<USS Avalon> Meeting In Medical
- From: KaeraAshayu@xxxxxxx
- To: avalon@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2005 22:54:00 EST
Meeting In Medical
by Doctor El-Kainah Ngaio and Yeoman Siobhan Finkelstein
El had been aboard about twenty-four hours by now and still hadn't really met
anyone other than Doctor Roan. He had bumped into a couple of other doctors
who had just been assigned to the ship as well, in the corridor of the
quarterdeck; but other than that, he hadn't really met anyone. So he decided to
go
back down to Sickbay and have a longer look around. Maybe there would be
something he could do other than just sit in his quarters and read.
Siobhan checked in with the boarding officer, found out that her roommate was
someone named Miriam Francher, and went to report in to Sickbay, where she
was assigned. She hoped the CMO would be there, so she could get all the
checking-in done now rather than later, or at least that she could pick up her
duty
schedule. It was so exciting. Who ever would have thought that she, Siobhan
Finkelstein, would be going on a space mission?! She hefted her little tote bag
higher on her shoulder and hurried along the corridor to Sickbay.
El-Kainah was already there browsing about. The sheer scope of the bay was
something he wasn't used to. He wasn't sure he would ever get used to it. His
previous experience with people had led him to be a bit shy. He turned when he
heard the bay doors open.
The dark-haired, green-eyed girl who entered had an impish smile and a bounce
to her step. She wore her uniform proudly, her Yeoman's insignia plain to
see. Stopping as the doors closed behind her, she looked around curiously.
El looked at her a bit blankly. He wondered what the smile was about. She
looked like she thought she had gotten away with something. But he couldn't
sense
that she had. A Yeoman? he thought, seeing the insignia on her collar. His
black eyes took her in. His long black hair shone in the sickbay lights.
She saw the young doctor where he had paused in whatever he had been doing,
and grinned at him. "Sir... I'm Siobhan Finkelstein, I was looking for the
Chief Medical Officer so I could report in...?" He was cute. She wondered if he
was married or engaged or anything.
"I think she stepped out for a bit. She need a break, I think she said. Are
you new here?" He hadn't given her his name yet. He still couldn't get a read
on her, except a brief flash of what she had thought when she saw him.
Siobhan nodded, the end of her braid bobbing around hip level. "I just came
aboard and they sent me here. Sir." She still wasn't used to saying 'sir' to
everyone around her. Even in boot camp it only applied to the instructors, and
only during instruction... because that's the only time they saw the
instructors. The new Yeomen had been reminded to use formal address until told
otherwise, when they got to their assignments.
It felt strange to him to have someone who didn't look like she was that much
younger than he to call him Sir. "I'm El-Kainah Ngaio. I just started here,
too. Actually, " he smiled for the first time in days, "you're the first person
I've spoken to other than the CMO."
"Gosh, that sounds lonely!" she exclaimed. And then put a hand over her
mouth. It was a bad habit, speaking her mind. She took her hand away. "Sorry.
I've
no right to judge. It just sounded like you're kind of lonely, Dr. Ngaio."
"It can be." He admitted. "And I didn't think you were judging anything. I've
just had a hard time making friends since..." His voice trailed off. "Since I
joined Starfleet I guess." He finally finished. "I didn't realized they
assigned Yeoman to Medical?"
"Well, someone's got to do the dirty work and run the errands," Siobhan
grinned. "Actually, they accepted me to Starfleet Academy after I applied to
enlist, but I didn't want to spend another three or four years in school. "So
I'm
here as a Medical Technician. They tell me that means I run errands, mostly,
and
sometimes do bedpan duty." She made a face. "I guess it's no worse than
mucking out stables and goat-pens, though."
El's eyes got bright. "You grew up on a farm?"
"Sure did," she replied with an emphatic nod. "I took the prize for milch
goats, too, three years in a row. But I really wanted to travel and see things,
so here I am."
"I lived on a farm for a while. It was fun. My adoptive parents are still
farmers. They had to move after the war, though," he said sadly.
"I'm sorry," Siobhan said sympathetically. "The war didn't affect us much at
all, on Scadia. It's so out of the way, and there's nothing there anyone
wants. No large industries or valuable minerals or anything. We learned about
the
war in school, but they didn't make a big deal of it."
"Sometimes I wish we had just stayed there," said El. "That anything would
have been better than the refugee camp. But at least we all survived." He shook
his head, trying to rid his mind of the memory. "Anyway, I liked being on the
farm. The animals, the work, everything." He smiled for the first time really
since she had walked in.
Siobhan looked at him curiously, tilting her head. He wasn't like most of the
people she'd met since leaving home. He was more like home, only more so.
Which didn't make any sense, but that was how it felt. "But you chose to become
a
doctor and be here..."
"Yeah. I wanted to join Starfleet. I guess, to help protect people so they
wouldn't have to go through what we did," he answered. He hadn't really thought
that it was a contradiction but he supposed it could be taken that way.
"I guess it makes sense when you put it that way," she agreed. He had the
most musical voice. Even when he said commonplace things, the sound was
pleasant.
He smiled at her a bit, having sensed a bit of what she was thinking. "How
old are you, Siobhan?" He asked, before adding quickly. "If you don't mind me
asking, of course."
"Sixteen. And a half," she answered easily, and grinned. "And you? You don't
look old enough to be a doctor, really."
"Twenty-two, I think." He paused. "I know that sounds strange. But it is
complicated."
Siobhan nodded, watching him closely. It was at times like this that she
could almost feel what it was like to be the other person. "You said you were
adopted," she said. "So you didn't know exactly how old you were at the time?"
It
was a logical guess.
He nodded. "Yeah.... I guess I am young, though." He smiled at her. "You are
very nice, you know that?"
Now Siobhan blushed. "I -- I do need to think more about rank and protocol,
don't I?"
He blushed a little, too. It had been a little out of character for him to
say something like that. Especially to someone that he had just met. But he
couldn't sense anything but good intentions from her. "No... I apologize. I
shouldn't have said that." He almost cringed at how that sounded in his own
ears.
"I... Sorry... I meant that you didn't have to worry about protocol with me.
I... " His voice trailed off and his blush deepened.
Siobhan was blushing even more now. "I -- I know what you meant," she
stammered. "It's okay. Maybe we should start over..." She held out her hand,
and
grinned, her eyes twinkling. "Hi, Dr. Ngaio, I'm Siobhan Finkelstein."
"Please... we aren't on duty here. Call me El." He smiled at her as he
extended his hand again and shook hers. "Besides, I'm not that much older than
you
are."
Touching him was a strange experience. His feelings were clearer and stronger
than most people's. And he was nice. Siobhan's smile turned thoughtful as she
let go of his hand. "I like you," she said, again forgetting to censor
herself. "You're different."
"So are you." He smiled at her. The touch was different. He got thoughtful
for a moment and lost himself in the touch forgetting to let go. "And, I like
you too." He wondered what exactly was happening. It was so different from
anything he had felt before from someone.
"Well... Um..." The blush and impish grin were back. "El, do you suppose it
would be okay if I went and got unpacked and stuff, and then came back? Do you
think Dr. Roan will be here in an hour or two?" She wanted to get settled in
and maybe meet her roommate.
"Sure... " He smiled for about the hundredth time since he had met her. "She
should be back by then." He thought for a moment. "Do you want to... " he
stopped. "What I mean is... well, I was going to get some coffee later... did
you
want to join me?" He looked down. "I haven't found anyone to eat or anything
with yet."
Was he asking her out? Was he allowed to do that? Well, even if not, surely
they were allowed to be friends... weren't they? In spite of the difference in
rank? Siobhan nodded. "I'd like that," she said. "I'd like that a lot."
Other related posts:
- » <USS Avalon> Meeting In Medical
