her right to him. “Gary?” She slowly walked up to him placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry this is so hard for you, my father is doing everything he can for Lia.”

Gary raised and turned his head at the gentle touch on his shoulder. "Hello Alicia, I know he is and thank you. Just so damn hard to see Lia like this. She was always so vibrant." He shook his head at the happier memories.

Sthilg heard the noise and poked his head inside. " I'm running everything i can think of my friend but this virusss is proving to be very hard to kill. "he added as promisingly as he could.

Gary nodded, "I know you are Doc, and I appreciate how hard you've been working at this. I appreciate everything everyone is doing to try and get Lia better. It doesn't go unnoticed."

Alicia looked at her father “I take it Lia was the only one to be infected with this virus? It seems a little odd, most viruses tend to spread yet Gary and Little Lia are in perfect health.” She sighed. “So what will happen now? Will Lia have to stay in suspended animation?”

Gary looked at the CMO and anxiously awaited his answer on Lia's future.

" I'm ssstill looking into why ssshe wasss the only one infected as well asss running through a courssse of anti-viral medication. I'm sssorry i wasssn't the ssshipsss viral ssspecalist and they...." The gorn paused as he looked over at the medbay mourge. " Isss sssadly no longer with usss."

Gary nodded, "I know Doc and I know you are doing all you can. It is just so hard to see Lia like this, when she was so full of life, good humor and energy and now she is lying in a stasis tube."

“I know it’s hard” Alicia offered what comfort she could. “It would help if we could pinpoint where Lia’s illness began, then at least we could find out where she’d been prior to that.”

"That's a good point as well a good idea Alicia. What about that Doc? Is that something worth looking into?" Gary asked CMO.

" Definitely. If i could find the original point of infection it would greatly help." the gorn replied.

"That may easier said than done. Do we have any idea of the incubation period on this virus? In addition, I'm not a medical professional but this virus seems like the person would only be able to catch it by coming in contact with it. Otherwise, LL and would have been sick or........" Gary's voice trailed of and he looked at Alicia and Sthilg in horror. "Lia caught my cold and it somehow mutated into the virus it now is. Have I put Lia here?"

“I don’t see how” Alicia looked at her father curiously. “I’m not a doctor but I think that would take something either already in Lia, or something your cold virus came into contact with that mutated it then infected Lia. Either way it’s not your fault Gary.”

Gary nodded at Alicia's words, but he couldn't shake the idea that his cold had somehow put Lia where she was now and might remain for the rest of her life.

Sthilg was about to reply when he seemed to freeze in place. His white eyes seemingly thinking something through as if pulling a badly forgotten page from the back of his mind. " can it...." He said out loud before turning as he walked to the pod and activated the tool for getting a blood sample....

“Can it what?” Alicia looked towards her father curiously. “What are you thinking?”

"Yes Doc, what is it? What are you thinking? Gary asked the CMO.

" I have an idea. Ssshe may have picked up the virusss sssome time ago, but sssomething in your cold activated it. If we can remove all the tracesss from the cold from her body we may force the virus into a dormant none active ssstate. We could then get her out of cryo and into quarantine while we work on killing the virus for good. " The gorn replied as he picked up the blood sample and hurried off out the door.

Gary perked up, his face hopeful and his voice excited at the prospect that they may be able to save Lia. " That would be wonderful Doc!" Gary shouted to the CMO's back as he hurried out the door. Gary turned to Alicia. "Maybe this the break we've been hoping for Alicia."

“We can but hope!” Alicia smiled and nodded as she too followed on behind Gary.

"Very, very true words Alicia and I hope that they are prophetic words as well." Gary answered his friend. Wanting to put this entire, nightmarish situation behind him.

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Many hours later and the ship's MD sat in front of the lab equipment he'd been busily working through. A yawn escaped his toothy face as he tried to stay awake. " Come on girl give me a miracle." He said gently tapping the computer.

“Looks like you could use some sleep” Alicia offered her father a caring smile as she entered the room. “I can watch this for a little while if you want to grab a nap?”

" It'sss okay my dear. Sssome food and a warm drink would be appreciated." The old doctor said to his daughter with a warm smile.

“Then food and drink it is” Alicia smiled warmly as she headed over to the replicator, returning a couple of minutes later with a tray. “Here you go, one Gorn stew with Betazoid spiced tea. That should help keep your strength up.”

" Thank you my dear. " The gorn said taking the bowl and happily taking a long sip. " You know your dad to well."

“Indeed I do” Alicia smiled warmly. “Now rest and enjoy, we can’t have you getting sick.”

Gary had finally left Sickbay and returned to his quarters to be with LL. Yet his thoughts were on the hope that the Doc could find a solution to Lia's illness and return her to LL as well as himself. he sighed and closed his eyes that the Doc would come up with something.

Many hours later even Sthilg had drifted off to sleep placing his scaly form don on the couch in the medbay restroom. A bleep caused his eye to creep open as he waddled over to the lab. The results on the screen caused him to bolt upright energy returning to his form. Test results showed that the removal of the cold had caused the virus to adopt a more dormant state. "Finally sssome progresss." He said taking a seat as he recorded the results and set the test to run again. If this went well he would have fantastic news for Gary in the morning.

(Tbc)