[ AMO's Office - SB Unity ]
" I forgot the breakdowns!" Scott said hurrying past the small reception desk outside his office.
"Doctor Fisher... you have... someone waiting… to... see... you." The yeoman ended up talking to herself for Scott had hurried inside, eager to grab the details from his desk and be gone.
He was taken by surprise therefore to see Sally Schumann standing on one side of the room apparently talking to herself. "That's better...much better."
He followed her line of sight and discovered she seemed to be talking to a straggly looking plant that hadn't been there ten minutes ago. He looked back at her and said "Hi Sally, can I help you?"
"Oh Doctor 'Fisher'!" she exclaimed as though greatly surprised to see the owner of the office appear inside it. "Do you like it?" she hurried across the room to stand beside the plant and lifted a tattered leaf.
"It will be a picture with just a little bit of care, some water and whatever it is that you give to plants though you're supposed to talk to them because they are living things and appreciate it and.."
"It's...it's..." Scott was lost for words "...lovely." he ended feebly and turned to his desk " I forgot this.." he picked up a padd, said "Thanks a lot" flashed a smile at her
and headed for the door.
"Wait!!"
Scott stopped, surprised by her cry and only then noticed that Sally wasn't alone, for someone else was crouching down behind the plant.
When Scott had come in, Mercedes had suddenly ducked down behind the plant, but immediately scolded herself. Why was she crouching behind a plant? This wasn't high school! And it's not as if he couldn't see her through the leaves. So in order to salvage any dignity she had left, she pretended to busy herself with the pot.
"Doctor Fisher," Mercedes greeted him business-like as she straightened herself up from behind the pot, not noticing a dead leaf had gotten stuck in her curls.
"Mercedes." he said and stood rooted to the spot.
Sally looked from one to the other, clutching her hands together in front of her, memorising every look and pause and gesture and word, so that she could relay it all to Hazel and George and anyone else who needed to know.
Scott's surprised expression melted into a smile. "What are you doing there?" he asked stepping towards the flower pot and its companion.
Scott was friendly as always, and didn't seem to mind Sally's presence that much, so Mercedes tried to relax a little more. "I was looking for you actually," she said, glancing sideways at Sally who was hanging on to every word. "I wanted to know if you've heard anything about Rangi."
"Rangi?" he echoed. "Ahh...she's not available at the moment." He reached out and gently removed the dead leaf from Mercedes hair and presented it to her with a grin.
Mercedes almost froze for a moment as Scott reached out towards her hair. She was unsure what he was doing. Was he going to touch her hair? To pull it behind her ear as he used to? The simple action conjured up so many memories, and then when he held out the leaf she couldn't help but laugh. "It must like me," she said as she took the leaf.
Scott smiled and looked at her for a long moment thinking that the holograph in his desk drawer could not compare with the real person in front of him. Sally waited in suspense hardly daring to breathe and spoil the moment.
For a moment Rangi was all but forgotten and all the tension in the room poured in the fragile little leaf. Trying to ease the situation, Mercedes put the leaf back into the pot and stepped away from the plant, looking at the contents of the nearest shelf.
"You don't maybe know when she'll be back," Mercedes asked.
Her movement broke the moment and Scott too regained a more normal footing. "I can't say for sure." he replied, evading her question and only then did he realize that Sally was still present.
"Thanks Sally." he said. " It's ...a lovely plant and I'll do as you suggest and care for it properly."
"Oh...um...yes...yes please do." Sally said. "It just needs a little bit of tidying up and it will look really good in here because plants add an ambience to a place don't you
think. I said to Hazel on the other day 'Hazel' I said 'Don't you think that plants..."
"I'm sure they do." Scott interrupted. "You're absolutely right and thanks a lot for bringing it." He held out a hand in a gesture that invited her to leave. She looked at
Mercedes and then at Scott. "Of course. You want to be alone. I won't hold you up I'll just take the trolley ..."
"Let me get it for you." Scott said briskly and before Sally could object, grabbed the handle and turned it round.
"There you go." he said, seizing Sally's hand and pressing it onto the control bar. "Thanks a lot. I appreciate the thought."
Sally found herself propelled towards the door and had only a moment to glance back as she went out before it closed behind her
[ End Log ]
Lieutenant Scott Fisher
Assistant Medical Officer
Starbase Unity (SB 234)
-
Lieutenant Mercedes Carpenter
Senior Field Agent
Medical Research Intelligence, SSF
[NPC by Bren]
