Abbey's father, the doucheknuckle

Posted on 28 Sep 2014 @ 5:02pm by Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen M.D. & Commander Luke Wyatt

1,309 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo, Deck 4, Luke's Quarters
Timeline: MD10 - 1730 hrs

[ON]

Racing through the corridors of the Galileo, Tuula was a woman on a mission. Arriving outside Luke's quarters, she took a deep breath to compose herself and pressed the chime.

Luke was laying asleep on his sofa napping when his door chime awoke him suddenly from his dream of the caves and how useless he felt fighting off the entities. In the corner of his room was a pile of purring tribbles that he had been amassing.

Tuula waited barely two seconds for Luke's reply before pressing the chime again. And again. And again. She didn't have the patience for this.

Luke now grunting as he made his way over to the door with just a pair of shorts on and kicking a tribble halfway across the room "Ok, ok! I'm coming!" he said, hitting the door controls.

As soon as the door opened, Tuula pushed herself forward into the doorway, blocking it from being closed with her chair. "Luke Wyatt, what the hell is wrong with you?" she shouted, gripping the wheels of her chair tightly and shooting daggers at him with her eyes.

Still half awake and wiping the dust away from his eyes he jumped at the sudden shouting coming from the wheelchair "Have I done something wrong?" he asked, looking over his shoulder to check the time; it was only 1830.

"Look at me," replied Tuula, her voice filled with rage, as she caught Luke's eyes wander, "and don't give me that 'have I done something wrong?' garbage. I've checked the visitor logs; your own daughter is in sickbay recovering from a terrible accident, and you haven't even visited her yet? What's wrong with you? Even her roommate has come by to visit. I thought I told you in the airlock that she needs you to support her, not ignore her like a jilted ex!" Tuula slowly advanced into Luke's quarters as he backed away from the mad woman.

Luke turned and looked towards Tuula as she charged into his quarters and waited for the door to lock before proceeding with his reply "Her roommate?" he asked, trying to recall just who her roommate was.

"You don't even know who her roommate is?!" exclaimed Tuula. "You know, Jacob Pendleton, big burly guy, some kind of researcher... you really don't remember him?" As Luke opened his mouth to say something, Tuula cut him off before he even started. "Maybe if you, I don't know, decided to act like a man and visit your badly injured and severely depressed daughter who is only one deck above you, you might know this. I thought that somewhere in between all this 'Hoo-ah' 'Semper Fi' bullshit they taught you jarheads about doing the right thing and never leaving someone behind."

Luke couldn't believe the words spouting out of her mouth "You know how busy I've been and how hard it is for me to see Abbey in her current state. Besides, you must be talking about the wrong girl. Abbey is never depressed, and who is this Pendleton? Who authorised her to share a room with a male; she's only 22!"

"Is that really what's important right now? Don't try to change the subject!" Tuula couldn't believe his excuses. "I don't care how busy you've been or how 'hard' it is for you," she started, with air quotes around the word 'hard'. However hard it would be for Luke, it was harder for Abbey to sit alone in a biobed. "You go to sickbay and you go visit your daughter. Now!"

Luke was just about to protest but instead tugged boots on over his uniform's trousers and his yellow shirt. "Fine, but when she kicks me out I will say I told you so!" he said, walking out of the door angrily.

Left alone in Luke's quarters, Tuula looked around for a moment. It was very spartan, just what she expected from him. Aside from the tribble infestation, the only clutter was a little bit of athletic equipment in the corner and a PADD on his coffee table. She picked it up and was surprised to find it was a novel. Luke didn't seem like the reading type. Of course, when she saw the title - "Commando III: Cambodia" and the dust jacket referring to the title character single-handedly fighting off waves of communists in some jungle war in earth's 1970s, it all made sense.

Realizing that she should not stay long, she turned and left Luke's quarters -- raising the eyebrow of one of Luke's neighbours, who saw her exit -- and propelled herself quickly down the corridor, catching up with Luke just before he stepped into the turbolift. "One other thing, you better damn well be supportive!" she added before the turbolift doors closed behind her.

"Of course I will be supportive! I am nothing but and she's my daughter! Don't lecture me on how to treat her!" The voice coming from his mouth didn't sound like his nor did those words but anger had boiled his blood. Stress... Yes that was it, stress.

"Then act like a father!" exclaimed Tuula. "She's lying there in pain, confined to a biobed. Do you have any idea what it is like to be alone in a hospital bed?!"

There it was. This was why Tuula was so angry with him.

Luke turned to her as the lift doors closed. "Actually I know all too well what it's like and I know I hated people coming in and checking on me every minute and you want to know more? Hell, why not? Of course you do, that's all you people ever want is more. I spent hours laying on the cold dirty and bloody floor before anyone took me to a nice clean biobed" He bit his tongue turning away and staring holes into the turbo lift doors willing them to open.

"Listen, Luke, I don't know what you went through, but I know when I was in that hospital in San Francisco, the only thing that kept me sane was Jaana visiting me every day. So I know more than anyone what Abbey is feeling right now. I see it in her eyes. She needs you by her side, now more than ever."

Luke didn't reply instead he stood in silence until the lift opened and walked out a purpose to his step as he rounded the curved corridor and into sickbay. Instantly his eyes fell to Abbey laying in the bed who's eyes were shut closed from sleep.

"Go to her, Luke," Tuula said in gentle voice, seeing Abbey's eyes begin to flutter. "She needs you."

Luke walked over faster than he had expected and basically fell to his knees taking her in one big embrace as a muffled sound come from his mouth as he tried to speak but couldn't. She hadn't reacted to him and decided to look at her face when he did she had tears running down her cheeks. "Oh Abbey, I am so sorry, please forgive me, I should have come sooner," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "I didn't want to believe my little girl had almost died I still don't but... I love you so much Abbey," he said knowing not enough words could make up for their lost time.

Abbey swallowed hard, "I love you too, dad" She said putting a hand to his "I understand but you're still a big doucheknuckle" She said in her own charming manner. She wasn't mad just so happy he finally come.

In the background, Tuula smiled. Moments like these were why she became a doctor.

[OFF]

Lieutenant (J.G.) Luke Wyatt
Secuirty Chief
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (J.G.) Tuula Voutilainen, M.D.
Medical Officer
USS Galileo

CA. Abbey Wyatt
Scientist Mate
USS Galileo
(pnpc Jake)

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