Ensign Yael - Sautéed Lemur Kidneys

[Alora DeVeau]

This hit home.

 

((Denobula - The City of Loxt on the Uvax Continent - 22 years ago))

 

The hospital thrived with activity, doctors and nurses abounding, students tagging along with their mentors like so many Denobulan turtle-ducks.  The teaching hospital was the largest and one of the most esteemed in the Southern Continent, and was thus never “slow.”  Patients from across the quadrant came to this hospital not just for the quality of treatment they would receive, but to be a part of the constant array of clinical trials and new drug testing that occurred year round.

 

On the 56th level of the hospital was the neurology clinic.  The two large bay doors opened into the ward directly from the four crystal clear elevators, each in a clear tube with a spectacular view of the tropical environment preserved despite there being a bustling city.  The greenery and nature was a Denobulan necessity… nature provided the foundation for most of their scientific advancements, and thus they respected it… lived with it, rather than cementing the lot of it.  Instead, they built *upwards.*

 

One could be pestered by the famous Denobulan lemur in the arrival lot, or even on the roof of the extremely tall building, as the exterior was also prime climbing, with effort taken by the architects to include natures needs in the designs.  Patients inside the building could witness an array of small warm-blooded animals climbing past the windows or launching off the bird sills from inside their rooms.  Meanwhile, all the creature comforts you could want were included inside.

 

Denobula was so tropical, in fact, that for the very longest time there was no concept of frozen water in their scientific records.  It didn’t exist naturally on Denobula, and the discovery of it only happened after refrigeration technology was created.  Nestled between three lovely stars in the system, the night on Denobula lasted a scant 3 hours… save for a single day per year where the stars eclipsed and total darkness fell for the full period of a single rotation.  The short night cycle might explain why Denobulans needed little more than 4 hours sleep per rotation, and supplemented it with a hibernation cycle.

 

But on that 56th level of the tapered skyscraper, the interior was clean and white, the smell of sterilizing cleanser the only remarkable scent.  Neurology patients were ushered to their appointments as they arrived by those four large elevators, into the private offices.

 

One of those offices belonged to Doctor Deneve Phax, lead neurological specialist for the ward and a renowned surgeon who was sought out for the most complicated of cases.  He was in the middle of a massive clinical trial and the next several weeks would be filled with data searching patient reactions, as well as monitoring progress of the double-blind groups… the active agent, the placebo, and the control group.

 

The clear elevator to the far left opened and a small purple haired Denobulan-Human hybrid burst into the room and past the reception desk.

 

Ashley:  ::waving::  Hi Miss Mat’ea!

 

Nurse Mat’ea:  ::smiling at the familiar child::  Hello, Ashley.  Did you get taller again?

 

Ashley:  I’m two whole centimeters taller since last time!

 

Nurse Mat’ea:  Are you sure it isn’t three?

 

The small child pushed at the large door into the workplace, barely able to move it by himself.  In reality he was small for his age, but the nurse would never say so out loud.  She used one hand high above his head to help him open the door, while letting Ashley think he’d done it himself.

 

Lagging behind the energetic seven year old was a blond Human woman, his mother.  A surgeon and general practitioner in her own right, they were on the search for her husband.

 

Nurse Mat’ea:  ::smiling and nodding respectfully::  Doctor Yael.  Good to see you.

 

Lina smiled at the woman as she followed through the doorway into the workplace, following her son.  He knew the way to the office space, so there was little reason to slow him down.  She could hear his voice from the hallway before she arrived in the right office.

 

Ashley:  Dad!  Guess how many lemurs I saw today!

 

Doctor Deneve:  I imagine it’s a lot to justify this much *noise*.

 

The bland response didn’t diminish the child's excitement.

 

Ashley:  Seventeen lemurs!

 

A single eyebrow rose, the harsh tone lightening up ever so slightly.

 

Doctor Deneve:  That *is* a lot of lemur.

 

Doctor Yael:  ::stepping inside the office::  Hello sweetie.

 

Deneve nodded to his wife, having expected her to not be far behind their son.

 

Doctor Yael:  We’ve hardly seen you this week.  Ashley missed you.

 

Ashley:  Daddy can I cut out a brain pleeeeeeaase?

 

His father snorted with a well contained edge of humor, while his mother laughed lightly.

 

Doctor Yael:  He wants to be *just* like you, you know.

 

Ashley:  I’ve studied *lots!*  I know what a thasalmus is now.

 

Doctor Deneve:  ::with a hint of a smile, then dryly::  Alas, none of my patients need their *thalamus* removed today.

 

Ashley busied himself looking through the texts on a nearby shelf, but only the ones on the shelf he could reach of course.

 

Doctor Deneve:  Don’t make a mess.

 

Lina frowned at her husband.  She knew he wouldn’t be happy to be interrupted, but in truth it had been two weeks since the man had spent a spare moment at home.  Denobulans were notoriously patient when it came to this sort of thing, this was true.  But *she* was Human and her son half so, and they *missed* him.  Deneve knew this full well, but it no longer seemed to register as something that was important… even though it had used to.

 

In fact, she was starting to question the whole marriage.  She was still trying to make it work for the sake of her son… the son the Denobulan man seemed less than interested in.  She’d never imagined he would be such a *gruff* father, or so absent.  Denobulans were so family oriented, after all.

 

She’d heard the gossip in the rest of the family.  Deneve’s second wife had had a frank conversation with Lina about the things he would tell her… the Denobulan woman was concerned, so shared out of that concern.  She’d told Lina that he was increasingly annoyed at his Human wife’s lack of interest in having more children yet.  But it was how he treated his *existing* son that stopped her doing so… she also knew what he’d said about Ashley.

 

That their son was a genetic dead end.

 

And she was having trouble reconciling her feelings for the man, more so every day... and if she were to have more children, there was a statistically relevant risk they would also have Theoron's Disorder.  Could she have more children knowing the man wouldn't bond with them if they weren't perfect?

 

She could feel the hypospray in her pocket.  The one filled with the daily required medication her son had to take.  It was handy to keep on person, in case of a worsening day or an accident that caused a surge in symptoms, but thankfully he was mostly symptom free… he’d been medicated since he was diagnosed in utero.  The hypo-spray was a cruel but realistic representation of her sons limitations in life, but he was still too young to understand what it really meant… so she carried the weight for him, wanting him to have as much of an innocent childhood as she could supply for him.  She never failed to smile at how many lemurs he counted through the windows.  At how excited he was about *everything* he saw.  At how proud he was when he learned what a “thasalmus” was.

 

And it pained her every time he cried because he missed his father.  Or told her he wanted to be just like daddy and help people's brains get better.

 

Still, she tried to facilitate the strong familial connection, and pushed for them to spend time together.  If Deneve could just take a moment and *see* his son, imagine for just a moment who he could grow to be, maybe it could still work...

Because she could see the unfortunate failures where her innocent son could only see love and joy.  And she was starting to wonder what Ashley would think of the frozen mountains of her home back on Earth, the glaciers and wildlife of Alaska.  It was a place you either loved or hated… and it was a vast departure from the tropics of Denobula.

 

Ashley pulled a large text off the shelf, having some trouble with the weight of the tomb before plopping down onto the floor and rifling through the book for interesting pictures.

 

Doctor Yael:  I know how *busy* you are, dear.  But I hoped you could spare time for lunch with your son.

 

Doctor Deneve:  I can’t.

 

Large amethyst eyes looked up from a book illustration of the Denobulan spinal cord.

 

Ashley:  Mommy, I’m really hungry.

 

Doctor Yael:  I know, sweetie.  We’re getting lunch soon.  ::pausing::  Please, Phax?  The sauted lemur kidney at the cafe on the corner is to die for, and I know you haven’t had a non-replicated meal in weeks.

 

The same lemurs climbing the walls of the hospital also happened to be a delicacy.  Another reason to bolster a healthy population, as Denobulans were largely carnivorous in nature.

 

Doctor Deneve:  Hmm… ::he paused, finally tempted::  Fine.  But just a quick lunch.

 

The family stepped out of the office area and toward the crystal clear lift doors.  The small purple tinted boy lifted a hand to take the hem of his fathers coat, his other hand clasped in his mothers fingers.  He was ecstatic his father was coming.

 

Ashley:  Can I have lemur kidneys too?

 

Doctor Yael:  Oh?  How many lemur kidneys do you think you can eat?

 

Ashley:  I can eat *five!*

 

Doctor Yael:  ::feigning shock::  Five?!  That’s almost three whole lemurs worth of kidneys!

 

Doctor Deneve:  ::glancing down::  Isn’t that a rather *adult* meal for him?

 

Doctor Yael:  It’s a special treat.  He’s been looking forward to seeing you.

 

The small Denobulan-Human hybrid tugged on his fathers coat, huge amethyst eyes gazing up at the much taller Denobulan.

 

Ashley:  Daddy?  How many lemur kidneys can *you* eat?

 

Inwardly, Lina hoped Phax knew not to say any more than five, since her son would try and force them down until he matched any number his father said.

 

Doctor Deneve:  I think I might top out at four myself.

 

Small favors, Ashley’s mother sighed in relief, smiling as they walked out into the heat.  Nobody wanted a food-sickened seven year old barfing up hot lemur kidneys everywhere.

 

************************

 

Doctor Deneve Phax

Neurosurgeon & Father

 

&

Doctor Lina Yael

General Surgeon & Mother

 

&

 

Ashley Deneve Yael

Adorable Munchkin

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