A Trip Home

[John Randall 0]

OFFICIAL LOG

LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL

USS CHALLENGER

 

(Personal Log Stardate 11603.21)

 

The starbase medical staff continued to treat and check on John. His bandages were reapplied daily, and a physical therapist came in twice a day to keep his limbs from going stiff. John's vital signs remained steady for the most part as the staff kept him in the medically induced coma.

 

One morning, a nurse was looking over his signs and body when in walked Amanda Richards, the security chief of the USS Avenger, Admiral Jason Baldwin's ship. Amanda told the nurse she had permission from the starbase CMO to visit John, and gave her a PADD with the authorization. The nurse nodded, finished her visit, and left.

 

Amanda went over to the glass cylinder housing John's body. She walked to the head of the tube and stood there looking at him. Tears filled her eyes as she thought back to the image of the man before her when he was on his feet, and healthier than he was now. Her eyes took in the bandages and plasti-skin covering the entire left side of his body. She also stared in silence at the bandage wrapped around his head.

 

Amanda had garnered some information from her CO, Baldwin, and knew John had been injured in an accident aboard his home ship, the Challenger. But that was all she knew, and she now stood there staring down at her friend. She bent down close to the glass tube, and spoke softly.

 

"Oh John, what happened to you?" she whispered. "How did you end up like this?" Tears stung her eyes, and she closed them for a moment. She opened them, and a fierce look of determination crossed her face. "I'm not leaving here, John," she whispered. "I will be right here when you wake up." She looked around and spotted a chair in a corner. She retrieved it and placed it by the head of the tube. She sat down and crossed her legs, readying herself for a long vigil.

 

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After three days, John remained in the medically induced coma. Amanda had been recalled to the Avenger for duty, and Randall was once again alone in his room. Various engineering personnel had come by to see him as their duties allowed.

 

On the fourth morning, the CMO of the Challenger was aboard the starbase in the base's CMO office. He normally went there every day for updates on John's condition, as well as other medical matters as they pertained to the ship. As he sat at a desk, a message beep sounded, and he glanced at his monitor. What he saw there, however, made him sit upright in his chair. After reading the message, he reached over and tabbed the comm button.

 

"Challenger CMO to Captain Ja'Lale, come in, please," he said, and the captain answered a few seconds later. "Captain, I need to see you ASAP," the doctor said, and Ja'Lale responded that he/it was on the way. The captain arrived a few moments later, and the doctor waved him/it to a chair.

 

"Captain, I have just received an unusual request from the family of Lieutenant Randall," he said, and Ja'Lale was immediately all attention. "They are requesting that his body be transported to his home planet of Centaurus," the doctor continued. "They feel the university hospital there would be better equipped to continue his care, and frankly, I agree with them."

 

The captain nodded. "Have you discussed this with the starbase doctor and staff?" he/it asked, and the Challenger CMO nodded. "They agree that the university hospital would definitely have more resources and medical personnel to draw from," he said. "But, Captain, there was a name attached to the message, and that was what garnered my attention more than anything else. The name of the physician who would be in charge of the lieutenant's case is a very prominent one, indeed. The name was Dr. Joanna McCoy."

 

Ja'Lale's facial features expressed surprise at that as well. "Ah, that McCoy," he/it said, referring to one of Starfleet's more legendary physicians, Dr. Leonard McCoy. "I didn't even know he had kids," the captain continued. "But, if you think this is what should be done, then by all means, make it happen, Doctor." The CMO nodded, then his eyebrows lifted as the captain's communicator beeped. Ja'Lale excused himself, and flipped open his communicator.

 

"Well, Doctor, we've just received new orders from Starfleet," he/it said. "I would suggest you begin packing to go back onboard the ship." The CMO nodded. "I would suggest you inform the crew that if any of them wish to see Lieutenant Randall before he or we leave, now would be the time to do so," he said, and Ja'Lale nodded. "Anything else, Doctor?" he inquired, and the CMO shook his head. "Thank you for coming, Captain," he said. The captain nodded and left.

 

The CMO sat back down at the terminal and sent a subspace message to Centaurus, authorizing them to come claim the body of Lieutenant Randall. The answer came a few moments later, and the CMO raised his eyebrows when he saw who the pilot would be of the Centauran ship; John's own brother, Richard Randall.

 

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The ship from Centaurus arrived 12 hours later. Richard jumped from the pilot's chair and made his way to the medical team that would be in charge of his brother's body. The team made their way into the starbase and went directly to John's room. The starbase medical team were waiting for them, and the transfer of equipment went very smoothly between the two teams.

 

Richard was able to view his brother as the transfer was completed, and tears came to his eyes as he saw the condition of John's body. He watched in silence as the teams performed their duties, but anger was welling up inside him as well. What had happened to his brother, he thought as he watched the teams work. He was going to get some answers, one way or the other, he vowed to himself.

 

The ship's medical team began transporting John to the Centauran ship. Richard walked a little distance behind them, and so he was able to see that a few of the crew of the Challenger were lined up next to the airlock leading to the ship. As the anti-grav cart containing John's body came abreast of them, they came to attention and snapped the Starfleet salute. Richard nodded at them as he walked by, appreciating the gesture, though still angry at the lack of information surrounding what had happened to his brother.

 

The team loaded John aboard the vessel, and Richard took his place in the pilot's chair. He went through the preflight checks, then checked with the starbase for the actual liftoff. He received permission to launch a few moments later, and the Centauran ship took off from the launch bay, going to warp a few seconds later.

 

The trip was without incident, and 12 hours later, the ship set down on the floor of the Centauran spacedock. John's body was transferred to a shuttlecraft, and Richard got permission to ride along to the hospital, where he knew his mother and sister would be waiting. His sister Victoria was in the Starfleet Medical Corps, and was an LPN now. Dr. McCoy had learned of this from other personnel in the hospital, and had invited John's sister to be part of her team. The family was very grateful to Dr. McCoy for the invitation.

 

The shuttlecraft arrived at the hospital, and Dr. McCoy's team were waiting at the pad. John's body was offloaded, and the hospital team transported him inside the facility. He was taken to an observation room, and Richard joined his mother as they watched John taken inside the room. Dr. McCoy came over to them.

 

"He's in good hands now," she said, smiling at each of them. "I will keep you updated on his condition at regular intervals. Don't worry, he's going to be fine. I have called in some specialists, with the help of my father. He will be receiving the best care possible. Just let us do our jobs."

 

Denise, John's mother, nodded gratefully to Joanna. "I'm glad you're here, Dr. McCoy," she said. "I feel better knowing my son is in your capable hands. Everyone has told me you are a lot like your father, and I don't think there's anyone who doesn't know him or of him. Thank you for being here." Joanna nodded, smiling. "I will do my very best, Mrs. Randall," she said. She smiled again and went into the room. Victoria passed by the window in the door and waved at them.

 

Denise turned to Richard, and her son took his mother in his arms. "Oh Rick, what happened to him?" she cried. "He was always so careful." "I don't know, Mom," answered her son. "But I'm gonna get some answers. One way or another, I'll find out." There was an undercurrent of steel in his voice, and Denise realized her son was angry. She held him a little tighter, scared for her son John, and now worried about Rick.

 

END LOG