Chapter Two
//"Dad! Dad!" Sixteen-year-old Julian ran into his father's office, waving a padd in the
air. "Guess what? You'll never believe it?"
Richard Bashir barely glanced up from his computer screen. "What do you want,
Julian?"
The disinterested tone pulled Julian up short, but he plowed forward anyway. "I just got
a communiqué from Starfleet Medical! They're going to accept me into their program as
soon as I finish high school! Isn't that great?"
Bashir still did not look up. "That's nice, Julian."
Julian's expression became wounded. Didn't his father know how hard he had worked to
get accepted into medical school? After working hard to graduate top in his class, track
down sponsors, and find glowing recommendations, he was finally going to go to
medical school, and Bashir couldn't seem to care less.
"Don't you care?" he asked sullenly.
As soon as the words left his lips, he knew they had been the wrong ones. A cold hand
gripped at his heart as hard eyes finally turned to him, burning with anger.
"Care?" Bashir echoed. "How dare you ask me that! After all the work I did to see to it
that you went to the best schools, received the best education money could buy, and give
you a damn good home, you have the gall to ask me if I care? Do you care how hard I
work to put food on the table, clothes on your back? Pay for your tuition? Your tennis
lessons? Until you start earning money of your own, don't you dare question me about
that! Now get out of my sight!"
Julian stood, stunned, for a brief moment. The glory of being accepted into Starfleet
Medical had all but rescinded into dying embers. Guilt and pain fought for dominance in
his heart as he turned and slunk out of his father's office.//
Julian Bashir opened his eyes and sat up, the dream still fresh in his memory. Gods, how
that rejection had hurt. Nothing he had ever done had ever measured up in Richard
Bashir's eyes. Everything Julian had accomplished meant absolutely nothing, because he
should have done better. It didn't matter that officers were fighting amongst each other
to get Julian under their command; all that Richard Bashir had cared about was that he
had only graduated second in his class, and not first.
Realizing that sleep would be elusive that night, Julian threw aside his covers and stood.
A quick check of his chronometer showed that it was nearly six in the morning. A good
time for some exercise and breakfast before reporting to the Infirmary for the day's shift.
If he were really lucky, he would be able to avoid seeing his father at all today.
=/\=
Commander Benjamin Sisko tugged at the hem of his dress uniform as he waited for the
Persephone to dock. Glancing around, he saw his first officer and security chief shifting
restlessly. He had only asked for Kira and Odo to join him in greeting the ambassador as
a formality, since DS9 was only a brief stopover for the ship. He was mildly surprised to
find that Julian was nowhere to be seen.
Sisko tapped his communicator. "Sisko to Bashir. Doctor, will you be joining us this
afternoon?"
Julian's soft British lilt sounded tense, even over the communicator. "Er . . . sorry, sir.
Something came up in the Infirmary that required my immediate attention. I'm afraid I
won't be able to make it there."
Sisko raised his eyebrows and shared curious looks with Odo and Kira. "I see. I'll give
Ambassador Bashir your regrets. Sisko out."
"That's odd," Kira commented. "I wonder what could be keeping Julian from meeting his
father."
"Maybe we can ask him later," Sisko stated as the airlock doors began to roll open.
Slipping on his game face, he stepped forward and grinned welcomingly as three officers
stepped onto the station. "Good afternoon, and welcome to Deep Space Nine. I am
Commander Benjamin Sisko. This is my first officer, Major Kira, and my chief of
security, Constable Odo." Sisko gestured to his officers as they were introduced.
A tall, lithe woman with short brown hair, green eyes, and a ready smile stepped forward
to shake Sisko's hand. "Thank you, Commander. I am Captain Melissa Talbot. Allow
me to introduce my first officer, Commander Nicholas Hawk."
Talbot stepped back, allowing Hawk to shake Sisko's hand. Hawk was a tall, muscular
man. From reading his personnel file the day before, Sisko knew that the man was also a
Betazoid.
The third person in their party was a stocky man with brown hair slowly turning gray. He
had dull brown eyes and pale skin. The ever-present sparkle and enthusiasm for life that
Julian seemed to possess was absent from this man's face. If not for the situation at hand,
Sisko would never have guessed that this dour man was his ebullient doctor's father.
"You must be Ambassador Bashir," the commander stated, holding out his hand. "It's an
honor to meet you. Julian has done an excellent job for us here on the station. You must
be very proud."
Bashir accepted the hand without so much a grin. "Yes, well, Julian does tend to excel in
any situation, despite his rather unprofessional attitude. It's the breeding, you know."
Sisko blinked at the ambassador's words. Kira was trying hard to disguise her shock, and
Odo was staring openly at Bashir. Sisko attempted to save face. "Yes, well, Julian sends
his apologies. Apparently, an emergency came up in the Infirmary that required his
attention. He'll stop by to see you later."
Bashir snorted and clasped his hands behind his back. "I'm sure. Well, how about this
tour I was promised?"
Sisko glanced at Kira, then forced a smile on his face. "Right this way, Ambassador."
As Sisko led the newcomers down the corridor, Kira fell into step beside Odo. "That's
Julian's father?" she whispered in disbelief.
Odo grunted. "Hard to believe, isn't it? I don't know why, but there's something about
him that sets me on edge."
"There's something about him that makes me want to rearrange his face," Kira replied.
"Thank the Prophets he's only here for a week."
=/\=
Jadzia Dax entered the Infirmary and glanced around for Julian. Spying him in front of
his computer screen, she walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. Julian
jumped.
"Sorry," Dax said with a light smile. "What's the matter with you? You've been so
jumpy lately."
Julian sighed. "Nothing, Jadzia, sorry. I was just finishing up my report to Starfleet
Medical about the flu vaccine. I've heard from other doctors, and they tell me that their
patients are responding well to treatment. Hopefully, Starfleet can implement this
vaccine and stop the epidemic before it gets out of hand."
"Couldn't this have waited until later?" Dax asked. "I saw Benjamin a few minutes ago,
giving the tour to you father. I was a little surprised to see you weren't with them."
Julian's face became devoid of expression. "Well, this was rather important. I just had a
few more patients come in with the Bolarian flu, and it's beginning to look as though I
may need to administer the vaccine to everyone in the station."
Dax winced. With over a thousand inhabitants on the station, not to mention the crews of
the ships currently docked, it would take Julian at least a week to vaccinate them all. "Is
there any way I can help? Maybe we can alter the vaccine into a gaseous state and
release it through the air vents."
Julian shook his head. "In gaseous form, the vaccine is rendered neutral. I have to
administer it intramuscularly." He sighed again. "I guess I had better begin preparing
hyposprays."
"Take a break first, Julian, and go see your father," Dax urged. "The vaccine can wait a
couple of hours."
Julian opened his mouth to reply, but Sisko's voice caused him to leap to his feet.
" . . . and this is our Infirmary."
Julian's soft, hazel eyes locked on the figure of a man he hadn't seen in over five years.
Everyone else in the room faded into the background as memories long buried rushed to
the fore.
Bashir's eyes lazily traced the room before falling on his son. Father and son stared at
one another for several long moments, neither man saying a word.
"It's adequate," Bashir finally said.
Sisko cleared his throat. "You know, this place was a shambles when I arrived. Julian
built this Infirmary up from the ground all on his own, and it's now a first-rate medical
facility."
"I had help," Julian mumbled, eyes still glued on his father.
"Yes, I'm sure," Bashir replied.
Dax's eyebrows were drawn together in confusion, a frown beginning to form on her
face. Sisko gestured to her. "This is our science officer, Lieutenant Jadzia Dax."
Dax held out her hand. "A pleasure, sir. You know, what you did on Kalani VII was
nothing short of amazing."
Bashir raised his eyebrows in surprise, and his demeanor became warmer. "Well, thank
you, but you couldn't be any older than Julian, and he was only seven at the time."
Dax nodded. "I know. But Curzon Dax followed those negotiations very closely, and he
was very impressed."
"You don't say," Bashir replied. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant."
"Same here, sir," Dax told him. "And I have to tell you it's been an honor working with
your son. He's a very gifted doctor."
The warmth that had just begun to pervade the room left just as quickly. "Yes, I know.
Julian wasn't terribly good at many things, but being a doctor was the exception."
He turned to Sisko. "Well, Commander, I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry.
Shall we return to that interesting bar across the Promenade?"
Without waiting for an answer, Bashir strode out of the room unaware of his son's face
flaming in humiliation. Sisko and the rest of his entourage gave Julian sympathetic looks
before following the ambassador back onto the Promenade.
Dax realized that her mouth was hanging open and shut it with an audible snap. "So . . .
that's your father."
Julian turned back to his computer. "That's him."
The Trill regarded her friend carefully. "Well, I'm sure he's a very gifted ambassador."
Julian shrugged, choosing not to comment.
"I'm sure he didn't mean what he said," Dax tried again. "Maybe, once he's settled-."
"Jadzia, just stop," Julian said wearily. "You don't know him. Once he's made up his
mind about something, nothing will change it. Not even if the Prophets sucked him up
and told him. Or the Dominion."
"Or even his own son?" Dax added softly.
Julian snorted derisively, much to Dax's surprise. "Just leave it alone, Dax. It isn't worth
it to get involved."
As he left to collect more hyposprays from storage, Dax let her mind turn inward. There
was something about the whole situation that rang bells inside her head. She couldn't put
her finger on it, but whatever Julian was dealing with in regards to his father, there was a
deeper story than he was letting on. If Julian wasn't willing to shed any light on the
subject, then Dax would have to do a little investigating of her own.
//"Dad! Dad!" Sixteen-year-old Julian ran into his father's office, waving a padd in the
air. "Guess what? You'll never believe it?"
Richard Bashir barely glanced up from his computer screen. "What do you want,
Julian?"
The disinterested tone pulled Julian up short, but he plowed forward anyway. "I just got
a communiqué from Starfleet Medical! They're going to accept me into their program as
soon as I finish high school! Isn't that great?"
Bashir still did not look up. "That's nice, Julian."
Julian's expression became wounded. Didn't his father know how hard he had worked to
get accepted into medical school? After working hard to graduate top in his class, track
down sponsors, and find glowing recommendations, he was finally going to go to
medical school, and Bashir couldn't seem to care less.
"Don't you care?" he asked sullenly.
As soon as the words left his lips, he knew they had been the wrong ones. A cold hand
gripped at his heart as hard eyes finally turned to him, burning with anger.
"Care?" Bashir echoed. "How dare you ask me that! After all the work I did to see to it
that you went to the best schools, received the best education money could buy, and give
you a damn good home, you have the gall to ask me if I care? Do you care how hard I
work to put food on the table, clothes on your back? Pay for your tuition? Your tennis
lessons? Until you start earning money of your own, don't you dare question me about
that! Now get out of my sight!"
Julian stood, stunned, for a brief moment. The glory of being accepted into Starfleet
Medical had all but rescinded into dying embers. Guilt and pain fought for dominance in
his heart as he turned and slunk out of his father's office.//
Julian Bashir opened his eyes and sat up, the dream still fresh in his memory. Gods, how
that rejection had hurt. Nothing he had ever done had ever measured up in Richard
Bashir's eyes. Everything Julian had accomplished meant absolutely nothing, because he
should have done better. It didn't matter that officers were fighting amongst each other
to get Julian under their command; all that Richard Bashir had cared about was that he
had only graduated second in his class, and not first.
Realizing that sleep would be elusive that night, Julian threw aside his covers and stood.
A quick check of his chronometer showed that it was nearly six in the morning. A good
time for some exercise and breakfast before reporting to the Infirmary for the day's shift.
If he were really lucky, he would be able to avoid seeing his father at all today.
=/\=
Commander Benjamin Sisko tugged at the hem of his dress uniform as he waited for the
Persephone to dock. Glancing around, he saw his first officer and security chief shifting
restlessly. He had only asked for Kira and Odo to join him in greeting the ambassador as
a formality, since DS9 was only a brief stopover for the ship. He was mildly surprised to
find that Julian was nowhere to be seen.
Sisko tapped his communicator. "Sisko to Bashir. Doctor, will you be joining us this
afternoon?"
Julian's soft British lilt sounded tense, even over the communicator. "Er . . . sorry, sir.
Something came up in the Infirmary that required my immediate attention. I'm afraid I
won't be able to make it there."
Sisko raised his eyebrows and shared curious looks with Odo and Kira. "I see. I'll give
Ambassador Bashir your regrets. Sisko out."
"That's odd," Kira commented. "I wonder what could be keeping Julian from meeting his
father."
"Maybe we can ask him later," Sisko stated as the airlock doors began to roll open.
Slipping on his game face, he stepped forward and grinned welcomingly as three officers
stepped onto the station. "Good afternoon, and welcome to Deep Space Nine. I am
Commander Benjamin Sisko. This is my first officer, Major Kira, and my chief of
security, Constable Odo." Sisko gestured to his officers as they were introduced.
A tall, lithe woman with short brown hair, green eyes, and a ready smile stepped forward
to shake Sisko's hand. "Thank you, Commander. I am Captain Melissa Talbot. Allow
me to introduce my first officer, Commander Nicholas Hawk."
Talbot stepped back, allowing Hawk to shake Sisko's hand. Hawk was a tall, muscular
man. From reading his personnel file the day before, Sisko knew that the man was also a
Betazoid.
The third person in their party was a stocky man with brown hair slowly turning gray. He
had dull brown eyes and pale skin. The ever-present sparkle and enthusiasm for life that
Julian seemed to possess was absent from this man's face. If not for the situation at hand,
Sisko would never have guessed that this dour man was his ebullient doctor's father.
"You must be Ambassador Bashir," the commander stated, holding out his hand. "It's an
honor to meet you. Julian has done an excellent job for us here on the station. You must
be very proud."
Bashir accepted the hand without so much a grin. "Yes, well, Julian does tend to excel in
any situation, despite his rather unprofessional attitude. It's the breeding, you know."
Sisko blinked at the ambassador's words. Kira was trying hard to disguise her shock, and
Odo was staring openly at Bashir. Sisko attempted to save face. "Yes, well, Julian sends
his apologies. Apparently, an emergency came up in the Infirmary that required his
attention. He'll stop by to see you later."
Bashir snorted and clasped his hands behind his back. "I'm sure. Well, how about this
tour I was promised?"
Sisko glanced at Kira, then forced a smile on his face. "Right this way, Ambassador."
As Sisko led the newcomers down the corridor, Kira fell into step beside Odo. "That's
Julian's father?" she whispered in disbelief.
Odo grunted. "Hard to believe, isn't it? I don't know why, but there's something about
him that sets me on edge."
"There's something about him that makes me want to rearrange his face," Kira replied.
"Thank the Prophets he's only here for a week."
=/\=
Jadzia Dax entered the Infirmary and glanced around for Julian. Spying him in front of
his computer screen, she walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. Julian
jumped.
"Sorry," Dax said with a light smile. "What's the matter with you? You've been so
jumpy lately."
Julian sighed. "Nothing, Jadzia, sorry. I was just finishing up my report to Starfleet
Medical about the flu vaccine. I've heard from other doctors, and they tell me that their
patients are responding well to treatment. Hopefully, Starfleet can implement this
vaccine and stop the epidemic before it gets out of hand."
"Couldn't this have waited until later?" Dax asked. "I saw Benjamin a few minutes ago,
giving the tour to you father. I was a little surprised to see you weren't with them."
Julian's face became devoid of expression. "Well, this was rather important. I just had a
few more patients come in with the Bolarian flu, and it's beginning to look as though I
may need to administer the vaccine to everyone in the station."
Dax winced. With over a thousand inhabitants on the station, not to mention the crews of
the ships currently docked, it would take Julian at least a week to vaccinate them all. "Is
there any way I can help? Maybe we can alter the vaccine into a gaseous state and
release it through the air vents."
Julian shook his head. "In gaseous form, the vaccine is rendered neutral. I have to
administer it intramuscularly." He sighed again. "I guess I had better begin preparing
hyposprays."
"Take a break first, Julian, and go see your father," Dax urged. "The vaccine can wait a
couple of hours."
Julian opened his mouth to reply, but Sisko's voice caused him to leap to his feet.
" . . . and this is our Infirmary."
Julian's soft, hazel eyes locked on the figure of a man he hadn't seen in over five years.
Everyone else in the room faded into the background as memories long buried rushed to
the fore.
Bashir's eyes lazily traced the room before falling on his son. Father and son stared at
one another for several long moments, neither man saying a word.
"It's adequate," Bashir finally said.
Sisko cleared his throat. "You know, this place was a shambles when I arrived. Julian
built this Infirmary up from the ground all on his own, and it's now a first-rate medical
facility."
"I had help," Julian mumbled, eyes still glued on his father.
"Yes, I'm sure," Bashir replied.
Dax's eyebrows were drawn together in confusion, a frown beginning to form on her
face. Sisko gestured to her. "This is our science officer, Lieutenant Jadzia Dax."
Dax held out her hand. "A pleasure, sir. You know, what you did on Kalani VII was
nothing short of amazing."
Bashir raised his eyebrows in surprise, and his demeanor became warmer. "Well, thank
you, but you couldn't be any older than Julian, and he was only seven at the time."
Dax nodded. "I know. But Curzon Dax followed those negotiations very closely, and he
was very impressed."
"You don't say," Bashir replied. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant."
"Same here, sir," Dax told him. "And I have to tell you it's been an honor working with
your son. He's a very gifted doctor."
The warmth that had just begun to pervade the room left just as quickly. "Yes, I know.
Julian wasn't terribly good at many things, but being a doctor was the exception."
He turned to Sisko. "Well, Commander, I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry.
Shall we return to that interesting bar across the Promenade?"
Without waiting for an answer, Bashir strode out of the room unaware of his son's face
flaming in humiliation. Sisko and the rest of his entourage gave Julian sympathetic looks
before following the ambassador back onto the Promenade.
Dax realized that her mouth was hanging open and shut it with an audible snap. "So . . .
that's your father."
Julian turned back to his computer. "That's him."
The Trill regarded her friend carefully. "Well, I'm sure he's a very gifted ambassador."
Julian shrugged, choosing not to comment.
"I'm sure he didn't mean what he said," Dax tried again. "Maybe, once he's settled-."
"Jadzia, just stop," Julian said wearily. "You don't know him. Once he's made up his
mind about something, nothing will change it. Not even if the Prophets sucked him up
and told him. Or the Dominion."
"Or even his own son?" Dax added softly.
Julian snorted derisively, much to Dax's surprise. "Just leave it alone, Dax. It isn't worth
it to get involved."
As he left to collect more hyposprays from storage, Dax let her mind turn inward. There
was something about the whole situation that rang bells inside her head. She couldn't put
her finger on it, but whatever Julian was dealing with in regards to his father, there was a
deeper story than he was letting on. If Julian wasn't willing to shed any light on the
subject, then Dax would have to do a little investigating of her own.