Garden of Eden "
By: Captain Marcus Campanili , Marine XO , [NPC]
Teilani Dane, Chief Medical Officer, [PC]

Stardate: 58209.10 1415

Ever since the Zion was in orbit around some old moon, waiting for some news to enter into the Sol system, things were quiet in Sickbay.

Teilani and her crew hadn't had much to do other then re-organizing, playing cards and getting out the occasional band aides. Basically the time was boring and Lani knew that it was driving her nuts.

"Hey Doc, fancy a rubber of bridge?" Gloria called out to her..

"Not this time.. besides I keep loosing every time." Teilani called back at her laughing.

"Ke doc."

Leaning back in her chair Teilani stared at the pink marbles decorating her desk. She wondered what would happened if she threw them across the hallway, using it as a football. They would probably think she had lost her mind..

Her doorway suddenly filled with the form of Marcus Campanili and the large dark Italian smiled at her. "You are looking very pensive, Doctor." He had a book tucked under one arm and seemed to be cradling the other. "A penny for your thought?"

"Oooh Captain Campanili... " Lani said pulling her legs from the desk and struggled a little to get to her feet. "Sneaking up on me again hey?" she said with a smile and motioned to Marcus to come in.

"Not intentionally." Campi strode into the office and around the side of Dane's desk where he perched on the edge.

"To answer your question, I recently found out that I can be very impatient, waiting drives me nuts." Teilani said with a giggle. "Enough about me, how may I help you?"

"Two things. I'm returning this," he gestured with his body for her to take the book from under his arm. "And I need you to take a look at my arm," he indicated the one he was cradling. "Patience is something that you have to practice," he added with a wink.

Teilani took the book from him and placed it to the side. "What you think of it." she asked taking a medical tricorder and walked to the other side of Marcus.

"I'm an admittedly huge Vern fan. I liked it," he answered. "Honestly, I haven't read one I didn't like. The man had a way of making everything come alive."

"Try to lift up your arm. That's it. You got a slight sprain. How did it happen?"

"Training session," Marcus winced a little. "Lost my footing and fell over the damned edge. Just barely caught myself," he told her. "But it gave the boys something to rescue," he added with a laugh.

Lani giggled. "I am sure they did. I will give you some painkiller and a some muscle relaxation, as long as you don't force it for the next few days you will be fine."

"I will endeavour not to do so," Marcus nodded. "But I can't promise anything if we get called out," he added.

She shut her tricorder and went to get a hypo spray, after a few moments she returned. "Head to the side please."

Marcus dutifully turned his head to the side and angled his strong jaw upwards to give her a good exposed area to work with.

Pressing the hypo to Marcus's neck, she said. "Here we go, good as new."

"An angel of mercy," he grinned. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"What I am going to do?" she repeated his question. "Well as you said earlier probably practice patience."

"Patience is a good thing to practice," he nodded his agreement. "How about a drink in the lounge while you work on it?" he asked.

Lani placed the hypo on her desk and walked to the door and peered around it. "Well my crew is still playing a rubber of bridge, so yeah why not. Then perhaps you can teach me how to be patience."

Marcus laughed as he stood and joined her at the door. "Let's go then," he smiled and touched the small of her back to steer her out of the office.

*** Lounge ***

"So how long have you been a Marine?" Teilani asked as both she and Marcus sat down at a small circular table. Two long drink glasses standing before them.

"Since I was fresh out of school," he answered. "How long have you been a Doctor?" he countered with a smile.

"Answering a question with a questing right." Lani quipped back. "Well lets see I am .... that old," she giggled letting her age deliberately blank. So it seems ages, but you know what.." she said softly leaning forward a little. "My secret dream is becoming a starship captain." Teilani started to laugh.

"From Doctor to Starship Captain... Now there's a leap," Marcus laughed. "Why don't you start small and become a pilot?"

"Are you kidding, I'm claustrophobic in a shuttle." she replied rolling her eyes.

Marcus couldn't help it, he laughed again. "Well, the bridge of a starship is a lot bigger than the inside of a shuttle."

"And the chairs are much softer." Teilani said grinning. "Anyway command training is difficult I think, so I just have to keep on dreaming, and use the holodeck occasionally."

"How about you Captain," do you have any secret desires?' she asked.

"No ma'am," Marcus shook his head. "I like being a Marine," he added. "One day I'll have my own command like the Major, but right now, I like where I'm at," he admitted and then grinned over at her. "I get to drink twelve year old Scotch and flirt with a pretty doctor. What more could a man want?" he asked teasingly.

Teilani rolled her eyes and quipped back.. " Well I could answer that but there are too many ears here."

Marcus laughed heartily at that.

"So," Teilani said while taking a sip from her beverage, in fact it was the drink which changed colour and she had grown to like it, even if some of the colours were of horrible taste, "you liked Jules Verne right, you should try Terry Pratchet once. Great fantasy writer."

"I don't believe I've heard of him," Marcus admitted. "But if you recommend him, I'd be more than happy to give him a read and see what I think. I'm always on the lookout for good authors," he told her. "So tell me, Teilani, what do you do for fun? To relax from the rigors of being the ship's doctor?"

Teilani smiled. "Well you already know 1 passion and that is reading old paper books. Ehmmmm the other hobby is ... hiking, walking in the woods or at the beach..places were not too many people are."

"Ahhh... All very good pursuits," Marcus said with a wide grin.

"And you? What do you do when you are not a Marine?"

"Well, first off, I am *always* a Marine," he told her. "Off duty... I like to read, which you already know," he smiled. "And I also enjoy hiking, the woods being a favourite spot of mine, and swimming in the ocean."

"You know... Teilani said, "There is a great program in the Zion's holodeck data base. It's called swimming with dolphins. Perhaps if you have time we could try it once?"

"I'd like that," Marcus nodded. "Have you ever done it before? In the ocean, I mean?" he asked.

Teilani shook her head. " No, doin' it on your own is not much fun, and besides not many of the crew like dolphins, they called them big fish.." she grinned.

"So what time of the day you like hiking." she asked. "I love the early mornings, where there is dew on the leaves. Deer in the distant, birds waking up."

"Sunrise," Marcus nodded. "My favourite time too," he agreed. "Before the heat of the day and just after a good cup of coffee," he smiled.

"Ohhh. coffee... nectar of the gods." Teilani said with a smile. "Did you know that back on QT, the proprietor of the massage parlor gave me the advise to cut down on my coffee. It's an outrage I say!."

"Cut down on coffee? Blasphemy!" Marcus grinned.

"Do you have any siblings?" Teilani asked taking a sip of her drink.

"Si, an older brother and younger sister," Marcus nodded. "My sister is married to a doctor, and my brother runs the family vineyard with my father and grandfather," he told her. "What about you? Any brothers or sisters?"

Teilani nodded and her face went dark for a second. "Yes I have 1 older brother and sister, and a younger brother. I don't know what they are doing now.. Eric is missing.. and Josh and Mel are on Mars as far as I am ware. I havent' gotten a clue what they are doing now. " she said more to her self then to Marcus.

Marcus nodded his understanding. It was the same for him. "I haven't seen my family in a while and contact is.. scarce at best," he admitted. "What about you?"

"I haven't had much contact with them. I wasn't part of the Maqui all my life."

"Not many have been," he said. "Only the very young. Do you know if your family sympathized with the Maquis cause?"

Teilani's face darkened a little. " Not at first.. We're.. pacifists you know, but then when the war became closer to home, and we saw the destruction and the atrocities done by the Federation, we couldn't stay away."

Marcus nodded in understanding. "It was that way for a lot of people, I think. It couldn't have been easy for your family."

"I found it difficult because prior to my arrival at the Zion I .... Teilani hesitated remembering her interrogation on QT by McBride's people, "I worked for a Federation Admiral." She smiled.

"For an Admiral?" Marcus quirked a brow. "As what? His personal physician? What happened? Did he find out you were a Marquis sympathizer?"

She shook her head. " No I was accused of something I hadn't done so I had to change employer so to speak. What about you?"

"My family sympathizes, although definitely not openly," he replied. "So what did you do for the Admiral?" he asked with a grin.

Teilani shrugged. "As you already stated I was indeed his personal physician, as well as secretary sometimes. Completely different then being a doctor on a ship I might add."

"I can imagine," Marcus agreed with a nod. "A lot more crowded on a ship that working for just a sole Admiral."

She grinned. "Too crowded sometimes Captain." She said, "and that's why I escape to the Arboretum sometimes."

"Now that I can understand as I prefer it myself," Marcus laughed softly and looked around. "What better place to escape to, hmm?"

Looking around Teilani nodded. "Well what you say, shall we escape?"

Marcus followed her gaze around the lounge and stood up, offering her a hand. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Accepting his hand, Teilani answered "Lets go then."