On The Midway

[Isabeau Delevan 0]

 

The Midway was starting to come alive again, Isabeau thought with satisfaction, as she strolled along the thoroughfare on level 2 of the 3-deck Concourse which joined the two pylons together. Merchants selling goods and services had reappeared and there were now some restaurants open, too. Still...a lot of the shops remained shuttered and Isabeau paused to peer into a window of a storefront that while still very clearly closed, showed some signs of activity. Cupping her hands around her eyes to get rid of the glare from the Concourse lighting, she was able to make out display cases that appeared to have items in them.

 

"What's so fascinating?" He stepped forward and tried to see into the darkened shop, wondering what drew her interest.

 

She knew that voice, and smiling, she dropped her hands and turned to face Daniel Hawkins, taking an involuntary step back, to adjust for his height. He had a good ten inches on her. "You come up with a Get Out of Jail Free card or something?" She asked with a grin, recalling her conversation with him yesterday that had concluded with him threatening to charge Medical with unlawful imprisonment.

 

"Not at all. As it turns out, Dr. Lepage is a very reasonable man. I can see why he's in charge." He doubted he'd get a rise out of her; he hadn't managed it so far and he'd actually gone to some pains once or twice. He liked the way her hair looked down, around her shoulders. Much less severe than how she wore it when in uniform.

 

Isabeau chuckled, thinking of the times she'd seen Nick when he was being less than reasonable. He was at his funniest then. "Oh, he is the most reasonable of men but when it comes to him setting you loose, all it means is that your test results finally came back negative for any signs of infection," she answered mildly, enjoying the humor she saw reflected in his deep blue eyes. It was gratifying how little he resembled the man brought back from the colony by Lieutenant Dabi.

 

"Well, I guess we'll chalk it up to what a difference a day makes then, eh?" He caught her raised eyebrow and smiling disarmingly, added, "And expert medical care."

 

"Ok, tell me what you've done with Daniel Hawkins," she asked with a laugh, before leaning towards him, as if to confide, her voice dropping to a near whisper, "I promise I won't tell anyone."

 

"All right, enough," he responded good-naturedly. "You haven't seen me at my best, I'll admit. Near death experiences bring out the worst in me."

 

She patted his arm and stepped away from the window, glancing sideways as he followed her. "Benefit of the doubt, Daniel. You've got it," she assured him solemnly, before breaking into a grin. "So, what brings you to the Midway? Wanted to rub it in that you'd escaped my clutches?"

 

"Ah but have I, Isabeau? You threatened me with a Chinese proverb, as I recall." He fell into step beside her as she began strolling. "You saved my life and now it belongs to you, I believe is how that one goes."

 

"Threat? That was a promise! An undeniable piece of luck for you, Dr. Hawkins," she teased him, smiling to herself, thinking it was funny that he even remembered that. He'd been drifting off under the influence of heavy pain meds.

 

"I'd be interested in knowing what that promise entails, Dr. Delevan," he answered, his tone earning him a look from her at which he spread his hands wide, adding disingenuously, "You've already done so much for me."

 

"I certainly have!" she stated emphatically, about to expound on how much work he'd been, when something up ahead caught her attention. She tugged his sleeve, bringing him to stop and causing him to turn and meet the unmistakable sincerity in her eyes. "I know how you can pay your debt before it becomes an intolerably heavy yoke; before it brings you to your knees with regret that I saved your life."

 

"Oh, really?" he asked dryly. "Well, let's hear it. I'm a man who honors my obligations, but I'm not known for my patience."

 

"No? Really? What a shocker!" Her voice dripped with good-natured sarcasm and she burst out laughing at the look on his face.

 

"All right, already," he scowled ferociously. "You clearly don't realize your good fortune in having had me fall into your debt, so tell me how you're going to bargain basement such a treasure away, hmm?"

 

Her smirk told him she saw through the frown. "Ah, there's the man who kept the nurses running. I've been wondering how long you could keep him under wraps."

 

"I thought I could make it to the next shuttle but you'd try the patience of a saint," he smiled. "And in fact, if you want to collect your debt, you'd better hurry—it leaves within the hour. I actually came to find you to say thank you and goodbye. It's time to get back to work"

 

She looked at him in surprise. "But Daniel... It's not known yet if the shields around the colony will hold. If they don't, everyone from the colony will be evacuated back here. That's twenty-four hours from now." She looked at him with great seriousness, her worry plain. "One day isn't going to make that much difference and it's not as if you can work on excavating it anyway."

 

"No, we can't work on it until the problem of the trilithium resin is solved, but I know Engineers—they eat this kind of thing for breakfast." His smile was warm as he bent his head to look directly into her eyes. "You don't have to worry that all your work will go to waste. The excavation will go forward."

 

She searched his expression and realized he didn't know. "You haven't heard yet..."

 

"Haven't heard what?" He immediately looked worried. "The others at the site...they're all right? Dr. Lepage said everyone was doing very well, correct?"

 

"No, no, it's nothing like that!" she hastened to assure him. "They're fine and will only have to come back if the shields won't be made to hold and if the resin can't be contained safely."

 

"Then what haven't I heard, Isabeau?" He watched her intently, she was clearly uncomfortable and that meant it wasn't going to be something he wanted to hear.

 

"A state of emergency has been declared with regards to the excavation site, and will be in effect for the next ninety days," she answered him matter-of-factly. "The colony lies outside the bounds of this declaration but the site itself has been restricted."

 

"Declared by whom?"

 

"Ambassador Drankum."

 

She watched him, surprised by his restraint; a bitten off oath his only reaction. "You're taking this better than I expected..."

 

"Ninety days is nothing, " he said casually, and with a hint of a smile. "You don't know Hannah McDowell the way I do."

 

"No, I don't." She suddenly grinned. "You think a Scotswoman is a match for a Ferengi?"

 

"I think this one is." He smiled back at her, and then shook his head slowly. "Don't think I'm going to let you distract me from settling the debt between us."

 

"The debt... Ah..." Comprehension dawning, Isabeau took his arm and started walking him up the Concourse. "Are you sure you have time? That shuttle won't wait you know."

 

"After what you just told me, my schedule has become more flexible," he replied sardonically. "What exactly do you have in mind, anyway?"

 

She drew him to stop next to an ice cream vendor's pushcart. "Don't sound so nervous, Dr. Hawkins. I have no designs on your virtue."

 

"More's the pity," he answered automatically, looking from the vendor to her expectant expression. "Ice cream? He shook his head. "This is what you think my life's worth, eh? A scoop of ice cream."

 

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I want three scoops with the works and a cherry on top."

 

"Very affirming," he answered and looked at the vendor. "You heard the lady."