Love Is In The Air...Or Is That Chloroform?
Posted on Wed Dec 26, 2018 @ 10:52pm by Lieutenant Nicole Anderson & Major Victor Crowe
2,059 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Plaga Navis
Location: Crowe's Quarters
Timeline: Evening after briefing
PERSONAL QUARTERS OF VICTOR CROWE
Vic was leaning back in his recliner, relaxing after the near-fatal fuckups on the rescue mission. He had a half-full mug of Oeijian ale in his hand, the good stuff from the Southern Plains. Vic had discovered the purple libation as a butter-bar lieutenant on his first shore-leave. Three nights, six women, including two Orion women who wrung him out like a sponge, and almost five gallons of the potent, blue ale. Good times, and no paternity suits!
A sharp twinge in his upper back made Vic wince and groan. He rose slowly to his feet and went into his bedroom. "Computer, reverse angle, mirror view." The mirror image shifted to show Vic's back, and the ugly, purple bruises along his shoulder blade. "Shit!" Vic went over to the comm panel and tapped it. "Crowe to Dr. Anderson, are you available for a medical consultation?"
There was a pause, and then Nicole's voice deadpanned, "please state the nature of the medical emergency."
"I would appear to have an eight-inch contusion on my right shoulder blade. I would imagine I got it in that Pier Six brawl in the detention center. Would it be possible to come to my quarters and examine this?" Vic sniggered drunkenly at the statement, thinking Doc Holodeck to the rescue
"Are you unable to walk to Sickbay?" Nicole said. "I have the necessary tools there."
Vic sighed. "I am half-in-the-bag and have no desire to careen through the ship. Plus, this thing really hurts and I can't dispense my own meds, more's the pity!"
"All right," she said, a slight sigh in her voice. "I'll be there shortly."
Five minutes later, she stepped up to the doors to Crowe's quarters and rang the chime.
Vic hobbled to the door and tabbed it open, wincing as his injured arm twinged. "Welcome, Doc. Let me sit down and you can examine this!" Vic sat down on the edge of his sofa and pulled his shirt off.
Nicole leaned over and winced in sympathy as she touched around the edges of the bruise. "That looks deep," she said. "Lie down on your stomach." She put her black bag down on the floor and opened it, pulling out a tricorder and a hypospray. She immediately dialed up a dosage of painkiller and pressed it to his neck.
As the medicine coursed into his system, Vic, already half-inebriated, relaxed even more.
As he laid down, she scanned his back slowly. "How did it happen?"
"There's was a lot of commotion in the area, I got power-slammed by a Nausicaan, kneed in the nads by some slimy midget-thing, and hit in the face a dozen times over. I'm thinking it was the Nausicaan."
"Any other injuries I should be on the lookout for?" she said.
"Well, there are a few, but I think that we can wait until I am sober to examine those. Mainly my shoulder is killing me." Vic moved it experimentally. "Not as sore. You do good work, Doc!"
"Thank you, considering I haven't done anything yet," Nicole said. She took her tricorder and scanned it, then closed it and sighed. "Your blood alcohol level is too high for me to heal this. Hold on." She reprogrammed her hypo and pressed it to his neck again, neutralizing some of his previous 'entertainment.'
"Just being flippant, doc. Force of habit. Seriously, the pain isn't as sharp."
She then grabbed her dermal regenerator and began working it over the bruise. The tissue damage was deep, and the process was slow. "Sorry if you itch," she said, watching the deep purple bruise begin to lighten to a sickly yellow.
As some of the alcohol-induced euphoria wore off, Vic realized he was half-naked in the presence of a woman, an attractive one to boot. "Nothing like a clear head to feel more pain!" he half-smiled, half-winced as the doctor touched his spine, not quite as bruised but as sore as his shoulder was thanks to the aforementioned Nausicaan. "Sonofabitch!" he cursed, twitching in pain. "Basic training was not as rough as this shit!" Vic tried not to fidget, but his muscles were wanting to cramp, despite the relaxer the doctor had given him.
"Such the big strong man," Nicole teased, scanning him again. She opened her bag and rummaged inside, mumbling something into her bag. A moment later she pulled out a jar and opened it, scooping out a large glob of something green and slathering it along his spine. "Brace yourself," she said as she began to knead into him.
"Oooohh yeah, that's the stuff!" Vic sighed as the doctor's fingers and mystery goo worked their magic. "As for being a 'big strong man', even tough guys get hurt once in awhile. I appreciate this, doctor, more than you know."
"Considering the level of painkillers, anti-inflammatories, and heat-producing chemicals coursing through you right now, I have a fairly good idea," she said, rubbing his back. "Fortunately for you, I'm used to wringing sore muscles out of farmers."
"Where was this?" Vic asked, feeling his body relax.
"Back home on Rigel," she said, digging her elbow into his back. "One of the more common house calls was a pulled muscle or a wrenched back."
Vic nodded, enjoying the massage. "Your technique is good. Not too soft, not too firm. A man could do worse," he sighed. "You know I grew up on an agri-colony, right? Gault. Dairy, grain, horses, and some vegetables. Many was the time I strained or pulled something, or got my gonads kicked by a mean horse or pissed-milk cow as a boy. Mom would give me a hypospray and put me to bed, but it still hurt. Damn Holsteins!" Vic chuckled lightly.
"What is a 'holstein'?" she said, scanning him again.
"A Holstein is a breed of cow that is used primarily for the production of milk. They were transplanted to Gault Colony after Governor Xiadies lifted the ban on methane-producing animals. My dad's primary herd consisted of 85% Holstein cows with some Hereford and Angus cattle mixed in. They would get pissed off at you when you hooked up the milking machines to them and kick!" Vic explained.
"I...see...." Nicole said, not understanding half the words he said. She reached his lower back and took her tricorder, scanning him again, nodding in approval of the improvement to his alignment. "Well regardless, I'm sure the kick was unwelcome."
Vic nodded. "To say the least, and right in my groin! More than once!" The painkillers and meds were making Vic more comfortable around the doctor. Vic tried turn over, but stopped instantly.
"Is something wrong, Major?" Nicole said, frowning and scanning him again.
"Not a thing, Doc!" Vic replied, his face and body turning red with embarrassment.
"Then I suggest you relax before you strain yourself again," she said.
"Easier said than done, Doc!" Vic replied.
Nicole scanned him again, then noticed one of the readouts and turned slightly less pale as she blushed as well. "Ah, I see." She returned her items to her bag and snapped it shut. "Well then, I'll leave you to deal with that."
Vic looked up at he doctor and managed a small smile. "I appreciate the consideration." Vic suddenly stopped and looked at the doctor's own color rising. "I am sorry that I caused you embarrassment, doc...uh, Nicole. I truly do appreciate you coming here to treat me. It's been awhile since I have been around ladies and I sometimes act like a meathead. Vic wrapped his shirt around his waist in an effort to conceal his "problem." "Can I interest you in a drink before you go? I promise I'll put on a pair of pants."
"Both offers are appreciated, but that's all right." She tried to stifle a awkward chuckle at his attempt at modesty. "I'd say 'at ease' but I understand why that'd be futile."
Vic had to laugh himself. "Like I said, Nicole, it's been awhile." His smile vanished as he stared at Nicole, noticing her face and the way she looked at him. He rose to his feet and made an attempt to brush past her, only to feel his groin come in contact with her hip as he tried to slip past. Way to go, asshole! he thought to himself as he lost his balance and crashed into her, knocking them both to the floor, him on top of her. "Dammit, I ...uh...I uh...lost...uh.." Vic stammered.
Nicole's breath was knocked out of her as the heftier person landed on top of her. She gasped and looked up at him. "Mister Crowe," she stammered, sucking in air. She felt him press against her and instinct took over. Her eyes turned red and she marshalled her strength, throwing him bodily off of her.
She flipped to her feet and hauled him to his, tossing him onto the couch like a rag doll. "You know," she said, breathing hard, "when I was at the academy, there was more than one drunken engineering major who tried that with me. Never ended well."
Vic regarded her with a withering look. "I lost my balance! I apologize for landing on top of you in my aroused state," he said, shaking away the last of the dizziness. "I appreciate your assistance...."
Nicole retracted her fangs, metaphorically, and brushed herself off. "Apology accepted. I suppose it's hard to maintain balance with your center of gravity thrown so much and no blood to the brain." She smirked and folded her arms.
A smile slowly creased Vic's face. "Wow, a smile!" he said, his grin now warmer. "You have a pretty smile!" Vic stared at her face, her eyes in particular. There was a light in them he hadn't ever seen before. "Is there anything else I can do to make you keep smiling?"
"Is that yet another proposition?" Nicole said, raising an eyebrow.
"If it keeps you smiling, yes."
Nicole shook her head. "You are unbelievable," she said. "You think a bulge and a rogue smile is going to get us in bed together? And what would the rest of your squad say when they find out that the Ice Queen has been thawed, hm?"
"I don't care what they say or don't say. When I am attracted to a woman like I am to you, it's no one else's business." Vic's smile stayed as he noticed she hadn't moved. "If you were leaving, Nicole, you would have left two minutes ago."
"Except someone fell on me," she said, walking up to him. "And you're telling me this wouldn't be all over the barracks? You don't seem like the kind of man who can kiss and not tell."
"My training in classified information was thorough, but if you don't believe me try it and find out," Vic smiled more, putting his hands on her shoulders very gently. "Plus, my comm-badge is over there on my duty shirt!" he added softly.
"So, what if you'd been wearing it, you'd have broadcast the whole thing to them?" she said, sounding completely affronted.
"Just letting you know it is completely..." a soft kiss on her lips, which were soft and firm, "...out..." another kiss, this time softer, "...of reach!" This time Vic wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close as their lips met again, this time staying together longer than half-a-second. Vic felt her melt into his embrace, still kissing him. After a few moments, Vic moved back and smiled. "Nobody's business but ours, Nicole."
Nicole ran her finger along the rounded tip of his ear, missing the pointed tips of home. "Well," she said, "it won't be when you aggravate that bruised muscle and my entire staff finds out," she said, smiling sweetly as she pulled back from him. "So tonight you'll have to make do with a high-pitched sonic shower." She turned and leaned over, grabbing her bag. "Good night, Major," she said, slapping his rear hard and sauntering out of his quarters.
Vic hung his head in defeat, yet had a big smile on his face as he watched her leave. Ice queen, my ass! he thought. Maybe it was time to start thinking about a family, or at least a girlfriend.
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