julepsnmedicine | Back on Earth (RP with knowshowtosurf)

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."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

During the drive to the diner, Leonard slipped his arm around her and rested his head to hers. He knew that doing normal things like this were going to be difficult for a while, so he just needed her to know that if she needed breathing room, she could take it. He hoped her parents would understand too.

At the diner, he reached under the table when Amanda talked to Katie about what she was ordering and took her hand, giving it a soft squeeze. When Amanda looked his way, he gave her a slight nod to let her know just to let her order the bacon and pancake. It was better that she eat something and keep it down than order something her stomach wasn't ready to handle.

"I think I'm going to have some grits and scrambled eggs," he finally decided himself. It had been a long time since he'd had some good grits.

Once everyone had ordered, he continued to hold Katie's hand. "How are classes going this term, Pro--I mean, Amanda," he asked.

Once again, Katie was glad to have Leonard there with her. She didn't want her parents to worry and she knew having Leonard's opinion made them feel better. After ordering, she smiled when the waitress brought back her glass of Pepsi. It was hard to get her favorite drink in space.

"They've been going quite well. I have a first year cadet that might be vying to be the next Jim Kirk, though," Amanda said with a laugh.

"That's a scary thought," Katie said with a small laugh before she pushed her straw into her glass and took a small drink. "How are things with you, Dad?"

"Rather well, actually. Had a few good classes this term and I've decided to take the summer off so your mother and I can go on a lengthy holiday," her father said.

"Good," Katie said as their food arrived. She picked up a fork and slowly started to eat.

"How are things on the Enterprise, Leonard?" Amanda asked.

"The next Jim Kirk? Oh God, help all of us," Leonard said, shaking his head. The galaxy really only had enough room in it for one. He couldn't imagine two of them.

Picking up he coffee, he took a drink while Katie talked to her dad. He didn't want to put himself into the conversation too much if he could help it since he knew Katie needed to re-acclimate to her family as much as anything else. They in many ways were her first steps.

However, when Amanda asked her question, he looked over at her, setting his fork against his plate. "Well. She has a good crew and a great medical staff. I know they'll be fine while I'm here on Earth," he said, reaching over under the table to gently rub his hand against Katie's leg.

"How long do you think you'll be here?" Jonathan asked.

"As long as I'm needed." He took a bite of his grits.

As Leonard and her parents talked, Katie set about cutting up her pancake. She took several bites, not realizing how hungry she really was. When Leonard said he was going to stay for as long as he needed, she sighed and looked over at her mother.

"What are the chances Starfleet will let me continue being an officer," she asked her.

"That's hard to tell, sweetheart. How about you get through the debriefings first. They'll be able to figure things out after that," Amanda said. "ANd I spoke to Admiral Johnson and asked him to take it easy on you. There's no need for you to be traumatized again."

"Mum!" Katie said. "I don't bloody need you telling people to take it easy on me. I spent a week in a damn cage. I think I can handle a bunch of uppity Admirals."

"Katherine, I don't think your mother meant it like that," Jonathan said.

"Whatever. I'm not hungry anymore," Katie said as she stood from the table. "I'm going to the bathroom."

Without another word, she went to the bathroom. She went in and sat on the counter as tears ran down her face. She just wanted people to stop acting like she was about to break.

As soon as Amanda told them what she had done, Leonard knew this wasn't going to end well. He understood why she had - hell, if Joanna were in Katie's place, he'd want to do everything he could to protect her too. But at the same time, he knew Katie just needed people to let her deal with things like the debriefing, if nothing else than to prove to herself that she could.

After Katie left the table, he looked at her parents and sighed. "You meant well, but--."

"I just...the thought of what they did to her..." Amanda said softly. "Even I never..."

"You were lucky then. I've known a few now," he said. Katie, the other survivors, Captain Pike... "She needs to get through this on her terms."

As Amanda nodded, he excused himself and went to the bathroom. He didn't want to just walk in, so he knocked first.

"Katie, it's me." He slowly opened the doors and peeked in. "Can I come in?"

Katie continued to sit on the counter, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hated this. When she joined Starfleet she knew of the dangers but she didn't think she would be thrown in a damn cage for a week. Where in the hell was Starfleet when they were needed? Why hadn't they sent out a search party?

She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs; curse all the people that didn't care enough to even look for them. Now she was going to have to face Starfleet and none of them understood. Her parents weren't even trying to understand. All they wanted to do was sweep it under the rug and it pissed her off.

When the knock came, Katie looked up and glared at the door. "I don't care," she said when the door opened and Leonard looked in. "No lectures."

With a deep breath, she reached over and pulled a paper towel out of the dispenser. "I just want people to stop telling me what to do and how to feel. I know my parents meant well but they weren't there. They need to let me do this on my own. All of you need to. If I can't get through this afternoon on my own, then I'm never going to heal."

Walking over, he hitched himself onto the counter to sit next to her, not caring that he was in the ladies' room. He shook his head at her.

"I'm not gonna lecture," he told her. "Just came in to check on you."

As she spoke, he looked at her, nodding slightly in response to her. "You're right - this is something you need to take on yourself. None of us can do this for you, and we shouldn't. They're the ones that need to understand that."

Taking a deep breath, he looked at her. "What do you want to do now?"

When he sat down next to her, Katie laid her head against his shoulder. She was once again grateful that he was letting her do this the way she needed to. Reaching down, she took his hand and sighed. She knew she needed to talk to her parents and explain to them that she needed to do this on her own terms.

"I want to get out of here and just get this day over with," Katie quietly admitted.

She wasn't looking forward to telling her story again, but it had to be done. It was the first step in many that she would have to take before all of this would be over with. But she knew the debriefings would be the hardest part.

"Once I get through this debriefings, I think I'll be able to start the healing process. I just want to feel whole again." she told him. Taking a deep breath, she wiped her tears away. "Lets get out of here and get my parents. I don't want to be late."

Leonard rested his cheek to her head and held her hand in his, nodding when she spoke. He didn't blame her at all. He knew this was going to be a very difficult day, but if she could get through it, at least she could try to move forward, as she said.

"I know you do, darling," he said softly before kissing her temple. "And I know you can do it."

Getting off the counter, he took her hand to help her down. After embracing her for a moment, he then took her hand and left the bathroom with her to go find her parents and then head back to Starfleet Command.