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"Frank and Speak" by A. Rhea King
Rating: PG
Mr. Jiggles (1) Travis looked up and stopped walking. Archer stopped talking mid-sentence as he slowed to a stop. Quartermaster Benson was walking toward them, reading a PADD as she walked down the hall with a teddy bear tucked under her arms. Under her right arm was a blue patchwork teddy bear and under her left was a red and black patchwork teddy bear. “Quartermaster Benson,” Archer said. She looked up from the PADD in her hand and smiled, “Good afternoon, sirs.” “Nice teddy bears,” Travis said. She blushed. “They’re not mine. I made them for Eartik and Navta.” “Really?” Archer held his hand out and she handed him the blue one. “These are nice,” Archer asked. “They’re teddy bears, sir. They’re supposed to be cute not nice,” Travis joked, smiling with Benson. She laughed. “Have either of you seen the children?” “Last I knew they were playing in the rec room,” Travis said. “They weren’t there when I checked.” “Try loading bay one. They play there a lot too,” Archer said, handing the teddy bear back to Quartermaster Benson. She took it back. “Thank you, sir. Excuse me.” The men continued walking. # Archer smiled at the alien on his screen, “Thank you for the invitation. We’ll be happy to stop by.” He heard the lift doors open but didn’t turn to look. “We will be pleased to accept...” The alien looked past Archer. Archer turned in time to see Navta quickly disappear into T’Pol’s station. T’Pol, who was watching the view screen too, reached down and pulled Navta behind her chair out of sight. Without looking at Navta, T’Pol motioned the child to stay where she had been placed. Archer looked back at the screen, acting as though nothing had happened. “To accept you,” the alien finished. “Thank you. We should reach your planet in a day. It was a pleasure making your acquaintance.” The view screen went back to space speeding by at warp three. “Navta,” Archer said, turning. “What have I told you about coming onto the bridge?” Navta didn’t answer him. “Navta,” Archer said. “That I’m never supposed to come onto the bridge unless someone specifically asks me to or I’m with one of the crew or I ask you permission from a companel first.” “So why are you here?” Navta didn’t answer. Archer started toward T’Pol’s station. “Navta, answer me.” Archer leaned on the rail, looking down at Navta. She was hugging her new red and black teddy bear to her chest, watching him with blue eyes that Archer quickly lost his resistance to. “I wanted to show you my new teddy bear, K’pan. Emily made one for me and one for Eartik.” “Uh-huh. And you couldn’t wait until I was off work?” Navta looked down. “I could have.” Navta bit down on her bottom lip. “Next time, you wait until I’m off work to show me something like this, okay?” Navta nodded. Archer held his hand out for her teddy bear. Navta handed him the teddy bear. Archer turned it around, looking into the teddy bear’s button eyes. “Do you like him?” Archer asked Navta. “Him?” Navta got to her feet, stepping up to the railing. “It’s a him?” “It could be. Might be a her. What do you think it is?” “Him.” Navta took the teddy bear when Archer handed it back to her. “What’s his name?” “I...I have to name my teddy bear?” “No, but I named mine.” “So did I,” Hoshi and Trip admitted. Navta risked a smile and Archer returned it. “What was yours named, K’pan?” “Bernstein. I named him after this bear in these books my mom read to me.” “I named my Teddy. I wasn’t real creative on naming things,” Trip laughed. “What about your Hoshi?” Archer looked at Hoshi. “She was named Daffodil,” Hoshi looked back at Archer, smiling. Navta looked at the teddy bear. “I dunno what to name him.” “You’ll think of something.” Archer patted her shoulder. “He jiggles a lot. See.” Navta held the bear up and shook him. Archer smiled, watching the bear jiggle in front of him. “Just like good ‘ol Saint Nick,” Trip joked. “Who’s Saint Nick?” Navta asked. “That’s a story for another time. You need to get off the bridge, Navta,” Archer ordered “Okay.” Navta turned to leave. She looked back at Archer. “Jiggles?” “Works for me.” “You have designated him a male teddy bear,” T’Pol said. Everyone looked at T’Pol. She had been observing the conversation with no expression. “And?” Archer asked. “Perhaps an appropriate name for the teddy bear would be Mister Jiggles.” Navta grinned, turning the teddy bear to look in its face. “Mister Jiggles?” She shook it a little and the head bobbed. “He said yes, K’pan!” Archer chuckled. He reached out, grabbing Navta’s wrist. Navta looked at him. “You and Mr. Jiggles need to leave the bridge, Navta. Now.” Navta turned and hugged T’Pol. T’Pol was taken by surprise, but only looked down at Navta. “Thank you, T’Pol.” Navta looked up at her, smiling. “You are welcome. You have been asked to leave the bridge, however.” Navta stood on her toes and gave T’Pol a peck on the cheek. “Bye!” Navta ran over to the lift and pushed the button. The door opened and she hopped on, pressing a button. Archer watched the door close and then looked back at T’Pol. The Vulcan had already turned back to her work. He stood for a short while, waiting for everyone on the bridge to go back to work. Archer slowly made his way around the railing and up to T’Pol’s side. “Almost done with that report?” Archer asked. “It will be completed within the hour.” Archer nodded. “Mister Jiggles?” “It is an appropriate designation.” With a sly smile Archer leaned toward T’Pol and whispered, “Watch it, T’Pol. For a moment there we caught a little humor and affection. That wouldn’t be very Vulcan-like.” T’Pol looked up at Archer. She didn’t attempt to confirm or deny his accusation. She simply stared at him for a long minute and then returned to her work. With a quiet chuckle Archer returned to his chair. It is astonishing, really, how many thoroughly mature, well-adjusted grown-ups harbor a teddy bear--which is perhaps why they are thoroughly mature and well-adjusted. --Joseph Lempa (1995, The Quotable Teddy Bear) |
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