SNIP

Kate exited the holodeck and was much quieter than normal. She still joked and laughed with the group she had trained with but it was more reserved. As the group decided to head to the mess hall Kate took it as her chance to slip away. It took a bit and many teasingly snide comments about preferring Scottish food to a good old-fashioned pizza but soon Kate was heading down the turbo hoping to catch Shaun in his quarters. She grunted as the turbo stopped. Normally it was almost imperceptible but today Kate felt every step. Her cheeks were a bit red and she was sweating along her hairline as if she was doing something that required a lot of exertion. Reaching his door, Kate palmed the controls and walked in hoping Shaun was alone and not busy.

“Hey you,” Kate said. Her voice was a bit strained and one hand was shoved in her front right pocket. The position of her hand was not as odd as the tension in her body holding that position.

Shaun looked over as he saw Kate, smirking he couldn’t help but smile. “Oh sexy.” he said as he nodded her in, his smile widening at just the thought of getting to see her.

As Shaun sat in front he had what looked like wax and wicks all around him with jars to the side. “I am candle making, or very poorly attempting to. I wanted to recreate that god awful candle you got me when I was 15, but I don’t know if I am getting the smell right.” he said as he took a whiff of his next incarnation, clearly not what he expected.

“The candle I,” Kate said looked at him confused for a second before realization spread across her face, “the one I made at the country fair…and burned my fingers…and then got you to get me cold drinks for a day,” Kate smiled and let out a breathy laugh.

Oh god. Why why why do you always take it a step too far? You knew he didn’t like the scent so you tried to guilt him into liking it with that lame butt story you almost forgot. Now here he is, trying to patch things up with you by making one again and you don’t have the balls to tell him that the candle was something your mom gave you because you read at the last minute girls should give guys they like something homemade and personal.

Well it was lame to give him just five double joined Marvel action heroes, she argued with her inner self. He needed soemthing personal. SOmething that siad I love you. That reminded him of me every time he saw it!

And you think that candle was it, her inner voice squwacked. He wanted the 2018 Gambit figure, her inner voice yelled back.

And that one was stupid. It had Homer hands and a burlap robe. It looked like a hobo. The one I got was better and the coat looked far more leather-like. The debate of which Gambut reigned supremed was a long one dating back to the first time he brought up the subject at eight years old and Kate said it was a stupid X-Men talent. This then involved both Mom’s making the kids apologize and promise to be nice. And if I hadn’t have given him something personal he would have played with that thing all night!

It was his birthday, her inner voice said in disbelief. Catching a glance at Shaun meticulously trying to pour the hot paraffin wax into the glass jar while not burning his fingers as he held the wick in place stopped the mental fight. Kate....fix this before he burns himself, her inner voice chastised her.

“Oh my god. Baby let me help you,” Kate said taking a step forward momentarily forgetting why she was there. “Where did you learn to make candles?”

“I always hated the smell, now I kind of long for it, and I wanted to see if I could make it. I think maybe my memory just isn’t sharp enough.”

“You hated the smell? Lavender is supposed to be relaxing” and strong as hell. You know it gives us a headache. That is why you constantly blew it out the second you could find an excuse,” Kate said stopping as she was almost to him. “So why are you making it now,” she cocked her head to the side looking at him.

“Well, you made it for me love… it reminds me of all our times together. I may have hated it, but it came from love and I always thought it was amazing you did that for me. So, I went to YouTube and began looking up tutorials, though I don’t think I am doing it just right. Nothing comes smelling like I remember, maybe I am romancing the fragrance too much but it reminds me of you.” he said as he leaned over to give her a kiss on her cheek, smelling of burnt wick and mixed variations of lavender among other smells.

“I’m sorry, I probably smell god awful strong to you, I became kind of nose blind after the 13th attempt.” he said as he leaned back, clearly done with this experiment.

“Thhhuh thirteen,” Kate said forcing a smile on her face. “You have done this thirteen times for me,” she said blinking at him. While Kate did not doubt he loved her, even when they were no longer a couple, she also knew Shaun was 100% guy. He would knock out any schmuck who looked at her cross-eyed, fall asleep watching romantic comedies claiming he loved it at the end, and refuse to do stuff simply because he did not want to. The latter didn’t mean he didn’t love her. It only meant that he loved her enough to say no. The fact that Shaun was now back to doing the old -new boyfriend things made Kate sigh and smile. “Baby have I told you lately that I love you,” she sang the ancient song her father would occasionally sing to her mother moving up next to him. “Have I told you there is no one else above you,” she bit her lip looking at him.

Shaun smiled as she sang time him, “Come here love.” he said as he pulled her on top of him, pulling her close to kiss as he mixed wax and scents all in her hair as he took her into his arms. She was his, all his and he was always going to remind her just how much he loved her.

“Owwww,” Kate yelped in a low tone as she closed her eyes up tight and her body went stiff. Kate bit her lip and hard and breathed heavy through her nose trying to control the pain coursing through her body. She was used to pushing through the pain for periods of time as long as it was on her terms such as walking to his quarters or having mini conversations on the way to sickbay. “Stop....for a sec....und,” she panted out each word with a huff of air. “I…I hurt my arm,” Kate said finally looking up at Shaun. Her eyes were already watering. Well, that is what she would say. “I am not crying,” she blinked and sniffed back her nose. “It is just epiphora. You know the overflow of tears from like stress or stuff. I developed it on the Viking because it was so dusty.” Kate finally got her breathing under control. Now she just needed him to fix her.

“Oh! Does my girl have a boo boo?” he said softly as he let her lay back down as he kissed her forehead. “Okay love, let me get my medical kit love okay?” he said softly as he wandered off. From the other room she would hear him just slightly muffled. “You know by the way none of what you just said was correct?” he said coming back in.

“I mean love, I am a Doctor, and I can sniff out bull crap from a mile away.” he said as he came back and knelled on the couch tricorder in hand. “Stand still let me scan you puppy.” he said soft, his touch soft and delicate as if he was taking care of the most prized possession in some rare antiquity dealer.

Kate laid still for the first time in a long time. She had to. It hurt to bad to move and the softness of the mattress wasn’t helping. “Shaun just give me 10 cc’s of hydrocodone for the pain and snap it back in,” she said almost begging staring at the ceiling. The tricorder shows a partial subluxation of the upper humerus in the glenoid socket. It was the same injury that had filled her medical charts since she was 12 and fell out of her first tree. “This is not rocket science,” she said getting a hint of anger to her voice from the pain.

“You are not going to die you little minx, just let me take care of you.” he said as he gave her a shot and began massaging her limb.

“Just do it okay,” Kate said stiffening her body as she felt Shaun palpitate the area. She knew he was not trying to hurt her or prolong anything. Kate knew that he couldn’t just yank it in place, although that is always the way it looked. There were nerves and tendons and muscles that needed to be aligned before he could pull out and up centering the joint back into the socket. Kate tried to be still and quiet even though she felt like her arm was on alternately on fire or being crushed to death. The doctor on the Viking had warned her that any more incidents of joint instability might require surgery. So had every other doctor since she was six which was why Kate had started to self-treat it the year she and Shaun were separated. It was not the most pleasant experience and recovery took a lot longer than if she had gone to medical but Kate hadn’t liked the doctor there much.

“You need to be more careful love, you can’t just hurt yourself like this.” he said, stern as he looked at her.

“It is not like I tried to pop my shoulder out,” Kate got snappy back mainly because the shot was only taking the edge off the pain. Every time this happened she completely understood why animals had been known to chew their own limbs off.

“You come to me and don’t go crazy, if you jump off a roof do you expect me to repair you again?:

Kate turned her head sharply to look at him the exact moment Shaun relocated her arm. He was as gentle and fast as possible but it still hurt like a witch. “Ughhhh go sleep in a ditch that hurt,” Kate rolled over face first on the bed. It was entirely to hide her grimaced expression and soak up the few tears that always sprang to her eyes. “Have I ever told you that I thank God every day you took up medicine,” she said in a highly muffled voice as she spoke into the sheets. “and yes,” she replied before turning her face so that she could look at him. A mess of red locks covered most of her vision but he was still slightly visible. “You will fix me every time because you love me. That’s what boyfriends do. They piece their girlfriends back together like Frankenstein when they take on a Klingon sparing that was trying to show he could out do the chief of security and a girl to boot.”

“You know me so well love.” he said softly, she was right Shaun had always taking care of his Katie, whether she was his girlfriend, fiance’, or little bratty neighbor. “You wil always be my girl.”

Kate had a hard time lying to Shaun. She always did. The scope of lying went from bold-faced falsehoods to the causal avoidance of a topic. Either one, however, had always spurred a midnight confession or apology when Kate thought Shaun was fast asleep. This incident was clearly Kate trying to cut Shaun off at the pass with a reason to why she had hurt her arm again. “So....wanna order a pizza, curl up on the couch and count how long it takes me to fall asleep when I am horizontal with a blanket,” she tried to sound enthusiastic.

“We can yes, I would love that in fact.” Shaun said as he kissed her before getting up. “I will get some popcorn you put the movie on love.” he said, feeling calm and at ease right now with her here. This was his life, and this is what he had come to love most about her, the simple things.

No sooner did their arse’s hit the couch with Kate’s head in Shaun’s lap did she begin to chew her lower lip. Kate tried to not give the telltale signs of not being ready to settle down. Her shoulder ached like hell so that helped with not squirming too much. Still, unless Kate was asleep she was always moving.

“Shaun,” she let her voice have a sing-song quality to it as she spoke his name. It was the way most girl’s used a guys name when they wanted something.

“You still have that tricorder Ryan bought you for Christmas when you graduated from the Academy?”

“Yeah, I would think it’s around here at least. Why love?” he asked her, he hadn’t thought of that tool for a long time, and why she suddenly needed to know about it seemed peculiar.

“Find it for me,” Kate said giving Shaun a quick kiss on the check as she snuggled back in his arms ready to watch the movie. She would worry about explaining why later. At least she knew where to start looking for it.

It wasn’t long before Shaun came back with the tricorder, and a box of nutter butter cookies, which was always something he knew she loved to snack on along with a cup of her favorite strong brew coffee. Flopping down next to her he leaned in kissing her cheek before wrapping his arm around her tightly as he kept the box in his lap and gave her the coffee and tricorder.

“You are amazing,” Kate said setting the device on the table. At least now she could pick and choose when she needed to come to him for medical treatment. FOr the stuff she couldn’t handle, Kate would come to Shaun but for the million bumps, bruises and scrapes, she now had the means to fix it on the fly and be back in action with zero downtime. “Oh God are those nutter butters” she said in almost a whimper. The crisp thin cookie with the creamy filling was something Kate rarely passed up. “How did I get so lucky,” she said nibbling the ends of the cookie so that she could lick out the center. Yes maybe it was gross but this was her favorite way to eat them and they were alone.

A low beep began to fill the room indicating a comm call was coming through. The monitor on the comm station had turned from black to the standard Federation symbol indicating it needed attention.

“Life of a doctors wife,” Kate groaned. This was not the first time Shaun had been pulled away. Kate hoped it was neither family or work-related. If it was just a friend, Shaun could pawn them off and get back to cuddling.

“I’ll be right back love.” he said giving her the box of cookies before leaning in, letting his lips mingle with her as he savored the taste of her lips on his for that brief blisful moment.

“Noooo don’t go,” Kate said fisting his shirt with her hands. “If you answer that you could let crazy in and we don’t like crazy,” she Eskimo kissed his nose.

The sound of the call ended but almost immediately it began to beep again. Whoever was on the other end was not planning to be ignored?

Making it to the desk he slid in, bringing up the monitor he waited, curious as to who it is.

Grecken, Doctor

“Shaun,” a woman said in a thickly accented Scottish voice said over the comm line. She would still look the same with her dark curly locks framing a face with deep emerald eyes and a happy grin. “Were you sleeping? Never took you that long to wake up when you were here? Is the black making you slow and lazy,” she teased. The woman would be someone Shaun instantly recognized. Mary Greer was Persie IV’s expert on livestock and animal husbandry. Her family had for centuries raised sheep in the Scottish highlands. When the chance to colonize an extraterrestrial Scotland appeared the Greer’s of the twenty-four century jumped at the chance to start anew. She was one of the first people Shaun met when he came to the colony. While he was not a vet, there had been times over the past year he was there Mary had brought him a baby calf instead of a baby colonist to treat.

Mary Greer, colonist Persie IV

Mary was not the face he expected at all. His time hadn’t given him much chance to meet many people in the colony, he was one of the few medical personnel on the time that was eradicating the virus that had plagued their livestock. Most of the team he had worked with were scientists, researches, and small smattering of doctors. He was the most senior of the medical staff, which in many ways was shocking for his age.

Kate sat up immediately hearing a woman’s voice come over the comms that she did not know. Her shoudler still ached with a dull pain yet she pushed up from her position to watch Shaun at the computer desk.

Still, Mary had befriended him, as much as he let anyone during his time he was healing from Kate breaking up with him. In reality he had very little to do with anyone on the colony, even his team he had barley talked to before he decided to take on the Odin. “Mary, I did not expect hear from you again.” he said, his Irish accent countering her own Scottish one. “How are you? How is the farm and family?” he asked, he hopped she didn’t mention any of her family members, he could remember only her brother Jerod and her Dad Samuel, outside of them two she often rambled for hours on people he never bothered to remember.

Grecken, Doctor

While Kate knew Shaun did what he wanted no matter what, a part of her felt the need to make her presence known. Not to remind Shaun she was in the room but more to let Mary know she was there. Moving over to the computer, Kate moved one of Shaun’s arms so that she could sit on his knee. Yes, it was catty and a total witch move but at times Kate was still insecure over their relationship. She was the one that left and Shaun never saw it coming. Maybe deep down Kate worried that what goes around comes around meant she would never see Shaun do the same thing to her.

“Good but that is not the reason I was comming you,” Mary said casting a glance at the woman now on Shaun’s leg. Obviously, it was a girlfriend which surprised her somewhat. Shaun Grecken was easy on the eyes. The few times he ventured into the colony for supplies had sent the single ladies into stare mode but Shaun never seemed interested in any of them. He barely spoke when requesting supplies and a conversation was next to non-existent to this man. Maybe this redhead on his knee was the reason for it.

“We are having a bit of an issue,” Mary said as the comm call broke into scattered vertical lines with static breaking up her words. “Is there any way you can,” she said but the last part of her message was just mouthing without sound. “We can really use your help with the,” Mary said but again the last word of her message was cut off by interference.

Mary Greer

“What? Mary you are cutting in and out, what happened?” Shaun asked, unsure of what Mary needed as he wrapped his arm around Kate. He didn’t at all mind her on him, she had in every way became an extension of himself, even with the rebuilding of where they were he never liked being away from her. You spend every hour with someone since you are 8 and it become very hard to want to be away from them.

Grecken, Doctor

Instantly the screen went black as if someone pulled the plug. “Well that was convenient,” Kate said with half a smirk. “Darn comm systems,” she gave a half laugh as she spun the chair so that she was straddling him with her back to the comm station. If there was a god in the universe that Mary chick would not come back. “Hey what if we get away,” Kate suggested locking her hands behind Shaun’s head as she spoke. “What if we go spend a week at that castle your uncle owns in Ireland? Maybe they got some cosplay events going on or we can just spend the week in a drafty and damp stone room where we never leave the bed,” Kate grinned leaning in to kiss his neck. “Just me and you and a bunch of lazy days.”

Lt. Kate O’Neill, COS

“Cosplay? When did we ever go cosplaying?” Shaun asked as he smiled as she kissed down his neck.

“You know that time back in Pennsylvania when you were like nine and I was seven and that convention thingy came to town,” Kate said softly as she let her lips linger a second longer in one spot as she spoke.

“No seriously, we have never gone.” he said pushing her back and looked at her. “Have you been cosplaying while I wasn’t looking? Don’t tell me you went LARPing next!” he said, with mock indignation in his voice.

Grecken, Doctor

“No but I slept in a Galactic Inn last night,” Kate let out a giggle that shook her entire body. “Baby every Halloween for us on Earth was essentially a LARPing event and living on the Viking was like a 24/7 virtual LARPing event. The paycheck might have said United Federation of Planets but the signatures was S&D Winchester,” Kate bit her ips knowing he would get the inside joke. No one else in the universe would but him. Maybe that is why she was so in love with him. Life was easy with Shaun when they just let it happen.

“We had a few vampires and there was that time with the Reman Imp where I had to take a pot shots at it in the turbo lift while Ros held onto my ankles,” Kate droned until Shaun silenced her not with words but his lips to hers. It was always a sure fire way to stop her from talking.

“So,” Kate said once they broke from the kiss, “what do you think? Maybe you could convince your Uncle Danny to let me set foot in his house again?” Kate knew the Grecken family was not all thrilled with her over the past year. All she could do was pretend it did not bother her or make a joke about it. This time she chose the later.

“So do you want to try to call him or should we just go somewhere else? I really don’t care. I just would love to spend a few days just you and I.”

Lt. Kate O’Neill, Cos

“You serious?” Shaun asked, a smirk on his face as he smiled at the thought. “I haven’t been able to go back to Dublin in… gosh… ages.” he said as he bit his lower lip as he leaned in kissing her softly. “Yes, I will get in contact with him. You need to make sure the Captain is okay with us, you are senior staff after all.” he said with a wink towards her as felt his excitement rise.

Grecken, Doctor

“Okay I will go talk to ol’ Calin now,” she winked at him hopping up. “He is at home with the kids and has been for the past couple hours between lunch and nap time. He should be pliable,” Kate broke out laughing. Captain Calin was a great father. Kate had seen him and Morgana around the ship when they were off duty. He was involved and appeared to spend a lot of time with this kids but he was a guy. Kate’s favorite time was seeing him in the Mess Hall one morning. Morgana kept the kids as cute as a button: adorable clothes, pretty hairstyles, and always quiet for a kid. This one morning the girl’s ponytails were off center undoubtedly due to a squirming head and lack of experience on the Captain’s part with holding, brushing, and twisting. They were also laughing far louder than normal and goofing off as Calin sat reading his PaDD and nodding every so often in their general direction. The scene showed Kate two things. One was that Calin could handle two small girls but to run efficiently he needed Morgana at his side. One day she wanted that life with Shaun. The second thing was that Calin had a limit. The end of the daddy-daughter breakfast club that day resulted in a happy expression when he heard the call for the school to begin. Right now, with Morgana on duty, Calin was probably ready to have the teacher call a special study session.

=================================
One Hour Later ~ Grecken’s quarters

“Shaun me fella. ‘Owaya?” Danny Grecken’s smiling face appeared on the comm line.

“ ‘Oweya likin’ de big fancy ship yer were transferred ter? Ye de chief medical officer yet? If so oi got dis pain in me side,” Danny joked enjoying the small talk with his nephew.

Danny Grecken.