No. 22 Pick your poison (allergic reaction)
~
It was a nice shore leave. And the crew really deserved it. After everything that had happened during their five years mission up until now, they really needed to rest for a while.
Kirk had decided to invite a few members of the crew for dinner.
They sat at the restaurant, gathered around a huge table.
Everyone was there.
Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov.
And Keenser really enjoyed their company. Even though he wasn't really talkative, the Roylan loved to have people around him.
He loved to hear them talking and laughing. He loved to spend time with them.
When their food was served, Keenser was amazed by how good the salad looked. He didn't eat any meat. It wasn't in his nature to do so. Much like Vulcans and other species, Roylans were vegetarian.
Keenser took a bite.
The salad didn't just look appealing, it also tasted very good.
Keenser enjoyed every bite of it until suddenly he felt something in his throat.
He tried to cough but it didn't change anything.
The lump only seemed to grow and he couldn't breathe properly anymore.
Keenser reached up to touch his neck, gasping for air.
Scotty noticed.
"Laddie? What's wrong?"
Concern was written all over his face. And it turned into shock when Keenser fell off his chair to the ground.
Despite the ethical reasons there was another point why Roylans didn't eat meat.
They were allergic to it.
"There seem to be traces of ham inside the salad," Spock explained relatively calm while McCoy was already up at his feet and at Keenser's side.
"Shit! I need a hypo! An allergic reaction!"
Keenser was sure that he'd suffocate. He still remembered one time where he had accidentally eaten meat. Back then he would have died without the doctor working at the academy. But there had been a hypo near at that time.
The whole world was moving way too slow.
Keenser heard the voices of the others. Black dots were dancing in front of his eyes as less and less air filled his lungs.
His heart was racing.
He didn't want to die. He just wanted a calm shore leave. Why couldn't he get some rest?
When he felt a sting in his neck and heard the hiss of hypo, his body relaxed almost instantly.
His vision cleared again and he saw his friends gathered around him, looking scared as hell.
"He's okay. He's fine," McCoy sighed in relief.
Yes… he was. Thank goodness he was! And he'd never forget to ask if there was meat inside a meal again.