Judgement – Divided Loyalties
by Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton
Post Details
::ON::
“Mmmmph.” Edward mumbled in his sleep again, and rolled over.
Bridget had been moving slowly, both from a desire not to wake her husband, and because she’d had less than four hours’ sleep. She looked at him as he lay sprawled on his stomach, his face half buried in his pillow. Smiling fondly, she took the earplugs out of her ears.
Immediately she regretted the action, as a loud snore assaulted her. She was tempted to put them back in. It was so ironic that her husband was a fearless pilot, but was afraid of a minor surgery to cure his snoring.
She looked at the chronometer on her night stand. If she didn’t get moving, she was going to be late for work. With a sigh she pushed herself up off the bed and padded into the bathroom.
“That’s a nice view,” came Edward’s gravelly voice a few minutes later.
She leaned backward so she could see into the bedroom. A foamy toothbrush hung from her lips. “Shorry,” she said around a mouthful of toothpaste. Leaning forward, she spit. “I tried not to wake you,” she continued when she leaned backward once more.
“It’s alright. I was having this wonderful dream that there was a naked redhead in my bathroom,” he smirked, and put his arms above his head to stretch his body seductively.
“You’re a letch,” she grinned.
“Am not. It’s only lechery if I’m not married to her.” His smirk returned.
“Didn’t you get enough last night?”
“There’s such a thing as enough?” His eyebrow raised.
“I guess not,” she chuckled, switching off the bathroom light and pausing, to consider whether she had enough time to take him up on his offer. If she skipped breakfast…
“I’m only half serious. I know you have to get ready for work.”
That made the decision for her, though she noticed feeling a twinge of regret about it. Which was encouraging, and gave her hope that their troubles were on the mend. “Yeah, I do.” She let the reluctance show in her voice as she headed toward her dresser.
He got up from the bed and went into the small bathroom she’d just vacated. “By the way, I didn’t get a chance to tell you. I flew an experimental shuttle yesterday.”
“You what?” It was so unexpected that she came to full stop with only one leg in her slacks.
“Yeah, I was checking out a shuttle bay when this guy noticed me. Instead of kicking me out, he invited me to take a ride in a prototype. Name’s Bradshaw, and his family owns a good portion of the commercial traffic around the station.” He came out of the bathroom and opened his underwear drawer. “The guy offered me a job, as a matter of fact.”
“Well, so did you tell him your wife said Hell Yes?” The encouragement in her voice was palpable. Anything to get him out of that casino.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I said just that, exactly.” The lie was obvious. “No, I told him I already had a job, but that I’d be interested in doing some part time work.”
Her mouth fell open. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I thought this would be right up your alley; next best thing to running your own company again.”
He came behind her in nothing but his tidy whities, and wrapped his arms around her torso. “I’d like that, too. But I’ve got to see this thing through with Yolanthe – Miss Ilbain,” he corrected himself, a bit too late.
“So it’s Yolanthe now?” Her redheaded temper flared as she turned in his arms to face him.
“Oh now don’t do that,” he chided. “You know I love you and don’t need other distractions. It’s just that Miss ilbain is in a tough spot right now. They arrested her for the murder of one of her employees, and we have a ring of thieves operating in the casino. The kids and I are conducting a sting to catch them.”
Her mouth fell open for the second time. She couldn’t decide which of the issues to address first. “This job just goes from bad to worse. So did she do it?”
“No… I’m pretty sure she didn’t.”
“Then someone’s going around killing employees, and you’re just going to stay there until you’re next on the hit list, is that it?” Her voice dripped sarcasm as she exaggerated the situation.
He released her with a sigh and turned toward his tiny closet. “Bree, those kids don’t know how to run a business. I do. I need to help them keep things together until Yolan… Miss Ilbain gets back.”
“Assuming she’s coming back. What if she isn’t?” Bridget chose to ignore the slip of the bar owner’s first name. There was more at stake, now that she knew the woman was under suspicion.
“I don’t know. I guess we cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“I just can’t believe you’d pass up a great opportunity to go back to your beloved career for some floozy who owns a bar.”
“She isn’t a floozy. At least I don’t think so,” he amended. “But even if she was, that isn’t the point. She has need of the skills I have right now, and I’m not going to abandon her.” He turned, dressed in black slacks and a striped green shirt. “She needs me right now. And I need your respect and your support about it.”
“You know I respect and support you, Ed. That should never be in question.”
“Well, it doesn’t seem very apparent right now, you know? You fight me about this job, even though I’ve explained my reasons for taking it and continuing in it. Don’t you trust my ability to make my own decisions?”
“Of course I do. But it doesn’t mean you’re perfect.”
“You give your support with one sentence and then take it back with another.” He scowled as he sat on the end of the bed to tie his shoes.
“Good Lord, that’s not what I mean,” Bridget's tone was exasperated.
Edward’s reply was cut off by a chime from Bridget’s padd. They both looked at the chronometer. “You’d better run,” he said.
“Crap. Gotta go.”
“See you at the wedding?” He called after her as she passed quickly through the living room.
“Kaelin-“ Her words were cut off by the sliding of the door and for a moment he stood puzzled.
He knew that name… the other Deltan, the one she worked with. He let out a frustrated sigh. He just didn’t know what she saw in those two aliens. Aside from their pheromones, he corrected himself. But on a second thought, he doubted that was the reason real for her continued interest in them; she wasn’t that shallow. Or that horny.
He gathered his wallet and wedding ring, and made his own way out the door. There were a few hours before he had to be at work, and he had a list of things to do. One of them was to see Bradshaw.
::OFF::
Ensign Bridget Stapleton
Doctor (General Practitioner) - DS5
&
Edward Stapleton
Dabo Boy, Box of Delights - DS5
(NPC by Charlene)
by Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton
Post Details
| Title | Divided Loyalties | |
| Mission | Judgement | |
| Author(s) | Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton | |
| Posted | Thu Jun 02, 2011 @ 2:03pm | |
| Location | The Stapletons' Quarters | |
| Timeline | SD38 - 0730 |
“Mmmmph.” Edward mumbled in his sleep again, and rolled over.
Bridget had been moving slowly, both from a desire not to wake her husband, and because she’d had less than four hours’ sleep. She looked at him as he lay sprawled on his stomach, his face half buried in his pillow. Smiling fondly, she took the earplugs out of her ears.
Immediately she regretted the action, as a loud snore assaulted her. She was tempted to put them back in. It was so ironic that her husband was a fearless pilot, but was afraid of a minor surgery to cure his snoring.
She looked at the chronometer on her night stand. If she didn’t get moving, she was going to be late for work. With a sigh she pushed herself up off the bed and padded into the bathroom.
“That’s a nice view,” came Edward’s gravelly voice a few minutes later.
She leaned backward so she could see into the bedroom. A foamy toothbrush hung from her lips. “Shorry,” she said around a mouthful of toothpaste. Leaning forward, she spit. “I tried not to wake you,” she continued when she leaned backward once more.
“It’s alright. I was having this wonderful dream that there was a naked redhead in my bathroom,” he smirked, and put his arms above his head to stretch his body seductively.
“You’re a letch,” she grinned.
“Am not. It’s only lechery if I’m not married to her.” His smirk returned.
“Didn’t you get enough last night?”
“There’s such a thing as enough?” His eyebrow raised.
“I guess not,” she chuckled, switching off the bathroom light and pausing, to consider whether she had enough time to take him up on his offer. If she skipped breakfast…
“I’m only half serious. I know you have to get ready for work.”
That made the decision for her, though she noticed feeling a twinge of regret about it. Which was encouraging, and gave her hope that their troubles were on the mend. “Yeah, I do.” She let the reluctance show in her voice as she headed toward her dresser.
He got up from the bed and went into the small bathroom she’d just vacated. “By the way, I didn’t get a chance to tell you. I flew an experimental shuttle yesterday.”
“You what?” It was so unexpected that she came to full stop with only one leg in her slacks.
“Yeah, I was checking out a shuttle bay when this guy noticed me. Instead of kicking me out, he invited me to take a ride in a prototype. Name’s Bradshaw, and his family owns a good portion of the commercial traffic around the station.” He came out of the bathroom and opened his underwear drawer. “The guy offered me a job, as a matter of fact.”
“Well, so did you tell him your wife said Hell Yes?” The encouragement in her voice was palpable. Anything to get him out of that casino.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I said just that, exactly.” The lie was obvious. “No, I told him I already had a job, but that I’d be interested in doing some part time work.”
Her mouth fell open. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I thought this would be right up your alley; next best thing to running your own company again.”
He came behind her in nothing but his tidy whities, and wrapped his arms around her torso. “I’d like that, too. But I’ve got to see this thing through with Yolanthe – Miss Ilbain,” he corrected himself, a bit too late.
“So it’s Yolanthe now?” Her redheaded temper flared as she turned in his arms to face him.
“Oh now don’t do that,” he chided. “You know I love you and don’t need other distractions. It’s just that Miss ilbain is in a tough spot right now. They arrested her for the murder of one of her employees, and we have a ring of thieves operating in the casino. The kids and I are conducting a sting to catch them.”
Her mouth fell open for the second time. She couldn’t decide which of the issues to address first. “This job just goes from bad to worse. So did she do it?”
“No… I’m pretty sure she didn’t.”
“Then someone’s going around killing employees, and you’re just going to stay there until you’re next on the hit list, is that it?” Her voice dripped sarcasm as she exaggerated the situation.
He released her with a sigh and turned toward his tiny closet. “Bree, those kids don’t know how to run a business. I do. I need to help them keep things together until Yolan… Miss Ilbain gets back.”
“Assuming she’s coming back. What if she isn’t?” Bridget chose to ignore the slip of the bar owner’s first name. There was more at stake, now that she knew the woman was under suspicion.
“I don’t know. I guess we cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“I just can’t believe you’d pass up a great opportunity to go back to your beloved career for some floozy who owns a bar.”
“She isn’t a floozy. At least I don’t think so,” he amended. “But even if she was, that isn’t the point. She has need of the skills I have right now, and I’m not going to abandon her.” He turned, dressed in black slacks and a striped green shirt. “She needs me right now. And I need your respect and your support about it.”
“You know I respect and support you, Ed. That should never be in question.”
“Well, it doesn’t seem very apparent right now, you know? You fight me about this job, even though I’ve explained my reasons for taking it and continuing in it. Don’t you trust my ability to make my own decisions?”
“Of course I do. But it doesn’t mean you’re perfect.”
“You give your support with one sentence and then take it back with another.” He scowled as he sat on the end of the bed to tie his shoes.
“Good Lord, that’s not what I mean,” Bridget's tone was exasperated.
Edward’s reply was cut off by a chime from Bridget’s padd. They both looked at the chronometer. “You’d better run,” he said.
“Crap. Gotta go.”
“See you at the wedding?” He called after her as she passed quickly through the living room.
“Kaelin-“ Her words were cut off by the sliding of the door and for a moment he stood puzzled.
He knew that name… the other Deltan, the one she worked with. He let out a frustrated sigh. He just didn’t know what she saw in those two aliens. Aside from their pheromones, he corrected himself. But on a second thought, he doubted that was the reason real for her continued interest in them; she wasn’t that shallow. Or that horny.
He gathered his wallet and wedding ring, and made his own way out the door. There were a few hours before he had to be at work, and he had a list of things to do. One of them was to see Bradshaw.
::OFF::
Ensign Bridget Stapleton
Doctor (General Practitioner) - DS5
&
Edward Stapleton
Dabo Boy, Box of Delights - DS5
(NPC by Charlene)