Tegan Chronicles STV Style 2:
Rolling in the Deep 1
"'Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly.'" Tegan broke the silence with her singing as she finished up the test she was running. "'Blackbird fly; Into the light of the dark black night.'" ¹
"Bravo Tegan." He smiled broadly and clapped his hands in the air.
"You really should announce your presence," she frowned at him.
"I didn't know you could sing."
"It's not something I broadcast." She put the petri dish back in the incubator.
"Why not? You have such a lovely voice." He looked over her shoulder.
"Whatever." She shook the compliment off and turned to him. "This better stay between us or I'll castrate you."
"You can't do that." He scrunched his mouth up.
"You don't think I can rewrite a program?" She raised her eyebrows. "Try me."
"Your secret is safe with me. But you know you, Seven and I could put together a nice little trio." He stepped back to a safer distance when she glared at him. "Fine, it's quitting time."
"The Captain get to you too?"
"No, I just don't want you working yourself into the ground."
"I was just checking my cultures before I headed out." She slipped out of her white lab coat and hung it in the office. "Have a good evening."
"You do the same." He watched her walk out.
Tegan had just gotten comfortable when she heard Chakotay's voice coming from the combadge on her night table. "Chakotay to Dr. Kiser."
"Yes Commander?" She picked it up and gave it her best evil eye even though he couldn't see her.
"I've told you it's Chakotay."
She sighed. "Sir, did you call for a reason?"
"Yes." He cleared his throat. "Captain Janeway canceled on a game of velocity; she said something about her head hurting and asked if we could skip it. I was wondering if you would mind checking on her?"
"Not at all." Tegan was already throwing the covers off her legs.
"Thanks."
She pulled her shorts and t-shirt off and slipped into a clean uniform before putting the combadge back in its designated spot. On the way out the door she grabbed her med kit.
"Computer who is it?" Janeway mumbled when the door chimed swearing to herself if it was Chakotay she was going to cut off his testicles and serve them to him at their next dinner together.
"Dr. Kiser." The computer answered.
If it had been anyone else she would have ignored them, as was she called out not bothering to move from the couch, "Come in."
Tegan stepped through the threshold when the doors opened. Her eyes scanned the dim interior and quickly located the Captain splayed out on the couch still in her uniform with a compress on her forehead and her arm thrown over her eyes. She immediately realized her services may actually be needed and that Janeway hadn't just used the pain as an excuse to get out of spending time on the holodeck with Chakotay. "Headache?"
"I didn't know you made house calls?" Janeway's voice was low.
"I think we've had this discussion recently or one similar." Tegan stepped up to the couch, squatted in front of it and pulled out her tricorder. Her voice was soft. "Can I give you an analgesic?"
"The Doctor gave me one an hour ago, it hasn't helped."
"You could have called him or me for that matter." She ran the tricorder slowly over and around Janeway's head.
"You're off duty." She peeked out from under her arm. "Computer lights to 20%."
"I'm never off duty Captain." She shook her head. "You could have left the lights at 15%."
"It's fine."
"I can give you something stronger than the analgesic you had." Tegan offered.
Janeway shook her head. "Like you Doctor, I am never off duty."
"Maybe tonight you should be." She tucked the tricorder away and stood up tilting her head to the side for a second as she studied Janeway's features. After thinking for a minute she walked over to the console. "Computer I need a 3:6:10 ratio of peppermint, lavender and almond oil warmed."
"Specify temperature."
"39 degrees Celsius."
"How come it never asks me that about my coffee?" Janeway asked as Tegan walked back over with the mixture of oils. "Shaman?"
"No, not really." Tegan sat the glass decanter of warm oil on the end table. "Pillow?"
"There's one on the chaise behind you." She pointed a long finger in the general direction.
Tegan grabbed the pillow. "I know this is a little unconventional…"
"You just had the computer replicate an essential oil blend for you; it doesn't get much more unconventional than that."
"I need you to sit up." When Janeway followed her directions she sat down cattycorner on the end of the couch, pulled one leg up and put the pillow in her lap. "Now lay back and get comfortable."
She looked at her like she had lost her mind.
"Do you trust me?"
"I suppose." Janeway slid down a little and lay with her head on Tegan's calf.
Tegan dipped her fingers into the warm oil and started rubbing small circles into her temples. She watched with mild curiosity as the tension in Janeway's expression melted away. Within 20 minutes she was fast asleep. "Computer dim lights to ten percent."
Around 0430 hours Janeway stirred. As soon as she registered that the warmth on her cheek was body heat she sat up realizing Tegan had stayed all night, again.
"How are you feeling?" Tegan's voice was quiet.
"My headache is completely gone." She let her eyes travel Tegan's body in the ambient lighting of her cabin remembering the gentle ministrations from the night before.
"You drooled on me." Tegan grinned when Janeway reached up and wiped her thumb on the side of her mouth only to find it was dry.
"Funny." Janeway tiled her head off center slightly as she ran her hands over her uniform pants. "You could have gone."
"You were sleeping so peacefully, I was afraid if I moved I would wake you." She cleared her throat clearly stepping back into the role of doctor. "You needed the rest."
"How long was I asleep?"
"Eight hours, roughly." Tegan slid her foot onto the floor and waited for the circulation to return to it. Eight hours was a long time to have the lower half of her body in one position.
Janeway watched her stand and stretch out her back. "I want you to take the day off."
"I'm fine." Tegan ran her hand through her hair.
"You haven't slept," Janeway reasoned. Sometimes she wished Tegan would remain the ever consummate professional instead of wavering back into her obstinacy. She supposed the two went hand in hand and couldn't deny her own stubbornness.
"I got a few hours." Ten minutes here and ten minutes there equaled a few hours by Tegan's calculations.
"I doubt it." Janeway stood glad that the polyester blend in Starfleet uniforms didn't lend to wrinkling, since giving orders in a wrinkled uniform seemed preposterous to her. She quickly combed out her short bob with her fingers and turned to look at Tegan. "It's not negotiable."
"You're ordering me to take the day off?" She asked just to clarify.
"I am."
"Can I do anything else for you?" Tegan picked up her medical bag and tried to keep the cold out of her tone.
Janeway reached forward and touched Tegan's forearm. "Thank you for taking care of me last night."
Tegan looked down at the thin fingers on her sleeve wondering if Janeway had felt the jolt of electricity or if it was all in her mind. She shook her head. "I was doing my job."
Janeway wished she could get her to be a little less modest and just accept that she had gone above and beyond her duty.
¹ Blackbird written by Paul McCartney