"Good morning, Hikaru!" Chekov said, sliding into the chair.
Sulu took a drink of his coffee looking up toward the young Russian.
"Morning, Pavel." Sulu said.
Chekov was twenty years old. A young man, fairly, who had spent three years in space. Sulu had gone to known the man quite well. In fact they were best friends sharing rooms because one, Ensigns shared quarters as they were lower ranked officers until they became lieutenants. Sulu, had under unordinary circumstances, requested to share quarters with the man. Captain Kirk had accepted their arrangement. But they had been warned that if they try to make him decided again on their living arrangement he would assign one of them with Lieutenant Uhura or Doctor McCoy's quarters. It was a joke, Sulu knew, played by the captain.
"Three years in space," Chekov said. "I can't believe it went by so fast. I was just seventeen yesterday."
"Yes, you were," Sulu said. "What are you going to do once you get home?"
"Go to a massage spa." Chekov said.
"You deserve it." Sulu said.
"And you?" Chekov wiggled his eyebrows.
"My daughter." Sulu said.
"Demora," Chekov said. "Wasn't she a two year old the last time I saw her?"
"She is four,now." Sulu said.
"I feel like vhen I get back on Earth . . ." Chekov said. "That vill be the end."
Chekov had lowered his head with his eyes on the contents.
"The end?" Sulu said,raising a eyebrow.
"Yes," Chekov said. "The end. For me." The Russian looked up toward Sulu. "I have always felt I would die on Earth rather than in space."
Sulu took Chekov's hand.
"How long have you felt this way?" Sulu asked.
"Since I vas a young Russian." Chekov said.
"I am going to miss you when you are on Shoreleave." Sulu said.
Chekov looked at Sulu with a look of gratitude in his eye.
"Hikaru. . ." Chekov said. "Thank you for being my best friend."
Sulu cleared his throat.
"How do you feel that you would die?" Sulu asked.
"A air-car crash." Chekov said.
"No," Sulu said. "I feel like you would die of natural causes." He came to the side of the table. "And you are not going to die of unnatural causes while you are around me!"
"Hikaru-" Chekov started to say but then he was tickled by Sulu. His hands let go of the cup and he fell down to his side laughing as the man's fingers went to the tickliest spots. "S-stop that!" He said in-between laughter. "That is not fair. Russians are better at tickling others!"
Chekov turned Sulu over and proceeded to tickle Sulu as the two had fun.
Two months later, Sulu walked onto the bridge without his best friend by his side. His footsteps were heard on the bridge. Jim was reading a report handed to him by Yeoman. Chekov had been in a freak accident. The crew had paid their respects at his funeral and wakening. They had given their eulogies. Ambassador Selek of New Vulcan had visited Sulu with a sad expression on his face for a Vulcan and had told Sulu, "Mr Chekov lived a long and prosper life in my universe." Then had proceeded to explain the truth regarding his identity. It felt like time had become a stand still and nothing was relevant.
Instead of a bright eyed, brow curly haired Russian sitting at the navigation station there was a red head woman at the station sounding Irish. Nothing felt right these days. The world felt empty without his best friend. But what would Chekov do in his position? He would continue living for the sake of his best friend. Sulu had cried his fair share. His best friend. Dead. It was not fair, really. Not fair. He was too young for petes sake. They went through things together. Nothing would ever be the same. Not ever. It would take time for the crew to re-adjust to a new fixture in their life manning the navigational console. A new family member not related by blood.
Sulu manned the helmsmen station. He was operating on auto-pilot. The new girl was Clarice Smith. She was a nice woman but she couldn't fill the void that once had been alive in his heart. During his grieving, Sulu had talked to Chekov as though he was still alive. Killed twenty-three days into his shore leave. Killed by accident by his old fashioned four wheeled car. A freak accident. Chekov was born on Earth and died on Earth. Sulu had talked to Chekov the day before the accident talking about if they should meet up somewhere. Chekov had considered it then gladly accepted it. They had both agreed to considered where they should meet up. Chekov considered asking Mr Spock to meet up but then he voiced his concern that the commander would mistaken them for homosexuals (Since many people did) and he didn't want that to happen with the Vulcan.
Sulu had laughed at his friend's concern and informed him, "It will be all right. He won't judge."
Sulu could still picture Chekov at his station. One that would never be refilled by the young Russian again.
Sulu's shift was over, eventually.
Getting from bridge to his quarters was a blur.
Sulu leaned his side against the doorway and felt tears pushing themselves out. He put one hand on his face and felt the overwhelming urge to cry. He was trembling. Chekov was dead. Dead. Sulu made his away into his quarters then cried with his back to the wall, the world being a little bit darker than usual, and that bright light of his being extinguished. Sulu's shoulders were trembling. His arms were wrapped around his knees. His vision was blurry. Sulu's face was stained by the tears that fell for his friend's demise. Sulu must have been sitting there, weeping, for an hour and a half. First day back on the Enterprise and this is how it feels to be where his best friend once roamed. Served. Lived. Breathed. Talked. Rested. Walked. All of the things that he had done. Sulu had thought he could take space again. But being in space without his best friend was a stab to the heart. It was more difficult than he had anticipated.
Sulu hadn't cried since the funeral.
Sulu heard a beeping from his door.
Sulu wiped his tears off.
Sulu slid himself up the wall then turned around and applied his hand to the screen on the side of the door.
"Doctor?" Sulu asked, tilting his head.
"You have a counseling appointment." McCoy said.
"No, I don't." Sulu said.
"Yes, you do. Everyone who knew him are undergoing this, Mr Sulu," McCoy said. "It was Star Fleet's idea."
"But. . I wasn't told of this." Sulu said, stunned.
"I can't tell you how many times I still think the kid is going to come through the doors and turn out to be alive, that this was one huge prank, and the kid I saw lowered into a grave was not him," McCoy said. "I . . . I . . . I was scheduled to have a session too. "
"So . . . This counseling." Sulu said.
"Only for those off-duty," McCoy said. "Counselor Carol Marcus is waiting for you."
"She sent you?" Sulu asked.
"I sent myself. I just had mine." McCoy said.
Sulu was well aware where the counseling office was. He had gone there a few times because some of the security officers he knew died during the missions off the ship. It wasn't as difficult as this grieving process was for Sulu. McCoy could see the look of loss on the man's face. Jim had it rougher. He had contemplated calling Chekov on the day of his death at least two hours. If he had just picked up the comm and asked if he wanted to hang out then the kid would still be alive today. Chekov had gone to Counselor Marcus himself after losing a prized Tribble to a Klingon warrior. It terrified and practically horrified him that he lost a potential life long companion. Maybe Chekov is with that stupid Tribble.
McCoy stepped aside letting the man go past him.
Spock and Uhura grieved in their own way but not openly. Chekov had looked up to Spock. A father figure,more so, and role model. Uhura was like a sister to Chekov. Chekov had been like a little brother to most of the crew members. He had been like a family member to the Enterprise crew. Scotty would miss the young boy. The comments about Russia being great and having invented outrageous objects would be greatly missed. The bridge of the Enterprise held a different atmosphere that was unlike the one it had before the fatal shore leave. It was heavy and depressing. It would take time for the original atmosphere to come back. Time heals all wounds. Sulu and McCoy shared a glance.
It was a unspoken exchange but the two then headed in the direction of the counselors office.
The End.