Bedroom Woe

Posted on Wed Aug 4th, 2021 @ 4:26am by Lieutenant JG Katsumi Tanaka MD

843 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Prologue: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Location: Sleeping quarters Alpha | Bellwether Station
Timeline: Current

ON:

Katsumi stood at the entrance of what would be her room…well the room she shared with everyone. She had never wanted to cry more in her entire life…okay well maybe she has but this was…ridiculous.

There were two rooms, she was in Alpha that had three beds. Two bunk and one in the open and no privacy. She hopped that the other people somehow got assigned to Beta room so that she had this one to herself but…she knew that was wishful thinking.

Sighing she dropped her bag on the floor and looked around. Right across from the entrance hallway was a large closet/storage unit with drawers. She picked a top drawer and cleaned it and then set a lock code and emptied some of the contents of her bag there. There was an are for shoes and to hang clothing so she figured out how to split it equally and labeled the shelves and places she’d picked with her name.

Second step was off to the bathroom. After sanitizing from top to bottom there too were drawers that locked. She picked another top drawer put away her toiletries and the towels what she would use, since she had some fabric sensitivities. She locked the drawer and then stood again in the center of the room.

Which bed to take… She had an old memory surface of the story of Goldilocks, one that her Godmother had told her. She sighed. “This is…a nightmare.” As she said the words, she knew that she would spend most her time in Sickbay. She thanked all the universal deities that she’d brough a sleeping bag.

She looked at the bed off to itself. It was tempting but again so open. The bunk beds had a privacy screen at the entrance that could be utilized so that narrowed her choices down. “Top or bottom.” She pursed her lips as she thought.

There was one way to solve her problem. She pulled out her tricorder and scanned both mattresses. Unfortunately, they were both new so bacterial saturation could not be what determined her choice.

“Make it hard why don’t you!” She sighed. “Okay…I can do this. I don’t like having people on top…what if they pee or Gods forbit soil themselves. “Top it is.” She stripped the sheets tossing them in the spare area and pulled out her own sheets. She’d brought three sets as, again, she had fabric sensitivities to worry about.

The inside of the bunk was not bad. It was spacious like a double bed, perhaps a bit bigger. It had a small screen that was mobile where one could watch movies with ear pieces of course. There were a few wall drawers and a small shelf and a data panel…and a reading light! It actually reminded her of Japan. She had stayed in what were known as capsule hotels just to see what it was like.

“Okay…trying to look on the bright side.”

With that done she realized just how tired she was. Her stomach rumbled telling her that it was time to eat but she was so exhausted that she didn’t think that she could make it to the mess hall.

Groaning she pulled herself to the sonic shower, rushed through her nighttime routine that would not be skipped for anything and then settled into bed.

She had hoped that she’d fall asleep right away but nothing of the sort happened. In fact, she was so exhausted that she couldn’t fall asleep.

Sighing she turned on the little light and pulled out her book. Figures, probably the only night of privacy she’d get in her room and she couldn’t fall asleep.

For just a moment she was beginning to regret the posting she’d chosen, but… maybe it would all work out. She’d made it through the Academy she could get used to the small number that would be housed here…or so she hoped.

She read for a good hour before her emotional exhaustion allowed her to get sleepy enough.

Reaching up she turned off the light and put the book away. For tonight she could leave the privacy screen open. “I can do this; I can get through all of this and I can make it.” She repeated the mantra until a yawn stopped her.

She settled in a little more and then the darkness of sleep claimed her. Tomorrow would be another day, hopefully a quiet day where she could explore the station a little more and maybe, just maybe figure out what the hell was wrong with that EMH. The CO had said not to use it…she had the overwhelming urge to try anyway. What could be so bad? Why did he lock out the holo of the EMH? Why was that not on the incoming report or on the report of the outgoing doctor which she’d read at least 15 times.

Tomorrow, was another day.

OFF:

 

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