Cave Talk

[Cmdr Ridire 0]

By: Cmdr Ridire & Dr. Matthews

 

It was like something out of a horror vid. Deb was pretty sure it was still daytime on this wretched planet but one couldn't be sure. Dark, heavy clouds settled over the landscape like an ominous, tufted quilt. The flashing lightening and ubiquitous thunder only added to the dismal scene. And the wind.....the constant growling of the wind blowing at hurricane force speed was the icing on the cake.

 

Then, of course, there was the dinosaur.....if that's what it actually was. Physically, it didn't resemble anything like the ancient beasts of Earth. But it was definitely a kindred sprit...the size of the creature....it's multiple rows of sinister teeth....the ominous roar and last but not least, it's ardent desire to have all of them as a meal. Deb had always been fascinated by the dinosaurs of early Earth. She now realized her interest was primarily due to the fact those ferocious creatures were extinct. This one was very much alive and it knew they were here. She casually wondered how many of them the creature would have to eat before it considered itself full.

 

Added to their problems were the injured....Jon Shamor, Will Tomlinson and herself although her injuries were truly minor compared to the others, especially Jon. And what was going on with Kat Schawnee? For the second time since their arrival, Deb had been forced to sedate her. Kat was so thoroughly obsessed with locating a changeling she was willing to risk her own life and those of her crewmates. Something was very wrong with the woman but Deb couldn't concern herself with that right now. Kat was no threat as long as she was sedated. The current priority was to stay alive and that required all of her attention.

The only positive thing that had happened since their crash was the unexpected arrival of a rescue team....a team that included her husband and another physician. They couldn't have shown up at a better time.

 

Before their hasty escape from the damaged shuttle, Debbie thought about her husband for a few brief moments. She imagined how wonderful it would be to fall into his embrace...to feel his warmth against her....to hear his reassuring whispers that everything would be okay. But when he and the rescue team arrived, she felt conflicted and those emotions confused her. She didn't want him to see her injured...that much was for certain. But there was more to it than that. Before Aidan's sudden appearance, Deb had managed to keep a tight rein on her feelings. She forced herself to focus on the crisis at hand. Now that Aidan was here, she was concerned she might lose that control. She knew what he was planning and it terrified her. She was taking pains to insure her feelings for her husband didn't get in the way of the jobs they both had to do.

 

She glanced over her shoulder at the sound of footsteps approaching. It was Aidan. He'd been with her when she sedated Kat Schawnsee and caught the other woman as she collapsed. He'd carefully scooped her up and taken her to the rear of the cave where they had set up a makeshift medical unit. Deb looked back toward the entrance of the cave as Aidan stepped up beside her. She'd been standing closer when he left but was forced to retreat a bit because of the heavy rain and winds.

 

Deb leaned against the rock wall of the cave, the cool dampness penetrating her tattered uniform. She nodded toward the storm battering the landscape beyond. "You can't go out right now," she said, her voice firm and even. "The winds are too strong. You would never make it back to your shuttle alive."

Aidan regards Deb for a few seconds in silence as he resists the urge to embrace her and tell her that he was never letting her out of his arms ever again. He frowns slightly as he reads the fear in her eyes as she tells him he shouldn't leave because of the ferocity of the storm. Nor does it take him much effort to recognize how tenuous her grip on her emotions is.

 

Reaching a hand to brush an errant lock of her hair away he quietly murmurs "At some point I'm going to have to. That shuttle is our only way out of here and we need to get Shamor and Will back to the ship for proper medical treatment." He glances down at her injured leg "And admittedly I don't have quite the same medical education as you but I doubt you'll be able to stand much less walk if we remain here too much longer." He glances out the cave entrance before returning his attention to Deb. "Someone is going to have to try it soon..even knowing the risks."

 

She looked beyond him at the rain blowing vertically past the cave's entrance. "That wind is clocking at least 130 kph," she stated evenly. "You can't stand up in winds like that much less walk." Deb met his gaze. "I know that shuttle is our only hope. All I'm asking is that you wait until the storm dies down before going out there." Her voice trailed off a bit toward the end of her sentence as another wave of pain gripped her leg and bolted up through her hip. She paused a moment then pushed away from the wall and made a clumsy turn to the back of the cave. "Until then, we could use a little help back here." Not daring to look at him again, she stumbled toward their poor excuse for a sickbay having decided it was time to let Merina do something about her injury.

 

He glances out at the weather and sighs resignedly. "Very well, I’ll take the Doctor’s advice, for now." He turns and steps up behind her. Ignoring whatever protest she says he picks her up and carries her back to where Merina is. As he cradles her he murmurs "But I am getting you home safely where you belong, one way or another, mon amour."

 

She hadn't expected him to pick her up. Her first instinct was to insist she could make it on her own. But one look at Aidan's face told her not to waste her breath. His expression indicated just how determined he was to carry her to the back of the cave. Instead, she laced her arms around his neck and pulled a bit closer to him while listening carefully to his reassuring words. Deb closed her eyes and smiled as he whispered in her ear. All she could think to say was "thank-you."

 

He smiles gently and carriers her back to where Merina is tending to the others. He says to Merina "I have one more patient for you, Doctor" as he kneels to set Deb gently down. Turning his attention back to Deb he adds "You stay here and be a good patient. You know..unlike the First Officer tends to be." He smiles wryly and leans over to kiss Deb on the forehead briefly. After a second the smile fades to a more sober expression. "I’ll be back in a few minutes, I’m going to go back to the cave entrance and watch the weather and watch out for tall ugly and gruesome. And try and get in contact with Tabor who is with the shuttle."

He notices the spark of fear show in Deb’s eyes. He squeezes her hand reassuringly "Don’t worry, I won’t step foot outside of the cave, not until it’s safe." "Well, relatively safe considering that whatever that creature is." he thought to himself.

 

He pushes himself to his feet and is just turning to head back to the cave entrance when a loud mechanical whine echoes through the cave. Grabbing his phaser rifle, Aidan quickly heads back to the cave entrance. As he reaches it he’s treated to a view of the dinosaur thing in the near distance...and the other shuttle. Before he can think to try a shot on the dinosaur creature it grabs a hold of the shuttle and flings it like a dog playing with a ball.