Calhoun and Shelby. Set sometime after "Fire on High."
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Painkillers have always made him loopy. Well, more loopy than usual, as Elizabeth would probably say. Doctor Selar says it's because of his Xenexian physiology. His system, apparently, reacts differently to standard pain suppressants than another person of similar build.
"You're getting older," says Elizabeth innocently, in what he is sure is revenge for his comment about her and sex and her being a prude, which isn't what he said, but she seems to have taken it that way.
And all he can do is lie there, head ringing and eyes crossed, and stare dizzily at the ceiling, staying as still as possible because he thinks he'll probably be sick if he moves. Which wouldn't be so bad, really, because it would probably get Elizabeth away from his bedside.
"You're not a teenager anymore, you're the captain of a starship," she continues. "You shouldn't be running around like that, without a security backup. It's dangerous-- look what happened."
He swallows, trying to speak against a dry throat. "Rock slide" is all he can say. "It was just-- a rock slide."
She doesn't look impressed. "It's the principle of the thing," she says. "And now you have a concussion. Do you think--" Her voice trembles slightly. "Do you think you're at least starting to see what I've been getting at these past months?
She looks down at him, pausing as if she expects him to say something.
Dammit, he thinks. He sat by her bed when she had been injured on Zondar, while searching for him in Ontear's Realm. He had played cards with her as she recovered, losing game after game of hearts because even with a head injury, she was still a better card player than he was. He hadn't even teased her-- not even a little!-- about the "colors" comment, because he had known how embarrassed she was. The point was, he had been supportive of her when she was hurt. He didn't tease, didn't do any guilt-tripping. And this was his thanks. She wasn't allowed to do this. It wasn't fair.
When he doesn't reply, she continues talking. "You go down to the planet, and you don't even bother to let me know about it. I'm your first officer, Mac, I need to know where you are. Telling the nightside officer isn't enough. And then-- I'm sorry, I'm really curious about what was going through your head, so I'm going to have to ask what the hell you were thinking when you ordered Soleta to use her phaser to excavate the cave, which you knew was an unstable structure--"
Sure, the circumstances are a little different. But not that different. Mac closes his eyes, tries not to grimace in pain as he leaned back onto the biobed, and hopes Elizabeth would take the hint. Or at least, that the painkillers will kick in soon.