Calling on a Friend

[Annabelle O'Halloran 0]

Anna entered the officer's mess, and immediately looked around to see if Wade had gotten there before her. Not seeing him, she went up to the counter and remembering what he'd said earlier about a lunch preference, ordered up two plates of Bolian Bobs and was stumped for a second when it came to a beverage. All she could recall were the various alcoholic beverages Wade preferred when they'd eaten dinner together.

 

"Just let me have two ice waters with that," she told the server, taking the tray from him after he added the glasses. Stepping away from the counter, she saw Wade come in and called his name, lifting the tray and then nodding towards a clear table by the bank of windows.

 

Still nursing a hangover from the big party the night before, Wade entered the mess hall, eyes half closed to shield from the bright lights. He spotted Anna making her way to a table next to the windows with a tray full of Bolian food and waved back, moving to greet her. "Well, good morning, sunshine," he said with a grin, perfectly aware that it wasn't morning.

 

"Afternoon, bright eyes," Anna responded with an answering grin. "Looks like you got about as much sleep as I did," she added, setting down the full tray.

 

Wade slumped into his chair, grinning despite the burning in his head. "I slept like a log last night, actually. It was the waking up that caused the problems," he explained, picking up a kebab from the tray and eyeing it.

 

Anna thought about how Will had woken her up this morning, and smiled as she moved their glasses off the tray. "You can go to bed early tonight," she suggested cheerfully while picking up a skewer from her own plate. "I love this sauce even though it is unbelievably sticky and I always end up wearing some."

 

"I'd much rather wear sauce on my uniform than gagh," Wade chuckled, picking off a piece of some yellow vegetable and stuffing it into his mouth. "So, how has your week been so far?"

 

"Well, yeah, definitely," Anne muttered in response to the gagh remark and then sighed as a drop of sauce fell onto her jacket. "It's been great, actually," she answered, taking her napkin and dipping it in her water glass before trying to wipe the stain up before it set. "We've been patrolling and the Benicia System has been unabashedly dull--I love this place. If there were a nebula to study that would make it perfect." She looked up; having decided the stain was now barely noticeable. "How's Engineering treating you?"

 

"Oh, you know. When the Reaent isn't breaking apart, imploding or blowing up it's running like a dream. The most exciting thing I've done this week has been repairing an EPS conduit in Ensign Cola's sonic shower."

 

"Well, it's in your best interests to keep him smelling fresh since he works the same shift you do and things can get mighty crowded around the pool table," Anna replied seriously, taking a quick bite of the roasted vegetable next in line on her skewer to keep from laughing.

 

Wade grinned and ripped a piece of meat off of its skewer, chewing intently for a moment, holding off a chuckle of his own. "Ohh, he's nowhere near as bad as Lieutenant Tursk. You know, the Tellarite fellow? I'm not even sure he knows how to turn his sonic shower on."

 

"Hmm...thanks for the warning, I haven't had the pleasure of proximity when it comes to Mr. Tursk...I'll keep that in mind." Anna decided to give in, cry uncle and eat her shish kebab with a knife and fork after one of the meat chunks slid off the skewer and plopped in the sauce, spraying her wrist. She didn't have time to go change her uniform before she had to get back to the lab after lunch break. "So," she asked casually, "since you have been busy with such heart-stopping tasks as the Cola shower, can I take that as an indication that you might have time for a small project?"

 

Will's taken the engineering extension course, I'm sure. He can probably fix your shower if it's broken," Wade said, watching Anna pick up her flatware. Somehow the only place he'd managed to get sauce was on his forehead.

 

Anna glanced at Wade, fork paused in mid-air, a piece of roasted pineapple on it. "I'm sure he could, he's very good with his hands, but it's not that small a project and in fact, it's quite serious. The focus of this project will be the health and welfare of one of our passengers." She noticed the sauce on Wade's forehead and gestured with her fork, causing the pineapple chunk to fall off and plop into the sauce on his plate, sending a couple of droplets onto his sleeve. "Um...you have sauce on your forehead..." She hoped he wouldn't notice the sleeve.

 

"What? Oh." Wade reached up and felt his forehead, noticing a bit of the brown sauce on his fingers tips and could hardly suppress an embarrassed chuckle. Grabbing a napkin, he wiped himself off. "Health and welfare of a passenger you say? That sounds like a lot of responsibility."

 

"It is a huge responsibility," Anna replied, immediately adding, "Which is why I thought immediately of you, Wade." She smiled warmly at him, leaning forward. "I wouldn't trust Chauncey's safety to just anyone, you know."

 

Wade almost choked on the piece of meat he'd been working on. "Chauncey? Your pet bird?"

 

Anna looked momentarily concerned. "Be careful, Wade. The last time I performed the Heimlich, I accidentally broke someone's rib. Of course, Debbie Matthews has trained me in emergency medical procedures since then so I don't think that would still happen. Hmm...where were...oh yes! Yes, of course, Chauncey is my cockatoo."

 

Wade rolled his eyes, but managed a pleasant grin while carefully chewing the rest of his food before speaking up again. "Well, I suppose I do have some off-duty time coming up. What does your cockatoo need?"

 

"I knew you'd be interested," Anna said excitedly. She pulled a PADD from her jacket pocket and activated it. "I know how thorough you are--measure twice, laser once, etc. I have made some pertinent notes regarding Chauncey's needs as well as all the particulars on his dimensions--height and weight. Here's a picture of him right on top. He's on Will's arm in this one so you get a very good perspective on his size." Anna smiled fondly at the picture before handing it to Wade. "We're getting bigger quarters and Chauncey is going to have his own small room."

 

Wade almost burst out laughing at the picture, with Will grimacing, presumably at the pain of the bird digging its claws in. "Ah ha! No wonder the bird's getting its own room. Bloke looks like he's afraid his arm's going get ripped off."

 

"Don't be ridiculous, Wade," Anna retorted coolly. "Will has been wonderful with Chauncey, and likes him very much. It's just that Chauncey bit him in the ear right before I took that picture." Anna sighed and took a drink of her ice water. "I was so sure he would give Will a kiss--you know he gives kisses on command but for some reason he just hasn't taken to Will." Anna set the glass down and brightened, saying, "But I think that will change now that we're going to move in together. Chauncey will feel safer since I won't always be leaving him, and he'll grow used to Will."

 

Wade looked at the PADD and nodded, tapping it on his palm. "That's all right here. I'll look into it, no need to fret."

 

"He has destroyed my couch." Anna fixed a look on Wade. "He is a very special bird who has also shown the ability to open the latch on my jewelry box. He's clever and it's important that he be mentally stimulated so that he doesn't grow fractious and become a feather plucker. I..uh...also don't want him to be able to get out of his room on his own. He has learned to mimic my voice and was able to leave my quarters once by instructing the computer to open the door. I am sure it was just a coincidence that he stumbled on the correct phrasing but he is fiendishly clever and easily bored."

 

Wade just sort of stared incredulously. "He..used your voice..to talk to the computer?" Scratching his beard, Wade looked thoughtful. "That's quite a bird."

 

"I'm sure it was accidental, " Anna hastened to assure Wade. "They are wonderful mimics but really, nothing nearly as accomplished say, for example, an African Grey." She shrugged. "He's really just a baby--the pet store I got him from, they assured me he was only about eighteen months old. They can live to be nearly eighty, you know."

 

"Wow, I did not know that," Wade said, loosening his belt a little bit with a groan. "Well, I'll get right on it, but this is something that I'll have to do in my off time. Which has been taken up with a little project Shane and I have been working on, but I'll make time," he said with a smile.

 

"Will only put the requisition for larger quarters in today," Anna replied. "I don't know how long that takes, but if it comes through before you're ready for the installation, that's ok. He has a huge cage he sleeps in and of course, I do have him out and about when I'm home. He loves to interact."

 

Wade decided not to mention that he wasn't much of an animal person. "Sounds good to me."

 

"I think you should come over and meet with him, Wade." Anna had a sudden thought and smiled brilliantly. "You could come over for dinner." She would invite Caroline, too.

 

"I would enjoy that," he acceded with a smile. "Just let me know when and I'll take time out of my busy schedule of fixing showers."

 

"I'll talk to Will and find a good night. I'll let you know." She would be sure to make sure it fit into Caroline's schedule, too. Anna forked up a last piece of kebab. "This is so kind of you, Wade. I really appreciate it."

 

"Don't mention it," he said with a smile. "What are friends for?"

Edited October 18, 2010 by Annabelle O'Halloran