Checking Up

Posted on 15 Jan 2013 @ 11:16pm by Petty Officer 3rd Class Justin Smoak (KIA)
Edited on on 15 Jan 2013 @ 11:48pm

2,141 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 5, Crew Quarters
Timeline: MD -02, 0230

[ON]

Jeremy led Sidi off the turbolift and onto the deck. He watched the numbers absently, making sure he had the room number on his wrist PADD just in case he needed. Sidi went ahead of him, sniffing at doors as they passed.

Jeremy stopped in front of the correct door and had Sidi sit while he pushed the chime.

Justin sat up, instinctively avoiding the top of the bunk as he did. He did a quick check of his chrono and wondered who would be ringing the door chime at this time of the morning. He jumped down, adjusting his boxers as he did and went to the door, expecting maybe Cyrus or Tony. Most of the rest of his friends on the crew wouldn't come by so early in the morning. He hit the pad to open the door.

Jeremy held his hands behind his back, waiting for the answer, starting to wonder if Smoak were sleeping after all when the door finally opened. The young man stood in the frame of the door wearing nothing more than his underwear. He scowled. Sidi sniffed Justin before settling back down onto his haunches.

"Sir!" Justin said, suddenly aware of his state of dress. He never expected to open the door to his quarters to see Stone standing there. With...was that a dog at his side? When did Stone get a dog? He blushed. Stone was a stickler for protocol and Justin wasn't sure what the protocol was here.

Jeremy watched and waited for Justin to issue an invitation to enter, however the young Petty Officer appeared embarrassed. Perhaps if he were wearing clothing he might feel more confident. However, Jeremy stood, waiting.

Justin looked left and right, wanting to see if there were anyone else with him. He didn't like the idea of his boss coming down by himself. Stone wasn't the most pleasant of people and he didn't understand politeness and tact. The dog shifted, apparently impatient for something. "Is there something I can do for you, Lieutenant?"

Jeremy scowled. "I came down to see how you were doing. According to medical reports your duty restrictions end tonight so you will be able to return to your normal shift."

It was Justin's turn to frown. "Uhm, thank you," he said, leaning on the frame. Why did Stone come by at 0230 to tell him to get back to work.

"I believe I can adjust the schedule for another day, if you're not up to returning to work." Jeremy glanced on each side of the corridor, expecting others to begin returning to their quarters now that the Code Blue was over. With the number of enlisted quartered in this deck, he figured it would get crowded and busy soon.

Justin wasn't sure he heard correctly. "Another day off? Is that an order?" he asked unsure what happened to make the Lieutenant take him off the schedule like this. He understood a little more how Cyrus felt when he was summarily dismissed several days ago. He walked over and sat at the desk by the beds, watching Lt. Stone remaining at the door.

Jeremy scowled. "No, Officer Smoak. I'm showing concern for your wellbeing after the incidents of yesterday. Though the report says you should make a full recovery by tonight, I don't want you to feel as if you need to rush back to duty."

"No, I'm feeling okay," Justin said. "I can come back to work. I have a whole 'nother day to make sure. But, honestly, I'm not happy about being off duty right now." He saw Stone still standing at the door and wondered if he was so impersonal that he wouldn't even come inside his quarters.

"As you wish," Jeremy said. "If you change your mind, however, you know how to contact me. I'll be working my normal duty shift."

Jeremy took up the slack in Sidi's lead as he frowned, ready to depart.

"I'm doing good," Justin said, "in case you were wondering." He watched as the security chief only frowned. "Even though you didn't even ask about that part of it. Healing up pretty good and everything."

"I fail to understand your point, Officer," Jeremy said. "Your health is obvious and you state you believe you are fit to return to duty. What more information should I obtain?"

Justin shook his head. "It's not about information, Lieutenant, it's about caring about people. It's about making a connection. You think stopping by Medical for five seconds shows you care?"

Jeremy frowned. "This conversation has become unproductive." he muttered as he looked at Sidi. Why had he even bothered coming here? He thought he was doing the right thing. He thought this was something Alexander would have done. No, he knew this is something Alexander would have done. Jeremy accompanied him several times - and had Alexander come visit him during the times he was actually wounded on a duty shift.

"So that's it?" Justin asked, standing and grabbing pants to throw on. "You just decide that it's over? Don't you even give a damn about how I'm doing?"

"Yes," Jeremy said. "Which is why I came. But apparently you need some emotional connection that I'm unable to give. To argue about it is unproductive."

"Unproductive?" Justin asked buttoning his pants. "With respect sir, that's a load of bullshit. It's so easy for you isn't it? To hide behind your rank and position and go through motions to make people think you're anything less than an ass?"

Jeremy sighed as he put his hands behind his back and glared at Smoak. "Hide behind my position and rank? That's what you think I'm doing, Officer? No, it can't have anything to do with the fact that my brain structure was altered and I don't understand things like what you think? It has nothing to do with having a diagnosed condition? You think this is easy for me?"

"No, it's gotta be hard to throw out all those regulations and policies to make sure to keep your distance from everyone else.

"It's not a hard thing, Lieutenant, all you have to say is 'how are you doing'? No, instead you jump right to checking if I'm coming to work or not. It's nice to know that my only worth to you is filling a shift slot."

"No, Officer," Jeremy said, getting even more frustrated now. "I don't need to come down here and ask if you're returning to work. I could have commed or sent a message or asked Chief Kiwoski or Senior Davis if you were planning on returning to work, since I know both of them have been by several times - as well as you going to dinner with Davis. I didn't have to come down here. I didn't have to finish up the bridge shift yesterday so that your friends could stay with you. I don't even have to offer you the option of taking another shift off if you're not up to it."

Sidi whined as Jeremy started to raise his voice. Jeremy dropped down and ruffled his neck fur, hoping to calm him.

"Lieutenant, that's another load of bullshit. Hiding behind a 'condition'. You want the best of all of it don't you? Just don't want to have to deal with the peons under you."

"Officer Smoak," Jeremy said. "You're berating me for being what I've had to become and for not understanding your personality and needs. Yet, have you stopped to consider mine? You think I don't know how you talk about me behind my back? The gossip you initiate?" Jeremy glared at him. "You think I don't know about your involvement in the 'soup Nazi' signs? Yeah, how is that endearing yourself to me? You've been against me since the moment I arrive and it's, what, because I'm not your idea of a boss? Why? Because I don't come in and joke with all of you? Do you have any idea how little I understand your humor? Or maybe how I know that because I, literally, can't do engage in that jocularity how much it separates me from all of you?"

He stroked Sidi again. "Or how I finally figured out why all of you leave the room when I come in? How I have to bear the hatred for what happened with Crewman Athlen...or was I mistaken in seeing you there, engaged in that arrest as well? Or, maybe, endure the hatred over what happened with Chief Kiwoski when I wasn't the only one engaged in that conversation? Now you want to get upset because, what, I failed to ask you one question? Yet, you seem to have no problem hating me for events that haven't even included you. Let me ask you, Smoak, when was the last time you tried to engage me?"

Justin stood, staring. He didn't think Stone knew everything about the signs. He never said anything. As far as he knew, he didn't even tell others in the office about that. "Sir, about those signs-"

"I don't care, Smoak," Jeremy said, standing while Sidi whined again. "You thought it would be a dig at me, but didn't stop to think what it meant for your fellow officers did you? Or how much harder it makes my job and how much it further distances me from everyone? Along with the gossip and the eye rolling you think I don't know about? No, you only think about yourself and how things affect you. You're a child, Smoak, plain and simple and still stuck in that selfish mode of thinking. Despite what I am, I worked to overcome it and come here."

"Lieutenant," Justin said, not sure what to say. How much did Stone know about what's been going on? And he never said anything, or even let on that there was a problem?

"No," Jeremy said, his frustration level rising. "There's nothing more to say. Obviously I'm not a person you can respect because I can't do pleasantries and other social fakeness. I guess that's all you care about. Thank you for informing me of how you feel."

He grabbed the lead, scowling. "By the way, Smoak, next time you want to berate someone for their lack of manners and social skills, maybe you should consider your own."

Justin stood back at that. "Mine? Are you serious?"

Jeremy nodded. "This entire conversation, I've been standing here, at the door, and at no time did you even offer me a simple invitation to come into your quarters."

"The door has been open this entire time, all you had to do was come in," Justin said, upset that Stone was trying to project his problems on him.

Jeremy sighed. "Yes, however, I'm an officer and this is enlisted territory. I require an invitation to come in for social visits. Plus, it's one of those social conventions that you accuse me of violating. It would have been nice if, while berating me for being an ass, you weren't being a hypocrit."

Taking up the lead again, Jeremy turned to walk away. Justin came to the door and into the hallway. "Lieutenant, did you want to come in?"

"No," Jeremy said, stopping but not turning around. "I think I'll go someplace where I'm not so thoroughly despised for trying to do exactly what people hate me for not doing."

"Lieutenant, that's not what I meant!"

"No, Officer," Jeremy said walking away, "It's exactly what you meant."

Justin stood in the middle of the corridor and thought about what had just happened. How had Stone managed to put his problems onto him? Accusing him of being little different than himself. Though, now that he knew Stone knew about his involvement in the signs, he wondered when the ramifications would come because of it. Stone wouldn't let something like that go.

Jeremy didn't have long to wait for the turbolift to come down and he was off the deck. He stared at the door knowing he had made a mistake. He thought he was doing the right thing but...he should have known better. He knew the extent of Smoak's dislike for him. He knew about the gossip, the signs and all the other things Smoak has done in the week Jeremy had been around. He stepped off the turbolift and to his door, noticing the two figures going into the quarters next to his. He sighed recognizing the outline of the male. Fortunately, with the ship back into space, his duty shifts would now be on the Bridge and he could avoid his personnel for awhile.

[OFF]

LTjg Jeremy Stone
Chief Security/Tactical Officer/K9
USS Galileo

Sidious MWD 7223
K9 Security unit
USS Galileo

PO3 Justin Smoak
Security officer
USS Galileo

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