Posted by Lieutenant Nathan Harland (Assistant CNS/ Child Psychiatry) in Graduation Week - Earth 2383
“Come on doll down the hatch, you can do it Kelly… I see you take it father, so has Dante and half the class… so come on down the hatch… down the hatch!” Nathan said as he sat by the bar, filled with fourth year cadets and Ensigns with a small spattering of what his drinking buddy loved to call the JG’s as they stood surrounding Kelly Schultz, friend and ex fling whom Nathan loved finding chances to tease her whenever she came back to Earth.

Kelly slammed the glass down on the table and looked around at the graduating class. Life had changed so much for her over the past year just like it was going to change for this new batch of cadets. She and Dante had taken to the stars only to return for a briefing to find themselves back during graduation week. Well Dante was only for a hot minute. He had taken off as fast as he could to spend time with Natasha. It had to be true love for the man to be hanging out stocking the hypo cabinet at the hospital on a Saturday night. The more Kelly thought about it the larger her smile grew. Dante had left the bar feeling no pain. This probably meant he was doing things in the supply stockroom that could bust you down a rank if caught but that was true love. It made you do stupid things and the only thing that made Dante stupid was a dark haired blue eye feisty Russian. Since Kelly was going to be flying solo tonight Nate was just as good as anyone to hang out with.

“I’m impressed, six shots, you got seven in you Kelz or are you gonna slink back to your ship and sleep it off?” Nathan asked, smiling widely at the gorgeous blonde. The irony was Nathan and Kelly where never truly serious, it was this hot spark that only lasted a month, but he always enjoyed her random calls to bars even after they split where they talked trash and tried to see who could drink the most.

Her eyes drifted around the bar looking to see if anyone interesting caught her eye before replying. Nate knew this look in her eyes. Heck anyone who had been drinking with Kelly knew this look. “Debating,” she said scanning the room a second time.

“The Constellation will survive without you you for a few hours, plus you promised me you would wing man me… you owe me after the last date you set me on… that Andorian girl was a freak but she had more screws lose than a Ferengi freighter.” Nathan said as he took back a shot as the music and crowd seemed to get louder.

“Hey I warned you that night it was slim pickings and there was no guarantee I was finding you a woman to bring home to your mama,” she southern drawled out the last word as she pointed a finger accusingly at him however you are in luck,” Kelly snapped her fingers twice to grab the bartenders attention. “Tonight I am going to find you a prime time, one hundred percent perfect girl suitable for steamy date nights, church functions, and most importantly meeting your mama. Now we need to narrow the field. You have never been picking about blonde, brunette, or red heads but red heads are crazy, along with anyone named Ashley, Shannon or Tiffany. We want someone pretty but you have to focus on the pretty-psycho scale as Duncan and I created. See the prettier they are the more psycho they are,” Kelly took one of the shot that was just delivered and handed the other to Nathan. “Case in point,” she downed her shot. “I am hot as all get out so it takes a strong man to handle the truckloads of baggage I bring into a relationship, sort it out, and stay for longer than a week.”

Looking around bar Kelly pointed to a red head in the corner. “How about her? I know I said avoid the red heads but she is wearing glasses which I have no idea why except that maybe it is like a force field holding back the crazy? She seems cute though.”

“Brunette two o’clock,” Kelly called out another candidate to the the ‘lets find Nate a Date game’.

“Okay what about that blonde with the fruity drink that has the cute little umbrella?” Kelly shook her head not even letting Nate respond before she spoke again. “She has to be from Connecticut with a name like Olivia or Ava. You can tell by the prep girl sweater and headband thing she has got going. Only girls from Connecticut look like that because they are close enough to New York City to land a wealthy doctor or lawyer but far enough away they can wear their beige skirts and plaid sweater discussing vegetarian recipes and vegan options for cheese.”

Lt. j.g Kelly Shultz

The truth was none of the people here sparked him. He was officially an Ensign himself, having just graduated yet waiting assignment. Most of the people of the people here in this bar were ex cadets just a week ago, as he took a deep breath as he ran his hands through his messy brown hair as he looked back at Kelz, his icy blue eyes seeming to try and guess just what she might be planning for the night, or if she did indeed have some mark in mind to try and pawn him off she she could grab Dante and run off on some odd bender that those two always seemed to be getting into.

Harland, Doctor