Burn Notice - Part 6

Posted on Sat Mar 15th, 2025 @ 12:38am by Lieutenant JG Aurania (Rani) Anderson MD & Captain Kett V'Laass

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Main Sickay
Timeline: MD4
1117 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Previously:

"and I'm also happy that you like my favourite Tea. May I offer you a biscuit to go with it?" she offered, standing up to approach the replicator but stopping to pick up a Biscuit Barrel and opening the vacuum sealed lid to reveal various baked cookies and offering the selection to him to choose from.

Currently:


"Did you make these yourself?" ask the Vulcan conversationally. He scanned around the cookies with his finger and then took one out. He sniffed it a little nodded to himself "hmmmmm" said the Vulcan thoughtfully as he took a bite. "yes some sort of Avena sativa, mixed with a sweet and viscous substance perhaps made through regurgitation and enzymatic activity of some sort of insect? Mixed with a dark-coloured dried fruit?" Kett took another bite from the Oats, Honey & Raisin cookie.

Rani stared in a queasy and rather horrified way at her half eaten biscuit and the honey glaze on top. She put it onto the saucer of her cup and didn't eat any more of it.

"um, yes....... probably....." she muttered, trying to stay pleasantly unmoved whilst battling with her body to stop it from ejecting the contents of her stomach.

"Well, no, I didn't make it my..... " she swallowed hard, a choking sound buried as she had to stop halfway through her reply. "The replicator....." she seemed to force out before asking him to "excuse me" as she hurried to the bathroom.

Kett took another big bite of his cookie, brushing the crumbs from the beard whilst chewing on the food thoughtfully "Yes. Yes a very good bake as they say." Kett then realised he was talking to himself. He stood up and walked cautiously to the bathroom. He called after the doctor "Rani are you alright? Do you require assistance?"

Rani's voice was a little shaky but she hadn't actually thrown up. "I'm okay thanks" She wiped her mouth and face with a soft, wet cloth and re-emerged, looking very pale. "Thanks for coming to see if I was alright though." She managed a weak smile and returned with Kett to their original seats into which she sank cautiously and pushed her tea a little further away from herself, closing the lid firmly and putting that on the floor beside her chair, intending to return it to it's storage place when she felt less nauseous, hopefully quite soon.

Kett nodded to himself in response. Not saying anything the silence began to grow a bit. He could not shake the suspicion that something was "up," as the Terrans would say. Though Kett had always been puzzled as to what distance from the ground had to do anything. Kett thought that silence was getting longer and a bit awkward. Though realistically it had only been a few seconds. He cleared his throat with a gentle cough. "Well perhaps i should be going then....."

"Back to your biobed? Well, if you want to rest a bit, that would be a good idea, but don't forget the CMO said you need to stay the night" Rani reminded Kett. "I'll walk back with you. I can't have you not making it back when perhaps I might have been a bit out of the safest course by bringing you here in the first place".

The Vulcan stood and smoothed out his uniform with the palm of his hand. "Everything appears to be Functioning adequately and I do not wish to take up another bed for someone who may need it more. Perhaps I could be released to my own quarters with a bio monitor? Or you can make sure I get to my quarters?"

"I'm sorry but the decision that you should stay in until the morning was made by the CMO, I don't have authority to discharge you anywhere without risking her wanting my head on a platter tomorrow and I'm not waking her up to ask different, if that suicidal thought should cross your mind!" Rani shook her head.

Kett pulled himself up to his full height. His lanky frame was not so intimidating but he was tall. His tone was emotionless, but had a strained tightness to it. “Are you suggesting Doctor….” Kett started using the formal moniker rather than Rani. “That this medical facility is going to hold me against me will? That I have no freedom of choice or right to self discharge. Do I not have inalienable rights? Or are you just going to march me to bed and tuck me in?”

"Captain" Rani stood up too and looked him right in the eyes. Her tone was reasonable. "I will send for the CMO to ask if she would come and give you a review. Or authorise for someone else to do it. Of course you have rights but at the same time, your logic will tell you that our job is to ensure you're well enough and in no unseen or outwardly unrecognisable symptoms have not already and will not develop during the critical time of 24hrs post trauma. You may feel fine, you may even BE completely fine but if you're not, no matter how small a chance, I personally would be completely heartbroken if it were to be on my watch that it was allowed to go wrong! How could I live with myself? After all you've been through and after all that everyone has tried to do to help with your recovery, myself included; after you've survived what the Cardassians did to try to destroy you, mind and body; I........" she had been keeping her emotions suppressed but they were beginning to well up despite all her training and experience.

"I.... " she repeated, struggling.

"i'll be heartbroken if I were to let even the tiniest chance that this is going to creep up and take you down because I - of all people - didn't manage to be your overnight watcher for just one critical night! ".

If a Vulcan could sulk. It would've been now. .Instead Kett said nothing. He Simply slumped his shoulders and slunk towards the bio bed like a kicked puppy. He heaved himself onto the bed. Made the briefest of glances to Rani. Kett the laid back on his bed. "Computer. Local Lights to low please." The lights around his bio-bed dimmed. Kett then staired up at the ceiling, with his fingertips touching each other in an arch.

Rani gave a deep sigh and said softly to Kett as he settled: "Thank you". She wiped a small tear from her cheek and went about her work, filled with a warmth that surprised but pleased, more pleased than she could understand.

Yet......




Off.