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DRAMATIS PERSONAE
DR. BEVERLY CRUSHER
CMDR. WILLIAM T. RIKER
CPT. JEAN-LUC PICARD
DR. KATHERINE PULASKI
The scene is set in the living room section of the Chief Medical Officer’s quarters on the Enterprise-D. The door to the corridor is at the back of the stage. On stage right, another door leads to the bedroom/bathroom.
A table with two chairs, a sofa and armchairs around a coffee table. The light is on DR. BEVERLY CRUSHER sitting in one of the armchairs. The rest of the room is dimly lit. On the sofa, a half-packed beige travel bag and next to it, a few clothes and personal items along with another bag.
CRUSHER has been packing and she’s taking a rest, surveying her quarters; there’s a feeling of finality to her demeanour. She’s tired. She may have slept very little the previous night.
CRUSHER, with a sigh
Computer, time.
COMPUTER
The time is fifteen-oh-nine hours.
CRUSHER
Damn it.
CRUSHER gets up and continues packing, fetching her things from her bedroom and putting them on the sofa and into her bag. The light has gradually shifted to normal lighting so that her entire quarters are now visible. The work console is empty, as are the shelves. It’s clear that most of CRUSHER’s things have already been taken out of her quarters.
CMDR. WILLIAM T. RIKER, over comm
Riker to Dr. Crusher.
CRUSHER
Go ahead, commander.
RIKER, over comm
Doctor, the shuttle carrying the transfers is just about to dock.
CRUSHER
Thank you. I’ll be right there.
RIKER, over comm
Good. They’ll be arriving in shuttlebay two.
CRUSHER
Shuttlebay two, noted. Crusher out.
CRUSHER goes to the bathroom and rummages through her drawers. Her packing is more frantic now: she’s late, but it's not just that. She drops a thing or two as she walks back to the sofa, and it makes her mad – she scolds herself as she picks them up and stuffs them into her bag.
The door chimes.
CRUSHER
Come in!
The door opens, revealing CPT. JEAN-LUC PICARD standing in the corridor.
CRUSHER
Jean-Luc.
PICARD
I can come back later.
CRUSHER
No, please. I’m almost finished.
PICARD steps in, looks around the quarters, says nothing.
CRUSHER
I’m going to miss this place. It’s silly, but I never thought I’d leave the Enterprise.
PICARD
I hear she has that effect on most of us.
CRUSHER disappears into the bedroom to fetch some things. PICARD looks at one of the armchairs, awkwardly, and then elects not to sit down after all.
PICARD
Wesley seems to have taken the news well.
CRUSHER, off-stage
He’s a teenage boy, Jean-Luc. A teenage boy about to spend months on end without his mother to look over his shoulder and remind him of his bed time – of course he’s excited.
PICARD
I’ll have someone watch over him for you.
CRUSHER slips her head in through the door.
CRUSHER, with a smile
I was hoping that you and the rest of the bridge crew might keep an eye on Wes.
PICARD
Ah. Well. I’m sure Commander Riker –
CRUSHER
Relax, Jean-Luc. My son is old enough to look after himself.
PICARD, relaxing visibly
Of course he is.
CRUSHER comes back with a stack of clothes she shoves into her bag. Looking around she spots a book she’s left on her table.
CRUSHER
Would you pass me that book?
PICARD goes to pick up the book. It’s a copy of a translation of Hervé Son of Wekhur’s Unsung Battles.
PICARD
Klingon poetry?
CRUSHER
You sound surprised.
PICARD
I didn’t know you had an interest in Klingon culture.
CRUSHER
I have an interest in poetry. (She snaps the book from PICARD's hands.) You really should expand your repertoire. Read something that isn’t by Shakespeare. You might learn something.
PICARD
There isn’t a Human experience Shakespeare hasn’t written about.
CRUSHER, teasingly
And isn’t that a narrow-minded outlook.
She stuffs the book into the bag and then surveys the room for anything she might have forgotten. She's not done packing, and she's not fooling anyone.
CRUSHER
Well, then. Looks like I’m all good to go.
There’s a pause. Something floats by between CRUSHER and PICARD and neither of them are able to grasp at it.
PICARD, uneasy
I’ll let you get ready.
CRUSHER
Thank you. I won’t be long.
PICARD nods and steps to the door. It opens, but he pauses and turns back. For a moment it seems like he wants to say something – words that are too big for him, and then – a shift, and his shoulders slump down.
PICARD
I’ll meet you at the shuttle.
CRUSHER
Alright.
PICARD leaves her quarters and the door slides shut again. CRUSHER sighs and sits back down in her armchair, and she stares out at the audience as though she were looking out her windows into space.
After a moment she moves to get up – and the door chimes again.
CRUSHER
Come in.
The door slides open. DR. KATHERINE PULASKI is standing in the corridor, her own beige travel bag on her shoulder. CRUSHER freezes. PULASKI steps in, very slowly, as though pushing against knee-high water.
PULASKI
I went to Sick Bay. They told me you weren't there.
CRUSHER
No, I'm still packing.
PULASKI steps closer, looking around her new quarters, and sets down her bag next to the armchair opposite CRUSHER.
PULASKI
I hope you don't mind?
CRUSHER
Not at all, please.
PULASKI sits down. The room around them suddenly looks desperately empty.
CRUSHER
Would you like something from the replicator?
PULASKI
Not right now, thank you.
CRUSHER
I knew it was you when I heard there would be a shuttle transfer. You haven't changed a bit.
PULASKI
Oh, I have – just not on that front. As long as there are shuttles on starships I'll keep requesting them.
CRUSHER
Have you even tried it before? It's not as bad as you think it is.
PULASKI
I don't need to try it to know that I don't like it.
CRUSHER
That conversation rings a bell.
PULASKI smiles. The lighting has changed ever so slightly – it's warmer, perhaps, or kinder.
PULASKI
You look well.
CRUSHER
Thank you. So do you. How has the Repulse been treating you?
PULASKI
It wasn't easy at first, but Taggert is a good captain. I learned a lot from him.
CRUSHER
Are you thinking of trying your hand at command?
PULASKI, laughing
God, no. I've got more than enough responsibility as it is and I'd like to keep my blood pressure within normal levels for as long as I can, thank you.
CRUSHER
You'd look good in red.
PULASKI
I really wouldn't. But thank you for trying.
CRUSHER
Maybe if you dyed your hair…
PULASKI
We agreed never to talk about that unfortunate accident ever again.
CRUSHER
It was over twenty years ago, Kate.
PULASKI
And yet the memories are still fresh in my mind.
CRUSHER
I thought you looked cute.
PULASKI, smiling
I remember that, too.
CRUSHER, after a moment
Well. We should go to Sick Bay.
PULASKI
Surely we can take a moment. We'll say we got stopped on our way.
CRUSHER is indecisive, but then she smiles and stays put.
CRUSHER
All right. I'll tell them I got an urgent subspace transmission. Family emergency.
PULASKI
Perfect.
CRUSHER
They're a good team. Very talented and eager to learn. You won't have any trouble with them.
PULASKI
As long as they show up on time and do what needs to be done, I'm happy.
CRUSHER
Only the best people make it to the Enterprise.
PULASKI, teasingly
Don't flatter yourself.
CRUSHER doesn't answer.
PULASKI
May I ask you a personal question?
CRUSHER
Of course.
PULASKI
Why aren't you staying?
A beat.
CRUSHER
I need to be sure I'm in the right place.
PULASKI
As a Starfleet officer?
CRUSHER
As a doctor.
PULASKI
That sounds tricky.
CRUSHER
I've never questioned myself like this. I've always been clear on why I wanted to become a doctor and why I joined Starfleet, and I still am – I'm just not sure if the Enterprise is where I can accomplish it.
PULASKI
And Starfleet Medical could be.
CRUSHER
Yes. Now that I really know what Starfleet needs from its field doctors, this is the perfect opportunity to do some good in a way that doesn't feel so…
PULASKI
… so small.
CRUSHER
Yes.
PULASKI
I suppose that's our lot as starship doctors. You patch up what you can and hope for the best.
CRUSHER
Don't you feel helpless sometimes? Don't you feel like there's something more you should be doing, rather than sitting at your console waiting for someone to come in with a sprained ankle or an upset stomach?
PULASKI
That can't be all you see on the Enterprise.
CRUSHER
No, it isn't. (A pause.) How do you handle it?
PULASKI
I've done my share of theoretical work. One day I realised I'd hit the limit of what I could offer as a researcher and I asked to be posted on a starship.
CRUSHER
Just like that?
PULASKI
Just like that.
CRUSHER
And how did you know?
PULASKI
I didn't. I took a risk. Just like you are now.
CRUSHER
I hope it's worth it.
A moment of silence, full of avoided glances.
CRUSHER
I'm glad it's you.
PULASKI
Quite honestly, so am I. I requested the posting as soon as I heard it was available.
CRUSHER
A deep space mission on the fleet's flagship doesn't sound like you.
PULASKI
Should I be offended?
CRUSHER
No, it's just – it doesn't fit the Kate Pulaski I knew at the Academy. You weren't in it for the accolades.
PULASKI
I'm not here to shower myself in glory. And even if I were interested in that, I don't need it. You've probably heard of my paper on linear models of viral propagation?
CRUSHER
A classic.
PULASKI
After working with Dr. T'Mor on memory engram surgery procedures for so long I found myself missing the interaction with… live specimens, so to speak.
CRUSHER
You'll have more than enough of them here, trust me.
PULASKI, after a pause
You really do need a break, don't you?
CRUSHER
What gave me away?
PULASKI, chuckling
I think I changed my mind. Do you want something from the replicator?
PULASKI gets up and steps to the replicator.
CRUSHER
I should really finish packing.
PULASKI
A cold glass of Sapporan mineral water might help.
CRUSHER
Well, it certainly won't hurt.
PULASKI, to the replicator
Two glasses of Sapporan mineral water, ice cold.
Two identical drinks materialise in the replicator: high, rectangular glasses containing a transparent, pastel purple fizzy drink. PULASKI takes both of them back and sets them down on the coffee table.
PULASKI
Here you go.
CRUSHER
Thanks.
They raise their glasses and both take a small sip of their drink.
PULASKI
So, how long do you think you'll stay at Starfleet Medical?
CRUSHER
The paper I signed says at least a year. I hear they're hoping not to have to replace me for much longer than that.
PULASKI
I'm looking forward to reading about you in the FNS.
CRUSHER
I'll wink at you when they take my picture.
PULASKI
I'll wave back.
A moment; they both seem absorbed in their drink for a bit.
CRUSHER
Ah, I'm sorry. Here I am, complaining and asking you for advice when really I should be introducing you to the staff.
PULASKI
Just like old times.
CRUSHER, for lack of a better thing to say
Indeed.
CRUSHER gets up and goes into the bathroom, where she goes through her drawers again. PULASKI remains in her armchair.
CRUSHER, off stage
How many people did you have in Sick Bay on the Repulse?
PULASKI
Twenty-two, in three shifts. Eleven nurses, six doctors, two maintenance personnel, two decontamination personnel and a counsellor. We had close to a thousand souls on board.
CRUSHER, off stage
We've got twenty-nine. Our counsellor is assigned to General Operations instead of Sick Bay, but we’ve got eight doctors and fifteen nurses. I was thinking of dividing the workload and reorganising the shift schedule, actually.
PULASKI
Have you discussed it with them yet?
CRUSHER, off stage
Only with Strindberg. We haven’t decided on anything.
PULASKI
What about crew evaluations?
CRUSHER, off stage
Done quarterly by the First Officer and the ship’s counsellor. They’ll sometimes ask for your opinion but you’re not required to sit in on every single interview.
PULASKI
Alright. And the monthly reports are sent to…
CRUSHER, off stage
Starfleet Command terminal 118-23-24. There's a flashy note on my work console if you forget. But don't worry, I'll show you around.
PULASKI
Thanks. (She gets up and paces around the room, stopping by the dinner table to look out at the stars.) Anything else I should know?
CRUSHER, off stage
Not that I can think of. (She steps back into the room, carrying a pile of things to pack.) Biobed three has been acting up lately.
PULASKI, smiling
I'll remember that.
CRUSHER packs what she brought into the other bag on the sofa while PULASKI watches.
CRUSHER
I'll be done in a minute.
PULASKI
I don't think the shuttle is going to leave without you.
CRUSHER
I'm not taking that chance.
PULASKI
Is the idea of sharing quarters with me really so unappealing?
CRUSHER
You snore.
PULASKI
Not anymore. I got a CPAP machine.
CRUSHER, laughing
Alright, you've got me there. I'm staying.
PULASKI laughs and walks back to the armchair. She looks like she's about to say something, and then changes her mind. CRUSHER disappears back in the bedroom.
CRUSHER, off stage
Wesley will be staying aboard the Enterprise while I'm gone. He's been promoted to acting ensign by Jean-Luc.
PULASKI moves to sit back down but her eye catches the cover of the book in CRUSHER's open travel bag. She reaches for it and picks it up, opens it to the first page and reads, and then reads it again, and again. A faint smile dances around her mouth.
CRUSHER, off stage
He's got a lot to learn and he works hard. I think you two will get along.
PULASKI, distractedly
I'm sure we will.
CRUSHER, off stage
How old was he the last time you saw him?
PULASKI, still reading
Two, maybe three. I don't know.
CRUSHER, coming out of the bathroom
Well, he's definitely grown since then –
PULASKI shoves the book back into the bag.
CRUSHER
– and not a day goes by that he doesn't make me think of his father. He looks so much like Jack.
PULASKI
That's what genes do.
CRUSHER
Sometimes I do wish he'd gotten to meet his father.
PULASKI sits down and drinks from her glass.
PULASKI
I'm sorry I didn't call. After Jack.
CRUSHER
I don't know that I would have picked up, if that makes you feel any better.
PULASKI
Yes, you would've.
CRUSHER
It had been over seven years, Kate. I didn't expect you to call.
CRUSHER returns into the bedroom and comes back out seconds later with another stack of clothing.
CRUSHER
How has love been treating you?
PULASKI
I stayed busy, let's put it like that.
CRUSHER, laughing
Sounds fun.
PULASKI
It was, for the most part. You know me – I've got a thing for people who know how to enjoy themselves.
CRUSHER chuckles and closes the second bag.
CRUSHER
You used to be quite the party-goer.
PULASKI, smiling
I remember not being the only one. The only reason you didn't drink me under the table at the graduation party was because Jack was leaving early the next day.
CRUSHER
I would've won if not for that.
PULASKI
There's no doubt about it.
A pause.
CRUSHER
And did that business have a name?
PULASKI
Four, actually.
CRUSHER
Oh. (She sits back down in her armchair and takes a sip from her drink.) You weren't lying.
PULASKI
Well, as you pointed out, it has been over twenty years. How about you?
CRUSHER
A bit of romance here and there, but nothing serious. I don't think I've got time for that anymore, anyway.
PULASKI
No, of course not.
A sustained glance.
PULASKI
You kept the book.
A pause.
CRUSHER
Yes, I did.
PULASKI
It would have been a shame to toss it.
CRUSHER
I didn't think we'd see each other again… like this.
PULASKI
You always meet twice in life. My grandmother taught me that and she's never been wrong about it.
CRUSHER
Kate…
PULASKI
It was twenty years ago, Bev. I've moved on and so have you.
CRUSHER
You're right.
CRUSHER stands up, gets the book out of her bag and flips to the first page to the dedication PULASKI was reading earlier. She strokes the paper without thinking, traces along the letters with her fingers.
CRUSHER
'"There are no songs about that which did not happen", Hervé Son of Wekhur wrote. Twisting his words, I like to think that they wrote "We make our hearts" about us. Yours, always. Kate.' It's a beautiful book.
PULASKI
His best work.
CRUSHER
I quite liked The Broken Path to Glory, too. Worf lent me his copy. He’s got an extensive library and he’s happy to lend out his books, if you’re ever looking for Klingon poetry on paper.
CRUSHER puts the book back into the bag and sits down.
PULASKI
Do you remember that time we went to that poetry reading after finishing that bottle of Saurian brandy? On the campus, in the middle of the night?
CRUSHER
I do. You'd just started your new job at the lab and I dragged you out because I wanted to hear classical Andorii so badly.
PULASKI
You wanted to hear it live. That's why we went.
CRUSHER
It was really good though, wasn't it?
PULASKI
The beginning was. I’m afraid the rest is lost in brandy fog.
CRUSHER
Trust me, it was.
PULASKI
Well, you know what wasn't so good? The next morning at the lab.
CRUSHER
I think I missed my first class.
PULASKI
I hope you told them you had a hangover.
CRUSHER
I told them I'd missed my alarm. It wasn't a lie.
A pause. PULASKI drinks from her glass.
PULASKI
We had a good time together.
CRUSHER
We did. We did.
PULASKI
Are you planning to tell your son?
CRUSHER
No, I don't think I will.
PULASKI
Alright. Then I won't say a word.
CRUSHER
Thank you, Kate.
PULASKI smiles.
CRUSHER
I need to finish packing.
PULASKI
So you keep saying.
CRUSHER goes into the bedroom and comes back with one last stack of clothes she somehow manages to cram into her bags. Meanwhile PULASKI puts both glasses back into the replicator.
CRUSHER
You've got a gymnasium and the arboretum only two decks below and there's a nice observation room down the corridor. I think you’ve probably got the nicest quarters on the ship.
PULASKI
What about the captain?
CRUSHER
Don’t tell him I told you, but Jean-Luc has been trying to get his hands on my quarters ever since he had dinner here.
PULASKI
Beverly, don’t tell me that -
CRUSHER, with a sly smile
No. And I resent the fact you even thought I might.
PULASKI
Well, I hope he’s aware that I’m keeping these quarters. And that he won’t be invited to dinner while I’m here.
CRUSHER
Never say never.
PULASKI
I’m quite certain that this is one instance where that saying doesn’t apply.
CRUSHER closes her bag and gives a satisfied sigh.
CRUSHER
I think I’m done.
PULASKI
Well, then.
PULASKI gets up.
CRUSHER
It’s good to see you again, Kate. We should have done this sooner.
PULASKI
Maybe this is exactly the right time.
CRUSHER
Maybe.
PULASKI
Well, you know where to find me now.
CRUSHER
And if you ever get shore leave on Earth… You do remember how to get yourself to Starfleet Medical, don’t you?
PULASKI, laughing
It hasn’t been that long yet.
CRUSHER
I’m just checking.
PULASKI
Yes, well, let’s hope you remember the Sick Bay Handover Protocol as well as you should.
CRUSHER
We’ve got PADDs these days, darling. There’s no need to remember the whole protocol.
PULASKI
Ah, the arrogance of youth.
CRUSHER
You’d better get used to it. Most crewmembers on this ship are younger than you.
PULASKI
And are they as disrespectful as you are?
A beat. Memories swim between them, close enough to touch.
CRUSHER, smiling ruefully
We should get going.
PULASKI, after a moment
What about your luggage?
CRUSHER
I’ll have someone bring it to the shuttle.
PULASKI
Alright.
They both step to the door.
RIKER, over comm
Riker to Dr. Crusher.
CRUSHER
Go ahead.
RIKER, over comm
Doctor, Lieutenant Strindberg tells me neither you nor Dr. Pulaski have been in Sick Bay yet. What’s going on?
CRUSHER
Oh, yes, commander. We got stopped on the way but we’ll be there shortly.
RIKER, over comm
Alright. Riker out.
PULASKI
We got stopped on the way. Got it.
CRUSHER
Let's hope we don't actually get stopped on the way or they will end up leaving without me.
PULASKI
You can beam over if push comes to shove.
CRUSHER
I was hoping to avoid the farewell committee.
PULASKI
Your secret would be safe with me.
CRUSHER
And O'Brien, hopefully.
PULASKI
I'd make sure of it.
CRUSHER
That's not what the medical supplies cupboard is for.
PULASKI, chuckling
Come on, we really should get going.
CRUSHER
Yeah. Let's.
They leave the quarters through the door to the corridor. CRUSHER doesn't turn back, but PULASKI does. When the door closes behind them, the lights on the stage go out.