All My Children
Posted on Fri Oct 3rd, 2025 @ 5:45am by Commander Chisato Nishikigi & Lieutenant Amu Hinamori M.D.
1,260 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
Preserving The Past
Location: USS Tokyo (NCC-91101)- Lieutenant Hamada's Quarters
Timeline: January 27, 2396
The chime rang from the door through the dimly lit room.
With a gentle hiss, the doors slid back, revealing the nurse who had been tending to Amu during her recovery. Now, however, the roles were reversed and Amu found herself in the role of emotional support, for she had been tasked with delivering the news that no parent should have to hear:
"It's Shigeru, isn't it?" The nurse suddenly spoke up, as if she had already been bracing for this moment. "He's gone?"
Amu nodded. The announcement from Captain Aisaka had only been a few hours ago. The Tokyo was still in orbit of Amerind, now charred and burnt beyond recognition. "The casualty list was just released... I'm sorry..."
The nurse closed her eyes and sighed, though Amu was keen to observe that no tears were shed; she looked exhausted, as if she'd already gotten it out of her system and had resigned herself to this cruel new reality- one in which she had outlived her own son.
Slowly, she stepped aside and motioned into her quarters. "Why don't you come inside?" she offered, trying to muster a brave smile for Amu's sake. "I could probably use a distraction anyways..."
Amu sheepishly stepped inside, not quite sure what to do. "I'm not exactly a great distraction..." she said softly.
"Well, it's certainly better than nothing," the Nurse replied as she moved over to the dining room table and offered Amu a seat.
Amu hovered a little just inside the door. "I know this is probably the worst time to ask..." She said simply looking away as she avoided eye contact. "But, we have a lot of injured. If you want a distraction... We could use your skills in sickbay..."
"Well, seeing as you're offering, I may just take you up on it," the nurse accepted, albeit glumly. "Takes my mind off of things, I suppose..."
"Thats if you feel up to it of course... I can always ask for Counsellor Johnson to come down and pay you a visit?" Amu suggested. She would need her to be focused and not to be distracted, after all one slip up could be the difference between saving a life and losing one.
The nurse sighed. "Honestly, what's a Counselor visit going to do for me that I don't already know? Reaffirm that my own son is dead? At this point, I'm better off putting my head down and making myself useful around here..."
Amu looked up, rubbing her arm slightly. "Well, she can help you grieve... I..." she paused. "I can't imagine what you're going through... I... Well..."
The nurse waved her hand in dismissal, "It's true that I'm going through a lot of emotions right now, but I don't expect you to relate- especially not this early on in your parenting journey," she admitted. "And the same goes for the counselor, as she's only a few weeks behind you."
She moved over to the bedroom to grab a few items before the two began the long walk down to sickbay. "And honestly, it's not of fair of me to be foisting my grief as a parent on either of you, especially when you've got so much to look forward to with having kids of your own."
She re-emerged from the bedroom, a small first aid kit slung over her shoulder. "Shigeru lived 31 long, happy years on this plane, and as his mother, I will always cherish the moments I spent raising him, watching him develop into the fine young man that he was when he breathed his last. But he knew full well the risks when he signed up for this organization; I sure as hell did, and I had to spend at least 2 hours reaffirming my choice to my own mother, who was scared half to death for my own well-being."
She smiled, if somewhat sadly. "Nearly fifty years in the service now, and while its had its ups and downs... I can say with absolute certainty that I wouldn't have had it any other way, and I'd like to believe that Shigeru felt the same."
Amu wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. "Can I ask... Did he have any children?"
the nurse shook her head. "He was single, thankfully; he did briefly date this girl a few years back, but the two of them never saw eye-to-eye and eventually agreed to part ways."
The doctor nodded. "If I remember correctly, you have other children don't you?" She asked. "I can ask the Captain to grant you some leave to go see them?"
"I suppose I'm going to need it," the nurse admitted as the two of them started down the hall towards the turbolift. "The three of them were always close growing up, so this is going to hit his brothers especially hard."
"I wish I was like that with my little sister. But, she's eight years younger so we didn't really get close as kids." Amu replied. "He's lucky to have such close siblings."
"Incredibly so," the nurse smiled fondly. "Granted, they used to rough-house a heck of a lot- probably broke the couch on at least three separate occasions- but more often than not, they were always sticking their necks out for one another, even if they were owing up to something that wasn't their fault. They were just the sweetest, most selfless band of brothers you ever did meet."
Amu couldn't help but chuckle. "One day I hope to be in that situation." She said smiling. "Looking fondly on that is." She explained. "Although, I'll admit I'm nervous that I'll screw up."
"Talking from experience, Sweetheart, you're probably going to want to dispel any ideas of becoming a 'perfect mom'," the nurse insisted. "Keeping in mind that you're likely going to be holding down a job in addition to raising a boy, making sure that he doesn't jump off the coffee table or set the replicator on fire, the best you can hope to be is good enough. There'll be screw-ups, no doubt- I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my fair share of those- but sometimes, you just gotta make lemons out of lemonade- and then realized you screwed up the wording and laugh it away..."
Amu cocked her head to one side. "Lemons out of lemonade...?" she questioned. "I know there's no manual to parenting. But... I'd appreciate any advice from you... Even after this little one enters the world." Amu said running a hand over her bump. "After all, its not long until he's here."
The nurse glanced over at her. "You're saying you want me to be your Childcare consultant?"
"I have another role in mind..." Amu said giving her a smile. "I wanted to ask you this before. This is probably really crappy timing... but how about... godmother?"
"Godmother?" the nurse gasped. "Well, you are right, your timing is pretty shit, but..."
She smiled. "I would be honored to be your son's godmother, if you and your boyfriend will have me."
"He was the one who brought it up," Amu smiled as the two of them stepped into the Turbolift. "So, how about we get to sickbay?"
Posting by:
Lieutenant Amu Hinamori
Flight Deck Chief Medic, USS Tokyo (NCC-91101)
Lieutenant Soyo Hamada
Nurse, USS Tokyo (NCC-91101)
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