Sir Hugs a Lot

Posted on Sun Feb 8th, 2026 @ 9:26pm by Lieutenant JG Aiden Poe & Lieutenant Commander Oscar McDonald MD

1,138 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Shore Leave - Starbase 1
Location: Medical Bay

ON:

Poe whistled as he entered sickbay. He grinned at the receptionist and then was directed back into the bio bed area. Counseling, check and now Medical, check. He gave a gleeful giggle as he hopped up on the bio bed to wait for the doctor.

How many minutes past? Three, five… ten?

Approaching the biobed, a little off balance after being all but shoved from his hiding spot, Max Ryja offered the waiting man a small nervous smile. His brown eyes darting around the room, seeming to search for any kind of escape route. “H… hello,” he offered meekly, glancing down at the PaDD he clutched tightly in both hands. “I’m Max, Lieutenant…?”

Poe smiled. "Poe, Aiden Poe. And you are?"

“M..Max… medical student,” he replied, gesturing over to his right, “from the Starbase. Temporary assignment. Please, just lie back and we can get this all over and done with…”

Running a hand through his unruly brown hair, his gaze was fixed on the device in his hands, frowning as he was met by a long list of standardized questions. He groaned. “Sorry. Question one, any injuries or illness since your last physical?”

"No...wasn't my appointment with Doctor McDonald?"

“Have I offended you, sir?” The younger man asked, somehow managing to look even paler.

"No! Not at all. I just wanted to meet the happy Doctor." He studied the man. "Why are you so pale? Why are you so nervous?"

“Because he hates the outdoors and he isn’t so great around people,” a young woman answered as she joined them. Where Max seemed disheveled, her uniform was pristine right down to the shine on her boots, while her blond hair was woven into an intricate braid. Her ice blue eyes held a confident stare, contrasting sharply with her colleague. “But he is a walking, occasionally talking, encyclopedia of medicine. I’m Kate Stewart, med student, second year. Three of us are here to get some clinical hours while your crew has some down time.”

“This is … routine. Nothing to worry about,” Max chimed in.

“You can, of course, request another physician but Dr. McDonald is assisting with a medical situation on the base,” Kate explained. “All our work is cross checked by the on call doctor as well as the nurse who is trying to discreetly hover behind you. You are in capable hands Lieutenant.”

"Yes but why is our friend Max so upset. I just want to give him a hug!"

“He isn’t upset, he’s just more nervous than usual. His last clinical rotation was… difficult,” Kate clarified, her voice holding a hint of amusement as she uttered the last word. “Hugs are most definitely not required or recommended. Now, can we continue?”

"Pffft. Hugs are always recommended." He hopped off the bio bed and walked up to Max and hugged him. "I'm really sorry you had a difficult time, Max."

Frozen to the spot, the eventual response was a meek plea. “Help!”

“Lieutenant… Sir… I really meant it, he is not good with physical contact,” Stewart interjected. “Please let him go.”

Aiden stepped back. "Not good with physical contact? How come. Hugs are the best part of life!"

One heartbeat. Two… Max opened his mouth and screamed, the sound following in his wake as he turned on his heels and ran out the door as fast as his gangly legs could carry him. Kate sighed, rolling her eyes and muttering ‘not again’ as another young man ran after the wayward Max. “I’m on it,” the third med student called out.

"How is he even a doctor? I mean doctors are warm and fuzzy and cuddly!" Aiden asked.

“I think you may have joined the wrong ship,” the nurse chuckled, “either that or you need to drastically lower your expectations.”

Aiden focused on her. "Oh?" He walked back to the bio bed and hopped up.

“Warm, fuzzy and cuddly are not phrases heard around here,” the nurse clarified. “But we make up for it with excellent patient outcomes.”

"But I've seen a picture of your doctor. He looks like an old teddy bear you just can't help but hug."

Everyone within earshot seemed to stop and look at him in unison, their expressions reflecting confusion. Had they heard him right?! And then, as most decided they had indeed heard him compare their boss to a cuddly teddy bear, they erupted into laughter.

“What can I say,” Kate offered with a shrug, “appearances can be deceiving.”

He looked around. "What? He does. He looks like one of those Care Bears. I can't wait to meet him." He sighed. "Well I guess on to the exam."

Resigned to now having to take the lead, Kate gestured for him to lie back, running through the standard checklist and running tests. “So far all looking good,” she offered as she worked, before glancing over her shoulder as the doors to Sickbay opened. It took a moment for her to make sense of what she was seeing, and managed to whisper “not good.”

“My office, now,” Doctor McDonald was saying as he ushered Max into the medical bay and gave him a nudge towards his office while he himself scanned the room. “Nurse Esteban’s,” he called out, gesturing for her to join him as he took up position just outside his office door.

The nurse who had been supervising forced herself to smile as she crossed the room, “Doctor. I see you found our med student.” While she spoke, she had to remind herself not to stare. Do not comment.

“You mean as he ran all the way onto the base as if the world was ending? Screaming? That med student?” He challenged, tugging on his grey jacket.

Estensen sighed, “yes, sounds about right. Apologies, he was out of here before anyone could stop him. I can look after him and let you get back to the wedding…”

Poe grinned. "Doctor McDonald! Hi!" He waved over at the doctor, who did indeed, look like a teddy bear.

McDonald peered past Estensen, brow furrowed as he tried to put a name to the very cheerful officer waving in his direction. He did not wave back as he addressed his nurse. “I will speak to our wayward med student, just make sure the other two don’t kill anyone,” he told her, before saying aloud, “welcome aboard Lieutenant Poe.”

With that he turned on his heels and vanished into his office.

Poe smiled. "Awwww he welcomed me! What a sweetheart!"

“I’m thinking I may schedule you for a full psych evaluation,” Stewart noted as Estenson rejoined them, “but for now just sit back and we will get this over with as soon as possible.”

Poe shrugged and lay back on the bio bed.

OFF:

 

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