Secret Weapon

Posted on Sun Sep 29th, 2024 @ 12:26pm by Lieutenant Commander Oscar McDonald MD & Lieutenant Chloe O'Connor MD

601 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Lacertae Mortis
Location: Personal Quarters, Oscar McDonald.
Timeline: Prior to rescue mission

"This is..."

"Disgusting?" Dr Oscar McDonald suggested as he dropped his fork onto the plate which he promptly slid as far away from himself as possible, just in case the food tried to somehow leap off the table into his mouth. Reaching for his glass he drank as if he had been in a desert for weeks, hoping the cool water would wash away the taste.

With relief, he realised it seemed to have done the trick and he offered an apologetic smile as he set the now empty glass back down on the table. "I was sure I followed the recipe to the letter," he sighed, shaking his head, "but clearly not. Wanting something to taste that bad cannot be a deliberate choice."

Waving away the apology, Chloe Corrigan rose from the table, collecting both plates to dispose of the offending meals. "How about two bowls of cereal?" she suggested with a grin, already walking away. As she cleaned up and began sorting a far from customary dinner choice, she glanced back at him, "I had lunch today with that engineer, Zai? And Lieutenant Valli, so you can take that look right off your face."

"Which look?!" he protested, holding his hands up in the universal sign of innocence.

"You know the look," she chided him, with no real anger behind it. It was actually rather endearing. To a point. "Anyway," she added as she poured milk into each bowl, "I only brought it up because of something the counsellor said."

"About the merits of having children aboard?" he guessed with a disapproving sigh.

Setting a bowl and spoon down in front of him she grinned, "it may have been mentioned. But that isn't what I mean. She thought you were my father."

McDonald actually laughed as he considered that idea, chuckling as he scooped up some cereal and devoured it quickly. As he chewed he shook his head, clearly amused. "Been a while since anyone suggested that one," he pointed out. "Apparently grandfather is also being touted by some as an option. Do I look that old?!"

"I think it is more that I look so young," she countered with a good natured smile, hoping to sooth his wounded ego. "Ensign Barnes things it is isn't that at all. She thinks we are together and that's the only reason you listen to me and don't shout at me as much as the others."

"Huh. So I need to shout more?"

"Oh yeah, way more, people love it when their doctor is in a rage. Makes them feel all warm and fuzzy inside," she laughed, stirring her cereal.

"I can't help it if most people are idiots."

"True," she conceded with a grin. "What about ... you know?"

Immediately his appetite was gone and he sat back, shaking his head. "Nothing concrete. But the longer it goes on -" he stared out at the view for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "I always imagined when the war ended, times like this would be a thing of the past. But it just keeps happening. The Klingons, now the Gorn..."

"But we now have a secret weapon," Chloe reminded him gently as he fell silent, clearly following a train of thought into dark places. When he fixed her with a curious look she gestured towards the plates, adding with a mischievous grin, "your Cajun Chicken."

He couldn't stop the laugh despite his inner turmoil. He had many regrets but time and again, she had proved that risking his life to save hers all those years ago would never be one of them.


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