A New Place To Call Home Part 2

Posted on Thu Oct 30th, 2025 @ 4:34am by Ensign Grace MacKenzie & Lieutenant Amu Hinamori M.D. & Lieutenant Fubuki Kuchikukan 'Snowflake' & Petty Officer 1st Class Yoshika Miyafuji
Edited on on Thu Oct 30th, 2025 @ 4:35am

1,623 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The Return
Location: Tokyo Flight Deck Sickbay

Previously on USS Tokyo....

The words were normal, what should be heard from a medical professional, not from a staff doctor who only cared about getting people out of their sickbay and back on the flight line, or to their quarters. Not a friend of the CO and CAG who agreed with their doctrine and adherence to an ancient philosophy. The fact that for the last… However long it had been, she didn’t even remember how long she’d been flying by herself after the Heralds showed up to attack, her adrenaline level was dropping rapidly and Grace shivered once. How had she even survived?

And now the continuation...

"I'm going to scan you now OK." Yoshika said softly to Grace. "Don't worry, you're perfectly safe here. No one is going to hurt you, we're here to help." She said as she gently approached with the scanning wand.

Grace nodded and gripped the edge of the biobed as she sat there as quiescently as she could. The silence was almost worse than the rapidfire French the Foch’s doctor had gone on about as he talked with her squadron commander in the same room at all times. That had been as if they didn’t trust her, but she knew they hadn’t. Of course, both the doctor and squadron COs had been men.

Yoshika looked over the readings. A noticeable frown emerging on her face. "When was the last time you ate a nutritious meal Ensign?" She asked simply.

“They say the rations aboard Foch are nutritionally sufficient.” Grace said stolidly, “Even for those who are ‘under discipline’ for infractions of ship bound operations. Confinement on basic rations, with extra duties to ‘keep us too busy’ to be repeaters.” She glanced up only briefly now, her eyes on the floor.

Fubuki and Yoshika exchanged looks, then finally Yoshika broke the silence. "Well, we can't be having that. I want you to come to my quarters at about 19:00 hours this evening if nothing else comes up. Lynette and I will be happy to have you over for dinner, Fubuki too. I've got a few fantastic recipes that'll .ake your tummy very happy!"

Fubuki smiled. She leaned in towards Grace and gently whispered into her ear. "You totally should. Yoshika's cooking is well known on this ship to being top notch."

Grace nodded as she tried to smile a bit, “Ah would be happy to, Ah think.” The smile still fell from her face involuntarily, “Ah don’t mean to be a Debbie-downer, this is just.. So different from Foch.” Her eyes flicked around as if looking for someone else listening, or a recording device, “Not that Foch was a bad ship,” She added quickly just in case.

Yoshika nodded. She flipped the tricorder shut. "Amu should be over in a minute." She said as she trotted off over to the doctors office. Truth to be told only a few moments later Doctor Amu Hinamori once again approached them.

"I've had a look over the readings that Nurse Miyafuji brought to me." She said softly. "It seems you have a slight case of malnutrition, and a severe vitamin deficiency." She explained to her. "Now, luckily Miyafuji is already planning to feed you tonight, trust me, her cooking is phenomenal. But we'll work out a diet plan together in the next few days to get your body back to a healthy state." She explained to her, the words infused with kindness and caring. "I am also wanting you to seek out Counsellor Johnson. Whatever happened to you on your previous assignment is clearly impacting your behaviour. I am worried that your mental health is not doing good right now. So I'll schedule a time slot for you."

Amu smiled as she leant against the opposite biobed. "Unfortunately until you're fit and healthy again, I'm not going to allow you to fly. I'm sorry; but, once I am satisfied that you're in good health and not a risk to yourself, then we will come up with a plan to get you back out there." She looked the pilot up and down. "Apart from that, is there anything else you want to discuss with me? If not now, then just drop me a comm call."

“No, no, no, no, no, you can’t do that, Doctor.” That got a response out of Grace that nothing else had gotten from her, “You can’t taking flying away from me, it’s all Ah’ve got right now! Ah can fly, Doctor, Ah swear it, Snowflake, please, you can’t let her do this, Ah’m begin’ you.”

Fubuki looked away. "Sorry, if Doc's made up her mind, she outranks me on this one. Even Captain Aisaka can't do anything."

"Thats correct," Amu said giving her a serious look. "Its called 'tough love'. But, if you really want to back out flying again then you'll follow the treatment plan we'll put together to the letter. In the meantime, I'm clearing you for basic duties. After you report to the Captain." Amu's expression softened. "Look, I know it sounds harsh, but I'm not willing to let you put your health at risk. You're just as important as everyone else on this ship. You need to take care of yourself first. You're on the Tokyo now, this crew is a family. We look after each other, that's obe thing that Captain Aisaka drills into each and every one of us. So, this might be hard, bit its what's best for your welfare as of this moment."

The desperation in Grace’s eyes, the tears coming unbidden to them, were a sure sign of something, but Grace couldn’t put her words together right or understand what the doctor had said, it was panic true and clear,. “But, Ah can’t, you don’t understand, if Ah can’t fly, then- Ah can’t be stuck in there all the time, Ah really can’t, with nothin’ to do and- Ah, Ah, Flyin’s the only thing they’ll let me do without vein’ stuck in those quarters and.. and..”

"How about this then..." Amu said. "I'll authorise you for training runs. I'll reassess you in a weeks time from now. Until then you can fly in training exercises only and under Fubuki's supervision. If you have improved in a week, I'll let you fly missions." Amu told her. She knew pilots could be stubborn and being grounded was awful for them. "Thats the best I can do right now."

There was a visible sagging of tension at the words and Grace nodded quickly, “Ah promise, mayam, and Ah won’t get in trouble, none of y’all will need to put me into punishment duties or need to keep me in confinement for disobeyin’. Ah promise.” She broke down into sobbing that was completely uncontrolled, “Ah, Ah swear.”

Amu leant forward and put a reassuring hand on the ensigns shoulder before pulling her into a close embrace. She wrapped her arms around her and rubbed the back of her head lightly. "There there, let it all out. It looks like you've had a rough ride. But you're with us now. Just, cry it all out." She said softly and smoothly.

And let it out Grace did. It was a few solid minutes of sobbing, grief for those friends or at least friendly people she’d lost, for the memory of what had been happening on Foch, for the simple fact that she was still alive when by all rights she shouldn’t be. Finally the sobs died down, emotion spent and she released the doctor, trying to wipe away the remaining tears from her eyes. “Ah’m… Sorry.”

Amu smiled softly. "You've obviously been through a lot," she said softly. She then looked over at Fubuki. "Take care of her for me. If either of you need anything, let me know immediately. Plus, I believe that you two still have that dinner to attend later this evening... If that's still the case Yoshika?" Amu asked as she looked over her shoulder back at the young petite nurse.

"Damn right it is!" Yoshika called back.

Amu looked back at them both. "Well, we're all done here now. So go and do what you both need to do. I'll get your medical records all in order Ensign." She turned to walk away, however she paused briefly and looked back at Grace. "Oh and welcome to the Tokyo family."

Family. That’s not what she’d been told on Foch, not in the slightest. THEY had been a ‘Brotherhood’, male or female, because they were ‘part of something special with a tradition that had lasted over hand a millennium.’ She held the Kepi in her hands now, knowing that a part of her history was now behind her. Her thoughts went back to Earth, a particular ranch in the west of Texas. That had been the last time she’d been a part of a family, of any real family.

Slowly, the Ensign slid off the biobed, running the back of a hand across her eyes one more time and giving the best smile she could manage to Fukui, though it trembled and could collapse at any time, “I suppose that means I need a bunk, doesn’t it?” She asked

"Yep." Fubuki said simply as she led the way towards the door.

Grace nodded and followed the CAG out the door. The white hat finally alone behind her on the biobed.

Posting by:

Lieutenant Fubuki Kuchikukan 'Snowflake'
Commander Air Group

Ensign Grace MacKenzie
Fighter Pilot

Lieutenant Amu Hinamori M.D.
Flight Deck Chief Medic

Petty Officer 1st Class Yoshika Miyafuji

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