A Whirlygig Doesn't Stand a Chance

Posted on Fri Sep 18th, 2015 @ 9:12pm by Lieutenant Commander Solis & Lieutenant Isi Nighthawk & Lieutenant Tammy Olson & Lieutenant Commander Earl Crane & Julian Crane M.D.
Edited on on Fri Oct 2nd, 2015 @ 8:29pm

Mission: Further Challenges

"Hmmuph," Earl absently scarfed down a scone then sipped his tea, all without looking away from the Medicine Today! article he was reading. The article detailed new methods of revising old scars and removing other skin blemishes such as ill-advised or -executed tattoos. When the door of the crew lounge opened, he didn't look up to greet whomever it was. Why should he? He was the doctor here.

“Hey honey,” Solis greeted him with a cheeky grin. “What’s new in ‘This Old Doctor’?”

"Oh, just scars, tattoos. The usual. Though they do have a section on Klingon skin structure and why tattoos are harder to remove from them." Earl gave Solis a sour look. "I'm knee-deep in paperwork. All your stupid requests! As if we need supplies," he scoffed. He sounded as sour as he looked, but he was kidding - though not about the paperwork.

“You wanna be chief of surgery instead?” Solis dropped into the chair beside Earl. “Say no Earl. Trust me.”

"No. I didn't want to be assistant medical chief, either. There's a lack of warm bodies to fill the position, though." He grumbled.

“You’ll be great at it and you know it.” Solis looked up as the lounge door opened and Isi entered. “Hey, everything all set?”

Isi grinned at the pair and nodded. “Julian will discover Hurricane Tammy in approximately three minutes. Hey Earl. I must apologize in advance for what we are about to do to your son.” He sat down in the empty chair and rested his arms on the table.

"He's a big boy now. Fully an adult. He can deal with what you two toss at him, even the beautiful, buxom Tammy!" For once, Earl could say his whole phrase out loud; around Tammy, it could get him in trouble.

* Docking Pier 13 *

Rocking on his heels, Julian Crane watched the crowd, wondering if he'd be able to spot this Tammy from her bio photo. He doubted it. He wasn't great with faces.

From the umbilical just ahead came the sounds of an altercation. One of the voices was female and whoever it was was giving some poor crewman hell.

“You be easy with that carrier, Mr…..what’s your name? Lucas? Me and that cat have been on this transport for three weeks and I tell you he’s about at the end of his rope, sugar. I do not want to have to tell Commander Antos his cat ate a petty officer!”

"Isn't this your cat?" The crewman looked at the woman, frowning.

“For travel purposes, yes but it’s going to Valhalla with the colony’s XO.” The female voice softened as she was apparently speaking to the cat. “It’s okay baby, we’ll have you out of here in a jiffy.”

Several people walking by had turned to look, then moved along as the issue seemed to be resolved.

Up on his tiptoes, Julian craned his neck and spied the source of the female voice. He recognized her face: her bio picture wasn't very old. "Tammy?", he called and started to make his way toward her. "Hi! I'm Julian Crane! I'll be on the Colony with you."

A rather buxom woman with a dark complexion and shoulder-length curly dark hair rushed him. “Julian!” She swept him into a tight hug with her free arm. “Oh my goodness, it’s you! And all grown up! You are the very image of your mother, thank god. I'd have known you anywhere. Here, take Elvis.” She slipped the cat carrier into his hand. “You’re going with us? That’s wonderful. At least there will still be a Crane in my sickbay.”

"Ah...," he was surprised by the hug and the cat carrier, but..., "okay, oo, he's heavy. What do you feed him?"

“Insolent petty officers,” she replied and smiled ear to ear. “So how are your parents? And Isi and Adara? What about Solis and that lovely JAG officer he was chasing after? Tell me everything.” Tammy was moving away and the crowd on the docking bay parted before her to let them through. And she was still talking. “Watch that elbow. Outta my way. Julian? Are you coming?”

He'd frozen, a bit like a deer in headlights, and got moving as she said his name. "Coming right behind you," he said, taking a few long strides to catch up. "Mom and Dad are fine; Isi and Adara are...fine, I think. Solis and his JAG officer, um, Julisa, are better than fine. I'm not sure what else to tell you," he was bemused by the whirlwind that was Tammy.

“How about the pretty nurse you’ve been seeing?” she tossed back at him as she continued through the crowd. “Oh, and what about Tor and Tobin?”

"They're on the Colony already, waiting for the rest of us." He struggled to keep up with her. People made room for her to pass, but not him. "And how the hell do you know who I'm dating?"

“I saw her in your head, honey,” she answered. “Well, that and you smell like her perfume.” Tammy reached the check-in point and passed over a padd. “Olson, Tammy, SCPO, and Elvis. Betazoid feline, no rank.”

"The cat? Elvis is female? And Betazoid? Please tell me it isn't telepathic! It's enough that there's a telepathic spider here," he looked into the cage.

“Elvis? Is a male and don’t let him hear you say that,” she warned. “He’s named after a musical genius according to Lev. I looked him up. The man had killer hips.” Tammy turned back to the officer behind the counter, who seemed to hesitate over the cat. “He’s already had one of the porters for breakfast. I figure he’s getting ready for dessert about now.” The officer paled and waved them on through. “So, where first honey? I suppose we should drop off Elvis and then I want to get to sickbay.”

"Your quarters?", he suggested. "Why Sickbay? This isn't our Sickbay."

“So I can see your daddy and Solis, of course. Do try and keep up.” She flashed him a bright smile, then swept into the turbolift.

He made it in just as the door started to shut. "Keep up, right," he nodded.

* Piper Medical *

Now free of the burden of the cat carrier, Julian found himself aptly able to keep up with Tammy, who was an absolute dervish. He was already exhausted and they were just now only getting to Piper. "They're probably in Dad's office," he said, leading the way. He had the feeling it'd be the last time he led Tammy Olson anywhere.

The three doctors had moved on to Earl’s office and were discussing Isi’s move to the colony. Solis had just opened his mouth to ask a question when he heard a familiar voice approaching.


“Alright men, batten down the hatches. She’s here. I wonder what state Julian is in.”

"Oh jeez," Earl hopped up and quickly recycled his mug, picked up two stray golf balls and jogged back to his desk, where he stuffed the balls into a drawer. Seeing Solis' grin, he said, "She took them from me last time we worked together. Held onto 'em, too. I should ask if she still has my balls."

“All of them,” Solis observed drily.

Isi looked back over his shoulder at the door. “Dammit. You two put me closest to the door on purpose. I will get even--”

He was cut off as Julian appeared at the door and Tammy rushed in past him. She snatched up Isi into a tight bear hug. “Oh you are a sight for sore eyes.”

“Tammy,” Isi gasped out. “Good to see you too.”

Solis watched, a smile on his face. “And I know why you hid behind the desk,” he stage-whispered to Earl.

She dropped Isi and moved in on Solis and it was his turn to be squeezed within an inch of his life.

Julian was suddenly glad his hug had been a slightly distracted hug. His dad looked at him with a slightly pleading look but Jules shook his head and mouthed, 'No help from me, old man!'

“As gorgeous as ever the both of you,” Tammy enthused. Solis was discarded and now she turned on Earl. “Earl, come come me a kiss. You have no idea how much we missed you down there.” She slipped around Solis and behind the desk, reaching for Earl. “I promised Belinda I’d give you a big ol’ smooch.”

"Belinda? Really?" He stood and hugged her, briefly kissing her cheek. "She didn't tell you to give me anything else did she?" He remembered Belinda, particularly her curves and her penchant for ivory dresses. He fondled the memory for a moment.

Tammy glared at him. “Not unless you want your wife to send her back to the stone age,” she answered. Her smile returned as she settled into one of the empty chairs. “It is so good to be back here with you all. Especially since I get to keep two of you.” She winked at Isi. “Too bad you two boys will be three days away.” This last was directed to Earl and Solis.

Solis cleared his throat and smiled. Despite all the teasing, they did have a soft spot for this whirlwind of a woman. As their former head nurse, she had run a tight ship and didn’t take crap from anyone. That trait had saved Solis once, he knew. “Eh, we’ll be back and forth. Julian’s hoping to get a golf course out there so we’ll all be there as soon as it’s opened.” He grinned and nudged Earl’s leg under the desk.

"Oh, hey, do you have my balls?" Nudged by Solis, Earl decided that's what the Vulcan wanted him to ask. When Jules' jaw dropped, he realized how it sounded.

Isi snorted at the question and Solis snickered. “Julian, you know how your father is by now. You’ve had him for three hundred years.” Julian nodded and facepalmed.

Tammy began to laugh as well, then reached into the small bag she carried. When she pulled her hand out and opened it, there on her palm were two golf balls. “I keep your balls in my purse, sugar.”

"Those are my favorites!" Earl reached for them.

Solis choked on his laughter. “Okay, that’s it for me. You’ve been a lovely audience.” He rose and kissed Tammy’s cheek. “I have to go meet Julisa but I’ll come see you off this afternoon.”

“You better.” She smiled and patted his backside as he hurried out of the office.

"Isi, you three keep in touch with us here. It's a long flight out there if you need back up or supplies you can't replicate," Earl said to Isi, but meant the message to all three.

"Dad, do you really think mom will let me not keep in touch?" Julian gave the old man a look.

Isi nodded. “We will. I expect things will be relatively quiet at first, given it’s just the core crew. The only real business might come from the Marines..” He looked to Julian now. “Though the isolation might keep the counseling side busy.”

Tammy’s eyebrows popped up. “We have Marines? Oh boy, I knew I was gonna like this job.”

"Hmm...," Earl made a note on his padd then glanced at Isi and commented, "Pregnancy control. I just increased the amount of estrogen allowed to the Colony. Isolated, possibly bored Marines? Yeah."

Isi shook his head. “Leave it to you. Earl.” He looked to Tammy and rose. “Shall we sweetheart? Adara will want to see you and we need to get ready to depart. Tell Will I’ll check in with him once we land, will you Earl?”

"Will do," Earl nodded as they headed out then hugged Julian. "Be safe, son. We're proud of you."

Jules nodded. "Thanks, Dad. I'll call Mom when we get there safely."

Tammy reached back into the office and took hold of Julian. “Come on, honey. We’re going on a road trip.” Moments later, the office was silent and Earl was alone.

*********************
Lt.Commander Earl D. Crane
Lt. Solis
Lt. Isi Nighthawk
Dr. Julian Crane
SCPO Tammy Olson
Elvis