Gemini

Posted on 19 Jan 2016 @ 1:39am by Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen M.D. & Ensign Jaana Voutilainen

1,021 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 10 - Symposium
Location: San Francisco Waterfront
Timeline: MD24 - 2015 hours

[ON]

It was the last day before Jaana was to report to the clinic for her intensive rehabilitation program, and she decided to spend it with her sister. San Francisco was like a second home for the twins – both studied there for a few years, and they both knew and were comfortable in the city. As the sun set, they strolled along the waterfront together, occasionally pausing to take in the beauty.

“You know,” said Tuula, out of the blue, “I think this place is going to be really good for you. The rooms they have are much nicer than anything on the Galileo, and you’ll be able to work on your research…”

Jaana took a deep breath and nodded. “I know,” she said, her voice straining under the pressure of the impending check-in. “I just hope I’m strong enough to overcome this.”

“I know you are,” replied Tuula, stopping to pat Jaana on the arm a couple times before proceeding. “I just wish I could be here with you. But this trip to Akkadia with Allyndra—”

Just then, their conversation was interrupted by a loud and vaguely familiar voice. “Tuula!” exclaimed a muscular, dark-haired man, emerging from his shop on the side. His short-sleeved shirt showed off the striking black and red geometric patterns tattooed on his arms and neck. He bounded towards Tuula, who had turned to face him, and leaned over, giving her a hug. “Or should I say Dr. Tuula? I knew I recognized my work rolling past my window; what brings you back to the bay?”

Tuula smiled at the man. “Just a little shore leave,” she replied, before glancing up at Jaana’s face and seeing a look of confusion. “Jaana, this is Charles. He did my chestpiece and my phoenix, as well as a couple others. Charles, Jaana is my twin sister.”

“Oh!” exclaimed Charles, grabbing Jaana by the wrist and kissing her on the hand, “Tuula told me about you during our last session. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Jaana raised an eyebrow in surprise. Charles was certainly outgoing, and while she was flattered by the attention, he was far from the kind of man she would even consider dating. If she were to even consider dating again. “Do you remember everything that your customers tell you?” she asked, in a surprised tone.

Charles just smirked. “Photographic memory,” he replied, pointing towards his head. “It’s proven to be an asset in my line of work. Though, I must admit that your sister is one of my more memorable patients.”

“I don’t doubt it…” replied Jaana, smirking as she looked down at her sister. Tuula was nothing if not memorable.

“So, what brings you two lovely ladies down to my shop? Matching tattoos? You know, I just had a cancellation, and we have a two for one discount on today…”

Tuula smirked at Charles’ offer. While she had suggested it half-jokingly in the past, she knew Jaana would never agree to it. Jaana didn’t even like doing anything exciting with her hair, never mind permanently inking her body. “I don’t know, Jaana doesn’t really…” she started.

But before she could even finish her sentence, Jaana was speaking over her. “Yes, that sounds great,” she replied.

“What?!” exclaimed Tuula, shocked at Jaana’s response.

“What, are you afraid of a little ink?” teased Jaana.

“No, I just…” Tuula didn’t know what was happening. While Jaana was a little more accepting of her tattoos than her parents, she knew that she would never get one herself. Or at least, she thought she knew that. “I wasn’t expecting this…”

“Oh, come on, it will be fun!” exclaimed Jaana, as she bounded towards the door that Charles had held open for her. “I have an idea for a design…”

********A couple hours later********

Tuula sat in her chair in front of a mirror, admiring Charles’ handiwork. On the right side of her stomach, just above her hip bone, was her latest tattoo: a small depiction of the constellation Gemini. In the background, Jaana’s crying and screaming had stopped, while the artist was just cleaning up Jaana’s tattoo and healing it with a dermal regenerator to avoid infection. As Tuula examined the linework in the mirror, she saw her sister approach.

“I don’t know how you do it,” said Jaana, stepping towards the mirror, her eyes watering from the pain. She pulled up on the waist of her shirt revealing the exact same tattoo on the opposite side as her sister. “Thanks for holding my hand earlier,” she added, wrapping an arm around her sister.

“Hey, what are twin sisters for?” Tuula paused for a moment and lowered her voice. “Jaana, what gives? I never thought you would…”

“Get a tattoo?” Jaana smiled at Tuula. “I just felt, with all we’ve been through together, we should have something to symbolize that. Something to remind us that we’re always by each other’s side, even if we are half a galaxy away.” She paused and bit her lip. “And to remind us that together, we can overcome anything.”

Tuula didn’t know how to respond to such a touching comment, but as she looked over towards her sister, their eyes locked for a moment and said all that needed to be said. “So, when are we going to book our next session?” she managed to utter in a joking tone, knowing that Jaana had barely made it through this one. “You can’t just get one; the thrill and excitement of getting a new tattoo is so overwhelming; it’s practically an addiction.”

“How about never,” replied Jaana, shaking her head. Addiction was a good word for Tuula’s predilection for body art, but she didn't want to experience anything that painful ever again. “Just don’t tell äiti, okay? I want to keep being the good one.”

[OFF]


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

Ensign Jaana Voutilainen
Stellar Cartographer
USS Galileo

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