Chapter Ten: Reputation
Bashir smiled as he drove, thinking of the approval in Jadzia's voice as she acknowledged his success. Maybe he had a chance with her yet…
Leaving the car in front of Dr King's flat, he dashed up the stairs and knocked at the door.
"Who's there?" Dr King called.
About to reply with his own name, Bashir suddenly thought better of letting Sir Charles hear it. "Sir Charles Ellery."
He heard the click of the lock, and a moment later the door opened. "It was successful, then?" Dr King questioned, reading triumph in Bashir's eyes.
"Eminently," Bashir replied. "But if I hadn't been there…" He shook his head, his lips tightening.
"Come in," Dr King told him. He led Bashir into the other room, where Steed sat on the arm of the sofa, the tip of his umbrella against Sir Charles' chest preventing him from rising. *
At the sight of Bashir, Sir Charles pushed the umbrella aside and sat up, tossing down the ice pack he held to his aching head. "I suppose you've killed him," he said sourly.
"On the contrary," Bashir assured him, pulling off the dummy spectacles he wore. "I believe I saved his life, and after a decent interval to 'rest' from the work, you're welcome to go and claim the credit." He took the cloth and bottle of remover Dr King handed him and began sponging off the makeup.
Sir Charles crossed his arms. "And tell me why I shouldn't report all of you to the police for kidnapping and performing surgery without a license?"
"I have a license," Bashir insisted. Or will have, he mused wryly; it would be several centuries before he even graduated. "You know who kidnapped you," he continued softly. "Go check on your patient; if he's dead you can have us arrested."
"I say!" Steed protested.
"But if the surgery was a success, I did it in your name; it will make your reputation greater than it already is."
"Even if you do have a medical license, what makes you so sure that a young pup of a doctor is a better surgeon than me?"
Bashir shrugged. "Go see for yourself. But if it's true…do you really want to admit it was a 'young pup' of an 'unlicensed' doctor who outperformed you?" A half smile twisted Bashir's lips.
Spluttering, Sir Charles turned, and Dr King opened the door for him. "Think he'll tell?" he asked, turning toward Steed and Bashir as he shut the door.
"Why? The doctor's logic was superb."
"Oh…um…" Bashir stammered, flushing and turning from Steed's gaze.
"Can you give us a lift back to Miss Gayle's flat?" Steed asked. "She and Sisko should have returned my car by now."
Bashir grinned. "I hope Sisko didn't have any trouble driving." The captain's taste in holoprograms ran more to baseball games; he didn't have even Bashir's fantasy experience.
Steed gave him a quick smile. "Miss Gayle is an excellent teacher."
* This is another scene that I have an illustration planned for, if I ever get around to drawing it. Barbie
Next chapter coming next week!
I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know! (Note that the spelling of some Avengers characters' names has been changed intentionally.)
Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. If you have questions regarding my Deep Space Nine or Avengers alternate histories, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie