The Lost Year of Lieutenant Wright – Part I
Posted on January 25th, 2012 by Alexis Wright

Alexis knew she was probably the only the only member of the Atlantis crew who still remembered the halcyon first days of their exploration of Gencodia without the taint of what came after. It was her first big assignment, her first big mission, her first time as chief Science officer on a starship. She was in charge of entire teams of scientists entering this pristine alien archaelogical site. It was everything she’d hoped it would be, but so brief that now she still sometimes wondered if it was real.

She remembered vividly standing on the surface, making one of her initial reports to Commander T’Kirr and Admiral Blackthorne, when the comm signal came from Atlantis.

“Atlantis to Admiral Blackthorne.”

The admiral took a step away before responding, allowing Alexis and T’Kirr to continue without him.

“Go ahead, Atlantis.”
“Admiral, we have a priority one communication from Star Fleet… for Lieutenant Wright.”

Alexis stopped in mid-sentence and turned to look inquisitively at the Admiral, who met her eyes as the transmission from Atlantis continued.

“Star Fleet medical is on the secure channel. It’s urgent, sir.”

A fleeting expression of confusion followed by panic flowed across Alexis’ face. The admiral’s mouth tightened into a grim line. “Atlantis, lock on to Wright’s signal and beam her directly to my ready room.” He stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, his eyes and voice softening. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do, Lieutenant.” He stepped back. “Energize.”

Alexis rematerialized alone in the Admiral’s ready room and tried to shake off the feeling of surreality that swept through her. She stepped up to the display, which was rythmically pulsing an alert that a priority one communication from Star Fleet was waiting on the secure channel. She reached forward and activated the display, providing her authorization code to verify her identity, and was face to face with one of Star Fleet Medical’s finest.

“Lieutenant Junior Grade Alexis Wright reporting, sir.”
“Greetings, Lieutenant Wright. I’m Dr. Neil Holloway, Star Fleet Medical. I’m afraid I am the bearer of bad news.”
Alexis stiffened, her breath caught in her throat. The doctor squared his shoulders, reinforcing his impassive doctor face. “There was an accident approximately three days ago that occured in a secluded area. Your parents were in a vehicle that malfunctioned and crashed. Your mother was killed instantly.”

Alexis felt her stomach drop through the floor, the sound of her heartbeat roaring in her ears as she tried to process this information. The doctor paused only briefly before continuing. “Your father survived the accident, but was gravely injured and trapped in the vehicle. The wreckage wasn’t detected until earlier this morning. Rescue teams were able to extract your father and evacuate him to the nearest trauma center.” He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Mr. Wright’s injuries were severe, but could have been repaired with immediate treatment. Unfortunately, he was not located for several days, and some of the damage is now irreparable.” Alexis listened numbly as the doctor went on to describe the prosthetic limbs they’d be fitting her father with to allow him to walk again, and then began to describe the neural and psychological trauma…

The next several months passed in a blur. She remembered the Admiral coming to her quarters and granting her an extended leave of absence, followed by a mishmash of shuttles and transports to the outpost where her brother Bryan was stationed, and a long and quiet ride back to Earth where they met with their brother James just in time for their mother’s funeral. The three siblings had not been together in years, and they akwardly clung to one another through the seemingly endless march of sad-eyed relatives and family friends paying respects to their mother and asking after their father.

She felt like she haunted the halls of Star Fleet Medical, staying at her father’s side throughout his treatment and long recovery. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months of difficult and painful rehabilitation before Bill Wright was physically and mentally capable of caring for himself once again. Her brothers both left after the first month, their duties forcing them to reluctantly leaving their much younger sister behind to care for their father alone.

Almost a year had passed by the time Alexis was able to return to Atlantis, and it had been the longest year of her life.