WillowMcDaniel

Yes, I realize I put "of" instead of "off"... don't remind me... :wacko:...

Willow was sitting on the tire swing, watching the sunset. Her brother came over to give her a push, then sat on the picnic table. She looked away from him. “I can’t do this, Terrence.” He brought his feet up on the table top and rested his arms on his knees. “What’s that?” “I’m incompetent.” “That’s not true,” he told her. “How many people have died while I was the CMO? Huh? Tell me that much.” Terrence looked at her thoughtfully. “The people who died did so because of circumstances outa your power. Don’t be so hard on yourself.” She got off the swing and walked over to a fence, leaning against it. “I don’t know, Terrence. I just don’t know.” He followed her, standing next to her, playing with a strand of her hair like he had ever since he’d been tall enough to do so. They stood there for a moment, silent. “Got a boyfriend?” he finally asked. His sister snorted. “I’m there to work, not to socialize, you.” “Just askin’,” he said, grinning, knowing that he’d caught her off guard. “Look, how ‘bout this? You go back there, yah work real hard, and if no one dies while under your knife, yah stay.” “No one has died ‘under my knife’.” “Exactly!” He tugged at the strand of hair and started walking away from the fence. “One good thing came outa this, yah know. Yah got over large crowds in smaller rooms.” “Yeah, I can see how barfin’ would be getting over it.” She chewed on her upper lip. “I still got to send his family a letter. Ensign Lucky’s seemed easier to write, yah know? I didn’t know him. It was just a report, as cold as that sounds. This guy… I knew this guy. He was a nice guy.” Willow looked out into space. “I remember the first day, at the launch. While I was avoiding everyone, he came up to me and introduced himself. Now he’s dead.” When she stopped talking, Terrence led his sister inside the house where their nephew Jay ran up to them, waving a picture he’d drawn. “Hey big boy,” Willow said, picking Jay up. “How’s it goin’?” “I drew stars Aunt Wiwwow.” “Wil-low,” she corrected. “Will-whoa,” he “repeated”, slowly. Abby, Willow’s sister, came up to them. “Has he told yah what he wants to be when he grows up?” “Which one?” Willow asked, laughing and looking back and forth between the guys. “Both.” “You first, Jay.” He grinned. “I’n gonna be a space man who flies the ships. A… a helmmm-sman. Then I can see the stars like you, Aunt Wiwwow.” “And you, Terrence?” She barely got the question out, choking up. “I’ve decided to explore the universe when I graduate.” He smiled. “They need scientists out there, colonizing the galaxy. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet me out there, ten years from now, me and my alien wife.” “Maybe.” She was really crying, now. --- Later, the whole family was in the living room, sitting at various spots, listening to Willow. “And then what happened?” Abby asked. “They posted guards inside the shuttle and I’m tellin’ yah, these guys stink.” “How did yah get outa there?” “They eventually let us go. The old man wasn’t too bad after he got some real medical attention, but I was worried what would happen if he stayed there too long, bleedin’ like that.” Willow paused, then looked around at her family. “Yah know what? I missed ya’ll.” Jay hugged her legs, saying, “I missed yah, too.” Hugh looked up from where he was picking at his calloused hands. “Yah know what, honey?” “What’s that, Dad?” Willow asked. “We’re proud of yah. I, for one, think you’re doin’ a real good job.” Willow smirked. “I’m glad somebody does, Dad.” She picked up Jay. “Time for bed, you. When yah wake up we’ll go for a ride before I’ve got to get.” Jay leaned over from his perch in Willow’s arms to kiss his mom and dad goodnight, and then wrapped his little arms around Willows neck, laying his head down on her shoulder. “I love yah Aunt Wiwwow.” After tucking him in, Willow went to the desk in Abby’s room, sat down, and did what she knew she needed to do. Dear Mr. and Mrs. Marks, I regret to inform you…

Personal Note Jas and I have been able to get one of the cargo bays pretty fixed up for “company” if need be. Problem is how many people she is saying we’ll be able to fit in there. That’s a lot of stinking people. Being on this ship has been hard enough for me, but staying in the sick bay and the mess hall most of the time has made life easier… the hallways are nasty, that’s for sure. But back to the problem at hand. I’m the Chief Medical Officer and in the case that we have people in this cargo bay I’m going to need to be here. But how am I going to be here and not freak out all over the place. I’ve been able to keep the fact that I’m a bit claustrophobic under raps if you know what I mean, cause really would you want to put someone in charge not knowing if being on a tiny little ship that long would cause them to become incompetent? Of course not. It’s times like this, when I’m going to need to be in a room with a lot of people, that I wonder if I should have just joined the Interspecies Exchange Program. But then, if I had, I would never have met the people I have met, never seen the places I’ve seen… It’s time for me to tell the captain we’re ready if he needs us instead of standing here dawdling…

thier birthday? LOL... now that I like... anyways, hb Wing... getting sooo old... ;)

What a day… got the Commodore all patched up, and went to write a report. Ended up falling asleep on my desk (lovely) till about halfway through dinner. And then, just when I started eating, the door got stuck, and some green gas started pouring in from the air ducts. A nice dinner break for you. Jas and I managed to get napkins shoved into the air ducts, slowing the flow a bit, but oh that gas was nasty. I gave everyone some medication for it, at least I think I got everyone, but I don’t know. My head hurt so badly after it all. And what did I find when I got back to the sick bay? The Commodore had checked himself out. So much for doctor’s orders, but I suppose comm. was down so he really did not have a chance to get permission before running off to save his ship. Everything around here was crazy though, that was for sure. There were so many people talking and moving around sick bay… nothing like when they’re all quietly injured and not moving too much. Can’t handle that, with all the people in one small place, not enough room to move around in. Sometime I wonder why I didn’t just join the exchange and gone off to study xenomedicine on some sparsely populated planet somewhere. Anyhow, we’re now off to some new system, so maybe we’ll explore a nice little uninhabited planet. If so, I may just leave Jas on board and go down myself. She seems to work quite well with that science guy… Grey. As long as she makes sure he doesn’t break our microscopes I’m okay with that. For now there are repairs to be made all over the ship, so, as long as no one wires something incorrectly and blows their arm off, medical has a little break. I’m sure my family is going to want another letter soon, and sick bay is going to need to be cleaned up a bit after the whole green gas episode…

Duty Log TO: Commodore Moose, Commander Moore, Lieutenant Rex, Chef ~ FROM: Lieutenant Junior Grade McDaniel and Staff SUBJECT: Fruits currently available for transport As requested, the following fruits have been identified as edible and are ready at this time for transport to the ship in the cases provided; my apologies for the highly original names: Acamarian Apple Description: Color: Pink with red splotches Texture of Skin: Smooth and firm Smell: Similar to strawberries Note: High levels of certain antioxidants and vitamin C Acamarian Berries Description: Color: When ripe, red; when green, green; edible in both states Texture of Skin: Smooth, with juice and seeds inside Smell: Similar to raspberries Note: Leaves can be poisonous even in small amounts; Not to be confused with a similar fruit that is blue in color – THE BLUE ONES ARE POISONOUS AND VERY ACIDIC Acamarian Sunfruit Description: Color: Yellow skin, red to pink on the inside Texture of Skin: Fuzzy on the outside, with juicy fruit on the inside Smell: Depends, see note Note: When ripe it tastes and smells meaty, but when overly ripe it becomes softer and almost too sweet; high in Calcium ------- Personal Log Willow bent over the female they had brought. Other than the usual Vulcan and an occasional Denobulan, she really had not seen or studied any alien species up close. She quickly worked her hands over the Acmarian’s body, checking for broken bones. Nothing broken, but perhaps a minor head injury. A quick scan and she began working on the woman’s head. As she worked she realized several of the crew members were watching intently, and understandably so. If this woman were to die… the repercussions could be enormous. This alien could not die. She looked up, making eye contact with Ensign Marks for only a moment, and then looking away. Dinner? How was she supposed to react to that? Willow tried to push those thoughts out of her head and concentrate on the job at hand. The woman groaned and moved a bit in her unconscious state. Willow realized she would have to work more quickly if she was going to finish closing the alien’s head wound and apply medication to the phaser burns before her patient awoke. She wished she knew more about these aliens so she could accurately administer anesthetic. As it was, giving the woman the wrong dosage might result in death. It had been a few years since Willow had received an invitation to dinner or, for that matter, accepted one. Had she been too friendly trying to show them that the ship’s doctor was not someone to fear? Had she been too quiet, not her usual scare-them-away self? Her first week and already she was getting quite a few looks from the male members of the crew. And what’s with the Commander? Those thoughts would have to wait though. For now she had a very important patient to take care of…

TO: Commodore Moose, Commander Moore CC: Lieutenants Maturin and Gamble FROM: Lieutenant Junior Grade McDaniel and staff Report on Lieutenant Images’ condition— Lieutenant Adrian Images was suffering from food poisoning. After investigating how he was poisoned, it was found that at least one of the protein stores for the protein resequencers contained an incorrect mix. He has been treated and may return to duty on his next shift. Please direct any further questions about the protein stores to Ensign Grey in Science. Report on Ensign Marks’ condition— Ensign Jonathon Marks came in with a laceration of the lower lip as a result of the incident in Engineering. He has been treated and has already returned to duty. Report on Ensign Lucky’s condition— Ensign N. S. Lucky was D.O.A. His spinal cord had been severely damaged, which caused sudden loss of nerve supply to the entire body, resulting in instantaneous death.

“But momma, I can still smell it.” “Don’t be silly, girl. I got all the vomit cleaned up.” Alice McDaniel looked over at a thirteen year old Willow in the shadowy dark of the hallway, and pointed down to the boy’s room. “Go make sure none of your brothers are sick. Things like this come in twos.” She carried Abby, now clean and asleep, into the girls’ room. Willow walked into the older boys’ room. Both were asleep. She grimaced, feeling sick. She was sure that she could still smell the vomit, even in here. In the next room over, Terrence was awake, sitting up in his bed with a small light on. “You sick, Terrence?” He rolled over. “Nah, just couldn’t sleep.” He tucked the book under the covers quickly. “I’ll go right to sleep now, though. I promise.” “Alright then. You’d better.” She tucked him in and turned to leave. “Ew… what’s in your hair? There’s something chunky and it smells.” From his spot in the top bunk he was at the same level as her head. Willow reached up to touch the spot her mother had not found… ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Willow stood next to a counter, wiping at her sleeve, trying to get the smell to go away. Lieutenant Images lay cursing near her. “Blood, feces, any smell but vomit…” Willow paused to make sure no one had heard her complain. She frowned and walked over to Adrian, giving him something to shut him up. Then she tried to not be sick. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A big party to celebrate her twenty-first birthday. Willow had wanted to have a small one, maybe just the family and a few friends. Even that would be pretty big. Looking around, it seemed as though Mark had invited the whole class. Half of them she did not even know. “Why did yah have to get all these people here?” She asked him. He grinned, and tugged at her arm. “Let’s go dance. Come on, loosen up, you’ll have more fun if you smile a bit.” She let him take her to the dance floor, but later on she told him how much fun she didn’t have that night. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Earlier in the evening, being at the launch party for Challenger, had been like living over a nightmare. So many people. So many voices talking at once. It was overwhelming. And no one she really knew. Even Mark was not there to grin at her. She tugged on her uniform, reminded herself that Mark had not been there for quite some time to do any grinning, and walked over to a window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Abby, five years old and full of questions, looked over at her sister from atop a large horse known as Traveler. “I’m gonna be a doctor.” “Really? Momma was gonna be a doctor.” Willow shifted around on her own saddle. “I know she was.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Willow grinned at Dr. Jones. Someone who knew what a ranch looked like. Someone who knew what it was like to go out and smell animals mixed with dew and grass and fresh air. And here was Dr. Meredith, a quiet sort of person who had not been on a ranch before, but was that anything to hold against him? Of course not. A nice small crew, on a nice small ship. Then, a call to go to the bridge. A medical emergency. A sick Lieutenant. Barf. “Feel better?” she asked him facetiously. Adrian passed out.

To: Quartermaster From: Lieutenant Junior Grade Willow McDaniel The following items are what I intend on bringing aboard: -Three (3) binders filled with paper, some used -Several pairs of (several) civilian clothing and shoes -One (1) deck of cards -One (1) pocket knife -One (1) Bible, leather bound -Three (3) books, paperback -One (1) package of eight (8) pens -Two (2) packages of pencils, one package of charcoal, one package of colored

Willow looked around at what had once been the room she shared with her sister. Since she had left home, Abby had taken it over. She pulled back the curtain and looked out the window. There was the yard she had played in as a child. There was the tree she had fallen out of, and the ground that had broken her fall, as well as her collar bone … twice. Her nephew Jay was swinging from the same tire swing she had swung in so long ago. “Willow?” Abby came bounding into the room. “Mom’s almost ready for dinner.” She walked over to where he sister was. “What’cha lookin’ at?” “Just the whole place. I haven’t been back for a while.” Abby snorted. “And you won’t be anywhere near here for a while either.” She looked out the window. “Hey, Thomas and Terrence! I can see them comin’ in their truck.” The two ran down stairs and out of the house to greet the twins. Thomas and Abby walked up ahead. Terrence, hanging on his sister Willow as they walked into the house, grinned. “So? Space, huh? Well… you always did like lookin’ at the stars. We’ll miss you, though.” “I’ll miss you, too.” She put him into a half-nelson and wrestled him to the floor. “’Sides, who’s going to beat you up now that I’m goin’?” “Uncle! Uncle!” “Children! Not in the house!” Their mother, Alice, walked up to them, laughing. “Get to the table you two; we’re waitin’ for ya’ll.” When they had taken their places they joined hands and bowed their heads. Hugh smiled at them all. Then he blessed the food and nodded at them to start eating. “Glad to see you two boys could make it,” their father said to the twins. He looked around the table, grinning. “Just like old times… with the addition of Jay and his mamma, Leslie, ‘course.” Eric stood, holding up his glass of iced tea. “To Willow: may your travel to the stars be eventful and all your patients live to see another day.” Willow shook her head, smiling. “Sit down, Eric.” Everyone else raised there glasses to her with a “Here here!” Willow also raised her glass, and nodded for Eric to sit down. Jay, seated next to Willow, pulled on her sleeve. “Whe’e awe you gowing, Aunt Wiwwow?” The three-year-old left a food smear on her sleeve. She smiled at him, but wiped off the mess. “I’m goin’ far, far away. When you look up in the sky each night, say hello to me. That’s where I’ll be.” “Weally Aunt Wiwwow?” “Yes Jay. I’ll be in a space ship, makin’ sick people better. Remember, we talked about doctors? While I’m up there, I’ll ask the stars to twinkle for you, to let you know I’m sayin’ hello.” “Wow, Aunt Wiwwow.” “And you can send me drawin’s, and I’ll look at them every day, and write you back, okay?” “Okay.” Satisfied with her answer, he went back to his dinner. Christopher looked over at Willow. “Aw… that was so pwetty Aunt Wiwwow.” She grinned at the boy’s father and spoke through her teeth. “One more word and I’ll yank you from this table and teach you some respect, boy.” He grinned back at her. “Yes ma’am.”

Name: Willow McDaniel Gender: Female Species: Human Age: 29 Height: 5’9” Hair: Red Eyes: Green Distinguishing Features: Skin is covered in freckles Father: Hugh McDaniel, 53, Cattle Rancher Mother: Alice McDaniel, 51, Rose Gardener Siblings: Christopher McDaniel, 28, Cattle Rancher Eric McDaniel, 26, Graphic Artist Thomas McDaniel, 24, Student Terrence McDaniel, 24, Student Abby McDaniel, 18, Student Place of Birth: Lawton, Oklahoma Current Assignment: Medical Officer on the Challenger, NX-05; Assigned quarters: J-4 on D deck Bio: Willow had planned on going to college right out of high school, and when the funds were not available, she went to her grandparents. They agreed to pay her tuition, on one stipulation – that she go into the medical field, as this would make up for her mother having dropped out of school to settle down with Hugh. Willow agreed to their terms. After completing Medical school, and looking over her options, she applied to Star Fleet, expecting to be sent to some planet as part of the Interspecies Exchange Program. The possibility of this appealed to her. Then someone approached her about applying to Challenger. (To this day she is sure her Grandfather had a hand in that somehow) She had followed what was happening with Enterprise, as just about every other human was. Willow decided to apply. Her childhood was comprised of spending time with her brothers and their friends; riding her horse; and, as a teenager, getting into trouble near the local military base.