Month 14 Day 26
1238 Hours
Smitty
Smitty gave a tight, malicious grin that
was mostly aimed down at his plate. "Then I'll assign him there at random,
without warning. But with the warning that if he can't master the requirements
of working in communications, I'll have to reconsider his fitness to serve on
the Fireball."
"I understand," Jane repeated.
"But it smacks of retribution, especially since Abdulla tells me that all
the pieces of mail that were shunted to that folder instead of being sent out
were either from you or from MacDowell."
"Well, he started it," Smitty
growled. "I don't understand how he thought I wouldn't find out about it.
And how did he expect I would react?" He glanced around the mess hall, as
she had done, and seemed to calm down. "Who was she sending letters
to?"
Jane shrugged, dismayed to see him still
showing signs of suspicious jealousy. "Friends and family, I assume. They
were all addressed to Gaelund."
"I think you have a lot to answer for," Drake aimed at the engineer,
ignoring their conversation. "How could you just blithely fall asleep and
not see that Mac got to sick bay to be treated?"
"She kept saying she was
okay," Smitty responded, his voice low but somewhat angry. "I
believed her! In addition, I thought she
had fallen asleep again. I assumed she would remain until morning!"
"Well, she didn't!" Drake
whispered back. "And then, as if she hadn't done enough damage to herself,
she did even more trying to get to sick bay on her own! All because—"
"Enough," Jane broke in, and
looked around again before she turned back to Smitty. "Did you ever figure
out how she got out without waking you up? You said you were going to look into
that."
He nodded. "Nothing so simple as
tearing out the leads to the door lock. She got into the computer and removed
the lock I had placed on the doors."
"Explains how I was able to simply
walk in," Jane muttered. "Although I'd be happier if she didn't know
her way around computers quite as well as she appears to. Or at least not so
willing to put that skill to work."
"Oh, wait a minute," Drake
said to someone as he turned in his chair. "Are you done eating,
Harris?"
"Yes, sir," the brown-haired
engineer answered. She looked uncomfortable, as if uncertain if she should
salute the trio sitting at this table.
"At ease, lieutenant," Jane
told her, solving the problem for her.
"Good," Drake told Harris. "I'd
like for you to get some food on a tray and take it to your roommate. Maybe a
sandwich, something that won't take a lot of manipulation."
"Take an extra half hour,"
Smitty stated. "In case she needs your help with something." He
turned to the doctor. "Both her hands are bandaged, right?"
"Right. She's not supposed to use
them any more than she has to."
"That's... very kind of you, Mr
Smythe. I'll get right on it." Lt Harris moved off, to dispose of her tray
and start one for Mac.
"That was very touching," Jane
observed after Harris had moved away. "Of both of you, but particularly of
you, Smitty, making sure MacDowell has someone to help her for a few minutes. But
I could wish to see a little less jealousy on your part."
"Jealousy?" he returned.
"I don't know what you mean."
"You only allowed MacDowell to
invite her female friends to the ceremony," she pointed out softly.
"And I understand you've told Lt Bugalu to leave her alone. Considering
that he's like a brother to her, and nothing more, that shows a lot of jealousy
on your part."
"What?" A brother indeed! He's the father of her child, obviously! But I can't
mention that until after we're married!
"I'm surprised he hasn't warned me
off," Drake stated. "After all, she's adopted me as an uncle. But
Smitty's an old-fashioned kind of guy, I guess, and doesn't think men and women
can be just friends."
"Surprising, after the long-term
friendship he's had with Anna," Jane murmured.
Smitty felt his face burn, remembering
that he hadn't stayed just friends with Anna. And there's been other women. But most of them I don't think about.
Seldom think of Anna as a lover, and not at all since... I've gotten engaged.
How can I be sure the same is true for Colleen? She and Bugalu have been such a
tight couple since shortly after she came aboard. And Bugalu isn't the kind of
man to just be friends with a woman. But the captain had gone on to another
subject.
"I'm not sure it makes much sense,
to send in your request to marry to Headquarters when she's just declared the
marriage is off."
Oh,
no! "Captain, you've got to give me a chance to change her
mind! And once I've done that, I don't want any more roadblocks in our
way." How long can she possibly have
left on her first trimester? Sick Bay will be aware of her condition, after
last night!
Jane's mouth went taut for a moment as
she rearranged things on her tray, bringing her dessert to the forefront.
"Very well. But I warn you, Smitty, there's a difference between winning
her heart again and trying to coerce her against her will!"
"Yes, captain," he answered
meekly. "I understand." How can
she think that— No, I can't blame her for giving me that warning. The whole situation
must seem greasy to her. I have to admit, if it was one of my underlings,
vowing to change the mind of someone who had just broken up with him, I'd
likely be warning him, too. On the
other hand, I hope I'm mature enough not to insist on having things my way if
the situation is truly hopeless. Space, I hope it's not hopeless!
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