CHAPTER 3
*****************
"Uh. . . Ensign, are you alright?"
Cher ached all over and yet knew she was not injured. She lay prone on the hard floor. Her head pounded. Gingerly, she opened her eyes and turned over. Hovering over her was a pair of soft blue eyes belonging to a handsome blond. Realizing it was her commanding officer, Cher quickly jumped to her feet, clenching her robe such that she did not expose too much.
"Ah. . . Commander. . . what are you doing. . . ah. . . in my room?" Cher quickly scanned her surroundings to confirm that she was indeed still in her room, before fixing her stare on the man standing in front of her.
"You were late for your shift, and didn't answer the Comm. So I came down to check on ya." An expression of concern was displayed on his chiseled face. "What were ya doin' on the floor? Did ya pass out?"
"I'm not sure, sir. The last that I remember, I was writing a letter to my friend Millie. It must be that I was so exhausted that I just fell asleep at my desk, and ended up on the floor somehow." She added guiltily, "Also, I didn't really eat much yesterday."
Trip stepped over to the Comm next to the exit, and pushed the outgoing button. "Tucker to Sickbay."
"Yes, Commander?" The cheerful voice of Dr Phlox responded.
"I'm going to bring Ensign Woodhouse down to you, to get checked out. I just found her passed out on the floor of her quarters. She seems fine now, but still you should have a look at her."
"Very well, Commander. Do you require assistance?"
"No thanks Doc, I think I can take it from here."
Cher did not protest, at least not verbally. She did let out a faint sigh, and grudgingly follow the commander. It was only when they were standing outside the Sickbay that she noticed that she was only wearing a tattered pink terry cloth bathrobe, and was now thoroughly embarrassed.
***************
"You seem fine to me, Ensign. Just moderately volume depleted, and slightly hypoalbuminemic." Phlox recognized the look of confusion on the faces of both Trip and Cher. He smiled, and rephrased his conclusions. "You are just dehydrated and under-nourished. Nothing that regular visits to the mess hall can't fix."
"Can I go to work now? I am feeling fine." Cher pleaded with Phlox.
"I foresee no impediment to your duties, as long as you promise me that you will eat 3 square meals a day, starting with a good breakfast immediately." After seeing her nod in agreement, Phlox discharged her, and returned to his morning routine of feeding his menagerie.
Trip walked Cher back to her quarters. But before leaving her to get dressed, he tried to reassure her. "Ensign, I know that being here can be a little scary, but we all take care of each other. I expect to see you in ¾ of an hour, after you have eaten. You are going to help me with those. . . long range sensors." Trip winked at her, and sauntered in the direction of the turbolift.
Did he know that she had overheard their 'discussion' the day before? He was very interesting. One thing that she knew for certain was that she was really starting to like Commander Tucker; too bad . . . .
**************
Trip chuckled. "Do ya ever wonder why they made these Jefferies tubes so small?" He sat in front of an open panel, cramped up such that his knees were almost touching his ears. He motioned to Cher, to pass him a wire stripper.
She sat watching him as he worked. He was quite the specimen. Despite the bagginess of his uniform, it was obvious that he was in excellent physical shape. His ability to inject humor into day to day conversation also fascinated her. He and T'pol were so different in many respects, but as the saying goes - opposites do attract.
"Commander, I would like to apologize for not making my presence known yesterday when you and the Subcommander were having your discussion."
"Ah. . . yeah, about that. You'll soon see that that is more the norm than anything else. We seem to have quite a volatile relationship, although she would deny that, as that would be 'an emotional response'." Trip turned to face the young Ensign. He was surprised by how comfortable she seemed around him. It was a nice change.
"Yes, I was warned about that."
"Oh. . . so they have been gossiping about us at the Academy, have they?" Trip seemed amused by this revelation.
Seeing the ease with which he interacted with her, she proceeded in neutral tone. "I am certain that the rumors of her many romantic exploits are also true. She is quite an attractive woman, for a Vulcan."
Trip swallowed hard, and his eyes bugged out. Not only was he dumbfounded by the statement itself, but that it had come from one of Enterprise's newest members. Teetering between reprimanding her for speaking of a superior in such a manner and wanting to know more about these rumors, Trip decided that since they were alone he would ask the burning question. "Just what have they been saying back on Earth?" He went back to working on the panel, pretending to be only mildly interested.
"Not really all that much. Just that every man on the ship had the hots for her, much to her satisfaction." Smiling to herself, Cher knew that she was being impertinent, but also that Trip would not reproach her. "She claims to keep her emotions in check, but it's obvious that she is a very passionate woman. Right, Commander? Why else would she go out of her way to argue with you all the time?"
Trip stared at the open panel in front of him, still amazed at how openly Ensign Woodhouse was sharing gossip. "Well, Ensign. . . um. . ." He wanted to find out more, but reconsidered. He had too much to do and Cher was too distracting. "Why don't you go back to your office, and finish the repair report. I'll see you tomorrow."
As she climbed out of the Jefferies tube, she was still smiling. 'Well, the seed has been planted. Now for the next step.'
TBC . . . .
*****************
"Uh. . . Ensign, are you alright?"
Cher ached all over and yet knew she was not injured. She lay prone on the hard floor. Her head pounded. Gingerly, she opened her eyes and turned over. Hovering over her was a pair of soft blue eyes belonging to a handsome blond. Realizing it was her commanding officer, Cher quickly jumped to her feet, clenching her robe such that she did not expose too much.
"Ah. . . Commander. . . what are you doing. . . ah. . . in my room?" Cher quickly scanned her surroundings to confirm that she was indeed still in her room, before fixing her stare on the man standing in front of her.
"You were late for your shift, and didn't answer the Comm. So I came down to check on ya." An expression of concern was displayed on his chiseled face. "What were ya doin' on the floor? Did ya pass out?"
"I'm not sure, sir. The last that I remember, I was writing a letter to my friend Millie. It must be that I was so exhausted that I just fell asleep at my desk, and ended up on the floor somehow." She added guiltily, "Also, I didn't really eat much yesterday."
Trip stepped over to the Comm next to the exit, and pushed the outgoing button. "Tucker to Sickbay."
"Yes, Commander?" The cheerful voice of Dr Phlox responded.
"I'm going to bring Ensign Woodhouse down to you, to get checked out. I just found her passed out on the floor of her quarters. She seems fine now, but still you should have a look at her."
"Very well, Commander. Do you require assistance?"
"No thanks Doc, I think I can take it from here."
Cher did not protest, at least not verbally. She did let out a faint sigh, and grudgingly follow the commander. It was only when they were standing outside the Sickbay that she noticed that she was only wearing a tattered pink terry cloth bathrobe, and was now thoroughly embarrassed.
***************
"You seem fine to me, Ensign. Just moderately volume depleted, and slightly hypoalbuminemic." Phlox recognized the look of confusion on the faces of both Trip and Cher. He smiled, and rephrased his conclusions. "You are just dehydrated and under-nourished. Nothing that regular visits to the mess hall can't fix."
"Can I go to work now? I am feeling fine." Cher pleaded with Phlox.
"I foresee no impediment to your duties, as long as you promise me that you will eat 3 square meals a day, starting with a good breakfast immediately." After seeing her nod in agreement, Phlox discharged her, and returned to his morning routine of feeding his menagerie.
Trip walked Cher back to her quarters. But before leaving her to get dressed, he tried to reassure her. "Ensign, I know that being here can be a little scary, but we all take care of each other. I expect to see you in ¾ of an hour, after you have eaten. You are going to help me with those. . . long range sensors." Trip winked at her, and sauntered in the direction of the turbolift.
Did he know that she had overheard their 'discussion' the day before? He was very interesting. One thing that she knew for certain was that she was really starting to like Commander Tucker; too bad . . . .
**************
Trip chuckled. "Do ya ever wonder why they made these Jefferies tubes so small?" He sat in front of an open panel, cramped up such that his knees were almost touching his ears. He motioned to Cher, to pass him a wire stripper.
She sat watching him as he worked. He was quite the specimen. Despite the bagginess of his uniform, it was obvious that he was in excellent physical shape. His ability to inject humor into day to day conversation also fascinated her. He and T'pol were so different in many respects, but as the saying goes - opposites do attract.
"Commander, I would like to apologize for not making my presence known yesterday when you and the Subcommander were having your discussion."
"Ah. . . yeah, about that. You'll soon see that that is more the norm than anything else. We seem to have quite a volatile relationship, although she would deny that, as that would be 'an emotional response'." Trip turned to face the young Ensign. He was surprised by how comfortable she seemed around him. It was a nice change.
"Yes, I was warned about that."
"Oh. . . so they have been gossiping about us at the Academy, have they?" Trip seemed amused by this revelation.
Seeing the ease with which he interacted with her, she proceeded in neutral tone. "I am certain that the rumors of her many romantic exploits are also true. She is quite an attractive woman, for a Vulcan."
Trip swallowed hard, and his eyes bugged out. Not only was he dumbfounded by the statement itself, but that it had come from one of Enterprise's newest members. Teetering between reprimanding her for speaking of a superior in such a manner and wanting to know more about these rumors, Trip decided that since they were alone he would ask the burning question. "Just what have they been saying back on Earth?" He went back to working on the panel, pretending to be only mildly interested.
"Not really all that much. Just that every man on the ship had the hots for her, much to her satisfaction." Smiling to herself, Cher knew that she was being impertinent, but also that Trip would not reproach her. "She claims to keep her emotions in check, but it's obvious that she is a very passionate woman. Right, Commander? Why else would she go out of her way to argue with you all the time?"
Trip stared at the open panel in front of him, still amazed at how openly Ensign Woodhouse was sharing gossip. "Well, Ensign. . . um. . ." He wanted to find out more, but reconsidered. He had too much to do and Cher was too distracting. "Why don't you go back to your office, and finish the repair report. I'll see you tomorrow."
As she climbed out of the Jefferies tube, she was still smiling. 'Well, the seed has been planted. Now for the next step.'
TBC . . . .