Judgement – Home Safe
by Commander Chelsea Dunham & Commander Richard Dunham & Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton
Post Details
::ON::
Chelsea Dunham disembarked from the craft that bore her name with a shudder. She had come all the way home with her shoulders tight and tense, willing the trip to be over as quickly as possible. It was a totally opposite feeling and atmosphere to the one in which they had left.
Rick stayed on board to shut the little ship down, and Chelsea wasn't unhappy that the call from Ben had meant she was obliged to leave him to it and see him later.
She hurried to Sickbay, only breathing deeply for the first time since they had left, once she got safe and comfortable inside her own little office. "I missed you," she told the room.
"We missed you too...." came a voice from behind her that made her jump. It was Ed McBain, Senior Nurse and Mentor to Chelsea from the days when she first came to the starbase.
"ED!" she squeaked and hugged the surprised man.
"Now then, what's all this?" Ed untangled her arms from his neck so he could breathe. "This isn't how I was expecting you to come back from your honeymoon. What happened? And no trying to fool your old friend with a lot of phooey about how you're *fine*." He folded his arms and sat on the edge of the desk as Chelsea blushed and began to struggle with the words.
She was saved by the bell almost literally, as the chime sounded and Bridget popped her head round the door.
"Bridget!!" Chelsea hugged her other friend. Ben was close behind so she hugged him, too.
"Woh.... good to see you, too!" Ben puffed as the breath was squeezed out of him.
Bridget was smiling, but eyed her boss thoughtfully. Chelsea's greeting seemed out of place. If anything, Bridget had expected a dreamy tranquility from her boss, considering she'd just come home from her honeymoon. Or maybe tension at the event being cut short. But certainly not the intense relief that seemed to emanate from the CMO.
"Now," Chelsea changed the subject, "Where are all these VIP casualties or whatever they are, who have had the nerve to arrive when I was otherwise engaged!" She made light of it; that was her self-defence mechanism. Something *was* wrong, but it wasn't for discussion right now, apparently.
Ed also had a moment’s pause as he was eying his boss with a contemplative look of his own. As a man who had been here when they switched the power to the station on, and who would probably be here when they switched the place off - he knew his boss well. Perching himself on the corner of the desk and giving her another one of his patented no-compromising stares he said, “Alright, what’s the matter.” Clearly the man wasn’t going to be put off by some minor temporal crisis.
"It was a wonderful trip and I'm just tired," Chelsea glossed over the bad bits and focused only on the good parts, hoping to keep her answer credible - but more importantly - safe.
“Ok,” Ed said, not really satisfied with Chelsea's answer. “Here is how things currently stand. A Constitution class starship was escorted into the docking bay earlier today, its registry matching a ship that went missing over a hundred years ago. It just appeared out of nowhere on the tail end of a temporal event. Command has been in contact with the crew of the vessel and they have wounded on-board, which they have beamed over to an isolated ward.”
"How many of them are critical?" Chelsea asked. Before her colleagues could answer, she went on with another question. "Have they shown any signs of contagion?"
"No and none are still critical," Ed replied.
"Good job." Chelsea smiled thinly. She was genuinely glad they had the situation under control, but she was beginning to feel queasy.
"You ok?" asked Ed putting a hand on her forehead to get a feel of her temperature.
"Not sure." Chelsea admitted. "It might be a delayed reaction. I had quite a shock today, just before we came home...... " she paused. Seeing the kind and caring way her two dear friends were looking at her, she began to feel obligated to try to explain even though she wasn't sure she wanted to.
"I...... it..... I.... was being stubborn and I did something stupid and that heap of junk said it was going to shoot Rick. It was my fault but it really shook me. I'll get over it though and I think Rick already has, so... lets have some tea and you can tell me what's been happening. Where's Ben slipped off to?" Chelsea glossed over the fright she had experienced and changed the subject as soon as she could.
"What are you calling a heap of Junk Commander?" asked Rick clearly annoyed and using formal rank in the presence of others. He put down the medical tricorder that Chelsea had forgotten to take from the ship onto a table, he did it slightly harder than he intended to.
Chelsea nearly jumped out of her skin. "Rick..... hey.... er.... " She shot him a guilty look, avoiding his eyes and staring instead at the medcorder, the sound of it hitting the table still echoing in her head. She knew how much that 'heap of junk' meant to him but she'd never known him show anger to her before and after the day she'd had, it rattled her.
She could only be honest, she could never lie to him.
"I don't.... " she began. "I... didn't like what she did to me." she finished truthfully but from a slightly more defensive angle.
He was still angry but seeing the nervous look on her face, his face in turn relaxed. He didn't want to be angry with her. He couldn't remember a time when he had. He closed the gap between them and put one sympathetic hand on her shoulder. He wanted to do more, but there were other uniforms present. "Sorry," he said.
Chelsea smiled. His touch meant a great deal and she too relaxed, letting out a big sigh. "I'm sorry too," she replied, clearly genuinely so. Her large eyes were lighter than usual, pale like the rest of her face, drawn with exhaustion.
"It's been a busy couple of days," she understated with a roll of her eyes to recognise the irony of that tiny metaphoric ivy leaf and how little it covered of the giant being that personified the past few days.
She remembered as she looked back, just how little sleep she had been able to snatch over the past week too, let alone the fantastic whirl of events of yesterday and today.
"This is the second time this kind of thing has happened to you......we are going to teach you how to fly a ship, Commander," Rick replied, his expression serious.
Chelsea's soft Bajoran ridges creased together in a look of confusion. "Second time?" she searched her overtired brain trying think straight, let alone remember what he was referring to. She gave up, massaged her temples and shrugged.
"Never mind, it's not going to happen a third time because it will have to be a scorching hot day at the Poles of Andoria before I'd set foot, hand or rear anywhere *near* the controls of anything that flies, unless it's an remote-controlled electromagnetic model bi-plane made of balsawood!" she declared with a look of fear in her eyes at the very thought of flying lessons. "Perhaps you could teach me to cook instead?" she offered, hopeful of diverting him to another type of class.
"Yes...second time," Rick said with patience and a calming tone. "There was also the time when we were Cadets. Now you are a Starfleet officer, who is also the rank of Commander, and who is also the third officer of a major installation. So yeah, you are going to learn how to fly properly. It's a responsibility you carry with rank. You have duty."
"I'm a doctor, dammit! How do I have a *duty* to be a pilot, too? You're a pilot and a Commander, and you don't have a duty to learn to perform brain surgery." Chelsea went defensive.
"No. But I know basic first aid and triage," he said without missing a beat.
Ed could see this wasn't a discussion that warranted an audience, so he made an excuse to go looking for Ben and Bridget slipped away with him too.
"Commander... " this time the use of his formal title, combined with the glazed look in Chelsea's eyes, told Rick she felt cornered. ".... you've forgotten to count the dog fight when we first met. I trashed that plane too, and if the safeties hadn't been on, I'd be dead now. Three times a complete idiot is about as much as my self-worth can handle. But if you really want a 4th repetition of how dumb and dangerous I am in the cockpit, then you're going to have to get Tasha to order me to do it."
"Well how about we go talk to her together and see what she thinks?" He wanted to say, 'Do this for me because I'm worried about you. It's a big universe out there, and anything could happen' -- but he chose not to add that part.
Chelsea looked at him, pouting. Her scowl was still evident and there was a fire in her eyes that defied him silently. Nonetheless, his protective look and patience over something that clearly meant a great deal more to him than she understood, all seemed to mean that she could well lose this one. She sighed.
"I have to get back to work. Can we talk later?" she conceded. It wasn't over yet, but there was a clear sign that she was ready to negotiate.
A JP between:
Commander Chelsea Dunham
Chief Medical Officer - DS5
Lieutenant Ben Kensington
ACMO - DS5
Lieutenant Commander Richard Dunham
CAG Squadron Leader-DS5
and
Ensign Bridget Stapleton
Doctor (General Practitioner)
Main Sickbay - DS5
by Commander Chelsea Dunham & Commander Richard Dunham & Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton
Post Details
| Title | Home Safe | |
| Mission | Judgement | |
| Author(s) | Commander Chelsea Dunham & Commander Richard Dunham & Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton | |
| Posted | Wed Nov 23, 2011 @ 4:27pm | |
| Location | DS5 | |
| Timeline | SD39 - approx 17.30 |
Chelsea Dunham disembarked from the craft that bore her name with a shudder. She had come all the way home with her shoulders tight and tense, willing the trip to be over as quickly as possible. It was a totally opposite feeling and atmosphere to the one in which they had left.
Rick stayed on board to shut the little ship down, and Chelsea wasn't unhappy that the call from Ben had meant she was obliged to leave him to it and see him later.
She hurried to Sickbay, only breathing deeply for the first time since they had left, once she got safe and comfortable inside her own little office. "I missed you," she told the room.
"We missed you too...." came a voice from behind her that made her jump. It was Ed McBain, Senior Nurse and Mentor to Chelsea from the days when she first came to the starbase.
"ED!" she squeaked and hugged the surprised man.
"Now then, what's all this?" Ed untangled her arms from his neck so he could breathe. "This isn't how I was expecting you to come back from your honeymoon. What happened? And no trying to fool your old friend with a lot of phooey about how you're *fine*." He folded his arms and sat on the edge of the desk as Chelsea blushed and began to struggle with the words.
She was saved by the bell almost literally, as the chime sounded and Bridget popped her head round the door.
"Bridget!!" Chelsea hugged her other friend. Ben was close behind so she hugged him, too.
"Woh.... good to see you, too!" Ben puffed as the breath was squeezed out of him.
Bridget was smiling, but eyed her boss thoughtfully. Chelsea's greeting seemed out of place. If anything, Bridget had expected a dreamy tranquility from her boss, considering she'd just come home from her honeymoon. Or maybe tension at the event being cut short. But certainly not the intense relief that seemed to emanate from the CMO.
"Now," Chelsea changed the subject, "Where are all these VIP casualties or whatever they are, who have had the nerve to arrive when I was otherwise engaged!" She made light of it; that was her self-defence mechanism. Something *was* wrong, but it wasn't for discussion right now, apparently.
Ed also had a moment’s pause as he was eying his boss with a contemplative look of his own. As a man who had been here when they switched the power to the station on, and who would probably be here when they switched the place off - he knew his boss well. Perching himself on the corner of the desk and giving her another one of his patented no-compromising stares he said, “Alright, what’s the matter.” Clearly the man wasn’t going to be put off by some minor temporal crisis.
"It was a wonderful trip and I'm just tired," Chelsea glossed over the bad bits and focused only on the good parts, hoping to keep her answer credible - but more importantly - safe.
“Ok,” Ed said, not really satisfied with Chelsea's answer. “Here is how things currently stand. A Constitution class starship was escorted into the docking bay earlier today, its registry matching a ship that went missing over a hundred years ago. It just appeared out of nowhere on the tail end of a temporal event. Command has been in contact with the crew of the vessel and they have wounded on-board, which they have beamed over to an isolated ward.”
"How many of them are critical?" Chelsea asked. Before her colleagues could answer, she went on with another question. "Have they shown any signs of contagion?"
"No and none are still critical," Ed replied.
"Good job." Chelsea smiled thinly. She was genuinely glad they had the situation under control, but she was beginning to feel queasy.
"You ok?" asked Ed putting a hand on her forehead to get a feel of her temperature.
"Not sure." Chelsea admitted. "It might be a delayed reaction. I had quite a shock today, just before we came home...... " she paused. Seeing the kind and caring way her two dear friends were looking at her, she began to feel obligated to try to explain even though she wasn't sure she wanted to.
"I...... it..... I.... was being stubborn and I did something stupid and that heap of junk said it was going to shoot Rick. It was my fault but it really shook me. I'll get over it though and I think Rick already has, so... lets have some tea and you can tell me what's been happening. Where's Ben slipped off to?" Chelsea glossed over the fright she had experienced and changed the subject as soon as she could.
"What are you calling a heap of Junk Commander?" asked Rick clearly annoyed and using formal rank in the presence of others. He put down the medical tricorder that Chelsea had forgotten to take from the ship onto a table, he did it slightly harder than he intended to.
Chelsea nearly jumped out of her skin. "Rick..... hey.... er.... " She shot him a guilty look, avoiding his eyes and staring instead at the medcorder, the sound of it hitting the table still echoing in her head. She knew how much that 'heap of junk' meant to him but she'd never known him show anger to her before and after the day she'd had, it rattled her.
She could only be honest, she could never lie to him.
"I don't.... " she began. "I... didn't like what she did to me." she finished truthfully but from a slightly more defensive angle.
He was still angry but seeing the nervous look on her face, his face in turn relaxed. He didn't want to be angry with her. He couldn't remember a time when he had. He closed the gap between them and put one sympathetic hand on her shoulder. He wanted to do more, but there were other uniforms present. "Sorry," he said.
Chelsea smiled. His touch meant a great deal and she too relaxed, letting out a big sigh. "I'm sorry too," she replied, clearly genuinely so. Her large eyes were lighter than usual, pale like the rest of her face, drawn with exhaustion.
"It's been a busy couple of days," she understated with a roll of her eyes to recognise the irony of that tiny metaphoric ivy leaf and how little it covered of the giant being that personified the past few days.
She remembered as she looked back, just how little sleep she had been able to snatch over the past week too, let alone the fantastic whirl of events of yesterday and today.
"This is the second time this kind of thing has happened to you......we are going to teach you how to fly a ship, Commander," Rick replied, his expression serious.
Chelsea's soft Bajoran ridges creased together in a look of confusion. "Second time?" she searched her overtired brain trying think straight, let alone remember what he was referring to. She gave up, massaged her temples and shrugged.
"Never mind, it's not going to happen a third time because it will have to be a scorching hot day at the Poles of Andoria before I'd set foot, hand or rear anywhere *near* the controls of anything that flies, unless it's an remote-controlled electromagnetic model bi-plane made of balsawood!" she declared with a look of fear in her eyes at the very thought of flying lessons. "Perhaps you could teach me to cook instead?" she offered, hopeful of diverting him to another type of class.
"Yes...second time," Rick said with patience and a calming tone. "There was also the time when we were Cadets. Now you are a Starfleet officer, who is also the rank of Commander, and who is also the third officer of a major installation. So yeah, you are going to learn how to fly properly. It's a responsibility you carry with rank. You have duty."
"I'm a doctor, dammit! How do I have a *duty* to be a pilot, too? You're a pilot and a Commander, and you don't have a duty to learn to perform brain surgery." Chelsea went defensive.
"No. But I know basic first aid and triage," he said without missing a beat.
Ed could see this wasn't a discussion that warranted an audience, so he made an excuse to go looking for Ben and Bridget slipped away with him too.
"Commander... " this time the use of his formal title, combined with the glazed look in Chelsea's eyes, told Rick she felt cornered. ".... you've forgotten to count the dog fight when we first met. I trashed that plane too, and if the safeties hadn't been on, I'd be dead now. Three times a complete idiot is about as much as my self-worth can handle. But if you really want a 4th repetition of how dumb and dangerous I am in the cockpit, then you're going to have to get Tasha to order me to do it."
"Well how about we go talk to her together and see what she thinks?" He wanted to say, 'Do this for me because I'm worried about you. It's a big universe out there, and anything could happen' -- but he chose not to add that part.
Chelsea looked at him, pouting. Her scowl was still evident and there was a fire in her eyes that defied him silently. Nonetheless, his protective look and patience over something that clearly meant a great deal more to him than she understood, all seemed to mean that she could well lose this one. She sighed.
"I have to get back to work. Can we talk later?" she conceded. It wasn't over yet, but there was a clear sign that she was ready to negotiate.
A JP between:
Commander Chelsea Dunham
Chief Medical Officer - DS5
Lieutenant Ben Kensington
ACMO - DS5
Lieutenant Commander Richard Dunham
CAG Squadron Leader-DS5
and
Ensign Bridget Stapleton
Doctor (General Practitioner)
Main Sickbay - DS5