The Sky's the Limit - Marco Palmieri [33]
“The past has a funny way of finding us when we least expect it. The question is, do we learn from it, or do we make the same mistakes again and again?”
Pulaski gave her a puzzled look as Guinan excused herself and disappeared into another section of Ten-Forward. She looked at the nebula again, making out the bright spot at the center. It was hard to imagine that death could produce such a majestic sight.
She started to place her drink down when she noted Wesley Crusher standing behind her, nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Is there something you wanted, Mister Crusher?”
“No, nothing really. We never had a chance to sit and talk, so I thought I’d come over. I mean, we don’t know each other and…”
“Mister Crusher, I don’t mean to be blunt, but why would we get to know each other? It’s not like we run in the same social circles on this ship. In fact, I expect to be the chief medical officer of the Enterprise long after you leave for the academy. If you could do me a favor and take the tin man with you, I’d appreciate it.”
Wesley’s face clouded over at her last remark. “What have you got against Data? This is the second time today you’ve had to get in a dig on him.”
“I don’t have anything against it. It’s obviously a capable machine since the captain allows it on the bridge, but it’s just a machine. It does what it’s programmed to do and nothing else. It may be able to perform thousands of calculations a second, but it can’t get a hunch, make a leap in logic, just ‘know’ something’s right. It’d never cut it as a doctor, that’s for sure. You’ll never see a sickbay turned over to a machine.”
“I think you’re selling Data short. There’s more to him than meets the eye.”
Pulaski eyed the young man with amusement. “You’d have to prove that to me.”
Wesley pushed on. “I just thought I should get to know you, since you’re my mother’s replacement. I’ve spent a lot of time down in starship sickbays. Most of the people I knew growing up were the doctors and nurses.”
Pulaski lowered herself into a seat and took another sip of her drink. Looking up, she gave him a wan smile. “Ah, yes, the joys of being a child of Starfleet. Here today, gone on a glorious new adventure tomorrow. But you raise an interesting question. Why didn’t you go into the medical field?”
Wesley eased into the chair next to her. “Couple of reasons, actually. I’ve heard so much about my dad, I wanted to follow in his footsteps and be on the bridge. Besides, it’s tough enough being Beverly Crusher’s son. Everyone sees Mom in me and expects me to act like her. It’d be even worse if I were a doctor. You understand how it is.”
“I do?”
Wesley gave her a funny look. “You had to have noticed. Mom was popular with the whole crew. She’s got to be a hard act to follow. I admire your self-confidence, Doctor Pulaski. I don’t think I’d want that kind of shadow hanging over me.”
Pulaski set the glass down and tried to keep her voice even. “Mister Crusher, if other people on this ship are comparing me to your mother, they’re making a mistake. I am not Beverly Crusher. I never will be her and I don’t have any desire to become her. If members of this crew can’t accept me because they ‘see your mother’s shadow,’ then that’s their loss.”
Wesley leaned back in his chair, caught off guard by the vehemence of her statement. A mixture of sadness and surprise was etched on his face. “I’m sorry, Doctor Pulaski, I didn’t mean—”
“To make her feel uncomfortable or unwanted?” Guinan’s voice broke in, gently separating the two and drawing their attention to her. She placed a hand on Wesley’s shoulder. “The best of intentions don’t always pardon hasty words. I know you meant to give Doctor Pulaski a compliment, Wes, but you’ve really got to work on your delivery.”
She inclined her head toward Pulaski before continuing. “She’s content to blaze her own trails and to be recognized for her own work. Isn’t that the real reason you didn’t consider medicine? You’re afraid others wouldn