To reviewer Gryffyn Addams: Thank you so much for your review. If Gael, as a character, reads as real enough that you want to give her a hug, I am suceeding in one of my goals as an author. Thank you for your words of encouragement; they help me to know I'm on the right track!
Chapter Seventeen
The next week was murder for McCoy. Sickbay was too quiet, even with all of the patients coming in and out, and his office felt empty without Gael there. Everytime he tried to speak to her, she subtly shied away and would not look up at him. She would only speak to him if he addressed her first, and even then, her answers were usually one-worded.
His heart broke every he saw her across the mess hall or in one of the rec rooms. She was usually with at least one of the command crew, sitting there, quiet and pale, rarely talking. The result was an even gruffer, shorter-fused doctor that even the nurses tried to steer clear of.
Deep down, however, he was grateful for on thing: the command crew all seemed to rally around her, even Gaila and Carol helped. At least one of them was with Gael at all times; he had even seen Spock with her at lunch once. On Wednesday, he found them sitting across from each other, quietly eating in a corner. As he watched, he saw Spock explaining the Vulcan plomeek soup on their trays. She nodded in understanding and took a bite. She considered it a moment, then added a little bit of salt. Much to both Spock's and McCoy's surprise she seemed to really enjoy the extra-terrestral delicacy.
On Friday, McCoy entered the mess hall, and was greeted by the sight of Gael eating dinner with Scotty, Pavel, and Sulu, grease stains still on her face and denim overalls from a day in Engineering. Scotty had told him earlier in the week that Gael had been spending a lot off time down in Engineering, and she was a fast learner. The CEO figured she was already on level with cadets who had completed their first year at the Academy. Also, she had spent an afternoon with Uhura at her communication station on the bridge. Uhura reported that the girl had quickly learned several phrases of Klingon, Vulcan, and Romulan, all with good pronunciation, although her thick Irish accent was still affected the way she said them. Also, Gael was quick to pick up the operation of the communication station.
McCoy let his lips turn upward in a bittersweet smile. He was proud of her accomplishments, and all he wanted to do was hug her tightly and tell her so. But he could not. He could not get her to even look at him, much less hug him. So, he settled for watching from a few tables away, trying not be jealous when Scotty slung an arm around Gael's shoulders and coaxed a small smile from the girl's lips.
Sorry this one is so short; I've had a lot going on in my life recently.
Note: My pole is closed. The results were McCoy 6, Chekov 6, Kirk 3, Scotty 2, and Sulu 0. (Seriously? No love for poor Sulu?) Guess I'll have to find a way to break the tie.