From: Christine Fontaine
Date: Mon, 03 Mar 1997 18:23:14 -0500
Subject: USS CHESAPEAKE: Bridge --> Sickbay : Catherine's thoughts
SD 90303.1818
MD 01.1220
Scene: Leaving the bridge, en route to sickbay
Lieutenant Commander Catherine Ledoux leaned against the side of the
turbolift, sighing in relief. Blinking her eyes a few times, the vet was
surprised the Commander Brennan had addressed her *en francais*, in fluent
French, with an accent that was near flawless. Quite different, mind you,
from her own French Canadian accent, which had its own unique flavour and
idiom, but, nevetheless, it had been startling to hear her mother tongue
spoken with such expertise.
Sighing, Catherine wiped away a stray tear that had managed to escape.
Endeavouring to secure a firmer grip on her emotions, Catherine knew that
she had almost lost it when Commander Brennan had asked her if something
were wrong. Thank goodness he hadn't persued the matter any further.
Speaking to her in French had actually been the best thing for him to do.
First, it had surprised her and taken her mind off of her troubles and
second, it had comforted her, for the Commander's use of the French language
not only soothed Catherine with its familiarity but the words he had spoken
rang with sincerity.
*Il semblait tres gentil,* (he seemed very nice) Catherine thought to
herself, her mind thinking in French since she had just spoken in that
tongue. *Un officier qui s'est vraiment preoccupe de la bien-etre de son
equipage* (an officer who is truly concerned for the well-being of his crew)
were the French Canadian's next thoughts. *Au moins qu'il y a une personne
=a bord la CHESAPEAKE qui m'a souhaite la bienvenue,* (at least someone had
attempted to make her feel welcome aboard the CHESAPEAKE) she reflected,
continuing on her way towards sickbay.
*** *** *** ***
MD 01.1240
Scene: Sickbay
Doctor Catherine Ledoux stepped into sickbay, the doors sliding shut
behind her with a low hiss. Casting her gaze about, the vet
critically examined her domain. Cargo containers, containing various
and sundry pieces of medical equipment, medicines and other=20
paraphernalia were strewn about. Officers in medical blue were busy
sorting through the mess, attempting to put sickbay into some=20
semblance of order. An occasional gold-shirted engineer appeared
amidst the sea of aquamarine, helping to ensure that everything
functioned as it should.
Taking a deep breath in, Catherine was struck by the fresh, "new" scent
that assaulted her senses, reminding her so much of the odours she had
smelled upon entry into the REGENT's sickbay just after they had boarded the
new Storm-class ship that had replaced the lost Diogenes-class REGENT. Once
again, tears spilled from Catherine's eyes at the memories and she longed
for the comfort of Rich's warm embrace.
Wrestling with her mercurial emotions, Catherine slowly regained control,
eventually quelling the rush of tears. Sniffling a few times to clear her
nose, the vet then took a few deep breaths, and was struck, once again, by
the "brand new" scent of the CHESAPEAKE. Underneath this distinctive
cleanliness lurked the pervasive scent of antiseptic that permeated all of
sickbay. nhaling once again, the familiar scents comforted the vet,
assuring her that this was where she belonged. While she might be aboard a
new ship, a different ship, sickbay was nevertheless where she belonged.
Tucking a loose curl behind one ear, Catherine's deep blue eyes, still
swollen from her tears, swept across sickbay. Apparently satisfied with
what she saw, the vet nodded to herself, then turned her gaze towards her
new office. Most of Catherine's time would be spent in that office, either
working or studying, provided, of course, that she could continue her
studies aboard the CHESAPEAKE. Hopefully there wouldn't be any
difficulties in doing so. Catherine was certainly not in the mood to have
to deal with any problems that might arise, although she was sure that
before the day was out trouble would have found her in one of its many
guises.
Exhaling her breath in a huff, Catherine decided that she should check out
her office and begin tackling the work that awaited her there. At the very
least she had to familiarize herself with the service records of the
officers were would be serving under her as part of the CHESAPEAKE's medical
staff. Then, she would have to organize a staff meeting for those very same
officers, a task that filled Catherine with dread. Shy and reticent by
nature, the French Canadian had no idea how she had ever ended up in a
position of authority.
Brushing a loose curl off of her forehead, Catherine sighed. With a status
report due for Commander Brennan in just under forty-eight hours, she didn't
have any time to waste. With another deep breath, she stepped forward
again, traversing the intervening space between the CHESAPEAKE's main
sickbay and her new office.
As the doors to what would become her inner sanctum irised shut,
Catherine released another sigh. Freed from the cacophony outside, the vet was
able to relax her emotional control a fraction, although she still strived
to keep her voltatile feelings in check. Rolling her shoulders a few times
in an attempt to loosen those muscles, Catherine could still feel the
tension that assailed her entire body.
Bare. Stark. Plain. Standard Starfleet issue. The Chief Medical
Officer's office was dull, lifeless, totally devoid of personality.
Catherine's gaze strayed to the empty desk, her mind's eye envisioning
the assorted memories that had adorned her former desk, back aboard the
REGENT, and the tears began to gather, glistening in her eyes.
Sighing, Catherine recalled the delicate bud vase that had perched on the
corner of that desk. A dried rose, carefully preserved, had graced the
vase with its crimson presence. Rich had presented her with that rose, and a
tiny smile painted Catherine's lips at the memory. An incurable romantic
at heart, Catherine had cherished that flower, the first that Rich had
ever given her.
As if conjured by the thoughts of Rich, the tears escaped in a rush.
Weeping, Catherine stumbled towards the desk, needing the feel of something
solid beneath her. Groping as if blind, her eyes too filled with tears to
see clearly, the vet's fingers sought the desk's chair. Fumbling, she
pulled the chair out, away from the desk, and collapsed into it, her body
wracked with sobs. Unable to hold herself upright any longer, Catherine's
upper body folded forward, onto the desk, her arms becoming a make-shift
pillow for her head. Crying uncontrollably, Catherine had lost all pretense
of control. Her emotions held her firmly in their merciless grasp.
Catherine let the tears flow until she could cry no more. Once they were
spent she spent a few quiet minutes just sitting there, concentrating on her
breathing, trying to take hold of herself and her emotions. Giving her head
a little shake, Catherine pulled herself back into the present. Sitting
upright and straightening her spine, the vet rested one hand gently against
the surface of the desk, absently running her fingers across the dull patina.
As her deep blue eyes now travelled towards the blank office walls,
Catherine blinked back tears again as she recalled the diplomas that had
been proudly displayed upon the walls of her office aboard the REGENT-A,
which had been destroyed. When the new REGENT-B had been commissioned,
Catherine had requested copies of her diplomas and certificates from her
Alma Matter, the University of Guelph. Now those very same copies could be
found somewhere amidst the sparse luggage in her quarters, and Catherine made
herself a mental note to search them out later. Of course, all of Dr.
Ledoux' documentation was readily available via computer, but
Catherine wanted to have a hard copy of her credentials. It might be a
little old fashioned, but Dr. Ledoux liked to have a real paper copy of
her diplomas, framed and proudly displayed on her office walls.
Catherine had invested a great deal of time and energy in her studies,
and she was justifiably proud of her achievements and accomplishments.
Tucking a stray strand of hair behind one ear, Catherine wondered if some of
the other items that she had lost when the REGENT had been destroyed could
be replaced. One item in particular sprang readily to her mind: the
Winegard Medal that she had been presented with upon graduation. Annually,
it was awarded to a graduating student in Veterinary Medicine for
outstanding community service. Catherine had hardly been able to believe
that she was its recipient, but the Medal meant a great deal to her, for it
was much more than "just another award" to be displayed proudly and bragged
about. Catherine truly cared about the animals, and now the people, that
she cared for; the Winegard Medal had served as a reminder to the vet to
never lose that focus of caring and compassion.
With a little sigh, the doctor pulled herself back into the present,
attempting to concentrate on the here and now. Wriggling a bit to find a
comfortable position, Catherine swivelled her chair gently as she reached
out to turn on her computer terminal. There was work to
be done, and she had spent far too much time wool-gathering already.
Gritting her teeth and with a look of determination of her face, Dr. Ledoux
prepared to tackle the PADDwork that awaited her attention.
First, she would review the jackets of her medical staff. At the very least
she had to make herself familiar with their names so that she would not look
like a complete fool when she called her first medical staff meeting. That
meeting would be set after she had reviewed the personnel files, for the vet
wanted to have some idea of whom she was working with.
First on the list was the assitant Chief Medical Officer, Lieutenant Caitlin
Donne, MD. Catherine nodded to herself as she read the doctor's file,
noting that the two were of an age. Hopefully they would be able to develop
a comfortable working relationship, for the aCMO would need to supervise
Catherine's residency requirements if the vet was able to persue her medical
studies while serving aboard the CHESAPEAKE.
The next file that came up on Dr. Ledoux' screen was the jacket of
Lieutenant Bruce Willingham, MD. A puzzled frown crossed Catherine's face
as she continued to peruse the surgeon's personnel file. Dr. Willingham was
a Vulcan, yet he certainly possessed an unusual name for a member of that
race. Catherine had no doubt that an interesting story lay behind this
particular Vulcan physician's name. The vet was pleased, though, to have a
Vulcan surgeon on staff. From experience, she knew that Vulcans made
excellent physicians. Although some Vulcan doctors had a tendency to be
lacking when it came to their bedside manner, they more than made up for it
in skill and knowledge.
The name of the next officer on the list caused Catherine's lips to turn
upwards in a tiny smile. Lieutenant junior grade DawnFire to-Ennien, M.D.,
a Sivaoan. One of Catherine's only friends aboard the REGENT had been a
Sivaoan, Ensign StarWander to-Vallrisa, whom she had met while undergoing
training at Armstrong Lunar Base. Catherine smiled at the memories while
simultaneously tears began to fall once again.
Fondly, Catherine recalled the time she had spent at ALB, when a very kind
Commandant, Admiral StarWind to-Vensre, had invited a shy, nervous new
ensign to her home for dinner. Graciously, she had accepted the offer.
Catherine's two Siamese, Whiskers and Dawn had been along for the ride,
their antics almost as amusing as those of StarWind's kittens. After the
dinner, the entire group had gone for a walk in the Arboretum, enjoying
the beautiful flora and the relaxing surroundings. StarWind, her mate
StarSong and her son StarWander were all talented bards, and Catherine had
been treated to an impromptu performance, the like of which she had never
before experienced. Very few could match the artistry of a Sivaoan bard
and they had played music so skillfully crafted that Catherine had been
held entranced. Music that demanded the listeners' attention, that forced
you to become involved in the mystical spell it was weaving. Words
couldn't begin to describe the beauty of the lyrics and melody, woven
together in a seamless creation.
Lost in the memories for a few moments, Catherine blinked her eyes
several times before coming out of her reverie. Wiping away the remnants of
the tears, the vet attempted to refocus her thoughts. After taking a deep
breath in and then slowly exhaling it to centre herself, Catherine returned
to the service record that she had been reading.
As she continued to read the file for Doctor DawnFire to-Ennien, Catherine
was pleased to note that the Sivaoan was a bard. Perhaps the young felinoid
would treat them all to a concert at some point in the future. Catherine
hoped that she would be able to prevail upon DawnFire to perform, for
nothing could compare to the talent and skill of a Sivaoan bard. Their music
was sheer magic.
Scanning the names of the remainder of her medical staff, Catherine's eye
was caught by a familiar name. Ensign Scott MacMillan. That couldn't
possible be the same Ensign MacMillan that had served aboard the REGENT,
could it? Intrigued, Catherine called up his file.
Blinking her eyes a few times in rapid successive, Catherine was surprised
to find out that it *was* the same Ensign MacMillan, the very same young
MedTech who had served aboard the REGENT. Carefully examining his file, the
French Canadian vet noted that Ensign MacMillan had been transferred to
Starbase DELTA after the destruction of the USS REGENT-A. After spending a
few short weeks on the starbase he had been assigned to the
newly-commissioned USS CHESAPEAKE. *C'est vraiment un petit monde,* (it's
really a small world) Catherine thought, *ou bien, c'est vraiment un petit
univers.* (or better yet, it's a small universe.)
Shaking her head, her loose curls cascading down her back like a golden
waterfall, Catherine tried to pull her thoughts away from the REGENT, but
they resisted her efforts, bogging her down like viscous molasses.
Struggling, the vet attempted to wrench them back to the CHESAPEAKE, but the
harder she tried, the more she felt herself being drawn inexorably into the
memories of the REGENT. Eventually she succumbed to their persistance and
the tears began in earnest once again.
Respectfully submitted,
Chris Fontaine
Lieutenant Commander Catherine Ledoux, DVM
Chief Medical Officer
USS CHESAPEAKE
<< NRPG >>
Yet more reminiscing and gratuitous character development.
Takako: Excellent job with the French and with Catherine. :)
Masako and Lynnaea: Great post - a lot of fun. :)
Melvin: I agree with Masako: you win the award for the most insane... ;)
All: Some of the accented characters might not come out well in some of the
French that I've used. So, if you see some funny characters in the post
above, they are probably accented characters that couldn't be interpreted
correctly.
I do have more to write, but I have to get back to studying right now...
Expect more either later tonight or tomorrow...
Take care,
Chris - off to study ethics, law & safety for engineers... Bor-ing...
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March 1997 or Main Archive Page