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The Doctor paced up and down the medical bay. He checked his internal chronometer, and turned towards his office and sat at his desk. 0740.
He tapped at the console, checking his messages, then looking at his calendar of appointments for the day, before locking the console and standing up again. 0743.
He walked to some samples in the incubator. As he picked one up to examine it, he noticed his holographic hand was shaking, just a touch. He pursed his lips. That aging programming seemed to be more than just cosmetic, but then again he was eight centuries old. The sound of footsteps, and a voice calling “Doctor?” startled him out of his thoughts, and he took his time turning around. She was early. 0745.
He placed the sample back in the incubator, closed the small door, and straightened his uniform as he turned. “Cadet,” he greeted, his warm yet superficial tone, usually reserved for certain patients. “You’re early. I believe we were set to meet at 0800?” He looked her over.
Red command top was tucked neatly into regulation, straight-fit trousers. Her boots were polished and laced, jacket lapels pressed cleanly and insignias pinned straight. Her hair cascaded down her back, but was pulled sleekly away from the face in tiny braids culminating at the crown of her head. She stood tall, making them seem as if they were the same height, even though he had a good 8 inches on her. Her gaze firmly met his, and in her hands she held a coffee cup and a container.
“Yes, sir. I like to be early. I just wanted to let you know I’m here, but I’ll wait outside so I don’t take your time.” She started to walk backwards, before turning and heading out the medbay doors.
“Cadet Lythe!” He called after her. He was dreading this moment, had been even before he had become Sam’s father, but might as well get it over with. As he had learned so many years ago, some aspects of parenting were inevitable. He was only grateful that he had a second chance with Sam, and wanted to do it right this time.
She turned towards him, and this time her gaze didn’t seem so firm. It met his eyes, but flickered towards the floor quickly at first. She walked towards him quickly, and stood, almost as if at attention, in front of him. “Yes, sir.”
“Cadet Lythe, please, step into my office.” He gestured towards the back of the medbay, and followed her. He walked in, and sat at his desk. She stood in front of it. She placed the mug and container on the desk.
“Sir - Doctor, thank you for inviting me to this meeting.” She stuck her hand out.
The Doctor blinked, before taking her hand, nodding as he felt the firm handshake. “You are thanking me for a meeting for which you do not know the purpose. Please, sit.”
She was still standing in front of his desk. She picked up the mug and container. “I brought you some coffee and breakfast pastries. I know Captain Janeaway was a fan of black coffee, but there’s also sugar and cream with the pastries. I went with a mix of sweet and savory breakfast items, so you could have what you prefer.”
The Doctor opened his mouth. He was about to remark that he, like his daughter, was photonic and therefore did not eat or drink. Then, remembering the smile on his daughter’s face when she would say her friend’s name out loud, he chose a polite “Thank you, Cadet.” Then, when she remained standing, he exhaled, picked up the coffee cup, and repeated, “Please, sit.”
This time, she sat. The Doctor took another deep breath, calming his proverbial nerves. Although, as nervous as this foreboding conversation made him feel, it seemed the girl across from him was more. He had several years to observe humanoid behavior.
She sat in the office chair, back straight and shoulders lifted. Her feet were planted flat on the ground, and her hands were clasped in her lap. Her unnerving eye contact pierced through him, and he could see the fear in her eyes. Her golden brow made her look steely and intimidating, he noticed. But her eyes were the true giveaway. He studied her anew, now that they were both at eye level.
He was reminded of another girl, younger than the one in front of him. Of another girl with expressive eyes, round cheeks, and cascading hair. Another girl who was so smart, so kind, so athletic, all ripped away too soon. He blinked. This was not the time to be lost in thought. He didn’t mind making the cadet sit there and squirm, but, ultimately this was about Sam, not him.
“Cadet Lythe,” he began. “I understand my daughter has recently spoken with you.”
“Yes, sir.” Strong and declarative.
“So now, I wanted to speak with you.”
“Yes, sir.” A little less declarative.
“Cadet Lythe, to be blunt, what are your intentions with my daughter?”
“Sir, er, Doctor, I care so much about Sam. She’s my best friend. I would never do anything to hurt her.” Genesis’s hands twitched and she clasped them together tighter.
“Admirable words, Cadet. I do believe you.” The Doctor leaned back in his chair. “But, my daughter is something special.”
“Yes, sir, I know, she’s-”
He held up a hand. “She is something special for so many reasons. Not even delving into her generous character, she has lived… many years in a very short life.” He looked at Genesis, and she nodded. “Even now, she’s had the childhood that she has deserved. But she still holds two sets of memories in her head, but she is not the same Sam she was before we left for Kasq.” Genesis nodded again. “It is important to me, that she is able to live to the fullest. Without any expectations on her. For what she will do, or who she will be.” This time he paused and met Genesis’s eyes.
“Yes, Doctor. I agree. I want her to live and experience… everything she wants. I-” He held up a hand again.
“Cadet, I do not want her to feel any pressure or expectations. I want her to define herself, not be held down by another person.”
“Held down, sir?” She queried. He cursed himself for choosing those words, but he still had a point to make.
“My point, Cadet, is that you do not really know her. No one does. I do not want her to feel pressured to live up to some version of herself, the version that was traumatized to the point of practically having to be reborn.”
He looked at the girl sitting across from him. She blinked several times, and then steadied her gaze again.
“Yes. Doctor, Sam and I did talk about that. I feel similar to you. I mean, Sam is my best friend. I want to help her grow as a person and get to do everything she wants, just like how she helps me. We both are still learning.”
“I’ll be honest Cadet. I don’t think you truly know what I feel. I don’t think you will until you are a parent yourself. And I could wax poetic about my daughter. What I will say to you is this: you bring my daughter great joy. As a parent, all I want for her, is to be happy. That said, I will be keeping a close eye out.”
“Thank you, sir,” she bowed her head to hide the blush creeping into her face. “I know I don’t feel what a parent would feel, but… Sam is more than my best friend, I feel like.”
“Right,” the Doctor concluded.
“She’s the first person who really saw me for me. She didn’t know my last name, she didn’t know anything about me. And when I met her, I was actually scared. Maybe someone was playing some trick on me, spot the linguistic nerd on the first day of class. But… that was just Sam. No tricks. Just Sam. And I should have seen that she was hurting before she had to go to Kasq. She knew that everyone else was hurting. I should have seen that she was too. And then she came back, and she could have tried to forget us, forget me. Or resent me, for not noticing. But she didn’t. She was just… happy to see us.
The Doctor felt a pang hearing how Sam was before their trip to Kasq, and how he had quietly ignored her whispers for help and calls for guidance. The cadet’s eyes were mournful as she recounted.
“And then… well. She was hurting after she came back too. And I should have noticed that also. She was being so hard on herself, on her old self. Calling herself ridiculous, saying she was like a puppy. We were able to talk it out to help you, but I really hope she knows I meant it when I said that she was my hero.” Genesis looked at her lap, and then back at The Doctor. “So, I will also be keeping a close eye out, Doctor. Because I care about Sam, and I don’t want her to hurt ever again.” Back to her hard resolve.
The Doctor shifted in his chair. “Very good, Cadet. Genesis. So, we’re on the same page then.” Genesis nodded. The Doctor continued, picking up the coffee mug to give his hands something to do. “Now, do I love the idea of my precious daughter dating? Of course not. But, if it has to be someone, at least it’s someone who cares about her first.”
He was startled to see the cadet’s brow furrow a bit, the resolve seeming to break. “Yes, Doctor, I think we can count on both of us interrogating any person who wants to date Sam.”
He studied her face again. From his years of medical experience, he could see blood rushing to her face, and the telltale signs of tears beginning to well. What on earths? He had hardly questioned her. Again, he cursed himself for possibly ruining this for Sam. He just wanted to make sure she would be treated like the treasure she is! Pressing his lips together, willing his frustration away, he asked “Cadet, are you quite alright?”
The girl sitting across from him still had her back straight, feet planted on the ground. But now her shoulder had began to round, gaze dropping to the floor again. Hearing her title, she righted herself. “Yes, Doctor. Is there anything else?”
“No.” he answered cautiously. “Are you going to talk with Sam now?”
Genesis twisted her lips. “Do you want me to?”
“Not necessarily. I will divulge this conversation to her next time we spend time together, but you are also free to tell her.” He answered truthfully. He would tell Sam that he spoke to her crush. She would be embarrassed, for sure. Maybe.
Genesis Lythe stood up from her chair. “Yes, sir. Understood. I will speak to her and try to work in the point about how if she dates someone, it should be someone who really values her. Thank you again, Doctor.” She turned on her heel and started to hurry out of his office. Before she could reach too far into medbay, he called out.
“Cadet Lythe!” She froze with her back to him before swiping a hand across her face and turning around to stand at attention. He walked to where she was standing. “No, not understood, Cadet. I don’t think so. I was under the impression that my daughter had spoken to you?” He stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for the answer.
“Well, yes, sir, Doctor. We’re roommates, we speak every day.”
“Has she spoken to you about… what she talked about with Cadet Mir at the bar the other day?” He inwardly cringed even bringing that up.
“Um. No, sir. Doctor.”
He sighed. His dear daughter never made things simple, did she? Here he was, dreading a shovel talk with his daughter’s paramour, only to find that she hadn’t even informed said paramour yet. Either that, or the smartest student in school was also one of the most dense when it came to personal matters. Yet here they were, barely 0800, and a cadet was starting to cry in his medbay.
“Cadet Lythe - Genesis. I believe you need to speak with Sam. And this is what I will say: You have correctly understood that I will not tolerate Sam being with anyone who does not treat her as if she is the sun in a solar system. What I have understood, Genesis, is that you clearly care for her very much, and have since the moment you have met her. Not all of us can say the same. In the same way that you feel like she sees you, she feels you see her true self. Let me reiterate: I can tell you care for her, first.”
Genesis looked down at her boots again, then pulled her uniform shirt down before meeting The Doctor’s eyes again. He sighed. While he loved working with younger students, sometimes they really needed things spelled out. “Genesis, go talk to Sam.” He left the speechless cadet standing next to a biobed as he strutted back to his office. Too bad he couldn’t drink that coffee - he could use it.