"Emptiness"
(Previous post: Tiffany's 'World's Away...')
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Stardate: 60305.0805
Setting: USS ANUBIS, David's quarters
After being removed from duty David had stretched out on his couch and stared at the ceiling for hours on end... barey moving, barely blinking, but his mind raced at high warp. There were a lot of questions he had and fewer answers as to why he'd been removed from duty and had his access limited to key areas of the ship. He was the chief engineer dammit! The *last* person who should have limited access to *any* area on a starship, be it ultra secretive or not... but alas... here he found himself... off active duty.
But the thing that grabbed him the most was the 'attack' on Captain Simmons. David had watched the security feeds earlier and still has no memory of attacking James, or Serrena for that matter. He replayed it over and over... Lea and some other Starfleet Ensign standing over him... Maya was scanning his head when he grabbed Lea and went bezerk. Then the attack on the captain... and Elan thumping him in the head and it was all over. David had to smile at that... and was thankful that Elan was there when he was. Most of his life, David had *always* been the biggest person around. In his Academy days, his ACT days, and now... a full fledged engineer... he's the biggest still... not when compared to Elan who put the CEO down in mere seconds. But it wasn't so much that, but what Sabrina told him...
**"Because of your actions as of late David, your irritability... and your temper and outbursts... one day... I feel that you're going to hurt someone other than yourself... maybe even fataly."**
David shook his head... Sabrina... the *one* person he could turn to in a time like this has turned her back on him. He stood, stretched and paced. How could she?! Aside from the fact that she's the executive officer of the ANUBIS, he knew she had a duty. For as long as he'd been around Starfleet officers and ExOs that served under his late father and uncle... but this was different. They shared a special bond...
"Used to" David harumped as he heard banging outside his door.
=/\= David Dawson! I know that you are in there, so open up! =/\=
David shook his head... of all the time...
=/\= And don't try to pretend that you are not in there. I had the computer check for your life signs, so I *know* that you are in there, somewhere. =/\=
One more hard bang and he thumbed the panel to open his door... and Lea was standing there hopping up and down on one foot while clutching the other.
"Well..." the CEO said, "the subtle approach is *not* your strong suit."
"I might have fractured my toes kicking that door... what took you so long to answer?" the aCMO said.
"Sorry... but if you're trying to break my record for denting doors around here..."
Lea smirked at the CEO. "Well... it served its purpose" and she lightly applied pressure to her foot and almost fell. David caught her before she hit the deck face first.
"Come on in before you kill yourself" he said as he scooped her up in his arms and placed her on the couch. Lea removed her boot and took off her sock and looked at her foot. David returned with a tricorder and a ice pack and placed it on her foot.
"Ow... cold... cold!" the aCMO said as David flipped open the tricorder and scanned her foot.
"Well... I'm not doctor, but I don't see anything broken."
Lea looked at him. "How did you get a medical tri..." and David just looked at her, "Oh... I forgot."
David chuckled as he continued to scan her foot. David noticed that Lea had small feet, a well defined arch and her toes were merticulously pedicured.
"Nice" the CEO
"What? is something broken?!" the aCMo said snatching the tricorder fron his hand and looked at the reading as David chuckled again.
"I was talking about your foot. I'm a sucker for a woman with pretty feet."
Lea looked at him. "OK... why?"
David shrugged. "Don't know. Just am."
She chuckled. "Alrighty then... anyway... I wanted to check up on you. How are you doing?"
David stood and went to the replicator. "Okay... I guess... Ratkijino" and he looked at the ACMO, "can I get you..."
"Orange juice... chilled 4 degrees celcius, no pulp."
David grinned, "My Mom liked it like that."
"Hey... what can I say? We doctors knows what's best."
David rolled his eyes as he brought her her juice.
"So... is it true?"
"Is what true?" David replied after taking a large pull from his drink.
"Did Captain Simmons removed you from duty?"
David nodded, "As of 1300 yesterday, I am no longer the chief engineer of the ANUBIS."
"Oh" Lea said, "but... why..."
David nodded at his desktop monitor. "Because of my attack... well... I wouldn't say attack... as Commander Rikar put it, my repeaded outbursts and loss of temper. I'm going to end up killing someone someday."
"She said that?" Lea asked.
David nodded.
"How long are you leave?"
"Indefinate... pending a full physhological exam. I have to attand counseling sessions 3 times a week and if I don't they'll toss me in the brig. if I continue or deviate from my orders, then my career in Starfleet is over."
Lea didn't like the sound of that. "Not a..."
"Yep" David said leaning back in his chair, "but the one thing I don't get... is that I have no memory of what happened while I was in there. I mean, after looking at these feeds repeatedly for hours, I can't remember a damned thing."
"Nothing?" Lea asked.
David looked at her and grinned, "Is there an echo in here?" and she bonked him with a pillow.
"All jokes aside, I mean... I know he has the right to do it, but... why not go talk to him. Reason with him."
"Who?... the captain?" David said and she nodded.
"One thing I know for sure is that when a captain makes up his or her mind, there's no changing it. And after serving with James for as long as I have, I know he won't. Oh... he'll listen, but the order will stand."
And Lea saw him slump. She hadn't known David so long, but she knew him long enough to know that engineering was his life. And now that life has been taken away. She was no counselor, but she could see serious depression in David's future if he couldn't do the one thing he loved the most. She slid closer to the CEO and took his massive hand in both of hers.
"Well... at least you know you have friends that care about you. I for one am not gonna sit by and watch up slump into boredom..." and David stood and paced.
"That's just it Lea. If that were the case, then they should have just booted me out of Starfleet and been done with it. What good does it do me to work light duty, with limited access to key areas of the ship." he threw his arms up, "*this* is a top secret base for pete's sake... *everything* about it screams secret... just as this ship does..."
Lea got to her feet and took a step... gingerly cause her foot was still tender and took his hand again, "David... clam down. Getting pissed off about it isn't going to make it better."
"Yeah... but it makes me feel a *whole* lot better."
She slapped him on the hand, "See... that's exactly what you *don't* want to do. Your temper gets the best of you... so why are you feeding it? Getting mad at the situation isn't gonna change things."
David looked at her. "Let Captain Simmons walk into Sickbay and tell you you can't be a doctor anymore... *then* come talk to me."
"If that happens... so be it" the aCMO replied as David laughed out loud.
"So be it? So be it? is that all you can say?"
"If it happens David... it happens. I can't change it... but what I can change is your mood. Come on... I owe you breakfast..." and she turned and stepped on her bad foot again and David reached out and grabbed her before she fell.
"I think we'd better get you to Sickbay first before we eat. Wouldn't do us any good if the doc can't stand up to treat her patients."
"David Dawson" Lea said, "thats the nicest thing you've ever said to me" she said in a mock southern tone.
"Better than what I used to say... and think" he grinned and she pinched him.
"Meanie."
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Julian Knight {d_dawson_1@yahoo.com}
as
Lieutenant David Dawson
Chief Engineer
USS ANUBIS NCC 18501
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" 2005 post #093
