House Call

Posted on 10 Jun 2016 @ 4:31pm by Captain Harvey Geisler & Commander Jayla Kij

2,065 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Risky Business
Location: Geisler's Quarters
Timeline: MD -1 || 2200 hours

Jayla was antsy.

Almost everyone had been released from Sick Bay, though they'd been under orders to report back if anything unusual happened and she was still waiting for something to go wrong. Didn't something always go wrong? It seemed like it and yet, everything had gone off almost without a hitch. Perhaps making the mistake of not checking the shape of the dead virus was what was supposed to go wrong.

That thought did absolutely nothing to put Jayla's mind at ease.

"Hey, Doc," said Hurley, poking his head into her office. "Why don't you shove off early? There's only three patients left and we can always call you if something goes wrong."

"I hate leaving early," said Jayla. "It feels like cheating."

"You've just put in about two weeks' worth of work in four days," he pointed out. "You should probably take some time off."

"I can't," she replied.

"Doc," said Hurley a bit sternly as he came into her office and sat in the chair opposite her desk. "If it were anyone else in the crew, say the Chief of Security, who spent the last 4 days getting little sleep and working every waking moment, what would be your advice to them?"

Jayla sighed. She knew she'd tell them to take two days off and rest. But, it still felt just wrong, somehow.

"Take a couple days off," he said firmly.

"Yes, father," she said sarcastically.

Hurley grinned. "Maybe go check on the Captain," he suggested pointedly. "See how he's doing."

Jayla blinked. Did Hurley know? "A house call," she said.

"Yeah, a house call," said Hurley with a wink and a twinkle to his eye.

Jayla grinned and shook her head. "Keep it to yourself?" she requested.

"I'm not one for gossip," he replied. "Now go on, before we all change our minds."

So, she left Sick Bay for the first time in days and headed towards the Captain's quarters. As she pressed her thumb to the chime, she realized that she wasn't sure he was even there. Oh, well, if not, she could always ask the computer where he'd gone. He'd better not be on duty already. She'd skin him.

Harvey sat on the couch, thumbing through a report when he'd heard the chime. He'd already been visited by Senior Chief Rasputin and others today, so he had absolutely no ability to assume that a certain individual was on the other side of the door. This was one of those times that he'd wished he had empathic abilities.

As much as he wanted to answer the door, he had quite a bit of paperwork to catch up on. Maybe if he didn't respond, the person would go away. He did resolve himself, however, that if the chime sounded again, he would answer.

Outside, Jayla sighed and asked the computer where the Captain was. The response came back that he was in his quarters and she was about to press the chime again, but hesitated; he might be sleeping. Okay, well, she'd press it once more and if there was still no answer, she'd assume he was sleeping and leave him alone. She didn't want to wake him, after all. She pressed the chime again.

The unwelcome chirp rang again from the concealed speakers. Harvey sighed, letting the PADD fall from his view. "Come!" he called out, wondering who it would be. His back was facing the door, so Harvey began to rise from the couch.

The doors parted and Jayla stepped through, looking tired, but much less stressed than she had recently. "Hi," she said. "You weren't sleeping, were you? I'd hate to wake you."

"No, no," Harvey said, actually thrilled that this wasn't a business call. Having risen from the couch, Harvey met her at the door and gently wrapped his arms around her.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Getting there," Harvey replied, smiling a bit at the nuzzle and chuckling. "That virus isn't something easy to bounce back from. Though, that's mainly the stack of paperwork talking. How about you?"

"I'm all right," she replied. "Hurley talked me into take a bit of time off. He said if it were anyone else, I'd advise them to take a couple of days and rest. I suppose he has a point. He... knows about us," she said hesitantly. "I'm not sure how, but he does."

Harvey released her and led her over to the unoccupied couch. "I don't think he's the only one," he said. "I was speaking with our Chief of Security earlier. I think word's getting around the ship."

Jayla didn't mention that she'd let it slip to Camila or Bast. That was really unimportant anyway. "I don't suppose I mind so much," she said as she settled onto the couch nest to him. "As long as we're not acting any differently on duty, I don't think it really matters."

He considered telling her that he suspected Lieutenants Bast and Di Pasquale of being in a relationship of their own, finally deciding not to as he was the captain, and participating in the scuttlebutt aboard the ship was not for him. "I agree," he replied. "Though, if people start behaving differently in front of you in sickbay, I might start to worry."

"Oh, I hope not," she replied, rolling her eyes. "And I hope they don't start thinking I can put in good words for them with the Captain. Or get favors for them. Or anything else, either. Hurley's discrete, though," she added. "He won't expect any favors or spread any rumors."

"He's not the one I'm worried about," Harvey remarked. Scuttlebutt traveled fast on any ship, not matter how big or small. Still, it wasn't anything to stress over. "The Hopkins is heading our way, along with an escort. They'll make sure the planet gets back on their feet. And, make sure we can clear the quarantine."

"I have a theory about why some people didn't get sick even though almost everyone tested positive for the virus," she said. "I'm just trying to figure out the specifics. Casey and I are running tests."

Harvey thought about putting his arm around her shoulders before realizing that he'd already done so right after she sat down. Somehow a few of his instincts with what to do on an everyday level with a significant other had started to resurface. He could also tell that she needed a break from the stress of the virus. "So, medically-ordained rest," he said casually. "Glad to know you're not the only one who can order it."

"Well, technically, I am," she said. "But, Hurley helped me see that I needed to order it for myself. It still feels like cheating, but he's right."

"He's a smart man," Harvey remarked. "The only thing worse on a ship than a deranged Captain is a Doctor who can't think straight."

"And I was definitely at that point," she admitted. "Actually, I think it was long past it. I've got cultures running to try to figure out why the virus laid dormant in some people and when I went to look at the results, they made no sense to me. I'll have a another look at them in a couple of days. I have a theory... but I think I mentioned that before." She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder, settling herself more firmly against him. "I'm really tired if I'm repeating myself," she said.

Harvey rubbed her forearm as it was within reach, hoping the simple action would do well to helping her start relax. "At least no one else will be dying. At least, not from the virus itself. Is there anything we need to do with the ship before returning to base? We don't want our people spreading something they shouldn't."

"No," she answered. "Everyone has been administered the cure and I think they should be clear by the time we get to Unity. I'll make sure their medical staff has what they need in case anything happens there."

He nodded, satisfied with that outcome. As Jayla rested on his shoulder, Harvey felt his heart rate spike. She was known for doing that to him, but this spike was different. It was... Harvey wasn't sure what it was. All Harvey knew was that he had to tell Jayla. "I saw Mac... Commander Kos today."

"Yeah?" said Jayla, twisting her head around to look up at him. "How's she doing?"

Harvey sighed, wondering how best to answer that question. Perhaps the simplest answer was best. "She's leaving."

Jayla gasped, surprised. "No!" she said. "Really? Oh, I knew I should have gone to see her! She's taken it all worse than I'd thought."

"She's seeking professional help," Harvey explained. "Something that's not available on the Black Hawk, or anywhere near Unity for now. I doubt she'll be back."

"Poor thing," she said. "I hope she can work it out."

"There's also something else..." he said, adjusting his posture due to his nerves. "We didn't just talk about her future. She, uh... Mac kissed me."

Jayla blinked. "She..." she started. "She... oh, my." She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. When two people worked as closely as that, it was sort of natural for one or both of them to develop feelings. "Wow," she said. "That's... that's heavy."

"I... I told Mac about us," Harvey then confessed. "You and I."

"Ouch," she replied with a wince. "How did she take that?"

"Not too well," Harvey said. "She didn't show it, but I know her well enough to know that she did."

She winced again. "I had been thinking of going and talking to her, but maybe that's not such a good idea after all," she said. "I'm probably the last person she wants to see."

Harvey shook his head. "I doubt she wants to see anyone now. She'll be gone as soon as we dock." He sighed. "I can't blame her. This last mission isn't the only hell we've been through. It's been a few months of it now. It's almost like we're cursed."

"If I believed in curses, I'd agree with you," she said. "But, from another perspective, it's awfully lucky that we're the ones who were at Yolvanda. I don't mean to brag, but between Casey and me, we've got a crack team to solve the riddle of... the..." She trailed off, brow wrinkling in thought. "Hang on," she said. "You don't suppose whoever sent that probe meant for us to be here? I mean, it seems like someone went to a lot of trouble to leave clues as to who sent that probe to the planet. Do you suppose they timed it just right so that we'd be there during the outbreak, knowing that Casey and I- oh, wait, no. They wouldn't have known Casey would be there. And putting that much faith in me by myself is risky at best."

"I think you're thinking about it too hard," Harvey countered. "No one planned on a retired Starfleet officer to be vacationing on the planet. And, if it was designed for us to be there, you'd think the death toll would be nonexistent. Obviously, that's not the case." He sighed again. "I think we need to sleep this mission off. I have a feeling we're just getting started in this mess."

"Yeah, probably," agreed Jayla. "It's just all this Consortium nonsense has got me thinking in conspiracy theories. But, it does seem as if they wanted to be found."

"With any luck," Harvey said, scratching Jayla's head and relieved that Jayla hadn't gotten upset about Mac's visit, "it's someone who knows their superior is in the wrong. Let's just hope we get to them before the Consortium does."

"Yeah," she said. "I'd hate for a good, loyal officer to fall to the Consortium." She sighed and settled back against him once more, tucking her legs up under herself. "I could just go to sleep right here," she said contentedly.

He kept slowly scratching her head, beginning to slow his breathing. "Me too," he told her. After a couple heartbeats, he actually did.

With one final yawn, Jayla snuggled deeper into the sofa and drifted off to sleep.

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