seaQuest DSV, The Bridge
"Captain, we can send a vessel now", said lieutenant Michelle Grey and looked over at Captain Nathan Bridger.
"Good", he answered and nodded to the group he had gathered around himself. "We're leaving strait away", he continued and the crew nodded. "Inform me if something happens, please, Jonathan", he said in a lower voice to Commander Jonathan Ford.
"Yes, captain", he said and Bridger left with his group.
Left on the bridge was Ford, Michelle, lieutenant Tim O'Neill and chiefs William Shan and Miguel Ortiz.
"It's time for your lunch now, isn't it, lieutenant Grey?" Ford suddenly said.
Michelle looked at her watch and looked surprised.
"Yes, sir, it looks like it", she said and smiled a bit confused. "Time flies, I guess."
"When you're having fun!" Tim and Miguel added and laughed.
Michelle smiled and said:
"Call me if you need me, sir."
"You bet", he said and gave her a quick smile.
Michelle started walking towards the mass. All of a sudden she felt hungry.
When she had taken a full plate and started eating, Miguel, Tim and Shan walked through the door. She didn't notice them though, she was too absorbed by her food.
"Guess who's hungry?" Miguel said and pointed at her.
"Me and Grey", said Shan and filled his plate as much as Michelle had.
"Okay", Miguel said and laughed.
"Wanna keep her company?" Tim suggested when all three of them had their food. "She seems pretty lonely."
"Yeah, let's keep her company", Miguel said and they walked up to her table.
"Hi!" Shan said happily when they put their food down.
"What?" she said and looked up.
"You're pretty hungry, aren't you?" Tim asked and smiled at her.
"Yeah... Can you tell?" she said and blushed a bit.
"Oh no. Absolutely not", Miguel said and blinked at her.
She smiled at him.
"We thought we'd keep you company", Tim said, even if it was obvious.
"So I figured", she said and went back to eating.
It was quiet for a while, while they were eating and Miguel were the first one to break the silence.
"What are you going to do on your day off next week, Michelle?" he asked curiously.
"I don't really know yet", she said and thought about it. "Probably try and get some sun. I'm getting a bit pale... How about you?"
"Get some sun, go for a swim, have a drink or two...", Miguel answered and stared dreamingly into no-where.
"Or three or four or...", Shan teased and Miguel smacked his arm. "Sorry!"
Tim shook his head and Michelle giggled.
"Sorry, but I have to go now", she said after a while and got up.
"Why, you got a train to catch?" Shan said with a big smile.
"No, but I have some things to take care of before heading back to the bridge", she said and smiled back.
"Okay."
"We're off for today", Miguel said and grinned.
"I know, but I'm not. See you later!", she said and walked away.
"See you", said Tim.
They stared after her until they couldn't see her any longer.
"She eats a lot and fast for a girl", Miguel said surprised.
"She was probably hungry", said Tim and continued eating when Ford walked through the door and spotted them.
"Hi guys", he said and frowned. "I thought Grey was going to be with you."
"How come?" asked Shan.
"I figured you'd keep her company."
"We did", said Miguel.
"'Til she left", Shan finished.
"Where did she go?" Ford asked.
"I don't know, sir. But it seemed like she wanted to be alone", Shan answered.
"Do you think she went to a friend?" Ford asked. He had received a message that was to be delivered to lieutenant Michelle Grey in person.
"Friends, sir?" The closest thing she's got to friends, is probably us", Miguel answered.
"And Ben", said Tim between the bites.
"Yeah, and Ben", Miguel agreed.
"And maybe Lucas", said Shan with a smile.
"Yeah, maybe", said Tim.
"I'll just keep looking then", Ford said, sighed and turned to walk away.
"Why is it so important that you find her, sir? Is something wrong?" Miguel asked and got a little worried about Michelle. He really liked her and it didn't seem fair that anything should happen to her.
"She's received a message and I have to hand it over personally", said Ford.
"That's never a good thing", Tim pointed out.
"See you guys later", Ford said and walked towards the doors. He didn't wish to answer Tim's comment.
Michelle hurried though the corridors. She wanted to get to her room as quickly as possible so she could check for any new messages. Just in case the police had found Sheila or any traces of her. Or Ray. She frowned.
'I can't believe I fell for such an obvious idiot!' she told herself for the millionth time. 'I should've picked someone better...'
When she finally was in front of the screen and it once again told her that she had no new messages, she could feel the hopelessness come crawling.
"What did I do to deserve this?" she asked herself. "What..."
She was interrupted by someone knocking on the door. She went to open it and found herself looking at commander Ford.
"Sir?" she said. "Is something wrong?"
"I don't know, you tell me, lieutenant", he answered. "Can I come in?"
"Yes, of course", she said and moved out of his way.
He stepped in and she closed the door behind him.
"Just after you went off the bridge, I talked to admiral Noyce. He had a message for you, but he wanted me to tell you in person", said Ford and sat down on a chair.
Michelle sat down in front of him.
"What was the message, sir?" she asked and got nervous.
"He wanted you to contact him. He's got some information about a certain Sheila Alexandra Grey. He thought you might want it?" Ford said and watched her reaction intensively. He never knew someone could get that pale so fast.
"Is... is she alive?" she asked.
"I don't know. That's all he said", answered Ford.
"Commander, I hope you don't find it unreasonable, but could I please make that call in private?" she asked and blushed.
"I figured you might want to do that. It's not unreasonable at all. Don't worry", he said
and smiled.
"Thank you."
He got up and walked towards the door, but stopped with his hand on the handle.
"Michelle?" he said in a low voice and she looked at him with surprise in her eyes. "I'll wait outside if you need me, okay?"
"Okay, sir."
He went out and closed the door.
'Oh my god!' she thought to herself and put hear head in her hands. 'What does the admiral know about this? I thought the police handled this...'
Ford stood outside her door, just like he had told her, and waited. 'I wonder what the message was about?' he thought to himself and nodded to a group that walked past him. 'Oh well, I guess I'll find out later.'
"Dead?! What do you mean?" Michelle said in shock.
"I'm very sorry, lieutenant", said admiral Noyce on the screen and looked truthfully sorry. "I know it has to be terrible to lose your daughter like this..."
"You're lying!" she said.
"I wish I was, but I promise you; I don't lie about things this important. I promise you."
Michelle just stared at him.
"Where did you find her?" she finally asked.
"In a valley. It seems like Ray lost control over the car and they crashed."
" H... How long?" she said.
"The coroner thinks they've been dead for about three or four months", Noyce answered.
"Oh my god..."
She sat down on her bed.
"Your next stop is Wellington, isn't it?" asked Noyce.
"Yes, I think so", she said with a confused look on her face. "Yes, it is. Next week. We get a day off there."
"Would you like me to send them there so you can bury them?"
"Only Sheila", she said flatly.
"What about your ex-husband?" Noyce asked and frowned.
"Send him to his family. They always wanted him to dump me and come back home", she said harshly.
Noyce just looked at her.
"I'll only send Sheila, then", he said.
"Thank you, sir."
"Try and take care of yourself, lieutenant. I'm sure Bridger would give you a few days off, if you need it", Noyce said in a concerned tone.
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir", she said and the screen went blank.
She put her head back into her hands and after a while she noticed that she was crying.
Ford looked at his watch. It had been 40 minutes now. He knocked on the door,
since he figured they had finished their conversation by now.
No answer. He tried again.
"Who is it?" he heard Michelle calling from the other side of the door.
"Commander Ford", he answered. "I said I would..."
She opened the door.
"Come on in", she said and walked back into the room.
"What's going on?" he asked when he saw that she had been crying. "Family business?" he asked when she didn't answer.
Michelle nodded and sat down on her bed.
"Have the rest of the day off", he said and when she was going to protest, he added:
"That's an order."
Michelle stared at him for a while and then nodded.
"Okay."
"If there's anything I can do, anything, don't hesitate to tell me", he said.
"I won't, sir", she said.
"Good", he said and walked up to the door. He was just about to open it when she said:
"Sir?"
He turned around.
"Yes?"
"When was Captain Bridger coming back today?" she asked. "No offence, sir, but I think I'd better talk to him about this."
Ford smiled.
"Non taken. He'll be back tonight, I'll ask him to come and see you", he said. "But I mean what I said; don't hesitate."
He quickly disappeared out the door and after the door had closed, Michelle sat on the same spot for a long time, just thinking. When she finally got up, she knew exactly where she was going.
Ford walked back to the bridge slowly. He could've taken the Mag-Lev, he knew that, but he felt like taking his time. He wondered what had happened, since Michelle had been so upset. As far as he knew, she didn't have a family.
When he reached the bridge, he walked up to chief Manilow Crocker and asked:
"Any word from Captain Bridger yet?"
"No, sir, not yet", he answered. "But he'll call soon, he's never late concerning that kind of things."
"I know", said Ford and sat down to wait.
Michelle had to look a while before she found him and when she did, she was glad to find Darwin alone.
"Hi Darwin", she said.
"Hi Michelle", was her answer. She used to talk to Darwin when she was sure that no-one was around, but somehow she was certain that Bridger knew what she was doing.
She sat down by the edge of his pool without saying anything else.
"Is Michelle sad?" Darwin asked after a while.
"Yes", she said.
"Why?"
"My daughter is dead", she answered him. "I had kind of figured it out already, but to get it confirmed... It's a shock, even if it shouldn't be.
"Talk to Bridger, he knows", said Darwin.
"He knows what?" she asked and frowned.
"He knows", Darwin repeated.
"So you think I should talk to Captain Bridger about this?"
"Yes."
"I guess I'll have to do that then", she said and sighed. The next second she heard steps and got on her feet.
She stared in the direction of the steps and all of a sudden, Tim showed up.
"Hello", he said.
"Hi", she said and sat back down.
"Are you talking to Darwin?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"I do that sometimes too. It helps, you know", he said, stroking Darwin.
"I guess it does. If only he didn't respond so funny", she sighed.
"Tell me, I might be able to help you translate", Tim asked and sat down next to her.
"Thank you, but no thank you. I think I know what he means anyway..." she said apologizing.
"Oh, one of those answers, huh? That's never funny", said Tim and laughed.
"Nope..." she said and turned quiet again.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"Yes."
It was silent again.
"Did Commander Ford send you here?" she asked him suspiciously.
"No, why?" said Tim.
"Nothing really, just wondering", she said. "Sorry."
"Don't worry about it, but if something's wrong, you should really talk to your friends about it", said Tim. "I'm sure they can help you."
"Friends? What friends? I don't have any friends here", she said.
"How come?" asked Tim.
"I'm not social enough, and besides everyone already know each other, I would just be in the way", she said and smiled at Darwin when he swam away.
"Nonsense", Tim said and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure that..."
"All hands to battle stations! All hands to battle stations! We are under attack!" they heard Katie say over the speakers.
"Under attack?" both of them said and looked at each other.
They walked away from the pool and was about to walk out the door, when the ship did a violent turn and both of them flew into the wall. Michelle hit her head and shoulder on an edge, whilst Tim were more lucky. He rolled around on the floor a few times, but he didn't hit anything.
"Michelle, are you alright?" he asked when the ship was still again. "Michelle?"
When she didn't answer and crawled over to her and grabbed her arm.
"Michelle?" he said, a bit louder this time. Then he saw the wound on her forehead. "Oh shit...", he said and tried to get through to doctor Westphalen, but he couldn't. He assumed the hit had knocked out the communications system.
"Damn it!"
Michelle moved at bit.
"Michelle?"
"Yeah?" she said and opened one eye.
"How are you feeling?"
"I've got the head-ache of the century", she mumbled.
"I don't blame you. You've got a bad cut on your forehead after your date with that edge over there", Tim said. "Do you think you can stand up?"
"I think so", she said and tried to stand up, but when she did, she almost fell back down again, so Tim gave her a hand to hold on to and helped her up.
"Here, I'll help you", he said.
"Thank you, lieutenant", she said.
"Hey, call me Tim, neither one of us is working, right?"
"True. Tim, then", she said and smiled.
"Here, lean on me. That'll make it easier for you to walk. The communications are out, so we'll have to walk to Med-Bay", he said and she followed his directions.
After a while, they reached the Med-Bay.
"Doctor Westphalen?" Tim called.
"Yes, Tim?" she answered, but she only had to glance at Michelle to understand what he wanted. "This way", she said and showed them a free bed for Michelle to lie down on.
"It's deep. Stay here, I'll be right back. You're going to need stitches", she said after a brief examination and walked away to find what see needed and left Michelle and Tim there.
Michelle felt uncomfortable.
"You don't have to sit here if you don't want to, you know", she said without looking at him.
"But what if I want to? Then can I?" he said with a smile.
"If you want to..."
"Good, 'cus I do", he said and put his hand on her shoulder. "Let me know if you need a hand to squeeze while she stitches you back together", he added when Kristin came back.
"You know Tim, I will give her local anaesthesia before I start", Kristin said and glared at him.
"If you say so...", Tim said, but wasn't convinced.
"Only because the anaesthesia didn't kick in on you...", Kristin started, but Tim interrupted her.
"Michelle?"
Both of them looked at Michelle, whose eyelids had closed.
"Michelle?" said Kristin and touched her cheek.
"I'm awake", Michelle mumbled and opened her eyes.
"Try and stay that way too", Kristin said and smiled at Michelle.
Michelle tried to focus on the people and the things around her and before she knew it, Kristin was done.
"If I actually knew that you wouldn't fall asleep in the next few hours, I would let you go..." Kristin said and crossed her arms and looked at Michelle.
"I can keep her company", Tim said.
"You don't have to..." Michelle started, but Kristin interrupted her.
"That would be great, Tim", she said and smiled.
"No problem. I can check with the rest of the guys too, maybe we could watch a movie or something", he suggested.
Michelle, who knew when to give in, nodded at him.
"Alright..."
"Good", Kristin said. "You call them, and I'll stay here in the mean time.
"Okay."
Tim walked away and Michelle asked:
"Doctor, could I have something for the headache, please?"
"Yes, of course!" Kristin called out and jumped up to get the medicine. "I'm so sorry, I completely forgot."
"It's okay, don't worry", Michelle said and took the pills Kristin held out for her and swallowed them.
Then they sat there talking for a while, until Tim came back with a big smile on his lips.
"Right, the entertainment tonight consists of myself, Shan, Miguel, Ben and commander Ford said he might stop by later on. Maybe, he wasn't sure."
"Wow, a whole team of entertainers just for me?" Michelle said and tried to smile.
"Oh yeah!" said Tim.
"Perfect", said Kristin. "Then you're free to go, Michelle", she added.
"You could almost believe you're trying to get rid of me", Michelle joked and Kristin laughed.
"Oh no..." she said ironically and smiled. "Have a nice evening", she added when they slowly left.
"Thank you."
They didn't walk very fast, but neither one of them minded.