Dinner Break!

Posted on Fri 24th Mar, 2023 @ 10:16am by Elizabeth Anderson M.D. & Khellian s'Siedhri MD & Lieutenant Damion Ildaran & Makila i'Hartelhai & Jaroth Dieklin

1,259 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Neither Yours Nor Mine
Location: Near the Dawnstar Clinic
Timeline: MD 1, 2030 hours

Damion and Elizabeth found a spot near the Dawnstar Clinic where the two of them could eat, with room for Dieklin and perhaps others. Damion sniffed his mapa and gave it an experimental bite. It seemed a bit similar to an Earth tortilla or pita, or perhaps even roti bread--unleavened and rollable into a tube if one wanted. He suspected it was what Bajorans rolled hasperat into.

"Not bad," he said aloud. "I'll have to see what this tastes like, baked from scratch."

"I'm sure it's better to the biological taste buds, but I find this quite tasty, as well," Anderson pronounced after trying it. "Nothing beats what you do with strawberries, though."

They ate in silence for a moment, enjoying the quiet rest, and then saw two people approaching.

The pair turned out to be Dr. s'Siedhri and Dr. i'Hartelhai. She was speaking to him in Rihannsu like he was a small child. Pushing him into a seat, she gave him a withering glare and then stalked off towards where the food was being served.

He sighed at the treatment, but didn't object. "My daughter objects to my coloring and the fact I cannot recall at what point I last ate." Khellian chuckled by way of explanation. He looked exhausted, and had a stronger grey-ish yellow undertone to his skin than a Romulan in his prime should.

Dr. Anderson looked at the man carefully, and saw and heard indications that he was slightly dehydrated, and that he was in severe need of rest. "I should think her concern warranted, doctor. Have you at least been drinking fluids as you work? It won't do for the doctor to become ill, even with all the help that came today. You are still in charge of the clinic, and these people are learning to trust you."

"I agree in principle, and I assure you that I am not so foolish as to make myself ill once it has been pointed out to me."

Elizabeth just smiled. She knew humans, and while the doctor wasn't one, he was biological ... which meant not always logical, as far as she'd been able to determine. Enough said, however. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. It was an idiom her creator had taught her, one of many in his collector's repertoire, but one she found quite useful in thinking of carbon-based lifeforms. She thought she and Damion should try a simulation that included horses one of these days. Part of her mind stayed with the group as she finished her meal, and part of it wandered away to other tasks.

"In her case, may the student ever exceed the master," he spoke, eyes alight with fondness for his daughter who had followed in his footsteps so precisely. He knew that he should have been the doctor who stepped away when his body expressed its needs to him, but the patients were more important to him.

"The attitude of every good teacher," Anderson said, "in my experience, at least. I can't imagine what it is like to have a child, but I would think it's even more important to a parent than a teacher." Watching as the young woman in question gathered a plate for her father and one for herself, the counselor wondered what it would be like to be a parent. She didn't expect to ever know, but stranger things had happened. People still adopted family members, too. She wondered if Damion would be interested in adopting a child to share with her.

"The two of you are doing good work down here," Damion said to Dr. s'Siedhri. "The people here seem, in general, a lot healthier than they were when I first visited these decks. From what I've seen of doctors, wearing yourselves out in emergencies seems usual, but I agree, better to give yourselves time to rest. You've vaccinated a lot of people today; you've earned it."

"I am pleased to have been noticed. My girl has worked hard to gain their trust, and she's succeeded better than my wildest hopes could have achieved." He nodded to Makila who was working her way back through the throng of people with two plates balanced on her arm and several smaller cups in her hands and in the crook of her elbow. She wove through them with the skill of a dancer.

"Everyone has helped, and a great many people will not get sick because of the vaccine Captain Navarra arranged to get," Anderson said thoughtfully, scooping the last of her food onto her fork. She ate it, then leaned back, sighing in contentment. "I hope it will prove to be the beginning of an era of cooperation between at least Starfleet Medical and the people who have chosen to stay here. It could lead to other cooperative efforts, too. Maybe our Romulan doctors can be a bridge for all of us."

"I am gratified by the concerted effort from all involved. I wish that it had not taken an epidemic of such dire proportions for the powers to take an interest in the Brown Sector. There could have been more mitigation, not just health wise, sooner, if a few threats by a few thugs hadn't cowed everyone into turning a blind eye to these people and their suffering. I think I would argue that those that have chosen to stay here had little choice in the matter, but such semantics are not a good topic for dinner conversation."

"Perhaps not," Elizabeth agreed, "although I've been informed by many that they wanted to stay here, that there was nothing worth going back to their former lives to see or do. Maybe that equals no choice, and maybe it doesn't, but the fact that they are here and not living desperately, is a good thing that you've helped to be better." She watched as the doctor's daughter approached with a good meal for him.

"It appears your dinner has arrived," Anderson said, "and the conversation should probably turn to topics more conducive to peaceful moments to enjoy the break. Perhaps some time with that beautiful daughter would be just the thing. I think I'll take a walk around the clinic and stretch my legs for a few minutes."

"Do you want company or a few minutes alone?" Damion asked Elizabeth as he finished his soup and mapa.

"You know your company is always welcome, Damion," she answered as she rose from her seat, looking to see if there was a replicator recycling slot in the garden. There wasn't one, so she added, "I'll just take our dishes inside and dump them in the recycler. Meet you at the back door in five?"

"I should be putting those in the recycler, not you," Damion said, "but thank you." He handed her his silverware and empty dishes.

With a smile at the Romulan doctors, she took Damion's plate and utensils with hers and left the garden.

"How much of the population down here did you get vaccinated today?" Damion asked Makila and her father. "It looked like thousands. I'm impressed with how smart the people are here. On my homeworld, either the leadership would have hoarded the medication and only vaccinated a select few, or people would have figured they didn't need it, up until they got sick."

"In all total over the past 48 hours we have vaccinated 2,395 people." Khellian read from the report he'd toggled with his thumb. "It's a good number."

 

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