<USS Avalon> "Welcome to the Wonderful World of..."

Welcome to the Wonderful World of...
Lieutenant Second Class 
Patience Merrit-Ketchum


"Take me by the hand and tell me you will take me anywhere, you will take me 
anywhere..." Patience Merritt-Ketchum sang the upbeat old pop tune as she 
fairly danced, though actually more like bopped ungracefully, about her office. 
Flitting from one wall to the next, she hung diplomas, certificates, drawings 
from some of her pediatric patients, as well as some finely rendered pencil 
sketches of her own. The music continued loudly, providing the odd rhythm for 
her to work by.

"And it goes..." she continued, spinning with a short blonde ponytail doing its 
best to keep up. A sweet little shuffle and one more turn brought her face to 
face with her assistant leaning in the doorway, arms crossed and a more than 
amused expression. Pacey stopped short, but felt no self-consciousness as she 
screwed up her face and offered Ryan Jaeger the cheesiest grin she could muster 
before telling the computer to pause the music.

He chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "Do you always redecorate like this or am I 
privileged?" 

"You should count every day as privileged, Mr. Jaeger," Pacey replied with a 
wisp of laughter that, in a cliched romance novel, resembled a tinkling bell. 
"Besides, you work with me, how much more privileged can you get?"

Still in the realm of unsure relationship with the new head of the 
psychological department, Ryan gave a half eye rolling, half disbelieving smirk 
at her words, causing Patience to burst out laughing.

"Come in, come in," she finally managed, steeling the fits of giggles, and 
waving him inside with enthusiasm. "Any luck figuring out that scheduling 
puzzle?"

"About half and half." He handed her the PADD he was carrying. "I have your 
senior officers scheduled first because they?re the hardest. They always have 
that convenient ?busy? excuse ready and waiting."

"The dreaded Headshrinkaphobia. No surprise," she grinned. "Tell them it?s a 
tea party from Alice Through the Looking Glass. Costume required."

Ryan looked confused.

"Well, if you were told to dress up in some ridiculous fairytale costume, 
what?s the first thing you would do?" she asked logically.

He looked up and to the right as he thought a moment. "I?d come here almost 
right away to find out if you were nuts."

She grinned. "Exactly. So, how about we keep an open schedule and when they 
show up to question my sanity, I?ll wear a stovepipe hat and handcuff them to 
the table."

The surprise registered on Ryan?s face and she laughed again. "We?re going to 
seriously have to work on your sense of humour."

Ryan finally laughed, relaxing a bit with her easy going manner. He could see 
why she excelled at what she did.

"Alright," she said, clapping her hands together, "let?s try to draw the flies 
to the honey. I?m ordering - Ha! I can do that now. - cursory psych evals on 
all department heads to be completed by this stardate." Handing the PADD back 
to Ryan, she smiled again. "If they won?t come to me, I?ll go to them. You can 
threaten ?em with that if you want to," she winked.

Ryan gave a slight shake of his head as he turned and wandered back out the 
door, slightly more befuddled than when he arrived.

"Take me by the hand..." Pacey picked up her song and dance, once more going 
about arranging her office.






                
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