A Jo-Ann

Hope and Light

            The Discovery continued on its way to a closer encounter with Eta Carinae nebula. By the time they’d traveled 300 light years, they’d visited eight civilizations without any success in convincing them they might need to evacuate their planet.

            Riaan and Phlox sat in sick bay, speaking privately in the medical office.

“A cortical regenerator really speeds things up,” Phlox mentioned while he updated Archer’s record from the night before. Lieutenant Tanner stopped at the door.

            “The admiral’s up,” he said. Riaan and Tanner both went; Phlox stayed behind to finish with the administrative duties.

            “I have to get out of this bed,” he said when he heard Riaan’s footfall.

            “How is it today?”

            “Well, I can tell you from Tanner from Phlox. Things just aren’t clear, like I could use a pair of glasses. I’m not staying here another minute,” he insisted, taking Riaan’s hand and pulling himself out of the bed. His knees buckled under him but Tanner and Riaan caught him before he hit the floor. “Damn it.”

            “It’s going to be awhile, Admiral,” Tanner reminded him. “Let’s get you down to the gym.”

            “I have a better idea. Let’s get me back to my quarters. If I hear one more monitor make one more sound it’s going out the airlock. My quarters.”

            “Lieutenant,” Phlox called. “I think if the admiral wants to go to his quarters, you can help him down there. I don’t see much use in keeping him captive. You might get crewman Wiseman to help you.”

            “If you’ll stay here, Admiral, I’ll be right back,” he said, which might have been the boldest thing he’d said in 2 months. Tanner was intimidated by Archer, and perhaps with reason. He’d done his best to keep his relationship with Dr Riaan as professional as possible. During the course of operations, however, they sometimes came in to close contact for extended periods. After their coffee discussion, followed by the serious injury, Tanner was especially cognizant of every move he made, in the admiral’s presence or not.

            “But it would be a good idea to start visiting the gym every day,” Phlox added. “You’ve spent nearly six weeks off your feet.”

            “And six weeks dependent as a baby; I’m not doing this anymore,” Archer grumbled. “I can shave myself, thank you.”

            “Of course. And one more thing,” Phlox added, bringing a hypo of an SSRI to the man leaning on the bio bed. “You could use this given the stress you’ve been under the last week.” He touched the unit to Archer’s neck and a second later he retreated so Tanner and Wiseman could get on both sides of him.

            “I’ll see you soon, Honey,” Riaan said and gave him their customary public kiss, fondly named a jo-ann by the crew. She returned to the medical office with Dr Phlox to finish their conversation.

            “Have you told him yet? Under those scrubs I doubt he’s going to notice, in his state of mind,” Phlox asked. She wasn’t expecting Phlox to ask about that. “It won’t be much longer and you can let the baby tell him, I suppose.”

            “Not funny. No, I didn’t want him to have to think about anything but getting better.”

            “His vision won’t be blurry much longer, and I doubt you can explaining that as chocolate cake,” he grinned, peering over the table between them at her five-moon figure. She smiled despite her frustration. “The worst is behind us, Doctor, you can get back to your life again. He just needs a week or two of rehab and exercise, respect when he says something ridiculous, which he will, and to use the bathroom on his own.”

            “And to see Eta Carinae explode.”  Phlox nodded, and looked at another computer monitor for the patient in Bio Bed 3. He looked up at Riaan. “Something on your mind?”

            “Yes. But I’m ashamed to admit it.”

            “Nonesense. If you can’t talk to your doctor, who can you talk to?” Phlox waited with an accepting, eager expression, leaning back in his chair. She took a deep breath.

            “I heard something from Lieutenant Tanner before Jon was hurt. It’s been bothering me and I know it shouldn’t.” Phlox didn’t push her, but allowed the silence to prompt her to continue. “I was going to ask you that day, but everything blew up and it didn’t seem important.” 

            “Does it seem important now?”