Consultation

 Month 14 Day 22

1814 Hours

Drake MacGregor

Drake pressed the doorbell button and waited for a response. He's going to think I'm crazy, and I can't blame him. It's a crazy idea, on so many levels.

The door opened, and Bugalu looked out at him. The lieutenant wore a pair of slacks and held a fresh shirt in his hand. "I'm kind of busy, doc."

"We need to talk."

Bugalu frowned. "About what?"

"Mac."

The frown was replaced by a sigh, and Bugalu stepped aside. "Come in." As the door closed, he tossed the shirt over his head. "Make it fast. I have a date to get to."

"What's going on with you two?"

"Nothing," Bugalu smoothed out his shirt. "Haven't you heard? She getting married to Mr Smythe."

"I have heard. I've also heard a disturbing rumor about Mac."

"Not my concern. I've been relieved of my brotherly duties."

"I didn't know that was possible." He sounds angry. Wonder what they've argued about this time.

Bugalu had started for the bedroom, but now stopped and turned back to face him. "I didn't think it was, either. But these days, she won't even talk to me." He shrugged. "Which rumor have you heard?"

"There's more than one?" He held up a hand. "No, never mind. There always seems to be rumors about her. The one that concerns me is the rumor that she's pregnant."

Bugs didn't look surprised. "You listened to that one? It isn't supposed to be possible, and you've kept her shot up to date, right?"

"It's not supposed to be possible, and of course I have. But there was a saying we had, back in med school; If there's any way for Nature to do something, it'll do it, sooner or later."

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not. When you think about it, there's too many unknowns at play here."

"Like what?"

"Like, there's not a lot of Gaelunders in the Fleet. What if they don't react to that shot the way most humans do? And of the few Gaelunders that are in the Fleet, most of them are male. Maybe the males have a normal reaction to it, but the females don't."

"What are you coming to me for? If you think she might be pregnant, call her to sick bay for a physical."

"No, I don't think she is," Drake returned. "That's all part of the rumor."

"Seems like they really wanted to cover all the bases. But if you don't believe it, then why bring it up?"

"Because I wonder why that particular rumor got started. About her. And especially, who might have heard it. And possibly believed it."

Bugalu stared at him for a long moment. "Why would he believe it? He usually stomps on gossip."

Drake sighed in relief. He's a smart young man, I should have known he'd know at once why I was concerned. "Smitty said something when he asked me to be his best man that makes me think he might believe it. Despite his hatred of gossip."

Bugs' eyebrow rose in surprise. "He said something about her being pregnant?"

"Not exactly. He stated that starting next week—well, this week, now—he would be a devoted husband. And father. And everybody knows that Fleet marriages seldom include children."

"Yeah, I overheard him say something similar."

"So, it sounds like he has heard it. And believes it." But why get engaged to her, then? Being married and pregnant might keep her in the Fleet, but she'd be assigned someplace planetside. And I can't see Smitty giving up a spaceship's engine room.

Again, Bugalu stared at him. "I tried to tell her. Told her it was not a good reason to get married, if he believed it. But she wouldn't listen. And now she won't even talk to me."

"But why does she want to get married? Unless she really is—"

"She's not."

"You seem sure of that."

"I know her. As for why she wants to get married, I think she fell for him her first day aboard."

"Love at first sight?" There's people who swear by it, but I don't really believe in it.

Bugsy shrugged. "Maybe even before that. He is everything she ever wanted to know."

Smart young man, like I said. "Smitty is a well-known figure in his field. She wouldn't be the first person to come aboard with some hero-worship already in place when they arrived."

"Yeah, there might have been some awe involved, at first," Bugalu agreed. "But whether it's real or not, she now believes she loves him. Told me she'd marry him any way she could get him. So if he's heard the rumor and believes it, that's fine by her."

"That doesn't sound good."

"What's worse is, what's he going to do if he believes she's pregnant, and then finds out she isn't? If that's his only reason for marrying her, she'll be heart-broken."

"At least she'd still be here, and not shipped to some planetside desk job."

"Ugh, a desk job. She'd hate that.

That doesn't matter. If she's not pregnant. "Well, it wouldn't come to that. She'd still be aboard, still be in engineering, still be his protégé."

Bugalu grimaced. "To a man who only married her because he thought he was rescuing her."

Drake scowled. "Unless she gave up all that and went back to communications."

Bugalu glanced at the clock and swore under his breath, but didn't make any move to get ready for his date. "Maybe you should, doc."

"Should what?"

"Give her a physical. Call it a pre-nuptial physical. Give him one, too, if you think you need to. Then you can break the news to him that she isn't pregnant—"

"No, I can't. They aren't married yet. I can't just give him medical information that he doesn't have any right to have."

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that."

"Well, I have. I couldn't say a thing without her approval. And if she thinks her being pregnant is Smitty's only reason for marrying her, chances are she wouldn't let me tell him the truth."

"You're right. She wouldn't."

"How did she get into this mess?"

Bugalu gave him a wry grin. "I often wonder how she manages to get into a mess. Guess I should have warned you about that before I drafted you into the family."

Drake shook his head. "Well, I've got the bachelor party in a couple days. I'll try to figure out how to convince Smitty that Mac isn't pregnant, without actually saying anything."

"Good luck," Bugsy told him. "If that fails, I could show up at the wedding and protest, on the basis that the reason for it is fraudulent."

"Can you do that and remain her brother?"

Bugsy rubbed his suddenly ashen face. "Probably not."

"Hmm. She's not only in a mess; we're in a mess as well."

"Very true."

"If I ever find out who started that particular rumor, I'll wring their neck," Drake stated, and turned for the door. "I'll let you get ready for your date."