background story - On Making Career Choices
stardate 2233
Leonard ran into the house, his stuffed bear trailing behind him to find his mother sitting on the sofa, watching the video panel on the wall, her eyes red and puffy. He stopped, shocked - he'd never seen her sad like that, and it rattled him to the bone. "Momma?" he asked in a small voice.
She turned toward him sniffling. "Lenny," she said with that smile that was just for him, "are you okay, baby?"
"Hungry," he said, stepping toward her. "What's that?" he asked as he looked up at what she was watching.
"It's called a funeral, baby," she said, pulling him into her arms, cradling his head gently. "It's like... when someone dies, everyone they love gets together and talks about them, and how they'll miss them, and says goodbye."
"Who died, Momma?" he asked curiously, wondering if it was anyone he knew.
"A brave man," she told him, kissing his head. "There was a fight, in space," she told him, trying to explain, "and he saved a lot of people, but he didn't make it out."
He watched the screen for a moment with her, The cameras as they focused on certain people now - old people in uniforms, saluting each other, giving speeches. Suddenly feeling her arms go tight around him, he watched as the screen changed to a woman's face, dry-eyed, but her face was red, puffy.
She was holding a baby. "Who's that?" he asked, wriggling a little as he watched the sad lady nod at someone speaking to her.
A little boy was sitting next to her, about the same age he was, and Lenny clutched his bear a little tighter, wondering if he was scared sitting up there with all those people.
"That was the captain's wife," she sighed after a moment. "Those poor babies, losing their daddy."
Leonard didn't completely understand the idea of losing a parent, but he did know what it meant to die. His dad would come home from work sometimes and go straight to his room. Momma would say that someone died that day and he needed some time alone.
After the Kelvin, Starfleet was everywhere.
Using the positive spin from Captain Kirk and the Kelvin, Starfleet began heavily promoting the benefits of enlisting. Bobby Munroe's older brother joined up, and a week later was gone. He sent Bobby some little Starfleet insignias made of plastic, which made their way around the lunchroom the next day at school. Leonard traded a slingshot and a Captain Blasto mini-vid for one of them.
When David McCoy got home from work that evening he found Lenny sitting on a low tree branch. "Blast off!" he heard, then saw a small bear launched from the tree to the ground. He walked over and picked it up, and walked over to the tree, handing it to the small boy hanging on a branch. He raised an eyebrow at the grungy bear, now proudly displaying a Starfleet pin on his stuffed chest. "Who is this?"
"Captain Hamlet!" Lenny told him proudly. "We're gonna be pilots in space," he added as his mother walked outside, standing next to her husband.
Doctor McCoy turned to her. "Our son is joining Starfleet." Another raised eyebrow at this.
"Apparently," she said wryly, leaning in to David for her kiss. "C'mon inside boys, it'll be dark soon."
A few months later, when Lenny's birthday rolled around, he received a Little Tykes Medical Kit from his daddy, who sat him down and told him a story about his dad, and his dad's dad, and his great-grandmother, and a few others, all McCoys, and all doctors. By the end of the story Lenny wanted nothing more than to be a doctor like his daddy and his granddad.
They were going to work together, his daddy told him, as soon as Lenny grew up and learned all about doctoring people.
The next day, Lenny traded the Starfleet pin for one of Randall Armstrong's mother's brownies.
Leonard ran into the house, his stuffed bear trailing behind him to find his mother sitting on the sofa, watching the video panel on the wall, her eyes red and puffy. He stopped, shocked - he'd never seen her sad like that, and it rattled him to the bone. "Momma?" he asked in a small voice.
She turned toward him sniffling. "Lenny," she said with that smile that was just for him, "are you okay, baby?"
"Hungry," he said, stepping toward her. "What's that?" he asked as he looked up at what she was watching.
"It's called a funeral, baby," she said, pulling him into her arms, cradling his head gently. "It's like... when someone dies, everyone they love gets together and talks about them, and how they'll miss them, and says goodbye."
"Who died, Momma?" he asked curiously, wondering if it was anyone he knew.
"A brave man," she told him, kissing his head. "There was a fight, in space," she told him, trying to explain, "and he saved a lot of people, but he didn't make it out."
He watched the screen for a moment with her, The cameras as they focused on certain people now - old people in uniforms, saluting each other, giving speeches. Suddenly feeling her arms go tight around him, he watched as the screen changed to a woman's face, dry-eyed, but her face was red, puffy.
She was holding a baby. "Who's that?" he asked, wriggling a little as he watched the sad lady nod at someone speaking to her.
A little boy was sitting next to her, about the same age he was, and Lenny clutched his bear a little tighter, wondering if he was scared sitting up there with all those people.
"That was the captain's wife," she sighed after a moment. "Those poor babies, losing their daddy."
Leonard didn't completely understand the idea of losing a parent, but he did know what it meant to die. His dad would come home from work sometimes and go straight to his room. Momma would say that someone died that day and he needed some time alone.
After the Kelvin, Starfleet was everywhere.
Using the positive spin from Captain Kirk and the Kelvin, Starfleet began heavily promoting the benefits of enlisting. Bobby Munroe's older brother joined up, and a week later was gone. He sent Bobby some little Starfleet insignias made of plastic, which made their way around the lunchroom the next day at school. Leonard traded a slingshot and a Captain Blasto mini-vid for one of them.
When David McCoy got home from work that evening he found Lenny sitting on a low tree branch. "Blast off!" he heard, then saw a small bear launched from the tree to the ground. He walked over and picked it up, and walked over to the tree, handing it to the small boy hanging on a branch. He raised an eyebrow at the grungy bear, now proudly displaying a Starfleet pin on his stuffed chest. "Who is this?"
"Captain Hamlet!" Lenny told him proudly. "We're gonna be pilots in space," he added as his mother walked outside, standing next to her husband.
Doctor McCoy turned to her. "Our son is joining Starfleet." Another raised eyebrow at this.
"Apparently," she said wryly, leaning in to David for her kiss. "C'mon inside boys, it'll be dark soon."
A few months later, when Lenny's birthday rolled around, he received a Little Tykes Medical Kit from his daddy, who sat him down and told him a story about his dad, and his dad's dad, and his great-grandmother, and a few others, all McCoys, and all doctors. By the end of the story Lenny wanted nothing more than to be a doctor like his daddy and his granddad.
They were going to work together, his daddy told him, as soon as Lenny grew up and learned all about doctoring people.
The next day, Lenny traded the Starfleet pin for one of Randall Armstrong's mother's brownies.