A Crane Of Destruction

Posted on Sat Jun 20th, 2015 @ 8:20pm by Lieutenant Commander Ophelia Payne & Lieutenant Raj Amani & Lieutenant Commander Earl Crane

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Piper Medical Center

* Piper Medical Center *

Raj emerged from his office, the report holding the reports on Nikki Gold in his hand. It took only a few minutes to reach the private psychiatric rooms and he stopped outside Nikki’s, looking in through the window.

She’s been calm for the most part, Ophelia informed him as she appeared by his side. Images of Nikki throughout the day shuffled through his thoughts, giving him an instant view of her day and he nodded.

“Seems straightforward enough,” he answered. “No change in her belief regarding Dr. Solis?”

Ophelia shook her head. “None. She’s continued to ask when he will be taking her home, insisting it’s been too long since they’ve been...intimate.” A faint flush colored Ophelia’s cheeks. “Though her choice of words was a little more direct.”

“I see.” He looked back through the window where Nikki was dozing. She stirred, indicating she was waking. “I need to speak with her. I’m expecting Dr. Crane, Julian Crane that is. He’s her closest relative we could contact.”

“Crane?”

“Earl’s son, yes.”

“Oh. Shit,” Ophelia replied with uncharacteristic bluntness.

“That’s about what Dad said when he heard, too,” Julian spoke from behind the two. When they faced him, he smiled and introduced himself, “Julian Crane, Earl’s son. I’m going to guess you’re Raj Amani, the Counselor assigned to Nikki, and Ophelia Payne.”

“Welcome to 900 Dr. Crane.” Raj shook his hand. “We’re glad to have you, your father’s something of a local legend.”

Ophelia smiled and shook his hand. “Lt. Ophelia Payne, head nurse.”

“He’s more than a local legend, Lieutenants, he’s ...yeah. Following in his footsteps hasn’t always been easy,” Julian laughed. “Please, though, call me Julian or,” he focused on Ophelia with a charming smile, “Jules. Dr. Crane is my dad.”

Ophelia returned his smile. He was, indeed, charming and a handsome young man. Young? It occurred to her he could be centuries old possibly. The temptation to whisper a drink invitation in his head was a hard one to resist but she was good. Instead, she filled him in the events involving Nikki.

“Hmm,” Julian nodded as Ophelia told him about Nikki. “Raj? What’s the Counseling side of this say? I’ve heard the medical side - and the consensus seems to be that she’s nuts. Last night, Da-- uh, Dr. Crane mentioned that there’s a possibility a telepath like an Enaran meddled with her head. Has that been explored?”

Raj nodded. “I’ve made use of Ophelia and we examined Nikki both from that side and purely as an empath, along with the normal questions. Neither Ophelia nor I can sense any sort of meddling at this point. I can’t say it’s impossible but unlikely. And why? What would be the point? My instinct says that it began as a mild obsession, based on my interview with Solis, that escalated once he was gone. Reality in the wake of his departure, especially in light of her attempt to meddle with his transfer order, fell short of the fantasy she’d built up in her mind. He left and it all came crashing down.”

“Okay, then. Well... should we burst her bubble? Has her bubble been bursted... erm, popped?” He looked from one to the other and settled on looking at Ophelia; she was the prettier of the two.

The faint pink flush in Ophelia’s cheeks deepened. “No, not yet. Solis has been avoiding visiting her, given his personal involvement in the situation.”

“It seemed the best course to keep him out of sight and out of mind as much as possible. We also wanted to wait until you were here for consent before we took any further steps,” Raj informed them.

“Oh, okay. I’m here now, what steps are we taking? Could I talk to her? Maybe I could be stern and talk some sense into her?”

“If you wish, you are the next of kin and there are no visitation restrictions. Should I wait out here, just in case?” Raj asked. “Ophelia too, she has a wonderful ability to soothe the savage beast when needed.”

“Truly?” Julian turned on his charming smile again and eyed Ophelia. “Then I need to speak to you later, Ms. Payne, as I have just such a.... well, we can discuss that later, yes?” His smile brightened then he looked at Raj. “I would like to talk with Nikki. I’m not sure if it’s her mother’s mother or her mother’s mother’s mother that was my daughter.... but, I am the closest kin you’ll find in these parts. I’ve checked.”

Raj nodded. “Very well.” He entered the code to unlock the door so that Julian could enter, then checked to make sure the intercom was on so they could listen outside.

Entering the woman’s room, Julian spoke calmly, “Hello, Nikki. My goodness, you do look like your mother.. and her mother.... Damned fine dominant genes for the appearance.”

“Who are you? Where’s my Solis?” Nikki looked past Julian at the door.

“Solis isn’t coming, sweetie. As for me, I’m your... great-great-great granddad,” he felt a little weird telling a woman who looked not that much younger than he did that he was actually way, way, way older than she was. Old enough to have bedded her ancestor and begot her.

“Oh, of course he’s coming. He loves me!” She cooed before growing serious. “You can’t be that old. I mean, you’re old, but certainly not that old.”

He had started to feel better, but the second part of her statement shot through his ego. Fine, then, he was done with kid gloves: “Nikki Gold, as your not so old great-great-something-granddad, I have bad news for you. Solis does not love you. He barely knows you exist. He’s ...married, yes, married to someone else!” He glared at Nikki, wary in case she tried to slap him.

She didn’t try that. “You’re wrong! He does. I know he does. And he couldn’t have married someone else! I planted the certificate...,” she stumbled verbally, “so he couldn’t!”

Julian looked back over his shoulder at the large window where Raj and Ophelia stood. Raj nodded, showing he’d heard that. Julian turned back to Nikki, watching her closely. “Planted the marriage certificate Nikki? You’ve slipped so you might as well tell the whole story.”

“What story? I didn’t plant anything, I don’t even have a garden. Solis and I will have a garden, once we retire on Vesta...,” she adopted a dreamy look.

“You sneaky, conniving little---,” Julian was ready to explode. He’d seen this same sort of thing from her ancestor - when he hadn’t given her the time of day (well, he had, but then Earth girls were easy when you were an alien) she’d manufactured reasons for why he had to notice her. “Solis doesn’t have the time of day for you!”

“All he thought about was that attorney bitch, Jules,” Nikki hissed, angry now as well.

Julian caught that when she’d said ‘Jules’, she didn’t mean him. “Ah, yes, his real wife: Julisa. She’s a lovely, beautiful woman. Solis gives her everything of him, you know.” He’d have kept going, but Nikki yelled something incoherent and launched herself at him. He, too, screamed and tried to back out of her range.

In the next few moments, several things happened: Julian and Nikki ended up on the ground, tussling like targ over a turnip. She delivered a number of good hits to his face and shoulders; he realized he really should have taken self-defense lessons during his last Continuing Medical Education courses; Ophelia and Raj burst in, along with a couple of orderlies, and separated the two.

Back outside of Nikki Gold’s padded room, Julian dusted his suit jacket off and straightened his clothing. “Well...,” he cleared his throat, “Perhaps more conniving than crazy, but probably a good mix of both in there.”

Ophelia stepped back out to the corridor with Julian as Raj spoke with the orderlies and with Nikki. She watched them and nodded. “A shame really. As you say, she did plot the fake certificate but she truly believed they were married. A little frightening.” Her attention turned from the room to Julian. “Everything was recorded - her confession, her attack of you, all of it.”

“Eh. Anyone could have done that. At least...,” he paused and looked at Ophelia as she momentarily looked through the glass at the padded room. “I mean... perhaps I should have someone stay with me, make sure I’m not suffering from any post-attack concerns. Would you mind, Nurse Payne, staying with me for a bit? I could repay you with dinner?”

Ophelia looked him up and down and smiled. “Raj will want to speak with you and and add it to her files but yes.” Dinner sounds lovely… Her thought brushed his mind, a quick and intimate touch.

“Wonderful,” he said and waited for Raj to be ready to talk to him.

*****************
Lt. Raj Amani
Who Now Knows The Truth

Lt. Ophelia Payne
Completely Charmed

Julian Crane, M.D.
His Father’s Son

Nikki Gold
Not Actually Crazy