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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/KamchatkasRevenge on 2024-12-23 23:06:09+00:00.
Nadi
"Alright, I want you to take this medication for three days, then message my nurse with any remaining symptoms."
Nadi looks up at her patient, giving the young Human man a fierce look worthy of the mythological dragons that Humans sometimes said Kohbs like Nadi resemble. Or if she'd done a very good job, a pale imitation of a real dragon, her colleague Joanna McCoy.
The petty officer in question had been de-aged to his late teens in a healing coma a few months back after an accident, and had been engaging in slightly more reckless behavior than he normally would since then. A common problem for most species after a significant de-aging via healing coma. Puberty hormones were a hell of a drug and while most people could handle a young body after learning the ropes the first time, hormones were unique for every individual, never mind the differences between species.
From the report she'd received on contacting his supervisor she'd been treated to a Human griping for a solid five minutes before finally lamenting how one of his petty officers has, 'stopped acting like a grown ass man!' An amusing thought, someone in their mid twenties being grown. Even the Chief Petty Officer she'd spoken with was only in his mid thirties. Of course, the reality was that the difference between a twenty five year old and a fifteen year old Human didn't mean much to a woman who was well over a century old. Even her own husband had only gotten just over half way to his first century, though he was certainly mature and wise beyond his short years. Humans were young. As a species. As a culture. As individuals. It certainly made for them being entertaining to watch.
She checks her chart again, reviewing the unfortunate accident, or, rather, the stupid stunt he'd pulled trying to impress one of his wives or girlfriends... she hadn't introduced herself as a wife, so probably a girlfriend. Humans liked their drawn out courtships.
Nadi resists tittering into her hand as she plugs another order into her system and issues the young man a light duty chit. Most humans liked them anyway. If a woman knew her business though, she could court the galactic way. She'd managed with Jerry after all, but even after they'd wed and their first clutch had hatched, that big hunk of love hadn't even slowed down with courting her!
It was enough to give a woman a bit of an ego, even a humble woman like Nadi. However she still had work to do and daydreaming about her husband tragically wasn't her full time occupation. More specifically she needed to put the fear of the goddess, or at least Bones McCoy, into this young man so he didn't do anything too stupid again and end up in a healing coma.
"I'm also prescribing you a hormone suppressant shot. It won't impact your body's renewed development, but you won't feel the effects of them nearly as strongly. You need to remember petty officer, you're not a teenage boy. You are a grown ass man and I expect you to act like it. So you'll take both medications, and stay off that ankle for a week. If I hear you've been out screwing around instead of recovering I'll have you confined to quarters until Doctor McCoy gives you a clean bill of health. Clear?"
The petty officer gulps, looking around like he was expecting the Crimson Tear's most infamous medical professional to appear just by mentioning her name.
"Ah yes, ma'am. Light duty. Take meds. Suppressant. Anything else?"
"You might want to ask the young lady who brought you in for help. I'm sure she'd be happy to assist your wives with looking after you."
"You think so?"
The look on the petty officer's newly young again face as he doubted his ability for a moment to succeed with the pretty girl he'd been trying to impress was adorable. It was also more than a little hilarious considering he was married several times over, but neither emotion could escape past Nadi's mask of perfect professionalism.
She adjusts her glasses before giving the Human her best unimpressed look over the rim of her frames, her cold gaze clearly cutting him down to size a bit. Also funny when he had a good two and a half feet of height on her. However, Doctor McCoy wasn't the only doctor in the ship who could deliver a dose of wit or ruthless criticism where needed and by her estimation this particular individual needed a swift kick in the seat of the pants.
Probably not literally. Which was just as well considering she'd need to get a ladder.
"Petty officer, I will again remind you you're a grown ass man and married several times over. Surely you're a bit more confident with women than this."
"...Oh. Yeah. That's uh. That's a good point. I just got kinda. Nervous. Or something."
"Hmm. I'm upping the dose on that suppressant, you're clearly getting run over by a air car. Must be the peak of your hormone surges. Anyway, To the pharmacy with you, then check out at the front desk. They'll have your light duty chit."
"Yes ma'am."
Nadi finally allows herself to smile as the petty officer vacates her exam room and she pages in one of her corpsmen to clean up.
"Is that the last one for sick call?"
The agreeable young Tret woman nods eagerly, one stripe, as junior as they came, Nadi hadn't even managed to memorize her name yet which was mildly embarrassing, if easy to cover for with military protocol.
"Yes ma'am. Last patient for the day."
"Alright do a final clean and then help the others with the rest of the exam rooms. I'll do the end of day paperwork for the clinic."
"I think Chief's already on it, one of the nurses is helping. Lieutenant... Glass or something like that?"
"That's right, her name is 'Glass'. An English word."
"It's an interesting one, never heard anything quite like before!"
"She took her husband's sur name Human style after she got married like I did, I believe."
"That makes sense!"
Nadi smiles at the corpsman's back as she heads out into the hallway. Young, eager, and excited to be out on an adventure. Thankfully in a much more respectable and safer capacity than joining a pirate crew or something. Lots of girls did that in the galaxy, or joined a small-time gang, or did some other dumb shit for a few years and it frequently ended in tragedy. It certainly had for one of Nadi's clutch sisters, the poor girl had died in a shoot out while Nadi had been finishing her genetic medicine residency.
"Hmmm. Haven't thought of Nilti in a long time... Been too busy, but then I suppose it really has been a long time since we lost her. Though I can't help but wonder if we lost her the day she died, or if we lost her the day she left? Something to consider... and watch out for with my own children."
"Talking to yourself again, Doctor?"
Jerry's voice jars Nadi from her thoughts.
"Darling!"
She launches herself at her husband, the axiom she'd been studying recently letting her get a proper leap to embrace her big ape. His arms wrap around her as he pulls her in tight and she immediately feels like she's home again.
"Mhmmm. I missed you."
"I missed you too Nadi. I always miss you girls during the work day."
"I know, it's one of the best, and worst parts of going to work. I hate being apart, but missing you, and knowing you miss me makes me feel so special."
The petite woman grins up at her husband.
"Plus, you can't enjoy coming home if you never leave."
"True, and it's not like home's very far away for us."
"Exactly."
"Are you done for the day?"
Nadi glances back at her desk and shrugs. "I have some paperwork to do, but I can do it from my terminal at home. So we might as well go home."
"Sounds like a plan, do you want to walk? Or ride?"
"Ride please! Much easier to cuddle with you when I'm riding."
"As the good doctor wishes."
Nadi quickly shifts around to her favorite place to be when out with her husband. She might not be a giant like Jaruna, or able to easily match her husband's stride like some of the girls closer to his height, but she was the only one who could comfortably ride on his back, her head tucking up over his shoulder to plant a kiss on his cheek. She wasn't unique in this particular behavior of course, it was a favorite of all Kohbs with appropriately sized mates. She had a male cousin who loved riding on his larger wives' shoulders too.
As they get in the lift and head towards the Den, Nadi's struck by a thought. Normally she always knew when Jerry was around because someone would call the room to attention or announce 'Admiral on deck!', yet, no one had done so today. She goes through a variety of options, including his knack for Yauya style invisibility and high velocity movement, but sets them aside in favor of just asking.
"How did you get past all the corpsmen without someone calling the compartment to attention or announcing you?"
Jerry smiles over at Nadi, a twinkle in his eye.
"Policy change I made with Doctor McCoy, even though it's already in place for active life saving spaces, the entire sick bay is now not to call attention or announce myself, Doctor McCoy or the skipper, or anyone else. Up to and including Admiral Cistern. The corpsmen have more important things to be doing with their time then stopping everything or making an announcement."
That grin of Jerry's shifts to a familiar half smile, something Nadi was used to seeing when her beloved spouse was up to no good.
"Plus it makes it much easier to drop in on people unannounced. Bones in particular was very eager to inspect her own internal c...
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