Bringing Home The Gold

Posted on Sun Jun 7th, 2015 @ 1:07am by Lieutenant Commander Solis & Lieutenant Commander Earl Crane
Edited on on Sun Jun 7th, 2015 @ 12:18pm

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Piper Medical Center

"Ooohh! I can't wait!" Nikki enthusiastically cooed as she looked out the window at SB900.

"New assignment?" An ensign who'd been avoiding her the whole trip suddenly found herself unable to get away, considering that Nikki was leaning against her to gaze out the window. It seemed that the young woman had no concept of personal space.

"Oh, no, no, I'm joining my husband. We've been separated for too long. Know what I mean?" She laughed.

"Ah, great." Apparently the woman also had issues with announcing TMI. "Do you want this seat?"

"What? Oh no, sweetie, you stay there, I just want to watch as we go in for landing."

“There won’t be a whole lot to see,” drawled a male voice from behind them. “We’ll just sorta slide up beside those arms there an’ they’ll grab hold.”

"Mmm, sounds great," Nikki grinned and glanced back at the speaker. "What are you coming to the station for?"

“My brother is here, along with several friends.” The man offered his hand. “Woodford Banning. Who’s yer husband?”

"He's a doctor, Solis. He's just so wonderful. I can't wait to see him!"

“Solis. Huh...whaddya know.” Woody’s smile never wavered. “Well good luck to ya.” He moved on down towards the main hatch with one thought in his head. This is gonna be interestin’.....

**

Once the transport had docked with the station, Nikki Gold was a force that couldn't be held back. She gave the porters orders to have her things taken to Lieutenant Solis' quarters then hurried off to find the man she so dearly loved.

Piper Medical Center

Kiere was speaking to a patient as a small blonde whirlwind entered the main entrance. The man moved along and now she looked at the young woman before her. “Welcome, what may I do for you?”

"I need to see the doctor, doctor Solis," she beamed at Kiere and twirled a lock of her blonde curls with one hand. "I'm Nikki Gold." She fully expected that the woman knew who she was.

Kiere glanced down at one of the screens behind the counter, checking Solis’ schedule. She pressed a call button and moments later, an orderly appeared. “Tom will show you back to a room Miss Gold, and the doctor will be in shortly.”

"Lovely, sweetie!" Nikki followed Tom, chattering at him about the wonderful Doctor Solis.

Somewhere along the hall, Earl poked his head out of his office. The look on his face could be described only one way: horror. He stared down the hallway at Nikki's back, which, admittedly, was perky and good to watch. But... This was all wrong. He tiptoed out of the office and down to Kiere's desk. "Was that...? Who was that? That woman?"

“She said her name was Nikki Gold. Why?” Kiere looked closer at Earl. “Are you alright? You don’t look so good.”

"Oh? Am I pale? Looks like I've seen that damned walking nightmare spider?" He nodded vigorously. "I haven't seen the spider, but I've just seen something worse."

“What’s that?” Kiere asked. Her brow furrowed for a moment. “Does this have something to do with that patient?”

"Oh yes, very much." He leaned in towards her a little. "She's a little scary. More than the spider is. At least the spider can be reasoned with."

“I see.” A frown settled on her face. “Then you should either head her off or warn Solis. He’s on his way to see her now.”

He screamed, turned and ran down the hallway, sliding around a corner and nearly bowling over Solis as they approached the exam room where Nikki awaited her love. "Sol! Say, you look tired," he held onto Solis' shoulders and turned him away from the exam room door. "You should go take a break. Call your lovely wife. Have a... What time is it? ah, just in time for afternoon delight!"

“What the hell is up with you, old man?” Solis looked him in the eyes. “I just got here half an hour ago and…” He stopped as he caught Earl’s consternation where his hands rested on Solis’ shoulders. “What’s going on?”

"Nothing," Earl yanked his hands off of Solis. "Nothing. Just... ah, look, let me take this patient."

“It’s okay, really. They’re a walk-in, it’s nothing serious. Probably no more than a few minutes but if it makes you happy, you can come with me, okay?” Solis smiled back at Earl, then pinched his cheek. “Okay?”

Knowing this could end badly, Earl decided that Solis, like his son, sometimes had to learn about bad things by getting deep into those bad things. He winced, realizing Solis had been deep inside this particular bit of trouble at least once already. "Okay, we'll go in together," he gestured at the door, "Dummies first."

Solis rolled his eyes and pressed the panel by the door. It slid open and he led the way in...at least two steps in….and stopped dead in his tracks. He blinked, not really believing what, or who, he was seeing.

"Oh! Solis!" Nikki screamed shrilly and leaped into his arms. Grabbing his head, she kissed his face and between kisses chattered, "I've missed you so much!"

Earl leaned against the doorway and asked Solis, "You want that afternoon delight now?"

“No I wanngklrwsbwe..” Solis’ words were garbled by Nikki’s tongue down his throat. He waved his arm behind him, reaching for Earl and with his other, did his best to try and peel Nikki off his front. And breathe. He really needed to breathe.

"Mmhmm," Earl stepped in, went to the medical computer and replicator then came back and applied a hypospray to Nikki's bare upper arm. He counted down from ten....

At two, Nikki went limp and Earl caught her. "So what's the lesson here, Solis?" He lifted Nikki to the biobed.

Solis pressed his hands to his eyes. “Always listen to Earl?” he muttered.

"Give the man a cookie!" Earl checked the biobed's scanners. "She'll wake up in a few minutes here. Do you want to be here when that happens?"

“Oh hell no! How long will it take to get back through the wormhole?” Solis looked at the scanner screen. “What the hell is she doing here? Didn’t we exorcise her about a thousand light years south of here??”

"We left her, sure. Hey, Solis... You have a much bigger problem here than you thought." Earl pointed to something on the screen. He waited for Solis to lean in and read it.

Now it was Solis’ turn to scream like a little girl. “I’m her ‘spouse’?? When did that happen?” He looked around the exam room, then back at Earl. “This is all a joke, right? Like that old Earth TV show you showed me? Candid Camera?” He pointed to Earl and began to laugh. “Okay you got me. Good one, chief. Now get her out of here.”

"Allen Funt would have thought this was hysterical. I sort of think it is, but, no, Solis, this isn't a joke. Unless our lovely Ms. Gold here is an incredible joker. Somehow, I don't think she is."

“Oh nonononono,” Solis muttered and waved at the screen. “Then how do you explain that?”

"I don't! I didn't do it! You married her! How do you not recall that?" Earl glared at Solis. "Julisa is going to roast someone's nuts, that's for sure! You were married when you met her and now you're married again, but not to her. How do you do that?" He paused then asked, very seriously, "What are you carrying around in those pants?"

“You really want to know?” Solis shook his head. “Never mind, time for that later. I did not marry that woman! I was never that out of it, Earl. And I need Ray. He has to get to the bottom of this because if Julisa hears of it, he’ll be filing double murder charges instead. And I…..” He fell silent as a thought flashed in his mind. “Oh my god….I need Sakkath.”

"Sakkath? Step right up to the big guns!" The older man shook his head. "How about taking this to someone who might really help: the second in charge, Norval?"

“Norval? Why Norval?” Solis checked the scanner screen. They had about fifteen seconds. “Hit her again and then tell me, do you remember my screwy transfer request?”

"Yes, I recall that. Norval is second man in Ops. When you go to a doctor, who really treats you? The nurse. When you have an Ops problem, who comes to solve it?" Nikki groaned and Earl jumped like she'd kissed him. He set another dose in the hypospray and dosed her. "Let's hope she doesn't recall this."

“I hope not. And okay, Norval. I want him to comb through everything, see if she has been up to her old computer tricks. But that will take some time.” He brushed back his long hair. “Ohhh what am I going to tell Jules? Can we swear this woman is crazy and confine her? Have Will send her to a plague colony?”

"But her trick with your transfer request was just a faked denial, not a... marriage." Earl sat back on the bed. "Wow, Solis, you're in a fix. Maybe we could put her in a cargo thing and ship her back to Earth. Is there a sedative that could keep her out until then?"

A stream of Vulcan so rapid and so foul issued forth from Solis that the translator couldn’t keep up. “Lev. He knows what happened. Norval can check with him too.” He sank down in the lone chair in the room. “This is going to take time, though. What do I do until then? You know how she is. Honestly, maybe she really is crazy.”

"Obsessively so, I'd say. You need to make sure she doesn't meet up with Julisa."

“How about twenty-four hour observation? I think there’s grounds, Earl. We both know she’s not stable.” Solis rose and began to pace back and forth.

"Quarantine? Require everyone on her incoming transport be quarantined for 24 hours? We could do that, easily. Wonder how many people that would be...." He didn't look at the computer for an answer.

“Or just her. I mean she did come in and request to see a doctor. There had to be a reason.” Solis stopped his pacing and turned back to Earl. “We are duty bound to find out, yes?”

"Yes, yes we are. I'm the chief, so I'll do it," Earl turned back to the computer and entered in the command that would keep Nikki Gold in a Piper room for twenty-four hours. "Okay, you are now on the clock, Solis."

“I’ll notify Norval and then find Julisa. Should I warn her or wait? If we can settle this there may be no….never mind. She’ll know anyway. Wish me luck and if I call in an emergency, it’ll be me.” Solis smiled ruefully.

"Good luck." Earl was awfully glad his relationship with Ehlana was smooth and easy. At least, it was if he discounted all the times she'd left him with no idea of when he'd see her again.

******************

Petty Officer Nikki Gold
Lt. Commander Earl D. Crane
Lt. Solis
Kiere

Bringing Home Trouble