From: Christine Fontaine
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 1997 21:31:51 -0500
Subject: USS CHESAPEAKE: Dinner On Day 2 (slight backpost)
SD 90327.0025
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Murray's Quarters
-----------------
MD 2.1900
Oh, but it was lovely to be wearing a skirt once again... and
Anne was wearing her favorite this afternoon, a pale blue one that reminded
her of the inside of a Dyson Sphere. She straightened it with a
practical hand and proceeded to get bored.
Very bored.
Exceedingly bored.
It wasn't so much the fact that she didn't have any hobbies; that
had never made her want for activities in the past. It was the fact that
her department was so... *clueless* that she didn't feel particularly up
to hanging around the Science Department during her off-duty hours.
Well, there were 24 hours in a ship day, and she was going to
have to spend some of that asleep... but not just yet. Besides, there
was the matter of dinner.
She had told Ensign Keyrin that she would be in the Mess Hall
then... so she made up her mind to go there.
--------------
Officer's Mess
--------------
MD 2.1910
Ensign Keyrin was nowhere to be seen. There weren't that many
people here, anyway, most of the ship's population preferring the more
stylish (in some respects, anyway) surroundings of Ten-Forward Lounge.
Anne knew what she liked, however, and she *liked* the bare-bones
cafeteria-style of the Officer's Mess. She quickly gathered her selections
and scanned the room for an empty table.
There weren't any, despite the relatively few numbers. The usual
cliques and groups on a starship hadn't begun to form just yet, and most
people were playing it safe, dining on their own.
Thankfully, Karen Decker was also nowhere to be seen. After
observing her rather appalling spicing habits the day before, Anne was
hoping that she'd never have another opportunity to witness the "art."
Quite by accident -- she had just turned sideways to avert a
potential collision with an excited Ensign (one of the Science Department
crew, she was to learn later) rushing down the aisle -- Anne saw the nurse
who had greeted her in sickbay earlier that day.
Seeing the nurse reminded Anne of Doctor Ledoux and she wondered how
the Chief Medical Officer was doing. Perhaps she'd like to have dinner with
her? Anne looked around the mess hall again... no Ensign Keyrin. That
decided it. Anne decided to contact Dr. Ledoux.
--------------
CMO's Quarters
--------------
Lieutenant Commander Catherine Ledoux was well into her book, _The Once
And Future King_. Having finished Part I, "The Sword In The Stone", in which
King Arthur, as a child, had claimed the famous sword Excalibur, the vet was
beginning Part II. Drawn into the mythical days of Camelot and the Knights
of the Round Table, the chirp of her communicator pin struck Catherine like
a physical blow.
Carefully marking her place with an embroidered bookmark, Catherine
carefully closed the novel and tapped her communicator pin. "Doctor Ledoux
here."
[ Hello Doctor, its Lieutenant Anne Murray. I was wondering if you'd
like to join me for dinner in the mess hall. ]
Catherine paused, considering the offer. Apparently she hesitated a
bit too long for Anne's voice came through the communicator again.
[ That is, if you don't have any other plans. ]
"No, no other plans," Catherine replied softly. "I'll be happy to join
you. I'll be there in a few minutes."
[ See you then. ]
As she closed the communication, Catherine brushed a loose curl off her
forehead. Although the vet wasn't really hungry, she had decided that it
would be nice to see Lieutenant Murray - Anne - again. After all, she did
not want to alienate someone who could possibly become a good friend. Quiet
and shy, Catherine never had an easy time making friends, yet the
glimmerings of a nascent friendship between Anne and Catherine had already
begun to show. Catherine wasn't about to throw a possible friendship away.
Carefully returning her book to its place on her bookshelf, the vet
threw a quick glance at herself in the mirror. Although her t-shirt was a
little rumpled from lying on her bed, she wasn't about to change it. After
all, it was one of her favourite t-shirts, a cast shirt from the musical
_South Pacific_ in which Catherine had had the lead role of Ensign Nellie
Forbush. Pale blue in colour the words "South Pacific" and "Bali Hai" were
air-brushed across the front of the shirt, whereas all the cast members'
signatures decorated the back. Catherine considered it her 'lucky shirt'
and she had fond memories of the production.
Clad in blue jeans and the t-shirt, Doctor Ledoux most certainly did
not look like a Starfleet Officer. She was, however off duty, so thus
attired, she made her way to the officers' mess to meet Anne.
--------------
Officer's Mess
--------------
All the way to the officers' mess Catherine had been playing with her
hair, nervous, as always, in social situations. Despite her faint feelings
of apprehension, she persevered, not wanting to endanger a budding
friendship.
As she reached the mess hall the vet tentatively stepped forward, looking
around for Lieutenant Murrary. Hopefully she'd be easy to find.
As she swept the mess hall with her sapphire blue gaze Catherine hoped
she hadn't kept Anne waiting too long. Just then, she caught sight of the
Chief Science Officer who raised a hand in welcome. Shyly, Catherine raised
her hand in return. Noting that Anne had already obtained her selections,
Catherine quickly ordered a strawberry yogourt and an orange juice. Thus
outfitted, she made her way over to the table where Anne was sitting.
"Hello Doctor Ledoux," Anne greeted the vet with a smile.
"Hello Lieutenant Murray," Catherine replied softly. Then, her cheeks
blushing a pale pink she added, "please, when we're off duty, call me
Catherine."
Anne smiled, "and please call me Anne."
"I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long," Catherine quietly asked,
looking at Anne's as-yet-untouched food.
"No, not long at all," Anne reassured the vet.
Catherine, glancing at the table, had run out of things to say.
Blushing, she took a sip of her orange juice and then proceeded to stare into
its pulpy depths. Wishing that she felt more comfortable around people, the
vet felt very awkward.
A moment later, Catherine finally thought of something to say. Having
noticed Anne's beautiful blue skirt she quietly commented, "that's a lovely
skirt you're wearing. Such a beautiful shade of blue." Then she paused,
her cheeks growing warm.
"Thank you, Catherine," said Anne with a quiet smile. The CMO's
quiet manner was a calming influence, taking the edge off Anne's usual
near-frenzied air. "Blue is my favorite color." She nodded toward
Catherine. "I notice that you're wearing blue, also. It's a beautiful
shirt... from a stage production?" she asked. She *thought* she had
heard of _South Pacific_ somewhere, but her busy childhood -- and, later,
her career -- had left her little time for exploration of musicals and
other such arts.
"Yes," replied Catherine, her eyes seeming to brighten suddenly. "You
know, blue is my favourite colour too." She offered Anne a shy smile.
"But this shirt is special," the vet continued, speaking softly. "My
second year at University we put on a production of _South Pacific_ and,
well, I had the lead," Catherine admitted, her cheeks blushing in
embarrassment, as if she didn't like to publicise her abilities on stage.
Anne regarded the CMO with renewed wonder and respect. It was
hard to imagine this shy, reserved woman on stage. Yet... she did recall
her recitation from _Jane Eyre_; it had been a professional voice, one
with feeling. Perhaps it wasn't such a surprise after all...
"How easy is it to play a part, Catherine?" Anne asked on
impulse, "if it isn't a trade secret? I have no idea what I'd do in such
a situation... I'm just... *me*, I guess." She shrugged and smiled.
Catherine paused for think for a moment, idlely stirring her yogourt
with her spoon. Finally, she took a spoonful and then rested the spoon back
on the table. "Well, some parts are easier to play that others," she
admitted. "For instance, Nellie, that's the character I played in South
Pacific, well, she was very easy to play. Well... most of the time."
Catherine paused, lost in the memories.
"You see, several of my friends worked back stage as part of the stage
crew. Well, on closing night they decided to play a practical joke with the
show's lead - me - as their victim." Catherine's face was flushed.
"Really, what did they do?" Anne asked.
"Well, there was this one scene where Nellie sings 'I'm Gonna Wash That Man
Right Out Of My Hair'. At one point in the song, Nellie steps into a shower
and proceeds to wash her hair. Well, we had constructed a shower on stage -
basically a wooden stall - and at the top there was a bucket filled with
water. Attached to the bucket was a rope trailing down into the stall.
Well, at the point in the song where Nellie washes her hair, I would step
into the shower - wearing a bathing suit - and wash my hair with some
shampoo - real shampoo." Catherine paused, taking a sip of her orange juice.
"That must have been messy," Anne stated.
Catherine nodded. "A bit, yes. But the shampoo had been diluted with some
water so that it lathered easily. Anyhow, after soaping up I would rinse my
hair off, by pulling on the rope to release the water that was in the
bucket. Simple, but effective." Catherine glanced up at Anne, who nodded.
"Well, on closing night, my 'friends'," and Catherine's tone of voice
clearly indicated what she thought of those friends, "thought that it would
be hilarious to fill the bucket with ice-cold water."
"Oh no!" Anne exclaimed.
"Oh, yes," Catherine affirmed. "When it came time to rinse my hair I
was dowsed in a freezing stream of water. But, there was nothing I could
do. I had to step out of the shower and start singing and dancing again.
Believe me, that wasn't easy to do since I was freezing to death!"
"I can imagaine." Anne's eyes were round with a mixture of
amusement and horror. Somewhere along the way, there was a touch of
respect as well.
Taking another sip of her orange juice the vet continued, "well, after
that scene was over, it was all I could do to keep myself from bursting out
laughing, but I had to quickly change out of the cold, damp bathing suit
into my costume for the next scene. Luckily, things ran smoothly for the
rest of the evening."
Picking up her spoon once again, Catherine could feel her colour
rising. She felt rather silly. Why would Anne want to hear about her
experiences on stage? Turning her attention back to her yogourt, Catherine
proceeded to study it intently.
Anne glanced at her sharply, wondering if the CMO was having
second thoughts about sharing something so... personal.
"Catherine," she said softly, "thank you for sharing that story
with me." She couldn't stop the smile that came to her face and broke
into a large grin. "I would never have thought that those kinds of
things happened on a stage." She regarded Catherine, emanating
appreciation at her.
The two ate in silence for a few seconds; but Anne was not one to
be silent for long, even in the presence of her quiet companion. When
she caught herself beginning to balance the salt shaker on top of the
pepper shaker, Anne spoke.
"Not that this has to do with anything," she began a bit timidly,
"but I remember the time I was to give a presentation for the Physics
faculty at San Francisco University." She smiled a bit shyly. "It was my
very first lecture... I was so nervous." She didn't mention the fact that
she was eleven and a half at the time. "Anyway... it was about the
Multiple Universe Theory, and I was supposed to walk to the podium after
the chairman introduced me. They'd told me not to worry and not to bring
anything, since my lecture notes and a glass of water (their lecture
halls can get *very* dry) would be waiting there for me.
"So the chairman made the usual introductory blurb, then I went
up to the podium. And... well, the water was there; there were two
glasses, in fact. But I didn't see my lecture notes anywhere." She
stopped, wondering if she should continue.
"Then what happened?" asked Catherine softly.
"I think that's when I first learned the phrase 'ad lib,'" said
Anne. "I smiled at the professors -- all of ten people -- and they smiled
back." She paused. "They were very friendly," she added as an
afterthought. "Then I looked down again... of course, no lecture notes.
So I took a drink of water -- I thought I should do that instead of
stopping in the middle of the lecture -- and smiled at the professors
again... and they smiled back, of course."
She carefully removed the green peppers from her salad.
"Well, they were getting a little restless, so I decided that I'd
better give them a lecture about *something*. Unfortunately, I hadn't
memorized the lecture, so I couldn't talk about the Multiple Universes
Theory... so I talked to them about my name."
"Your name?" repeated Catherine. She seemed a bit surprised
by the suddenness of the change.
"A full hour," Anne confirmed, "about my name. I told them all
about how my parents came to name me after a psychiatrist. It wasn't the
best of talks, I suppose," she reflected. "I distinctly recall hearing a
snore. However, they were polite enough not to interrupt..."
She grudgingly ate a cauliflower to satisfy her conscience.
"Well, after that was over, I went to sit down... and found out
that I'd been in the wrong room."
"How...?" asked Catherine.
"There was apparently another Anne Murray at the school," said
Anne, "a geologist. She had apparently been called away at the last
minute, and nobody knew about it when I went up to the podium; and after
they found out..." Anne shrugged. "Well, they *were* friendly
professors... I guess they decided to let me have some fun."
Catherine's eyes widened in surprise. "Imagine, two Anne Murray's
studying at the same university. I wonder what the chances of that are?" she
asked softly.
"I don't know," Anne replied, "but I'm sure one of the Vulcans from
the MLD could calculate them for us." Anne grinned and Catherine smiled in
return.
Soon Catherine was focusing her attention of her orange juice again.
Taking another ship, the vet wasn't quite sure what to say next.
Conversation was certainly not one of her strong suits.
"You know, Catherine," said Anne, her voice taking on an even
more respectful tone, "I've never been in charge of a whole department
before." She carefully collected all of the carrots in her salad and
dumped them into her glass of cold grapefruit juice. "I only have what
my former superior officer did as a model." She smiled at the CMO,
seeming to invite her into a secret that she wanted to share.
"Jon Dameon was one of the most demanding people I have ever
met," said Anne. "He wanted everything done *yesterday*, and he had us
on ten-hour shifts. He never took an excuse, and he always expected that
every test be run flawlessly. He was also," she added, "the only senior
officer on that ship to have a weekly get-together for his executive
officers in the main science lab. He provided refreshments, and we were
*not* allowed to talk about work during those meetings." She smiled. "I
can tell you, I was pretty lost at first... but he was so friendly, and
the others were so nice, that I eventually found myself just talking..."
She looked over at the CMO. "I'm sorry I'm talking so much," she said,
blushing slightly. "It's just..." She smiled and shrugged. How does one
tell someone that she wanted her to know her for who she was? "Anyway,"
she concluded, taking a bite of her radish and piling the rest of them
into her soup bowl, "that's how I want to run my department... high
standards, but with room for relaxation now and then. Do you think
that's too ambitious?" she asked. "What's your method of running
sickbay, Catherine?" Her tone was sincerely curious, holding none of the
artificial interest of the night before. She was running no psychometric
scales tonight.
Catherine looked up from her orange juice, a bit taken aback by the
question. It was not something she had ever seriousl considered before.
Sickbay just sort of... ran itself.
Tucking a golden curl behind one ear, Catherine tried to come up with a
feasible answer. Then, her cheeks blushing pink she gave a little shrug.
"I... I don't really think I have a method," she confessed, her blush
deepening. "I... I started out as Head Doctor aboard the REGENT." A look
of pain crossed Catherine's face as she mentioned that ship.
"Head Doctor?" Anne asked, "I don't believe I've heard of that
position."
Catherine, blushing fiercely, tried to explain. "Well, when I joined
the REGENT, the CMO, well, he wasn't an MD. So I, since I had some training
in medicine, was assigned as Head Doctor." The vet shook her head, loose
curls
tumbling down her back. "After my first mission, he was transferred off the
ship, and I was assigned as CMO and promoted to Lieutenant, junior grade."
Catherine shrugged again, returning her deep blue gaze to her orange juice.
"I guess I sort of just grew into the position."
Then, looking up, Catherine added her voice very soft, "I guess when I
have to deal with my staff, its just another role for me. Like I'm acting on
stage." Catherine lowered her gaze, her cheeks burning. "I guess that
probably sounds rather silly," she whispered.
Anne contemplated the doctor, her mind trying to come up with
some way to reassure the CMO, something to put her at ease. Finally, she
decided that she wasn't trained in psychology and decided to go ahead
with being plain old Anne Murray.
"It's not silly at all," she said, her tone unconsciously taking
on the soothing qualities she used with Myron. Though Catherine was
older than she was, the doctor seemed so... unsure of herself. "It's
only natural... I mean, you're an effective actress, you aren't exactly
the world's most outgoing person..." she paused, hoping that the CMO
wasn't offended. She went on. "I think it's wonderful that you can use
your skills in other areas to accomplish your task in sickbay. They're
both something you seem to enjoy. I should think that even Lieutenant
Serak -- he's the chairman of our MLD -- would pronounce it logical."
She leaned closer to Catherine a bit, but not so far as to be easily
perceptible by anyone.
"I hesitate to bring this up..." she said carefully, "but we did
have an agreement... I thought I'd tell you that I contacted the
Counselor. I haven't heard from her yet..."
Catherine nodded shyly. "I sent her a message as well. I'm just
happy we don't have a Betazoid counsellor aboard," she added, almost to
herself.
Noticing Anne's inquiring look the vet's blush depeened. "I... I
guess I just don't like the thought of someone poking around in my thoughts,"
she explained softly.
Anne nodded. "Well, let's try to be on our best behaviour when we
visit this counsellor. All right?"
Catherine smiled shyly. "All right."
Anne smiled back, even as she realized that this meant *she*
would have to behave herself as well...
She was about to say something else when her comm badge chirped.
"Murray here," she said, her voice slightly more calm than
usual. Somehow, she wasn't in the snapping mood.
[Anne,] said the voice over the comm link. [I think you'd better get
over here right away... some kids in Bio just blew up a rack full of
flammable stuff in sci lab 10. We got it under control, but...]
"All right, don't let them out of your sight until I get down there,"
said Anne. "Murray out." She grimaced. "I'm sorry, Catherine," she
said, sighing. "It seems that my division is even more incompetent than
I'd anticipated." She stood and picked up her tray. "I'd better go there
and see what kind of damage they caused... and to see if anyone got
hurt. I hope we have a chance to get together again," she added softly.
"Maybe next time we won't be so rudely interrupted."
Catherine nodded with a smile. "I hope so too," she stated softly
With an apologetic smile, Anne hurried out of the Officer's Mess
and ran toward the nearest turbolift.
"Deck 12!" she told the computer tersely, then leaned against the
wall of the lift. She began to wonder if Karen Decker had found her
students in some backwater boarding school.
Watching Anne leave the Officers' Mess, Catherine decided it was time for
her to be heading out as well. Off to sickbay? No, Commander Brennan had
told her to take a break until 0700 tomorrow morning. Well, then back to
her quarters. Time to curl up with her cats and her book and hopefully get
some much-needed rest.
Respectfully submitted,
Masako Goto Chris Fontaine
LT Anne Murray, PhD LCDR Catherine Ledoux, DVM
Chief Science Officer Chief Medical Officer
USS CHESAPEAKE USS CHESAPEAKE
<< NRPG >>
Yep, another joint post! :) Hope you enjoyed it. :)
BTW, the _South Pacific_ story actually happened... ::shiver::
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