The Doctor Will See You Now

Chapter Eight (UPDATED)

Star Date: 2260.289 / 15.10.2260

It had been nearly three months since Lex had started her supposedly month-long lecturing position on Baldor 5.

After Jim had dragged Bones back to the Enterprise, when they were recalled to duty early, they'd had some intermittent contact for the first few weeks. Often, they ended up playing message ping pong, seemingly always just missing each other, until all communication abruptly ended.

For a few days Lex worried herself silly, until a senior officer took pity on her and enquired on her behalf. Stopping her at the end of one of her lectures, to let her know what was going on.

The Enterprise had been sent on a reconnaissance mission through an uncharted nebula, that was expected to make communication difficult due to the interference. However, Starfleet hadn't anticipated it stopping altogether and were working on re-establishing contact with them. Thankfully they were still able to get a readout on the electrical systems of the ship, even with the electrostatic interference from the Nebula so they knew they were ok, if incommunicative. This meant that not only could she not talk to anyone on board, but also that she was going to be stuck on planet, until they returned.

Finally, just over two months later the Enterprise had limped out of the Nebula, having experienced some serious electromagnetic damage, due to the atmospheric flares common in the deeper part of the Nebula. They'd been marooned for at least a week with minimal power at one point, requiring Scotty and the engineering crew to have to find some very unorthodox and inadvisable ways to get the lights back on, so to speak.

They were sent to the nearest base for the two weeks it would take to repair the ship, but it was still light years from Baldor 5 and they'd been told they would be departing for the Nebula once more, as soon as the repairs and system improvements were done. Lex had two choices, stay where she was and hope that at some point, they'd be passing her way again and able to pick her up. Or hop a cargo shuttle and begin the five-day trek back to the ship. Baldor 5 was nice, but not nice enough to be marooned on for an unspecified period of time. Lex opted for the shuttle that was timed to arrive at the base just as the Enterprise was departing, it was going to be cutting it fine, but she knew Jim would wait, knowing she was on her way.

Once on-board Lex was pleased to discover she would not be travelling alone, a new crew member by the name of Jenny Kelly was also making the journey to join the Enterprise. She was less thrilled however on discovering she was to replace Nurse Chapel, groaning inwardly that Jim had done it again.

They settled into an easy camaraderie, getting to know each other over multiple cups of coffee in shuttle's small mess hall, having nothing much else to do on the tiny ship.

It was on the third day, over their fourth cup of coffee, that Lex decided she knew her well enough to warn the new arrival about the captain's charm, and preference for pretty young nurses.

"Lord knows Jim's very attractive, but it's really not a good idea, Christine is the fifth Nurse we've lost in the last year. Please try and resist him" she practically begged the poor woman.

Jenny wrinkled her nose in distaste "He's blonde, isn't he?"

Lex blinked stupidly at the question, having not anticipated the tangent "Yes he is"

"Ah well, it's fine then, I like em tall dark and handsome like the CMO" she giggled.

Lex choked on her coffee and gaped at her "You mean Dr. McCoy?"

Jenny giggled again "Yeah I saw a picture of him in the news, what about 2 years ago now? When that big black spaceship crashed into San Francisco"

"Almost 2 years, yeah" Lex nodded, slightly shocked at the dreadnaught class starship that had destroyed half off San Francisco and nearly killed all her friends, being referred to as the big black spaceship.