A long road

Posted on Fri Apr 3rd, 2026 @ 8:43pm by Lieutenant JG Leonard Larkin MD

873 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Echos on the Deck
Location: Quarters
Timeline: Night before "Here they come"

Leo trudged down the hall where his quarters were situated. At this late hour, in the middle of the graveyard shift, everything was quiet and he busied himself sniffing at the sandwich he'd snatched from the messhall after he got a quick dinner there.

There was always that moment for him, in the middle of the gamma shift when hunger would spring up and demand to be satisfied. Leo had been chased away from Sickbay by the CMO just before that time. The Nausicaans' ships were slated to arrive the next day and most of the medical personnel would be on deck, at best as a readiness exercise. Jane had returned unexpectedly from her quarters and decided he needed a few hours of rest.

He could sure use some. Entering his quarters, he set the food package aside and got rid of footwear and vest before taking a seat. His eyes went around and he winced at what he saw.

It was like the whole contents of his duffle bag had exploded around. Leo had arrived a mere few days ago, to find himself the de facto senior surgeon in the medical department. Beyond that, the CMO had obviously decided to use him as her second. He certainly didn't mind the work or the responsibilities but his plans to settle in had suffered... Very obviously.

With a tired sigh, Leo got under the shower so that was squared away no matter what happened - a lot could happen at any hour of the night or day in his field. Finally the sandwich was unwrapped and wolfed down, topped with water and a forlorn apple forgotten the previous day.

Music was playing low from his personal collection of recordings, cheering him up. Bolstered by music and food, Leo decided not to put off the inevitable any longer. He picked up every stray item and found the right place for them, until everything looked about tidy. It wasn't like he had made personal friends yet that would chance ringing his door. Heck he didn't have a clue who his neighbours were.

He picked the PADD where his brother's latest message was saved and started recording a brief answer. David never sent long messages and wouldn't expect one in return. He was definitely a more "face to face" kind of communicator. Laurence, that was something else. She would want to know everything.

"Hi from Sentinel Station. No I didn't get lost on the way, thank you for your concern..." he grinned, answering the tease. "That was quite the journey for sure. No regrets, best assignment confirmed. Plenty of work too. All I've seen so far is Sickay, the messhall and my quarters so I'll tell you know more next time. Nice to hear the family is good. Give them all a hug for me, okay? And by the way, I hope that situation you had is resolved. Talk to you soon, Dave. Cheers."

His sister Laurence would wait a little more, Leo decided with a pinch of regret. He just didn't have enough material yet to satisfy her curiosity. By now she would have heard from their parents that he was fine. They'd been the first ones he had messaged, on arrival, because this was a big one. His first assignment had been two years at a facility on Mars. He was basically home every other week to see all of them.

Leo grabbed his guitar and sat on the bed, getting busy tuning it softly while his thoughts carried him to a familiar place.. He was the middle child,, the one who had taken the longest time to "get a real job" as his parents were fond of saying. Medical then surgery studies, followed by added training with Starfleet Medical. The Romulan War was well over. He had been assigned on Mars and they'd all felt safe about his new life after all.

His brother Dave, his sister Laurence had each been on a couple wild rides in their late teens or early twenties, before settling down. Leo had been the dependable child. Nobody had expected his move to join Starfleet, just before he turned 30, right after he became a surgeon. Everybody thought he would open a practice or find a position in a hospital. They had adjusted though. But when the word came, weeks ago, it had been hard for them to understand that he relished the thought of travelling so far from Earth.

"What have you gone and done now, Leo?" he said aloud, smiling.

Then he repositioned himself to play. Quarters were soundproof enough but music and song may still reach the more sensitive ears so he kept it low as he started strumming and singing. It was one of his favourite pieces. Some found it "moody" but it was all the contrary. Time and again, some part of the lyrics had applied to his life so that by now, half of it spoke to his personal feelings and memories. All of it eventually would.

Just that one, then he would catch some sleep.

" 'cause I've got faith of the heart...."

OFF: the little intro I never did for Dr Leonard Larkin.

LT JG Leonard Larkin,, MD
Surgeon / Medical Officer
Sentinel Station

 

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