Holiday Ficlet #14
"I'm in hell," Caldwell growled as two little boys ran past him, waving plastic lightsabers.
"Hermiod asked us to pick up a Christmas stocking, sir," Novak chipped in, hiccuping at the end of the sentence. "I think maybe we should fill it for him."
"That is not the point here, Doctor!" Caldwell snapped. "The point is that Doctor Weir likes strawberry candy canes and every place we have gone to has been completely out!"
"Well, uh, sir." Novak hiccupped again and she slurped up some of her slushy. "Maybe we just picked a bad time? Maybe, um? We could pick them up for Doctor Weir in the after-Christmas sales? No one ever wants the leftovers and they'd only cost twenty-five cents."
Caldwell sighed. "Novak, these people haven't had a Christmas at home in two years. I just want -- " He stopped and sighed. "I just want her to like me," he mumbled.
"What was that, sir?" Novak asked, breathing out in a huff. She had been holding her breath in a hopeless attempt to quell her hiccups.
Caldwell sighed. "Never mind. It's...stupid.."
"I think it's sweet," Novak said with a small smile, and tugged him off toward the candy.