The Risks We Take

Posted on Sat Oct 15th, 2022 @ 5:36am by Lieutenant Amu Hinamori M.D. & Lieutenant JG Nozomi Kusuda 'Gemini' & Lieutenant Iowa Riverside 'Grey Ghost'

1,931 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Operation Romulus Return
Location: USS Tokyo (NCC-91101), Flight Deck Sickbay, Deck 18
Timeline: After the Tokyo returns to Beta Antares for repairs

Eliza was practically stunned by the level of carnage that greeted her upon setting foot in the Tokyo's flight deck sickbay; bio beds overturned, medical equipment and other various debris strewn about the floor, and two custodians who appeared to be cleaning up... was that a bloodstain?

"Иисус Христос... what happened here?" she gasped.

One of the custodians looked up and shook his head. "You probably don't want to know, Captain."

She very much didn't.

"Best not to ask" Amu said as she entered the bay from the office. "What can we do for you?"

"Ah; pardon my intrusion, Doctor," Eliza apologized, tugging anxiously at her collar. "I was informed that Nozomi had been shot while out on assignment, and I came to check see how she's doing. She..."

She fell silent for a second, her lip trembling slightly as she reckoned with possibility that Nozomi could be permanently handicapped as a result of her latest ordeal- or worse.

"...she wouldn't happen to be available for a visitation?" she continued, quickly regaining her composure.

"I guess so. But not too long, she needs rest" Amu told her simply.

"I'll... keep things brief," Eliza nodded affirmatively. "You wouldn't happen to know where her ward is?"

"Second ward" Amu said pointing to one of the doors which led off to one of the other ward areas.

As Eliza made her way to the indicated ward, another officer dressed in a pilot's uniform was on the way out. The pilot seemed to recognize Eliza and nodded in her direction before speaking.

"If you're here to see ol' Gemini; best of luck, homie." She said.

"Ho...mie?" Eliza replied, unfamiliar with the terminology.

The pilot had failed to notice Eliza's confusion and had kept on walking towards the exit.

Eliza shook her head. "It seems I'm out of touch with the lingo these days," she muttered, before turning back towards Amu. "I'll see about making this quick, Doctor; feel free to check in if I'm taking to long."

And with a quick bow of the head, Eliza turned and began making her way over to Ward 2; she was already partially bracing herself for the fact Nozomi wasn't going to be in the best of shapes, but as she rounded the corner and spotted Nozomi hooked up to a ventilator and looking as pale as death itself, a flood of emotions that she was usually rather good at keeping in check threatened to spill over.

Nozomi slowly turned her head. "Elichi, just let me say off the bat that this isn't as bad as it looks," she mumbled, mustering a weak smile.

That did it.

"That's not very fucking funny and you know it!" Eliza exclaimed, practically bursting into tears as she dove for Nozomi's bedside. "Do you know just how stupid it was to be throwing your life away like that?! Do you even realize how sad we would've been if you'd died?! Honoka, and Kotori, and Umi, and Rin, and Hanayo, and Maki, and Nico, and-!"

"Shhhh," Nozomi whispered, reaching over and stroking Eliza's hair. "It's gonna be alright; that Reman bastard couldn't hit the broad side of a barn..."

"Just stop," Eliza sniffled. "Stop cracking jokes like this is some kind of game! You were shot, Nozomi! You could've lost your life, and you're not even taking this seriously?!"

"Elichi, look at me."

Wiping away the tears, Eliza looked up to find Nozomi gazing back at her with that warm, assuring smile. It was one of those quirks of hers that was both comforting and all the same infuriating; no matter how dire the situation, Nozomi always looked on the bright side of things.

"Elichi, I wouldn't have missed any of this for the world; do you realize I've seen more action this first deployment than I have in the past six years? It beat damn near any other day I spent toiling away at some backwater desk job."

"But was it really worth your life?" Eliza remarked.

"Elichi, you above all else should know the risks that come with putting on that uniform," Nozomi was quick to point out. "Sure, the job can have its fair share of risks, but what fun is life without the occasional risk?"

Eliza blinked. "That's your excuse?"

"Well, part of it, anyways," Nozomi replied, gazing up at the ceiling. "You gotta keep in mind, when we don the Starfleet uniform, we take an unspoken oath that we will do whatever is in our power to help others, even if it means putting our lives on the line. I wasn't going to stand around and let some Reman play God deciding who lives and who dies; I decided in that moment to take a stand, because even if it put a target on my head, I at least gave others the chance to live."

"And did that play out in your favor?" Eliza argued.

Nozomi chuckled, and then promptly started coughing when it began aggravating her stitches. "Probably not; Doctor informs me that the Romulan I was standing up for passed away shortly after the fact. But at the very least, I tried because I had the hope that my actions would buy him some time."

"Nozomi, you are such a stubborn mule," Eliza sighed, burying her head in the bedsheets. "Why is it so hard to argue with you when you're so... down-to-earth?"

"You could say I get most of my reasoning from my mother," Nozomi grinned. "But that's enough pitying me; what's say we change subjects and talk about everything that's been going on with you and the girls?"

"Nozomi-!" Eliza attempted to protest.

"Trust me on this one," Nozomi insisted.

Eliza's gazed wandered somewhat awkwardly about the room. "Well... I suppose for one, Honoka returned from her latest assignment aboard the Hyperion..."

"Mmm? and how did that go for her?"

"Currently, she's not at leisure to say," Eliza admitted. "An investigation's allegedly ongoing, so she's allowed to disclose what happened until the Admiralty publishes their findings in an official capacity. She did inform me that she's doing alright, and that she even made a new friend- Maberu, I think it was?- whatever the case, the two of them have been getting along, and Honoka even tells me that she's been learning how to draw dragons."

"Is she?" Nozomi surmised with keen interest. "I may just have to ask her to show me some of her drawings the next time we meet up..."

She looked over and noticed that Eliza still looked a little nervous. "Keep going; what about Kotori?

"Well, last I spoke with them, Kotori and her husband were going on vacation to celebrate their wedding anniversary," Eliza continued. "They'd been planning to spend a week in Tuscany, if I remember things correctly..."

"Ooh, Tuscany!" Nozomi beamed. "Certainly can't go wrong with a vacation spot like that; ancient hilltop cities, vineyards, hot springs, truffles... I'll have to ask her if she could share some photos, if I ever get the chance."

"Umi's still running the Dojo," Eliza continued, figuring that Nozomi was going to want every last detail. "She says she still writes lyrics and poems from time to time, but it's more freelance work than it is... well, work-related work."

"Mmm-hmm; and how are things going with her husband?"

"They're still going steady; they've talked about having kids, but Umi wants to wait until the time is just right."

"Umi always was a pure maiden," Nozomi remarked. "Made it all the easier for us to tease her!"

She started chuckling again, which immediately transitioned into another fit of coughing.

"Nozomi!" Eliza scolded. "Easy!"

"I'm fine," Nozomi dismissed. "Just... keep going; how are Rin and Hanayo doing? Are they still working at the record store?"

"As a matter of fact," Eliza explained. "When I told them you had been shot, they finally decided it was time for a change of pace and submitted their Starfleet applications."

"Oh, that's great!" Nozomi replied. "Any idea what fields they're aiming for?"

"They're still on the fence about that, but Rin's apparently taken a shine to Engineering, and Hanayo's leaning towards Astrometrics."

"Well, I wish the two of them the best of luck in their endeavors; and what about Nico and Maki?"

Eliza pursed her lips as she deliberated on how she was going to go about this.

"...Nico's pregnant." she blurted out the first thing that came to her.

Nozomi cupped her hands together delightedly. "Oh, Elichi, that's wonderful! I know that the two of them have been trying for so long!"

"You should've heard Maki when she first broke the news," Eliza smiled, fondly recalling their last conversation. "She was so excited, Nozomi; You wouldn't have even recognized her from back when she was still in high school."

"It seems we've come a long way since then..." Nozomi lamented. "Anyways, do they know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"It's a girl," Eliza replied. "It took Nico a bit of convincing, but they've decided to name her Tsubaki, after Maki's grandmother."

"Tsubaki Nishikino... it's got a ring to it, not gonna lie," Nozomi commented. "Or would it be Tsubaki Yazawa?"

"They're still debating on the family name," Eliza chuckled. "But either way, the both of them are excited for this baby; they've even converted the spare bedroom in their apartment into a nursery- music-themed, of course."

"I would've expected nothing else from the two of them," Nozomi sighed. "Be sure to send to send them my best wishes."

"Will do, Nozomi," Eliza smiled.

Amu approached. "Captain. She does need to get her rest," she reminded her politely.

"Well, I'd best get going, then," Eliza sighed as she stood up and straightened out her uniform. "But before I go, do yourself a favor, Nozomi?"

"Mmmm?"

"Take care of yourself, please? For me? For all of us back home?"

Nozomi smiled. "You know me well enough to know that I can't guarantee that, Elichi."

Eliza frowned, but she knew deep down that Nozomi was probably right; even if it was to her own detriment sometimes, it was simply in her nature to lend a hand to someone in need. With a heavy heart, she turned and made her way out the door, wondering if the next time she crossed paths with Nozomi, it would be at her funeral.

---

Posting By (In Order Of Appearance):

Captain Eliza Nanjō
Commanding Officer, USS Moscow (NCC-61025)

Hapless Custodian
Janitor, USS Tokyo (NCC-91101)

Lieutenant JG Amu Hinamori
Flight Deck Chief Medic, USS Tokyo (NCC-91101)

Lieutenant Iowa Riverside
Fighter Pilot, USS Tokyo (NCC-91101)

Ensign Nozomi Kusuda
Fighter Pilot, USS Tokyo (NCC-91101)

 

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