[ussgeorgetown] Appointments Kept--by Dr. Pas Kaartaren and Ens. Tawa Pax
- From: TKilyle@xxxxxxx
- To: ussgeorgetown@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2005 15:14:33 EST
At the door chime, Pas looked over at the chronometer. Ah, right on time
again, he thought. He closed out the project he was working on and said, "Come
in."
He watched as Tawa stepped into the room and listened. The young man tilted
his head curiously. "Sounds like the Singing Falls on Betazed," he finally
said.
"Very good. That's exactly what it is. Come, have a seat, Tawa--wherever
you want," Pas said. He waited until Tawa sat at one of the chairs near the
low
table then he got up to take the chair opposite him. "I didn't know you've
been to Betazed."
"Once--a long time ago. I think I was ten or so. Pretty planet you have
there, Doc. I hope it get backs to the way it was," Tawa replied.
Along with that bit of sincerity, Pas was sensing some anxiety about
something. He knew he'd have to be careful now. Tawa, for whatever reason,
seemed to
have lightened up considerably on the hostility and defensiveness but Pas was
no fool. It could come back in an instant.
"Thank you and it will. It's already gotten further along than I thought.
What were you doing on Betazed?" Pas asked.
"Damned if I know. I never got told where we were going or why," Tawa said
in disgust. He gave a shrug of his broad shoulders. "All I know is that I got
to explore a lot of places and meet a bunch of kids. I didn't want to leave.
I made plans to go camp out with this kid I met, Mirab Bibilis."
Pas' dark eyes brightened and he smiled at the younger man. "I know Mirab.
He's an engineer now on the Avalon. You ought to contact him, say hello. So,
the last time I talked to you was after you left Sick Bay. How have you
been?"
He could tell Tawa was thinking about what to say or what not to say. That
undercurrent of anxiety was still there. Finally, Tawa shrugged.
"Butler's still a jerk but I haven't killed him yet, if that's any help," he
began with a twisted smile. "Hell, I volunteer for extra shifts just so I
don't have to be in the same room with him."
"Why don't you get your billet reassigned?" Pas asked.
"And give that moron the satisfaction of running me off?" Tawa asked
sarcastically. "I don't think so."
"Calm down, Tawa. If you're working all these extra shifts, that hardly
gives you time to relax, to socialize," Pas pointed out to him.
Tawa shook his head. "It's better this way, Doc. I get to meet the people
in Security who're on other shifts and if my rounds take me past Engineering, I
can stop and have a word or two with McEntire. Saw Garrity once or twice,
too. And..."
Hesitation again. Anxiety. Pas regarded him with those warm dark eyes and
waited. Tawa finally sat up straighter and leaned forward.
"And I met a woman. Dove McCallah--she's in Engineering. We, ah, had dinner
in the mess hall," Tawa said quietly, his blue eyes looking more than
thoughtful.
At this, Pas was surprised. Tawa wasn't a bad looking young man but his
rather unpolished demeanor hid a great deal of shyness. He was surprised to
hear
he had shared a meal with a relative stranger and a woman, no less. Perhaps,
this was the source of the anxiety then. He also recalled that he hadn't met
Dove yet or most of the rest of Engineering for that matter. He made a mental
note to see to that.
"Got along well, did you?" he asked.
"Oh, sure. She's pretty funny and really smart. Nice smile. Has a thing
for marshmallows but I still have no idea what they are. She said she'd show
me," Tawa replied, brightening at the thought of the invitation he'd been given.
"They're...well, if she's going to show you, you'll find out. My daughter
likes them with peanut butter," Pas told him with a smile. His face sobered
just a little as he recalled something he wanted to tell the young man. "Tawa,
there's something I wanted to tell you. It may just keep you from doing
something you'll regret later on."
Tawa snorted softly. If you only knew, Doc, he thought. "What's that, Doc?"
"You once told me you had no idea why you even were picked to be on this
ship. In the course of talking with the captain about other matters, I asked
him
just that," Pas said.
"Serious? What did he say?" Tawa asked curiously.
"That some of the best ones he's gotten are the ones that somebody else
passed over. He's got faith that you can prove your record isn't the real
you,"
Pas explained.
Pas felt Tawa flush with humility...pride, too. Good, he told himself, I'm
glad I told him. Everybody needs that little pat on the back now and then.
"Thanks, Doc. I'll try not to let him down," Tawa said quietly. "Are we
done for now? I wanted to make a call..."
Pas' smile widened and he stood up. "Sure. Go have fun. Relax. I'll see
you next time."
As he watched the younger man go, the counselor still sensed that bit of
anxiety and hesitation. I have to keep an eye on that. For his sake, I hope
it's
nothing.
Pas Kaartaren, MD, Ensign
Counselor, USS Georgetown
Better than a thousand hollow words, Is one word that brings
peace.~~Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha
&
Tawa Pax, Ensign
Security Officer, USS Georgetown
Strong feelings do not necessarily make a strong character. The strength of a
man is to be measured by the power of the feelings he subdues not by the
power of those which subdue him.
â William Carleton
Other related posts:
- » [ussgeorgetown] Appointments Kept--by Dr. Pas Kaartaren and Ens. Tawa Pax
