The Wounds We Bring Back, Part II
Posted on Sun Aug 3rd, 2025 @ 10:24pm by Lieutenant Commander T'Mara & Lieutenant Jaina Zalla & Lieutenant JG Alicia Santos & Ensign Matt Connor & Ensign Eric Banner
1,234 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission: Adelphous Station
T’Mara moved between biobeds with the quiet precision of a practiced physician. She preferred sickbay this way. There were no alarms, no shouting, just the steady hum of diagnostics and the soft breathing of those who remained. After escorting the away mission survivors to sickbay, she had deliberately spaced them apart, not to isolate them but to give them space so they could reflect and process what had happened. Their vitals were still elevated and their cortisol levels still spiked, but there were no internal injuries, no lacerations, no physical injuries to treat. And yet, she knew better than to consider them unwounded. She paused beside each bed, tricorder in hand, but her attention was on them. Their expressions and the silence was more than enough to understand that they had all suffered a major trauma and the only treatment right now that she could provide was to watch over them and give them time.
Jaina sat upright on her biobed, arms crossed tightly over her chest. She’d stripped off her uniform jacket and gold undershirt and now just wore the gray tank top. It was more practical and less like a burial shroud. She hadn’t said much since they had left the shuttlebay. There hadn’t been much to say. She had been in charge of keeping the away team safe, and she had returned to the ship with two fewer people than had departed on the mission. Jaina knew that she wasn't responsible, but that small fact didn't help what had happened.
Matt lay on his back, arms folded behind his head, eyes locked on the ceiling like it might offer him some kind of answer. He could still feel the cold of the Adelphous station in his bones. Not the temperature but the kind of sterile death waiting silence that no federation ship or station should ever carry. He had been a security officer in starfleet for several years but he had never had to deal with casualties. It was hitting him hard. Commander Rogers had helped Matt to get his act together, had helped him figure out how to improve himself so that he could stay in starfleet. It hadn't been more than a couple of weeks since that fateful conversation, and now the commander was gone. Matt closed his eyes, reliving that last conversation as tears streaked from his eyes.
Eric sat at the edge of the bed, his posture rigid in a way that screamed he didn’t know what to do with himself. He had changed into a clean uniform, but he had felt numb when he had put it on. He no longer felt the pride and excitement he had once felt, and that added to his anguish. He jsut sat there, staring at the wall.
After being examined and cleared physically, Alicia had started pacing. She had never liked just sitting still. In fact that was one reason she had decided to settle for the career path of a Starfleet engineer. There was always something to do. But even after the horror she and the others had faced she couldn't sit still. It wasn't that she felt that the creature was now on the Eclipse and still stalking them, she knew that it wasn't. But she still felt restless. So, she paced.
T'Mara raised an eyebrow as she monitored Lieutenant Santos. The engineering officer's restless movements disturbed her, and T'Mara couldn't quite explain why. "Lieutenant, are you sure that you are well?" T'Mara finally asked, simply to stop the engineer from pacing.
Alicia paused briefly in her pacing and sighed. "I can't stand being cooped up here in sickbay," she said. "I need to do something to take my mind off of everything."
T'Mara nodded slowly, her expression unreadable for a moment as she thought over her patient's condition. She finally nodded. "I can authorize you to be released from sickbay, however I will only authorize for you to return to duty after a brief examination at 0600 tomorrow morning."
Alicia blinked, first in what could be mistaken for anger and then again in acceptance. "Understood," she said before she turned and headed out of sickbay.
T'Mara turned and picked up a medical PADD, making several quick notes before she turned to the other officers under her care.
Jaina finally swung her legs over the side of the biobed and stood, grabbing her uniform shirt and jacket as she did so. "I need to go as well," she said.
T'Mara nodded and quickly checked the security officer's vitals. "Very well, Lieutenant Zalla. I believe that you should return first thing in the morning as well before you return to duty. But for now, you are free to leave."
Jaina didn't say anything as she walked around the medical officer and towards the door. She wasn't sure if she could say anything else. Instead, she kept her head down and headed towards her quarters.
T'Mara turned her attention towards the final two officers under her care. Checking on their vitals, she frowned slightly in thought before she approached Ensign Connor. "Ensign Connor, your vitals have stabilized enough for you to be released," she said.
Matt blinked his eyes before he sat up and faced the medical officer. "I don't feel like I'm back to normal," he said.
"It is most likely the physical effects of your body recovering from a situation that has caused high stress. Your body is recovering from cortisol and adrenaline levels spiking beyond the normal range that you are accustomed to," T'Mara said. "I recommend that you take some time and engage in activities that promote calmness to you."
"Sounds terrific," Matt said as he stood. He sighed and walked over to Banner, putting a friendly hand on the guy's shoulder. "Hey man, let's go get a drink."
T'Mara followed Ensign Connor over to where Ensign Banner sat, checking the operation officer's vitals as she approached. His vitals were still borderline, as if he were still in a mild state of shock. She normally wouldn't have promoted a patient with his levels leaving sickbay, but she wondered if time with another person in a different setting would help. "I can release both of you from sickbay, but I will require you both to return first thing in the morning for a brief examination before I release you to return to duty," she said.
Eric turned towards Ensign Connor and nodded, still feeling numb but wanting to get out of sickbay. He listened to the medical officer and nodded. "Yes ma'am," he said as he stood.
Matt turned towards the medical officer. "I'll keep an eye on him for a bit. Can we go?" he said.
T'Mara nodded. "You are both free to leave sickbay. But again, you will need to report here tomorrow morning before being released for duty," she said.
"I understand, Commander," Eric said with a nod.
"Yes, ma'am," Matt said before he started towards the doors.
T'Mara watched as the two junior officers exited sickbay before she turned and picked up the medical PADD once more. She made several notes and saved them before she turned to resetting the biobeds, making sure she saved the vital readings from each away team member to their medical files. Once she had finished, the Vulcan medical officer checked in with the duty nurse before she headed out of sickbay herself.
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