The best news

Posted on 07 Jun 2026 @ 10:17pm by Lieutenant T’Mari Rael & Lieutenant Commander Kennedy Monroe M.D.
Edited on on 09 Jun 2026 @ 4:33pm

2,160 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Epitaph
Location: Kennedy‘s office, USS Blackhawk
Timeline: February 7, 2391|| 0800 hours

“Thank you for making the time to meet with me,“ Kennedy opened, now that they were both sitting across from each other and enjoying various refreshments in her office. Kennedy was reminded how much she liked the ship’s counselor, and not for the first time she had the thought they should get together for pure social reasons more often. They shared a similar commitment and set of responsibilities to the crew and perhaps a mutual appreciation for how those responsibilities could be a daily, sometimes lonely challenge. “I wanted to collaborate with you regarding Harvey and Joey‘s healing, but it also occurs to me their recent traumas could’ve perhaps stirred up some of your own. How are you doing?“

“I’m okay I guess” T’Mari offered a smile. “I’ve been so busy helping others I haven’t really had a chance to get down deep on my own feelings. I practically crawl into bed and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, at least up until recently. Now it’s a bit quieter I do find myself jumping at the smallest noise in my office, which seems silly really. At least it does to me, it’s not like I was the one held in captivity all those months ago.”

T’Mari’s comment about falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow resonated with Kennedy. Battle medicine was about keeping people alive, but post combat medicine was about true healing. One involved surviving on adrenaline and the other involved patience and resilience. Post combat medicine meant taking a closer look at wounds, both physical and mental, that had previously only been patched up. It required a thoroughness and a determination that was as exhausting as it was satisfying. “That may be true, but vicarious trauma is real, and I imagine you’ve been hearing a lot of traumatic stories. It makes sense you would experience your own reminders.”

T’Mari nodded. “I’ll admit there’s been a time or two when I’ve jumped at my own shadow, that moment you think you catch something in your peripheral vision you know? It’s made me a little jumpy from time to time, but I’m not going to fall apart when I have people who need me.”

"I get that," Kennedy replied, "but it occurs to me people in Starfleet, those like us in healthcare especially, always have people who need us, so there's never a good time to fall apart even when it's necessary to fall apart to heal again," she added with a grin.

She paused, then added, "All that to say, if you need an ear, please don't hesitate to come my way. I imagine it's easy to feel a bit isolated in your work. I have teams of people working with me to share the load, but a lot more falls squarely on your shoulders. It's actually one of the reasons I wanted to talk with you. I don't have the extensive training you do of course, and I would never wish to step on your toes, but I did receive extensive training in behavioral health in the event any posting did not have a counselor, and I was thinking besides assisting you with the crew generally, it would be good to continue to touch base on Harvey and Joey's care."

T’Mari nodded. “Agreed, having someone else to consult with is always welcome. I think they’ve both come a long way since our counselling sessions first started, especially after what they’ve been through.”

Kennedy nodded. "I'm curious about your assessment of their current progress?" Monroe was actually more unsure of how Harvey was doing emotionally. She couldn't say he wasn't doing well, but he was much harder to read. Joey, in contrast, was much more open with her at the start and had continued to be even now.

“Currently Joey is doing very well, she’s been open and honest since our first session. I think she’s come a long way in facing what happened, as for Harvey I have to say he’s been open with me. It wasn’t easy at first having him open up about his feelings, but we’ve worked on that. He and Joey have what they need, each other and their children to help them get past this.”

"I'm relieved to hear Harvey has been able to open up," Kennedy answered. "I didn't ever get the impression he was suppressing things or struggling to convey his feelings per se, he just seems to keep them quite close to the vest. He seems to go out of his way to be agreeable and cooperative but I still left my interactions having no idea if he was putting up a front for everyone's sake. I was concerned it would stall his recovery. In my experience, people fair better when they're as matter of fact and open as Joey has been. What, if anything, can I do to help you to help them in their recovery, like review breathing exercises and the like?"

“That could be useful, yes” T’Mari nodded and smiled. “I doubt either of them would like to be prescribed anything, but if the matter arises then I’ll talk to you regarding that. As for Harvey he’s more open with me simply because I can feel what he’s feeling, you can’t hide from someone who reads your emotions and feels what you feel.”

"I suppose that's true," Kennedy replied. "I imagine the real challenge in that case is sorting out what are truly your emotions and what are his, and using your enhanced understanding wisely. Those of us without such psionic talents have skills to assess what others are feeling too, though admittedly the input we receive looks a bit different and is probably easier to comparttmentalize. I will make a note to mention relaxation strategies at my follow-ups with them, if only to reinforce what you've already shared."

T’Mari nodded. “That sounds good to me, and you’re right sometimes the challenge is sorting my feelings from those I’m sensing. For Betazoids our emotions can overwhelm our senses, causing an empathic blockage so-to-speak.”

Kennedy nodded. “The mind-body connection is so much stronger than people realize. Medical school students learn this when they suddenly become convinced they have every illness they study. I’ve also watched heartbroken people slowly deteriorate, and people very sick slowly get better because they had support and something to live for. Sometimes the best thing people can do to improve their physical health is let go of their emotional baggage.“

“Exactly” T’Mari nodded. “Emotional baggage can cause a lot of harm, when it leads to depression and then on to hopelessness, there can be no light at the end of the tunnel so-to-speak. That’s why I try and catch people early, the sooner they get help the better.” She smiled warmly. “Actually while you’re here I wanted to ask a favour, long story very short I’d like a medical to check whether there’s a reason why, after being pulled back to Vulcan every 7 years I’ve never conceived a child. My mate Tevik is now aboard ship and we want to make a proper go of our relationship, so I just need to know whether there’s a problem.”

“I’d be happy to arrange for you to have an examination, which I would oversee personally,“ Monroe replied, happy to have potential good news after so much darkness. Even if there was somehow a fertility issue, most could be corrected with time and treatment, and the hope for new life was a gift in dark times. “I’d want to be thorough, of course.”

T’Mari nodded and smiled. “I’d appreciate that Kennedy, thank you. Just let me know when is good for you and I’ll fit it into my schedule.”

Monroe grinned. “I’m free now if you are. I don’t have the facilities here, but we both know where we can find them, and unless you’d rather arrange it so that Tevik can join you, I’d be happy to assist. I promise, no reservation needed.”

T’Mari smiled. “Now would be good, I don’t want to worry Tevik with this right now after all it might not be anything to worry about.”

Kennedy agreed. “It doesn’t hurt to rule some things out and I’d be happy to provide what answers I can.“ Now the decision had been made, Kennedy stood with authority. “Come with me, my friend. We will get to the bottom of this together.“

***

“I don’t see anything in your medical history to suggest any potential fertility problems,” Kennedy began, standing across from the counselor who was seated on a biobed in one of the private rooms designed for more extensive or sensitive consultations. “Have you noticed any changes with your menstrual cycle recently?“

“Actually…” T’Mari nodded. “I am late, but I put it down to stress and worry plus with Pon’farr only having been a few weeks ago it can affect bodily rhythms.”

Kennedy certainly knew that to be the case when it came to stress, but as T’Mari spoke about her experience with mating rituals and body rhythms, Monroe wasn’t sure that rang entirely true with what she understood. As she calibrated the bed and grabbed her instruments for a proper scan, she asked, “Following previous Pon Farrs, were you late or did you notice any other symptoms?“

T’Mari paused. “I don’t think so, to be honest I’ve never really treated it as I should have. I never gave Tevik a true chance, mainly because we were thrown together by our parents. Now he’s here I feel differently, and we can start our relationship as it was meant to be.” She smiled. “The joy of arranged marriages!”

Kennedy smiled and was about to ask more questions about arranged marriages just out of pure curiosity when the bed's monitor reading caught her eye. With experience came the ability to keep her expression neutral as she focused on what would otherwise look like continued callibration. She continued to press a few keys on the bed's controls before finally reaching for her tricorder.

Monroe's smile grew bigger and if T'Mari were so inclined, she could have watched Kennedy scan her from head to toe and then back again. When Monroe's eyes met the counselor's, her expression was one of chagrin. "So either you've played one hell of a trick on me, Counselor, or my medical powers are stronger than I imagined, but it seems I have the distinct joy and pleasure of handing out some good news. You, my friend, are not infertile. By definition, pregnant patients don't fit that diagnosis at all."

“Excuse me!?” T’Mari’s eyes widened with surprise. “I’m pregnant!?” She took a moment to shake off the surprise. “I don’t understand how I haven’t sensed…” she paused and took a deep breath letting her senses reach out for the life inside her. “I’m pregnant…”

"It's very early days yet, and given you've never been pregnant before and weren't expecting to be, it makes sense to me you wouldn't know," Kennedy replied. "Take all the time you need to soak it in. In the meantime, I'm going to keep checking on you and the baby, ok?" she added, stil smiling. Monroe had reached around to give T'Mari a side hug of sorts. "We've got this."

T’Mari nodded and smiled. “Thank you Kennedy. I have some big news to go home and tell Tevik.”

Kennedy could only imagine what that conversation would be like. T'Mari seemed very happy with the news and with her relationship but impending parenthood, even in the most solid relationships, meant confronting new challenges. "I'm always here for you both if you have any things you want to talk through, medically speaking or otherwise. In the meantime, I'll set you up with prenatal vitamins and information on what to expect moving forward. Maybe at your next appointment, I can meet Tevik and we can get a proper visual of what's going on in there."

T’Mari nodded. “I’ll look forward to that, thank you again Kennedy. If I think of any questions I’ll let you know.”

After confirming there wasn't anything of concern with the current pregnancy even in these earliest of days, Kennedy was already typing prescriptions and other care instructions into the computer. She hated the administrative side of her job but knew it was important to document everything properly, and this was certainly one of the best reasons for red tape. Her notes finally finished, she looked up and offered a sincerely bright smile. "I'll see you both again soon."

RSS Feed