Checkup

Posted on Mon Feb 23rd, 2026 @ 10:56am by Lieutenant J'airesh Mora-Heath & Civilian Kerilia Dosivi

Mission: Interlude
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Four Days After "A Matter of Growing Up"
1338 words - 2.7 OF Standard Post Measure

A few days had passed since Teevs and Kerilia first visited sickbay. The medication had helped; the growing pains were now a dull and persistent headache, and the sensitive skin had become general discomfort, like when a shirt doesn't sit right. It allowed her to be able to resume her normal activities. Each day, Kerilia would hop out of bed and rush to the bathroom, looking at her forehead in the mirror to watch the ridge grow. Slowly but surely, a soft v shape began appearing on her forehead, and it started becoming visible yesterday.

With the growth came a newfound confidence, and it was why Kerilia walked into sickbay by herself. By Lonian standards, she was basically an adult now, and adults don't need their parents for a checkup.

J'Airesh Mora-Heath, the ACMO was on duty when the Lonian young lady arrived.

"Good morning. I'm J'Air, how can I help?" she introduced herself, approaching the teenager.

Kerilia smiled at the ACMO with the energy of teenage confidence. "I'm here for a checkup for this, Miss J'Air," she answered, pointing to the half-developed ridge. It had a distinct v shape, like Teevs', but it wasn't as clearly defined as his.

"And it only developed properly on entering your teens?" J'Air asked, smilingly in a gentle way d and indicating a cubicle nearby. "Would you mind if I take a look?" It was all too familiar to J'Air with her own half-Cardassian exoskeltal ridges. Hers were softened by the other half of her genetics, from her mother who had been Bajoran but Father's forehead and eye ridges were always going to show at least a bit.

Offering the biobed to Kerilia for a seat, J'Air pulled over a tricorder to do an initial scan. "My ridges were much less visible as a child as well. I had to pass puberty to get the current look, so I know a little about what you're going through. Are you in much pain still?" she asked with concern.

With a nod, Kerilia followed the doctor to the biobed and hopped up. As J’Air spoke, Kerilia looked at the other woman’s ridges, admiring their complexity. “Not as bad as before. It’s just a little uncomfortable now," she responded. “For Lonians, our ridge appears after our fifth cycle, which would put the age around 15-18 in Human years.” It wasn't entirely clear why her symptoms were worse than expected, and they more or less chalked it up to her being younger than usual. “I like your ridges. They're complicated and pretty.”

"Thank you, I like yours too, they're not so mixed up as mine!" J'Air smiled. "Have you got used to them a bit yet?" she asked as she ran a medcorder over the newly formed, slightly puffy ridge that Kerilia had grown. "There's a bit of residual fluid in them right now but that's because they're so new. I'm sure that slightly puffed look will go down but don't hesitate to come back for another look if they're not settled in a couple more days" the CMO added. "How's the pain levels?" she asked.

"It's like a mild headache all the time, which is way better than what it was," Kerilia answered. The hum of the medical equipment seemed louder than usual, but so many changes were happening to her that it was just another side effect. "I'm still not used to it. I'll rub my eyes when I wake up, or get dressed, and feel the ridge. It's cool watching it grow, but it's also... weird, I guess."

"All the time it's mild and bearable, just try massaging them and keeping them moisturised as they stretch the skin and let me know it they become more painful or if you're worried at all." J'Air put her hand on Kerilia's arm gently, hoping to be encouraging but not patronising. "It's going to be exciting to see how the new and beautiful you emerges." she smiled again.

Kerilia nodded, but she hesitated to get off the bed just yet. In fact, that teenage confidence began to fade, replaced by something more timid. She pressed her lips together and looked around, then leaned in slightly. "There's something else," she said quietly.

"I'm a doctor Kerilia, I'm here to help if you would like me to and anything we discuss will remain confidential between us, I can promise you. Are you concerned about anything you feel you can talk about, because we can go into my office if you prefer?" J'Air offered gently, sensing Kerilia's embarrassment.

A pinkish colour came to Kerilia's cheeks as she didn't want to say it. "Here is ok I think." She looked around anyways. "I... smell." The words were nearly a whisper and fully reflected how embarrassed she was by this confession. "The sonic shower doesn't seem to get rid of it, and I don't know if others notice it. But I notice it."

J'Air sat beside Kerilia and lowered her own voice to little above a whisper too. "It's perfectly natural, Sweetie. It's where your own natural scent has matured and become a little stronger now. If you don't like it and want to reduce it, try the water shower feature instead of the sonic. Maybe use some soapy shower-gel or foam and lather it up, then rinse it down afterwards? In a while you'll get to like it better but it's such a unique and natural scent that it's very probable that only you can actually even tell it's there. Keep yourself generally and regularly clean and if you're still unhappy even after you've tried soap/gel then perhaps I could run some tests to see if there's any reason that you might be over-producing perspiration or hormones that might be a cause of it? Deal? Does that sound an acceptable plan for a few days and then you can contact me about it all?"

Kerilia nodded at the instructions. "Yeah, that sounds doable." The blush darkened as she considered the possibility that J'Air could very much smell this new scent on her, but she had to be used to weird body stuff, right? "Is this a thing in other species too? I'm not, like, weird, am I?"

J'Air kept a straight face although she had to supress a gentle smile of understanding.

"Oh but OF COURSE it happens to EVERY species Kerilia, it's nature, all species are designed to procreate in order to survive - otherwise the danger is that they might become extinct."

"Just to take a random example - with birds they develop an instinct to display in order to find a suitable mate and they mature into some specially adapted feathers to make this effective because birds respond to visual messages as a Genus. They also respond to their matured sounds as well and that's how it is with all kinds of life forms."

"Each Species has their own particular changes that happen when they mature and these are universal to others like them. Mammals, fish, land creatures, birds and flying enabled similarities, insects - millions of millions of species of insects - all mature and respond in the usual way for their specific type and collective level of development for their physical and future needs. In short, you are NOT weird or unusual or in any way presenting abnormally. I can promise you that!" she reassured Kerilia.

A few seconds passed where Kerilia took that in, then she looked at J'Air and nodded. "Thanks," she said with a slightly awkward smile. Of course she knew that other species had their form of puberty, but it was... oddly reassuring to know that other species dealt with smelly teenagers too. "I don't think I have any other concerns. I'll just... erm... go shower and see what that does."

"If it still bothers you then please come back and we can talk about alternative solutions. Take care Kerilia." Rio smiled as Kerilia prepared to leave.

tbc?