What Can POSSIBLY go Wrong?

Posted on Sat Jan 3, 2015 @ 3:46pm by Lieutenant Commander Steven Wyman
Edited on on Sat Jan 3, 2015 @ 3:51pm

743 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Interlude II
Location: Junior officers quarters
Timeline: Sometime after the outbreak

ON:
"You keep saying that, but I can give you a whole LONG list of things that could go wrong. And it starts with Gwen being too young for the responsibility and the two of us being too busy to be taking care of something else."

This discussion had been taking place for the entire walk from the Wyman's quarters on deck 24 to the junior officer's quarters on deck 31. Steve kept insisting that nothing horrible could possibly go wrong with this new endeavor, and Welshy kept responding with some incident in which that statement had come back to bite her husband in the posterior.

"Welshy, Gwen is a responsible kid; more responsible than any known Wyman at that age. My brother was a maniac at that age, and I wasn't much better. And my sister... we won't get into that..."

"But... a dog? Steve she's seven. She slacks off on her guitar lessons if we don't keep on her." Ceridwen countered. She wasn't intrinsically opposed to having a pet, but she knew it would be more work for her than for Gwen.

As the person who got his daughter into the guitar, that point stung. "She does her homework without any issues, she stays out of trouble at school... well, as long as that little Andorian thug doesn't start anything. And most of the time she doesn't pay attention to her lesson, it's because she wants to read a book. She's a smart kid; she's probably going to end up smarter than both of us put together. If any almost eight year old can handle a dog - it's Gwen."

By this point they had reached the door in question. "I'm not going to say no. But, I'm not going to be the only one helping her with this dog. If I come home from a double shift to a land mine waiting for me and it isn't steaming fresh - it's going to be on YOU."

"Only fresh poop for my loving wife - got it." Wyman retorted with a sinister grin. As his wife socked him in the shoulder, he pressed the door chime.

A moment later the doors parted to reveal a female ensign in sciences blue. "Oh, Commander; Senior Chief - come in. Where's Gwen?"

"She's at a friend's house. We want this to be an early birthday present. After how badly that illness knocked her for a loop, the poor kid could use a pick-me-up." Steve explained. Gwen had been sick enough that she needed to be kept sedated for an extended period.

"I really like what you've done with your quarters Sakura. The décor really makes the space seem larger." Ceridwen added. As she was still mostly against the idea, she chose to go the polite small talk route.

Ensign Nomura smiled politely as she gestured toward the adjacent room. "Keeping the place looking this good isn't easy with two kids, a husband who's always away on assignment, and now five dogs. But I do my best. The puppies are through here."

When the three of them entered the next room and Welshy set eyes on them, her opposition melted away. "Ohhh... lookitthe babies!" she exclaimed suddenly, taking both Steve and Sakura aback.

"I thought you didn't want a dog?" Steve knew that this would happen when he first broached the subject a few days before. His wife tried to be the pragmatist, but she couldn't maintain the facade in the face of an adorable pile of golden-yellow fluff.

Holding one of the puppies up and snuggling it to her face. "How can I say no to that face!"

"Sakura, I think we found our dog."

"He's SO PERFECT!" Ceridwen hissed in a child-like tone. The puppy she was clutching to her chest responded by licking her on the chin. This set off a new round of cooing and random questions directed at the animal.

As the ensign had seen this happen with the first couple puppies she'd given away, this wasn't surprising to her. "That one's a girl, Chief."

As Welshy was utterly lost in baby-talk toned conversation with the dog, Steve chuckled at the way it had all panned out. "She may need a few minutes."
OFF

I will be taking suggestions for dog names, by the way. :P

Lt. Cmdr. Steve Wyman
Chief Engineering Officer

SCPO Ceridwen Wyman (NPC)
Engineer's Mate

Ens. Sakura Nomura (NPC)
Science Officer

And the as-yet-unnamed golden retriever puppy

 

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