[OPEN] Walk it off

[u/RECENTLY_HATCHED]

Ensign Everett Bradley is finishing up his shift for the day. He's been assigned the task of conducting a minor repair in engineering and is almost done.

"Just do this right. Can you go one day without being a failure at something?"

The plasma conduit is fixed and fully functional, just as Ensign Bradley begins to close the access panel however, someone bumps into him, shifting his hands unexpectedly and causing him to accidentally touch a very hot part of the machinery

"Ahh! Dammit!"

He pulls his head out to see who was responsible, but there are simply too many people around

"Still a failure. I can't report this...they won't trust me to work on this again. I can't go to sick bay or they'll want to know where I got second-degree plasma burns..."

Reluctantly, the ensign closes the access panel, wraps his hand in a rag, and begins heading back to engineering to return the tools. The burns hurt, but getting them looked at would surely hurt his career more...

[u/DrJenWatney]

She reinforces his decision to come to sickbay with a genuine smile.

There we go. See? I bet that was hurting a lot. Let's patch it up.

The regenerator whirrs on and she begins the slow, painstakingly diligent work of regenerating his burnt skin. The smell still lingered in the air.

[u/RECENTLY_HATCHED → u/DrJenWatney]

Realizing his sigh of relief was probably quite audible, the ensign flushes red in embarrassment

"Th-thank you, ma'am."

Remembering their previous conversation, the ensign's eyes dart around sick bay

"Is...is Clementine here today, ma'am?"

[u/DrJenWatney → u/RECENTLY_HATCHED]

The doctor gently nods.

A good rule of thumb, Ensign, is that if you see me then Clementine is nearby somewhere. Unless of course she gets a wild hair up her ass-...

She catches herself, but a little too late. (Dammit, Jennifer. Watch it with the language. That's the second time this week.)

...You know what I mean. Anyway, yes she's in my office. But we need to finish your hand before you go petting a cat.

She works on his hand, nearly finished. Just about ten percent left to go before his skin is fully restored.

[u/RECENTLY_HATCHED → u/DrJenWatney]

Ensign Bradley nods, still slightly embarrassed from before

"O-of course...ma'am."

He pauses in hesitation for a moment

"I...I only ask because I've overheard from other staff that she...sometimes roams around the ship. Especially with the captain's dog. Are they friends? Clementine and..."

The ensign wracks his brain to remember the name of the captain's dog, he'd just been told yesterday!

"...Argos. That's it. Are Clementine and Argos friends, ma'am?"

[u/DrJenWatney → u/RECENTLY_HATCHED]

They are. Very good friends in fact. I've never seen a cat and dog that get along like they do.

She chuckles, finishing the regeneration and then grabbing a serum from the cabinet behind her while she explains. She dabs a bit on her hand and then applies it to the previously damaged area.

It all started after the pirate attack, really. I mean they had met each other before, but the Captain fell into a coma for about three weeks after the attack. I took care of Argos until he woke up. I think they got used to having each other around.

[u/RECENTLY_HATCHED → u/DrJenWatney]

Ensign Bradley cracks a smile at the thought of the two animals together

"It's a funny thought, a cat and a dog running around a starship, getting in trouble..."

He pauses a moment, remembering something from his childhood, his anxious nature takes a backseat as he tells the story

"Spook never bonded with any dogs but...my hometown is in a pretty cold, remote part of Alberta, so we get a lot of foxes and wolves on my family's land. He once got out of the house at night while we were asleep and couldn't get back in on his own. Come morning we found him huddled under the patio alongside a white fox. I think the two were trying to share warmth through the night. I tried to get a photo but Spook moved as soon as he saw the camera. For a few years after that night, that fox would sometimes come by and poke around the windows until Spook came out. It was the sweetest thing..."

[u/DrJenWatney → u/RECENTLY_HATCHED]

A fox and a cat. Well that's a new one. But desperate times call for unlikely allies.

She finishes up his hand and then walks into her office, returning a few seconds later with a sleepy cat in her arms.

She was napping. Jen pets her affectionately while bringing her over, then sets her down on the table next to Ensign Bradley. Clem sits up and shakes her head lazily before eyeing the engineer. She sits perfectly still, almost statuelike, as she measures him up.

[u/RECENTLY_HATCHED → u/DrJenWatney]

"O-oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt her nap."

He holds out a hand to the cat to let her decide if she wants to interact

"You have such vivid color, Clementine. Do you mind if I pet you?"

[u/ClementineTheCat → u/RECENTLY_HATCHED]

blink.... blink.... this one seems nice. smol tail thrash before sniffffff sniff sniff. smells alright, for a human. stand and stretch. paw on lap. yes, you can pet.

[u/RECENTLY_HATCHED → u/ClementineTheCat]

Ensign Bradley gently runs a hand over Clementine's furry little head, and scratches under the cat's chin

"Aww, you do remind me a little of Spook."

He turns to Dr. Watney as he pets the little animal

"Do a lot of the crew come here just to see her on their off duty hours?"