Familiar Stranger [Part 1]

Posted on Sun Oct 5th, 2025 @ 9:17pm by Lieutenant Ayumu Tanaka & Lieutenant Urushi Yaotome
Edited on on Wed Oct 8th, 2025 @ 4:13pm

1,283 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Below Decks
Location: USS Valkyrie (NCC-92604)- Medical Center, Deck 11
Timeline: Approximately 19 Hours After "How To Save A Life"

Ayumu continued to monitor Urushi's vitals throughout the night, and while her numbers were steadily improving as the hours dragged on (barring unforseen complications, it was practically a foregone conclusion that she would likely be discharged along with Ayumu once their 24 hours' quarantine was up), her condition was by now the least of the Doctor's concerns.

Frankly, he wasn't entirely sure what was coming over him, why those particular memories had manifested themselves at that exact time. It could've just been a coincidence, for all he knew, but at the same time it felt just a little too convenient that he was recalling very specific memories of Haruk from the moment he laid eyes on that distinctive surgical scar.

If he didn't know any better, he could've almost sworn that he was holding the Leon Symbiont in his hands.

Of course, this could just as easily be the product of an overactive imagination; a bit of wishful thinking that somehow, some way, he was once again united with the conscience of his late docent and close friend; for all he knew, Haruk was hardly the first Trill whose joining procedure was botched, and he likely wouldn't be the last.

But at the same time...

He shook his head. So what? You don't have any evidence that they're one and the same, and even if they were, it wouldn't be your place to be pushing her for questions! And besides, it's been four years since Haruk died- don't you think it's about time that you let him go?

It was at that moment that Urushi's eyes fluttered a little and she began to stir.

Realizing that the patient was starting to regain consciousness, Ayumu elected to set his thoughts aside for the time being and focus instead on attending to Urushi.

"How are you feeling, Lieutenant?" he asked as he got up to retrieve the medical Tricorder.

Urushi groaned as she shifted position slightly. Eventually opening her eyes a little. "Who's hit me with a shuttle..."

"Alright, good sign, very expressive..." Ayumu commented to himself. "Right, so here's the deal, Lieutenant; you're in PACU right now recovering from surgery, but before I get into the specifics, I have a few questions I gotta ask..."

"I'm... where?" Urushi asked groggily.

"Post-Anesthesia Care Unit," Ayumu elaborated as he returned to Urushi's bedside, Tricorder in-hand. "It's just a place where our patients can recover after surgery."

"Do I have... to... be?" Urushi asked as she started to develop a slight cold sweat. "I'm sort of... allergic... to sickbay..."

"There's no such thing, Lieutenant," Ayumu chuckled as he began calibrating the Tricorder. "And even if there were, we've been here for nearly 20 hours now, and I think I would've noticed the symptoms by this point, yes?"

"It's totally a thing!" Urushi protested. She grumbled to herself. "So then Ayumu, how long you keeping me here?"

Ayumu chose to ignore the fact that she had referred to him directly by name.

"Well, the thing is that when we were down on the surface, our EV suits were... compromised during our encounter with the Delfiled," he explained. "So, out of an abundance of caution, I've ordered the two of us to be placed under at least 24 hours' quarantine-!"

"What!" Urushi said. "Thats an awful long time! I can't stay here that long!" Her voice was full of panic.

"Relax, Lieutenant; it's more like 5 hours at this point," Ayumu calmly assured her.

"Fine Ayumu. I'll behave. I know you too well to know you'll keep me here every second..." she huffed.

Ayumu gulped; it was almost as if Urushi was tantalizing him with subtle, not-so-subtle hints that she held the answers that were nagging at the back of his mind, and while he was half-inclined to press her for more information, the logical part of him knew that this was not the place and time to do so. He knew that Urushi was likely both physically and emotionally compromised from her latest encounter, and to be saddling her with some very personal questions would be foisting his patient with undue emotional stress- a cardinal sin as a medical practitioner. So as much as it pained him to do so when the answers he sought were just within his grasp, he acted as if he hadn't heard the comment- or, even if he did, it held very little significance to him.

"If it'll help to calm your nerves, Lieutenant, I could see about hooking you up with some anti-anxiety medication?" he suggested.

"Heh?!" Urushi exclaimed. "But... are you sure?"

"I wouldn't be offering it if I didn't feel it was safe," Ayumu replied. "And it won't be a very high dosage, just enough to get you by until we're eventually discharged."

Urushi crossed her arms and pouted. "Fine. Just do it." She said tilting her head to the side slightly so he could apply the hypospray to her neck.

"Right, then; give me just a sec..."

Ayumu got up for a moment before returning to Urushi's bedside with a small hypospray canister.

"Now, you'll feel a very slight pinch, but I assure you that the sensation will wear off almost immediately," Ayumu explained as he uncapped the hypospray and pressed it up against Urushi's neck. "Hold still for just a second..."

"The whole point of a hypospray is to not feel a pricked!" Urushi protested.

Psshh!

"You just did that to... oh hello..." her shoulders suddenly began to relax slightly, drooping down. She slumped slightly as her body eased, the stress, anxiety and edginess alleviating away. It was like a whole different person. "You have to give me that stuff again when I need a good night's sleep.. "

"See? What did I tell you?" Ayumu smiled as he gently ran his hand over the injection site, which Urushi was surprised to find wasn't even sensitive to the touch. "I've done this plenty of times with patients just like you, so I know just what to expect."

"Calm and cool as always. You've always been that way haven't you Ayumu." Urushi smirked. "I thought I once told you to smile more?"

Ayumu felt a chill run down his spine. While up to this point, he may have been able to write off Urushi's comments as pure coincidence- it could have just as easily been explained away as Urushi being curious and studying up on Doctor Cussen's (rather sudden) replacement, just to verify to herself that she was in good hands- but this last remark was a lot harder for him to explain away, as the fact that he didn't smile more often was a frequent sticking point of Haruk's:

Captain Haruk Leon turned in his chair to face the doctor and the Trill man under his guidance. He had just informed him of Ensigns Nicholson successful delivery of her baby. It was a joyousmoment, the arrival of a new life.

However there stood Ayumu delivering the news with a stoic and expressionless face. "Thats wonderful news. But Tanaka, I cant help but feel that you're not exactly 'feeling it'. The birth of a new life is always a happy and special event. You should at least smile, plus it wouldn't hurt for you to smile more..."

If there had been any doubt in Ayumu's mind up to this point, then there wasn't any longer; laying before him was the living legacy of his late mentor and close friend.

To be continued...

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