Inhibitions lost

Posted on Wed Dec 11th, 2019 @ 6:01pm by Lieutenant Commander Carolyn Corrigan MD & Commander Hades,MD

2,903 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Episode 101 - Peace During War
Location: Various SB 400
Timeline: MD03 2345hrs into MD 04

ON:

One by one, accompanied by a loud cheer, the line of shot glasses were drained. A myriad of colours and flavours from beverages throughout the galaxy gone in seconds and already blurring into the next. For anyone who dared try to reach the front of the group of spectators, what they saw may have been surprising. Yet nowhere near as surprising as the victor.

“We have a winner! 2 rounds to 1!” Dave, the bartender, announced as he rang the antique bell mounted on the wall behind the bar.

Reaching over, he raised the hand of the woman opposite, allowing the crowd to show their appreciation while hoping the aged Klingon did not decide to start any trouble.

Muttering something incoherent, the old man just lifted up a bottle of his favoured whisky and staggered off to a booth to nurse his bruised ego.

It had been his chivalry that had been both the cause of the friendly bet and his undoing. The whole thing began because of some throwaway comment he made about humans being unable to handle their drink and it went from there. Yet with the challenge tied, he had allowed his opponent to pick. Dave supposed it was 50% chivalry and 150% wishing he was ninety years younger.

Waving away the congratulations, Carolyn retrieved her hand, snagged a bottle of water and began picking her way through the crowd towards the door. It was only then that she noticed the man sitting alone at a corner table, out of uniform and nursing a glass.

Moving towards the table, not trusting her own eyes after drinking more than her own body weight, she frowned.

“Harris?!”

Harris had officially resigned. He'd told Hades he was leaving. Hades hadn't reacted the way he'd expected. There had been something odd about his friends acceptance. As if ... well that had led Harris to investigating and what he'd found had blown him away. Hades had been hiding this the whole time and now...it might be too late.

Harris had confronted him, they'd argued and then he'd learned the extent. How could he leave Hades at a time like this. He'd contacted the colony and they were sending the finest physicians but... would they get here in time.

He'd slinked off to get drunker. He'd planned on just staying there until he was unconscious or sobered on his own when a familiar melodic voice reached him. He looked up at the figure that seemed to be dancing in and out of his sighed. He figured that was the alcohol. "Caro-lime...line...lyn. Carolyn. That's the one."

“Drunk Harris, who’d have thunk it?” Carolyn grinned, leaning on the table. “You okay there old man?”

He tried for his best ticked off look that ended up looking a little skewed. "No." He studied her. "Besides I'm not drunk just...delightfully inebriated. You're dunk. He said pointing to a spot to her right. He righted his finger and pointed at her. "Drunk I mean."

“So so drunk,” she agreed, grinning as she held out her hand, “come on, Home wit’ya.”

"You might out rank me...oh...okay." He stood on shaky legs but had to grab the table for support. He sat back down. "Can't get home. Will seep ... splee...sp...sleep here."

“That’s it, stay classy,” she grinned, taking his hand and tugging on it to get him to move. It wasn’t really working. “Ain’t gonna find your little piece of paradise in that glass old timer. Come on... God, why are you so heavy?!”

He sighed. "Fine. I came, I saw, I drunk....now I go sleep." He stood up and let her support him all the way to the turbo lift. As they entered he leaned against the wall and slid to the ground with a solid thump. "Am I spitting...sitting." It came as a statement rather then a question.

“Come on lazy bones,” she demanded, standing over him and offering both her hands, “you definitely cannot sleep in here. You gotta go home.”

When he took her hands she planted her feet and pulled with all her might, cursing in her native tongue but finally he seemed to just shoot up off the floor, barrelling into her and back into the wall. It should have hurt but instead she went into a fit of laughter.

Harris grinned. "Stop that. Laughter and alcohol not good." He held his finger to his lips. "Shhh." He let her help him to his door. Finally a few tears just rolled down his cheeks. "Carolyn...Hades...he's dying."

“Don’t be stupid, Hades is gonna live forever,” she chided him as she bundled him inside his quarters. Only then did she see how upset he was and her confidence in that statement wilted. She paled, “what happened?”

"Malfunction in one of his heart Valves." He staggered to the sofa and sat down hard. He swiped his eyes sweeping the tears off. "He hid it." Harris looked at Carolyn as she sat by him.

Almost falling onto the couch Carolyn shook her head, “no. Not happening. I’ll fix him.

I’ll fix him,” she promised as she moved to get up, “and then... then I’ll kill him.”

"Not that simple.." Harris burst out crying. It had been the first time he'd cried since he could remember.

“Why?” She demanded, “we are doctors! He’s Hades for crying out loud! Why can’t we just fix him?!”

Harris shook his head. He was too drunk to think right now. Somehow his head wound up on her shoulder as he cried. He felt haunted and wrung through.

“Okay, come on, you need to go to bed and drink lots of coffee in the morning so grouchy Harris comes back,” she told him in the most motherly tone she had ever used. “Tomorrow we can fix the universe, deal?”

With that she offered him her hand again.

Sighing he swiped at his eyes. She was right. He took her hand and let her lead him to the bedroom.


Few hours later

Harris groaned. His head was pounding. Vaguely he remembered pounding out two bottle of whisky...or was that three? The rest was a blur in his mind.

He shifted bumping into something solid and warm. Prying his eyes open a figure swam into view. It took a moment to register a few things. Those few things were, a woman was in his bed, he was very naked, and he peaked under the covers, so was she. His eyes took in the recklessly tossed clothing and then he noticed something familiar about his companion. Suddenly he went sheet white.

Stirring, the movement lulling her from a dreamless sleep she did not want to let go of, Carolyn twisted away. Entangled some of the sheets went with her as she burrowed into the covers for warmth. Cooler air on her back made her sigh, sleep slipping away as she came to.

For the longest minute she lay there, staring at the unfamiliar room and realising her bed was not this uncomfortable and nowhere near so warm. And why was she so -

Careful to keep at least the sheet wrapped around her she turned her head, having to peak through her hair. “Harris?! What the hell...?!”

He groaned. "Dear Gods in heaven! What the hell happened last night?" He grabbed his head. "Nevermind...I can guess." He looked at Carolyn realizing for the first time that she was rather attractive. "Hades is going to kill me..." That was all it took to trigger his memory of what he'd found. He jumped out of bed seeming to forget his lack of clothing. He began to pace his mind already working on the problem at hand, Carolyn all but forgotten.

“Harris!!!” Carolyn cried out, rolling her eyes as she grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. Even when he stopped his pacing he seemed confused. She waved a hand at him, “while the view isn’t one I’d normally complain about.... Clothes? Either yours or toss me mine.”

"Oh...right." He walked around the room his mind still working and picked up her clothing. He tossed it at her. "There we go. Shower is through there and replicate something fresh." As he spoke he scooped up his pants and underwear. "I'll shower at sickbay. I got to see Hades."

“You sure know how to make a girl feel appreciated,” she grinned. Wrapping the sheet around her with one hand and her clothes in the other she headed for the bathroom. She hated turning her scarred back to him as much as she hated the fact she had just - Nope, not going there. “I wouldn't see Hades until you have sobered up, Romeo. And why the rush?”

He stopped dressing and looked at her..."Don't' you remember what I said yesterday last night?"

She paused in the doorway, “I remember a Klingon and winning a bet... and you were in the corner and then ....”

She paused, thinking before shaking her head. “Sorry. It’s kinda why I get drunk, so I don’t remember things. Why?”

He sighed. "Okay go shower. I'll make breakfast and fill you in."

Looking troubled, more for the offer of breakfast, Carolyn disappeared into the bathroom. By the time she had showered and changed, there was already way too much food for two people. “Are you feeding everyone?”

He sighed. "No just a trouble maker." He stuck his tongue out at her. "Sit down trouble maker."

She rolled her eyes, nevertheless sitting. “Why am I the troublemaker?” She complained with a pout as she leaned across the table and picked out some toast, “you were the one trying to drown yourself in a bottle and clearly your life choices did not improve from then on.”

With that she made a vague gesture at herself even as she took a bite. “So what did you need to tell me. Again.”

He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Oh I don't know how valid that statement is. I'd say they improved." He also gestured vaguely at her. Then sobering reality hit. "I broke into Hades' private files.”

Either from the fact he had come close to a compliment or the the fact he had admitted doing something as insane as violating Hades privacy, the result was the same as she almost choked on the piece of toast. Still coughing as she grabbed the glass of water it took a moment for her to be able to choke out an incredulous, “do you want to die?!”

He sighed. "Yes well I briefly thought of that and then....my concern for him outweighed that thought. I noticed some discrepancies. On the Mercy," he said referring to Hades' ship. "I was integrating medical longs and I found evidence that exam files were deleted. I was able to find out that Hades deleted them. Normally I wouldn't worry about it it's routine...but they were sealed and classified exams. I could find no trace of them. I ... broke into his personal logs."

“And?” She prompted, hoping he hadn’t signed his own death warrant for no reason.

"Those exams that he'd deleted were relating to himself. He was running tests on himself when he became unwell months ago." He sighed.... "Shortly after that little trip where he was injured." He stood up an walked over to the drawer. He picked up a tape and held it up. "Do you wan to see it in his own words? This was recorded a few days ago..."

She eyed the tape, trying to think of an innocent reason why the files were deleted. She had nothing. “Play it, please.”

He sighed, "Okay..." He inserted the tape and within seconds it chirped ready. Harris sighed again. "Into the belly of the beast and out of the demons behind. Here we go. You better be ready for this."

She looked at him, shaking her head, “not in the slightest.”

Hades' voice began, "Chief Medical Officer’s personal log.

Update, Voice authorization and classified marking. Isaiah has found out. He was present when I experienced another … pain attack. I had to tell him but have sworn him to secrecy and have used my rank to ensure it. The Vulcan … cardio vascular system is complicated enough but the fact that I am part El-Aurian and the fact that I was another member of what Carolyn insists on calling the Scooby gang…or squad complicates things further. My heart is…different. The fourth and fifth valve have begun to deteriorate rapidly. I was controlling things with Benjasidrine until Somek’s ship could dock and he could perform the surgery that I badly need.

There have, however, been issues. It appears that we were running low on the medication. We had one crew member who requires it as he is in congestive heart failure and a Vulcan. We then have two prisoners from the raid who were injured and I have been treating. They also require the drug, Romulan physiology is similar to Vulcan. Our stores were low and we couldn’t find enough to keep them going until the resupply in a week’s time…which is also when Somek’s ship would be here. In order to keep my patients alive I’ve had to forgo my doses and have added the medication that was prescribed for me to them. They are thriving. I was able to operate on the Romulans and they will make it as will the Vulcan that requires it. They were helped just in time as the medication ran out. I have been supplementing with Metrazene and Vasokin for myself yet they do carry an increased risk of severe damage to the lungs, kidneys, heart, and brain. Vasokin is still experimental. With my physiology…the risks are unknown."

Hades' sigh could be heard before he went on. "So the short of it is. I require a procedure to save my life that can only be preformed by a Vulcan who knows the ins and out so Scooby squad issues, I am the only one on the station who could do this, so I until Somek is here there is no surgery and I have gravely impacted my chances by forgoing the medication. I had no choice really. it was my patients or myself. I do not know how much time I have. I have taken myself off the surgical rotation as I cannot risk an episode while in surgery. It appears that I must accept that I may not survive until Somek arrives. Even if I began the Benjasidrine again all is lost. I have faith that Carolyn will be a great Chief Medical Officer."

The tape ended.

There was a long pause, silence filling the room as the recording ended. Carolyn stared at the screen, not sure she remembered how to breathe as the recording replayed over and over. “How could be hide this?” She whispered as she looked at Harris, “does Kalani know?”

"No. Nobody but you, me, him, Somek, and Lieutenant Isaiah Nivar." Tears filled Harris' eyes. "There has to be something." He sat down hard.

“Of course there is, this is Hades,” she told him as she stood and headed for the door, only when her back was to him did she swipe away some tears of her own - unsure if she was sad or angry. “He can’t just give up like this!”

Harris followed her. She had been walking so fast that he had to jog to catch up to her. "What are you going to do?"

“I don’t know, shout at him maybe?” She said as she reached the turbolift, touching the control panel and pacing in front of it as they waited.

Harris sighed. He gently took her by the shoulders. "Carolyn wait. Take a breath." He pulled her to him allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. "Just take a breath."

Under normal circumstances she suspected he knew such a move would get him a slap to the face or some smart ass comment, yet for now she just let him hold her and didn’t fight him. “I’m not going to let him just die,” she promised him. “He can teach me the procedure or we get the Admiral to make sure this doctor gets here. We do something...”

She shut up when she realised she couldn’t trust her voice.

Harris gently rubbed her back in a comforting gesture. "Alright. We find a way. But we'll have to put our...differences aside. We work together. Step one we confront the dum dum," he said trying to make her giggle.

“I’m totally telling him you said that,” she warned him with a small smile as she stepped back. “Okay. Deal. But you might want to change, you smell of my perfume and you have a little something on your neck...”

When his hand reached up towards his neck she grinned, “kidding. And he cannot know about this... us.... last night. Agreed? At least not until he’s better or heavily sedated.”

"Alright. Why don't we go back. You finish breakfast and I'll shower."

“Okay. I’m not hungry anymore but I need to find my shoes,” she admitted, glancing down at her bare feet.

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