Amaryllis Danziger's Story

"Hey, Army." Amaryllis Danziger walks up to place a friendly hand on Steven Baker's shoulder, the good one.

She is in her dress whites, slacks, not skirt. She reserves the skirt for formal dinners when dancing may become involved.

"Hey, Spock!" She tousles the Dobie's ears. Because he is on board, she has downloaded veterinary texts on dogs, and read up on dobermans. Her time as a Marine has taught her that K-9 units are worth their weight in gold, and that the dog is vital to the human. While she hopes that Spock won't ever need her assistance, she has purchased -out of pocket- some common medicines the dog might need and stocked them.

She glances from passenger to passenger. Most of what she will be doing will be simple, treating diarrhea will be task one, and heart attacks will happen, usually at ports of call, because too many people will drink too much and eat too much and overdo the extreme sports with little or no prep. Next will be flu, and STDs close behind that.

Already she has dossiers on the folks smart enough, or experienced enough, to let the cruise line know ahead of time about their chronic illnesses. Both Steve and the Purser know who has brought supplies of their own meds. These will be brought to the Sick Bay as needed.

"Coronary waiting to happen at two o'clock." She murmurs. Then she grins, because at ten o'clock is a likely looking fellow for some recreation later in the voyage. No, he has a wife. Ah, well, she thinks, it is still all good. Something will turn up, it always does.

Sick bay is clean, quiet and ready. It is located in one of the most stable sections of the ship*, so even on the choppiest days its denizens benefit from a smooth ride

It is where Danziger will spend at least eight hours a day when the ship is at sea. She is also on 24 hour call, which suits her fine. On a spanking new ship like the Long Grain? She can handle just about any medical needs of the crew or passengers.

She has also seen to the first aid stations scattered around the ship. Each is stocked and ready.

When there are no patients, she hits the treadmill, reads medical journals and runs drills with the staff. Her credo is that there is no such thing as being too ready.

*Midships deck 2.

"Marine,"

Steve turned his attention to the doctor on board, and then to the 'Coronary.' The doctor was right, there was a guy who knew his food. Steve mused briefly whether he was out of shape or caught up in some other medical condition. He knew all to well how much your fitness can tank with an injury.

"Well, hopefully he'll use the gym responsibly, shave a bit of that. Though some guys try too hard right away, and then they're off to see you anyway."

A quiet rumble in his pager and his earpiece comes on. Casino was part of his department today. Steve sighs and shakes his head.

"Not even out of port yet and someone is causing trouble in the casino. Hope none of us end up in your office, Marine."

After a quick salute to the doctor, Steve makes the quickest path there with Spock at his heels. A motion has the dog sitting while he approaches the big guy yelling at one of the blackjack dealers. Casually approaching him while still ready for the guy to take a swing, there's a few too many drinks on that table.

"Sir, you look like you could use a relaxing dip in your room's hot tub."

Sit.

Sit is good, because it gives me time to feel the room. This room is so different now that new humans are on board, gone is that awful smell of the new carpet, which made me sneeze repeatedly. Now? People.

People love and hate this place, they feel excited, hopeful, I can smell that. For some it is almost a mating ritual. For others? Exhaustion/elation/exhaustion... Everywhere there are lights flashing and noises. Like a pack frenzy over a kill, with so much food that a craze settles over them all.

The Target Human is angry. I can smell it coming off of him. Maybe he will let me chase him and jump on him! I like the sensation of flying I get when I spring upon a body. Maybe the Boss will calm him down. Either way, for now I sit. I sit and wait for the next command.

I know my duty.

SETTING

With all of its passengers finally on board, the ship slowly starts to pull away from the dock. The sea here is warm, something the ship is grateful for as it forges on into deeper waters. The sky is clear, and the scents of the sea fill the air. The PA system crackles and a low gruff voice fills the air.

"Hello, everyone, this is your captain speaking. Welcome aboard the Long Grain, the largest cruise ship in the world. As you may know this ship is built for your entertainment; there's a pool on the deck and a bar for those of you who like the taste of whiskey. Down below we have the large Gambling Hall and the Gym. If you head down even lower you'll notice what I like to call the moving aquarium; a large portion of the hull completely made of glass with lights so you can see deep into the depths. There are hundreds of cabins so go ahead and take your pick. However, if none of that sounds appealing then let me tell just what you'll see on this trip."

For a few moments it is silence, but then there's another crackle and the voice continues, " ... do I look like I'm stupid? Mind your station Jerry or I'll have you mopping the deck with the janitors ... again. Oh crap, I pressed the button ... don't give me that look!"

The PA goes silent again and then the voice came back with a small laugh. More laughter can be heard in the background as the captain continues, "As you may know, we'll be making a complete circuit of the world. On our travels we'll see waters that are brighter than the night sky, because of the glowing jellyfish that hang out near the surface of the water. We'll be escorted by humpback whales and, thanks to some incredible patronage a few of you will get the chance to swim with the dolphins. We'll be making a stop in waters so clear, that you can see into the pristine depths to the bottom of the ocean. For the next 156 days, you won't step on land but I can assure you that you'll remember this trip for the rest of your lives."

There was another slight pause before the captain came on again, a bit more serious this time, "However, before we can get to all that fun, I'd like to call everyone to the deck so that we can go over some safety procedures. When you get to the deck, please find your nearest hostess and they will explain the lifeboats and what to do in case of emergency. I hope you all enjoy your ship and ... for the love of god Jerry! What did I tell you about putting gum on the bottom of my desk!?"

The PA system cuts out and people begin to make their way to the deck.

Alyse J. Taft

Downed her half full glass and glances behind her, "Amy? Is it alright if I call you that?", her voice slurred giving away her drunkedness, "Did you know that we're more likely to be hijacked by pirates than we are to sink?"

She slammed her glass to the counter with a loud clunk and began tapping the rim to alert the bartender.

"And," she waved her hand into the air, "if pirates did hijack this ship the last thing we'd be doing is heading to the life boats."

She lifts her glass to her lips and finds it empty. Not bad for her first time drinking. Maybe this would become a new past time. Right now, with a belly full of poison, she didn't feel so bad about her lack of creativity. In fact, she was looking forward to a trip of gambling, sleeping, and of course drinking.

Alyse J. Taft

"Fine."

Something about what Doctor Danziger had said was sobering. It could have been the insistence on a formal title, but Alyse knew better. Growing up, she'd rarely felt constrained by her disability. Her entire life had been spent in a chair and quickly grew used to the condescension, strange looks, and exclusion that came with it. Now as she allowed her self to be wheeled away from the comforting liquids she felt that constraint.

She remembered her fathers finger on her forehead, "You are human because of this," his hand moved to tap her knee, "Not this. It's better to ignore someone who can't see the difference."

She remembered that day well. She was eight. A fellow student had begun calling her a robot and claiming that he didn't want her around because he was scared that she'd go 'terminator' on him. She came home crying and it took her father nearly an hour to get what happened out of her. After she told him, they both watched all of the Terminator movies back to back and when the next school day came, she went in dressed as Arnold complete with a horrible accent.

That was the last day she could remember that she'd let her disability really feel like a disability. So this feeling she had right now was strange, foreign, and probably the reason she wasn't feeling as cheerful as she been had a few moments ago.

She said nothing as Doctor Danziger went through the procedure. She just stared at the calm sea and blamed the alcohol for how bad she felt. Even when something in the back of her mind said it wasn't the drink.

Danziger had her porters grab the chair and mount the stairs, keeping the occupant level, she had them deposit her when she could roll on her own, but the crowd on the lifeboat deck caused her to push the chair, instead of having Ms Taft move it herself (in addition to the concern that Danziger had about the young woman drinking and driving.)

The day was bright, and the sky clear and unrelentingly blue, and the life vests were every bit as orange and the sky was blue. She donned hers and handed one to the woman she was accompanying. "In a real emergency..." she said sotto voce, "I could carry you on my back. I have a harness for that. We used them in the Marines, when we had bug outs from field hospitals." Not pausing she added, "and I have a transfer chair in your lifeboat, so that if your chair has to be left behind, you won't be S.O.L"

Children had found the whistles on their life vest, and parents were admonishing them to not blow into them.

Ugh, manchildren...

Steve shrugged at the dealer apologetically, but he didn't think much more of the incident after that, just another guy to keep in mind. He made the motion to have Spock come to heel, scratching the dobbie between the ears and giving him a small treat for obedience. He followed Buster for a short while making sure he didn't look like causing anymore trouble on the way. Then he did a round of his patrol making sure everyone was on their way or at the drill.

Walking in right on time, Steve's job was guiding a group of children through the drill. Up-Top thought that kids would pay more attention to a guy with a dog than one without. Really it all balanced out, Spock was good with kids, but the kids were more interested in the dog than the drill. Steve had to coax them by saying he'd show Spock's tricks if they behaved well.