Food and Vaccines

Posted on Sun 5th Feb, 2023 @ 8:56am by Lieutenant Damion Ildaran & Elizabeth Anderson M.D.
Edited on on Sun 5th Feb, 2023 @ 9:03am

1,090 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: A Fresh Perspective
Location: Brown Sector, Dawnstar Clinic
Timeline: MD-6, 2000 hours

After the supper rush at the community center was over, Dieklin stepped outside for a few moments. When he returned, he looked a bit perturbed. "Damion, that line at the clinic is still pretty long. I don't remember seeing any of those people coming in here to eat, either--too afraid they'd lose their places in line."

"I saw them on my way in, three hours ago," Damion said with a nod. He yawned. "I'm thinking we could load up a cart with food and drink and bring it to them."

"My aching feet are not happy with you," Dieklin said, "but yeah, let's do it."

In the end they loaded two rolling carts, one for the soup kettle, strawberries, and bowls, and the other with the pies, mapa, cups, and a tea dispenser.

"Anyone hungry?" Dieklin called out as they approached. Damion gave him a look of thanks. Many of the residents knew he was Starfleet, and he thought they might have hesitated to accept food from him. They knew and trusted Dieklin, though, and accepted his offer right away. With the constable there, they didn't mind the Fleet fellow, even if he wasn't in uniform.

Once the people waiting were fed, Damion poked his head inside the clinic door. "Elizabeth?"

Surprised to hear Damion's voice, Anderson raised her head from the resident she was vaccinating, and saw him at the door. "Come on in. You've been vaccinated, right?"

She gently rubbed the spot where she'd just used the hypospray on her patient. "There you go," she smiled. "Shouldn't even have an achy spot in about two minutes, and no flu for you!"

The man didn't smile back, but he nodded his head and moved away so the next person could move up. She was glad for the Starfleet team who had come in with the captain a little while ago to help. Well, the captain herself couldn't help, but bringing a team down was saving lives and time.

Damion smiled at her. "Dieklin and I have vegetable soup, Bajoran bread, larish pies, strawberries, and tea. Could any of you use some food? We have a couple of carts out front and can bring meals to you. Our apologies, but we don't know how to cook Romulan food."

"You know I eat anything, and I expect most of the workers here feel that way, or will soon, because we'll all reach the place where food is more important than what kind of food. I wouldn't mind a quick meal right now, actually. Want to take a break with me? What are you doing down here ... other than cooking. of course. I mean, why did you come down?" Elizabeth tried hard not to deduce things, but to have Damion tell her what he wanted to tell her.

Damion shrugged. "I'm definitely ready for a break! I was bringing down my usual produce donation. When I got here, I saw how tired Kya was and told her to go get some rest, be with her kids, do whatever she needed to do. She must've been up since stupid-hundred hours this morning. She really was tired, because she actually went. And yes, I'm vaccinated against everything under the sun, including this strain of flu." He smiled at her. "You're a sight for sore eyes. Glad to see you. Dieklin helped with the cooking and is out front."

"So you took advantage of his help, and learned everything you could about him," the doctor laughed. "I see how you are. It was a good idea, though. We need more contacts down here, if we plan to help them help themselves. If they want to do that, and if they want help."

Elizabeth shrugged. "Biologicals are still a mystery to me most of the time. They need more logic circuits." She smiled at the look on his face, and added, "Let's get something to eat and sit under one of the trees in the clinic's side court. It's a nice evening, and now that the captain brought the CMO and a team of her people down to help, I think I need a break."

Damion and Elizabeth walked back through the clinic waiting room and exited. Several people were getting plates of food, not just medical personnel, and they joined the end of the line to wait their turn. "So what did you learn?" She nodded toward the man dishing food into plates for those waiting.

"About Dieklin?" Damion thought a moment. "Flexible and adaptable. More generous than he'd like anyone to think--he paid for the larish pies. Doesn't like to get out of his comfort zone, though. Very comfortable using a replicator; I'm guessing that's where he gets most of his food. Self-assured but not arrogant. Works with people well. Direct. I think he's decent at the job." He glanced at Elizabeth. "What do you make of him?"

"Overall? A good man, good instincts, more kind than would be expected, perhaps. I think you're right that his comfort zone is in helping through peace keeping, rather than ... doing good works and deeds, if that makes sense in this situation." Her tone of voice offered a suggestion of willingness to be corrected on her terminology. She really was an infant in assigning motives to biologicals, human or otherwise.

"My general impression of Bajorans is they are good people unless given reason to be otherwise. I like that he is the sheriff, the legal presence here. It's a newer concept, but seems to be working to help keep peace, and seeing him here, serving the people of the Sector? I think it's a helpful, hopeful sign for the people here."

"I hope so," Damion said. "I can tell he wants to improve things here, doesn't want to wait around for other people to improve them. I think he may have been born here, or was brought here so young he doesn't know any other way of life--thus his familiarity with replicators."

They reached the meal carts, and Dieklin grinned as he handed each of them a bowl and plate. "I had a feeling she was why you keep coming down here," he said to Damion. "Good reason!"

"Only the best," Damion said. "I'm going to take a break and sit down with Elizabeth. You're welcome to join us, if you like. You look about out of food."

"I think I might," Dieklin agreed. "Just let me get these last two fed, and then I'll scoop up some for myself and be right with you."

 

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