Inner Voyages 2
"Ni-ban sake. Kudasai."
"What did you say?"
Beverly smiles. "I ordered sake."
Kathryn narrows her eyes. "Are you planning on getting me drunk?"
The server brings a bottle of cold sake and pours two cups for the women.
"Kompai!" Beverly says and drinks.
"Kompai."
Beverly refills Kathryn's cup and hands the bottle for Kathryn to fill hers.
"So. Start at the beginning. I want to know everything from the first symptom."
"I started noticing little things about three weeks ago. We were out past Deep Space 13. Doing a survey on a cluster of red dwarfs. It was just random stuff. Dropping things. Muscle twitches. Headaches. Forgetting things. Lots of little things that, by themselves, wouldn't be worth mentioning. Was never consistent. Random. One day my right hand, another my left. I put it off to being over worked, tried to get my sleep, limited my coffee. I would seem to be better for a day or two and then a new symptom would show up. The first time I fell, I was confused. I wasn't dizzy, didn't trip over anything. Just one second I was fine and the next I was on the floor. That's when I started paying attention. Whatever it was, it was definitely getting worse but still nothing specific. I have to admit, it scared me how fast it seemed to be progressing."
"Did you talk to your CMO?" Beverly asks.
"We don't have one. Not really. We lost our medical personnel during the accident. Had to activate the EMH."
"They Emergency Medical Hologram? You're kidding? That's been your doctor all this time? Why didn't you replace it?"
"Him." Kathryn corrects her. "We didn't have anyone who had any real medical training. After four years, well, he had evolved, become part of our crew. When we got back, I didn't have the heart to deactivate him."
"So you had some sort of medical help. Why didn't you go to him? At least when you hurt yourself?"
Kathryn sighs. "I thought about it but, by the time I broke my ankle, well, I was pretty sure it was something in my head. I did some research. Found all sorts of horrible things. Iverson's Syndrome, Creutzfeldt-Jakob, ALS, Valteck Disease. All career enders. I can't do that. My ship. My crew. They're all I have left. I can't lose them. And if The Doctor knew, well, he's a friend and a part of my crew but he's also part of the computer. He follows the rules. There is no reasoning, no compromise. He would report me to StarFleet and that would be the end of me."
Beverly nods. "So you came to me. Because I'm a rule breaker."
Kathryn lowers her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do. I heard you were here. On Earth. I know your reputation. You're the best doctor in StarFleet. I made an excuse to come here. You're the only one who can help me. You have to help me. I have no one else."
Beverly takes the other woman's hand. "I will help you Katie. I'll do what I can. But you're wrong."
Kathryn looks up, startled.
"I'm not a rule breaker. The rules are there for a reason, to protect everyone. If you do, and I'm not saying you do, but if you do have a degenerative brain disease, I can't let you captain a ship. That being said, I have been known to bend a rule or two, when the situation warrants it. I will keep your secret, at least until we know for sure what we're dealing with."
"Thank you Beverly."
"Now drink up," Beverly tells her as she fills Kathryn's sake cup again. "This way no one will wonder when you come stumbling home."
