The Monster In My Mirror
by Lyda Mae (RavenDove) Huff
Chapter Seven: The Death Of Jules Bashir
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Richard Bashir entered the school office with trepidation. Jules had never been in a fight in school before. He'd always been a well tempered boy. Even before their trip to Adigieon Prime.
No sooner had the secretary told him to have a seat then Ms. Burke stepped out of her office.
Richard stood up and smiled at the Headmistress. "Good afternoon Ms. Burke."
She looked at him with a level of contempt. "It is not a good afternoon Mr. Bashir."
Richard frowned, "No, I don't suppose it is."
"If you'll step into my office please?"
Richard found Jules sitting on the couch looking paler than the wash. He took a seat next to his son, but found that Jules wouldn't even look at him. "What were you thinking Jules?"
"I wasn't." Julian mumbled.
"What was that young man?" Richard said with a little more anger in his voice.
"I wasn't thinking, Sir." he said back with cold eyes on his Father.
"Your son has already made it clear to me that he regrets hitting Mr. Andrus, Mr Bashir." Ms. Burke said as she took a seat behind her desk and began filling out certain forms. "I on the other hand think there is more going on here than a simple case of bad choices and bad temper."
"Would you care to explain what you mean?" Richard asked.
"This display of aggression is so very out of character for your son, that I'm wondering what might have caused it." she said in answer. "All he will tell me is that he had an argument with you."
"All young men have disagreements with their fathers at some point Ms. Burke."
"Yes they do Mr. Bashir," Elizabeth admitted, "but most of the time they don't cause sons to use their teammates as punching bags in retaliation."
"He didn't use that as an excuse." Richard said with disappointment.
"He refuses to use anything as an excuse Mr. Bashir. In fact it's not what Julian tells me that I find troubling, but what he won't tell me." She stood up and handed a padd to Mr. Bashir.
Richard looked at the padd and nearly jumped out of his seat. "A request for permission to have a medical exam preformed under the Child Welfare Protection in Education Act?" He shook his head in indignation. "What ever for?"
"Your son's behavior today was so out of character for him that I have to rule out all possible causes." Ms. Burke said coldly. "He could be acting out because he's been physically abused, because he's been using illegal drugs, our because he's developed a brain tumor." she folded her arms. "Once these causes have been ruled out I will consider suspending him or any further disciplinary action." Ms. Burke sat down again. "If you deny permission I can obtain a court order to have him removed from your custody until the examination has been completed."
Richard hesitated for just a moment, then imprinted his thumb on the padd. "You'll find absolutely nothing."
Julian looked up at his father with even more distress on his face. "Don't I have a say in this?"
"Unless you've been doing Red Ice with your friends behind my back Jules, you should have nothing to worry about."
"But..." Julian began to protest.
"I know you hate doctors Jules," Richard said, "but if you don't cooperate you won't be going home tonight."
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Because the official forms had been signed for the medical exam Julian was taken to the local hospital. His Father had been left to wait outside while he'd been forced to strip and given two different master scans as well as being holographed in his drawers. Then blood, urine and tissue samples. Finally a Doctor ran a tricorder over him an told him to get dressed. Then he was allowed to go home with his Father.
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"You need to be more careful Jules." Richard said from the driver's seat of the family hovercar. "They weren't looking for genetic tampering this time, but if anyone ever suspected you could end up in an institution for the rest of your life."
"Maybe I belong in an institution," Julian said with venom, "or perhaps an old fashion freak show would be more to your liking."
"Don't talk about yourself that way Jules." Richard said.
"How else should I talk about myself?" Julian asked. "Now that I know exactly what I am."
They pulled into the parking garage for their apartment building, and Julian stormed out of the car and all the way into the building.
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Elizabeth looked over the report twice after receiving it the next day. No trace of illegal substances in the blood. No signs of organ damage that could be attributed to use of illegal substances. No evidence of unreported or improperly treated injury. No evidence of sexual assault of any kind. No trace of disease or chemical imbalance. What ever was rotten in the Bashir household, it wasn't Julian.
The intercom buzzed, "Julian Bashir is here to see you Ms. Burke."
Elizabeth pressed the button, "Please send him in Anne."
Julian entered without looking up at Ms. Burke and handed her a padd.
She read it, and found that she was even less happy than when she had finished reading the medical report. "Transferring you to a Starfleet Academy prep school, so they'll be rid of me."
"No Ma'am." Julian said. He looked her in the eyes with sadness. "My Father has always said he felt I lacked disciplined. After yesterday he decided that a more regimented school might be in my best interest."
She sat back further in her chair. "Do you want to tell me what's really going on between you and your Father before you leave Julian?"
Julian looked at her with the truth on the tip of his tung, but changed his mind. "I'm afraid not Ma'am."
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