Teagan left the lab early so she would have enough time to collect herself with a leisurely soak in a tub full of hot water and a mountain of bubbles. The events of this afternoon still caused her to shake if she thought too much about it. He had been so troubled lately that she was sure her forcing the issue had made him feel in need of the consolation that he had sought in her arms. While the experience had been innocent and comforting for both of them, at first, Teagan had realized that as they lingered her heart was breaking. She wanted to tell him how she felt. She wanted him...no needed him to kiss her and say that he shared her feelings. But that just was not going to happen. Or at least not now.
The long bath helped and she felt better able to handle whatever the captain threw at her this evening. She did not, however, feel like putting on her uniform again, so she threw on a loose fitting top and comfortable pants. They were very form fitting, but so was her uniform, so that did not seem to matter. Pulling her hair back in a clip, she exited her quarters and made her way to the captain's.
He was sitting on his couch with Stripes in his lap when she arrived. He had a PADD in his hand, but put it on the table at her entrance.
"Hi," he said. It had been something she had encouraged him to try saying more often when circumstances permitted. His 'greetings' had caused her to tease him, so he tried to break the habit and use the less formal salutation, at least with her.
"Hi, am I early? You're working?" she said, not moving from the door. Stripes jumped from his lap and came to greet Teagan.
"No, you are not early," he said standing. You can never be too early, he thought but could not say. Teagan picked Stripes up and cuddled her, moving to stand closer to him.
"I want to talk now, before we have dinner," Teagan announced, looking him in the eyes. Something about the way that she got straight to the point amused and pleased him. "What has been bothering you?"
This subject was still going to be difficult to talk about. Data motioned for her to take a seat beside him on the couch and as soon as they were seated, began to tell her about their first mission from his point of view.
"How can you be upset about that? The mission was a success, Cap- Data. You even showed me the communiqué you received from Starfleet command commending the Repulse on a great first mission under your command," he nodded.
"Yes, the ship as a whole performed very well, but that was mostly do to the efforts of you, Dr. Jewel and both of your staffs. My part in the mission was not as well received." This proclamation stunned her.
"That can't be. How can that be? Tell me what makes you think that?" she said utterly confused.
"The diplomatic team was lead by Admiral Rinoka. He has twenty five years experience in the field and as the highest ranking officer, he would be the one to evaluate the performance of his subordinates."
"Including you," she finished. Data nodded. She took a deep breath, knowing this was the crux of the problem. "What was his evaluation?"
"'Adequate'," Data said simply, disappointment apparent in his yellow eyes. Teagan looked confused again. She had kicked off her shoes as he told her the details, and now tucked her bare feet under her.
"Isn't that better than inadequate?" she asked, carefully. Data was not appeased.
"I do not care to be adequate in anything though there are areas that I have been forced to admit to a limitation. If I am to pursue diplomacy as a career path, adequate is not acceptable."
"So, now you think that after one bad review you should change your career path?" she asked. He looked inconsolable. "Wait, if I remember this right, you started to get edgy even before the mission ended. You would not have gotten the review until it was over. So why were you upset before?" He looked like he did not want to answer.
"I asked the Admiral to evaluate my performance before we had completed the mission," he said, like it was a shameful admission.
"And what did he say, word for word." She knew he could tell her.
"'Adequate.' Just that. I said, 'Admiral Rinoka, will you evaluate my performance thus far in the mission and he looked at me with no expression and said 'Adequate.' Then he walked away." This struck Teagan as very rude and abrupt, but she did not know the Admiral. The scene that Data had just relayed did not make her eager to change that fact.
"Is it classified? Your review?"
"Not to me," Data said.
"It's on that PADD, isn't it?" she asked him, suddenly realizing that it must have been. He nodded, reluctantly. She did not want to have to ask him for it, so she just looked at him. Data looked away, thinking for a count of three and then picked up the PADD from the table and handed it to her.
There was very little that he had left out, she saw. The Admiral was obviously a man of few words. She stomach started to hurt as she scanned the short report, but her mind began to wander as it did when she entered her problem solving frame of mind and a thought occurred to her.
"Um, what was his evaluation of the other members of the team?" Data looked confused. Raising his eyebrows, he shook his head.
"I do not know. I saw no reason to find out. Why?" Teagan looked back at the PADD, her mind racing.
"Would it require clearance codes to access?" she asked.
"Mine should be...adequate." Data said ironically. She sighed and handed him the PADD.
"Put them in and then give it back, I won't look." He shook his head at her, wondering what this would accomplish, but did as she asked. She grinned when he handed the PADD back to her. Inputting the commands as fast as she could, her smile widened. As she went through the reviews of the four other team members written by the Admiral, she had to suppress a shout of triumph and then a fit of laughter. After she had scanned them all, she instructed the PADD to reset back to the first and handed it to him. He looked as though he was questioning her sanity, but she just smiled.
"Look at them, Captain. Every one of them." Since he could read at a much greater speed than she could this was accomplished very quickly. Seconds later, he lowered the PADD, completely stunned.
"They are all identical," he said, struck with disbelief. He had been convinced that he had failed utterly in this task, and all along, it had been that the Admiral was just not good with a compliment for his subordinates. Perhaps the man had spent too much time with Vulcans and disliked wordiness.
Teagan watched as the captain worked this through. She did not wait long. After a moment she pulled the PADD gently from his grasp and despite knowing that it would eventually bother him, threw it dramatically across the room.
"I want you to promise me something," she said reaching over and clasping his hand. He looked at her expectantly. "Next time something like this bothers you, don't make me drag it out of you." He grinned, embarrassed that he had spent so much time distraught over a perceived failure where none had ever existed.
"I believe that would be a wise course of action. I promise." She chuckled and stood. Still holding his hand, she tugged on him in an attempt to get him to stand. As she pulled, her v-neck top slipped slowly down one side, revealing the skin of her left shoulder. Data's eyes were drawn by the delicate downward fall of the garment, but once revealed his eyes gravitate towards this area of her body. Her skin was flawless except for a single beauty mark just at the curve of her shoulder.
Teagan could not help but notice his gaze and gave him a concerned expression. Data looked quickly back to her face.
"Is it supposed to do that?" he asked, knowing he could not pretend that he had not noticed. She released him and pushed it back up.
"Well, yes. I can usually keep it in place, but it is made to do that at times. I wore it because it is comfortable, though. If you think it's inappropriate I can change," she said trying not to lose her cool. Data came to a stand beside her.
"No, I was simply surprised to see...it fall. Did you wish to have dinner now, or speak to me about that other matter that you asked me to remind you of?" She turned and led the way to the replicator, as he always let her choose their meals now, even when they ate in the lounge.
"I'll tell you about that during dinner," she said and proceeded to order it.
Once they were seated, she told him that the crew wanted permission to have a dance on Saturday in the lounge.
"You need not go though me for something of this nature. Commander Brent would be the proper person to with whom to speak."
She shook her head. "Not in this case, I think. Lauralee is planning the dance and she wants me to come with Ashton and the others to play the music."
Data looked at her wondering how this was something that she needed to tell him. "This sounds like something you would enjoy. If you believe that I would have cause to object, I cannot see why."
"You will. It's supposed to begin around eighteen hundred hours," she said, letting this sink in. With the captain, it never took long.
"Dinner time," he said, almost to himself. She nodded. "What kind of music will you be playing?" He had not asked before, as he wanted to hear her sing, but believed if he asked to come to her Thursday night meetings she may feel that he was invading too much of her life.
"I don't think you'll like it. It's fast and loud. It's called rock, or rock and roll. I love it, but I don't think it's to your taste."
Data had thought that if he could at least dine in the same room while she sung that he could consider their streak of consecutive evenings together unbroken, but she could be right about the music. When he met her eyes, he tried not to look as disappointed as he felt. But she saw it nonetheless.
"It would only be the one evening. You could spend that time playing your own music, or harassing your officers on the bridge, or you could come listen for a little while. We could try and play something a little less...well quieter while you were there." She hoped she could keep him from becoming upset by this, since her whole goal for the evening and the dance had been to pull him out from under the gray cloud he had been under for the last week. Success had been achieved sooner than she had been expecting, but if this plunged him right back in; she was going to scream.
"I am sure I can find something to do, Teagan. I have been doing so for all of my life, prior to taking command of this vessel. I am certain I have not forgotten how," he assured her.
She believed he could and would find something to do, but she knew he would not like it one bit. Somehow, in the short span of three weeks, their little tradition had become very important to him. He did not want anything but friendship from her, but he seemed to need the time to not be the captain, and just be himself with someone each day.
"Of that I have no doubt," she said quietly. He tilted his head to the side, something different appearing in his eyes.
"You simply cannot do it, can you?" he asked, amused.
"Do what?"
"Call me by name. You avoid calling me anything when we are alone, but I can see you almost say 'sir' or 'captain'." She sighed and rolled her eyes at him.
"You are high maintenance! I know that you are able to adjust because you can't forget and all, but I have not been so blessed. You call me 'Doctor' in front of my staff, Miss Teagan in causal public situations, and just Teagan here. I only have two choices so it should be easier, but I'm sure that I am setting myself up to call you by name at the wrong time and I refuse to let that happen. I promise to try, but you must promise to show a little mercy for a very fallible human. If I forget, you have to stop jumping down my throat!" She also had amusement in her golden eyes, but he still looked back at her indignantly.
"I have never raised my voice to you, and I do not believe I would ever have cause to do so."
She laughed at this. "Give me some more time, I'll give you cause," she told him sounding flippant, but looking rather serious. "Are you going to be ok with Saturday...Data?" she asked emphasizing his name. He laughed at the name part of her sentence.
"I am sure I will survive," he told her, looking droll.
"You gonna come for at least a little bit? You did mention that you enjoy dancing and if you don't think it would cause much of a stir, I would like to find out how proficient you are at that." Her eyes showed just how much she was teasing him. It was one of the reasons Data enjoyed his time with her so much. Teagan was the only one on the ship who did tease him. She had made him feel comfortable enough to tease her the very first time they had dined together and now it seemed to run rampant between them.
"I believe that is a challenge," he said lifting an eyebrow. She grinned.
"Oh, I would never challenge the word of my captain," she said giggling. He narrowed his eyes at her.
"Somehow, I do not believe you," Data replied, and Teagan laughed harder.
"Are you saying that I do not show you the proper respect, Captain?" she said, now giving emphasis to his rank as she said it.
"Outside of this room, yes. Inside it or in your quarters, no." He tried very hard to keep his face devoid of expression. She put her hand on her hips, her golden eyes gaining a fiery quality.
"You better be teasing me or..." the expression on her face faded in addition to a lot of her colour as her inspection of his face revealed no trace of humor. Slowly he smiled; his yellow eyes twinkled at her. The blaze came quickly back to her eyes. "I have a good mind to pour my wine right over your head!" she said threateningly.
"That would not be very respectful," he cautioned, his eyes gleaming with mirth.
She covered her face with her hands and sighed. Looking up again she shook a finger at him. "You know, this whole thing is really your fault," she informed him. His expression was now indignant.
"How?" he asked. She grinned.
"I suggested to Lauralee that the crew - and I had you in mind - needed a diversion. She came up with the idea of a dance, I suggested a ball type affair and she threw that right out and turned it into a rip-roaring party. I had this in mind to cheer you up and it backfired. But now we're stuck. But still, it was all your fault for not telling me what was eating you sooner." Teagan shook her finger at him again. Data shrugged.
"I have learned from that mistake. And I see that I am to now be punished for my poor judgment." He had not meant to say that, but he found himself saying things he would not normally say around her. He laughed more with her than with anyone else on the ship. While this might be due to the fact that he was still getting to know his crew and they were getting to know him, he doubted that he was going to find any other member of his crew with whom he felt as at ease.
Still, he must make a greater effort not to say things that would upset her, as her efforts had been intended to make him feel better. This also astounded him. Someone had planned a ship-wide event whose true purpose had been to please him. He had been the guest of honor at 'birthday' parties, or the going away party that had been throw when he was promoted recently, along with many others. But in each instance, it had been a few friends, not the whole ship. Of course, the only one who would have known the reason for the event was Teagan, but that was enough.
"As you have reminded me, you are capable of forgetting. Forget I said that," he told her. The look in her eyes showed him that she was not going to forget.
"If you want we can-"
"Teagan. Go to your party, sing and have a good time. I will be fine. I will try to not be so high maintenance." Wrong thing to say again, he told himself.
"I was-" he cut her off again.
"I am not saying what I intend to this evening. Perhaps I have not overcome my tendency to babble as well as I once believed." He rose from his seat. They were both finished with dinner, so he held out his hand to her. Looking into his regretful eyes. "I will attend to the dishes later. We should take a walk."
"The arboretum has not seen us in three days. Too long?" she asked. He nodded. She tried to stop the queasiness in her stomach as she put her hand in his. "Wait, I want you to listen to a song first. It's one like we will play Saturday. If you can stand it, maybe you won't feel like you shouldn't come." He started to deny that he did not intend to at least come briefly, but she held up a hand. "My turn. Don't even try and convince me otherwise. You are not looking forward to it." She turned away and stood, considering for a moment.
"Computer, play the song 'Turn the beat around' original recording." The computer complied and though Teagan found it impossible not to at least tap her toes, Data did not look impressed. She sighed and told the computer to stop.
"You hate it," she concluded. He looked very regretful, but something in his eyes told her that he would say something to try and make her feel better.
"Perhaps it is an acquired taste," he said gently. She laughed. When he said things like this, it made her want to hug him fiercely. She thought back to this afternoon and the moment she had spent in his arms. She could not let him know how wonderful it had been for her to be there. He was like no one she had ever met before and falling for him had taken her by surprise, but caught as she was, Teagan could not let him know. Still maybe she could find some way to cause him to hold her again. It had been so earth shattering in its effect on her, she failed to suppress a shudder of excitement at the thought.
"Come anyway. I promise we will play softer selections while you're there." Even as she made this promise, she groaned inwardly at the thought that most of the quieter songs would be ballads.
"I will try." He said and pointed towards the door.
"Ok, ok. Arboretum, here we come. You're sure it's not going to drive you crazy to have dirty dishes on the table?" she asked, glancing back. He did not look.
"I will see to it later," Data assured her. Capturing her hand he led her swiftly from his quarters. She giggled, but came as he directed.
Once in the corridor, she took his arm instead knowing this would be less likely to turn any heads. The whole ship already knew about their dinners, but holding hands may cause the gossip to begin, again.
"You know, for a man who does not require sustenance, you eat a lot. You mentioned having breakfast with Commander Brent. How often does that happen?" she asked as they walked at a leisurely pace.
"So far, three times. He eats, I had some tea to look sociable."
"You have lunch with anybody?" he glanced at her, knowing where this was going.
"On occasion, but only for meetings that take place at that time of day. I do not eat during them. It is easier to speak when one's mouth is not otherwise occupied." She grinned at this.
"So, that means you only eat one meal a day. Wish I could manage that. Lauralee and I having lunch together can be hard sometimes. She can eat anything and never gain a gram. I, however need more than walks in the arboretum to keep from blowing up like a balloon."
"You are exaggerating, Miss Teagan," he said, as they were passing others in the corridor. She held up two fingers and inch apart. He noticed, with alarm that her hand was shaking. He had seen her nervous before and shaking, but he sensed that this was different.
"Just be glad that you don't have to worry about exercise, Captain. If you ate three meals the size of what you eat when...we are together, you would have to worry soon."
"I take it that you believe there are benefits to being an artificial life form," he said, paying more attention to the physical state of the woman on his arm.
"Don't even try to convince me out of it, either. You are never going to have to worry about too much or too little food-"
"Not true, Miss Teagan. I do require the ingestion of a...very bad tasting substance at least once a month." He made a face as though recalling the flavor of said substance.
"Well, you don't have to worry much. No need for exercise, you don't have to think about getting all old and wrinkled one day. I get to look forward to looking like a prune and having my hair turn gray." He smiled; he had found himself thinking that he looked forward to being there to see that happen. Hoping to be there to seeing it happen...
"I have considered having some gray added to my hair to give the appearance of age. I am 52 years old and-" Her tightening her grasp on his arm stopped him.
"Can I place my vote on that one, sir?" she said shaking her head slowly. Data grinned.
"I have also thought that yellow eyes look too-"
"No! I mean please don't change your eyes, Captain. I really like those sunshine like yellow orbs." She had stopped walking and looked earnestly into the very eyes she was referring to. Data was surprised by this as he had always believed his eyes to be his most artificial looking feature.
"Perhaps I will keep them, if you object that strongly." She looked nervous now. Her face grew pale and as he looked down at her, she seemed to be moving away...in a downward direction.
"Sunshine," she said in a breathy voice. She was falling, he realized. He grabbed her before she could hit the deck. As he lowered her gently to the floor, he heard a female gasp and two pairs of footsteps coming closer.
"Captain, can I help, sir?" Lieutenant Rimer said, rushing over.
"I am not sure, Lieutenant." The captain said as he made certain Teagan was still breathing and her heart was beating. The woman, who he saw out of the corner of his eye, was ensign Destizes, kneeled down beside them as well.
"What happened to Miss Teagan, sir?" she asked, sounding very shaken.
"I am uncertain. I had noticed her hands shaking, but had not expected her to collapse," Having determined that Teagan was in no imminent danger, he touched his communicator to hail the chief medical officer. He scooped her up in his arms and began moving quickly towards sickbay as he spoke to Dr. Jewel.
"Dr. Shayza just collapsed. I am en route to sickbay with her now."
"Do you know the cause of her collapse, Captain?" the voice of Dr. Jewel asked.
"Unknown at this time, Doctor. She was shaking, but before I could question her regarding it, she lost all colour in her face and fainted. Her respiration and pulse are strong, but she remains unconscious," he stated, his voice firm and not even hinting at the panic he was feeling. No time for that now. He switched his emotion chip off and moved as quickly as he could safely go to sickbay.
Dr. Jewel directed the captain to place Teagan on the nearest bio-bed as soon as he saw the man enter with the motionless form in his arms. Her colour was still bad, Jewel thought as the captain gently deposited her on the bed and the sensors came to life. Dr. Jewel got right to work and assumed the captain would just leave.
He was mistaken in this assumption.
The captain stood out of the way, but close enough to be able to see everything that was happening. The android's stare was intense, but his face was expressionless. Jewel hoped he would just leave on his own, but after ten minutes, it was clear that the captain had no intention of moving.
Teagan was moved to a bed in the back corner of sickbay where she could rest in seclusion, if the captain ever left. When Dr. Jewel ordered the two orderlies to move Teagan, he thought for a moment the captain was going to jump across the room and insist on helping. Instead he followed just behind the orderlies and remained in the room as Teagan was settled. She was still unconscious and would stay that way, as Dr. Jewel had put her into a coma to keep her under and help her to fight the toxins that she had somehow been exposed to during their time on the warring planet.
As much as Jewel hated to admit it, he was going to have to question the captain regarding Teagan's evening meals in order to discover when exposure took place. The doctor gave his instructions to the nurse and looked up to see that Captain Data had not moved an inch, remaining near the wall and staring fixedly at Teagan. Worry was apparent in his strange coloured eyes.
"Captain, will you join me in my office for a moment, please. I would like to ask you a few questions." Dr. Jewel had hoped to be able to say this after the nurse left, but she was running her checks and Jewel wanted to get the captain out of her way. No, the captain was not in the way. Jewel just wanted to get him out of the room.
The nurse looked up to see the captain come to life again and meet Dr. Jewel's eyes. He gave the doctor a quick nod, but before leaving, his eyes went back to the woman unconscious in the bed. The look in his eyes was too much for Nurse Avery, who was one of the most compassionate nurses Jewel had ever had. She managed to catch the captain's eyes as he turned to follow.
"She'll be just fine, sir. We know what's wrong and just how to fight it," she assured him and smiled. The captain tried to smile back, but was not as successful.
"Thank you, Nurse Avery. I have no doubt that Miss Teagan is in the finest hands," he replied and followed the doctor out.
In Dr. Jewel's office, the captain took a seat only after the doctor asked him to, and waited silently for the older man to give him reason to speak.
"I need to ask if you are aware of any time that Tea- Dr. Shayza may have consumed any food stuff from the planet during our stay there?" His tone was no non-sense, but having to ask this man about time he spent alone with Teagan galled him. He still did not trust the man's motives as far as Teagan was concerned and the fact that she had been with him twice when she had need medical attention struck the doctor as a bad omen.
"I am. The second evening she prepared a meal consisting of items that she had had purchased from the planet. I was not aware of this until the following day, but she assured me that the foods had been checked for contamination." The captain did not look pleased at the memory. "We gave some of this meal to my cat," the captain mentioned, wondering if he was going to have a second casualty today.
"I'll send a nurse to check the beast. You should have made sure that this did not happen. You are responsible for Teagan being here, Captain," Jewel accused, knowing that his tone and words were bordering on insubordination. The captain did not react as he expected him to, though.
"As captain, I am ultimately responsible for everything that happens aboard my ship, Doctor. If you recall I did instruct the crew not to have their meals on the planet, or to have them brought down from the ship. I made my feelings concerning Dr. Shayza's disregarding my order clear to her, but as I learned of her indiscretion after the fact, there was little else I could do. She detailed all of the tests that she had run on the ingredient for our meal and they seemed more than...adequate."
"Can you remember the tests she mentioned?"
The captain raised an eyebrow at this question and too late the doctor remembered not just whom he was talking to, but his nature. With only a pause for effect, the captain listed all the tests that Teagan had related to him. This caused Jewel to be very confused, as the tests he detailed, should have detected the toxins that had been found in Teagan's system. The doctor voiced this.
"Perhaps the food was tainted at some point following her tests. I cannot believe that Dr. Shayza would have improperly run these tests."
The captain was firm in his convictions and the doctor could not argue. He had personally seen Teagan run those exact tests dozens of times during the course of the nine days they had been on that damned planet.
"I concur. But how would the food have been tainted after the fact. She is a very careful woman. If she thought for a moment that even the slightest possibility existed that the food was not safe, she would have rerun the tests or destroyed the food." Perhaps they would have more information when he could wake Teagan. The doctor looked back at the captain, wondering if he could now expect this man to leave his sickbay.
"Teagan will be in an induced coma for another sixteen hours while we neutralize and flush the toxins from her system. I will keep you apprised of her progress, Captain," he said in a firm but not disrespectful tone.
"Thank you Doctor, I will be on duty when you bring her out of the coma. I would very much appreciate being informed before you attempt to revive her as I would like to be here when she awakens," the captain told him as he rose smoothly from his seat. "I will inform her assistant and friend Lieutenant Apple of her condition. In her present state, will Miss Teagan be allowed visitors, Doctor?" he asked standing near the office door.
"She may sense their presence, but of course she can't speak with them. I see no reason why they can't visit. I can call them if you'd prefer, Captain." The doctor offered, confused that this man would even want to call Teagan's friends.
The captain held up a hand, "No Doctor. You attend to your patient. I will attend to this matter. Thank you," he concluded, turned and walked from Jewel's office. The Doctor followed him, irritated at this man's controlling attitude. Yes, he was the captain, but there was still something about him that rubbed the doctor the wrong way.
While he hoped he wouldn't, Jewel knew the captain would check on Teagan before leaving. When they reentered the room, Nurse Avery was just completing her work, but waited for the two men to enter before smiling at the captain while making her way to the door. Jewel wondered at the twinkle in her eye, but groaned inwardly as he noticed the chair now sitting on the right side of Teagan's bed. The captain nodded his thanks as Avery exited, and made for the chair. Sitting, he turned his full attention to the still occupant of the bed beside him. How long was he going to stay here? Thinking he already knew the answer, doctor sighed and turned away.
Once the doctor had left the room, the captain slowly reached across the side of the bed to take hold of Teagan's hand. "I am going to have be more careful with you and attempt to end the incidences of your needing medical attention while you are in my company...or out of it." After a time he touched his communicator and signaled Lieutenant Apple. When she answered, she sounded very nervous and confused about having her captain contact her.
"I am calling to inform you that Dr. Shayza has taken ill and is in sickbay undergoing treatment. She will be unable to perform her duties tomorrow and most likely Wednesday as well." Apple asked what had happened and the captain explained it to her.
"I have been informed by Dr. Jewel that she may have visitors. May I ask you to inform her other friends, Miss Apple? I believe they would prefer a call from you, as I seem to have caused you unease with my call." Data waited as the communicator grew silent for a moment.
"I'm sorry, sir. It was very kind of you to take the time to inform me yourself. I'll do as you ask. Thank you, sir."
Though she could not see it, Data smiled. "I think it would be wise if we limit the visitors to two at a time, Miss Apple. I am here now, but I will step out when you and her other friends arrive. I will not intrude." There was another pause.
"You're there now, sir? I see. I'll inform those who'll want to know and take care of her work tomorrow. Thank you again, Captain. Apple out," she said and touched her communicator, closing the channel. He was there now...with Teagan, and had most likely been there since it happened. This just didn't make any sense. What the hell was the connection between those two? Were they dating? Just friends? He had sounded serious, but also concerned during that call. He would be concerned if she was a friend or...more, but how could she figure out which it was?
Lauralee sighed and put that aside for now. Activating her monitor, she put a call through to Ashton's quarters, hoping he was not in the middle of...someone.
Nine hours later, Dr. Jewel returned to sickbay after a bad night's sleep, to find that the captain was in Teagan's room again. Or was it again?
"Nurse, how long has the captain been here?" Jewel asked Nurse Leonard, who was on duty now. The younger man looked towards Teagan's room and smiled.
"He was here when I arrived, Doctor. He's not left Miss Teagan's side, except for when her other friends were here. He stepped just outside to allow them to visit privately with her, but returned as soon as they left. Our new captain cares very much for Miss Teagan, Doctor. Do you think they're in love?" he asked eagerly.
"I think that is none of our business, Nurse. See to your duties and remember that I also care very much about Dr. Shayza and would not be pleased to find that my staff is spreading rumors about her. Is that understood?"
Jewel realized that he was being too harsh as soon as the words were out of his mouth, but everyone seemed to be pleased by the relationship between the captain and Teagan. It was getting on his nerves. Why was he the only one who could see how demeaning this was to Teagan? Steeling himself, the white haired doctor entered Teagan's room. Frowning.
"I understand that you've been here all night, Captain. I am aware that you feel a sense of responsibility for her being here, but your sense of duty will not hasten her recovery," Jewel said as he entered the room. The captain was still in the chair that Avery had placed there for him. He looked up from his intent stare at Teagan's face to look incredulously at the older man.
"My presence here had nothing to do with duty and everything to do with the identity of your patient, Dr. Jewel. I will be reporting for duty in one hour, but unless you require me to leave for medical reasons, I would prefer to remain," The captain said calmly. Jewel wished he had a good reason to ask this man to leave, but he did not.
"Why? What reason could you have for staying, sir?" He hated having to add the 'sir' but protocol did demand it. The captain studied his face for a moment before answering.
"I believe I finally understand what I have been seeing in your expression, Doctor. I am aware that you and Teagan share a close bond. Am I correct in assuming that you do not approve of her relationship with me? And you may speak freely, Doctor." Jewel realized that he had wanted to have just this conversation with this man, but now that it was happening, he wondered if it was such a hot idea. Still the man's cocky attitude infuriated Jewel. He didn't believe for a moment that the captain stayed by her side for any reason other than keeping up appearances or from guilt.
"I don't approve. I don't like the way you have made it a requirement that she join you in the evening. I don't like the way people talk about her now. I did not like seeing how you would waltz in when we were on the planet and expect her to drop everything to stand obediently at your side." Jewel had been hesitant to start, but now that he had, he found it hard to stop. The stunned expression on the android's face only fueled his anger. "I don't think you treat her with respect. I have no idea what you want from her, but I don't think it would change how I feel to know!" He had to stop here, as he was out of breath.
Slowly the captain came to a stand. His odd eyes filled with emotions that the doctor was at a loss identify. "You are under the impression that I have pressured her to spend her evening with me? I assure you that you are mistaken. I spoke with Teagan on precisely this issue. She was emphatic that it was her choice to join me each evening. As to her being obedient, even if I was to wish it from her, and I do not, I doubt it would be something I could ever achieve.
"I have a great respect for her, Doctor. As to what I wish of her, it is friendship. Almost from the moment I took command, she has been the only person whom I have felt free to...laugh with even for a brief period of time. I place a very high value on her friendship." The captain turned back to look down at Teagan. "However, if you believe I have behaved improperly towards her, there are channels you are free to go through to have my actions reviewed."
"I hope it doesn't come to that," the doctor said.
"Where exactly do you believe that I have behaved improperly, Doctor?" he asked looking back at the CMO.
"I have no specific instance, other than when you came to retrieve her from the lab when we were on the planet."
"Yes, you mentioned that. I did contact her prior to my leaving the diplomatic talks each day to inform her of my ETA. I neglected to on the first day and when I entered, she was badly startled. It appeared to me that during the mission she would have overworked herself had I not encouraged her to allow her other staff members to relieve her. I was also concerned that she had not been eating properly during the days. Were you aware of that, Doctor?"
The older man grimaced.
"Yes," was all Jewel wanted to say. The captain was right, as much as he hated to admit it. Jewel had been forced to have Apple beam food down for them both and pull Teagan away for her console so she would eat it. He had not expected this man to have also noticed.
Was he being unfair to him? What he letting the false rumors of intimacy between Teagan and the captain colour his perceptions? Jewel looked down at the peaceful face of the woman he had known for four years. He knew she was in love with the captain, and even though she admitted there was a possibility that the captain would never return her feelings, but she wanted to try. She had also made the doctor promise to keep her secret.
Looking the captain in the eye, he frowned but nodded. "I'll hold my peace for the time being, Captain. But I will not stand by silently if I see evidence of misconduct on your part. She deserves better." This was all he could take. With one final cautioning glare, the doctor exited the room.
The captain stared questioningly after him. Data had been aware that there was much confusion regarding his relationship with Teagan, but he had not been aware of anyone having this kind of reservations. Data decided that he would speak with Teagan once she awakened.
Data did not really know why he remained here. He could have gone to his quarters and thought of her just the same, but he found he could not convince himself to leave. Duty would call soon and he would have to leave for the bridge, but he would inform Commander Brent that he would be leaving early to see to Dr. Shayza's awakening. Risking being seen, the captain reached over for her hand. Something felt odd in his chest as he touched her. He was not fooling himself by trying to deny that he cared so much for her. Two weeks was plenty of time for humans to fall in love, surely it was not an unreasonable length of time for him as well.
An hour later, the captain reluctantly left Teagan Shayza's side. He told Dr. Jewel that he was going to report to the bridge, but asked again to be called before they revived Teagan. The doctor begrudgingly agreed.
As the captain made his way to the bridge, it became immediately apparent that the news of Teagan's condition had spread throughout the ship. Almost every crew member he passed acknowledged him in some way. One would nod and give him a sympathetic smile; the next would stop and respectfully inquire as to Miss Teagan's status.
By the time the captain reached the bridge, he was overwhelmed by the concern the crew was showing for Teagan Shayza's welfare. Walking the distance from the lift to the center seat, Data noticed the same expressions he had just encountered, on the faces of his bridge crew. Everyone was quiet. If they needed to speak, it was in hushed voices.
Data's number one, a burly human man of thirty-six, who always looked serious, greeted him. If the captain had not known better, he would have assumed that the man was enamored with Vulcan philosophy, but Data had caught Brent laughing when entering the bridge from his ready room or when he saw him in the lounge. Now Commander Brent's expression was expectant. Decided that speaking to the Commander in the ready room would cause the crew to be overly curious about something that did not need secrecy, Data took his seat at command.
"As I am sure most of you are aware, Dr. Shayza collapsed in the corridor at 2007 hours last evening. Dr. Jewel identified the toxins in her system as originating from the planet of our last mission. She has been placed in a coma until her system had been cleared of the toxins. Commander Brent, barring any unforeseen emergencies, I will be releasing the con to you at approximately 1400 hours. Until that time, we will proceed as normal." Captain Data's voice was just loud enough to be heard by all, but not as calm as he would have liked it to be. He regretted having not turned off his emotion chip, but it was too late now.
"Understood, sir. Dr. Shayza is expected to make a full recovery?" The man to the captain's right asked this, also loud enough for all to hear.
"Yes, Commander. Dr. Jewel believes he will be able to revive her this afternoon and release her to her quarters by this evening. I have complete confidence in the doctor's prognosis."
The Repulse's first officer nodded. "I believe I speak for the crew when I say we all hope she is well soon, sir."
Brent's expression now had the same compassionate quality that the captain had seen on most of the faces he had looked at in the last half- hour.
"I will be sure to relay your sentiment to Dr. Shayza this afternoon, Number One. I am certain she will be touched. May I have the status report, please?" The Commander's expression changed to reflect confusion for the blink of an eye, but recovering his mask of efficiency, he proceeded to relate the information that his captain has just requested.
Three hours later, Captain Data had retreated to the seclusion of his ready room. The mood of the bridge had not changed much in that time and he found that most startling. All were efficient, respectful and quiet. There was no casual chatter. No greetings to crew members as they entered, no friendly words of parting. The quiet was unnatural and it was getting on Data's...it was bothering him.
Data kept himself busy for as long as he could in his ready room until he decided that perhaps it would be best to get someone else's input on the strange behavior of the crew. As a trip to biochemistry would be useless, He put a call through to the Counselor's office using his monitor. The man did not look surprised to receive his call.
"Yes, Captain. I am free, sir. I can be there in under-"
"No, Counselor. I believe it would be wise if I spoke to you in this manner. I assume that you are aware of Dr. Shayza's collapse last evening?" The counselor looked perplexed, but nodded after a moment.
"Yes, Captain. I was very sorry to hear that she's ill. Is she in any serious danger, sir?" he asked, genuine concern clear on Braccon's face.
"Our CMO believes she will be resting in her own quarters by this evening. This incident has opened my eyes to just how interconnected the crew of a starship can be," the captain commented. As expected, the counselor asked him what he meant. "It seems that Miss Teagan had more friends than she believes. Her illness has seemingly affected the majority of the crew. Almost every person I encountered as I traveled from sickbay to the bridge expressed his or her regrets that she was ill. I would not have expected one person's non life threatening illness to have affected so much of the crew." The confusion that the counselor had displayed previously now returned stronger that before.
"From your comment, Captain, am I to assume that you don't see that Miss Teagan's connection to you is also responsible for a large portion of that reaction?"
At this, the captain paused. "Why would that effect the crew, Counselor? We are... Her relationship to me is purely casual. In the last two weeks we have become friends, but that is all." As the words tumbled slowly from his Captain's mouth; the counselor quickly cleared all the expression from him face. He did not want the other man to know how shocked he was by his words.
"Then Miss Teagan was not who you were referring to when you questioned me regarding fraternization?" Braccon asked with forced calm. The expression in the captain's eyes answered faster then his next sentence.
"I had hoped...but we have only known each other for a short period of time. I believe that she is not interested in that kind of relationship...or perhaps she does not wish it with me." The words seemed very painful for the captain to relate.
How could that be? the counselor wondered. When the lovely red head had called Tray to her office, he had been vicariously giddy in her nervous excitement. He was sure at the time that had he not left when he had so that she could call the captain in private to invite him to dinner, she would have come over the desk and carried him out.
A few days later Tray had seen the two together in the lounge. The Captain's behavior was relaxed and happy, oblivious to the other members of his crew in the lounge and Miss Teagan too had seemed enthralled with her dinner companion. While some of the scuttlebutt had the two sleeping together, the more commonly held belief was that they were in love and dating seriously. Even two weeks of dinners together had gotten the entire crew's attention. Sightings of the pair walking arm in arm through the corridors of the ship had caused females of the ship's compliment to sigh, while the males wondered what it was like to be captain and have women falling at your feet.
The Counselor doubted most captains really had women falling at their feet, but other captains were not his problem. This one was. Something just wasn't adding up here. What it was, Tray had no idea, but regardless, he would have to proceed very carefully.
"Was there something specific you wished to discuss with me, sir?" Braccon asked, hoping to push the captain in a slightly different direction.
"Yes, counselor. While I am aware that you do not possess empathic abilities to sense the general emotional state of the crew, I would like to know if you have encountered any indications of disapproval. I have recently discovered a member of the ship's compliment who felt that my relationship with Dr. Shayza was bordering on...inappropriate. While I am at a loss to understand this belief, it does concern me that they may not be the alone in this perception." Again, the captain had surprised him.
I assume that you don't want to tell me who that member of the crew is?" In reply, the captain shook his head. "I know you are aware that I will not repeat any of what is said here, sir." The counselor said, the questions clear in his voice.
"I am not questioning your professional ethics, Counselor. I do not wish your own judgment of this person to be coloured by what I said here." The captain broke eye contact and looked at something out of the counselor's view from the monitor. "I have been forced to wonder if this crew member is not alone in this opinion and if that perception could reduce my effectiveness as captain."
This was bad, thought Tray. He knew this man, android, captain, whatever he was, he was in love with Dr. Shayza and from what he could see, most of the crew approved. The fact that the pair had never even tried to hide the relationship as it developed meant that the entire crew was able to watch the two as they dined together, laughed, teased, and walked away arm in arm. The rumors about their being intimately involved were dissipating with the increase of sightings of the captain saying goodnight to her at Miss Teagan's door, or Miss Teagan wishing him goodnight at his.
Whoever this person was, they would have to be involved closely with Miss Teagan. Most likely male...it would be jealousy, protectiveness..., or both. Wait...the captain would not have waited to talk about this. He would have just discovered this. And the place that the captain had to have been that was out of the norm was...sickbay.
"I don't think that Dr. Jewel would jeopardize the effectiveness of his captain, even if he did not care for that captain seeing the woman he views as his daughter." Tray said calmly. The captain's eyes got wider for only a second.
"Impressive, counselor. However, I do not believe this will help matters. The Doctor was quite firm in his disapproval. He believed I am coercing Miss Teagan to dine with me each evening." The counselor considered this.
"I do have to admit a certain amount of curiosity as to how that came about, Captain, but I can't see Miss Teagan allowing herself to be coerced."
"I simply asked if we could consider our meeting for the evening meal prearranged. We had seen each other for that particular meal for six consecutive nights at that point. She agreed." The captain told him.
"Captain, I believe that you and Miss Teagan are following the best course of action in an attempt to begin a romantic involvement...or a close friendship," he added as the noted that the captain's head had come up at the word 'romantic'. There was a touch of sadness in the man's eyes as he lowered them once again. "Perhaps the only thing to do now is make sure all your ducks are in a row. Review your actions with her. If there are any you believe would be questionable, discontinue them. Speak with Miss Teagan when she is able and reiterate your intentions towards her. Make sure she is comfortable with every aspect of your relationship and that should solve most of the problems. I'm sure she talks to Dr. Jewel and that he will voice his concerns to her. If you have made things clear to her, she in turn will be able to make things clear to Dr. Jewel." The counselor took a deep breath and said what he hoped would be the clincher.
"Be honest with Miss Teagan, sir. There should be no misunderstanding between you." Trying to smile, he met the other man's eyes on the monitor and nodded.
"Thank you, Counselor. I hope I will not need your assistance in this area in the future," he said, obviously embarrassed at needing it now.
"It's what I'm here for, Captain. I'm happy to help. I just hope I have been helpful. Please sir; don't feel that you can't call me for advice or just for someone else to talk to. I don't see that I will ever be a captain, but I can't see that it would be an easy thing to undertake. We all need someone to just talk to, and at this moment your person is unconscious in sickbay."
The captain really did smile now. "Thank you, Counselor. I shall remember that in future. Captain out."
As the viewer before him went dark, the counselor sighed. Leaned back in his chair, he stared at the now blank screen. In some ways, this captain was doing fine. The first mission had gone great, and Captain Data had made sure that his crew knew how pleased he was with them.
The captain's relationship with Miss Teagan had been something fun and interesting for the crew to talk about since he had come aboard. Miss Teagan was well like throughout the ship, so if he truly had been viewed as treating her badly his popularity would have taken an immediate and sharp decline.
It had not. While no one truly knew what was going on between them, it was viewed as a budding romance and thus far was a moral booster. While this also meant that if the two had a falling out that it could mean trouble for the new captain, Tray hoped that he could help them avoid this if he kept the captain comfortable with coming to him. Tray also decided that as soon as Miss Teagan was better, he was going to visit her and see if he could discover why she had changed her mind about pursuing a closer relationship with the captain.