Breakfast

Posted on Tue Mar 19, 2019 @ 7:29am by Commander Caleb Ryan & Civilian Opal Oliver (Deceased) Dr

1,950 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: Caleb's quarters
Timeline: MD07 0800

Opal woke from a bad dream and instinctively put out her arm, the hand outstretched to push something or someone away from her. Instead of whatever had been worrying her in the dream, she made contact with a familiar, beloved form. Caleb's muscular torso was a great relief and a wonderfully warm feeling began to spread through her as she realized she was lying next to the most incredible man she had ever had the pleasure of knowing, in more ways than those of colleagues! Her fearful look immediately melted into a blissful smile as she gently touched his arm, just to be sure he was actually here and that this wasn't the dream of the other situation she had just been in while she was asleep.

It seemed too good to be true that this amazing man was in her reality and the unpleasant one in her nightmare was now in her past and no longer a threat to her happiness or sanity. She sighed with deepening joy as she got accustomed to the delightful reality and nestled her head against Caleb's magnificent chest.

Caleb stirred and his strong arm slipped around Opal as she rested her head on his chest. “Mornin’,” he murmured, stretching his leg. It still was stiff in the morning sometimes, despite the surgery. He just needed to work out the kinks. His fingers traced random patterns on the bare skin of Opal’s back. “Sleep well?” He leaned up to kiss her.

"Mmmmhmmm," she murmured, too busy returning his kiss with great pleasure to be able to answer coherently. It was too good to be true and she wasn't going to miss or waste a single moment of this time alone with him. "If I can tear myself away...which is unlikely, I have to warn you..." she grinned once they had come up for air. "What would you like me to treat you to for breakfast? It's my turn. You get to choose!" she promised.

Caleb chuckled. “Ah’m a pretty simple man,” he said. “How about an omelette. Ham, cheddar, an’ some grits. An’ coffee. Gotta have mah coffee.” He rolled Opal beneath him and kissed her again, his hard body moving against her soft curves.

"Sounds good," she agreed with a giggle, "but simple you so are not, not in any sense of the word." She grinned and bit very, very softly on his lower lip, tugging it just a tiny way towards her before releasing it tantalisingly and then kissing him deeply again before wriggling out from under him and sitting up making as if to go and find some eggs in the kitchen, but starting slowly and not in the least unwillingly if he were to think any delay might be appropriate.

Oh, Caleb wouldn’t mind delay. He ran his hands along Opal’s naked flesh for a moment. But morning necessities were calling, so he settled for giving her a deep kiss before rolling from the bed. He took a moment to stretch his leg a bit, loosening it. It had been repaired, but it still got stiff in the morning. Thank God there was no weather on the station to affect it.

As Opal prepared breakfast, Caleb headed to the bathroom.

By the time Caleb returned Opal had set out a lavish spread with a tablecloth she had rummaged out of a drawer in the kitchen and little candles she had replicated to make it all look nice. The breakfast itself was rich with the eggs more yolk than white, but the pancakes, using the egg-whites in a meringue-like lift and some sticky, golden delicious looking syrup melting on the top of them and running down onto the forks which were strategically placed to hold the whole meal together in the centre of the plates and in a wheel shape, each ingredient artistically arranged and some edible flower heads in the centre, dripping syrup to start the waterfall effect of the whole plate.

She had made a lot of effort to get the food to look enticing, but at the same time to get it prepared before the food could go cold. The plates had been deliberately very hot to help with this and she did warn Caleb about not touching them unawares.

She bit her lip with a hint of nervousness as he observed the table, wondering if he might think it all too fussy for someone who proclaimed himself to be a 'simple man'. Opal had never really been sure what he meant by that and he said it quite often, so she was sure it had a meaning. She knew that this man was no simple being at all. He was clever and resourceful, brave, honourable, and one of the most ingenious people she had ever come upon, but he liked the idea of himself as someone who didn't fuss or need too much...fluffiness? Had she therefore gone too far with her extravagant breakfast frills?

Would he hate that she had messed about with the food and that it wasn't the usual basic recipe that everyone always enjoyed when having eggs and waffles? She waited with an air of anticipation to see how he would react and wondered at the same time if she would be able to tell what he really thought, given that he was so considerate and polite that he would never tell her he hated it. Would she be able to read him? Did she know him well? Had she learned enough about him to see the clues? She was not aware that she was breathing shallowly as she watched him, her blood heating as she looked at his wonderful form and gorgeous face. Seriously? Is this the time for that? she seemed to ask herself silently, but her attention quickly returned to his reaction to the meal she had laid out.

"I...I forgot to get the bread rolls out of the oven," she said suddenly and rushed to do this, almost missing his reaction in her distracted dash to save the bread.

Caleb looked at the table in amazement, tying off his robe over his boxers. He smiled and came up behind Opal, slipping his arms around her and kissing the back of her neck. “It’s amazing,” he said. “You are amazing.”

Opal blushed, more with pleasure at the compliments than out of embarrassment. "Why thank you kind, sir" she replied with a little bob of a curtsey. She brought back the bread, which was dark but not actually burnt. "That's a relief," she said, unloading it off the baking tray into a nearby wicker basket with a napkin already inside, waiting for the arrival of the rolls. She then presented the steaming basket of rolls to the edge of the table and indicated to Caleb to sit. "If you would like to take a seat?" she asked rhetorically and began to pour the freshly squeezed Terran orange juice and offered him the first glass out.

"Please help yourself to anything you like the look of,” she began.

Caleb chuckled. “Anything?” he asked her with a grin, and leaned over to steal a kiss. Then he took some of the rolls and started spreading a generous amount of butter on it, watching it melt in the hot freshness. “This is entirely more breakfast than Ah usually get,” he said with amusement. “Hold on a tic. Ah should check in with Zandy.” He dug out his personal comm and sent a quick message to check if she was up and getting off to school. He noted her sarcastic reply and sighed.

"She doesn't like me, does she?" Opal looked at her food with a contemplative frown, not able to read what he had sent or received back, but perfectly able to assess an idea of it from his face and sigh. "I don't know what else to try. When Teena was here, she at least did seem to be neutral and even helpful, but I don't know who she's hanging around with nowadays, and I wouldn't try to find out or intrude. I'd be tempted to appeal to one of her symbionts' personalities, but I suspect that would make it worse in case it turned out to be her mother. Is there anything you think I might try?" she asked, hoping he might have some ideas she might give a shot. "I'm not giving up on either of you," she said with determination and feeling before tucking into some more of her own breakfast.

Caleb reached over and pressed Opal’s hand. “Zandy is mah problem, not yours,” he told her. “She’ll come around. She’s goin’ through a lot, an’ Teena leavin’ didn’t help that. Give it time. An’ Ah’ll talk ta her, too.” He leaned over and kissed Opal’s forehead.

"Thank you, babe. I'd appreciate that, if you wouldn't mind, but please don't let on you're doing it for me in case she thinks I'm setting you on her for my own ends." She began to show concern. "It's going to be a sensitive thing. Listen to me. You've been doing this since she was a child. What can I tell you that you haven't written a book on already?" She shook her head, disbelieving her own mistake in trying to offer him advice. It did worry her though, very much. She lived in the shadow of Mika, whether they all liked it or not.

If the symbiont of the dead wife was really inside her daughter, how was Opal ever going to achieve anything better than the evil stepmother, no matter what she did? It gave Opal a lot of unsettled contemplation and futile planning in the dead of night that all seemed too crazy to even remember the next day, and she did feel like everything that mattered to her all hung in the balance of the mood of the part of Zandy's symbiont that must surely find Opal an intrusion. She turned her mind to the holosuite story that she and Caleb were playing out. It helped her to forget to worry so much.

With breakfast finished and cleared, Opal had a shift to go to, so she kissed Caleb goodbye and rushed off to Sickbay, not once managing to get the idea that she could meet him soon, in... She counted down the hours and minutes, feeling like a silly schoolgirl, waiting for time to see her crush, but the cheery bright lightness of her overall demeanour was a delight to those around her, and she was complimented several times before someone decided to start asking her if she had a new man in her life lately.

Opal was coy about answering directly, and her cheeks pinkened, but she laughed off their curiosity and made light of their gossipy banter and guesswork, most of which was ridiculous, and added to the lightness and smiling of her day. Her new friend River, the temporary CMO, was in a strange mood today too, and the two of them lunched together, chattering all around the subjects of each of their concerns without ever actually broaching them with each other. Perhaps tomorrow?

Eventually, it was time to clock off and Opal did so, contacting Caleb as soon as she left Sickbay via her personal com. She buzzed his device as she walked back, waiting for him to answer, but he did not. Disappointed, Opal went back to her quarters, milling around dejectedly until she might hear from him later, hopefully.

FIN

Commander Caleb Ryan
Executive Officer

Dr. Opal Oliver
Civilian Surgical Specialist

 

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