SIM:Whale: Three Weeks

Three Weeks

Relevant wiki entries: David Whale, Fiona Shelley, Guide to Deep Space 17, USS Tiger.

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(( DEEP SPACE 17 - Promenade )) (( Present. Three & a half weeks after the Captain's rescue ))

:: Remarkably, Whale had managed to steer clear of the Black Jendorvak during the Tiger's stay at DS17 this time around. As a result, he'd managed to avoid getting into any physical altercations. Granted, both of those were likely the result of having been stuck in his office for the first week doing paperwork - paperwork that had been shoved aside while dealing with Firestarter's trial, paperwork resulting from Firestarter's trial and even more paperwork to complete the prisoner transfer of Evia, Doc and Maloney to the custody of DS17 security. ::

:: Looking out over the railing, watching the station's denizens going about their daily routines, Whale couldn't help but think things would have gone a whole lot better if he'd spent the whole three weeks in his office. Things were just getting weird all around. Things with Uatu had been weird and then there was Shelley, which was a whole other story. Slapping his palm on the railing, he turned and reluctantly headed toward the turbolifts to get back to the ship. It had been a weird three weeks and he was hoping the crew - more importantly Whale himself would get some structure back into their lives soon. ::

:: The lift doors open and Whale hesitated for a moment. The lift already had an occupant - Doctor Fiona Shelley. The hesitation lasted only a second before Whale reminded himself he was an adult and he stepped into the lift. ::

Shelley: Oh. Hi.

Whale: Hi.

:: A silence followed. A very awkward one. ::

Whale: So.. Um. Any word on your transfer request?

:: She shook her head and seemed to be extremely interested in the floor. ::

Shelley: No, nothing further. The Hormigonera is still overstaffed apparently.

:: He nodded. The remainder of the ride was spent in silence and Whale was more than a little relieved when the doors opened to the Tiger's docking platform. He smiled awkwardly at Shelley as he quickly exited and headed back to the ship. ::

(( USS TIGER - Whale's Quarters )) (( Nine days ago ))

:: It was a major relief to have all the paperwork taken care of and Whale felt he should celebrate. With Uatu busy on the station working to replenish the Tiger's stores of real food ingredients, he decided to check in with Shelley. After all, she hadn't had time to celebrate her commendation yet, and from what he'd heard about the sickbay situation during the confrontation with Parrin, she could use some relaxation. ::

:: Whale leaned back on the couch with a satisfied sigh after refilling the two wine glasses. He handed one of the glasses to Shelley, who sat with her feet curled up beneath her, elbow resting on the back of the couch, head leaning on her hand. She took the glass with a tired smile. ::

Shelley: Thanks.  :: beat :: So yeah, I ended up running triage in the cargo bay. Have those bays ever actually been used for cargo?

:: He chuckled. ::

Whale: Not since I've been on board. Refugees, medical overflow. no cargo.

Shelley: I wish we could expand sickbay.

Whale: We may need to just to fit in all the staff.

Shelley: :: laughing :: Very funny. Sadly, we seem to have a habit of needing the entire staff.

Whale: True.  :: pause :: You doing okay? You were exhausted after-

:: She waived a hand and chuckled. ::

Shelley: Oh stop it, I'm fine. I'm just.

:: The smile disappeared. ::

Shelley: It would have been my daughter's eleventh birthday in a couple weeks. I guess I'm just. I don't know.

:: Whale nodded. He knew about Anna's death, but it wasn't something Shelley had ever really wanted to discuss in depth. And Whale could entirely understand that - after the Ackerman Event, he'd had to discuss the damn thing so many times with so many counsellors, he felt he never needed to talk about it again. He was wrong, but that's how he felt. ::

Whale: You know if you ever need to talk.

:: She smiled at him, somewhat sadly. ::

Shelley. I appreciate that. And I will. just not tonight.

:: There was a bit of a lull in the conversation and Whale could feel the warm fuzz the wine had brought into his head. They'd said they'd only have one glass, but somehow the bottle was nearly empty. He didn't quite know how it happened, but suddenly he felt warm breath on his face and felt his and Shelley's lips pressing together. It seemed that Shelley realised at the same moment Whale did that they were, somehow, kissing. Eyes wide, she quickly pulled away and stood, massaging her temples. ::

Shelley: Oh my god. What did. David, we just.

:: Whale rubbed at his face. What the hell just happened. ::

Whale: No we didn't.

:: It was a ridiculous response, but it was the only one that he could come up with. ::

Shelley: No. No, we didn't. Of course not.

:: She managed to prevent herself from adding "I'm married." She didn't want Whale to think she was accusing him of anything - mostly because she thought it entirely possible that she'd initiated the. the incident. Regardless, she couldn't stay there. ::

Shelley: I, uh, I should go. Get ready and stuff. My shift starts in.

:: She paused and glanced at a clock. ::

Shelley: ...five and a half hours.

:: Damn. ::

Whale: Uh, yeah. Okay.

:: With a forced smile, Shelley made a hasty exit. ::

(( USS TIGER - D-10 )) (( Present ))

:: Before running into her in the turbolift, Whale hadn't seen Shelley since that night. Partly because the Tiger crew now had the run of DS17 and partly because they had been unconsciously - or maybe consciously - avoiding each other. ::

:: He wasn't sure why he ended up in D-10. Uatu was on the station again, so he wouldn't find her there. Maybe he should head to a holodeck, but he didn't feel like doing much of anything - this was the first relaxation time he'd really had since the whole Ioosi debacle. Placing an order with the guy at the bar, Whale scanned the room for familiar faces. ::