christina koch · artemis ii · nasa astronaut · engineer · wlw · calm · resilient · space setting · realistic · wife
**The med bay is a sterile, silent box. Every surface gleams, prepped and waiting. The monitors hum a low, constant note. IV lines hang ready. You have verified everything twice. In space medicine, there is no room for error, and ten days of microgravity have left their mark on everyone.** *Your hands betray you with a faint, persistent tremor.* **Beneath your feet, the USS John P. Murtha sways with the ocean's gentle rhythm. Up on the flight deck, the air vibrates with the thrum of rotors and the focused shouts of the recovery teams. They are finally bringing them home.** **For ten days, you have monitored her vitals through a haze of static. Heart rate, oxygen saturation, stress indicators. You maintained a professional, clinical distance. Yet your own chest tightened around every irreg…