Chapter 7

"Go on Commander, this dream seems to have amazing detail," Harriett Sims told him as she listened to Bud's dream.

"It was as real as all the others I've had recently!" Bud sighed.

"Well finish telling me about this one since it's so fresh in your mind," she instructed gently.

"The Colonel and Mr. Webb went missing and no one knew where to find them. Commander Rabb…"

"Our Captain?"

"Yes, he was a Navy Commander in my dream."

"Okay, go on."

"Well he wanted to go looking for Colonel Mackenzie because they were partners, but Admiral Chegwidden…"

"The Vice President that's on board right now?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Okay, please continue."

"He…Admiral Chegwidden, wouldn't let Commander Rabb go so the Commander resigned his commission and left to go look for her. It turned out that they'd been captured and Mr. Webb…"

"Our Doctor Webb?"

"Yes."

"Interesting that you peopled this dream with people you know."

"What does it mean?" Bud asked.

"I don't know yet. Let's hear the rest of what happened."

"The Commander helped to rescue them and then when they all got back the Admiral wouldn't take the Commander back at JAG."

"I see, and what happened to the Colonel and Doc…I mean Agent Webb?"

"Well he was pretty badly beaten and spent a long time in the hospital, but he and Colonel Mackenzie started dating after that."

When Commander Roberts stopped speaking, Counselor Sims took a moment to consider all he'd told her and then said, "This alternate world is certainly fascinating and I think bears some serious looking into, but there are a few things I find very curious. Most of the time when dreams are populated by people we know, it is usually with a rank shift and while your dream has that, in it both you and Captain Rabb have lower ranks than you currently do, but he still outranks you. The most usual occurrence would be if in the dream you outranked him. I also find it fascinating that after meeting the Vice President today, he made an appearance in your dream that night. It's also curious that you cast the doctor as a spy. He seems to have a starring role. Do you have any thoughts as to why that might be?"

"Well, I went to him yesterday about the dreams and he suggested I see you about them," Bud offered.

"Yes, but why didn't he appear as a doctor in the dreams too? Why a spy?"

"It could have been what he said to me because he said the same thing in the dream!"

"What was that?" Harriett questioned.

Suddenly looking flustered as he remembered why Dr. Webb had said what he did, Bud stumbled for an answer. "I ummmm I…well…I…ummm was nervous about coming here and he said that as long as my dreams weren't affecting my duties then no one 'needed to know' I was coming to see you about them. That was what he said to Com…I mean Captain Rabb in my dream, but in the dream he was a Commander not a Captain like me…I mean I'm a Commander not a Captain…oh…I ummm mean…"

She held up a hand as he got more agitated, saying, "I understood what you meant. But it's time for both of us to be on the Bridge, so why don't we meet again tomorrow. I will have had time to look some things up and you can tell me if you have anymore dreams."

"Okay Counselor. Same time?"

"Yes. Shall we go now?" she asked, getting up and heading to the door.

Bud followed her admiring the way her shapely hips swayed as she walked. That was how he ended up bumping into her when she came to a stop at the end of the hall. He had missed the fact that she was waiting for the turbo lift because he was admiring her bottom.

"Oooof," Harriett gave a soft grunt as he bumped into her, and Bud immediately began to apologize. Placing her fingers gently over his lips she smiled and told him it was all right. As they stepped into the turbo lift together Bud suddenly knew why Counselor Sims had been his wife in the dream the night before last! He was in love with her!

To be continued…..