Sunday Snippet: All Jacked Up

Welcome, November! Honestly, October had great points and not-so-great points. Having a sick pet is not fun. Trying to figure out exactly what's going on isn't either. But she appears to be doing better so that's a plus.

We had a spectacular trick-or-treat night. The weather ended up being cooperative. Chilly but not cold, slightly windy but not gusty, and no rain. The past few years we've had flurries, frigid temperatures, rain, and the blowy, serious wind that makes everyone miserable. Having almost perfect weather is a nice change.

Had an okay work week. I finished up a copy edit and started a new proofread. Finalized a developmental edit with only formatting left to do before it moves over to a copy editor. I have a bit of research to do for the other developmental edit I'm working on and I should have that at least started today.

Not a bad week of viewing. I made it all the way through my current slate of shows. I didn't hit the backburner ones but, again, sick doggo equals a lot of time.

Started with Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and I'm almost finished with the second season. I really did enjoy the downfall of Jack's former father-in-law. I also loved how disgusted Rosie ended up being with her dad. Christmas episode is up next and it's one I love to pieces.

Caught another episode of Foyle's War and finished out the second season. I'd forgotten Andrew crashed his plane and he had a bit of a romance with Sam. Looking forward to starting the third season.

Watched an episode of Beyond Paradise and thoroughly enjoyed Humphrey and Martha interacting with their new foster. Also quite enjoyed the Ester and Archie banter. I really hope Kelby ends up getting a girl because he's the sweetest guy ever.

Enjoyed an episode of Poirot. A lot of twisty-turns in this one and Poirot getting all bent over Hastings using the bathroom as a darkroom was hilarious.

Elementary ended up being very interesting. I'm kind of wary of Joan trying to get a mole inside Moreland's company. I think it's for protection so Moreland's enemies can't hurt Sherlock and, by extension, Joan. I'm very interested in whether Moreland is setting this up on purpose or if he's just underestimating Joan. Should be fun to find out.

Caught an episode of Batman Beyond and didn't really remember this one. Ended up liking it a lot. Always good to see Bruce out of the manor.

Lower Decks was so much fun. Beckett is growing on me and Boimler isn't annoying me as much either. And the theme song is still stuck in my head. I think it might be my favorite out of all the Trek shows.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from All Jacked Up, a novella that pulls a couple together after one gets injured.

Here's the miniblurb:

Lita North is injured and ordered to stay off her feet for forty-eight hours which doesn't go over well because Lita doesn't do inactivity. But when Ollie Tulver gets stuck babysitting her after she disobeys the order, she has two choices—continue being a pain in the ass or toe the line. Lita being Lita, she decides to do both.

And a sneaky peek…

Ollie ducked his head inside the VIP quarters half expecting to find Lita misbehaving. "Time for a quick check in." Pleasantly surprised to find her seated in the wheelchair, a splotch of paint on her cheek.

She set her roller aside. "I could use a bit of a break." Her gaze swept the space then met his.

He took the bag of ice over and handed it to her. "You've got twenty minutes to chill with this." Taking a seat on the small sofa, he looked around the room.

She'd made a lot of progress. And it looked like she'd stayed in the chair. Her knee hadn't swelled up anymore.

She tilted her head, almost like she guessed what he'd been thinking. "I'm not overdoing it." Her chin lifted. "But the work is going fast. In fact, I'm gonna suggest if I finish the other two walls, I could maybe do the head too." She arched her brows, asking for permission.

Ollie frowned. "Kind of cramped, isn't it?"

She nodded. "But I could sit on the toilet for the two walls bracketing the door and use the chair for the other two. The shower takes up most of one wall so there's only about twenty four inches that need paint." She pointed to the brush. "That's two spans with the roller."

Ollie got up and went over to judge the space. "Are you going to be able to maneuver from the chair to the toilet then back again without putting pressure on your knee?" He had serious doubts.

She lifted a shoulder. "Honestly? I don't know. But I promise if I have any trouble, I'll stop and wait." She met his gaze. "I swear." She held up two fingers as her oath.

Yeah, maybe she could accomplish painting the small area. But why the volunteering?

He narrowed his eyes. "This is an attempt to get off Netts's shit list, isn't it?" Would probably take more than a little extra bonus spit-shining.

She grinned. "Think it'll work?"

He shrugged. "It might … if you don't do anything else to damage your knee." He'd give her props for thinking the idea through. "What made you think of doing the head?"

Her lips quirked but she glanced away. "Kinda think your better nature is rubbing off on me." She pulled the ice off her knee and set it aside.

Checking the time, he realized the twenty minutes flew by. "My better nature?" He chuckled. "That might be a first." He sobered. "But maybe let's not make it a habit. I kind of like you in rebel mode." He snagged the cold pack and headed for the hatch.

Lita followed behind him. "I just need to lose the attitude, right?" She rolled to a stop. "Having something to do definitely helps."

Ollie turned after undogging the hatch. "As long as you don't overextend yourself, you'll be golden." He stepped through the opening. "See you in two hours."

She gave him a jaunty wave, and he redogged the hatch and keyed in the lock code.

He hated making her a prisoner, but she seemed to be doing okay. Maybe even better than okay. Enough so he wanted to thank her for not making his job harder.

His mouth curved. "And I have the perfect plan to show my gratitude."

If she stayed true to her word…

Enjoying this one. I love Lita and Ollie and making them redefine their relationship.

 

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: All Jacked Up

November is off with a bang. We've had way higher than normal temperatures this past week. It's throwing me off kilter to have seventy-five degree weather right now. The trees are bare but it's like summer outside. Weird.

I had another busy week with work projects. I also got my new washing machine and got caught up on laundry. Last but not least, I think I have about half my holiday shopping done. I'm trying hard to be ahead of things this year.

I didn't get a lot of viewing completed this week. I've been on a kick where I need quiet time to get things done. I did watch a couple of things…

Caught the premiere episode of season two of Only Murders in the Building. Gotta say, I love how they've kicked the season off. This is such a fun show.

Also watched an episode of Peak Practice and ended up enjoying it a lot. I like it when they have characters who've been on previously. Adds a bit of realism.

And that's pretty much it for the life update this week. I think I'm going to catch up on a couple of movies this upcoming week. Stay tuned.

Tonight's post is from All Jacked Up, a novella that features a couple who end up together after one gets injured and starts driving everyone around them nuts.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lita North is injured and ordered to stay off her feet for forty-eight hours which doesn't go over well because Lita doesn't do inactivity. But when Ollie Tulver gets stuck babysitting her after she disobeys the order, she has two choices—continue being a pain in the ass or toe the line. Lita being Lita, she decides do to both.

And a sneaky peek…

Ollie paused with the lid halfway off. "Is that what you think you are to me? You think that's how I look at you?"

She shrugged. "I think it pisses me off when you answer a question with a question. No, actually, questions." She waved her fork, lasagna and all. "You just said if the positions were reversed, I'd feel sorry for you. I assume that means you feel the same for me right now." She stuffed the food into her mouth.

Oliver blew out a breath. "Geez, Lita. There's a lot to unpack there." He cut his portion into chunks. "First, there's a difference between feeling sorry for someone because you commiserate with their situation and feeling sorry for them because of pity." He sent her a hard look. "The fact you even consider I'd go for the second option slices deep." Maybe a little deeper than it should.

Frustrated because he let her get to him, he used more force than necessary to break his roll apart. Maybe he couldn't exactly define what they had—something more than friendship but no boundaries crossed. How did she not know pity would be the last thing he felt toward her?

Lita shook her head. "I'm sorry. That was a bitchy thing to say. We're better friends than that."

Ollie took a bite of food. "I thought we were." He chewed and swallowed. "But I can see how you'd maybe wonder. I mean, Netts ordered me to keep you in line, and I'll follow through no matter what, but I'm also trying to imagine how I'd feel if Cramer ordered me to basically sit in isolation and do nothing." He'd get stir-crazy but wouldn't be the pain in the ass Lita proved to be.

Her lips quirked. "No doubt you'd handle it better than me. Inactivity has always been my enemy."

Ollie smirked. "No, you are your own worst enemy. Inactivity is only a convenient excuse."

She laughed. "Yeah, okay." She dug into her salad. "There's a lot of truth in that statement." Glancing up, she shrugged. "Pushing against barriers is kind of my thing. Probably good I've got someone who points out the error of my ways." Her gaze flashed with a flirty vibe.

Ollie blinked when the flirtation in her eyes turned a little hot. The something more than friendship might be edging closer to crossing a boundary. And maybe he wanted to nudge that idea along a little.

He gave her a long, steady look. "You can count on me for that and … whatever else you need."

Lita lifted her chin. "Hmm. Good to know." Her lips curved into a small grin.

They finished eating in companionable silence.

Ollie stacked the trays and gathered up the crutches before handing them to her. "Now's the time to hit the head if you need it." He made sure she stayed off her leg until she entered the small area.

When she finished, she settled in the wheelchair and handed the crutches over without argument. A win in his book. He took the walking aids outside then retrieved the trays.

Pausing by the hatch, he checked the time. "I'll come back in two hours again. You'll probably be close to finished by then."

Lita, armed with the roller brush, saluted him. "I'll be impatiently waiting for your return."

Ollie chuckled and exited the quarters. If she behaved, he'd bring a nice ice bag for her therapy.

I love writing Lita and Ollie. She genuinely hates being cooped up but Ollie is going to make things interesting for her.

 

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: All Jacked Up

This past week I got to experience my daughter's first "senior night", this one for golf. She's my youngest and the last one we need to get through high school. Which is actually funny because she's also the most organized of my three kiddos and we haven't had to do much to get her through anything. Okay, except to maybe open the checkbook or whip out the debit card.

Anyway, the golf team had a scramble with another county team and the girls had a great time. This is a little poignant for three of the four seniors because they're all four-year letterman and they literally launched the girls' golf team for the high school. My daughter and one of her friends were the true masterminds, getting another freshman and two sophomores interested so they could form a team. There had to be at least four girls and they had five so they were good to go. In the four years they've had a team, the roster grew to eight, dropped to seven, then went back up to eight again this year. It's been exciting to watch the group grow and change and support each other.

Next up, is senior night for band and that's next weekend. I'm hoping for a non-rainy football game. This past week, the game got delayed due to lightning. Fun times.

Had a busy week overall with work but did get some television viewing in. I kept up with more episodes of Peter Gunn. I'm almost through the second season.

Also got some Classic Who in with The Mind Robber, The Invasion, and The Kroton multi-part episodes. I think I'm through the mixed episodes that are part animation and part regularly shot scenes.

I also watched three more Midsomer Murders episodes. I'm in series seventeen so I have about three more series to finish up.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from All Jacked Up, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lita North is injured and ordered to stay off her feet for forty-eight hours which doesn't go over well because Lita doesn't do inactivity. But when Ollie Tulver gets stuck babysitting her after she disobeys the order, she has two choices—continue being a pain in the ass or toe the line. Lita being Lita, she decides to do both.

And a sneaky peek…

Lita had one section of the bulkhead painted before lunch. "Amazing how fast this goes when you're on wheels." The roller brush zoomed along the metal partition.

She set the brush crossways on the paint tray then grabbed the roll of tape. This part gave her a few fits but she only cheated by standing up twice. Thankfully, her butt rested squarely in the chair when the sound of the hatch key code blipped behind her.

She maneuvered the wheels around so she faced the entry. Oliver poked his head in then led with a tray of food. After placing it on the low table by the couch, he went back and retrieved her crutches.

Handing them over, he lifted his chin. "You made a fair amount of progress."

She hobbled toward the head. "Yeah. And I hate to break it to you but this won't take more than half the day to finish up." The look on his face almost made her laugh.

The poor guy… he'd have to find something else to occupy her time.

Shit. "It's gotta suck being my friend right now." Babysitting duty… didn't get much worse than that.

Lita finished up and washed her hands, taking time to scrub the stray paint smears off. She might as well make an effort for Oliver's sake. He only brought one tray, but she'd share the entrée. Least she could do.

She rolled her eyes. "More like I want the company. Especially his." As far as jailers went, Oliver made for great eye candy and could hold up his end of a conversation.

And maybe, just maybe, something deeper hovered between them.

Might be a good time to find out.

She managed to get back out to the main room. "Why the hell do you put up with me?" She propped the death sticks against the unpainted section of the bulkhead and sank down onto the couch.

Oliver quirked an eyebrow. "Is that a rhetorical question?" He pushed the low table closer to her and whipped the lid off the plate.

The scent of baked pasta tickled her nose. An oversized serving of lasagna smothered in cheese along with a side salad, a crusty roll, and fruit cup took up all the space on the tray. Her stomach rumbled and she sighed happily.

She glanced up. "No, it's not rhetorical. You get stuck with babysitting detail yet you bring my favorite meal… If our positions were reversed, I'd be tempted to bring you a sandwich, an apple, and maybe those saltine crackers in the little packets not ply you with something you actually enjoy." Picking her fork up, she cut a hunk of lasagna off to cool it down.

Oliver laughed. "No, you wouldn't. You'd feel sorry for me and bring exactly what I brought you." He held up a finger. "In fact, wait here… pun intended." He ducked out and returned with another tray. "Hope you don't mind some company."

Lita shook her head. "I don't." She took a bite of her lunch and chewed for a moment.

Oliver felt sorry for her? The idea stung a little. Then again, might help if she just asked.

She waited until he got settled on the chair perpendicular to the sofa. "Am I just a pity project to you?" Stabbing another forkful, she met his gaze.  

So much relied on his answer.

Lita is a holy terror but she's also got a soft, gooey center she doesn't like to show anyone. Ollie just might get to finally see it after he answers her question.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: All Jacked Up

Happy Mother's Day to all the terrific moms out there! Enjoy the day and may you all be pampered and treated to your fondest wishes.

This week in television had some terrific stuff. Starting on Monday with Gotham, which is supposed to get a third season—yay! Hunters is still kind of dragging for me, but I'll finish out the season just because.

Tuesday's episode of The Flash ended on quite the cliffhanger. Looking forward to this week's follow up to find out what, exactly, happened. Agents of SHIELD kind of disappointed me but I did like the interaction between Daisy and Mac. And Fitz and Simmons are completely adorable.

Wednesday's Arrow proved very interesting. I had a sneaky suspicion Alex would turn out to be kind of cagey. Here's hoping he's not a total asshat… or that Thea makes him hurt a lot if he is. J

Thursday's Legends of Tomorrow made me so happy. I really do love this show. And the team is starting to mesh together in a great way. Orphan Black continues to blow my mind in wonderful ways. I wish I could say the same about After the Black, but maybe they'll find a good footing in the near future.

Wynonna Earp is still one of the best shows on TV right now. I'm very intrigued about Dolls's situation and look forward to more revelations on that end. I'm still a little behind on Banshee, but slowly catching up. Considering it's the last season, I'm not in a huge hurry to say goodbye.

And that's it on the television front this week.

Tonight's post is from All Jacked Up, a novella built around the prompt of one character is injured and the other gets to act as a distraction.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lita North is injured and ordered to stay off her feet for forty-eight hours which doesn't go over well because Lita doesn't do inactivity. But when Ollie Tulver gets stuck babysitting her after she disobeys the order, she has two choices—continue being a pain in the ass or toe the line. Lita being Lita, she decides do to both.

And a sneaky peek…

Doctor Ben Cramer barreled through the corridor and shouted. "Make a hole!" He charged through a group of midshipmen, probably on shift change, and halted outside the captain's quarters.

Rapping twice, he didn't wait for permission to enter, barging through the hatch with his mouth open before Captain Netts could offer a greeting.

"I want North sedated, preferably by IV so she can't be mobile." He strode toward the captain's desk and stopped at the edge. "The damn, fool woman is gone from sickbay again and I don't have time to keep tracking her down. If she keeps putting pressure on that knee, she's going to do serious damage." He paused and pinned Netts with a hard glare. "And then she'll be permanently grounded and really become a problem. And she won't be mine, she'll be—"

Netts held up a hand, effectively shutting Cramer's rant down. "Don't even think about saying she'll be mine. She's already at the top of my list." He reached out with his other hand, picked up the handset to his phone, and keyed in four numbers. "Tulver, my office, ten minutes." Replacing the receiver, he settled back and nodded for Cramer to take a seat. "I've got the perfect solution to our Lieutenant North problem."

Cramer cracked a grin and took the offered chair. If anyone stood a chance at making Lita North behave, Oliver Tulver had the best shot. The two officers had an uncommon rapport, one Lita liked to downplay, but the entire ship waited with eager anticipation for the two pilots to succumb to each other.

Ben kicked his legs out, crossing them at the ankles. "There's a reason you're in command and I'm not." Warren Netts's innate ability to read people and make the right call never failed to impress.

Netts quirked a smile. "I'd make a terrible doctor. No patience and hate the sight of blood." He waited a beat. "And I would've put North out of her misery a week ago."

Cramer bit back a wide grin. "With a bullet, no doubt."

Netts gave an emphatic nod. "Exactly."

Poor Lita is driving everyone insane and she's about to get her comeuppance. LOL

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Everyone Has a Skill

July 13, 2014

Greetings!

Whew. I'm coming off a really long week but I did have time to watch Defiance and Dominion. And if all goes well, I'll be watching The Last Ship tonight.

Tonight's post is from a bonus short, Everyone Has a Skill, and features Lita and Ollie from All Jacked Up.

Here's the tagline:

A bonus scene where our heroes are trapped behind enemy lines and only one paid good attention during survival training. The other had more fun memorizing the armory's weapon selection.

And a sneaky peek…

Lita woke up to find Ollie digging in the dirt. "What the hell, Ollie? We're not getting into trench warfare here." She sat up, stretching out the kinks from slumber. "We're waiting on a safe way to hitch a ride out of this hellhole."

Ollie nodded. "Right… and who knows when that might be?" He scooped more dirt out onto the large pile.

Lita yawned. "So, what? You're digging our graves, then?"

Ollie snorted. "No, Lita. I'm digging for ginsa root. It's out of season, but if get down deep enough, I'll find some." He glanced up. "I know it."

Lita frowned. "Ginsa root? It's edible, I take it?"

Ollie shot her a withering look. "Did you sleep through survival training?" He dug out another shovelful.

Lita shook her head. "No, I just didn't pay attention to the eating twigs and bark part. Never thought I'd have to worry about it." She moved closer, trying to see the root Ollie wanted her to consume.

Ollie huffed out a breath. "Good thing I listened, isn't it?"

Lita smirked. "I'll bet you took notes, too."

Ollie rolled his eyes and didn't comment.

Lita laughed and rifled through her pack for something to dig with. "Hey, everyone's got a skill… and yours might just save our lives."

Looking forward to seeing how this one ends up concluding. J

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: All Jacked Up

February 9, 2014

WooHoo! The Walking Dead is back tonight! So excited to see what happens next.

In other TV news, Arrow and Bitten continue to eat my brain, so much so, I've decided to dust off my Universes Altered blog and start recapping the episodes. Hopefully if I do weekly brain dumps, I'll have more space in my head. :D

What else? Almost Human, Lost Girl, and Helix are still must see. And Banshee, gotta take a moment to mention Friday's episode. I loved it. Usually, there's so much going on it's hard to keep up—I love that, don't get me wrong—but I seriously enjoyed having a tight focus on Lucas and Carrie/Ana this week. I don't know, for such an almost quiet episode, some big shifts occurred. Important ones, I think. But I'm really excited to see the next episode when shit goes sideways and everything is back to normal. J

Tonight's post is from All Jacked Up, a novella where my female character is kind of a pain in the ass. I love writing that kind of character. J

Here's the tagline:

Lita North is injured and ordered to stay off her feet for forty-eight hours which doesn't go over well because Lita doesn't do inactivity. But when Ollie Tulver gets stuck babysitting her after she disobeys the order, she has two choices: continue being a pain in the ass or toe the line. Lita being Lita, she decides do to both.

And a sneaky peek…

Ollie tracked Lita down in the rec room. Her leg, propped on a chair with ice covering her knee, looked swollen. The captain made the right call.

Ollie leaned against the bulkhead and sighed. "Dammit, Lita, just once it would be nice if you could follow orders." He pushed away from the wall and made his way to her table, stopping directly behind her.

She held a royal flush. He could be nice and let her win the pot, but she'd pissed the captain off, so no dice.

He let out a low whistle. "Damn, Lita, so many face cards. How do you do it?"

Everyone at the table groaned and threw their hands on the table.

Lita tilted her head back, shooting Ollie a nasty look. "Asshole." Her arm swung back, her fist connecting with his gut. "Did you have to trash my win?"

Ollie moved around and dropped down onto a vacated seat. "Yeah, I did." He gathered up the cards, scooping them into a single pile. "Captain's not real happy with you and Doc Cramer is ready to pump you full of sedatives if you don't stop undoing everything he's done." He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "You wanna be knocked out for the next two days?"

Lita rolled her eyes. "No. And if Cramer comes near me with a needle, I'll punch him in the face." She adjusted the ice pack. "Look, I'm icing the knee and the swelling is already going down."

Ollie snorted. "Really? So, what? It started out the size of a watermelon and you've managed to get it down to grapefruit?" He raised an eyebrow.

She shrugged. "Maybe." Her cheeks reddened and she glanced away.

Ollie got up and held out a hand. "Come on."

Her head jerked back and forth. "Uh uh. No way. I'm not going to sickbay."

Ollie laughed. "Yeah, right. As if." He reached over and grabbed the ice pack from her knee. "With the mood Cramer is in, he won't inject you with anything, he'll just shoot you with a side arm." Laying the bag on the table, he grasped her arm. "We're gonna steer a wide berth around sickbay."

Lita shot him a wary glance. "Then where the hell do you want me to go? I can't stand being cooped up in quarters." She reluctantly let him help her get up.

Ollie tucked a shoulder into her side and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Since you're so keen on not following orders, Captain Netts has a job for you." They made their way slowly to the hatch, where she'd propped her crutches.

Lita grimaced, but accepted the supportive devices. "Is he going to let me help out on maintenance shifts?" She hobbled forward, clearing the threshold and entering the corridor.

Ollie fell into step beside her, adjusting his stride to match her slower one. "Nope. You'd enjoy working on the hangar deck." He slid his gaze sideways. "Netts is pissed off, remember?"

Lita paused. "What's he want me to do?" Caution crept into her tone.

Ollie could let her off the hook, but decided to let her task be a surprise. "Just follow me, Lita. We don't have to go far."

She grumbled, but plodded along after him, making two turns before stopping again. "Ollie, what the hell? We're getting into the civilian sector of the ship. What's going on?"

He ignored her question and moved forward, halting outside the first of several extended stay quarters, usually reserved for government officials, scientists, or military contract VIPs. The rooms had a semi-private bathroom, sleeping berth, and small sitting area. He undogged the hatch and opened the door.

When she caught up, he ushered her inside. "Let's go, Lieutenant."

Lita frowned when he used rank, but hobbled inside, stopping short when she caught sight of Captain Netts. Ollie bit back a grin when she damn near fell over trying to salute her superior officer, letting one of her crutches fall to the deck.

Netts waved the gesture off. "At ease."

Lita steadied herself on one prop and nodded. "Thank you, Sir."

Netts shook his head. "Lieutenant North, you and I seem to have a communication problem." He jerked his head toward the leather chair by the sofa. "Take a seat."

She managed to keep the weight off her leg and collapsed onto the cushion. Ollie picked up the fallen crutch and laid it beside her on the armrest. He stepped back, letting the captain take point.

Netts swept an arm in front of him. "You've been ordered to stay off your feet for forty-eight hours three separate times." He waited a beat. "And you've disobeyed every damn time, doing additional damage to Doc Cramer's handiwork."

Lita glanced down, fixing her gaze on her hands. "I'm sorry, Sir." She wisely kept her mouth shut instead of trying to defend her actions.

Netts kept a straight face. "Since you're so hell bent on being useful, I've decided you can repaint the lower section of the bulkhead in this room." He nodded toward Ollie.

Ollie entered the small bathing area and brought out a wheel chair and a rolling cart. Several cans of paint, two brushes, and everything else she'd need were within easy reach on the two-tiered trays.

Lita's shoulders slumped. "Sir, I know I've been a pain in the ass, but I'm not sure I'm the person for this job."

Netts held up a hand. "It's this or I let Cramer sedate and restrain you in sickbay." He leveled his gaze on his junior officer. "Trust me, that won't be pretty. You've made the good doctor very unhappy."

Lita huffed out a frustrated breath. "Fine. If it's this or spending more time in sickbay, I'll do the painting."

Netts gave her a pointed look. "Thought you might see it that way." He started for the hatch. "Tulver can explain how this will work." He angled his head around. "And, Lieutenant, if you so much as step foot outside this space, I'll have Tulver knock you out and carry to sickbay. Are we clear?"

Lita's mouth thinned to a straight line. "Yes, Sir. We're clear."

Netts nodded. "Glad to hear it." He glanced toward Ollie. "Carry on, Tulver."

The captain exited and Ollie waited for an explosion from Lita.

It didn't happen.

Instead she slouched down in the chair and mumbled. "I've really done it this time, haven't I?"

She seemed so defeated, Ollie had to cut her some slack. "Yeah, you sorta did. But look, Lita, just do what Netts wants and just… behave for the next two days and you'll be back in his favorite category."

Lita rolled her eyes. "You make it sound so easy." She propped her leg up on the small table.

Ollie moved around and sat on the couch. "It will be. At least, it'll be better than being at Cramer's mercy." He waited a beat. "Because the man has none left where you're concerned."

Lita's lips twitched. "I know. Patience isn't his strongest trait, and considering I have absolutely none, it's no wonder he hates me."

Ollie chuckled. "Hate is such a strong word… but in your case, not far off the mark."

Lita shot him a sideways glance. "Gee, thanks, Ollie. Your cheering up skills could use some work."

Ollie lifted a brow. "I'm not here to cheer you up—not my job. My orders are to make sure you do what you're supposed to, and not let you leave this space for forty-eight hours." He leaned forward. "You can make it easy or hard, but I'm expecting the hard, so here's how we're going to do this." He got up and handed her the crutches. "You're going to get settled in the wheelchair and start on the bulkhead."

He paused, waiting to see if she'd argue. When she made her way to the chair without argument, he bit back a smile.

He pushed the cart toward far wall. "In two hours, I'll bring you some lunch and we'll figure out the next step. If you need anything, call down to the hangar deck and have me paged. I'll get here as soon as I can."

Lita wheeled over beside him. "And what if I need to take a piss? Do I have permission to use my crutches to do so?"

Ollie's lips curved. "Nope. I'm taking them with me. Less temptation." He narrowed his eyes. "If I come back and see any swelling, I will do what Netts ordered and knock you out. Stay off the leg, Lita."

She huffed out a sigh. "Fine. Off the leg. I got it." She grabbed the tape and pulled off a long piece. "Get out and let me get started on this."

Ollie strode across the space and grabbed her crutches. "Two hours then lunch. Anything special you'd like me to bring?"

Lita snorted. "Unless the galley is serving alcohol, no."

Ollie laughed. "Sorry, can't help you there." He started for the hatch, but turned back. "Seriously, Lita, if you need anything, call."

She muttered something unintelligible and waved him off.

He exited into the corridor and dogged the hatch, keying in the lock code. Keeping her barricaded in didn't sit very well with him, but Netts ordered the precaution and Ollie didn't feel like landing in a shit pile. Bad enough he'd be getting it from both sides for the next two days. Netts and Cramer, he could handle, but Lita… he had no doubt she'd test every damn limit and probably drag him over at least one line he hadn't thought of yet.

He grinned. He kinda looked forward to whatever she came up with.

This one has been fun to write. Lita, as mentioned, can't help being a pain in the ass. Luckily Ollie has her number and gives her just enough space to figure out things out. J

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye