Gym Bodies

Posted on Tue Mar 4th, 2025 @ 11:04pm by Lieutenant Ame Solis M.D. & Lieutenant JG Edward Mitchell

Mission: Character Development
Location: USS Athena - Deck 9 Gym
Timeline: MD04 - Early AM
1534 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

It was early, even by Alpha shift standards, and Ame had promised herself she would keep up with at least one session of exercise per day. There were no holodecks or group activities that morning, her mind couldn’t process that on top of everything from the day before. She’d opted for a solo run on a treadmill with music loud enough to deafen most, hoping the rhythmic pounding of her feet would help her make sense of the spinning thoughts.

Her attire wasn’t anything fitted or coordinated, just whatever she’d grabbed in her half-awake state. Ten minutes in, she was going strong, letting the beat of her playlist dictate her pace. So far, so good.

The gym’s quiet hum was a comfort. Treadmills thrummed softly, and the occasional clang of weights interrupted the stillness. It wasn’t busy, just the way she liked it.

"Morning doc!" The ever-chipper and bright man working some bicep curls grinned up at her. "Didn't know you were a fellow early bird. You just getting started or finishing up?" Eddie asked.

The man’s lips were moving, but Ame had no idea what he was saying to her. Bedraggled more accurately described how she felt that morning. She pulled out one of the earpieces that provided her pounding music. “Sorry, what did you say Eddie? I thought this might be the quiet gym.” Her hand hammered the speed to slow down. Just like the first attempt three days prior her chest hurt.

He waved with his free hand a little apology. "Just asking how you were getting on. Don't normally see you with the rest of us on Alpha shift. Couldn't sleep?"

“Not really. You’ve not been talking to Zorak have you?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, she knew the Bolian couldn’t things quiet but this may have been a record. “I’ve been trying to prove I can outrun a fictional killer bird … if that makes any sense, at all. Q had a lasting impact on me and now I’m dragging myself out of a rut.”

Edward stared at her for a few seconds as though weighing up if she was in some sleep-deprived delirium. "No, not been talking to anyone..." he mumbled. "I know I'm just your nurse but, uh, is that something you need to chat to Commander Savin about?"

She continued to run, face contorting in just as much confusion, “Savin? No, he knows about that. I meant about yesterday, but that’s fine.” Ame screwed up her nose, deepening its ridges and shook her head dismissively. “You should talk to people! Maybe not Zorak.” Talking and running was a bridge too far so she blindly hammered the speed again to slow things down.

In his few months since joining the ship, Edward had still not quite figured out the CMO's pattern. He left it another moment before figuring out how to even respond to that. "Uh, cool. So, uh..." he glanced around. "Maybe you wanna bring me up to speed, then?"

It took her a moment to decide how much Ame wanted to share. “Maybe? I don’t really share that kind of stuff. I just wanted to make sure that Zorak wasn’t being a gossip.” Her lips pressed together as her run became a more acceptable speed walk. “Can you make sure that if there are any more patients from other ships that need medical treatment, that I’m told before they arrive please?” She was happy that she’d provided just enough information about the situation without getting directly into it.

"You can ask..." Edward replied, slowly curling another rep. "But that's on the transporter chief, not me. Try Lieutenant Leiko, he's got to have a system of some sort." Lowering the weight down again, he offered a slightly more sympathetic grin. "Missing when it was just us and not a whole bunch of other Starfleet ships treading on our toes?"

“No. It was more the fact that the message had been passed down to Zorak and it never reached me. I’ve no doubt that would never happen with you.” Her brisk walk continued after she gently squeezed along her ribs. “I wouldn’t say that … I’m just not used to surprise guests on a starship … I was on a defiant class before and a starbase. Small and huge. I didn’t expect to see a former patient from much earlier in my career.”

"You know what they say: it's a small galaxy," he grinned. "I'm pretty sure my brother's ex is on the Spartan somewhere. Not that I'm in any rush to start that conversation." Lowering the weight again he offered his most encouraging look. "It's only for a few days, right? Once we clear up this mess and get back on our way, I'm sure things will settle down."

Ame’s cheeks flushed a little more red with his example of awkwardness; she couldn’t stop her brows from rising. “Yea … something like that.” Her walk continued as she watched him focus on the repetition. “Maybe it's not such a bad thing. Facing things head-on… maybe. Space is supposed to be vast and infinite, like you said, it's not really.” Quietly she groaned and ran her hands over her face. “Makes me cherish shore leave and mojitos.”

"Pfft..." Eddie laughed. "Trying to imagine you on one of those party planets with mojitos wasn't what I expected to picture in my head, Doc." He released the dumbbell and grabbed a towel. "Though sounds a darned sight better than patching up surprise guests."

“No?” The Doctor couldn’t help but laugh as she carried on her walk. “I’m not all risk assessments and first aid. I like a good time. I just don’t get to do that part very often.” Ame sighed softly. “I guess it’s not all that bad? It wasn’t what I expected.” She tapped the settings to bring her session to a cooldown, slowing to a stop she took a moment to catch her breath.

The nurse gave her an inquiring look; not dissimilar to the sort he'd give patients that claimed they were 'fine' when it was obvious there was something they weren't admitting. "Space is full of unexpected. That's why Starfleet's out here," he responded, trying to put a positive and uplifting spin on things. "Or is it something else?"

Ame narrowed her eyes at him. “What? Don’t give me that look. I know that look.” She would have huffed if she wasn’t already feeling exposed. “Are you sure you’re not one of P’Rel’s undercover lackeys?”

She exhaled sharply, running a hand over her face, fingers pressing into her temples as if that might ease the tension settling behind her eyes. “He was my husband… is my husband?” The words felt strange the moment she said them aloud. They hung in the air, uncertain, like she wasn’t quite sure where she landed on the distinction.

Ame let out a soft, humourless chuckle and shook her head. “Estranged husband,” she corrected, but even that felt inadequate. “I don’t even know what that really means. Just that… it’s complicated.”

She dropped her arms, rolling her shoulders as if trying to shake something off. “Guess space really is small.”

"Get no argument from me. The universe isn't without a sense of humour," Eddie chuckled. "Look, uh, if it's not overstepping...I could make some calls...?"

“What? No! What even does that mean?” Ame stepped off the treadmill, nearly missing her footing in her rush to respond. She turned to face Eddie, her expression a mix of bewilderment and exasperation, as if he’d just suggested something completely absurd.

“Who exactly would you be calling? And why?” She gestured vaguely, still catching her breath, her flushed face now redder from more than just exertion. “I can make my own calls, you know.”

She ran a hand through her damp hair, pressing her lips together before exhaling sharply. “Unless you’ve got some secret Starfleet hotline for ‘complicated estranged spouse situations’ that I don’t know about?” A weak attempt at humour to mask the very real fluster beneath it, but the tension in her shoulders betrayed the effort.

Eddie laughed beside himself. "Honestly, I don't even know. I was just saying that to be supportive." His grin turned a little sheepish at the admission. "I wish I did. That does sound pretty useful..."

“Prophets have mercy, I’d sooner let you handle every holodeck sprain that walks through my doors.” She considered tossing her towel at him but hesitated, unsure how he’d take it. Instead, she shook her head, exhaling through her nose. “But if you do find that hotline, I expect to be first in line. Just… don’t direct me to Lieutenant Commander Savin.” That was another complication she didn’t have the bandwidth to untangle right now.

"Cadet's honor," Eddie chuckled, throwing up a hand. "What's said in the gym stays in the gym, doc."