Posted by Lieutenant Shaun Grecken (Doctor) in Sick Bay - How lucky can one guy be…instead of one kids we get three

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Siegfried Abel (Chief Medical Officer) in Sick Bay - How lucky can one guy be…instead of one kids we get three

Posted by Lieutenant Kate O’Neill (Chief of Security) in Sick Bay - How lucky can one guy be…instead of one kids we get three
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻
O’Neill knew she could not run through the halls to sick bay. That would be ridiculous with her being the head of security however it was hard not to have a bop to her step as she traversed the halls on the way to tell Shaun the good news. The sounds of Don’t stop me now pumped through the small earphones in her ears making it exceedingly hard to not dance instead of walk. Entering the turbo she nodded to the other crew in the politely calling out the floor. Moving to the back of the turbo she contained her wiggling to a right tap to the beat. There is no way Shaun is not going to be over the moon over this, O’Neill’s inner voice caused the smile on her face to widen.

Are you daft, Katherine responded in a more firm tone. He is going to hate this and you are insane if you think he is going to be thrilled.

Kate bit her lip trying to either keep the smile or prevent it. RIght now she was in angel on your shoulder mode as her dad called. One one shoulder Katherine, the good one was trying to be the voice of reason. Katherine was the practical side of her personality. Years ago she had given the good voice and the bad voice in her head names. Katherine, albeit being her given name, was chosen as the voice of reason because the only person in the world that called her that was her father and typically when she was in trouble. She had long ago learned to associate Katherine with either being in trouble to learning a lesson. Kate on the other hand was her fun side. It was the side that tended her to get into what she liked to term predicaments. Not everything was always a bad idea but most things Kate came up with might not necessarily be the best idea out of the gate.

Shut up and don’t listen to her. We will have a free trip with sand and waves and sun. God you are so pasty you look Swedish chica, Kate’s inner voice replied having off the Katherine voice of reason.

“Yeah I do,” O’Neill announced in the turbo. Several crew looked back at her with one replying ma’am in an inquisitive tone. God you are in public not in your quarters. Stop talking out loud, the voice of Katherine reprimanded her sharply. Needing a way to avoid a trip to the counselor, O’Neill raised her hand to her earphone and rapidly responded, “I have that covered Captain Calin.” The ruse worked. No one wanted to talk to the old man or be overheard in the same space. The fake cover-up did more than make everyone turn eyes front. It also cleared out the turbo on the next level regardless of if the floor that the person needed. O’Neill could barely not laugh out loud. The crew had heard that there would be a ship-wide announcement at 0900 which typically was never good news. Glancing at her watch, O’Neill knew she had an hour to fill in Shaun before the information became general knowledge. As the doors closed, her internal conversation fired back up in her mind.

Okay so back to how much Shaun is going to hate this and you for volunteering us, Katherine began again. There was still time to salvage this. O’Neill was listening to her over that annoying, easily excitable Kate voice so if she acted fast there was a chance to fix this situation.

Watching the floors tick off on the display, Kate knew her time was short to score the win. There was only one option left. Don’t stop me now. If you want to have a good time give me a call, the Kate voice began singing loudly with the music as if to drown out the negative comments of the Katherine voice.

God you are so childish, Katherine snapped before realizing it was a losing battle. O’Neill’s foot was no longer just tapping but was creeping up her body involving the knee and at least one hip wiggle every few bars. Stop dancing O’Neill. Stop is. This is not going to end well.

“Dont stop me Don’t stop me Don’t stop me,* Kate sang loudly feeling O’Neill’s body joining into the bop and wiggle to the tune.

O’Neill was slowly drifting into the daydream of sandcastles, Shaun tossing kids into waves, and a bonfire on the beach roasting marshmallows at the sun dipped into the amber-colored waves.

Oh crap…no not the bah…dee lay ouuut Katherine called out feeling Kate breaking out into a full body dance as if she were in a dance recital now that she was alone in the turbo.

As the song wrapped up the ding of the turbo caused O’Neill to straighten up. Moving to sick bay, O’Neill wore her huge smile again.

*I am totally blaming you for this, Katherine replied to Kate in an angry tone as O’Neill palmed the controls to the pneumatic doors and the music stopped both in their head and from the small device on her wrist.

Scanning the room, O’Neill found her target. “Shaun..Shaun…Shaun,” she rapidly called out his name half walking and half skipping across the space. “Oh my god, you have no idea the amazing news I have to tell you.” Bouncing up on a med next to the cabinet he was restocking she swung her legs happily in circles as they dangled off the side.

“We are going to Gamma Tiltum on an all-expense paid shore leave to that five-star resort own by OMAP.” The squeal in her voice was only silenced by Kate excitedly covering her own mouth as if to physically hold back the excited words from pouring from her lips. Giving herself a second to take a breath she continued.”Get your suit baby because it is going to be me, you, and the beach for a week.” Dropping her hands to the edge of the bed she gripped it tightly wiggling like a small child about to be given the best gift they had ever seen.

“What do you mean?” Shaun said as he looked up with a confused look. “If this is something your cousin Jethro is trying to get us to do some timeshare in the Caymen islands but it turned out to be some boat that could barely float off the coast of Maine called the Caymen Islands… you know how long it took me to get the title of that boat out of my name after he forged my signature? He’s not gonna be at the wedding. I don’t care if Aunt May wants him… a bunch of backward hill folks that side…” Shaun said with his normal sardonic Irish brogue as he kept working as he shook his head. He wasn’t going to get hoodwinked into some new scheme or plan.

“Hill folk,” Kate bust out laughing. “You know in a few months those hill folk are going to be directly related to you. Bubba, Deke, Moe,” she rattled a few names off with a grin. “As to Jethro, it is always the thought that counts with a gift and not the actual gift. Besides, I think they still have no clue what you do for a living. I mean you played shade tree mechanic with them for so many years and when we go home you are always tinkering with machines. Maybe if you wear a stethoscope it would clue them in its bodies you fix and not engines. You can’t blame them babe. You know the motto back home. If you can’t stuff it, shoot it, or marry it what value does it have?” The slogan was well known back on the Ticonderoga. Unless you were from the area many found it offensive but those that lived there knew it was a way of life.

“But I didn’t come to talk about family. A friend is helping us out this time with a real and true vacation. We just need to do one thing,” Kate laughed hard. The longer she waited to tell him about the trip the more suspicious Shaun was becoming.

“Oh like when your friend Tilly tried to get us to transport Moonshine to your Uncle in Penyslavaina… the hovercar blew up due to that stuff burning a hole through the chassis…” Shaun said as he pointed at her trying to emphasize and stop any counterpoints from her.

Lt. Kate O’Neill

At the bed one away from her, the surgical bed, Siegfried Abel… the CMO and Shaun’s boss… said in a low voice as he looked up at a holodisplay currently detailing where the surgical laser was cutting and fusing an artery that had been crushed in the leg of the Engineer when a support strut shifted “Could you maybe plan on beach attire after I keep this man from bleeding to death internally?” As usual, even when under stress, Abel was friendly.

Abel, CMO

“Of course sir…” Shaun said as he got back to his PaDD as he was reading over the patient’s vitals as Abel worked. He had been monitoring it before and didn’t want to let anything slip.

Kate let out a small laugh that she hid with her hand. “Sorry,” she mouthed to Shaun. Kate doubted there was anything that could ever break Abel’s concentration when he was in the mode as she called it. There were a few stories flying around the ship about how the CMO helped a Gorn mother deliver her children in the middle of an Earthquake as the biobed was moving with the results being all the patients were happy and well. There was another one where he held his breath long enough to stabilize a patient needing sutures when an airlock broke and he had to finish the surgery holding his breath or having the patient bleed out. While they all sounded fantastical in nature, Kate had little reason to doubt it. The stories also gave Abel an almost heroic reputation which is why when the man said laid down you need surgery most people only responded with which bed do you want me, sir.

Not one to leave it alone she turned her head to look at Abel. “So tell me something sir,” she asked the CMO. “Is it true that you had to hold your breath while suturing a leg when an air lock blew out?” It might not be the best time to ask but there was the saying now was as good a time as any.

Lt. Kate O’Neill COS

Without looking away and speaking softly and with measured precision, Abel said “No… Lieutenant… that is an… embellishment… gossip… if you will.” The laser was replaced by a nano-replicator which Abel placed in order to create a new arterial wall. “I actually… expelled all the air… out of… my lungs… Had I not… they would have… exploded in… my chest… from the… vacuum… that was forming… in the… shuttle.” and he clicked off the device and set the dermal regenerator in place to close the site. Making sure the arterial repair held as blood began to course through the man’s leg, Abel nodded once in satisfaction before turning to face the Security Chief.

“And it was her throat, not her leg.” and he smiled his typical friendly smile and began to pull off his gloves as he walked away.

Abel, CMO

“TFTBP,” Kate said watching the man walk away. “Few men got it but that man does,” she said to Shaun. The term TFTBP was just the acrynom for ten foot tall and bullet proof. Normally it was reserved for those that thought they were that but Abel actually deserved it and was the measuring stick people used to try and achieve. As much as Kate loved Shaun, she made a mental note that is she was bleeding out in a vacuum, Abel might be the best bet for the job.

“Anyway back to me,” she flirted with her boyfriend. “So tell me how excited you are and then I will tell you how it gets even better you lucky dog you.” The smile on kate’s face showed she was thrilled but whatever she had to tell him. It was hard not to read the excitement on her face.

“You still haven’t told me what this magical vacation even is… what did you hear that I haven’t?” Shaun asked as he looked up at her as he put the PaDD down as he went over to the nearby patient’s biodisplay. “Good good…” he said as he walked away to the medical cabinet. It was quiet, even with one patient. He was trying to keep things in order and make certain everything was in stock.

Watching him finish up Kate let out a deep sigh. “Do you know how hot you are when you do that thing you are doing,” she asked watching him work.

“Stocking cabinets, running a dermal regenerator, suturing a wound,” she bit her lip. “The way you are looking at me now.” Kate felt her heart racing as looked at Shaun from across the room. Ever since Kate could remember, that lop-sided grin of his always made women swoon. When he was a kid the older girls found him completely adorable. As a teen, everyone in high school dreamed of it turning their way. As an adult, one learned what typically followed a grin like that. She felt her body getting tense and the room suddenly becoming hotter. “The way you should stop looking at me now,” she ran her fingers through her long blonde hair working to get her mind back where is should be.

Looking at Shaun she opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Only a red flush to her cheeks as her mind lost the ability to hold a thought.

Lt Kate O’Neill

“Well then,” Shaun said with a large smile as closed the door and walked over to her. “What exactly are you planning?” Shaun asked as he squeezed her hand briefly before he let go to pick up the PaDD as he walked past her to the replicator as he ordered two cups of coffee, one decaf as he sat down with her at the work table. “Come on you can take a break,” he said as he slid over the cup to her.

Grecken, Doctor

“Only if I can get that one,” Kate said pointing to his cup instead of the one he offered her. One of the cups was a pot of nirvana. The other cup was its poor cousin. Kate knew one of them held liquid gold. The key was figuring out which one.

“Or wait,” she said suddenly overly suspicious he was handing it over so easily. “I want mine back.”

Looking at Shaun, Kate bit her lip. “I am not sure I am not falling victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous of which is ‘Never get involved in a land war in Asia’ - but only slightly less well-known as “Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line.” The archaic movie line came from shell game in the movie the Princess Bride where the hero had to find the glass and drink the contents that did not have poison in it.

“I want that one,” Kate picked up the cup and held it to her lips. Shaun did the same never breaking his stare at her as they each took a sip. A long quiet moment passed between them. Life was easy and comfortable with Shaun. It was also predictable which wasn’t a bad thing.

“Okay, here…” Shaun said as he handed her the other cup.

“They are both decafs aren’t they,” she rolled her eyes. There was no way to actually taste the difference between decaf and regular coffee however, even though Kate refused to admit it, she did do stupid things faster on caffeine.

“Of course they are. I told you I would keep myself caffeine-free.” he said as he put his feet up on the table. “Now, you will thank me later.”

“So I was talking to the old man’s right hand Jess and she said the Odin has to be dry docked for repairs or something. The space station they are going to has that massive casino that is an all inclusive resort. Drinks, room, food, gambling....it is all on some guy named Teller. I am not sure why he is comping the cappy but for those that don’t get the casino and refit there is a second location. An all-inclusive beach resort. The Captian isn’t asking for preferences. He is just assigning people but your girl,” she hooked a thumb at her chest, “made the Captain a deal he couldn’t refuse.”

“I told him that if we got the beach resort we would take care of the girls and the baby.” The last word shot Kate’s tone up into that high-pitched excited almost squeal most women achieved when talking about babies. “I mean the girls are fun as hell and the baby comes with that new baby smell.”

“Okay, you get pregnant and we have to take every child we find on trips? I don’t know I can take everyone.” Shaun said as he took a deep breath.

Abel walked past the table and set a PaDD in front of Grecken. As he pointed to a line on the chart for the Bolian in bed eight indicating the anti-inflammatory Shaun had given was working, but might could use a slight increase in dosage, Abel bent forward with a slight grin and said “So much for piña coladas and bikinis, Mr. Grecken.” and he patted the man on the shoulder and walked away.

Abel, CMO

“See, I have worked… you need to get back and… you can tell me all about this… and why I have to be giving up our vacation for rugrats.”

Grecken, Doctor

“Because she said so, Mr. Grecken.” came Abel’s voice from around the corner… more than a touch of humor noticeable in it.

Abel, Eavesdropping CMO