This
story follows directly on the heels of “Sickness”
Sharon H
~<<>>~
The pressure had been
building for some time now. There didn’t seem to be anything he could do about.
Nothing he tried could elevate the impeding explosion. He could feel it
building, pressing against his senses, breaking his concentration. He gasped
for breath, feeling the breaking point was near.
This was it. There was no
turning back, no stopping it. He grabbed the edge of the table and hung on,
blinding hoping against hope no one would get caught up in what was to come.
And then Lee Crane sneezed.
Not just any sneeze, but a
juicy wet sneeze that sent you-know-what all over the maps and charts of the
plot table, coating pencils and rulers with a disgusting slime. The silence was
deafening. Bob O’ Brian could only stand there, looking on in horror at the
mess now covering the table. He eyes met the eyes of his skipper who had the
good grace to look embarrassed. That’s when Lee made his final mistake, one
that would seal his fate forever in the lore and legend of Seaview.
He sniffed.
All that STUFF ran rolled
into the back of his throat, kicking up his gag reflex. There was no stopping
what happened next. His stomach churned and three cups of coffee, the two
glazed donuts he had eaten for breakfast, and the half of ham sandwich he had
eaten at lunch all came rushing back with a vengeance—across the corner of the
plot table, down the side, and onto the floor.
That kicked off a chain
reaction.
Bob, assaulted by the smell,
lost his lunch by the periscope island. Kowalski threw up at his station at
sonar. By the time it was over there wasn’t a soul in the control room who at
least didn’t have the dry heaves.
The next thing Lee knew he
was in Sick Bay, dressed in clean pajamas, tucked into the bottom bunk down
from were Chip was currently rooming. Doc was hovering somewhere between
amusement and disgust. Lee looked up at Jamie with watery eyes. "It’s all
Chip’s fault. I caught it from him," he said in his defense.
Jamie just chuckled.
"That, skipper, is between you and him. Right now you are staying right where
I can keep an eye on you and where you won’t infect anyone else. So close your
eyes, Lee. You’ve got a date with the sandman."
The last thought through
Lee’s head as the sedative kicked it was simple. "I’ll get you for this
Chip, if it’s the last thing I do."
End
srh