Whatever Happened To Doctor Pulaski?

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A lot of people keep asking me "Whatever happened to Doctor Katherine Pulaski?"

She was the woman who replaced me on the Enterprise for a year while I went to Starfleet Medical on Earth.

It was assumed that this was a position I eagerly wanted, but that's not the way it was. After all, I was very fond of the Enterprise; my son Wesley was serving on it, and I like the company of certain people, although we keep a professional distance from each other.

This is the truth of what happened that year...

All of a sudden, this directive came from Starfleet Headquarters that I had successfully obtained the new position at the Medical Council. I was puzzled, as I had made no such application.

The Admiral who informed me said there was no chance of changing my mind, and that I had to go there.

I was most distraught, and there was a tearful farewell from my friends on the Enterprise.

When I arrived in San Francisco, there was a message from Wes on the monitor. He said there was a new woman, a Doctor Katherine Pulaski, and she was now doing my job.

Jean-Luc also sent a message, saying that Dr Pulaski was rather annoying, getting on his fraying nerves and that the two of them had got into a lot of arguements. He said he was missing me.

That cheered me up no end.

While I was at Starfleet Medical, I did a lot of detective work; I was determined to find out how I had ended up here, rather than on the flagship of the fleet.

I tracked down my application form, sent in by computer. By doing this, I was able to find out the location of where it came from.

It was from the office of Doctor Katherine Pulaski.

That woman had got me posted to that job so she could take the job that any doctor in the Federation would dearly want.

What was I going to do to get my job back? Sneak on the Enterprise and put her body in a Jeffries Tube? Though it did seem rather appealing, I knew I had to do something a lot more subtle.

Three weeks later, there was a call on the monitor from Wes on the Enterprise.

"Mom, you'll never guess what happened? Dr Pulaski has been summoned take to part in a long-range scientific survey around the galaxy on the New Frontier vessel. It's a voyage that involves suspended animation, as it involves long distances. They could be away for over 100 years."

"What did Dr Pulaski say, Wes?"

"Well, she protested, saying she never wanted to go, and also said "It's HER, I know it is". I don't know what that means, Mom."

"Strange, isn't it, Wes?"

"Well, the Captain is pleased to have her along, as the doctor they were going to have suddenly fell ill through stomach poisoning. I think she worked at Starfleet Medical with you, Mom."

"What a coincidence." I said.

"I'll have to go, Mom; by the way, I saved the ship again last week."

"That's nice of you, Wes."

Jean-Luc came on a little later. He explained that Dr Pulaski had been called away, and pleaded with me to come back to the Enterprise.

Naturally, I was there, and have been the doctor ever since.

Aren't we women sneaky?