Working Relationship

Posted on Sat Feb 23rd, 2013 @ 6:42am by Lieutenant Commander Dylan Blake & Chief Petty Officer Adriana Keen

1,103 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Sowing the Seeds
Location: Operations

"Hey Adriana," Dylan Blake scooted up to her from behind as she continued to work. "How are things shaping? You got the sensors to sing like never before?"

"Just about, Lieutenant," Adrian said as she stood up straight to stretch her back. She'd been hunched over the console for too long... She really needed to stop doing that, she told herself. In a few months, she'd have enough lower back pain without adding what she got from keeping up her bad habits. "I fine tuned a few things, just checking now to make sure those did what I wanted them too."

He nodded his approval. "Great, keep at it. We'll going to need all the eyes and ears we can muster out here. I can't help but worry about the Dubai and the same thing happening to us. Not even another deck of mindless scrubbing eases that thought," he tugged at the heavy garments he wore. "I honestly didn't think she'll follow through with all this but..." his voice trailed away.

Adriana started to smirk and say something about how if he'd been enlisted he would have learned better than to antagonize the officers; they had no sense of humor and a wicked sense of vengeance. She stopped herself from saying it aloud at the last second; she'd gotten herself in trouble spouting off at officers more than once, and even though Blake seemed like a more relaxed and informal officer, he was still an officer. Instead she shrugged a little. "It won't last forever, I'm sure."

"Still," he winked. "Just let me know if there's anything else I can clean for you."

She did laugh at that, not noticing the wink because she'd turned back to the console again. "Offering to clean? Careful, Sir, my husband might take you up on that. He claims to need anti-personnel mines to clear out my side of the closet."

Dylan laughed too, "What is with women and clothes?" he chuckled enjoying the Petty Officer's sense of humour more with each encounter. "I mean what do you need that you can't replicate?"

"Memories," Adriana said with a little smile over her shoulder. "The dress I wore when Keen took me to dinner on DS9. The sweater my mother gave me; the shoes I bought when I was out with my sis- my sisters." She cut off suddenly and started sneezing. She pulled a handkerchief out of her sleeve and sat down during the little fit, which lasted a good thirty seconds.

Concerned by the sudden violence of her sneezing Blake joined her upon the floor kneeling beside, hovering at her shoulder in case there way anything he could do.

"Excuse me, Sir, I'm sorry. I get these little fits lately," she said as took a deep breath.

"Perhaps you should go to sickbay," his tone was more serious than even he had expected. "The last thing I want is that man of yours to box my ears because I allowed his wife to become sick."

Adriana shook her head and smiled. "No, no, I've seen a doctor about it. Nothing I can do but wait for it to go away in a few months. And Keen can hardly blame you; it's technically his fault." She stood back up and tucked her hanky into her sleeve again.

Remaining on his knees Dylan blinked confused at her word choice. Then, with a deeper frown he stood suppressing a groan. "Hang on," he began. "Keen did this, he made you sick on purpose?"

"You could say that, yes." She saw his frown then and paused. "Sir. My husband is Bajoran, and Bajorans have a somewhat different biology about certain things. Sneezing is... well, it beats morning sickness," she tried to say delicately.

"Oh," he flushed scarlet. "I see, well, umm, congratulations!" he groped for words, then as if suddenly remembering something he stood an inch taller and his pupils dilated. "Don't move," he said sharply. "Let me get you a chair..."

"Sir, it's alright, really I'm ok," Adriana tried to argue.

"But," he spun back. "You've been on your feet all day because I've asked it of you, now I'm regretting it, you need to take care of yourself, and, and, when were you planning on telling me?" he faked a hurt expression.

Adriana stumbled over her words for a moment, thinking she really had somehow hurt his feelings. "I- I'm only a month along- I mean, I-"

Oddly Dylan started to laugh, it quickly grew into a fully belly laugh that had be gasping for breath. "I'm so rubbish as this," he chuckled. "I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming when they gave this job. I couldn't managed a dinner party let alone a department before this, while I'm still hopeless in the kitchen I thought I had this..clearly I was wrong."

She sighed, relieved he wasn't actually upset with her. "I didn't intentionally keep it from you, Sir, I just didn't think it was... polite to bring it up so early."

He looked to her. "I'm sorry this is all new to me, Ops isn't exactly bursting with women; save of the odd not really sure what gender types, I've not had to deal with this before. It's all kinda strange."

Adriana shrugged. "Well, I've never been expecting before either, so it's not like I really know the ettiquitte of it myself. I mean, obviously I would have let you know once I started needing time off for exams or needed to take light duty assignments, but... I guess I wasn't really sure when a 'right time' would have been."

He smirked, "It's alright. I suspect the Doctor will remind me regularly of such limitations. Just let me know if you need something, anything, I might land myself in trouble from time to time but I'm not a complete loss."

"Thanks, Lieutenant," she said with a smile. "Don't worry, I won't let you work me too hard for our health." And she wouldn't. They'd waited too long, tried too long, for her to risk this baby.

"Anyway I've got to go before they add more time on for being late. Keep tuning those sensors, if somethings out there I want to find it before we have a repeat performance after the Dubai."

Adriana shivered a little and turned back to the console. She chewed her lower lip nervously as she thought of the debris from the Dubai floating out there, silent and cold and as dead as her crew. Every one of them.

OFF:

 

RSS Feed