Nurse Yahbo gazed through the small window near the back of sickbay, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lt. Schrader's ship. She knew her efforts were futile given the distance, and
the ecliptic darkness caused by the Escort's proximity to a reddish planet near old Earth, yet still she hoped.
"Whatcha' doing, Snuggle-Dumpling?", Jeffy asked, startling her from
her reveries.
She turned, hoping the guilt didn't show on her face. "I thought you were asleep, Lovey..er...Nose."
"Just woke up", Jeffy reported, "and I feel like a million bucks. What's outside the window?"
"Well", she began, "it's just, uh...", the urge to tell him everything was almost overwhelming. "I was just looking for Lt. Schrader's ship. He was lost in a battle a short time ago."
"No fooling?", Jeffy remarked, coming to peer over her shoulder at the black sea of nothingness. "What happened?"
"He was flying near an enemy ship when it exploded.", she said, her voice thick with emotion. "The Jennings brothers saw him get caught in the fire ball." She turned back to the window.
"They don't think he survived."
"Bummer", Jeffy observed. "But you've gotta look at the bright side."
"The bright side?!?", Nurse Yahbo demanded. "What could possibly be good about him being incinerated in his ship?"
"Well", Jeffy began slowly, searching for just the right example, "at least he didn't get shot in the shoulder again."
For the first time in their relationship, Nurse Yahbo felt a flicker of irritation at her beloved.
