"Matter Of Trust"
[Previous post: "Executive Inspection", written by the benevolent Serena Switt]
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Stardate: 60325.0330
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Cargo Bay 6
The work to transform the cargo bays into makeshift sickbays had been going well. The large enclosures began to look less and less like storage rooms and more like field hospitals. Lea was pleased with what she saw with one exception.
"Those are *delicate* medical instruments," the CMO snapped at one of the Marine helpers. "It won't do anyone any good if it lands on the floor and breaks into a million pieces."
The Marine looked at Lea with an expression of shock on his face. All that they had been doing was to move the needed equipped into the cargo bay via a living chain. This allowed the Marines to conserve their energy and work longer. On the other hand, the CMO saw this method of moving the medical equipment as overly dangerous.
"Relax Doctor," Pravat said, stepping in front of Lea. The MCO was not sure what the CMO would do, but he thought it safer for all if he got in the way. "My men know what they are doing. We have moved high explosives this way. So if we are all here to talk about it, it means that nothing was dropped." For a moment Pravat expected to see the return of the old Lea Summer. The one he had first met and who unreservedly detested Marines in all of their forms. Instead the MCO was floored by a rueful smile.
"Sorry, I'm just not used to being out of my domain while being asked to prepare for what is to come. I feel so out of place," Lea said, turning away from the line of Marines. "I am just afraid that this will not be enough," Lea added pointing with her eyes to the portable beds lining the wall.
"It's all a matter of trust," Prav said.
"Trust?"
"Yes," the MCO repeated, taking Lea by the arm and making her look at the way the room had changed. "You have to trust the crew of the MERCURY to have taken care of themselves as best they could. You have to trust in me and my men to take good care of your equipment. You have to trust in the command staff and everyone else to know what they are doing. The same way we all trusted Maya and Enaii to figure out the Cardassian's code. And the way we all trust you and your staff to do the best you can despite how hard it may be."
Lea looked at Pravat with a half grin. "Looks like you have been hanging around Susan too much. You are starting to sound like her."
Pravat laughed out loud. "Trust me. I am not cut out to be a counsellor. Plus I was a little too busy as of late to spend time with anyone," Prav added, thinking about Maya. If he had been given the slightest amount of free time, the MCO would have tried to spend it with the CSciO and not the Cns. Luckily there had been no free time floating about making the matter irrelevant.
"I'm going to check on the progress in Cargo Bay 7," Lea said, leaving the Marine and his men to their work. "Keep up the good work. I trust you will."
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Stardate: 60325.0340
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Cargo Bay 7
Lea walked in to find the giant Oltharian coordinating several other teams. As strange as the room looked, Lea could not help but feel that this had not been as bad as she might have thought. The beds were nicely lined up with diagnostic consoles right next to them. The bed would not provide the comfort or medical readout that the normal biobeds could, but they were better than the floor.
As the CMO looked around the cargo bay and thought about what Pravat had said, Lea began to feel optimistic about the outcome of their mission. After having made it so far and gone through so much, there had been no reason why they would not be able to succeed. Trusting the crew meant that Lea could actually hope to be heading back to NEW ALEXANDRIA within a couple of days. Lea smiled as she imagined the ANUBIS in one piece with its crew safe and sound bringing the crew of the MERCURY back with them.
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Tiffany Rose {lady_tiffany_rose@mail.com}
Ensign Lea Summers 2005 post #323
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS
