Date: 01 Aug 2014 06:06 Title: Brink of Existence
Whew. Medically, ethically, Lauren is in a tough place. I’m glad to see you didn’t shirk away from this issue, which has plagued doctors in the past and plagues them even in the world of Star Trek: when a patient is suffering and you can’t kill them, can you give them something to ease the pain? Something that might make them worse off in the long run if they lived? Are the rules different for a person who is dying and one is relatively healthy?
These questions are relevant and I like the way Lauren approaches this here. She doesn’t try to sound like she’s made a firm decision, she merely states that she’s going to go this route because she can’t stand to hear him suffer. She’s spent months with the man, getting to know him even if he has been relatively shut-off, and she cares for him, clearly. She made the right choice IMO.
And then Spock did the Vulcan touch thing … awkward. Much.
Amanda’s arrival was warming and hard to watch, all at the same time. A mother confronting the death of her son head on … that’s Amanda, all right. Strong lady. But having to do it under those circumstances, that’s tough even for her. The Jonas backstory was a nice plug-in and the conversation between Spock and his mother was well done.
Loved the “AHA!” moment at the end.
Author's Response:
Lauren certainly thought Spock was dying. Both professionally and personally she felt that she had to do something--anything within her power to help the man. But yes, the idea of injecting him with strardus is repugnant. That drug has a terrible reputation. Even in Spock's state, it gets him stirred up, much to her embarrassment. Right after the "AHA!" moment, when the thrill subsides, I can imagine her thinking, "Uh-oh."
Glad you liked Spock's exchanges with his mother. At this point in his life he still struggles greatly with the fact that she is so very...human.