Chapter 6: Rest
Summary:
Valerie gets to rest in her own quarters, and Bones has ideas on how to help her regain her memories.
Bones had stayed by Val's side most of that evening, only leaving when Uhura had come after her shift to stay with her. Val had remembered her first name as well, and felt especially comfortable with her, which was good because it made Bones felt a little better about leaving to try and get some rest of his own. By the time she awoke the next morning, he was already back in sickbay and made regular visits by her bed, though Uhura spent most of the day with her as well, having gotten the day off thanks to Jim.
That night Bones walked by Valerie's side as he escorted her back to her quarters. "Are you sure you feel up to staying in your quarters tonight? You're welcome to stay in sickbay another night. A nurse and doctor are there at all times so you wouldn't be alone."
"If you say that physically I'm able, then I think I'd prefer a real bed. And you said that my vitals will continue to be monitored right—so if there was a problem, sickbay would know?"
"That's correct."
"I think I'll be okay in my quarters, then."
"If you need anything, even if it's just a friend—don't hesitate to use your communicator to contact me—okay?"
She smiled. "Thank you Leonard."
He returned the smile at her use of his first name. "You're very welcome, Val."
"I know we talked about that gut feeling I've been getting when I meet people who I recall the names of. It really was different with you. I felt a deep sense of…trust. I can't explain it exactly, but it was different from anyone else."
"I'm glad to hear that you feel you can trust me. Because you can, Val. No question, no concern, nothing is too small—I want you to know you can come to me about any of it."
They arrived at her doorway and she looked at it. "This is my room?"
He nodded. "Would you like me to come in with you?" She nodded. "Okay. Well, the door is keyed to your genetic signature, so when you step towards it, it will open for you. I'd have to use my emergency medical code to enter."
She stepped towards the door and it opened. "Well, at least the ship knows who I am, even if I don't."
As they entered and she began looking around, he spoke. "I have some ideas for how to help with your memories. We can't know for sure which one, if any, will work. Sometimes it just takes time, which I know isn't what you want to hear. But, we at least have some things we can try."
"Like what?" she asked as she examined her room carefully.
"Well, this is a start, seeing things that were important to you. The next would be reading over some of your personal log entries. You can access them from your PADD." He glanced around the room and saw it sitting on a table by the couch. "There it is, right there. You can use voice commands with the computer to help you if you forget how to access it by touch."
"Those seem like good ideas. I guess I can start with that before I go to bed tonight."
"How are you feeling as you look around the room."
She frowned. "It's so strange. It feels familiar, but… it's like I'm walking around a room that I'm familiar with but not because it's my own. Just that I know it. I mean, it feels comfortable." She shrugged. She slowly turned around again taking it all in before stopping and looking to Bones. "I suppose I should let you go now. I know you worked well over your shift time yesterday and today. Thank you, Leonard for taking care of me."
"No problem. If you like, I can come check on you in the morning."
She nodded. "I would like that."
"We can discuss then how things go tonight with your room exploration and log reading and decide what the next step is. Sound good?"
"It does. Thank you again."
"You're very welcome, Val. Don't forget—contact me if you need anything—no matter how silly it seems."