You did *what* with that Snowpick? Part 2

Posted on Sat Jun 24th, 2023 @ 9:11am by Lieutenant J'airesh Mora-Heath & Master Chief Petty Officer Chuck Finley [Reece]

Mission: Season 6: Episode 2: Survival
Timeline: Two Days After Part One
2698 words - 5.4 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

"Lieutenant J'airesh More-Heath" J'air was spelling it out with gritted teeth and a glued on smile that was more of a grimace. "Yes, just as you wish Madam, I'm certain I can make an appointment for you to have your freckles removed if you really insist but you have had this done five times already and to be fair, I think you may have been born to have freckles just the same as you were born to be red-head." she was trying very hard to keep this in proportion seeing as there were patients with genuine health problems who needed her time much more.

"Yes, I know the patient's decision is priority but I do have to say that I feel this is cosmetic, elective surgery and I can't promise that I'll have a space in the near future. I will talk to the CMO but personally, I believe waiting until we're back on the repaired ship and in our proper sickbay first? Don't you agree?" she was getting ragged around the edges with this patient's selfish, shallow and unreasonable behaviour.

The woman in the bed was replying but the biobed arch shadowed her face and was muffling what she was saying.

"I'll go and speak to the CMO as soon as I get a moment free and his decision will naturally be final by me as well as anyone else in the medical department. His is the most senior authority here. I'll be directly in contact as soon as I have an answer for you but in the meanti..... " the woman seemed to be getting up and attempting to walk out. "Fine" J'air said with a sigh and handed her the electronic notes she had just made covering this consultation and the 'discussion' that had been going on.

Looking around after the woman had stormed out, Ja'air was ready to give up medical for life but then she saw who was coming in and remembered the appointment she was due to have with Chuck Finlay, Master Chief PO, a mischievous part of her wondered what else he could be master of and she blushed at her own private but inappropriate thoughts.

"Ah, Master Chief" she greeted him out loud. "Thank goodness, a sane patient!" she then said to him softly, as she got close to him and was out of earshot of the retreating woman and most of the medical staff.

"You can't imagine what a day I've had so far today! You're a sight for sore eyes, I must say!" she smiled broadly, welcoming him into a cubicle for his continuing treatment on his damaged had and ligaments.

Chuck couldn't help but smile when he saw J'air. While his left hand was bandaged, his right hand held a small, wrapped box. "Now, I don't mean to tell you your profession, young lady, but what makes you think I'm sane?" He gave her a playful smirk and his eyes twinkled with mischevious energy.

J'air laughed. "I guess it was a desperate hope, to be honest!" she joked, her own face lighting up with the fun of bantering with Chuck. He really did lighten her mood, always.

Tilting his head slightly to the left, as if he was contemplating something, Chuck finally nodded his head, coming to a decision. "Very well. Then for you, I will be sane....for now." He winked playfully at her as he finished speaking.

"Well, not *too* sane, well, not *all* of the time!" she grinned.

He then remembered that he had a gift. "I made something for you." He lifted the small box up between them. It was about twenty centimeters long by six wide and high. The box was nondescript, save for a emerald green ribbon wrapped around it.

"Green is my favourite colour!" she exclaimed, a blush rising to her cheeks. "But seriously... you shouldn't have! - I mean it, not just a cliche.... it's not necessary, I'm just doing my job....." Looking up at his face, meeting those amazing eyes again and melting, J'air began to untie the ribbon around the box. "Thank you" she said, submissively accepting the gift after having protested at first.

She took off the ribbon and then the lid of the box and her eyes went wide. She gave a little gasp, astonished.

Inside the box, resting on a piece of black fabric, was a piece of crystal, eight centimeters long, that had been intricately carved into a Terran Iris. The crystal seemed to glow from inside its core.

"I know it's not real flowers, however, it is the best I can do right now, with one bum hand." He gave her a soft grin as he spoke, completely honest and without any bragging.

J'air was speechless. She softly put out a fingertip to touch the exquisite crystal flower. She fought not to get emotional but it was nearly impossible.

"You made this yourself.... crafted it..... how did you know I love Irises... and with ONE hand? I..... It's totally...... I ...... " her breath caught and it came out like a tiny sob-like sound. She clamped her free hand over her mouth to stop it doing that again and she looked up at Chuck, her eyes moist and her lip quivering.

"It's the most beautiful gift I've ever been given. Thank you so much...... you're amazing...... I don't know how to thank you enough!" She thought of one way and threw her arms around his neck in the hugest hug ever.

Chuck 'oofed' when J'airesh threw herself at him. To his credit, he wrapped his arms around her in an equally strong embrace, holding her up off of her feet for a few beats. Then, he lowered her back down and smiled softly as he adjusted his hold on her so he could look into her face. "So....you like it then?" He smirked playfully as he asked the question.

"I love it," she replied breathlessly. "You're SO talented." Suddenly realising that he was lowering her towards the ground, it occurred to her that she'd launched herself at him and was now very close indeed - actually in his arms in fact. She blushed deeply and, finding herself lowered gently, but stopping and being adjusted round slightly to just where he could look into her heat-radiating face, she then became very aware that she hadn't actually arrived all the way to the floor and was suspended with a gap between her toes and the ground, stuck to the front of him as if velcro'd there.

More awarenesses sank in. Like, how strong he was, how nice he smelled, how truly deep and sparkling with mischief his eyes were and how foolish she'd been to put herself up here, suspended above the ground and helpless to get down unless he decided to make it possible.

J'air began to unwrap her arms from around his neck and waited for the floor to get nearer, her heart beating so hard she was sure he must be able to hear it or feel it at least. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if everyone else could hear it too. The heat in her cheeks seemed to be determined not to cool at all and she looked up the centimetres between her eyes and his and gave him a serious dose of helpless puppy dog eyes, the helpless part of which was genuine right now.

Chuck recognized the power he was currently showing. His heart was beating just as fast as hers. If he concentrated, he thought he could actually feel the powerful beat of her heart as he still held her against his powerfully-built chest. For a few glorious beats of their hearts, the rest of the world seemed to fade away. J'airesh was the only being in existence, as far as he was concerned. Her beautifully vibrant green eyes were pulling him in. He knew that he was done for. Especially when she gave him that puppy dog stare. His breath caught in is throat as he felt transfixed by her stare. Here was a woman who was beyond special. She was a goddess, pure and simple.

After holding her up, for what seemed like an eternity, Chuck finally finished lowering J'airesh back down to the ground. A soft grin curled the left side of his mouth up as he spoke softly. "Well then, guess I'm gonna have to keep showering you with gifts, if only to keep you looking at me like that." His cheeks blushed a bit through his goatee as he finished speaking.

Finally realising that the rest of the occupants of the Sickbay Tent actually still existed, J'air blushed even more but she steadied her unwilling legs that appeared to have traitorously turned to jelly, and tore her eyes from his by focussing them back onto the beautiful gift he had made her.

"I was never going to let any man *near* my heart again. I had promised it that if it kept on beating - at a time when it wanted to stop permanently - a while back - then I would protect it better in the future" she said to him softly, her tone and volume low enough that it was unlikely that anyone else would be able to overhear, at least not enough to get the whole conversation anyway.

"I think that you and your wonderful eyes, perfectly crafted Iris and sneaky 'I'm-a-wounded-patient' ruse are getting around my fortifications and making a very dangerous approach to my weakened castle's defences! Do you think that's a fair assessment of this situation, Master Chief?" she asked, her eyes alight with a fire she had thought had been brutally extinguished in the past. ~how wrong could one foolish woman be?~ she wondered, fascinated and a fair amount scared too, both at the same time.

Hearing her words, accompanied by seeing the fire in her eyes, Chuck felt, now more than ever, that this woman deserved nothing less than his absolute best. Reaching up with his right hand, he gently caressed the left side of her face. While the grin fell away, his face took on a whole new level of intensity as he looked at her as if she was the only woman alive. "While I can't see the future, J'airesh," he replied softly, his voice only loud enough for her to hear, "I can promise you that, given the honor of your company, I will do my very best to treat you with the care and respect that you deserve."

"I would like to think the honour would be mine, kind sir!" she replied, suddenly feeling like she'd come out of a black and white universe and back into blinding colours. She managed to keep her sense of humour - self defence shield - and added the 'kind sir' formality with a huge grin to show him she wasn't really going formal on him but that she was happy to - more than happy to see where this was going to go from here.

Separating from his embrace, J'air distracted the attention they had been accumulating by taking her beautiful Iris to show her colleagues. The appropriate 'aahs' and 'oohs' and 'beautiful!' comments changed the conversation back to a communal one of how clever Chuck had been, especially with one hand wounded and the rest of the admiration that his achievements and skills brought on.

===later===

After Chuck's treatment was finished for the day, he started to stand up from the biobed. Looking over at J'airesh, he asked, "If it's not too forward of me, I was wondering if you'd care to join me for dinner?"

"It's MUCH too forward and yes, thank you. What time? Where?" she grinned. She was beginning to think she'd suddenly developed some kind of grinning sickness as she didn't seem to be able to stop doing it around Chuck.

Chuck smiled back, his eyes looking a bit softer now. "We could start off at the Mess Tent, tonight at 1800?"

J'air's face. still stuck in that grin which would refuse to leave her for hours, if not days.... who knew how much longer but she had no desire for it to stop being generated by the current happiness she felt right now.

She nodded and put a hand, very gently against the back of his good hand, her finger tips softly brushing against his skin.

"Eighteen Hundred? My shift doesn't finish until Seventeen, how am i going to get myself into full battle gear and war paint in only an hour?" she winked. Turning away as if she was about to hurry off right this minute, despite there being five hours to go. She actually went over to the bio bed monitor on the wall behind. Burning him a data-rod of his progress and discharge she returned and handed it to him.

"Not one tenth as beautiful as the gift you gave me, but it's the thought that counts?" she quipped, holding it out for him to take with him.

Smiling that heart-melting smile of his, Chuck reached out and took the data rod with his uninjured hand. "Thank you. While it certainly isn't as grand and beautiful as the Iris...you are, and then some."

J'air couldn't help but blush. So she cuffed his forearm softly as if in rebuke. "Flattery will get you everywhere!" she laughed and her eyes met his again, the same electricity sparking between them. "So outside in the moonlight... at 20:00 then?" she deliberately teased him with misinformation although they both knew she had the real time and place engraved onto her memory for all time. This could be the start of something wonderful, or it could be another disaster, only time would tell now.

Chuck grinned at J'airesh. "Moons light, actually. There are two of them up there. Though, as it's currently well below freezing outside, might not be the most prudent course of action," he teased playfully. "Although...I certainly would be interested in warming you up." He flirted heavily as he spoke.

"Two moons, two people, two o'clock?" J'airesh kept up her misinformation about the rendezvous. "But only one warm up?" she chuckled. "That hardly seems even handed to me..... are you saying you're too hot to need a warm up of your own?"

Chuck stepped closer to J'airesh, right up to her, and gazed down into her mesmerizing eyes. In a quiet voice that was filled with an unmistakable hunger, he replied. "You tell me." He then leaned in and kissed her...very well.

For a few beats, they stood there, connected by only their lips. Then, he broke contact and straightened back up. Giving her a knowing grin, he asked, "Don't you think I could use some...hands on assistance, in getting warmed up?"

Breathless for a second or two, J'airesh pulled herself up to her fullest height and straightened her uniform and said, in a tone that suggested reprimand. "I think you could use some hands on assistance in getting cooled down, Master Chief!" but then she grinned widely, winked at him and reached up to tip his head down towards her own again, re-igniting the kiss with another just like it, this time of her own initiation.

A hungry growl rumbled deep in Chuck's broad chest as he slid his arms around J'airesh's body and held her to him. After a few long beats, he finally released his hold on her and took a deep breath. "Wow!" He whispered breathlessly. "I think I need immediate in-person home care." He then grinned at J'airesh as he stared deeply into her hypnotic eyes. "Care to save this old wounded warrior?"

"All in a day's work!" she dismissed his question lightly but she returned his hug with enthusiasm and the grin stayed, somehow refusing to leave her face nor did the sparkle leave her eyes. "I'll make a house call! - all in the interests of your medical care, of course!" she winked at him, chuckling happily. After Chuck left Sickbay - J'air's heartrate stayed elevated for the rest of her shift.

OFF