“…and that’s the list of today’s meetings.” Ensign Geraldine Parker sat across from her commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Cassidy Montgomery, the Deputy Director of General Medicine.

Cassidy regarded the crowded schedule with her usual annoyance. The events of the last few months had left them with open and closed wounds across the station.  It had been a brutal experience.  The medical team had been tested as the hammers from the Vaadwaur had been thrown against Bravo Station over and over.  The physical wounds were healing slowly.  She winced.  The emotional and psychological cuts were deeper and harder to find, not to mention challenging to heal in short order.

“Deputy Director?”   Her administrative assistant’s insistent voice broke her from her circular thinking.  The concerned look on Parker’s face had been present over the last weeks.  Cassidy had no illusions that the young woman was watching her carefully.  It was part of Parker’s job.

Cassidy replied, “I’m here. I’m just reminded of the mess.” It was her own way of coping—giving it a name that didn’t suddenly dive into her collected memories with a supercharged ion drill.  She tapped her console as she pivoted to a new subject, “We have someone in rotation, don’t we?”

Parker’s sly smile crept out for a moment before she swallowed it in her reply, “You’re getting better at your schedule.”

“Just keeping my mind on task.  Rotation?”  Cassidy returned her attention and tone to reflect the professional discussion ahead.

Parker narrowed her eyes, but carried on. “Cadet Olivia Darwin, third year cadet.”  She slid a PADD over.  “Her dossier is standard.  A loss of a sister when she was three.  Evaluation profiles her as a bit shy and doesn’t seek attention.  She was training on a bomber when the blackout hit, knocking her and her trainer out of warp.  They both made it back, but it wasn’t easy.”

Cassidy read the further details in the file.  She was talented.  The deputy director couldn’t ignore the young woman’s assignment to the elite Cadet Squadron Bravo.  “Call her and have her come to the office.”  She returned to her reports and console. Geraldine coughed.  Cassidy looked up.  “What?”

“Are you going to use this to cancel some meetings?”

“I resent the implication, Ensign Parker.”

Another long silence.  Parker asked, “So….”

“Clear out the morning, at least.” Parker smiled and returned to her desk.  Cassidy called out, “I saw that,” even as her impish smile filled her lips.

Meanwhile, in section kilo-indigo on deck five hundred and twenty-one section two lies Cadet Oliva Darwin in her quarters. The events of the past few months replayed over and over in her head. It felt strange, for as far back as she could remember, her life was uneventful aside from when she was two, but she only found out about that four years later. It wasn’t until she joined Starfleet that her life became… exciting. Eventful. Alive.

Maybe she could get used to this.

“Ensign Parker to Cadet Darwin.”

Or maybe not.

“Darwin here,” she responded, sitting up on the edge of her bed. Darwin dreaded these shadowings, which made her uncomfortable, but her parents, even her brother, insisted that it was for the best. She needs to get out of her comfort zone if she is to grow.

“Lieutenant Commander Montgomery is ready to see you for your medical rotation.”

“Acknowledged, ma-sir. Inform the commander I’m on my way right now,” Darwin said as she stood from her bed, and made her way towards her private head. The channel closed with a click.

After a quick shower, Darwin was now dressed and ready to go. She stood in front of a mirror as she stretched her uniform and prepared herself mentally to leave. Not knowing what would happen next terrified her, but strangely enough, it excited her. Going into the medical field had always been something she thought about, but she wasn’t sure if she could dedicate her entire career to it.

Stepping into the hallway, she looked at the same walls she had seen for the past year. But strangely enough, they felt different. Entering the turbolift, she made her way to the medical offices. Standing outside the door, she braced herself for what was to come.

“Cadet Darwin.” Parker inquired as she walked behind her desk, returning from an errand down the hall.

Darwin turned her head towards where the voice had come from. She spotted the officer, only slightly older than herself. There wasn’t a quiet confidence about the ensign.  It was loud, almost proud.  Parker’s eyes seemed to grab her, pulling her along for whatever ride was next.  Darwin wasn’t sure how to feel about it, and quickly replied, “Hello there,” she said smoothly as she eyed the woman.

Parker responded with a warm smile, hoping it would help the cadet feel somewhat at ease. “Welcome to general medicine. If you’ll follow me, ” she said. She walked to the office door, which opened after a moment. The ensign stepped through, the cadet following on her heels.

Cassidy glanced up from her desk as Parker introduced the cadet.  The deputy director dismissed her assistant and took in the cadet for the first time.  She was young, but stood at attention.  She gestured to the chair on the other side of the desk.  “Welcome to medical, Cadet Darwin.”

The cadet eyed the commander as she sat down opposite her at the desk. Darwin looked at the way her hair was tied up; it was in a loose bun, and that was an interesting choice given her profession. She noticed how her eyes were staring at her. By Dawin’s assessment, the doctor was seeking some indication of her emotions, given her assignment to shadow her.

“Thank you, Lieutenant Commander Montgomery,” Darwin stated, inhaling sharply afterwards. The doctor’s last name was a hard line to say all in one go.

“You can just call me Deputy Director or Dr. Cassidy…or ma’am.  The rank and my name make it difficult to stay all at once.”  She tapped at her PADD, “So—medical rotation.  How are you feeling about it?”

She hated when people asked; it always felt fake to her, even when they were being the most sincere. She couldn’t figure out why that was. There was no real rhyme or reason. “I’m… okay,” she said slowly. Physically, she was the picture of health. In every way but mentally, she was exhausted.

Cassidy let the young woman’s reply hang in the air, leaning into the silence. She would need to build a relationship with the cadet before she pushed for more than her response of ‘okay’.  Instead, she softly nodded, “Not an unusual response.  There’s a lot to contemplate when it comes to the medical rotation.”  She sat back in her chair, “What have you found is the best way for you to learn?  One-on-one, groups, hands-on, textbooks?”

“One-on-one that morphs into hands-on,” she said, pausing as she adjusted in her seat. “I find watching someone else do something usually leads me to watch something faster.” It was true, she often did learn things faster when someone showed her, then left her to do it on her own.

Cassidy made several notes on her PADD and stood from her desk, “Then let’s get started.  We’ve got patients already in general med being seen, so we can start there.”

“Okay,” Darwin said hesitantly as she followed behind Cassidy. It was strange that with every other shadowing, she had been more closed off and hesitant to get involved, but with Cassidy, it was different. She was eager to get involved.  Maybe the medical field is where she is being drawn to. Where she belonged… or was it a stepping stone into her true calling.