<<This is a backlog....before Shane visits sickbay.>> *** Sick Bay USS Chimera *** Scott, engaged in reassembling his part of a portable protodynaplaser passed a completed section to Steve and commented: "Do we have to talk about this?" "I'm only telling you what I heard!" Jan retorted.Scott sighed and began work on the next stage.Steve glanced across at him as Scott muttered :"Its all heresay" "Well...Fact!..." Jan said,taking a step closer to his stool "...he went to her quarters. Fact! she answered the door in a...'negligee' " A smile flickered at the corners of Scotts mouth as he heard the nurses tone of voice. "....and...Fact...he went inside for a long long time....so there!" Lucy closed a newly packed field medikit and said reasonably. "You've got to admit it Scott...he had two marines with him...cant get away from it." Turning to face the two women, Scott said patiently: "Look...he's the XO....its only to be expected he would go there." Jan, with an air of one not prepared to be convinced, picked up a collection of pseudocutan dressings and began to sort through them. "She was upset..Richards had died for heavens sakes!...you'd leave her alone?" he asked. "Ofcourse not!" Scott shrugged and turned back to his work. "There you go then." Jans glare 'burned' into Scotts back. "There I go nothing!" she said indignantly. " If she's a grieving woman, how come she opens her door to three men when she's wearing that skimpy......thing!......answer me that.....see? you cant!" Steve 'clicked' three sections together with studied concentration. "I dont like it" Jan stated calmly. "...and I dont say I believe all I hear...but theres no getting away from it." "Its a rumour." Scott replied rubbing his thumb across his cheek as he looked at the remaining components.He selected the one he needed. Pausing for a moment Lucy said: "It might be a rumour Scott...but you have to agree its strange.'Both' guards falling asleep?" Steve looked across at her and Scott turned to face her again as she continued: "They're trained men...one dozing off I might just believe...but two? so soundly asleep that they didnt hear the door?....." Lucy shook her head " I cant see that." "Exactly!...There's something 'very' fishy going on there" Jan said, jabbing the air with her finger. Scott leaned forward, hands on his knees and asked: "So you think he was planning a passionate hour or two with the counselor...ok...why'd he take two armed guards?" Satisfied that there was no answer to that, he gave the nurse a sympathetic look and supplied his own. "She's that passionate...right!" He shook his head sadly, as though in disbelief that anyone would believe the rumours running rife end to end of the ship. "I dont care what you say!" Jan exclaimed."The facts speak for themselves.He went to her quarters, she answered the door wearing next to nothing and dragged him inside.He was gone for 'hours' and when she came out she was all......all..." Scott raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Tousled!" Jan said vehemently. Scott closed his eyes and let out a long breath.Looking at her once again he said patiently "Perhaps... she'd been..... asleep?" Jans expression turned to amazement."You really believe that? You'll be telling me next Commander Guzman stepped over the two sleeping marines on his way out!....at least thats what he wants us to think" Scott interupted her. "You're saying the XO of this ship is abusing his position? that he's exerting power over the crew to cover an illicit affair? Oh come on......." He turned away with an air of finality. Thinking things were getting too heated, Lucy stepped forward, laying her hand gently on Scotts shoulder."Well the rumours 'are' all over the ship" she said quietly"....and I just hope he has the decency to explain the cause to her himself, before she hears it from someone else." Scott lifted his head to look at the nurse who gave him a small smile. He turned to Jan. "Pax?" he asked passing the smile on. "The mans a fool!" Steve said and jammed the protodynaplaser into its case. "Rangi!!" The subject of their conversation stood in the doorway looking with amused surprise at the four startled faces, each of which resembled a rabbit who had spotted a whippet. The two seconds of stunned silence that followed Jans exclamation was replaced by immediate activity. "Just came to see how things were go......." "Excuse me...I need to take these to section E " Jan said gathering up a collection of dressings, a faint blush of colour on her cheeks. Rangi side stepped to let the nurse pass. Jan side stepped too in her hurry to be gone and found Rangi still in front of her. Rangi moved to her left, Jan to her right and once again found her way barred.Rangi raised her hands in surrender and stood still. "You go ahead!" she said with a smile that was not returned.Jan hurried away hoping against hope the CMO had heard nothing. "So... Fisher!" Lucy was saying a little louder than was necessary." I'll see you in the mess hall!" Rangi, who had half turned to watch the nurse scuttle away, looked back, her expression puzzled, to find Steve watching her.He dropped his gaze the moment his eyes met hers and became deeply absorbed in his work. "What?" Scott asked Lucy, plainly confused."Mess hall?" "Seven o'clock!." she said slapping her hand hard on his shoulder. "Seven?..oh 'riiiiiight'...'yes'...seven o'clock" Rangi walked slowly over to the bench. "My my...look at that" Lucy said glancing at the clock above the door "Time I wasn't here!" She smiled warmly at Rangi who replied " Yes...see you in the morning." The nurse give Scott a meaningful stare, said "See you later." and departed. Scott busied himself with the fitments he held, wondering why the power cell wouldnt fit until he realized it was upside down. Rangi looked from one to the other of the two AMO's, both studiously working. "You've almost finished" she stated needlessly.Scott glanced at Steve, looked up at the CMO and replied; "Yes ...didnt take long." He reached for a casing. Feeling as though she was somehow surplus to requirements, Rangi said " I'll leave you to it then." This met with a glimmer of a smile from Scott and a cursery nod from Steve.Five or six seconds passed in silence, the two men worked on and Rangi turned away. * Fifteen minutes later* Rangi sat, absently tapping the fingers of her left hand on her desk to the rhythm of a half forgotten tune, staring blankly at the StarFleet insignia on her monitor.A movement beyond the open door way snapped her to sudden action and clicking the monitor off, she leapt to her feet, rounded the desk and hurried to the doorway. "Scott?" The AMO, nearing the exit, turned at the sound of his name and seeing Rangi beckon to him, changed direction and headed towards her office. "Please close the door" she said returning to her chair.Scott did as he was bid. "Take a seat" Wondering at Rangis serious expression, he adjusted the angle of the chair facing hers, sat down and waited. With forearms on the desk and fingers interlocked, Rangi looked levelly at Scott. "Whats going on?" she asked quietly. "Going on?" "Yes...why's there an atmosphere when I enter a room?" "..........Atmosphere?" One corner of Rangis mouth showed mild annoyance. "There seems to be an echo in here!" she said and immediately regretted it when she saw Scott drop his gaze and shift uneasily on the chair. She sighed. "I'm sorry......that was uncalled for.... but you know what I mean dont you? I'm not imagining it." Scott raised his eyes to meet her steady gaze. "Just lately...since I returned to the ship in fact..I've been getting strange reactions from people." "What sort of reactions?" Scott asked, knowing exactly what she meant. "They look at me...watch me...then pretend they're not if I notice them." Scott straightened up. "They either fall silent when I go into a room or they go to the other extreme and begin talking really fast." He nodded slowly in understanding and glanced away. Rangi leaned back in her chair. "It happened back there..in the lab." she said evenly."Scott..whats going on?" He had rarely felt so uncomfortable and remet her eyes with a worried, doubtful expression in his own.She saw it at once. "Theres a rumour isnt there?" she asked filling in a gap. He waited for her to elaborate, eyes watchful."Thats the only reason I can think of...and knowing what this ship's like for rumours.....well..." He saw the slight shrug of her shoulders as her words trailed away and for the life of him, couldnt think of a tactful reply. "If the rumour concerns me Scott, then I think I have the right to know what it is....don't you?" This time he had to answer. "It..it's not about you." he replied uneasily. "Oh?" The faintest of frown lines appeared as she began to piece together what Scott was trying 'not' to say."Then who?...someone I know?" His mouth tightened in a straight line as he gave a brief nod. {Dad?...no...he wouldnt do anything to generate a rumour....would he?} Her eyes, lowered in consideration, raised to Scott once more. "It's Shane?" she asked quietly. Scott took a deep breath."Yes." "I see" Rangi looked away, her eyes moving to the holograph of a smiling XO. Scott, thinking that she didnt 'see' at all, leaned forward, laying his fingers on the edge of the desk."Its a rumour...and you said yourself, you know what this ships like.The best thing to do is to ask him yourself." he added hopefully. A few seconds passed. "Ofcourse...you're right." Rangi said briskly, sitting up straight and forcing a smile."Rumours are just that...the tiniest thing gets blown up out of all proportion." Scott nodded eagerly. "Too true" he said. They looked at one another, each silently hoping there 'was' an explanation. "I'm sorry Scott...I put you in a bad situation. I shouldnt have asked you." "Don't worry about it." Scott replied solemly. He seemed about to add more but changed his mind and stood up. "Thankyou." Rangi said as a dismissal. *** End Log *** LtCmdr Rangi Summers CMO/2XO USS Chimera Ens Scott Fisher AMO Ens Steve Desoto AMO Nurse Lucy Fleming Nurse Jan Robinson (npcs) by Rangi