Spirit of Fire Archives/Hot cocoa

HOT COCOA

PERSONAL LOG, NURSE HERSHEY Another nightshift, another story... I picked up on another night shift. Since I had sat with the last of the Prophecy crew it has been easier to work nights and avoid people. There’s the odd walk in or guard that comes through almost every evening but nothing compared to the day shifts. I guess it’s weird to think that a space ship has a day or night shift but I guess some human habits never fade away. But tonight I had something happen that’s changed the way I see the ship and the people here. The Captain came down. When he walked in I almost fell out of my chair! I had seen him during announcements and his picture is often on the front of the Spirit for some reason or other, but this was him in the flesh! Anyway, he told me that medbay always had the best cocoa mix and proceeded to make us both a mug of hot cocoa and sat right down on a bunk next to the my station! He smiled and looked around. It was just him and me, but Serina’s station had lit up, she’s sometimes pretty obvious about listening in and we often talk at night anyway so I really didn’t mind. We must have sat there five or ten minutes in silence, each sipping cocoa, him examining both the room and eventually locking his eyes on me. I don’t know if I blurted out a “sir, are you okay?” or if he just started to talk. Well, actually, it might have been / was the other way around.... I told him about the hands I had held in recent weeks, the letters I had written to loved ones from crew too sick to type or write on their own. The way I had said no to my boyfriend back home when he asked me to marry him and how that was the biggest mistake of my life. Through it all he sipped his cocoa and listened. With all the weight on his shoulders he listened to me talking about my social life as if it was the most important thing in the universe. I must have talked for an hour. Easily. When his cocoa was done he stood up and went to the door. He looked back and asked “What is his name?” I was lost for a second, but then I realized he meant David. “Well,” he said, “I’ll want to meet him when we get home. Can’t have my crew just marrying anyone.” This life is crazy and odd, but I think I really needed that cup of cocoa.