Author's note: Chapter four for your reading pleasure. It's another short one, but again a necessary natural stopping point. I promise the next chapter is longer. Happy Reading, and as always please leave a review on the way out. Dark rolling sea.
CHAPTER FOUR
Almost a week later she found herself in the lab making the last of the preparations for the cure. They were to make port the next day and deliver the cure to the sick population. She heard someone come in, so she looked up, half expecting the captain to make an appearance. It wasn't him. She watched Tex make his way to her side and lean on his elbows against the tabletop.
"Hey, Doc," he said. Rachel smiled at him. They dropped into an easy conversation fluid with flirting as Rachel packed the last grouping of the cure into a container. In an hour the containers would be transferred to the hanger bay and loaded onto a helicopter to be delivered to shore. After she was done, she continued her conversation with Tex, and he mentioned it was dinner time. She agreed to accompany him to the wardroom where Tex had taken to eating his meals.
As they arrived at the hatch to the wardroom Tex had just told her the punchline of a joke and she laughed heartily as they stepped inside. Tex came in right behind her and dropped his arm loosely over her shoulders as he steered her towards an empty chair. Rachel saw two other people in the wardroom already and her laughter quieted instantly. Captain Chandler and XO Slattery were in mid meal.
"Sorry to interrupt, gentlemen, but do you mind a little company tonight?" Tex asked, as he helped Rachel settle into a chair. Rachel looked at Tom and couldn't read the expression on his face. Slattery glanced between Tom and Rachel then at Tex and smiled.
"Not at all, do join us," Mike said with a smile. Rachel caught the slight glare Tom gave Mike before his face became stoic again. The captain then looked at Tex and nodded. He ignored Rachel. Rachel felt the anger brew inside her.
Dinner was a rocky ride between the oblivious company of Tex and the cold shoulder of the captain. Rachel decided to focus on the happier side of the conversation and engaged merrily with Tex. As soon as the captain had finished his meal he rose from his seat.
"Excuse me, I have work to do," Tom said to no one in particular and left the wardroom. Mike watched him go then gave a tight-lipped smile to Rachel before he quickly finished his meal and took his leave as well.
"Well, that was a cold reception," Tex pondered. "Wonder what's got the captain uptight tonight."
Rachel gave him a small smile and looked out towards the direction the other two men had gone. She had an idea of what was bothering the captain tonight, but she wasn't going to discuss that theory with Tex. She finished her meal with Tex and thanked him for a nice dinner and retreated to her stateroom to prepare for the mission.
Halfway to her state room she changed her mind and went to the lab. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts after the way the captain had acted when she entered the wardroom with Tex. The message was subtle, but she definitely received the fact that he was not happy about it, even angry. She was musing over these feelings when she heard someone call out her name.
"Dr. Scott?" Slattery asked. Rachel stopped in the p-way and looked over her shoulder. XO Slattery was coming towards her with a tight smile on his lips. "How are things coming with the preparations?"
"On schedule," she answered distantly. Mike studied her demeanor and her face. He nodded slowly but didn't continue. Rachel noticed he had stopped talking and looked up at him. "Anything else XO?"
"Yeah," he drew out, but then stood there. She watched his eyes as they studied her and saw he was contemplating saying something to her. She decided to wait him out but glanced at her watch to indicate she didn't have a ton of time. Mike still didn't say anything.
"Well, I'm on a tight schedule so I should be getting back to the lab," she said with a nod. She went to turn but his voice stopped her.
"Cut him some slack. He's going through a lot. There's a lot of pressure on his shoulders and everything is still so raw," Mike said in a low voice. Rachel looked at him, her brow knitted. "Look. The captain has a lot on his shoulders. He's trying."
They stood staring at each other in the p-way, Rachel contemplating his words. Mike stood, nodding slightly, with a tight smile on his lips. He then gave his shoulders a small shrug, turned, and walked away from her. She stood for a moment watching him walk away before she turned and went into her lab. She wondered just how much Mike Slattery knew.
To Be Continued…
