Getting To Know The Boss

Posted on Wed Dec 19th, 2018 @ 8:33pm by Lieutenant Cole Dering M.D., M.S. & Commander Lilly Cavallo MD
Edited on on Wed Dec 19th, 2018 @ 8:34pm

Mission: My Place In This Universe
Location: Phlox Medical Academy
Timeline: 2388/08/23 1800 (August 23 2388 6:00pm)

"Are you sure you don't need any help with that?" Cole called out. He was backing away from one of the medical supply storerooms, and holding a case of hypo ampules between his hands.

"I'm sure." Helen stepped through the doorway and put out a hand gesturing for the supplies.

"Oh well..okay." he smiled, handing them over. "If you change your mind..."

"...I'll get one of the other nurses." Shaking her head, she turned and went back in, and sighed at the rearranging he had been doing behind her back. "He's still a strange one.."

"You sure?" he suddenly peeked in.

In one swift move, Helen sprayed him with a water bottle. "No disrespect intended, doctor," and tossed him a towel. "Isn't your break over?" She smiled. "And oh, have you met the new CMO?"

Cole finished drying his face, "Ah...no, didn't know she was here..." and tossed the towel back to her. "Fun is over." he said, looking scared and shivering as he walked away. "I better go meet my new boss."

Shaking her head again, Helen went back to work.

From there, Cole walked through the medical center, straight to the CMO's office. The door was open, so hands in his lab coat, he carefully...peered inside.

Lilly was staring at a niche in her office with her hands on her hips, her silvery curls were pulled back in a jeweled clip at the nape of her neck. The office was bare and lifeless and it needed something, and currently she was trying to figure out what that was. A plant just wouldn't cut it for this blank window area in between the office and the main sickbay. "Maybe one of those terran water habitats...what are they called again?" she muttered to herself.

Wow... Cole hadn't look through the half-walled window at his approach, and now he stared almost in awe at her. "Hi." he said stepping inside all the way, "Doctor Cavallo?"

"Hmm, yes?" Lilly asked as she turned her head to look at the male who had interrupted her thought process. Her icy blue eyes flickered over him, from top to bottom and a smile tugged at her lips. "You don't appear to be injured or ill, so you must be one of my staff. Tell me, what are the Terran water habitats called, in which fish and other aquatic animals can live?"

"Ahh...they're called...aquariums." Cole smiled. It had taken a moment for his thought processes to work again. "I'm Cole Dering, by the way. One of your assistant chiefs."

"An Aquarium! Yes! That's the word!" Lilly turned fully and gestured to the space that was bare, that just stared out into sickbay "I think I shall put one here, and bring this place to life. Anyway, you said your name was Cole? Nice to meet you!" She extended her hand to him with a bright smile on her lips. An aquarium was just what she needed, full of festive little fish and maybe she would add a novelty like a turtle!

Cole extended his hand and took hold of hers. He stared back at her with a mixture of awe and puzzlement. "Yeah...", and forgetting to shake her hand, he just held onto it. She was lovely and he couldn't get past the silver sheen of her skin tone. Then intelligent thought hit him again, what she was wanting to do. "Oh...umm", he looked over where she had gestured, and swallowed, "that...would be..." he nodded in agreement, "aesthetically pleasing."

"I'm glad you agree" Lilly responded enthusiastically as she gently squeezed his hand before letting it go. Taking a breath she could smell the subtle spicy fragrance that was his cologne, and she found that she liked it. Glad that he lacked the propensity to bathe in the stuff Lilly decided he would not be unpleasant to work with.

"So.." he placed his hand back in his pocket and swallowed again, "is there anything I can do to help you get settled in?"

That question caused her to pause a moment in her planning and turn her cool blue gaze on him fully. "Well, you can tell me about the last CMO that was here, and be truthful. I've gathered that I am filling her shoes unexpectedly and I need to know if there's a legend I'm going to be expected to live up to. I'm no good at that, so if I need to shake things up I need to know it now."

Cole lightly smiled and shrugged, "I've only been here for about a week. I really don't know much about her. You know.." his eyes slightly narrowed as he gazed down at her, "if you stick around, you'll be the pioneer CMO here. That's kind of exciting."

"Adventure!" Lilly gave a delighted sigh as her anime returned. No ghosts to live up to, no legends that meant she could just be herself. The relief from that idea flooded her. "Never have I been in the position to be a pioneer an experiment yes, but never a pioneer but I'll not squander the opportunity.".

...experiment... Cole looked concerned, the word having caught his attention, It's...none of my business..., he reluctantly thought to himself as he continued to stare at her. "That's good to hear." he said at the last of her statement, although his expression hardly changed. "Is there anything else I can do." Then he smiled, "For you personally. I know my job."

"I am glad to hear it, Cole. " her alabaster curls trembled as she shook her head. "I've been here precisely 14 hours and I have not completed my review of this department so as of this moment I don't know what I need."

"Have you had the chance to settle into your apartment?" Cole wondered, and he had his reasons.

"I confess I've not even seen them yet. I didn't bother, I just had my belongings beamed in and went off to find Captain Sanchez. I do suppose that I should find out where they are." Her chuckle at her own behavior was soft and rich.

"I can help you with that." Cole said, studying her. "Maybe you should give yourself a chance to wind down from your trip, and hey, fourteen hours..." he winced while also finding it odd that all that time he hadn't known she was there. "I think some sleep would do you some good too. I can help you go over things tomorrow morning."

"I don't sleep except during hibernation, benefit of the Denobulan DNA" she chuckled softly and then set the PADD aside with an impish smile. "Leaves more time for other more pleasant activities, but I would not mind if you were to show me where they were. I much prefer a guide to a computer voice."

"Oh yeah.." Cole lightly smiled, his head slightly lifted up in interest. He had forgotten that fact about Denobulans, and there was this other fact about them he suddenly remembered that went along with the words 'pleasant activities'. "You're pretty lucky there. So...is your hibernation cycle five to six days, or another number due to your mix genetics?"

"I suppose it might be seen as lucky. I get to see much more of the night than most, so I appreciate her virtues. I have shorted my hibernation cycle to 3 days but I was not nearly as refreshed as when I have 6." was the answer as she shrugged. I see you noticed my wording...working with you WILL be interesting!

An image went through Cole's mind, and his smile had widened "Ah...yeah.." and then he blushed, something he didn't do easily. He stepped to the side and out of the way, "Anytime your ready, Boss. I would be more than happy to be your guide."

Lilly held in a laugh by sheer force of will at the blush that burned across his skin. She didn't want to insult him, but she found his reaction to her endearing "I'm ready now I would suppose. I can organize the rest of this at a later time."

"That sounds like a plan." Cole said, leading the way, and they walked out of there together.


End


Lieutenant Lilly Cavallo
Chief Medical Officer
Magellan Campus

&

Lieutenant Cole Dering, M.D.
Assist. Chief Medical Officer
Magellan Campus