Chapter 31
As the next few hours went on, the baby leviton situation got more confusing. Lily was arguing far too much with Violet, partly because Violet was pushing to be involved with Pip.
I was trying to be a good captain and not show too much favoritism towards my girlfriend versus one of my crewmates. I was keenly aware of that potential misunderstanding, and so I did hedge towards Violet.
Somehow, that left me in my current situation, which was lying in my bed with Lily curled up on one side, angrily glaring over my shoulder, while Violet, awake with a content and shit-eating grin on her face, snuggled up on my other side.
The way her tail swished back and forth every minute told me she was definitely awake and enjoying this far too much.
The tension between the two of them was so thick that there was no way I was falling asleep, at least not easily. So instead, I was lying on my back, staring at the ceiling. The only person in the room who was sleeping was Pip, who let out cute little snores as he rested on my chest.
"Can we please move past this?" I asked.
"A second set of eyes certainly won't hurt, and I don't think Lily's very motherly." Violet repeated her common arguments.
I agreed with her, but the hell was I going to say it aloud.
I didn't want to pick a fight with my girlfriend.
I was too smart for that. Relationships required maintaining, and I was determined to keep Lily and my relationship strong and amicable.
I'd seen too many people in my past life neglect their partner for one reason or another.
Relationships were work and required keeping both partners happy through mutual effort.
Pip's snores reminded me of him again. "Both of you, quiet. Pip is sleeping."
I could tell neither of them cared. Whatever was going on between the two of them was taking up their entire attention at present.
"You know what," I hissed in a whisper, "I'm gonna go check Pip into the med bay." I cradled the small leviton, who didn't wake, and quietly got up from the bed.
"What are you doing?" Lily whisper-shouted, and in this they both seemed to agree that there was something wrong with me getting up.
"I don't particularly like being caught in whatever is going on between the two of you." I cradled Pip in one arm. "I don't need to subject Pip to it either."
Given my indignant tone, I didn't even have time to put on a shirt, but that was okay. Mel was a medical professional. I was certain she'd seen worse. Besides, I wasn't even sure I was going to see her. So I continued on.
One of those medical beds seemed like a nice place for me and Pip to sleep without enough tension to keep us awake.
I stepped into the med bay, and a moment later, Melgara, wearing a barely there nightgown, stepped out of the door that connected to her room, a yawn stretching across her face as she adjusted her blindfold to ensure it was secure.
"Everything all right?" she asked.
"Yes— no. I just need a bed that doesn't have two angry women glaring across my chest at each other."
"Oh, poor you," Melgara's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"I can understand how that sounds like a dream, but I assure you it is a very difficult setting in which to get sleep." I started to settle into one of the beds.
Melgara stepped up to one of the cabinets and pulled out an injector. "Want me to put you down?" she asked.
I stared at the injector and then back at her incredulously. "I don't think that's what you're supposed to do as a doctor."
"My job is to ensure that you're as functional as you can be. What's the term? Better living through medicine," she said with a smirk.
"Never heard that one, but I suppose in the grand scheme of things you might have a valid point." I shrugged.
"All of my points are and will be valid," Melgara said, waving the injector around. "Now, whether you choose to accept them is up to you."
I chuckled. "No, don't put me under. I think I'll be able to fall asleep. I just need some quiet."
"Suit yourself." Melgara held her hands up. "The offer's available." She laid it down, loaded where I could get it if I wanted.
"Yeah, well, I think what we need most is for those two to get over whatever's happened between them. Do you know why they're fighting?" Melgara saw most of us frequently.
The stellari stared at me through her blindfold for a moment. "Do you really not know?"
"If it's supposed to be obvious, I'm afraid it's not to me." I frowned.
"Violet would like to be your second woman, and Lily is territorial." Melgara laid it out simply.
I frowned. I had kind of understood that already. Well, how the two of them felt, not why this would ever resolve it. "So they're just having a pissing match? To resolve this?" I asked, disappointed in the two.
"I would say for either of them, it's more important than that," Melgara said, covering a yawn. "Feel free to use the bed. If you need anything else, let me know. Oh, and the two of them came to blows earlier." She dropped the last so casually that I knew it was bait.
But screw it, I was hooked. If the two of them were actually fighting, that was a problem. "Say what?"
"Yeah, I found them beating the shit out of each other in the little junkyard at the spaceport." She now had my full attention, and it was everything I could do to keep my tone low and avoid waking Pip.
"Over this?" I asked, gesturing vaguely at the conversation we'd just been having.
"Seems so. Would you like the video?" Melgara offered, and I shook my head.
"No need," I said, cradling Pip. A part of me wondered if I should put this off until I was more rested and had better faculties. No, their fight had disturbed my rest, and they were going to suffer for causing this.
While I was growing angry, thankfully Pip just remained a pleasant, if audible, sleeper. I turned out of the med bay, marching towards them, before pausing. "I might suggest leaving the door open. There might be one or two people who need another place to sleep tonight."
Melgara chuckled. "Go get them."
I stormed back into the room, and as soon as I opened it, both of the women perked up, suddenly on edge.
"Captain—" Lily spoke first.
"I'm glad you remember I am the captain." I put a hand on my hip and placed Pip on the pillow gently. "Because I believe we had a deal. You weren’t supposed to harm crew members."
Lily licked her lips. I could see several thoughts going through her mind in that moment, and she wasn't alone in that. Violet looked like she was trying to decide her options at the same moment.
"Melgara said she wouldn't inform you," Violet replied.
"Perhaps I'd have something to say to the doctor about breaking promises, but”—I crossed my arms—"when I went to go find a bed, a very sleepy stellari let it slip that you two had gotten into a fight today."
Both of them wilted and struggled to meet my eyes.
"It was Lily—" Violet began, and I held up a finger to forestall her.
"I will hear no blaming each other. Do I make myself clear?" I asked, but the answer was obvious.
Both of them nodded obediently, their hands in their laps. At least they looked properly chastised. That tempered my anger.
"Well, it seems you both are having trouble getting along, and since you're both here to make sure that Pip is okay, I'm going to institute a new rule. The next time one of you so much as glares at the other, you are being kicked out of the room, and the other shall remain."
"No," Lily gasped more in shock than actual rebuttal. "This is my room, too."
"It is our room," I said, looking at Lily. "However, you should understand that I have zero tolerance for any of our crew members fighting, much less my security officer harming anyone among the ship’s crew."
"But this is my room." Lily gave me a look that would break the heart of even hardened generals. "Even if we're both somewhat at fault, she should be the one to leave."
"I find myself wanting to force the two of you to get along, because it seems, as the captain of the ship, that's what I will need to do.
Not to mention, Lily, as a security officer and a helivore, I'm going to hold you to a higher standard.
You should be able to control yourself and be friendly with other members of the crew. "
I turned back to Violet, whose tail was swishing, and there was a smile on her face. "Are you smiling?" I asked, and the smile dropped off her face instantly.
"No?" she replied.
"Good. I don't think watching Lily being dressed down should bring a smile to anyone's face. Taking glee in anyone's unfortunate situation is unacceptable as well," I scolded her.
Her head bobbed. "Understood, Captain," she said sharply.
"Good answer. I'm tired. Both of you, get along long enough for me to get some rest, and in the morning, when I'm not sleep-deprived, we'll have a better conversation about the root cause and how we will resolve the problem." I looked between the two of them.
Lily looked like she had sucked on a lemon; meanwhile, Violet was trying to remain stoic, though her tail betrayed her as it swished back and forth.
I narrowed my eyes at both of them once more for good measure, before fluffing Pip's pillow and rolling over.
"Get some sleep," I grumbled. I was tired.
Being woken up in the middle of the night and then being forced to stay awake because of these two bickering.
Now wasn't the time to make any important decisions.
Thankfully, the tension was broken. Rather than them glaring over me at each other, I could feel the weight of their gazes on me. That was far easier to fall asleep to.
***
Pip swirled around me as I walked to the cargo bay.