Chapter 7
Riker and Deanna walked onto the bridge. They sat down at their posts and Picard turned to Deanna and asked, "Where's Vicki Ann?"
Deanna glanced at Riker. "Well, uh-she-uh. . . ." Deanna was interrupted by Picard's comm badge.
"Crusher to Picard."
Picard tapped his comm badge. "Yes, doctor?"
"I just wanted to let you know that Vicki Ann isn't feeling very well. I ordered her to stay in bed for the day," Crusher replied.
"Is she all right?" Picard asked worriedly.
"She'll be fine as long as she gets some rest. Crusher out."
Picard looked at Deanna. "She's sick. Why didn't you just say so?"
"I don't know, sir."
Vicki Ann tied the belt of her robe. She went over to the replicator. "Raktajino."
"Make that two," a voice called from the bedroom as Vicki Ann carried the drink to the coffee table.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
"Please don't mention food, Vicki Ann."
Smiling, she replied, "Sorry."
Julian emerged from the bedroom in the tuxedo shirt and pants from the night before, except he didn't tuck the shirt in. As Vicki Ann got Julian's drink, he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed the side of her neck.
Laughing, she scolded him. "You're going to make me drop it."
"So?"
"So I don't want to spill raktajino all over my robe."
"Oh, poor baby."
"Shut up, Julian."
They walked over to the couch and sat down. Vicki Ann laid her head on Julian's shoulder. "What's going to happen when we take you back to the station?"
"You could come with me. I could always use another doctor." He thought about that. "No, I couldn't do that to you. I couldn't take you away from the Enterprise, away from the helm."
Vicki Ann looked up at him. "Oh, Julian, that's so sweet." She kissed him. "Well, we'll just have to try to arrange shore leave together. And if we can't then we can visit each other."
Julian sighed. "Yeah, I guess that's the only thing we can do. But what if it doesn't work?"
"There's an old Earth saying: We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. How about we do that?"
"That sounds good. That coffee helping any?"
Vicki Ann smiled. "Yeah, I'm starting to feel better. How about you?"
Julian nodded. "Much better. What do you want to do today?"
"Well, I'm supposed to be sick." She thought about it. "Nothing."
"Nothing? What do you mean by nothing?"
"I mean let's not plan anything. Let's just do what we feel like doing. If we want to sit here and do absolutely nothing, fine. I wouldn't mind just lying here with you, just enjoying being with one another." She smiled at him. "Not that we can't do other things."
"That sounds good."
"Which?"
Julian grinned. "Both."
Riker and Deanna sat in Ten-Forward eating lunch. "Wonder how Vicki Ann is feeling?" Deanna commented.
"Probably spending 'quality' time with Julian," Riker replied.
"You're rotten. For all we know, they might not even be speaking to each other."
"I wouldn't count on it. Did you see the way they looked at each other last night? They looked like a couple of lovesick teenagers."
"They did not. And besides, who was acting like a lovesick teenager a few weeks ago?"
Riker shrugged. "Not willingly."
"What are you saying? That if it had been up to you, you wouldn't have acted like that and therefore probably hindering out chances of getting back together?"
Riker swallowed, knowing he had to choose his next words carefully. "No, not at all. I guess it wasn't that bad."
"That's good. So, do you like Julian?"
"I've met him before. He's . . . nice. It's just that this whole thing doesn't fit my impression of him."
"Well, this whole thing isn't like Vicki Ann either. She doesn't jump into bed every time she meets a member of the opposite sex like someone we know."
"Now, now. There's no need for that. What are they going to do when he goes back to the station? That is if they decide to pursue a relationship."
Deanna shook her head. "Tough decision, isn't it? Sound familiar?"
Riker nodded. "I know what you mean."
"I hope things work between them. I hate seeing Vicki Ann get hurt."
Riker nodded.
Deanna continued. "They are so cute together and they really do love each other and-." she stopped. "What was that?"
"What?"
"That emotion I just sensed from you that you desperately pushed away."
"Nothing."
"Don't lie to me, Will." Deanna closed her eyes, reaching out for the emotion and tried to get in into her grasp. Once she had it, she opened her eyes. She looked at Riker, a look of disbelief on her face. " It was jealousy. You did love her, you liar. You let her convince you that you didn't so that the possibility of us getting back together was still open. You didn't want to commit to her because you were afraid of losing me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Vicki Ann! You put her through all that pain just so that you could be safe."
"Deanna, I didn't know. I didn't mean to-."
"You have to tell her."
"Why? All it will do is harm things with her and Julian."
"She has to know."
"No, she doesn't."
"Yes, she does. Will, if you don't tell her, things are over for us. Forever."
He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was serious. Hell hath no fury like a sister of a woman scorned, Riker thought to himself. "Alright."
"Now go."
"Now?"
"Yes, now."
"But what about lunch?"
"Forget lunch. This is more important. Go."
Riker saluted her. "Yes, sir." And he trudged off as if he were going to a firing squad because that is exactly what Vicki Ann was going to do to him. Kill him.
Riker and Deanna walked onto the bridge. They sat down at their posts and Picard turned to Deanna and asked, "Where's Vicki Ann?"
Deanna glanced at Riker. "Well, uh-she-uh. . . ." Deanna was interrupted by Picard's comm badge.
"Crusher to Picard."
Picard tapped his comm badge. "Yes, doctor?"
"I just wanted to let you know that Vicki Ann isn't feeling very well. I ordered her to stay in bed for the day," Crusher replied.
"Is she all right?" Picard asked worriedly.
"She'll be fine as long as she gets some rest. Crusher out."
Picard looked at Deanna. "She's sick. Why didn't you just say so?"
"I don't know, sir."
Vicki Ann tied the belt of her robe. She went over to the replicator. "Raktajino."
"Make that two," a voice called from the bedroom as Vicki Ann carried the drink to the coffee table.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
"Please don't mention food, Vicki Ann."
Smiling, she replied, "Sorry."
Julian emerged from the bedroom in the tuxedo shirt and pants from the night before, except he didn't tuck the shirt in. As Vicki Ann got Julian's drink, he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed the side of her neck.
Laughing, she scolded him. "You're going to make me drop it."
"So?"
"So I don't want to spill raktajino all over my robe."
"Oh, poor baby."
"Shut up, Julian."
They walked over to the couch and sat down. Vicki Ann laid her head on Julian's shoulder. "What's going to happen when we take you back to the station?"
"You could come with me. I could always use another doctor." He thought about that. "No, I couldn't do that to you. I couldn't take you away from the Enterprise, away from the helm."
Vicki Ann looked up at him. "Oh, Julian, that's so sweet." She kissed him. "Well, we'll just have to try to arrange shore leave together. And if we can't then we can visit each other."
Julian sighed. "Yeah, I guess that's the only thing we can do. But what if it doesn't work?"
"There's an old Earth saying: We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. How about we do that?"
"That sounds good. That coffee helping any?"
Vicki Ann smiled. "Yeah, I'm starting to feel better. How about you?"
Julian nodded. "Much better. What do you want to do today?"
"Well, I'm supposed to be sick." She thought about it. "Nothing."
"Nothing? What do you mean by nothing?"
"I mean let's not plan anything. Let's just do what we feel like doing. If we want to sit here and do absolutely nothing, fine. I wouldn't mind just lying here with you, just enjoying being with one another." She smiled at him. "Not that we can't do other things."
"That sounds good."
"Which?"
Julian grinned. "Both."
Riker and Deanna sat in Ten-Forward eating lunch. "Wonder how Vicki Ann is feeling?" Deanna commented.
"Probably spending 'quality' time with Julian," Riker replied.
"You're rotten. For all we know, they might not even be speaking to each other."
"I wouldn't count on it. Did you see the way they looked at each other last night? They looked like a couple of lovesick teenagers."
"They did not. And besides, who was acting like a lovesick teenager a few weeks ago?"
Riker shrugged. "Not willingly."
"What are you saying? That if it had been up to you, you wouldn't have acted like that and therefore probably hindering out chances of getting back together?"
Riker swallowed, knowing he had to choose his next words carefully. "No, not at all. I guess it wasn't that bad."
"That's good. So, do you like Julian?"
"I've met him before. He's . . . nice. It's just that this whole thing doesn't fit my impression of him."
"Well, this whole thing isn't like Vicki Ann either. She doesn't jump into bed every time she meets a member of the opposite sex like someone we know."
"Now, now. There's no need for that. What are they going to do when he goes back to the station? That is if they decide to pursue a relationship."
Deanna shook her head. "Tough decision, isn't it? Sound familiar?"
Riker nodded. "I know what you mean."
"I hope things work between them. I hate seeing Vicki Ann get hurt."
Riker nodded.
Deanna continued. "They are so cute together and they really do love each other and-." she stopped. "What was that?"
"What?"
"That emotion I just sensed from you that you desperately pushed away."
"Nothing."
"Don't lie to me, Will." Deanna closed her eyes, reaching out for the emotion and tried to get in into her grasp. Once she had it, she opened her eyes. She looked at Riker, a look of disbelief on her face. " It was jealousy. You did love her, you liar. You let her convince you that you didn't so that the possibility of us getting back together was still open. You didn't want to commit to her because you were afraid of losing me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Vicki Ann! You put her through all that pain just so that you could be safe."
"Deanna, I didn't know. I didn't mean to-."
"You have to tell her."
"Why? All it will do is harm things with her and Julian."
"She has to know."
"No, she doesn't."
"Yes, she does. Will, if you don't tell her, things are over for us. Forever."
He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was serious. Hell hath no fury like a sister of a woman scorned, Riker thought to himself. "Alright."
"Now go."
"Now?"
"Yes, now."
"But what about lunch?"
"Forget lunch. This is more important. Go."
Riker saluted her. "Yes, sir." And he trudged off as if he were going to a firing squad because that is exactly what Vicki Ann was going to do to him. Kill him.