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It had been a long few days.
Katie had been through so much, and Leonard knew that it wasn't going to be easy. In addition to recovering from her injuries and talking to her family, there was dealing with the memories and nightmares. Leonard wanted badly to be there for her every moment, but as chief medical officer, he had to check on the other Lexington survivors as well.
Unfortunately, they lost one of them the following day when a condition that had been exacerbated by the crew's treatment in captivity turned critical.
A couple of days after the rescue, Starfleet Command requested that the survivors all be returned to Earth so they could be debriefed on what had happened. When Jim told him, Leonard knew that they was no way he was going to let Katie - much less the others - go without him. He hadn't even needed to ask Jim, though. Before he could make the request, the captain told him that as their doctor, he would be accompanying them back.
So once all the survivors were well enough, the Enterprise rendezvoused with another ship. Leonard continued sharing quarters with Katie while all the other survivors stayed on the same level, so they were nearby. A psychiatrist had been sent to talk with them on the journey back.
The morning of the day they were supposed to reach Earth, Leonard woke up, holding Katie the way he had every morning. He kissed her temple before gently brushing her hair back from her face.
"We're arrivin' today," he told her softly. "Do you think you'll be okay? I'm gonna make sure I'm nearby the whole time in case you need me."
Katie had been through so much, and Leonard knew that it wasn't going to be easy. In addition to recovering from her injuries and talking to her family, there was dealing with the memories and nightmares. Leonard wanted badly to be there for her every moment, but as chief medical officer, he had to check on the other Lexington survivors as well.
Unfortunately, they lost one of them the following day when a condition that had been exacerbated by the crew's treatment in captivity turned critical.
A couple of days after the rescue, Starfleet Command requested that the survivors all be returned to Earth so they could be debriefed on what had happened. When Jim told him, Leonard knew that they was no way he was going to let Katie - much less the others - go without him. He hadn't even needed to ask Jim, though. Before he could make the request, the captain told him that as their doctor, he would be accompanying them back.
So once all the survivors were well enough, the Enterprise rendezvoused with another ship. Leonard continued sharing quarters with Katie while all the other survivors stayed on the same level, so they were nearby. A psychiatrist had been sent to talk with them on the journey back.
The morning of the day they were supposed to reach Earth, Leonard woke up, holding Katie the way he had every morning. He kissed her temple before gently brushing her hair back from her face.
"We're arrivin' today," he told her softly. "Do you think you'll be okay? I'm gonna make sure I'm nearby the whole time in case you need me."
