A Quick Visit

Posted on 07 Aug 2016 @ 8:58pm by Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler & Commodore Harvey Geisler

3,020 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Risky Business
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD 6 || 1305 hours

Harvey didn't have long at all, especially since Warrant Officer Tankia had contacted him, confirming the other prisoners were starting to awaken. He had just closed the channel when he stepped out of the turbolift near the sickbay with a bag in one hand and Rico on the opposite side of him. Sickbay wasn't far from the turbolift gangway, in fact, it just took him a few quick strides to enter the main ward.

As expected, sickbay had been inundated with wounded from their skirmish. The activity in sickbay only served to remind him not only how serious this mission had become but also of Joey's own mortality. It was a strange experience for him, to have someone he cared so passionately about be attended to in this room. Not that he didn't have any confidence in Doctor Kij and her staff, but because he had spent so many years detached from it all.

He was about to ask a passing nurse where Lieutenant Corwin was when he spotted her name on a Master Display Screen. Harvey made a beeline for the recovery ward.

Joey was settled in bed with her eyes closed, willing the dull ache in her shoulder to go away. She was thankful it didn't hurt as bad as it did when she'd gotten back to the ship, but now after Doctor Abrams pointed out, most of the damage was caused by her own actions. An internal battle waged inside of her at that knowledge. What choice did she have? None. And, now, here she was in recovery waiting as the seconds ticked by before she was allowed to leave.

One thing Joey wasn't was patient when it came to being laid up like she was. Especially not when there were so many things she could be doing instead. However, she planned to listen to whatever orders she was given to ensure a speedy recovery. It didn't mean she had to like it, but she was trained to do as she was told. Sadly, she'd seen her share of sickbays over the course of her career, but she wasn't always the patient. Being on this side of the fence wasn't something she liked, and planned to do what she could in the future to keep it from happening again.

Harvey turned the corner and entered the recovery ward. Naturally, it wasn't empty, but at least privacy curtains were up between beds. Most of the crew he saw were asleep, likely having been through some severe trauma and surgery. Those that looked awake seemed to be barely so. Still, after this visit, Harvey could count on scuttlebutt concerning his personal life to begin circulating again. Finally, he spotted Joey near the end of the room. He smiled when he saw her, and thankfully his mind was filled with countless positive thoughts, not even considering she could have died over on the Chimera.

It didn't take long for the canine on his side to catch scent, then sight of the woman he'd been waiting to return for him for a good part of the day. He had no intentions of waiting patiently any longer, then took off running toward the bed she was on. With a few feet between him and the bed, the dog jumped, landing at her feet. Rico wasn't done yet, though. He settled down by her legs and laid his head on her stomach.

Joey cracked an eye open when she felt someone jump on her bed. She didn't think it would be Nurse Blake, but she was small enough. When she saw Rico settle down on her, she smiled and reached out to pet him. "I missed you, too," she said, looking in the direction he'd just come from. Part of her had a feeling Mila was the one bringing Rico to see her, because she knew Harvey had his hands full.

Harvey's gaze met hers, and rather than set down the soup container and the bag and begin to serve, he dropped both items on a nearby chair and glided to the bed. He hadn't thought about this moment during all of the time he went to fetch Rico and come down here, and he found his heart and mouth moving quickly ahead of him. After a kiss, he leaned back and smiled. "Welcome back," he said softly.

The biomonitor behind her bed picked up the increase in her heart rate the second she saw him. Joey returned the kiss with a smile. "Thank you. It's good to be back," she said quietly. Her cheeks took on a slight pink hue when she realized the biomonitor had betrayed her.

Harvey looked up at the beeping, wondering if he'd have to call for a nurse to administer Lectrazine. Then it actually occurred to him what that beeping meant. If the monitor he wore were meant to announce the same thing, he was certain it would have performed quite like Joey's. "And you certainly don't look like you just took on a hundred and fifty people."

"Maybe eight or nine, and quite a few of them meant business. It was actually rather amusing, though. I told Camila I didn't want to get caught in a Jeffries tube, and I ended up being inside of one for roughly ninety percent of my time over there," Joey said, willing her heart rate to slow down, which it did slightly. "They definitely didn't make it easy on me, and there are quite a few holes in their bulkheads that weren't there before. That's what they get for trying to block off my escape routes."

"At least it wasn't waste extraction," Harvey said with a smirk. While he could very easily stand here all day, both the four pips weighing on his collar and knowing that multiple members of the Chimera's and Cochrane's Senior Staffs awaited him in the brig. "Besides, today I'm just an orderly bringing your meal. Today's menu, instead of jello and protein shakes, we have..." Harvey went over and picked up the container of soup to open it. "...Something Mila made. I forget what she called it, but it looks like a chicken soup."

"If I would have ended up in waste extraction, I would have blown the ship up," she said, only half kidding. Joey looked to soup as she rubbed the top of Rico's head. "When's the last time you ate anything?"

Harvey wondered if he should conceal the true answer. His conscience got the best of him, thinking that lying was not the best way to start a relationship. "Dinner last night," he confessed. He reached into the bag and withdrew two bowls. "There seems to be plenty to share, if you'll have me."

"Of course," Joey said, carefully propping herself up a bit. "If it makes you feel better, though, I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday. Dinner for me consisted of a few shots of tequila in an attempt to calm my nerves so I could sleep."

"You did all of that on Tequila?" Harvey replied, surprised at the revelation as he divided the soup among the two bowls. "I can only imagine what you would have done with a full stomach."

"I'm sure we'll find out what I'd do at some point in the future, but I can assure you, I won't end up in here every time I have to go on an away mission. This... was actually a fluke. I got knocked off of a ladder in the Jeffries tube when there was an explosion, and had to catch myself. Of course, stupid me, kept using it after the fact and did more damage. I'd do it again, though, if I had to," she said, still rubbing Rico's head. The canine was already fast asleep, and didn't look as though he planned to go anywhere any time soon.

"If you didn't keep going," Harvey pressed, "We would have probably lost all of the squadron, and maybe even the Black Hawk." He walked back over to the bed and handed her a bowl with a spoon. "And, with 24th Century medicine, there's a lot we can fix."

Joey accepted the bowl from him with her left arm. It was only mildly uncomfortable, so she was able to keep from wincing. "I wasn't going to give up for that very reason. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if that were to have happened." She looked over to him. "I don't suppose you would let me crash on your couch tonight... Rico's great company and all, but I really don't think I want to be in my quarters by myself." And, like before, the biomonitor picked up an increase in her heart rate.

Harvey had dragged the chair over to the bed so he could sit next to her while they ate. As he began to sit down, his gaze met hers just as she finished her request. "Nonsense!" he replied, sitting in the chair now as he stirred the soup. "You will sleep in my bed. I'll take the couch." As a doctor, he knew her shoulder would not heal properly if she slept on such rigid furniture. Besides, his conscience just wouldn't allow it. He just couldn't bear the thought of him enjoying the comfortable bed while she tossed and turned on the couch.

"I couldn't do that," she said softly with the shake of her head. The fact that he was willing to give up his bed for her said a lot, but knowing he'd be the one tossing and turning all night wasn't okay with her. He was the Captain of a starship, which meant he needed to sleep. The lives of hundreds of people depended on him being well rested, even if there were times where she knew he wasn't. Like now, for instance. She wondered how much caffeine he had coursing through him at that very moment, but wouldn't dream of asking such a question.

Joey laid her back, but kept her gaze on him. It still amazed her that they were officially together. Yes, she had hopes that it would happen some day, but that day had come a lot sooner than she'd expected it to... not that she was going to complain even a little. In fact... she considered herself to be incredibly lucky. He was a great guy with a huge heart, even if he didn't see it, but she saw him in ways he'd never view himself. "Since it seems you don't want me sleeping on the couch, and I don't want you sleeping on the couch, how about we share the bed?"

Harvey couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm told I move around at night," he replied. "I don't want to accidentally roll onto you and mess up what the surgeon just craftily reassembled." He took a bite of the warm soup and savored its flavor for a moment. "Besides, at the rate today's going, we'll find the Valdore and head home. That's worth sleeping about tonight."

Home. There was a place she wouldn't mind going back to, but that wouldn't be happening for the foreseeable future. For now, the Black Hawk was home, and that was okay with her. "Hopefully, we'll find it soon so we can be on our way, and there's no doubt in my mind that it exists now considering I only found two of the Chimera's senior staff while I was there." She took a bite of her own soup. "As far as sleeping goes, I'll be fine on the couch. I can sleep through just about anything. Except for being tossed out of bed."

Harvey could see there was no point arguing, so he let the subject drop for now. Though, since she would be coming to his quarters tonight, he'd find a way to get the last word on the matter. Her health was of his utmost concern. "Yeah, Captain Suresh is certainly unaccounted for. I did have a livid conversation with Major Jackson and Captain Kylar. Jackson seems to have it in for whoever stormed the Chimera."

"He does, huh?" Joey asked unable to keep the smile from her lips. "Maybe I'll pay him a visit when I get out of here, then. I'm sure his ego has been greatly wounded all things considered, not to mention his pride."

He shook his head as he consumed another bite. "I wouldn't bother," he attempted to dissuade her, not wanting to go into the details. "The less he knows the better. That's one Marine that needs to stay behind a forcefield."

"Then, I won't bother. Chances are he'd get me worked up anyway, then I'd want to have the forcefield lowered, and we know nothing good would come of that," she said, taking another bite of her soup. "I'll leave it alone, though, it's a bit flattering that he's got it out for me. If he knew I was dragging him through the Chimera before we got back here, he'd likely want to skin me alive. Marines are prideful creatures."

Harvey chuckled at the comment. Having served on a ship full of Marines once, he could easily verify that claim. He leaned forward and had some more of his soup. A couple more bites and the bowl would be empty. "Or even if he knew how bad you tore up the ship. I have to admit, as much as I wanted to tow both of these ships home when we started this mission, I have no idea how we're going to pull this off, especially since we don't know where Suresh is yet."

Joey was only a few bites into her own soup before she had to stop eating. Her stomach was beginning to protest, and she felt it was best to listen to it. "We shouldn't have to tow them back if they're still operational. Not all of the crew are Consortium, which means they can be reasoned with and made to see they were actually working for the enemy. It would make things easier."

He nodded. "That's where I'm off to next," he told her. "We have what's left of the Senior Staff of both ships in the brig. Not only do I hope to find out where they left the Valdore, but also where their allegiances lie. If any of them are Starfleet, we'll need their help in convincing the crews."

"Hopefully, some of them are so things can be a bit easier," she said, setting her bowl aside. Using her left arm was not smart, but she tried not to let the fact that it hurt show. "You should probably go question them. We'll be one step closer once you do."

Harvey nodded, finishing his soup and rising. Rather than speaking and preparing to leave, he adjusted her side table so that it would not just be more accessible, but closer to her hand and not her shoulder. "Go easy on that shoulder," he warned her. "Otherwise, Doctors Kij and Abrams may make you stay longer."

She smiled up at him when he moved her table closer. "Thank you, and I'm definitely going to try to. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to be." Joey settled back once again and rubbed Rico's head once more. He'd be leaving when Harvey did, and she found she didn't want either of them to leave, but there were still things that needed to be done.

Joey knew Harvey regarded himself as a shell of a man, but she didn't see him as such. To her, he still had so much life left in him, and there were a ton of things she knew he had yet to try yet. And, the fact that he was willing to try things that were so far out of his comfort zone spoke volumes. He was a fighter. He was a man who wouldn't give up. He was everything she could have ever hoped to find in a member of the opposite sex, and if she wasn't careful, she'd fall hard.

Harvey placed the remainder of the soup in her bowl and covered it with a napkin to keep it warm a while longer. He would have placed it back in the container, but he didn't want her to strain trying to refill the bowl. Harvey then scratched Rico behind the ears, wanting to get his attention. Smiling at Joey, he explained, "I'd stay a bit longer, but I've got to get back to the brig. I'll try and come back before they release you. If not, you can head straight for my quarters. And take the bed."

"Really?" she asked with a laugh, wondering how long it would take him to get the last word on the matter. As soon as her stomach settled a bit, Joey planned to finish eating. She had to hand it to Mila, she was an amazing cook. "Either way, I will see you later."

Rico heaved a sigh from his spot and turned his eyes up to Harvey. He didn't show any signs of wanting to move, but when Joey coaxed him, he rose to his feet and jumped down, coming to stand at Harvey's side until it was time for them to leave.

Keeping his smile, Harvey returned to the head of the bed and gave Joey a parting kiss. "Until tonight," he told her. Turning to Rico, he said, "Let's let her rest, Rico." Harvey then proceeded out of the ward, thankful that she was okay and that his nerves had been calmed before his next visit to the brig.

Joey smiled as she watched the two of them walk away. Seeing them both was a pleasant surprise, and now she couldn't wait to get out of sickbay. For now, though, she planned to do everything she was told so they wouldn't decide to keep her any longer than necessary. In fact, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off to sleep once more.

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