Echo

Chapter 36: Traditional Sentiments

Author's Notes: If you're curious to know what a panther chameleon looks like after reading this chapter, here is a link to a cute video that features one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kINS01bCmEM

Enjoy this new chapter!

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Echo

"Wow," you typed onto your PADD after setting down your spoon, "It used to be that when I got home, the only thing I wanted to put in my mouth was the cold barrel of my ray gun. Then you shared your baked beans recipe with me and now there are two things."

After you hit "SEND", there was a pause before Leonard's reply of, "I just laughed out loud so hard that I think I gave my hernia patient the hiccups. You're a whore."

You burst out into a fit of giggles at the remark, and had to set your PADD down for a moment before replying, "So are you."

Since your final two days of ship residency were upon you, you and Leonard were both even more swamped than you had been before, and no longer had the luxury of visiting each other for lunch breaks. Earlier in the day, the two of you had an enjoyable supply closet rendezvous, which marked the third occasion upon which you had jumped him in the middle of the day. He had also stopped by to bring you lunch, which was perhaps the cutest thing a guy had ever done for you, especially since he made it himself. However, brief, random encounters such as that were all you could afford with your time constraints.

You were responsible for looking after a third of the ship's reptiles on an ordinary basis, but now you were in the position of needing to figure out how and when it was prudent to start transporting them into carriers. Some, like the iguana and the monitor lizard, were hearty and easy to deal with. However, the chameleons were easily distressed, and you had a dozen babies to look after that had never been removed from their enclosure.

It was going to be difficult to avoid casualties in the process, so you wanted to do your best to ensure that every basis was covered so you wouldn't be blamed for anything. When you returned to earth, you had a long paper to turn in discussing your residency upon the Enterprise, what you learned, and how you should improve yourself. It was part of a long process of application for graduation, which also included a final exam that tied in to your internship.

Fortunately, Kumat had announced earlier on that every veterinary intern would be secured a continued position on the ship as long as they passed the exam. Several of your colleagues had cried tears of happiness, and while you hadn't personally wept, you had to feel a sense of pride that you had managed to pull it off. The effect was lessened slightly when Dr. Miller informed all of you that the head of the veterinary department only kept everyone because he didn't like change, and he had long since gotten used to your group.

Leave it to her to ruin the moment. Nevertheless, as long as you graduated, you would be fine. It would cut into the time that you were going to spend with Leonard, but he understood that you had other obligations.

You heard someone approaching from the rear, and wiped your screen blank, pulling up a random file so it didn't look like you were screwing around. Truthfully you weren't, but all they needed to see was Dr. McCoy's name next to a message bubble, and you would never hear the end of it.

On occasion, some of your colleagues made little remarks or jokes that you and Leonard had a crush on each other. You tried to give no indication whenever he came by that you were excited to see him, but it was hard even with all of your training to suppress it all of the time, especially since the other day. They could not be permitted to know just how deep your involvement with him went, though. You were hardly at the stage of calling him your boyfriend, even though you were beginning to consider him as such.