A Moment Out of Time

[Annabelle O'Halloran 0]

 

Will Tomlinson entered the TL and spoke softly, "Deck 19, Sickbay." As the TL whisked him away, Will took a deep breath as he slumped a little against the TL's wall. He felt his energy draining as the adrenaline in his system began to dissipate. And as the adrenaline wore off, the cut on his arm began to throb. He'd done a decent patch job to stop the bleeding but knew that he had to make a trip to sickbay to get it fully healed. Will thought back to his landing and considered everything he might do better if that kind of situation ever came up again. Once the doors swished open, he straightened up and entered sickbay. One of the medical staff directed him to an empty biobed and began assessing his injuries. He was asked to remove his uniform shirt for a better view of his injury. He did so wincing slightly at the movement and let the medic tend to him.

 

They were on their way, fastest speed possible to Wolf 359. The name resonated for anyone in the Federation and beyond who knew of the events of 2367. But... This was 2293. Why was McQueen taking them there? This was on her mind as Anna entered Medical. She nodded to one of the nurses who came up to speak with her and explained she'd dislocated her shoulder earlier, and while it had gone back in by itself, was still very painful.

 

Sitting on a biobed eight minutes later, the privacy screen now around the bed, her thoughts returned to Wolf 359. A dim, red dwarf star. What was there? She didn't doubt McQueen, even with the head injury he'd suffered, although, she thought uneasily, it did remind her a little of what had happened to Fred Michaels. She let that thought go as Doctor Rocco Studly regenerated and repaired the muscle in her shoulder. He really was very attractive, she thought, though not as much so as-- Suddenly distracted, she leaned forward, absently shushing the doctor as he chided her for moving. It sounded like Will was just over in the next station.

 

Will nodded as he spoke with the medic about the prescription pain meds. "Just for a day then. Thanks." He felt the medic give him an injection of pain meds which caused the pain to vanish almost instantly. Will worked the kinks out of his neck but otherwise held still as the medic used the dermal regenerator on the cut on his arm. It turned out to be about 6 inches long and almost to the bone but repairable nonetheless. He suddenly found himself hoping that Anna would have a little free time soon. They hadn't had much free time since that dinner they'd had a while back. He resolved to find her as soon as he was discharged from Sickbay.

 

Anna sat impatiently as Doctor Studly repaired the shallow head wound after finishing up with her shoulder. She glossed over how it happened, no need to burden him with the information that she'd neglected to stow her tricorder properly and it had rushed up to hit her in the head during impact. Let him continue to think she'd been wounded valiantly. She dressed hurriedly, said 'thank you' and was already out of the exam area as his 'your welcome' echoed faintly behind her. A quick look around told her that if she had heard Will, he was no longer around. If he hadn't been ok, they wouldn't have released him, she thought as she walked through the double doors leaving Medical behind.

 

Looking up the corridor, she saw a familiar set of shoulders and dark head just rounding the corner. She didn't waste any time following after and soon fell into step next to him, casually asking, "Lieutenant Tomlinson, why were you up on the Bridge earlier playing doctor when you should have gone directly to Sickbay?" She looked over to him, her tone teasing, but her concern for him obvious. "I just came from there and while getting my shoulder fixed up, overheard you receiving treatment."

 

Will smiled warmly as she came to his side and shrugged, "Ah, I patched myself up just fine to attend to..." He looks at her warmly, "...others of higher priority. It was a cut on my arm about 6 inches long. I was so hyped up on adrenaline I didn't even notice it until after we were off of the shuttle." He held her gaze for a moment before looking ahead. They entered the TL and Will was about to return to his quarters but stopped and looked at her, "If you aren't busy right now, want to take a stroll through the arboretum with me?" His tone hopeful, as he asked.

 

They were less than 2 days from Wolf 359, they were being pursued by...how many ships was it now? And her department had data to analyze. She needed to confer with Dr. Smith to find out exactly what had happened while they'd been off visiting the Time Planet and upsetting the local Fleet presence. She really had no choice but to refuse and get back to work.

"I'd love to see the arboretum," Anna answered, pausing a second before smiling and adding, "with you."

She kept her eyes on him and called to the computer, "Deck 22."

 

She and Debbie had enjoyed a conversation regarding the arboretum while in a beautiful fern garden on a star base that was now many millions of miles and approximately ninety-two years in the future. Debbie had mentioned that she used to enjoy working in the arboretum but there was never enough time, and when they'd gotten back from that star base, Anna had gone to take a look-see for herself. The arboretum had suffered the same damage the rest of the ship had and while it was now structurally sound and its environmental systems repaired, it needed some planning and care. She'd actually planned on talking with Debbie about it, asking her if she'd like to be involved, but there hadn't really been a chance. The new mission had come up and Debbie and Commander Ridire had finally managed to slip away for a much needed, well-earned, long awaited vacation. Anna missed her and wondered, not for the first time if the Ridires had yet discovered that a certain starship was nowhere to be found. "I think the arboretum is currently something of a blank canvas and I'd like to take a look at it, actually."

 

Will chuckled, "Well I would've offered a trip to the holodeck, but I don't want to scare you off since we haven't had much time to ourselves recently." He saw how close they were together in the TL but before he could capitalize on the close quarters, the doors slid open. He took her hand gently and led her out of the TL. When they got to where the arboretum was, he turned and looked at her, "You want to talk about anything or..." He locked his gaze on to her and trailed off as he got lost in her eyes.

 

Such a beautiful green, Anna thought as she looked into Will's eyes, waiting for him to finish his sentence. When he didn't, she smiled, and continued holding his gaze until she finally blushed and reluctantly looked away. It took her a moment to answer, sounding bemused, "I'm sure I do. I just lost my train of thought there for a second." Very conscious of the warmth of Will's hand still holding hers, Anna squeezed his fingers and gave them a tug, as she stepped forward towards the double doors that led to the arboretum.

 

Will let her lead him past the double doors and into the Arboretum. He saw that the restoration of the Arboretum was still going on though no crews were working on it right now due to the current crisis. They sat at one of the benches next to an operational fountain and listened to the water flow. Will took his hand away and put his arm around her shoulders. He closed his eyes and relished the sound of the water and the feel of the woman next to him, "Mmmm, danger and excitement is fun but it's nice to enjoy a few minutes of peace like this, don't you think?"

 

The light splashing sounds of the fountain and the fresh, earthy smell of live plants made for a calming, very restful atmosphere. "It's very nice," Anna replied agreeably, her eyes lighting with silent laughter that Will didn't see because his eyes were closed. Danger and excitement is fun? He'd surely chosen the right career. She shifted slightly, enjoying the feel of Will's arm around her shoulders. It's unaccustomed weight felt...comfortable; not heavy, not a burden the way Colum's arm had felt. "Interesting," Anna murmured to herself, her eyes slowly closing, lulled by how comfortable she felt being here with Will. It was like being at an oasis for a little while. A stolen moment.

 

After a few moments, Will opened his eyes and kissed her forehead. When she opened her eyes, he took his free hand, held it palm to palm to her opposing hand, interlaced his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand gently. "We're going to be ok, Anna." He caught her gaze in his once more and smiled warmly at her, "I think that things are going to work out quite nicely."

 

The gentle kiss surprised her into opening her eyes, and Anna stared at him for a second without saying anything. She looked down, her gaze resting on their linked hands. She had a feeling he wasn't just talking about making it back to the correct timeline. "Something you should know about me, Will," she smiled, and this time it was her turn to give his fingers a squeeze. "I'm an optimist. I always think things are going to work out for the best."

 

Will gazed at their interlaced hands for a moment, marveling at how much he enjoyed just being with her before looking into her eyes once more, "I know." He gave her that crooked grin of his, "I just love being the hero telling the beautiful damsel that everything is going to be alright." There they were, two people with a deep affection for one another, in a moment out of time that would last forever in memory.

Edited January 17, 2010 by Annabelle O'Halloran