[snip]

Just then Hunter approached the nurse ‘’Do please give him some mild painkillers and another two for me cause I feel a headache coming on’‘ he started to rub at his forehead as if that would help.

Before the nurse left with Seth in tow she introduced him to the Yeoman ‘’Doctor this young lady is Faith Cross’s friend,Faith doctor Hunter ‘’the doctor extended his hand ‘’Glad to finally meet you Faith,I have some questions about Cross which maybe only you can answer’‘ then stated ‘’ Whatever is said will stay between you and I’‘.

“Well, I’ll answer your questions,” replied Faith, “but I don’t want to get her into any trouble. What has she supposed to have done?”

‘’Thanks Faith I do appreciate and don’ worry we’re no going to get her in any trouble ‘’Hunter reassured her.

‘’What has she supposed to have done? ‘’
The doctor sat next to Faith ‘’Its what she has not done that’s the problem, he even managed to chuckle ‘’On her first medical evaluation ,she was anorexic ,lacking vital vitamins ,asking her anything was next to impossible so I decided to give her some time for her next medical, though I took some bld samples and told her I will leave a hypospray each day on her desk to administer herself ‘’ at this point he ran his fingers through his hair and signed ‘’When she would leave her office I made it a point to check and yes for the first day or do she did take them but later I noticed she was instead throwing them in the bin ‘’.

He lowered his voice ‘’What I know about her is by looking at her medical data,before Cross left she was healthy in good physical condition but not so much psychological. Yes I know about the gene she inherited and that made her behave in a way she had little control over her actions which at the time was a concern especially to the Captain........ the need for stimulation was too much’‘.

‘’Since she arrived if there is still this need I have yet to observe it,maybe due to the fact that her body has taken its toll to whatever she did after leaving the Merrimack?’‘.

“Then I don’t think I can help you there,” replied Faith. “Our paths haven’t crossed much since she returned. I couldn’t tell you if she has taken her vitamins, much less if she still has a need for this ‘stimulation’ you mention. To be honest, I didn’t really notice such a thing before, just a tendency to be unable to sit still, especially in calm or quiet surroundings, and being unable to concentrate on tasks, and needing excessive physical movement. She’d also talk too much, and would act before she’d even put her mind into gear. She does seem calmer since she’s been back and I haven’t noticed any of those things. She doesn’t interrupt conversations and longer and follows orders now, but she might be just trying much harder than she did before.”

Hunter who was siting next to Faith made sure to keep his distance, so as not to intrude in her personal space .He listened quietly without interrupting .

but she might be just trying much harder than she did before.”

‘’Maybe ‘’ he replied ‘’In the state she’s in there is no way Cross can act like you said she did before ,besides if it does happen there is medication to control her urge for stimulation.....I’ll just keep an eye on her and thanks Faith, you did provide useful and vital information ‘’the doctor stood up ‘’ It’s essential that we keep this conversation between ourselves,if Cross finds out she’ll be furious to say the least! ‘’ .

“Absolutely,” replied Faith, “you know that I trained as a Nurse for a while, so I understand doctor-patient confidentiality.” Then Faith thought for a moment longer and said, “But Doctor Cross is the CMO! Doesn’t she have access to all the records?”

‘’That’s correct’‘ Hunter replied ‘’But if she choose to fail to comply with the treatment and decide its unimportant,I’ll have a word with the Cmdr or Captain ‘’ a small smile formed at the corner of his mouth ‘’ Faith dear, if you would like to work maybe some hours in sickbay I can show you some basic work of what nursing is all about an opportunity to learn .....but of course that’s totally your decision to take or not’‘ .

“I’m already an auxiliary nurse - this is my station when the Red Alert sounds - but yes, if the CO and XO agreed I would like to. My experience a nursing assistant was more with very young children, which is very different to a Starship, but I want to reapply for Starfleet Medical again. It’s just that when the annual deadline comes around each year I somehow never get around to doing it. I’ve had this conversation with Miriam before… er, I mean with Doctor Cross before. She thinks I’m lacking confidence. Maybe working in Sickbay would give me confidence in my abilities?”

‘’That settles it then, as an auxiliary nurse you can attend to the patients with another nurse but remember for more in-depth learning see that I’m working my shift. If you are not certain about something don’t do it yourself, leave other experience nurses to handle it ‘’by this time he had stood up ‘’And remember there is both theory and practice, just take it at your own pace there will not be any pressure from me and don’t forget the Captain’s cat!’‘.

Hunter was strikingly handsome, graceful both in appearance and manner and yet he was totally unaware and oblivious to the watchfulness of others.

“Thanks,” replied Faith.

Faith felt privileged to be given this opportunity, but equally she was nervous that this was setting a seal on her future. In all honesty, while she really did want to become a nurse, and she regretting having flunked out of Starfleet Medical once before, some small voice inside her was afraid of trying but failing again, and afraid of leaving her cosy mediocrity aboard the Merrimack. This small voice had been very busy making up excuses why she couldn’t leave, like the unfinished novel she was writing, or helping John Glen with his demons, but it was all irrelevant, and just obscuring the truth of a situation. She had to deal with, and really must move on from, her chequered past and history.

As for Doctor Hunter, she hadn’t really noticed him until now. She hadn’t understood why the other female crew swooned over him because he wasn’t anything special. He might be handsome, and graceful in appearance, but he was 32-years-old and still single. If he was that perfect, wouldn’t someone have put a ring on it by now? Faith was only 25, so to her thinking, Hunter was an old man, and there were plenty of other fish to catch.

She also still was unsure if she could trust him. All of those questions about Miriam had her worried. She wasn’t that close to Miriam, and they had had their run-ins in the past over the Captain. Until she knew her better, Faith had seen Miriam as a flighty man-eater, while Miriam had seen Faith as a hindrance. However, she now cared deeply for Miriam, and Miriam had once let slip to her about her father and her genetic modifications. Such eugenics was forbidden in the Federation and any kind of genetic engineering was illegal. While Hunter had said Miriam wasn’t in any trouble, Faith was highly suspicious, and alarm bells were ringing in her head. It only took one call to Starfleet to bring on an investigation, and anyone found to be the progeny of augments faced an immediate dishonourable discharge, or even a long prison sentence.

The only thing Hunter knew about Cross was that before she left the female doctor had been different, exactly in what way he did not know and neither cared.Looking again at the bld results, her hgb was low and if she wasn’t taking the medicine he was providing Cross health was going to suffer and worse deteriorate. Hunter came to know how stubborn she could be but there and then the doctor came to the conclusion that it was irrelevant that Cross was the CMO, to him she was his patient not to mention the chain of Commands above any D’H. The power and right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.

The doctor then got up made himself a cup of coffee and as he sipped it slowly wondered about the away team and hoped they were safe.

“Right then, I’ll attend to the patients only with another nurse, leave other experienced nurses to handle anything I’m not sure about. I’ll be sure to remember there is both theory and practice, I won’t annoy the Captain by forgetting about his cat! Got it!”

“Can I go now?” Faith asked. “I still have to perform my duties as a ‘space geisha’ for Captain Glen too!”

Hunter was surprised to see Faith was still there and at the ‘ space geisha’ if he had not put a hand over his mouth the coffee would have ended up on Cross’s desk apparently the man did have a sense of humor. ‘’I do think you pamper your uncle too much ‘’ the doctor said in a gentle tone ‘’Anyway would you care for a cup of tea or coffee?’‘ the doctor asked wiping his hand from the beverage he had been drinking.

“I don’t pamper my uncle,” replied Faith. “The duty of the Captain’s yeoman are very broad - I’m his personal secretary, his aide-de-camp - but also his Runner, his “Girl Friday”, his “fixer” - but then I’m also his pet sitter, laundry maid and chief bottle-washer too. It is what a yeoman does, and I’m bored with it… but I also owe so much to my uncle… that you can’t understand, and I’d rather not say why.”

Faith had to think about the offer of tea or coffee. She wanted to get to know this man better because she wanted to understand why he made some of the women officers swoon. Not that she had any romantic feelings for him herself, in fact, she thought he was a little vain and full of himself. And what if was this offer of tea and coffee some kind of flirtatious chat up? Yuck! Still the senior officers were off the ship and there was nothing important left to be done.

“I will have a coffee,” Faith replied. “If you have the real stuff?”

‘’Off course Faith ,only the best since I practically live on it’‘ he replied in a hardly audible voice. Instead of handing her the coffee Hunter put the cup on Cross’s desk and pulled out a chair ‘’Sit down I want to show you something ‘’ and with that he hit some keys on the computer and turned it around to face the Yeoman.
On the screen was a blood result, the doctor had erased the name of the patient for the sake of confidentially .

It showed a hemoglobin of 9 .8 while next to it was that a healthy individual would have at least ,12 grams per deciliter in women.

‘’Many conditions could be the cause of such a low Hgb but in this case after doing more tests it came down to one condition ‘’ the whole time Hunter was speaking, he kept his eyes on the screen but now he looked at her ‘’Can you think what the condition for such a low Hgb could be and what brought it on?’‘.

Was this a test? thought Faith. There was no name on the blood result file. Was this something else to do with Miriam? Faith had no idea. She sat in the chair and took hold of the coffee. “I told you, I was only a paediatric nurse. I changed nappies and fed babies, mainly, but it’s anaemia, so an iron deficiency or sickle cell… a few other things need checking too, right? Do I pass?” She took a drink of the freshly made coffee. It tasted good. How does he get hold of this? Faith thought.

Faith, yeoman