Wesley's World

[lizjaneway]

Liz had been working, and she wondered what she would possibly do. ~Hey I said physical time, that is exactly what I will do. I bet Trishta is bored too. Maybe I will enlist her, oh wait, she has requested some time to relax. Looks like it will just be me on this again. Good golly, the captain is going to fight me again. Now what to do to get her to come willingly.~ She thought and smiled starting to think of some plan.

=^=Janeway to Aarons. Report to Sickbay immediately, or else.=^= She said and had the computer unlock the holodeck after hearing his response. She smiled a little widder and started to get things ready. She even touched up her looks.

Mike entered, and she walked over near the biobed patting it still smiling. "Its just you and me. The nurses are out on lunch breaks, and Trish is on a short leave to relax. So sit down on the biobed and be a good boy. We won't be alone for long though," she said and chuckled remembering what she planned to do.

"Now play along, and I promise a kiss soon," she said shaking her head.

=^=Janeway to Cornette. Aarons has gone crazy, and says he will kill me if you don't report to sickbay on the double.=^= Liz then makes it look like the comm line died out with static.

"Alrighty, now I just hope she comes. Have you had any physical problems?" She said and started to scan him.

[Michael Aarons]

Aarons was dozing peacefully to the sound of gently trickling water and laying on now soft mossy ground. As far as he knew he wasn't needed anywhere. He was interrupted by a call from the doctor.

lizjaneway said:

=^=Janeway to Aarons. Report to Sickbay immediately, or else.=^=

"Yes mistress, tote those boxes, lift that equipment, sweep that floor." The doors flew open. Apparently she meant it. He got up and made for the door and as he exited, the program terminated itself.

Michael made it to sickbay wondering what got her in such a twist but what he found was quite unexpected. Liz began almost flirting with him and the first thing to come to mind was Sexual Healing... and how much he hated that song.

lizjaneway said:

"Its just you and me. The nurses are out on lunch breaks, and Trish is on a short leave to relax. So sit down on the biobed and be a good boy. We won't be alone for long though," she said and chuckled remembering what she planned to do.

Sickbay didn't seem so bad with hot doctors like her running the place now. All they needed now was a hot counselor who wanted to get to know you in a different sort of way and Aarons might not mind being in a war.

lizjaneway said:

"Now play along, and I promise a kiss soon," she said shaking her head.

Michael hadn't figured the doctor for one to be role playing but if it scored him a kiss... waitaminute! All this for a kiss? He could only imagine what to hope for if he won an Academy Award.

lizjaneway said:

=^=Janeway to Cornette. Aarons has gone crazy, and says he will kill me if you don't report to sickbay on the double.=^= Liz then made it look like the comm line died out with static.

She had to be nuttier than he was supposed to be. To Hell with the captain, she could stay on the bridge. He was going to get some alone time with her.

lizjaneway said:

"Alrighty, now I just hope she comes. Have you had any physical problems?" She said and started to scan him.

"Well I have had this stiffness... What!? What're you looking at me like that for?" He couldn't control the nervous laughter her gaze was causing him. "When you fell and I leaped after you, you fell straight down, I bumped, banged, and scraped all the way down. Up 'til now I've ignored it but I'm really bruised and sore." At her request, he unzipped and removed his colors leaving only his undershirt which he lifted to reveal a very abused lower back.

"My word, you have had it rough. You nearly got your arm ripped off, got thrown at about a hundred miles per hour by that conduit, took a huge dive and when we jumped to safety you took the brunt of the landing, got zapped, and then had your sleep pattern disrupted. You're like Tom Cruise without all the pretentious bad acting. Why go through it all?"

"I don't know, I guess I felt there was something at stake worth going through all that for."

"Well... Computer where's the captain?"

"Captain Cornette is outside of Sickbay." They scurried to their places. Michael grabbed Liz at her neck to insinuate that he had become violently aggressive toward her. Sickbay was stormed by the captain toting Jamison and that Marine guy Starfleet had sent them for whatever reason and some security personnel. Michael whipped her around snagging a laser-scalpel and using her as a shield. He held the scalpel just in front of her because he didn't know where the trigger was and didn't want to risk burning her lovely face.

"Put it down Commander!" Ordered Will.

"Hush blondie, I ain't here to deal with you! Just her!" He indicated the captain who was standing back between the two. "I told you about this! You were warned to keep all this away or reap the consequences! Well now it's come!"

Kay was beginning to think that after all this time and trouble she was starting to get back the normal Aarons or as normal as she had ever known him to be.

"Michael, this isn't necessary, be reasonable, you don't have to do this." She stepped forward a bit. Michael grasped the doctor closer. "Doctor try to be careful, we don't know what he'll do."

"Yeah that's right, and you wouldn't be worrying about this if you had taken me seriously!" The captain took another step closer. "Computer seal the doors!!"

"And set quarantine protocols!" Those who had come to deal with this matter were now trapped in Sickbay. Michael threw the scalpel behind him and removed his hands from the doctor. Liz took a welcoming posture before them and said, "Let the physicals begin." ;D

[lizjaneway]

Liz was glad he had played along, and noticed she had not only the captain but a couple of others stuck hanging around until she lifted the quarantine protocols. She smiled happy at how this had played out better than she expected. The captain sat down on the biobed not looking happy.

"I would expect a court martial or something if I were you doctor," the captain said still not happy.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you captain. Now hold still," she responded still smiling.
About twenty minutes later she had completed the physicals for all in her sickbay. She pronounced all healthy except Aarons.

"I just need a word with him. If it was something terrible and would harm all of us I would have told you captain. I know how none of you like being here, so I won't hold anyone but Aarons much longer," she said and told the computer to get rid of the quarantine. She called it a false alarm.

Once they were alone Liz smiled and drew Mike closer giving him the promised kiss.
"You did wonderful. Thank you so much for doing that. I have one more question for you. Where is the best place, in your opinion, for me to take a vacation to?"

[Michael Aarons]

"Well if you want to beat the crowds, skip Risa and choose Casperia Prime. But if you want to avoid people in your field you might try Pacifica. No, wait! This is a bad season. I got it!" He smiled to himself for being so clever.

"Well? Don't keep me in suspense or I'll have to check to see if your tongue is still there." He gave her a sour look but knew she was kidding.

"Haven!"

"Haven?"

"Well Argelius II has gone down since the last century and although they got the Shore Leave planet back up, I wouldn't trust it. So why not try the planet with healing properties? It's right up your alley."

[Deleted]

TEG came into the Ten Forward lounge for his meeting with Jamey. He always felt that crew evaluations were always too tedious, but thankfully the Sovereign class ships were smaller than the Galaxy, so he didn't have as many names to go over with Jamey.

TEG found Jamey and they made sure to order some dinner. TEG apologized for his delay, TEG had taken some time to assist in training the temporary Navigation Officer while Michael was recovering. TEG always loosed track of time while teaching, especially if it is in the Holodeck.

Well TEG and Jamey went through the list, reading the recommendations of department head, then TEG came across the one crew member he wasn't hoping to see, Lt. Falco. TEG still felt guilty that he had damaged the relationship between he and Commander Hawk. TEG made a mental note to try to see if he could help to patch up their relationship. TEG did feel that his actions were just and in the best interest of the Majesty, Jamey agreed and Falco was put on the promotions list. So with a dozen recommendations for promotions completed, they decided to call it a night, and pass the list on in the morning for Kay's approval.

[Deleted]

Oww my head... who I am... whats going on and who are you!

Nik was having a very confused moment, he didnt feel right. He had a feeling he should do something but wasnt so sure.... maybe he should write it down.

All he heard in the back of his mind was POST POST POST from a familiar voice... he felt guilty for some reason.....

[Deleted]

"Put it down Commander!" Ordered Will.

"Hush blondie, I ain't here to deal with you! Just her!" He indicated the captain who was standing back between the two. "I told you about this! You were warned to keep all this away or reap the consequences! Well now it's come!"

Will raised his phaser. He had it set to stun and figured the doctor wouldn't get hurt anyhow.

"Easy Lt." the captain warned.

"Yeah that's right, and you wouldn't be worrying about this if you had taken me seriously!" The captain took another step closer. "Computer seal the doors!! And set quarantine protocols!" Those who had come to deal with this matter were now trapped in Sickbay. Michael threw the scalpel behind him and removed his hands from the doctor. Liz took a welcoming posture before them and said, "Let the physicals begin."

Will stood there looking completely dumbfounded for a moment.

"Physicals? You did this to get someone down here to take a physical? After all the sh*t we just went through on this ship,(yeah. I know I didn't do anything. sorry guys) You think now is a good time for physicals?" Will demanded. "Maybe we should start with you visiting the counselor. You're completely insane."

Will went over to the doors and tried to override the protocols but seeing as he was only the assistant CTSO, he didn't have the authority.

Where was Gypsy when you needed him?

"Okay. Okay. I'll go first." he said turning back around to face the looney doctor and their psycho navigator. "Where do ya want me?"

[lizjaneway]

OOC: Backposting for Will....

IC:

"Mr. Jamison, now is the best time for physicals. If you are lucky then all you will get is one. Yes, I have been known to threaten, but I don't mean physical harm to you. I could easily suggest to the new counselor about evaluations. Would you care for one of those too?" Liz said unhappy by his question.

"Yes, yes, I know I am insane, thank you so much for the reminder. As least now I am stable enough to make sure you are in good health. It wasn't too long ago that I was tearing furniture apart," she replied feeling a little put out by all this. ~I need to find a new way to get the captain to submit for her physical. This is rather tiring.~ Liz thought.

Liz watched as Jamison tried to override her work, and smiled knowing that not even the captain would override this one. Liz smiled thinking of a few fun comments about where she wanted him, but decided best not to answer with those.

"On the biobed right here," she said walking to the nearest one and patting it. She started to scan him the minute he sat down. Will seemed to be watching her like a hawk, and that annoyed her. She wondered if Mike was doing the same, and tried to push that from her mind.

Liz found nothing wrong with him, and chuckled. "Perfect health, you may go," she said and told the computer to transport him outside of sickbay. He vanished quickly, and she looked around for her next victim.


OOC: Now for the current part....

IC:

"Hmm.. I might have to look more into this Haven place. You know so much about it, you could share your wisdom, or.." she said hoping he was listening. She noticed she had his attention.

"you could come with me as well. When was the last time you had a vacation?" She asked hoping he would like this idea as much as she did.

[Michael Aarons]

"Not soon enough... Unless you count my little creek nap, which by the way, thank you." She appreciated his gratitude unlike some other people who were ungrateful for her dedication to their health, something Aarons used to suffer from. "I may not know more than what the computer could tell me about it, but it has been known to mend souls and heal broken hearts. However I'm always interested in new learning experiences."

"Calm down fly-boy. You don't want to get too excited." She handed him his colors as he tucked his shirt back in before redressing himself in rank and division. "Besides you'll probably have to wait here until I've finished with these physicals. I can't let you out without lifting the quarantine protocols."

Michael didn't mind so much as he might have. Before he'd be twitching by the door waiting for the first available moment to get out and showing signs of claustrophobia. Now he felt content to hang around awhile and watch her work. He was a little disturbed however by the attitudes the others were taking towards her.

[Deleted]

Before Will could say a word, he found himself materializing outside the sickbay door. He quickly hit his commbadge.

=^=Jamison to Engineering. Doctor Janeway has sealed off and quarantined sickbay with the captain inside and my security codes aren't working. I want a team down here to get these doors opened, pronto=^=

Deep down, Will knew the captain wasn't in any real danger. Sure. The doctor had had a few "rough moments", but all in all, she was just doing her job. Albeit, a strange way of going about it.

The engineering team arrived and started to get to work.

"Let me know as soon as it open." he said as he turned to head to the bridge.


Will arrived on the bridge and walked over to his security station. He called up all the information he could find on the doctor and their navigator. He hadn't worked with either of them much and he wanted to know everything about them he possibly could. He reminded himself once again that the captain was safe but it was his job to know about the crew and any "problems" that there may be that could cause any issues. Plus, he didn't like not being able to get to the captain, just in case. He decided that once he stopped reading, he would go see the counselor and find out what he could that way, also.

[lizjaneway]

Each officer was being difficult, and the captain was even more difficult. Liz thought about teasing at least one of them, but seeing their sour moods thought better of it. She beamed all but the captain and Aarons out of sickbay, then thought about something.

She gave the captain her physical, and found she was in good health.

"Captain, you need to exercise more, and less on the junk food," Liz said adding a joke on the end of that. She thought the captain wouldn't respond to it.

"Alrighty, I have two out of three, lets see how I do with the third person I want here," Liz said, and beamed in the counselor. He looked very surprised to be in sickbay, and to see all of them.

"Good, Counselor, I have you here for two reasons. One, physical time. Two, I think you three need to talk. I know how stubborn the captain can be," she said and then walked into her office showing no sign of letting them go.

Hours later, she noticed they had finished with their talking. One came and told her they were done, and needed to be let go now.
Hearing this, she smiled beaming all but Aarons outside of sickbay leaving the protocals up.

"Do you really need to be heading back so soon? I was hoping we could talk a little more. After all you didn't answer my question," she said playing innocent.

"There is something else you could do as well. I need a physical, unless you don't remember how to work that tricorder," she said teasing him as she sat on the biobed. She realized she was going to have fun with this, and maybe on her vacation.

[Michael Aarons]

lizjaneway said:

"Do you really need to be heading back so soon?"

"Not in the slightest."

lizjaneway said:

"After all, you didn't answer my question,"

Uh, yeah I did. Although to be fair it was in a flirtatious way so...
Answer: Yes, yes, oh God yes!

Liz asked Michael if he'd give her her own physical as she got on one of the biobeds. Aarons had to keep his mind out of the gutter as he realized an attractive young lady had just asked him to play doctor. He began to take the tricorder and scan her.

"You got to use the little probe thing."

"Oh. I'm used to the regular kind... Where is it?!" He searched trying to find where the hand probe was lodged.

"It's on the bottom." Aarons popped it out and began scanning.

"Didn't these things use to be on the front?"

"Not since those bulkier ones from the [23]60's." As he moved down he found it hard to keep a straight face as the scan progressed.

"You know, it's occurred to me that we were supposed to get together, dressed all elegantly, and dine in." She smiled as she remembered saying something like that near the start of the recent mission.

<Tag Liz>

"Well it says here you've gone from hottie to babe in perfect form." He smiled. "I don't know how to read this. But it does say your endorphins are up!"

"Give me that!" He let her have it. "Hmm, says here I need more calcium in my diet."

[Jamey Gaz]

Working on the last few crew evals in his office, Jamey suddenly found himself beamed to sick bay --- very much upset at the good Doctor for doing that he simply said, "Doctor, you may want to simply use the comm badge and request the physical next time." Jamey glared at Liz with such a look that she knew he didn't approve.

After talking with the Captain, a meeting that was basically forced by Liz, Jamey confided to the CO, "You know Captain, upon reviewing the crew ... I have found that the crew is just fine. It's the Senior Staff that I'm worried about."

With that Liz, yet again, beamed the Captain and Jamey to their respected offices. When Jamey returned to his office he wrote a sub-routine and attached it to internal site-to-site transport protocols. The sub-routine simply would warn the Senior Staff that they were about to be transported and thus allowed an override by voice authorization; the sub-routine was only removable by the CO or XO.

OFF ... sticks tongue out at Liz

[lizjaneway]

OOC: But what fun is that, Jamey? Watch it, Jamey, I've been known to put disgusting things on people's tongues Oh well on that transporter thing.... I'll just come up with other creative ways to get the Senior Staff to gather for physicals. MWAHAHA

IC:

Raised eyebrow at the response to her question and chuckled shaking her head. "You are amazingly strange," she said trying to compliment him just a little while teasing him.

Liz also noticed Mike's face as he scanned her. She gave him a look.

"Just watch the hands there, and all will be well. It isn't like it sounds," she said winking. She noticed he smiled.

"Too bad," he said then gave her the news on the tricorder his style.

"Give me that," she said and tried to take the tricorder from him. He resisted for a second then let go letting her really have it. She fell back against the biobed smacking her behind hard.

"Ow, and I thought you were the gentleman type," she said wondering what smart aleck remark he was going to give her.

(Mikey)

Liz lifted the quarentine protocals and found Trishta walked in.

"How was your vacation?" Liz asked, and Trish smiled saying it was very fine making Liz laugh a little.

"I have a feeling I know exactly what that means," she said and winked. She clued in Trishta about physicals, which made her groan.

"Oh don't worry, I have already covered Aarons, the Captain, Jamison, and the new counsellor," she said quickly hoping Trish would be pleased.

"Oh brother, you left the extreme troublemakers for me though," Trish said chuckling. "I'll get right on those. I bet the First Officer will be thrilled."


Liz left sickbay right after Aarons. She went to her quarters and started to cook. Once things were in the oven she went and got herself ready. Liz sent Mike a message to meet in her quarters for the fancy dinner, and then looked at herself in the full length mirror she had in her bedroom. Things looked like they were finally going good.

A little later she put the food on warm leaving it in the oven, when she heard the door chime.

"Enter," she said and in strode Michael wearing a suit and tie, which surprised Liz.

[Michael Aarons]

lizjaneway said:

"Ow, and I thought you were the gentleman type,"

"A gentleman always helps a lady to her seat."

Skip to later:
Michael wasn't quite sure about his decision to go oldshcool to this little get together. As he chimed he recognized her voice beckoning him to enter. Upon passing through the doors he was met by a surprised look on the good doctor's face.

"What!? It's a modified take on the old Earth tuxedo. A third piece vest with a tie over a regular bow."

"You look quite exquisite." She walked out the room into her bedroom. "Be back shortly."

"Does Kiara know you keep an oven in your quarters?"

"I bake her a cupcake and she keeps quiet." She called out from the other room.

"My it's interesting what you've done with the place putting..." With hardly a warning the words were sucked right from his mouth never to return as Liz reentered. "...Damn!" He breathed as something was able to finally click in the coherent reaches of his mind. There she was of a most excellent quality.

"Too much?" He shook his head as sincerely as he could. She was beautiful. He could hardly believe she was doing this for him. She was decked in a most dazzling of outfits. <Liz>

They dined and as they did so discussed their lives and the various facets thereof. "So tell me, how is it that you can be so infatuated with me when before you acted like I was a leper merely because of my job?" He thought for a moment before smiling.

He got up and pulled her close. She had no idea what he was planning. "I've grown accustomed to your face, you make my day begin."

"Oh no!" She couldn't believe it. As he spoke the words, he danced her around in place.

"I've grown accustomed to the tune you whistle night and noon, your smiles, your frowns, your ups and downs-"

"Stop." Her face became flush as she got tickled by his quoting show tunes.

"-are second nature to me now, like breathing out and breathing in, I was serenely independent and content before we met." She reached her hand around his neck as he held her close. "Surely I could always be that way again and yet, I've grown accustomed to your looks, accustomed to your voice, accustomed to your face... Okay that's all I know."

"How lovely, I invite a guy to dinner and he sweeps me off my feet."

"I think I'm in love with you." She hadn't any response to this. She didn't even know what to make of it from a professional point of view. Tracing her fingers along his jaw from around his neck, smiling deeply into those blue-green eyes of his, she rested her hand sweetly on his face. As she spread her fingers, Michael was paralyzed as their minds merged.

Liz saw the bleak and empty loneliness within him save for a single ray of light. From the passing of his parents to the inability to cope with anyone else closely there had been a void, she recognized herself as that light. The sly playfulness, the simple beauties, the inventiveness had all come together forming an immense attraction within him.

She broke the link and as she did so, she looked at her lot. She was dancing with a guy botching lines from My Fair Lady who was in love with her. She decided then that she couldn't be happier. After all, everyone wants to feel loved by someone... Don't they?

[Michael Aarons]

OFF: This may seem out of place and try to keep an open mind while reading it. There are a few 'awkward' things in it.

ON: Aarons, now finally having gotten the relieving sleep his body so desperately craved, felt like he was all back to normal. Well, almost normal, he still had to deal with the fact that he was having feelings for the doctor. Ever since that moment she began rubbing his… but that was just to tease him but… Michael quickly excused these thoughts running through his head.

After going through a rather convoluted scheme to get the captain to take her physical, it was about time to get back on track. Having never quite found the rest of his uniform, before giving in to the stress he had been suffering from the Hell that he had been put through, his next destination would have to be his quarters. On his way, numerous people tried to hide their titters of laughter as they passed him. It couldn’t be his hair because that wasn’t messed up as far as he could tell. Apparently word had been spreading on the starship about him and the doctor the likes of which he couldn’t measure but was surely started by that med tech Trishta.

The state of his quarters having been strewn about in his last endeavor to find his fatigue jacket only made it harder now that he was in a better mindset than last time to look for it. It was best to try and remember what he had done when he last knew he had it on. It was a rather futile effort as he could barely remember anything he’d done beyond ‘waking up’ in Jamey’s office before realizing he had said something about a return session. He thought that an absurd idea and then only managed to frustrate himself trying to grasp how he came to be in Gaz’s office to begin with which quickly migrated over to thoughts about his dreams during all the sleeping he had accomplished lately.

Sitting back lost in thought he became somewhat distracted when he was paid a visit. It was the captain. Obviously done with her physical she had decided to pay a visit to her “favorite” officer.

“I wanted to check and see if you were recovered from your personal problems or not.” She leaned against his glass table near where he was seated.

“Well I’ve gotten some sleep,” he wiped his eyes to clear his vision, “I’m not quite sure what else I’ve done lately.”

“Jamey says he wants to hold another counseling session with you and determine if you’re back to normal. Unh unh unh…” She halted any attempts at protest. “I don’t want to hear it you’re going to go to it and until I find out that you went and completely taken Cmdr. Gaz’s counseling, you are completely barred from the bridge.”

“So basically you’re saying that until I go, I’m not permitted to work?”

“No, I’m saying if you don’t go down there I’m going to grab you by your ankles and drag you there myself. Now get to it.” Michael let an exasperated groan as he left per her orders. Kay looked around at his quarters. “My god he’s got too much free time.”

Michael trudged down the corridor toward the counselor’s office. The walk there was somewhat drawn out. This was but a futile effort to delay the inevitable. His last encounter with Jamey was nothing more than a chance to demonstrate just how messed up his life was. As he arrived, he stopped short breathing a heavy sigh. With no other option, he announced himself via the call button. Gaz answered the door. He seemed unexpecting of any visitors.

“I’m surprised to see you here. Come in.” Commander Gaz said.

“Not as much as if the captain had brought me.” Jamey had no idea what he was talking about but was glad nonetheless to have someone come down for needed counseling. He beckoned him to have a seat. Commander Aarons sprawled himself out on the couch which wasn’t necessary but if it made him happy.

“I take it this is not a social visit, and I am to assume you are here against your better judgement.” Jamey began clearing some PADD’s to use during the session.

“No, you said you wanted me back for a follow up and so here I am. I don’t know why y’all want me back, I feel fine.”

“Mm-hm,” Jamey composed a text message to Sickbay and sent it along. “What do you remember of our previous session?”

“I don’t even remember how I got in here. The only thing that comes to mind is waking up to find a light shining straight in my face.”

“Sorry about that. Actually we brought you here because you were behaving rather strange like a machine, some sort of a sleepwalking, so I tried my best to get through to you and snap you out of it.” Looking for a sign of Aarons reaction; perhaps some spark of memory might still be in his mind.

“Yeah, the doctor mentioned something like that to me on the holodeck earlier… I didn’t make an [word deleted] of myself did I!?”

“Not quite, although the captain did say she felt it was an improvement over your usual self.” He smiled hoping Aarons was in a good mood about it too.

“Oh great, the counselor’s got jokes. This is gonna’ be a long session.” Jamey could see that he was in no mood for levity. This was going to make things a little difficult. It was important that he keep his patient from any sort of stressful attitudes else they become unwilling to share or even become negative and cause trouble.

“How have you been dealing with your encounter down on the planet? I know they said you were put through quite a bit.” Aarons slunk down in his seat at the question. That damn planet was nothing but trouble and was almost the death of him.

“I’ve been sleeping a lot. The whole experience blurs and it becomes so tiring that I just welcome the sleep.” Jamey was getting closer and pressed on.

“And in your sleep, how do you feel?”

“I feel… comforted, where everything just consumes you and then you succumb to it. But mostly I’ve been filled with very intimate dreams.” Unbeknownst to Aarons, the office doors had opened and in stepped Dr. Janeway responding to Gaz’s earlier message he had messaged her. He had wished that she would join in on the next counseling session with Michael and when Aarons showed up unexpectedly, he had to send for the doctor. Having entered and heard the words “intimate dreams,” she resigned herself to remain unnoticed so as to hear what juicy information she could find out before she was noticed. Jamey, listening to what the commander was saying looked up to see her but chose not to say anything lest he disrupt Aarons. “At times I’m back on Kavis Alpha reliving the freefall we were forced to make but it wasn’t the same.” Michael told him how he would find himself able to soar with wings and then like Icarus plunge to the aberration of nature below as well as other distorted memories of what happened down there. “Mostly I find myself being admired by women. They embrace me, make caressing movements… I feel them but I never see them and I don’t know why.”

“Regarding women, have you ever…ever…?”

“You mean if I’m a…?” Jamey expression confirmed his suspicion. “Well no, actually I’m not. I’ve actually had at least 3 experiences. The first one was at a Mardi Gras celebration on Earth and I got lucky. I question the girl’s sobriety but at the time she just seemed to want it so I just did it.”

“And how did you feel afterwards?” He looked and could see Liz’s devious smile as she listened to Aarons’ “stories.”

“Well I gave her some beads afterwards for obvious reasons.” Jamey had no idea what he meant but urged him on all the same. “Well the next time I had entered a bar off campus and I must have said the right things because next thing she was inviting me someplace and then…”

“So were you at all surprised by this occurrence?”

“Made me miss a question on a test. Finally the third time I just… wanted it. Usually that’s the last thing on my mind. Is that normal?”

“I don’t think I could even begin to answer that question. It is certainly a laudable trait though; on Trill young men do not do these things out of the sacred bonds.” Jamey really wasn’t wanting him to continue, however he did.

“Well I was in Brazil because there was supposed to be a Vericorde space craft there. This wouldn’t mean anything to you without being in my profession but it was one of the originals with dual layer wings, gold reinforced glass, like old N.A.S.A. space helmets, and poly-Duride paneling instead of those carbo-styrene panels, with a molybdenum impurity which really showed the hand made quality of it.” Jamey observed the passion to which Aarons show for this subject. “Anyway, I’m trying to find the place because it’s not somewhere on the map and I spotted this latina. She looked so good in fact she was there studying algae and other herbology things. I walked over to talk and as I was on a gravelly slope, I fell and slid down it. She came running to see if I was alright. I didn’t know it but I had unearthed a rare specimen she’d been searching for and she said she ‘could just kiss me.’ I asked what she meant by ‘could’ and then it happened.”

“Sounds to me like you’ve had no problems with physical relations but I’m concerned for your ability to cope with an actual relationship. Have you ever actually been in love with someone?”

“Well there was this one girl back at Easton, younger than me, use to follow me around with my classmates. She was always so helpful and even got me through classes when I needed it but I never pursued her.”

“Why not?”

“I couldn’t do that it would be like kissing your sister. She was always the dear friend you always wanted to keep.”

“And who do you consider to be your friends?”

“I do have one friend named Max. We always used to call him the ‘Angel of Death’ because he was always so deathly quiet; a real genius. We’d ask him a question and he’d always have the answer. I don’t know whatever happened to him though. Oh and there was this other guy, from Mars, and to really mess with him, when I’d see him I’d go ‘come in peace?’ But he’d always whoop my butt in wrestling or a thumb war or something.”

“What about family? Were you ever close to any of them?”

“Only my parents, I didn’t care much for any of the others mostly because they were never around always somewhere else. My parents were middle class or the equivalent thereof.”

“Did you appreciate them?”

“Not as much as I probably should have but I still loved them. They put in a lot to get me into Easton.”

“Have you ever considered causing bodily harm to yourself or inflicting it on others?” He looked past Aarons towards Liz in asking that question. She thought back to time the Majesty worked with the Vesuvius and how no pillow or chair was safe from her wrath. The only thing stopping her was an over involved Vulcan commodore.

“No, in fact death makes me very uncomfortable. The afterlife has always been a frightful thought because what is there in it. There’s no end no adversity. There’s no point in living if you can’t feel alive… Where have I heard that before?”

Jamey pulled out a PADD that contained the mission report as compiled by TEG and the doctor. He reviewed a few select moments during the away mission that he wanted to address. “For someone so disquieted by death, you sure seem to take quite a few risks. Even in your academy days you were a man of action.” Aarons was immediately taken back to the fire fight the Hepta trainees fought with pirates three years ago. “So why take all those risks you took on the planet?”

“I would have to say because something worth the risk was at stake.” Michael thought about how when Liz fell he had out of nowhere jumped after her and later when she hurt her ankle he swept her up and refused to abandon her. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to stop being yourself and just embrace the moment, look Death right in his face, and tell him what to go do with himself? It’s awesome man! It’s like Virgil.”

“Do you feel that any of this has affected you maybe even in a way that you might find it hard to do your job?” Michael was suddenly reminded why he hated these things.

“Whoa whoa, this ain’t what I signed up for! I don’t like it when I’m being asked if I’m incompetent or not.” He began rising up from where he had been. Liz almost started to panic not knowing how he’d react knowing she had heard near all of what he had been saying.

“Commander might I remind you that if you don’t cooperate, then you won’t be aloud to return to duty.” He remained calm remembering to avoid fueling Aarons’ already defiant nature. “I would ask you to just answer the question.”

“So, what, you’re threatening me with a vacation?” Michael was beginning to get that unpleasant edge where he became sarcastic.

“If by that you mean a vacation to the Tantalus Colony, I can certainly arrange that.” Jamey normally didn’t make this type of threats, but he knew the type he was up agasint. Aarons realize the defeat he was facing and gave in. There was no use trying to fight it and he could only imagine what Kay would do.

“No, I don’t feel that my performance has or will be affected by my experiences on the planet.”

“And what about your relationship to the crew?”

“Actually I feel that my relationship with my fellow shipmates is quite healthy thank you.” Jamey didn’t want to give credence to rumors but he invariably knew that he was referring to the good doctor.

“Well, we’ve been here quite a while. I hope that you are beginning to return to yourself and I will tell the captain what I think and then you will hear from one of us. In the mean time take care and if you find you need to talk again, you’ll find my door’s open.”

“I think I’ve had enough sharing for a long time.” As he started to get up, Liz bolted for the door triggering them to open. As she did she feigned entering just as Michael was in a position to see her.

“Sorry I wasn’t able to get here. You said you wanted me here next time. Physicals were holding me up because as you know, nobody wants to cooperate.”

“Oh hi.” As Michael left, Liz looked to Jamey who was finishing something on one of his PADDs.

“So, what do you think?”

“You’re the counselor, you tell me.”

Jamey finished the report and sent it on to the Captain, making sure that Aarons was indeed gone, he answered the Doctor. “I think that Commander Aarons has simply come to a point in his life where he needs to sit down with himself and be honest. No only to others, but to himself. I’ve just messaged the Captain, I see no real reason to keep him from his duties. I would suggest that he take some leave however, but I’m leaving that up to her.”

"I'm sure if she wants it, I can convince him to come on vacation with
me. I haven't set much up about it yet, but I do need to go. I am planning to
leave when Trishta comes back, that way the ship won't be without a
doctor. That reminds me, I need you to come for your physical. I won't take no
for an answer, counselor," she said chuckling hoping he wouldn't be as
stubborn about it as the rest of the crew was being.