The Locked Door

 Month 14 Day 26 (day of wedding)

0918 Hours

Security Chief Ngu

Lt Cmdr Waylon Ngu approached the crew quarters he was headed for, surprised to see a man already there, trying to open the door.

"Computer, this is Chief Medical Officer Drake MacGregor. Emergency override. Let me in."

The computer's response was not immediate; entire seconds drug by before it announced, "Denied."

"What? You can't do that!"

"Is there a problem?" Ngu asked.

The Chief Medical Officer turned to look at him. "Saw a medical report stating Mac—MacDowell was seen as a patient last night. Thought I'd look in on her, but the computer won't let me in."

"I always thought a medical emergency override was undeniable."

"So did I."

"Was she badly injured?"

"Mostly just bruises, but I've seen how bad bruises can be for her." His mouth went tight for a moment. "I thought I should double-check about how she got injured, since there were several of them."

"Oh." Ngu considered the door, which he also wanted to get past. He rang the doorbell, but nothing happened. "Computer, this is Lt Cmdr Ngu. Security override. Open this door."

Again the computer hesitated. "Denied."

"What? How can it do that?" Ngu wondered.

"I was wondering the same thing." MacGregor pushed the button that would open an intercom channel to the interior. "Mac? Are you in there? Are you okay?"

After a long moment, a female voice responded. "It's hard to sleep if you're going to natter at me."

MacGregor frowned. "It's B shift. What are you doing sleeping?"

"It's my weekend. Why aren't you in Sick Bay? What if someone needs you?"

"Nurse Temple will find me. Even on your day off, you don't dawdle in bed. So what's going on today?"

"Did you read your overnight reports?"

"Of course."

"Then you know what's going on. I'm resting, like Dr Davis told me to." A tinny 'click' said the channel had been closed.

The two men looked at each other. "She didn't sound very cooperative," Ngu observed.

"Usually means she's trying to hide something," MacGregor muttered.

Like rape? Tall Bear didn't say that in his report of his encounter with her, but the implication was that it might be a possibility.

"Gentlemen," came an already familiar voice. "Why are you congregated in this particular area?"

They turned to see the captain approaching. MacGregor spoke first. "I came to check on Mac's injuries."

The captain didn't look surprised at the mention of injuries. Ngu added, "After reading a report of her having to be helped to sick bay, and back to her quarters, I came to investigate the source of her injuries."

The captain gave a short nod. "Good reasons for being here. Why are you still in the hallway?"

"The door's locked," MacGregor stated simply. "Denies our emergency over-rides. She doesn't want to be disturbed."

"Is she in there?"

"I just spoke to her on the intercom."

Capt Burke reached between them to activate the intercom again. "Lt MacDowell, this is the captain. I received your message. I want to talk to you about it." They heard a sigh come over the channel, and then the tinny click again.

But the door opened, allowing them entry to the living room. They walked in as one group, but there was no sign of any inhabitants as the door closed behind them.

"You'll have to come to the bedroom, captain. I can't get up."

Ngu followed the others into the bedroom, where a woman with flaming red hair and a dark purple face lay on the secondary bed. "Well, I could try to get up, but even if I made it, I'd probably fall on my face."

"Stay where you are," MacGregor told her. "You don't need any more bruises. That's quite a doozy you've got on your face."

"The others are probably just as bad. I had a feeling you hadn't left yet, MacG." She turned a green eye—the other one was swollen shut—to Ngu. "Who's the new guy?"

He almost stepped forward to offer a hand, but realized both of hers were bandaged. "Lt Cmdr Ngu, Security."

"Oh, yes. Tall Bear said someone might come around. I was hoping to put it off a day or two." She wriggled, apparently trying to find a more comfortable position. "Well, you're all here now, so who wants to start?"

"I think Cmdr Ngu should," the captain stated, and waved him forward. "He probably has the most pressing questions that we'd all like to hear the answers to."

"Well, go ahead. I don't know for sure what your questions are until I hear them."

"Who were you with when you sustained these injuries?" Ngu asked the redhead.

A red eyebrow rose in surprise, but didn't stay up very long. "I don't want to answer that one. What's the next one?"

No, she's not going to be cooperative. "Alright, then. How did you sustain these injuries?"

"Oh. It's a long story that I'm tired of telling. Clumsiness. Nervousness. Lack of thinking. Pick one. Or all of them, because they all fit. I was extremely nervous about my impending wedding. It was happening today. I forgot my own strength. I'm a heavy worlder. I also forgot my limitations. I bruise very easily. So through a batch of not thinking and some very clumsy moves, I managed to batter myself quite well. Done more damage than any man has ever done to me, I'm pretty sure. If you need more than that, talk to Dr Davis. I recited the entire litany to her."

"Ahh," MacGregor spoke up. "The information is in your medical chart, Mac, but technically, that's privileged information."

"Naturally," MacDowell agreed, and sighed. "Well, I can't currently sign any release forms, so verbal will have to do. Captain, MacGregor, please serve as my witnesses. I hereby give permission to Lt Cmdr Ngu to view my medical records concerning the injuries I sustained last night. However, I don't expect the details of those medical records to become common knowledge."

Is she trying to tie my hands in this investigation? I can't make a promise like that until I know what's in the files.

"If Mr Ngu has any problems with that, he'll come to me to resolve the ethics of the matter," Capt Burke stated.

After a moment, the redhead gave a short nod. "Good enough. What's next?"

He sighed in frustration. "What I'm trying to figure out is whether or not you were raped."

"I wasn't."

"Wait a minute, Mac," MacGregor broke in. "Think about that for a moment. If you say no now, it'll make it that much harder to press charges later."

She turned her head to face MacGregor, and her face seemed to go even darker, until Ngu saw the redness of her neck, and realized she was blushing furiously. She spoke very deliberately, all the while staring at MacGregor. "There was no rape. We did have sex, which produced the only injury I didn't inflict on myself, but it was completely consensual. I said that to Dr Davis, too." She lowered her gaze to her hands, which were resting atop the blanket.

"Anything else, Mr Ngu?" The captain had a completely bland look on her face.

She's a heavy worlder, she admits she was clumsy and not thinking. "Did you—either accidentally or intentionally—injure whoever you were with?"

She opened her mouth to answer, then closed it as she paused to ruminate. "I don't think so. I certainly didn't try to. He didn't complain of any injuries."

So if she did, I have to wait for her lover to come and press charges against her. Unless he's currently in sick bay, I don't see that happening. What else can I possibly ask? "Were you drunk?"

She grinned, as much as her facial bruise would let her, then winced as her face went bland again. "I wish I had been! But no, I haven't had a drop in a couple weeks."

Ngu pursed his lips, gathered his thoughts and turned to the captain. "I think that's all the questions I have right now, captain."

She nodded and waved him out of the room. Ngu walked back through the living room and out into the corridor. The door closed behind him with a seriously ominous 'thump'.