Kate stood outside sickbay with her stomach in knots. She had spent the first ten minutes she arrived at her location learning the exact spot which would not trip the automatic door announcing her arrival until she wanted it to be announced; however, Kate wasn’t factoring in the obvious detail that she could clearly be seen hovering outside the room like it was Black Friday and Walmart would be opening it’s doors in ten minutes. Kate was not one of the hordes that were either hypochondriacs or terrified of anyone in blue. Kate was only scared of one person today in blue. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Come on Kate just take one step forward, trip the pneumatic sensor and get this over with. Shaun would not make this awkward. He is a doctor, she began her internal monologue outside the clear door. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Pfft and you are in nonny nonny land, the evil version of her voice promptly replied. A person entering Sickbay, triggering the door, jarred her back to reality and out of what William called the Kate-Circuit Model of Consciousness. William explained the psychology theory once but all Kate got was blah blah blah. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Taking a deep breath and letting it out in a deep rush, Kate took a step forward and entered Sickbay. She and Shaun had a history. She would be fine. Besides he was checking in also. The odds that he would be available to do her check-in were 1 in a thousand. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Lt. (j.g.) Kate O’Neill, COS : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “Oh look if it isn’t my favorite patient.” Came a response as Shaun made it from around the content. It was a slow shift and no one was in yet but him and two nurses. “You gonna just stay outside the door all the time, I promise my bedside manners have gotten better since you and I played doctor when I was 12.” He said as he looked squarely at Kate, a small curve of his lip showed he was holding back laughing. : : : : : : : : : : : : : Kate gave him a half smirk and entered the room. “And we got grounded for two months when you pulled out that antique stethoscope and my Grandpa caught us,” she laughed. “We both know you were just trying to see if the ancient tool worked but apparently even then my family worried about your bedside manner,” she teased leaning against the wall. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “Well I did have you pull your shirt back…” he said with a smirk as he bowed his head before looking back at her, giving her a small wink he continued. : : : : : : : : : : : : “Now please have a seat on bio bed one remove your top and put on a gown…” he said looking dead pan at her. : : : : : : : : : : : : Kate raised an eyebrow and got a quizzical expression. She wasn’t sure if he was joking or not but that was always the issue with Shaun. Their verbal communication was top notch, well except for that day a year ago last summer, but their non-verbal communication had always needed work. He could sell her the Brooklyn Bridge and Kate would buy it hook line and sinker if he wore the expression he was wearing now. : : : : : : : : : : : : :“No no, wait no that’s how we used to play when we were 22.” He said with a wink to both nurses behind him as one rolled her eyes and the other couldn’t help but blush. He knew which one he wanted on his shift now. : : : : : : : : : : : : Hopping on the bed, Kate smiled and let her feet dangle and swing a bit over the edge like a small kid. “No at 22 your bedside manner put a ring on my finger,” she grinned happily until the small twinge knotted up in her stomach. What happened was not a joke and she had only meant to refer to happy times with him; however, after all, that had happened Kate wasn’t sure how he would take the comment. “Shaun…I,” Kate crossed her ankles and gave him the expression she had shared a thousand times with him. It was the help me face that signaled she needed him at her side, his hand in hers, and to fix what was going on. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Looking at her softly he smiled before it faded quickly. “Doctor Grecken Lieutenant.” he said as he took her hand for a moment in his head, noting the absence of the ring and sighed. “It’s Doctor Grecken.” breaking the moment up he smiled at her but it was clear he was trying to be professional, but was finding it harder and harder to pull off. : : : : : : : : “Duly noted,” Kate’s expression became more somber. She half expected this reaction. There was only two ways it could go and obviously Shaun had decided after thier shuttle ride over to go right not left. She felt a pang of sadness twist in her gut but she had left him. She had spent the last yeat trying to prove she could get over him then fate threw them back together. Kate’s initial thought was that it was for reconcilliation but maybe it was to show her that the bridge she had burned was not just burned but doused with gasoline and charred to a crisp. : : : : : : : : : : Kiss her you fool. can screaming in Shaun’s mind. He couldn’t help but feeling this torn nature yet seeing her face drop felt like a hit to his gut. He couldn’t take his Kate feeling like that. But she left you, you fool! came the next thought. You waited at that alter for three hours, took her two days to even message you. the voice echoed as he felt his anger rise and knot up inside him. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “Come on Lieutenant I am not gonna bite, just sit…” he said smiling softly. It had been a shock to see his ex finance on the shuttle. He had been trying to move on after she left for so long. The last year hadn’t been easy but now that she was back he wasn’t quite sure if it was going to be better or not. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : The two had known each other since he was 8 and she was 6, their lives seemed destined for them to be together. Then 12 months ago, she didn’t show, she was always the one person he felt he could rely on but she flaked. Taking a deep breath he was determined to not let it get the best of him as he looked over at her. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Grecken, Doctor : : : : : : : : : : : : “You know biting’s excellent. It’s like kissing - only there is a winner. Ten points for me,” she gave him the happy grin again with the double arm pump showing she had one some imaginary contest occurring in her head. : : : : : : : : : : : : “Oh and can I do it,” she said rolling to the side and grabbing the tricorder on the small table to the side. Turning it on she began to run her own scan. “You know I am healthy as a horse,” she said as the device ran. All would show she was healthy except for the round of flu vaccinations Kate had ducked out of as she had the past four years of her life. : : : : : : : : : : : : Lt. (j.g.) Kate O’Neill, security : : : : : : : : : : Taking it quickly from her Shaun stared intently at her, he wanted to forgive her so badly… but right now he couldn’t bring himself to keep the face happy and light. “I will be the judge of that, now… ” he said as he looked over at the nurse. Stepping away for a moment he handed the tricorder to Nurse Roberts. “Scan her and log her results for me.” he said as he grabbed a chair and pulled it over. : : : : : : : : : : Nodding the nurse took it, should could sense the tension. She hand’t gotten to know the new cute doctor for long, but this was not the side of him he had ever shown . He seemed torn and conflicted as she opened the tricroder back up. “How’s Chestnut?” he said simply, he knew she would know the horse he gave her 3 years ago. It was a gift for her 21st birthday. “Mom says you been neglecting visiting her, you can’t just leave everyone ya know.” he said, the last few words more sharp than intended at first. : : : : : : : : : : Grecken, Doctor : : : : : : : : “No just the people that are important. And like you I was stationed halfway across the universe until now but I will make it a priority and send you a detailed report,” Kate said a bit sharper than she intended. Averting her eyes, Kate stared ahead at the nurse not looking at Shaun in the chair. The Lt. comment stung far more than a backhand would have. Just keep it together for another five minutes. Then you can cry in the shower, Kate’s subconscious reminded herself. Just don’t give him an opening. Lock it down and seal it up. : : : : : : : : : : “I seem to recall my plans to join the Viking with you, but we both know that I had to change that. I wasn’t for one second going to be there on the same ship as you so yeah, I picked the farthest region of the galaxy just to make sure I didn’t run into you after that.” he retorted, she seemed to always want to gloss over details. His going to Persie IV had nothing to do with them not being stationed. With her dad, his and all the people they knew in Starfleet that could have gone to any ship they wanted together. : : : : “I needed time,” she belted out in a half whine. “You know how crazy it got. I told you I was up to here with my cousin Connie Sue Spunkler wanting to be a bridesmaid because her mom was making the cookie tray and your Uncle Gavin driving the limo because he worked as a mechanic and loved classic cars. I told you I was done and you didn’t pay attention. You kept saying it would be fine and once we were married. It would be over but it is never over with our families. Both sides are Bat poop crazy and twice as nuts on full moons.” : : : : “It would have been fine, we would have been light years away only visiting for Christmas, Easter, and Aunt Patrice’s 3rd 4th and 5th weddings.” He said as he couldn’t help but to think back. “Maybe at the worst we had to visit Cosuin Harper when she hit a dozen kids and that was it!” He said, acting like this was all the most logical series of events. To them it became almost second. : : : Turning her attention to Nurse Roberts, Kate pulled her into the conversation more. “And it was marriage. I mean marriage. That is permanent…forever…I mean only death does it part and even then there is a rumor you still see them in the afterlife.” : : : : “Honey you just need to worry about seeing him with his god awful sweatpants you have thrown away twice but he still finds them, sitting in a chair, with a beer in one hand and the other scratching something you dont wanna know,” Roberts replied in a saucy tone. : : : : Kate’s eyes got wide. That was an image she had not seen nor had ever planned. Maybe Nurse Roberts was not the one to tag in for help. : : : : : : : “And we both know there is no reason for you to watch like her like she is an intern about to do brain surgery,” Kate replied rolling her neck as if to work out some invisible kink. : : : : : : “Oh Nurse Roberts? I just make her treat the hostile patients. She’s good at making sure they stay put during an entire exam.” he said as he winked at Nurse Roberts but saw her just shake her head. : : : : : : “Hey don’t turn on me too. She’s the enemy here, remember Team Grecken!” he said as he could feel he was loosing her, but couldn’t help but smile just slightly in tha moment. : : : : : “She could but she is wearing her official Team O’Neill t-shirt under that uniform,” Kate snapped back. : : : : : : : : Nurse Roberts continued the check-in ignoring the couple spat occurring around her. As a nurse, she had seen situations like this before and would again. It was best to proceed and get out of the line of fire. Six more months and Kate and Shaun would be dragging her into this spat. She would avoid that until she couldn’t. Using the distraction, Roberts programmed the hypo and deliver the vaccination cocktail, it appeared Kate was lacking. : : : : : : : : “Ouch,” Kate said realizing what just happened rubbing the spot on her arm. : : : : : : : : “Your security. You’ll live,” she said filling out the PaDD and handing it to Shaun. : : : : : : : : Lt. (j.g.) Kate O’Neill COS : : : : : : “She left me Roberts, day of our wedding… can you believe that?” he said as he looked at the PaDD in more detail as she handed it to him. : : : : “Shaun Percival Grecken,” Kate snapped feeling her blood pressure skyrocketing. : : : : : : “Don’t put me in this, I just want off the shift and go watch my shows.” she said as she walked away. : : : : : : Glossing over the PaDD he sighed. “You are still missing shots. You know science has made it so it’s not voo doo like your Cousin Darlene always claimed. I swear the less Scottish your family tree got the more superstitious they did.” he said as he looked up at Kate but felt that cold center melting. He wanted to be mad, he felt desperate to be mad but he wasn’t certain he could. : : : : “Yeah well you know I don’t get sick and all your shots stop a body from building any natural immunity,” she said scratching her hand. “And even if I did get the flu, which when everyone around me is vaccinated for it so there is a slim to none chance and slim just walked out the door, you could treat it anyway. Kate squirmed some on the bed. The room was getting uncomfortably warm and she could feel her heart racing a mile a minute. Shaun had always been able to calm her instantly or sent her from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye. Her mother said it was her Irish temper. Kate knew that Shaun just could press the right buttons. : : : : Kate had to get out of sickbay and fast. This was tumbling downhill faster than a pig on a mudslide. Getting off the table Kate felt herself bobble some. She was overly emotional and needed time to regroup in the safety of her quarters. “Am I free to go or are you just going to continue to tell me how much I suck,” she felt the room beginning to spin. It took every ounce of concentration for her to remain upright. She could feel the tears about to start and the tightness in her chest signaling it. : : : : : “You don’t suck, you don’t I just…” he paused as he looked down. It was so much easier when he just got letter from her. He could ignore those till he wasn’t mad and make flowery replies. This was raw and unlfitered. : : : : “Look… I’m not mad… okay I am.” he said as he stood up and paced a bit as he let his thoughts begin to cultivate. “You left me!” he said as he looked back at her. “I have been in love with you since I meet you when I was eight, and you left me… how do I react to that peaches?” he finally said, it was clear this was no longer going to be a medical check up. : : : : : : Grecken, Doctor : : : : Kate scratched the back of her neck trying to not react like she was bitten by a thousand mosquitos. The itch from her hand was spreading. All she wanted to do was scratch but she had to remain in control. The temperature in the room had gone from uncomfortable to hot in nanoseconds. After scratching she pulled at the neck of her uniform hoping to let some of the heat escape that was baking her alive. She had to get out of here. Kate could not think straight. Until she could, Kate would not say something to make the situation worse. “Maybe,” she said letting the word trail off into a breathy whisper. Taking a breath was becoming harder. Licking her lips, Kate closed her eyes for a second trying to control the spinning of the room. now was not the time for pleasantries. You are having a panic attack, she told herself. End this. : : : : “Maybe you find some....someone,” she inhaled deeply not for dramatic effects but to simply breath. “Someone else. I did.” She had no idea what made her say that except maybe the ache of the headache that was now starting to pound in her temples. The comment would push Shaun over the edge. She did not want to push him away but Kate did want to run away. Later when she not so upset, she would find him and they could do this again. Kate had spent the past nine months trying to find a way to live in a future she had never planned. She wanted to talk to Shaun as much as he seemed to want to talk to her but now was not the time. : : : : “Oh like you had time to find someone. I heard reports of the Viking. Anyone you had found there would have either had a tentacle for an arm or try to eat you in your sleep… or what was the one Dawson mentioned magic mermaids? I swear to god he made that stuff up at times when he tried to tell me about you.” He said, and in that moment she would know something, he never stopped looking out for her. Even light years he made sure people checked up and took care of his Katie. : Kate tried to process what Shaun was saying but it was like trying to do a math problem when you were woken out of a dead sleep. She caught the flavor of it but was missing the details. Well, all but one detail she could not miss. Shaun had been watching her like she had been through Fiola and Elspbeth. Pushing off the table to get some momentum, Kate managed one last reply. “If you want to get me for insubordination then send a security team to my quarters.” Her response took almost everything out of her. Kate felt the first trickle of sweat sliding down her back like it was a hot summer day. Her legs felt watery and each step was like trudging through the mud but Kate locked eyes on the sickbay door. It was her target and she never missed. Three steps later, Kate’s fight side took over the flight one. This was not an ordinary panic attack. Something was off. Feeling the sensation of falling Kate reached out to the side hoping for her hand to find anything to support her weight. “Shaun,” she managed in a weak almost whiny sound. Her anger with him evaporated as fear began to cloud her mind. She could barely breathe and the sound of her own heartbeat was drowning out the rest of the sounds in sickbay. “Shaun,” she whimpered not caring what he wanted her to call him. Right now her only thought was about finding him. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Lt. (j.g.) Kate O’Neill, COS : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Rushing to her side he caught her instantly. He let her rest on his shoulder as he looked over at nurse Roberts. “Get me a scan, something changed in since you looked at her,” he said as he thought. Stick to what just happened. Her shot, it she just had a reaction he knew she would never let him live it down. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Kate didn’t reply but tucked her head into the crook of his neck like she always did when he carried her. She could not hear his heartbeat but Kate could feel it. She focused on that sensation. She had no idea what was happening but the fear was sliding away. Shaun was there. He would fix this. Kate’s body was going limp but her grip on him was tight. “I want my mom,” Kate said instinctually not clear where she was for the moment or why Shaun was carrying her. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : If it had been anyone holding her but him, Kate would have put up a bit more fuss as the panic continued to bubble up in her chest. Kate might not have been able to open her eyes or speak coherently at the moment but she could smell him. The scent of his cologne, his soap, and his shirt let Kate know who was holding her. Whatever was happening Shaun would fix it like he always did. She didn’t have to be strong or brave when she was with him. Kate could just be herself and right now she wanted her Mom. “Ma ommm,” she felt it harder to speak with her chest tightening up. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “Baby it’s just me…” he said as he looked down softly at her. This had to be an allergic reaction, but it was so unlikely. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “Talk to me Katie love can you hear me?” He said as he picked her up and placed her on the bed, opening her eyes to see if she was dilated. Darlene is gonna so yell at you was all he could think of for a moment as he waited for Roberts. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Grecken, Doctor. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Kate let out a small moaning grunt at Shaun pried one of her eyelids open. “Why is it so hot in here,” she tried to bat away his hand from her face but the movement was taking too much coordination. “I can’t…catch…my breath,” Kate said curling her fingers around his arm where it had fallen. “Just get me some water…and I will be fine,” she said trying to blink rapidly to clear her vision. : : : : : : : : : : : : It was all coming back to her now. She and Shaun were not Kate and Shaun but Lt. O’Neill and Lt. Grecken. Shaun was only treating her because he had to. She was just having a panic attack over it and had to get out of there. “I’m…fine,” Kate tried to push off Shaun’s arm to sit up but her body felt like it was filled with novacaine. “I…I…need to go,” she said feeling the panic bubble break. Her fight or flight response had kicked in hard and as always with Shaun and difficult situations, Kate was embracing the flight response. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : For a woman who made any trip around the office in non-emergency situations seem like a monumental journey, Roberts was at Shaun’s side with the tricorder as if she were an Olympic sprinter. She placed it in Shaun’s hand instead of standing there and announcing she had it like some grocery clerk announcing the weekly sales. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Lt. (j.g.) Kate O’Neill, COS : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Taking the tricorder as he scanned her, he was corrrect. “Nurse I am going to need 10 cc epinephrine.” He said looking over at her, he knew she would be back quickly and low and behold he had the hypo just moments later. Placing it flush against Kate’s neck he could hear the small pssh sound as he waited. It should just be a few seconds for it to take effect. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Grecken, Doctor : : : : : : : : : : : : The second the epinephrine entered her body, Kate began to feel its effects. Breathing was easier and her heart no longer was acting like it was going to jump out of her chest. Kate took a deep breath and opened her eyes. The room was no longer blurry and the insane itch was gone. She was back to normal. Well, the new normal. The panic attack was gone but so was Shaun. He might be standing next to her, holding her hand, but Shaun’s face held a concerned scowl. Kate wanted to pull her hand from his but part of her wanted it to stay there forever because this could be the last time he ever held it. Feeling her eyes begin to fill, Kate pulled her hand back from Shaun’s grip. It was embarrassing enough right now with her sprawled out on the table. The last thing she needed was for Shaun to see her break down and cry. “I am feeling better. I need to get back to work,” she said trying to keep her voice steady. : : : : : : : : : : : : Lt. (j.g.) Kate O’Neill, COS : : : : : : : : : : “No, you are gonna stay and I am gonna make sure you are perfect. Your mom won’t let me hear the end of it if I just let you walk off after this” he said as he breathed in, maybe this was more than her mom. He couldn’t deny her being hurt brought back every feeling he has ever had for her. He would never let her be hurt, and he would do anything to keep her safe. : : : : : : : : : “No, she wouldn’t,” Kate let her gaze drift everywhere but to the man next to her. Shaun really was done with her. First it was the Lt. comment and then her mom. Nothing cooled a moment more that the mentioning of a parent especially a mother. It was like a stop sign heading into construction with men surrounding you in those orange vests. Shaun was slowing them down to a crawl. : : : : : : : : : “Besides, we can stay here and catch up… you’re all my bonny lass for the next half hour.” he said pulling up the chair next to her bed, smiling as he let her know he wasn’t pissed off, even if he was still a little angry. : : : : : : : : : : Grecken, Doctor : : : : : : : : And after that, Kate wanted to say. The words hung on her lips unspoken because she did not want the answer. “So,” she drew out the word trying to find a neutral topic. The problem was there probably wasn’t a topic she and Shaun had not spent hours talking about over the years. “Do you like your quarters....Lieutenant,” she tried the word for the first time. It made her tummy flip flop and not in a good way. Hopefully the more she used it the less icky it would feel. : : : : : : : : Lt. (j.g.) Kate O’Neill, COS : : : : : : “Okay, you…” pausing he looked at her softly as he debated the next words. “You don’t have to be that formal. I may have overreacted a little. It’s just hard hon, it’s hard to get past this. I want to and I will but… you left me. How do I wrap my head around the fact you freaked out and left me?” He asked her, knowing that she most likely had no good answer. : : : : : : Grecken, Doctor : :
“Because I,” Kate said sharply feeling her chest tighten again. This time it was not due to a reaction to an injection. This time it was because she did not know how to respond. Kate closed her lips tightly and looked around. “Shaun it was because I,” Kate began.
: : : : :
: : : : : This wasn’t the time or the place to have the doctor or his patient to being Total Drama Island: The Odin Series. Nurse Roberts also didn’t want to have to deal with the Doctor on duty being whiny or grumpy. Since she didn’t know which he would be and she wasn’t a gambling woman, she nipped this conversation in the bud.
: : : : :
: : : : : “It was because you were allergic to Triptadelathanlien,” Nurse Roberts announced handing Shaun a PaDD with the exact cause of Kate’s allergic reaction.
: : : : :
: : : : : Kate might have been in a moment with Shaun but Nurse Roberts had effectively ended that with her sentence. “I am not allergic to Triptadelathatha whatever. Tell her Shaun. I come from hardy stock. I am not allergic to anything. Pollen, Ragweed, shellfish, peanut butter. None of that does anything,” Kate took the PaDD from Shaun’s hands and studied it as if she knew exactly what was on the sheet.
: : : : :
: : : : “No, but gelatin dropped you faster then an ensign after an all weekend bender on Risa,” Nurse Roberts said in a matter of fact tone.
: : : :
: : : : Kate wrinkled her nose up at Nurse Roberts before giving Shaun a skeptical look. “So you are saying jello did this?”
: : : :
: : : : “Yes and so does your chart Missy,” Nurse Roberts spat back crossing her arms. She might not be a doctor but she knew more than they did sometimes.
: : : :
: : : : “Yes, but I didn’t eat jello,” Kate shot back defensively. “Shaun tell her I am not allergic to jello. I eat you Aunt Mathilda’s strange orange and pineapple thing each Easter and I ain’t breaking out spots.” Kate turned her attention squarely on Shaun and waited for him to come to her rescue and defend her superior constitution.
: : : :
: : : : : Lt. (j.g) Kate O’Neill, COS
: : :
: : : bump
: :
: : Shaun raised an eyebrow before looking back at Nurse Roberts, “Really?” he said as he eyes got wide before looking back at Kate.
:
: “Shhhhhhauuuuunnnnnn,” Kate dragged out his name. “Tell her I am not allergic to jello! I am healthy as a horse and that I don’t have food allergies.”
:
: :”You… kinda have one, plus… well shellfish… and peanuts. It… well…” he said as he looked at Kate, wondering how to break this to her.
:
: “Did you hit your head on that colony,” Kate swung her feet off the bed and faced Shaun sitting in the chair. “If I had food allergies I would know it. I mean I don’t eat crab because it takes forever to pick and you never get full. Oh,” she snapped her fingers as if remembering an important detail. “and there are those beady little eyes staring at you,” Kate shivered hating the death stare from the piles of crabs sitting on the brown paper during crab feast. “How many crab feasts did we go to back home where I sat at the end table and someone would pick the crabs for me so I only had to eat the meat but not touch them…huh! If I were allergic I could not eat the meat.”
:
: Kate looked at him waiting for Shaun to agree. When he didn’t she pressed on. “And peanut butter. Come on Shaun. Peanut butter is my favorite of all foods. I eat it out of the jar for gods sake.”
:
: :”People in your life thought it was best to just give you fake versions of items. It wasn’t my idea at all.” he said as he looked at her wondering how she would take this. This went back to when she was younger but Kate always liked seeming invincible. They didn’t have the heart to tell her otherwise.
: :
: : Grecken, Doctor
:
: “So you are saying that I can’t eat peanut butter,” Kate crossed her arms giving Shaun the death glare.
:
: “Well we will see about that,” she popped off the table and headed to the replicator. =/\=Computer..jiffy, creamy and a spoon,=/\= Kate waited for the computer to produce the requested item. Once it had she turned, locked eyes directly on Shaun and stuck the spoon in her mouth.
:
: “Is she crazy,” Nurse Roberts asked in a skeptical tone to the young doctor seated int he chair.
:
: Lt. (j.g) Kate O’Neill, COS

“She’s a little yes, but she’s mine… sorta… maybe.” Shaun said as he shook his head.

“Kate, we have been programming all replicators to give you safe alternatives since you were 7, it’s a simple change. Even Starfleet when it transfers you the program looks up dietary restrictions and then creates versions that won’t kill you. We have only ever had to worry about hand made items with you but your brothers and your parents, God they planned this out before I even came to West Virginia. I just loved you and agreed and promised to be a willing participant in your deception.” he said, knowing how had that sounded.

Grecken, Doctor

“So you are saying that I can’t eat peanut butter,” Kate crossed her arms giving Shaun the death glare. : : : : : : : : : : : : “Well we will see about that,” she popped off the table and headed to the replicator. =/\=Computer..jiffy, creamy and a spoon,=/\= Kate waited for the computer to produce the requested item. Once it had she turned, locked eyes directly on Shaun and stuck the spoon in her mouth. : : : : : : : : : : : : “Is she crazy,” Nurse Roberts asked in a skeptical tone to the young doctor seated int he chair. : : : : : : : : : : : : Lt. (j.g) Kate O’Neill, COS : : : : : : : : : : “She’s a little yes, but she’s mine… sorta… maybe.” Shaun said as he shook his head. : : : : : : : : “Maybe,” Kate eyed him. She was about to remind Shaun that he was acting like a chick who can’t make up her mind, but remembered the real reason she was getting firey. “Okay back the bus up,” Kate said sticking out her right hand out and moving it around counterclockwise in front of her chest while making a beeping sound. “If I am allergic to all this stuff then how come I never got sick on the Viking or Discovery huh,” Kate crossed her arms staring at Grecken. : : : : : : : : : : “Kate, we have been programming all replicators to give you safe alternatives since you were 7, it’s a simple change. Even Starfleet when it transfers you the program looks up dietary restrictions and then creates versions that won’t kill you. We have only ever had to worry about hand made items with you but your brothers and your parents, God they planned this out before I even came to West Virginia. I just loved you and agreed and promised to be a willing participant in your deception.” he said, knowing how had that sounded. : : : : : : : : : : Grecken, Doctor : : : : : : : : “You are part of the great peanut butter conspiracy,” Kate replied already naming the event in her life which Shaun knew meant she was going to hold on to it with the tenacity of a pit bull in tug o war match. Before he could reply, Kate popped off the table and raised her hands for him not to speak. “No…no I don’t believe you,” she instantly put up a defensive barrier and walked to the nearest replicator. “Shaun…get me some jello…and peanut butter,” she demanded. “I’ll show you who is allergic.” : : : : : : : : “An I’ll show you where we keep the Eppie Pens,” Nurse Roberts huffed crossing her arms. “Is she always gonna be dis much trouble? If so she is yours,” Roberts handed Shaun Kate’s chart and walked over to another console. : : : : : : : : Lt. (j.g.) Kate O’Neill, CoS : : : : : : Bump : : : : “Settle down ladybug, you don’t need to have another reaction.” : : Kate’s firey temper settled for a moment hearing her family nickname. Sighing she leaned against the wall, crossed her arms and looked at Shaun with a half smirk. She had joined Starfleet to find a new identity but she couldn’t help but love that he knew her so intimately. When she entered Starfleet she gave up the familiarity of people knowing her like they did back home. Now Shaun was giving it back to her. : : :”You can only give so many shots of that stuff before your heart will give out, how about you trust the man who has known you since you were six okay?” he said to her look over at Nurse Roberts. “Read her file, she needs to hear it herself.” Shaun suggested, knowing this wouldn’t end with this. : : : : Grecken, Doctor : : “Dr Grecken,” NE April Lee said from the door not sure if this was an informal get together or an actual appointment. In truth she didn’t care. She really needed to see a doctor and the chief of security seemed to be more interested in flirting with Dr. Grecken than getting treatment. : : Lt. (j.g.) Kate O’Neill, CoS Shaun looked from Kate and saw April enter. This would have to be settled later he knew, as he had other patients to see. “Yes April please come in, we were just wrapping up here.” Shaun said as he waved her in. Looking back to Kate he couldn’t help but roll his eyes a bit, “No testing your allergies, listen to your doctor for once in your life.” he ordered her before she could leave. Grecken, Doctor

“Listening to a doctor is easy. Listening to you will be the challenge. That always has been the challenge,” Kate said over her shoulder as she walked out. While her words sounded defiant, there was a smile on her face. She and Shaun had always vied for who was top dog in their relationship. She owned that title once when they were six. He had been far more cautious when he first moved to his new home on the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border. As they aged Shaun took more of the lead during their teen years. Now it was a tug of war but a fun one. They might not be together. He might be Dr Grecken and she Lt. O’Neill but at least they were together again in some form. For that, Kate was eternally grateful.

Stopping at the door, Kate turned back to look at Shaun. “Have a good day Dr. Grecken,” she emphasized the second to last word with a smile before turning on her heel and leaving. Having the last word was always her thing and Ensign Lee’s timely arrival gave it to her.

April walked up to Shaun and took the open bed next to him. “You know the chief,” she asked trying to feign as much non interest as she could.

Lt. (j.g.) Kate O’Neill, CoS