"Mr. Charming"
[Previous post: 'Back in action', written by the suave Chris Del Gesso]
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Stardate: 60299.1632
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
Lea sat cross-legged on the primary biobed. Some of the nurses had thought that the Assistant CMO had been meditating, so no one dared to approach. The truth was that Lea had been reviewing in her mind all of the work the CEO had done. Normally it would have been Dr. Nguma who would have felt the way Lea did, but since he had not been anywhere around it was the Assistant CMO who felt the pride of being in the room.
There was something about being in a perfectly functioning Sickbay, and Lea just couldn't get enough of it. The Assistant CMO tried to understand why Nguma had been so distant and all that she could come up with was that he disliked the ship, its crew and/or the missions they went on. Lea wasn't certain if any or all of these were true, but she felt that the ANUBIS deserved better. All that she could do for the time being was to wait and hope that Admiral Koneki and Captain Simmons would see this and think of her as an adequate replacement.
Sickbay had been completely dead and since the departure of David. Because regulations dictated that a member of the senior medical staff had to be on duty, Lea had volunteered for the job. It had not been such a hardship considering that she felt so at home within these walls. There had been something very familiar about the ANUBIS and its Sickbay and Lea held on to this feeling like her life had depended on it.
During her quest for the Mind Stone Lea had faced countless perils and suffered endless discomforts. Because of this it made sense for her to enjoy what little comforts life had sent her way. While relaxing, Lea began to think back to some of the more pleasant aspects of the mission. Actually there had been only one and his name had been Luke Onison. If it had not been for her running into him in that jail, Lea suspected that she would not have been here thinking back about it.
The sound of the door opening and the sight of someone standing in the doorway caught Lea's immediate attention. The Assistant CMO had thought it was some sort of medical problem that she would have to deal with, but seeing the roses quickly made Lea change her mind.
"Of all the places to be at," Luke said stepping into the room, "there has to be better ones than this. You are simply too dedicated to your work and I think that it deserves recognition," Onison added, extending the bouquet of roses to Lea.
"Roses! For me? I don't know what to say. All I did was stay here on duty," Lea said, the redness of her cheeks matching the flowers in her hands.
"The roses are not meant as recognition of your dedication," Luke said laying on the charm as only he could. "They are my way of announcing my admiration for your beauty and to thank you for all that you have done for me. They are also my clumsy attempt to ask if you would care for join me for dinner."
If Lea could have she would have melted into a puddle of biomatter on the spot. "Mr. Onison, there is nothing clumsy about you," Lea said feeling a burning sensation on her cheeks. "I would be honoured to join you for dinner, but I cannot leave my post. Regulation clearly states that at least one member of the medical staff *must* be present in Sickbay."
Luke could tell that the words spoken by Lea had been filled with pain and sorrow. He had never realised that the Assistant CMO had been such a sticker for duty, but that would not prove to be an insurmountable obstacle. At least not for someone like himself who had learned to manipulate any and all circumstances to his advantage.
Lea watched Luke turn and walk away. Immediately Lea thought that she had hurt his feelings and destroyed whatever chance she had to see this moment become special. From the biobed Lea watched as Luke went to the replicator and requested something, his whispered voice insuring that the Assistant CMO had not heard anything. When Luke came back, Lea had been ready to fall off the bed where she had been sitting. In one hand Luke had brought a vase for the roses and in the other he carried a plate of exotic fruits. Hanging over his arm was a cloth with a pattern and colours normally reserved for picnics.
"If you cannot go to dinner with me, than I see no other choice but to bring the dinner to you," Luke said in such a romantic way that no self respecting woman would have been able to resist. "Of course that is assuming that you do want to have dinner with me."
Lea smiled and quickly got off the biobed without saying anything, the charms of the man before her having made her speechless.
Luke smiled as he placed the cloth over the bed and positioned the vase in the middle. As Lea slide the roses into the vase Luke looked into the woman's eyes and saw utter helplessness. **This is just too easy.**
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Tiffany Rose {lady_tiffany_rose@mail.com}
Ensign Lea Summers
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS
2005 post #050
