moon phase

[warpfairy]

Isabella's videos (and their transcriptions, and their translations) are not instantly the topic of conversation in every household in the Federation over breakfast or its local equivalent, but they gain traction, and the Federation is still scrupulous enough not to send Starfleet to get her in the middle of the night for recording her opinions.

(Her opinions are limited here to the subject of her "repatriation" and to the Prime Directive. Her thoughts on genetic engineering are confined to the "polarbear" handle on long-dormant accounts on old, in some cases defunct, fora.)

It is a few months before she's invited to a speaking engagement by an activist club at a university on Viarat, a moon inhabited by predominantly human colonists but some Vulcans.

She accepts the honorarium, writes a speech, and (in the recovered Prometheus, which Renée has been holding for her) goes to Viarat, accompanied by her husband.

They get a hotel room; a liaison from the activist club shows her to where she's giving her speech, she gets as far as thanking them for inviting her and beginning to outline her planned topic before someone in the back row pulls a phaser pistol and squeezes off a burst that hits her in the sternum.

She collapses, exhaling all her air voicelessly. Someone next to the shooter tackles her and gets the phaser away.

Comments

[warpfairy]

"We're married," Isabella confirms. "Maybe I should wear a ring if I give another speech." She holds still as instructed.

[or_the_broken]

"In that case," says the doctor, "I'll go get him for you."

Off he goes. He returns a few minutes later, trailing Lalita—

[dream_me_up]

—who, having been cautioned against hugs, leans over Isabella to give her a very careful kiss on the cheek.

"You okay?" he murmurs.

[warpfairy]

"Surprisingly comfortable, but I haven't tried to move yet."

[dream_me_up]

"Could be worse."

He sits down in a conveniently located chair beside her bed, rests his hand on the nearest one of hers, and aims a smile at Dr. Hall.

"Good work, Doctor."

[or_the_broken]

"I try," he says dryly.

[warpfairy]

"How long should I expect to be in the hospital?" Isabella inquires of the doctor.

[or_the_broken]

"A week, minimum. I'd say more like two if you were mostly human, but Vulcans bounce back faster, so if you're very lucky it won't take any more than a week."

[warpfairy]

"I will hope that I am as resilient as is plausible."

[or_the_broken]

"You do that." He looks between his patient and her husband and then adds, "If anybody gets on your case about visiting hours, send 'em to me. Just don't do anything to make me regret it."

[warpfairy]

Isabella squeezes Lalita's hand. "Thank you."

[or_the_broken]

"No problem."

And out he goes.

[dream_me_up]

"Well, he's friendly," Lalita remarks. "Cute, too."

[warpfairy]

"And very good at his job." She tries gingerly moving her arm, finds that her collarbone doesn't like it. "Well, I'm going to be fantastically bored, it would seem."

[dream_me_up]

"Want me to read to you?"

[warpfairy]

"I think I would like that."

[dream_me_up]

"Okay. Vulcan poetry?" he suggests.

[warpfairy]

"Oooh, yes."

[dream_me_up]

So he will read her Vulcan poetry. He has a good voice for reading out loud.

[warpfairy]

It's a lovely voice!

(About which she has some mixed feelings about enjoying, in her current state of general invalidity, but it is net positive.)

[dream_me_up]

Yes, there is that slight trouble, isn't there?

But it's still a very nice voice. And he can go on reading to her with it pretty much until she gets bored or needs sleep.

(No one gets on their case about visiting hours.)

[warpfairy]

Eventually she does fall asleep.

[dream_me_up]

Lalita contemplates going somewhere, but eventually decides that no, he's slept in worse places than a hospital chair and given the option he would rather stay.

[warpfairy]

She's too asleep to urge him to go back to the hotel, of course.

She sleeps for a longer time than usual - getting shot takes a lot out of a person - but then wakes up.

[dream_me_up]

Lalita is still there! She may be able to tell 'still' from 'again' by the fact that he is napping in his chair.