Dr. Captain - Part I

Posted on Thu Jul 23rd, 2026 @ 10:35am by Commander Grace Vetur & Lieutenant Endymion Tox

1,114 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Preservation Instinct
Location: USS Ontario | Mess Hall
Timeline: Post Away Mission

ON:

Tox sat in the mess hall pushing his food around. Doc Marcus had all but chased him out and told him to go eat yet his stomach didn't feel like processing anything. He felt guilty, bad, sad, mad, and a whole host of other emotions he couldn't name. He was so lost in this mind that he didn't see a figure sat down beside him. When she called attention to herself Tox damn near jumped out of his skin.

Grace didn't want to get food from the replicator again. So, she headed for the mess hall for variety. At first, she planned to sit by herself, but then she saw Tox. It was obvious something was amiss. So, she changed direction and sat quietly beside Tox.

When he didn't notice her, she spoke. "You look like you're having a rough day?"

Tox placed a hand over his heart. "Captain. Sorry I didn't see you."

"You're clearly preoccupied. It's not like you." She looked at him carefully for a moment. "What's wrong?"

He sighed. "Lieutenant Xavier is in sickbay. He collapsed this morning, trouble breathing...a rash...he's still not woken up." There was no point in telling a lie. "I wasn't doing so good so Doc sent me to get lunch."

Grace put a hand on his arm. "Of course you aren't. I didn't know. I'm sorry. Doctor Marcus is an excellent doctor. He'll find out what's wrong and take care of Xavier." She smiled. "But then, you know that. I'd offer you some time off, but I think work might be better for you."

He smiled. "I trust Doctor Marcus. He's a bit gruff but has a sweet side." He sighed and then placed his hand over the Captain's. "Thank you Captain. I will be alright." He paused a moment. "Actually, I could use your help."

The doctor had a sweet side? That was a story Grace had to hear...but not now. "How can I be of help?"

"Pluto....Xavier has birds. I have a fear of birds, they like you can you help me with feeding them while he's in...sickbay."

She wasn't a bird babysitter, usually, but she couldn't say no. "I'll help you, and maybe I can also help you get more comfortable around them." He would need to get used to them if he and Xavier were going to have a long-term relationship.

He snorted, "We can try, but birds are creepy." He sighed. "How about we finish lunch and then we go bird feeding?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea. And maybe, if you have someone else with you, like Xavier or me, they won't be so bad."

"Have you not seen that old Earth Movie the Birds? They were always bad!" He smiled then. "Besides, I've been dying to see his quarters again. There is something about his Vampire style that’s sooooo mesmerizing."

Grace chuckled. "I'm glad you think so. I'm sure Xavier does as well." She thought about the movie he mentioned for a moment. "I haven't seen The Birds, but I have seen Psycho."

"The Birds makes that movie look tame." He shuddered. He grinned at the Captain. "OHHH Guess what. I have a nickname from the Doc."

"Do you? What is it?" She'd heard several of them from the doctor himself, but hadn't heard what he called Tox.

"Bordeaux! I feel like a part of the family." He grinned. "I absolutely love it!" He leaned in conspiratorially. "We should make Marcus bears to hand out to people. This way they can safely cuddle the Doctor."

The suggestion made her laugh, then she put a hand over her mouth. She could not laugh at the idea of a Dr. Marcus bear. "That is one of the mildest nicknames I've heard. He must like you."

"Of course he does. He adores me!" Tox grinned. "And he's a killer counselor. Best Counseling session I ever had."

"Really? That's fascinating." She was learning more and more about the good doctor. "I will have to keep that in mind."

Tox sighed. "Thank you. Thank you for sitting with me. This thing with Xavier threw me."

"Of course it did. You care for him. Sometimes it's harder to deal with the illness of a loved one than your own." While she'd never really had a loved one outside of family, she'd seen others worry. "I honestly think that helping me with Xavier's crows will help you get over your fear of them and help you in your relationship."

He grinned. "Don't let Xavier hear you call them crows. I was passing by the shuttle bay a few days ago and he was lecturing Ensign Alder about the difference between Ravens and Crows." He laughed and then sighed. "I may also have a selfish reason for wanting to help with the demon birds...his quarters are really trippy."

"You're right. I do know the difference, but I admit this who situation on the planet has me a bit preoccupied." Which wasn't usually like her, but she put it down to concern about her crew and turned her attention to Tox's comment about Xavier's quarters. "Trippy how?"

Tox reached over and touched her hand. "It's worrying me too. I've seen how people have been coming in. Good news is that Dr. Marcus is one of the best. I know he'll beat this. He may be a grumple, but he's one of the best in the fleet. We got to trust him."

He smiled at her final question. "You'll see, it's like walking into a Vampire's lair from what I've seen. Been dying to see the bedroom." He grinned. "Feeding the birds is a good excuse."

She couldn't help laughing. "Yes. Yes it is. Okay. Let's go have a look at this lair of his--and feed the ravens." She wasn't looking forward to it, but she would to help Tox. She didn't like walking into the quarters of her crew when they weren't there. But as Xavier and Tox were in a relationship, she would.

They cleaned up their trays and headed over. As they walked Tox got more nervous. Birds were never his cup of tea but he had to get used to them. "When we wrote to one another, he once told me that he used my birthday day as the code to give him a reminder of me daily. He used my actual birthday, not the Trill birthday, which is the joining with the parasite. I wonder if he still uses that."


To Be Continued...

Commander Grace Vetur
Commander
USS Ontario

&

Lieutenant Endymion Tox
Head Nurse (PNPC)
USS Ontario

 

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