Bereavement
by Starsinger
Most of you probably know what I'm talking about. Here in the US I've heard it called Bereavement of Compassionate Leave. Those of you the US probably know of the Family Emergency Medical Leave Act (FEMLA). When someone in a family dies or has a medical emergency, leave is given to an individual so that they can take care of whatever they need to have done. I experienced this four years ago in February. Two people are taken away, and the Enterprise is there to take care of those left behind. This is part of the Deneva Series. Don't own them.
It was a year into the five year mission when two people received heartbreaking news. First hint was McCoy was asked by Sulu for a few minutes of his time. McCoy gave the conn to Scotty and took his weapons specialist into his office. Sulu had just received word that had just received word that his ex-wife and daughter were in a terrible hovercar accident. Demora, his little girl, survived, her mother did not.
Leonard's relationship with his own ex-wife had been turbulent at best, and had driven him to drink before Jocelyn dumped Joanna on his doorstep. He couldn't even begin to fathom the idea that Sulu still loved his late ex-wife. Theirs had been an amicable divorce, and the only reason Sulu had been separated from his daughter was because he went to space. The reason for the divorce had been much simpler than Leonard's split with Jocelyn, Sulu was gay.
Just before Leonard could comm the Bridge and ask for a course change into the Terran system, he received bad news of his own. His mother, Hannah, had passed away from heart failure. Sulu looked at his Captain to discover his hands covering his face. Sulu came around to read the message and put his arms around Leonard. Whatever they faced on Earth, they wouldn't be alone.
The problem with having families on board the Enterprise, Jim reflected, wasn't so much the kids as the broken bones that occurred when they didn't put up their toys. Geoff was laughing at him as he'd had to be brought into Sickbay on a stretcher after tripping over one of Peter's toys and breaking his leg and big toe. "Just wait until you have kids, Geoff," Jim warned. Geoff just shook his head as he set up the regenerator. Unfortunately, the breaks were bad enough that Jim would be on crutches for a couple of weeks after they were done. They both looked up as Leonard walked in.
"What happened to you?" McCoy asked with bemusement.
"One of Peter's toys this morning, and an Ensign caught in a plasma explosion down in Engineering. They called me, I tripped, ended up calling Geoff, and here I am," Jim replied.
"What happened to the Ensign?" McCoy asked.
"Next time we're near Earth we'll be delivering his remains," Geoff replied. "There was nothing I could do. Fourth degree burns covered 90% of his body." McCoy winced, even with today's technology there wasn't much that could be done for something that extensive.
"We'll be at Earth in two hours," Leonard replied. "Sulu received word that his ex-wife was killed in a hovercar accident, and he needs to take custody of his daughter, Demora, and," Jim watched as his friend sighed, "Hannah died yesterday morning in her sleep." Jim nodded in sympathy. His own grandfather, Tiberius, had died two months into their mission, and they'd had to drop Jim and the kids off at a Starbase to catch a ride back to Earth. It had taken twelve ships, a luxury cruise liner, and three shuttles to get them there and back.
They arrived in time to help Sulu through the first funeral. His ex-wife, Li, was laid to rest in a family plot in the local cemetery. Her family embraced him when they saw him, letting him know, wordlessly, how much they appreciated him being there. He attended the gathering afterwards trying to comprehend what he was going to do next. It was Li's grandmother who told him. "Go to Demora, she's still in the hospital, and needs her Daddy. I will miss her," she leaned into him as he wrapped his arms around the elderly woman. "You'd better send lots of pictures!" Hikaru laughed and promised.
Jim went with Sulu to the hospital. As the ship's CMO, he'd be looking after her when she was released from the hospital. Demora was now ten years old, the same age as Joanna, her whole face lit up as she recognized her visitors, "Daddy! Uncle Jim!" she cried. Jim hobbled over to her bed to look at her chart as Sulu wound his arms around his little girl.
"How is she?" Hikaru finally asked.
"Well, she and I will be on crutches for the next few weeks. She suffered internal bleeding and some damage in the crash, but, from what I can see, she should be fine. I want a full scan and blood work-up before she's discharged for my own peace of mind, but she should be released in a couple of days," Jim replied.
"You must be Dr. Kirk," a female voice sounded behind them. "I'm Eloise Berens, Demora's pediatrician." She held out a hand to Jim. Jim smiled at the tall, dark woman standing in front of them.
"You do good work," Jim said with a smile.
"Thank you, Dr. Kirk. Yes, she will be released tomorrow, barring unforeseen complications. We'll have the scans and blood work done tomorrow and sent to your PADD. I understand you have another funeral to attend," Eloise replied.
"Yes, unfortunately," Jim replied.
Jim smiled as Sulu proclaimed to Demora, "You're coming to live with me on the Enterprise!" Demora squealed. Her mother had remarried and she had ended up sharing a room with two stepsisters. On the Enterprise, she'd have her own room.
The scene repeated itself the next day in Georgia as the McCoy clan gathered to pay their last respects to their matriarch. Joanna sobbed inconsolably as they laid her beloved grandmother to rest. Like for Sulu's ex-wife, all of the command staff stood near the graveside in full dress uniforms. Carol stood behind Leonard, a comforting had on his shoulder. His father, David, was in the grave next to the one where Hannah was being laid to rest.
The gathering at the McCoy residence was just as solemn as the one at the Sulu residence. Sulu had to hurriedly leave soon after paying his respects so that he would be at the hospital when Demora was released. "I can't believe she's gone," Leonard told Jim quietly.
"Yeah, I imagine Sulu's feeling the same way right about now. Where'd you put them?"
"Next to you," McCoy replied. "I figured having kids her age nearby would help in the transition."
The next day their return to the Enterprise was a somber one. Peter helped carry Demora's luggage to her new home. The little girl was quiet and made minimal responses to the attempts at conversation around her. Peter finally gave up, before it finally dawned on him, they had something in common. "Do you know why I live with my Uncle Jim?" he asked.
Demora shook her head, "No."
"I once lived on a planet called Deneva. It was beautiful world where nothing exciting ever happened. Then, one day, aliens invaded my home and killed a lot of people before Starfleet could arrive. My parents were among them. Uncle Jim's wife was another. So, I went to live with Uncle Jim. Eventually, my sister Penny and cousin Marina were found. So, we all live with Uncle Jim."
"You've lost your Mommy too?" Demora asked with a small sob.
"Yes, I have, but, fortunately, like you, I have people who love me and want to take care of me," Peter responded. McCoy watched as the girl started to cry. Peter put his arms around her and comforted her in the way only children can comfort other children.