It was Early morning, Ally had been on shift for barely an hour when the doors to the sickbay opened and Rico walked through them. His rostered day off, he had kissed his girlfriend goodbye and a happy day at work, and headed to the Ogawa’s gym closet. It was really more like a closet to the strongly built Chief of Security, his wide frame making the confined quarters of the ships gym seem slightly claustrophobic to him.

He walked in with one shoulder hanging clearly lower than the other, his good hand supporting the elbow of his limp arm. “Ally?” Rico called out as he looked around, spotting Lavonne and Sharevonne off to one side and smiling nervously in their direction. If he looked at them too long, they would likely feed him something full of bad fat and carbs, and it wasn’t yet carb day. Off duty, his attire currently consisted of gym shorts and sneakers, and a tight fitting grey tank that meant the unnatural shape of his left shoulder was clearly visible as he supported it, around his neck a pendant that he had been given by one of the children he met on Orion. It was a nothing pendant, a piece of cheap junk the child had found and made into a pendant, but to the child and to Rico it meant more than anything that Latinum could buy.

“Hey ladies, is Ally around? I have a surprise for her.” He smiled painfully at the two friendly nurses, stopping near the middle of the sickbay.

Lt Vanhall, CoS

“Reee co,” Lavonne drew out the security chief’s name walking over to him. Her gait was more of a swagger with a purpose than a hustle or even stroll. “What you doin’ at 7:15 in the morning in my sickbay,” she cocked an eyebrow up at him. “Gettin’ yourself all banged up before coffee. You know I don’t do pleasant until I get my coffee,” she had a slightly accusatory tone to her voice.

“What?” Rico asked feigning a surprised expression. “How could anybody think you are anything other than pleasant Lavonne?” he said charmingly, at this point she was about 3.5 seconds away from serving grits and he needed to distract, with one arm down the feisty woman would overpower him with little struggle. Lavonne and Sharevonne’s grits were the stuff of folk tales in the dark corners of the Ogawa.

“Girl you know he finds a way to stop by every time Dr. Scott is....Jesus Mary and Joseph what you do to your arm,” Sharevonne pipped in coming around a corner with a cup o’ coffee for her cousin. Sharevonne slowly handed the cup to her cousin as she stared at Rico.

“This? It’s just a scratch. Is Ally around at all? And for your information Sharevonne those are called Security Patrols, we do that when we are working you know. It’s not my fault Allison’s sickbay is on my route.” Rico was the one that did the Security roster, it was totally his fault.

“Looks like he done knocked it out of socket,” Lavonne leaned to the side examining him like a human tricorder. “Probably after whackin’ each other with sticks like some intergalactic fight club. I swear I thought we got away from that testosterone I gotta be a man so I am gonna beat ya with a stick until you go and cry to your momma stuff back in Detroit. Seems we just replaced Wendell and Tyrone with Rico and,” she waited for the security chief to fill in the name of the other injured crewman that was bound to be stumbling in the door any second.

“Pepe,” Sharevonne threw in immediately. “No, wait.. Petrov, Pascal,”

“Peter,” Lavonne threw out another one as if it were a game show and the name of the other guy Rico was fighting with was the grand prize.

“Peter Parker,” Sharevonne gave Rico a quizzical look. “That boy is like a buck ten wet I could put him in a sleeper hold with a Sunday morning church hug and you beat em’ with a stick?” Neither woman was moving fast at treating, triaging, or telling Ally her boyfriend showed up and this time it was not with a 10 o’clock pick me up of coffee.

“Stop, stop.” Rico said, taking his free hand off his elbow and wincing at the weight on his injured shoulder as he waved his hand at the women to get their attention. “None of the above, okay. I did my shoulder on the rowing machine, I was on track to beat my record for a 2000 metre row and I felt it go ‘pop’, just like that.” He returned his hand to his elbow and adjusted it slightly.

“No stick. Mmmmhmmm heard that one before,” Sharevonne sniffed as if still doubting every word coming from Rico. “Ain’t no darn rowwin’ machine bite you back like that unless you were doin’ some un’ crazy on it.” The duty nurse was having a hard time buying Rico’s story. He was a big guy and rarely came in for more than a band-aid. Something had kicked his butt up and down that patrol route of his and she was bound and determined to find out the real reason.

“There were no sticks, no martial arts or weights. Nobody else that is in worse condition than me, today, ladies. So, Ally? Could one of you please tell the doctor that i’m here and in need of her gentle ministrations?”

Lt Vanhall, CoS

“Dr Scott,” Lavonne yelled out between a sip of her coffee. If she didn’t like Rico so much, Lavonne would have put a bit more fire in his step but the man had walked in here of his own volition. He also knew Rod McChaud Galactic Vice Cop was coming on the holovid in an hour. Everyone knew that from nine to ten on Monday’s you had better be carrying your limb or on a stretcher to enter sickbay with nothing more than a boo-boo.

Looking around conspiratorially Sharevonne then leaned in and said in a low voice. “You know if it wasn’t a machine and you were steppin’ out on that skinny doc of yours she will hogtie you up like a pig for slaughter and beat you with one of those fightin’ sticks until you are calling yourself bubba and need a medical discharge from Starfleet. Oh yeah, she will,” Sharevonne started talking to herself as she drank her coffee.

“Well you know we’re good then,” Rico said as he whispered conspiratorially back to Sharevonne, “Because you know you and Lavonne are the only women on this ship capable of doing this to me, unless I let Ally do it. She does know how to hide the bruises.” Rico gave Sharevonne a wink and let her think about it for a bit.

“Yeah,” Ally called out from her office.

“You got your daily visitor,” Lavonne replied.

“Hey honey,” Rico called out, “Surprise, I thought i’d come and see you a bit early.”

“Rico, I love you,” Ally said exiting her office with a spring in her step. It was a bit early for her coffee delivery but she wasn’t ever going to turn down a cup of coffee. It also meant that he would probably be back in a couple of hours with another and then for her lunch break. Seeing Vanhall standing in the sickbay holding her arm she took a long moment to triage him.

“Surprise?” He said and smiled innocently.

“Oh my god. Baby, are you okay,” Ally instantly got a concerned expression on her face. Rico often had a few bumps and bruises a week but rarely anything that required more than an ice pack or band-aid, kiss and a lollipop. This was going to require a lot more than any of those three.

“No he dislocated his darn shoulder,” Sharevonne looked at Ally like she had just announced she was going vegan. “Girl you need to not rely on those magic wands of yours so much.”

Ally wrinkled up her nose looking at the nurse slightly annoyed. Of course, there was something wrong with Rico. It was just that there never was anything ever wrong with Rico. The expression healthy as a horse could be a stamp on his medical records. The only real injury the man had ever had in the three years she had know him was the surgery before she had known him.

Slapping a PaDD at Ally’s chest, Lavonne let out a hrump sound. “Said he did it on a rowwin’ machine.” Her tone indicated she was not buying the story of how Rico got injured.

“I did do it on a rowing machine.” Rico confirmed with a sharp look at Lavonne.

“Oh yes he did,” Sharevonne added as if she were egging on a fight in a schoolyard.

“Yes, I really really did.” Rico said again, turning his eyes to Sharevonne. “Why is that so hard to understand? Do you think I fight with everyone on this ship?”

“Meh, maybe, well,” the three women said in unison all giving him differing but the same look which was universally read as the kinda expression. Rico was very easy going. He was friendly and well-liked by anyone that met him yet he was the security chief. When Rico was on duty he was on duty. Allison understood that security was the bulk of any caseload on a ship followed by engineers. The only group that got hurt more on a daily basis was the pediatric cases. The security folk was a main stay of her practice totaling usually as many kids every day. This was probably because with the small number of pediatric patients on the ship and Ally’s continual presence in the security office the officers grabbed her all the time. Sprains, bumps, and aches were ninety percent of their complaints. One hundred percent of the source of their injuries was trying to keep up with the chief f it occurred during duty hours. The Ogawa might be a medical ship but Rico trained and conditioned his men for any and all situations. He never pushed his men harder than they could perform but his men always wanted to impress Vanhall or simply not be the last one to finish anything. Tuesdays and Thursdays were the sparring days which meant even if they weren’t paired against Rico they all wanted to be the last man standing so to speak. When they paired up against Rico, Rico Vanhall was the only man left standing.

“Bed two,” Ally quickly pointed to an area to treat him. “I am going to need 5 mg Hydrocortilene, 250 mg of Acinolyathin and a sling,” she ordered moving into the room. “Now how did this happen? On a rowing machine,” Ally’s voice held a hint of confusion to it as she pulled on rubber gloves. Running the tricorder over his injury the machine spat out the diagnosis she expected.

“Yes. On a rowing machine.” Rico said again. “Really. It isn’t like that can’t happen you know, it is possible to dislocate something with far less effort than a rowing machine, you know?”

Activating the privacy shield, All started to triage Rico.

“Well you have an anterior dislocation of the humeral head,” she told Rico setting the device on the bed beside him. “Were you trying to row to Kronos,” she let out a small laugh.

“You mean my shoulder is buggered, right?” Rico asked then winked at her. “So how bad is it Doc, do we need to amputate? Do I get one of those fancy robot arms?”

Ally stopped and put one hand on either side of his knees on the biobed. “Baby,” she said in a soft voice looking into his eyes. Rico had such great eyes. She could get lost in them. Many times she did finding the actions that resulted from curling up this close to him left her dizzy and at a loss for words. Today, however, she had a lot of words. “You know there is nothing that will ever stop me from loving you. There is nothing in this world that is a deal-breaker except,” she let the last word roll off her tongue as if it were a sweet promise shared between two lovers in an intimate moment in the dark under the sheets. “But I am,” she rose on her tiptoes so that her eyes were looking into his, “never going to,” she placed a soft kiss on his lips. It was feather-light just brushing his making the receiver wonder if the kiss happened or was a wish for it to happen, “ever give you a bionic arm. You get a hook,” Ally curled one of her fingers into a U-shape. “A hook, Vanhall.” Leaning forward more she pressed her lips to his. Her kiss was meant to give him sympathy yet for her it produced a jolt of energy which would give her a pep in her set until lunch where she might just suggest they eat in his quarters instead of her office or the mess hall.

Rico’s moan and slightly curse snapped Ally back into reality. The slight pressure of her body leaning on his elicited a reaction that she never tended to get when that close. “Okay baby let me have a real look,” she said moving away from him. There were times to kiss his boo boos later.

Allison did not need some computer telling her what was wrong with him. Any first-year medical cadet could tell that the shoulder was dislocated. The question now relied on human understanding of medicine and not a medical print out on a screen. Moving over to his arm, Ally gently began to palpitate the area. It was clear that Rico needed a reduction but what she didn’t know was if he was going to need surgery or not.

“Hey careful with that,” Rico said wincing. “How is rubbing it going to make it better?”

“It’s not. It is showing me how far your arm has slipped out of the socket. Whether it is a subluxation or dislocation. The difference is a subluxation is a partial dislocation of the head of the humerus or caput humeri from the glenoid fossa.” Allison stopped her medical jargon and gave him a slightly seductive smile. Rarely was she on duty with Rico around or look like she had a brain in her head when she was diagnosing things to her kiddos. The look on Rico’s face was the same one he wore watching her treat the kids on Orion and the same one she had when Rico dealt with the men on Orion. It also showed that the professional side of a lover could be darn sexy.

Gently taking his good hand in hers, Ally slowly curled Rico’s hand into a fist. Placing her open palm over his fist she continued. “So I am touching you because I need to know how far you need to go into my socket.” Ally cupped her hand over his some so that there was a small space between her hand and Rico’s knuckles. Gently she made small circles with her thumb on the pulse of the hand Rico was using. It was meant to relax him but clearly, his blood pressure was slowly increasing as noted by the steady thump, thump, thump, of his pulse on the pad of her thumb. “If you are not situated into my glenoid fossa, which is just a hole or cavity, you will not stay seated and slip in and out. Like this.”

“That’s not good,” Rico said while following Ally’s explanation carefully, his eyes following every movement of her lips. “Nobody likes slipping out like that.”

“No,” Ally said caressing the top of his hand with hers. The movement was soft and gently not quite a tickle but the kind of touch that often led to other activities.

Ally slowly ran her palm over Rico’s knuckles showing various positions where his hand fit tightly in hers and others where it didn’t demonstrating the range of dislocations. “This is a mild,” she moved her hand slightly, “this is a moderate,” she added a bit more space, “and this is an advanced subluxation. What they have in common is you are still touching my fossa. Now you are nowhere even near my fossa,” she gave him a slightly pouty face. “So it is my job to get you back in where you are supposed to be okay?”

“I’m not in your fossa?” Rico repeated. “You better put me back in, Doctor.”

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Outside the privacy curtain
=======================

“Lavonne,” Sharevonne called out. “You sure we are giving the right officer the don’t go stepp’n out talk?”

“Maybe that is why Vanhall is always beatin’ up his staff with those forget me sticks. Your hypos Dr. Scott,” she laughed sticking her hand through the shimmering shield.

“Hey those forget me sticks take practise to use right,” Rico called out from behind the shield. “You know what kind of injuries you can get if you use one of them wrong? You can’t just go and thump away.”

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Inside the sick bay room
=======================

“How bad does this hurt,” she asked moving his arm slightly. Ally knew that Rico’s mind was not on the pain but there was a reason to all this snuggly love. He was in pain and until she got his arm back where it needed to be, Rico was not going to be a happy camper. The most she could do was try to get hs endorphins up to naturally aid in increasing his pain threshold.

Lt. Ally Scott medical

Rico let out a slightly high pinched curse word, well half of one before he cut it off by clamping his mouth shut and finishing the word with a loud, muffled groan. It took him a moment to get himself back into a state where he could reply. “Yeah, that kind of hurts,” he told Ally. “Can’t you just wave something at it and make it better?” He asked her, looking at Sharevonne and Lavonne for support from outside the room. “Or are we playing Hands on with Rico today? Did IFEA reposses our medical equipment?”

Lt Vanhall, CoS

“Numbing or dulling the pain before setting the shoulder allows for the possibility of nerves or tendons to be snapped or pinched in the process causing further injuries. The miracle of modern medicine could cure many things but at times the dark aged twenty-first-century techniques are still the only ones able to treat patients,” Allison said in a very official tone. Shoulder dislocations were like giving birth. An insane amount of pain until instantly it was gone. “Once I get your shoulder back in I can give you some happy juice but before that, you are just going to have to suffer through. I can make it really quick. So quick you are gonna be like ‘huh Ally is it over. I mean that is it’. I thought I would feel something’,” she tried to imitate what would be a deep man’s voice.

“For the record of all listening,” Rico said to clarify to the two outside the curtain, “Those are words I have never said.” He raised his eyebrow and looked at Ally, “Just so we are all on the same page, of course. Can’t I have the happy juice now?”

“In just a second love,” she promised.

“First things first is I have to remove your shirt and I can’t get it over your head so,” she reached back and pulled out a pair of scissors. Making a snipping sound with them several times she then said, “so ready to begin.”

Lt. Ally Scott medical

“Really? And this was my favourite gym singlet,” Rico sighed, then waved at her to carry on. “You know if you slip up and cut something you are going to have to make home visits, right? You better not remove my nipple.” Reaching up with his good hand, he moved the junk metal pendant aside and out of the way of the shirt that was about to be cut off of him.

“You know I haven’t seen you that eager to get me undressed since we got back to the Hotel on Orion,” Rico grinned, and waited for Ally to do her thing.

Lt Vanhall, CoS

“Absolutely but that day was special and you were in peak form. Today you have a boo boo so we need to get you all fixed up so we can do that thing where you are like this,” she put her palms together and twisted them so one finger touched a wrist of the other hand. Then you hooked your leg like this and I twisted around like that,” Ally twisted her body up like she was some contortionist. However the first thing we need to do is get you able to use that shoulder and give you some happy juice,” Ally said and began to root around her pocket.

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Outside the sick bay room
=======================

“Girl what are they doing in there,” Sharevonne sniffed coming up to her cousin who was still standing behind the privacy screen.

“I think the bridge,” Lavonne said handing her sister a PaDD with the visual image of what Ally was describing. Lavonne cocked an eyebrow up and let out a hmm mmm mmm sound through tightly pursed lips. “If that is what those two are doing on their off-hours it explains why he is always n here. Ain’t to bring her no damn coffee. Its to slip is disc back into place.” Moving the PaDD to a different angle Lavonne scrutinized the image for a longer second as she read the description out loud. “Only suitable for extremely strong and flexible men. He makes a bridge and she…say what,” her tone was very skeptical. “Rico,” she belted out his name. “Forget me stick my arse. You are just forgot because all the blood ran to your head doing this thing.”

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Inside the sick bay room
=======================

“What are those two talking about?” Rico said quietly, “You would almost think there is something dodgy going on behind this screen.” He grinned despite the pain coming from his shoulder, his thoughts distracted despite the running commentary from the nurses outside by Ally’s demonstrations of their favourite yoga techniques with her hands and fingers. “Are you sure it was like that?” He bit his lip in thought for a moment, then with his good hand reached up and gently moved her fingers into a different position with her palms slightly adjusted at an angle. “I’m pretty sure the one that made us hit namaste was this one, repeatedly, right?”

“Are you sure you two don’t have something better to do like check the stock,” Ally called out and then smiled at Rico. “Now to get you that happy juice.” Finding what she needed, Ally slowly popped the plastic wrapper off. “Your favorite flavor is cherry right? I mean you told me that on Orion the other morning,” she winked at him coyly.

“Best flavor ever,” Rico grinned, then winced as he shifted and a shot of pain coursed through his shoulder. “I could use some of that cherry now actually.” Orion had been something of a revelation for the two of them, they had learned things about each other that life on a starship never allowed people to experience or learn, they had uncovered passions that made each of them tick, and Rico and Ally had discovered new ways to get reactions out of each other that they both enjoyed. Allison was a beautiful, stunning woman who knew her job, but the depth of her passion for the people she worked to treat had never been revealed until the two of them set foot in a dirty, seedy warehouse in the disreputable side of Orions lower class districts. Rico adored her, and knew that she adored him just as deeply.

It was hard to be professional with Rico Vanhall. Primarily because she was in love with him and all the myriad of emotions that brought. He had the looks, the brains, and heart that made her want to spend every second with him like she was sixteen instead of twenty-six with her head on his lap or snuggled up on the couch. He also had the male tendencies of leaving his crap draped over the back of the couch, grumbling about dinner when it had a heavy roasted veggie content, and claiming he was on duty when his mother called as Ally motioned him over. How she treated him definitely was based on whether she wanted to entice him or subtly remind him he was in the dog house. Today, she wanted him confined to bed rest and for her to be his doting nurse.

His eyes dropped to what she was holding in her hand, and his eyebrow rose slightly. “Where do you think you are going to stick that?” He asked her with doubt in his voice. “That is never going to fit Ally, what do you think you are doing? Why are you grinning like that love?”

“Open up,” she said bringing the lollipop to his lips. The first thing Rico would realize was this was not an ordinary lollipop like she gave to all the children and offered to her patients. This could only be described as a mega jawbreaker on a stick. The large globe of sticky cherry sweetness filled his mouth entirely. It was not the ordinary lollipops that fit in a jar on a desk. This could not be pocketed in the buccal folds of the cheek where one could suck on it and still talk. When resting on your tongue it touched not only the entire blade of the tongue but nestled into the palate rendering the sucker only able to make mumbles and noises instead of true words.

He resisted at first, there was no way he wanted something that big in his mouth and the thought of how he would breathe crossed his mind, the fact that his shoulder was in pain from the dislocation forgotten as he opened up and felt Ally slide the smooth and sweet confectionary in without any seeming gentleness. “Whaow, Ooo yusht shooved ‘at ‘in der, ‘indin’t Oo?” He mumbled, struggling to wrap his lips around it and form words as Ally made sure it was securely stuck in his mouth. “Hwere ‘id Oo ‘earn dis?”

Hearing his mumbled questions Ally explained what she guessed Rico was asking. “Remember that doctor Lauren Shan,” she said moving around to Rico’s shoulder.

Not being able to talk, Rico growled and nodded in response to that womans’ name. He had finally met her on Gamma Tiltium at Captain Knights wedding, and his opinion of her hadn’t changed at all.

“Yes yes, the one that sent us to Orion. Anyway, she taught me the lollipop trick years ago when I was under clinical rotations with her. The first use, of course, is a reward but the second use is for distraction. Give it to a kiddo and they are more focused on the lollipop than the hypo you are about to give them.” Ally gently picked up Rico’s arm and slowly began to rotate it in the correct position.

“Hwat Oo ‘ou mhean a dishtractshun?” Rico mumbled, looking at her with a slightly confused gaze as he struggled to stop a hunk of spit slide out from around the gob stopper. “Hwat hiepou?”

“The last and best reason to ever give an adult a lollipop is to muffle their scream,” she spoke gently but pulled his arm out so that it could slide back into the socket.

Lt. Ally Scott medical

At that movement, Rico suddenly jerked upright and spat out the huge lollipop with force, enough that it shot across the short space between he and Ally and the screen.

The candy ricochetted off the console with a cracking sound shooting back at Rico and Ally. Because both of them were more concerned with other matters, Rico the pain and Ally setting his shoulder, neither one watched where it bounced off too.

Rico let out a surprised but deep sudden grunt of pain as an agonizing feeling shot through his shoulder and then he felt a pop as it slid into it’s socket, and the relief that washed over him was like ecstasy as the pain disappeared and left only the adrenalin of the event behind. He slumped slightly where he sat, his hand going to his shoulder and rubbing.

“How is that chief,” Ally brushed a lock of hair that had fallen into her face out of the way.

Looking up at Allison, he breathed deeply as he regained his breath and smiled, reaching out and taking her hand gently. “Thank you Ally. That is so much better, I think I’m back in your fossa.” He grinned as he winced at the memory of the pain and ran his fingers over hers.

“Baby mi fossa is su fossa,” she winked at him using the classic Spanish phrase only altered for her purpose. Leaning in her breath tickle his ear as she whispered, “when I am off duty am going to kiss your boo boo and make it all better so if you have any other spots,” she let her voice linger along with her breath on his neck for a long torturous second, “make a list for me and I will make it all better.” She waggled her eyebrows and put a finger to her lips to stop him from saying anything else at that time.

“But baby, if you ever even think about shoving something that big inside me again, all bets are off. I love you, but that was just a wee bit sneaky.” Rico let his fingers entwine with Allisons, and gave her hand a loving squeeze so that he made his point.

Lt Rico Vanhall, CoS

Instantly the privacy curtain dropped as Lavonne and Sharevonne entered the treatment room. “Girl what do you think you are doing,” Lavonne crossed her arms and stared at Ally.

“Treating a patient,” Ally met her gaze with an equally determined one of her own. She was shocked her tow favorite nurses were still there and even more shocked they entered the room. “What are you doing and do you know you are breaking the FIPPA law,” she reminded the nurses who just unceremoniously busted in.

“Honey you don’t you throw FIPPA at me, girlfriend. You were about to break all kinds of rules about doctor-patient relationships even if the chief was ready willing and able,” Lavonne Washington shot back. “You want to do that take it out of my sickbay. You were off ten minutes ago,” she handed Ally a PaDD. “Sign this and take your Lieutenant Loverboy back to your quarters so we can get some work done without all this....muscle,” she made a swirling motion with her hand at Rico chiseled torso. “Mmmm Mmm Mmmm,” she let out a sound not caring that the security chief or his girlfriend knew she was loving the view.

“Will do,” Ally handed the PaDD back with a smile. “You ready…Lieutenant Loverboy?” Ally was barely able to get the words out before the snicker started. It would take Rico forever to live down the new nickname and sometimes forever wasn’t long enough to get over something.

Lt. Ally Scott Medical