<div align="center"><strong>-=Vincent Kincaid – Cursing the deck mounted beds – Gamble Med Bay=-</strong></div><br/>Vincent responded out of reflex at seeing Mae’s hand reach out for him and immediately met it halfway with his own, holding it firmly.  His thumb lightly caressed the back of her hand while they both awaited Dani’s response to the request.  Even though he anticipated the answer, it did little to mitigate the heartbreak he felt with the rejection, even if it had been due to factors that were beyond the medic’s control.  It shouldn’t have been so surprising to him that the forces of fate conspired against them yet again, it’s been a regular occurrence for the past several months of him trying to create an intimate moment between the woman of his desire.  However, he was more than happy with the silver lining in that Mae had accepted to be his girlfriend and he would not hesitate to chalk the day under the “win” column.<br/><br/>Without having to worry about competition, it would only be a matter of waiting for the next opportunity to present itself.  Next time around, he won’t hesitate for a moment to jump at the chance to be with her.  Vincent’s eyes locked with Mae’s, clearly expressing his desire to be closer to her.  Though he didn’t want to risk losing what little contact the two were able to share for the sake of calling Dani’s bluff.  For now, he would be satisfied with holding her hand.  At least until an idea popped into his mind that would possibly lead to a compromise.<br/><br/><em>”Well… you don’t seem to be suffering from anything too serious, Mae…  although I don’t know if that’s the result of my ministrations, or Vince’s!”</em>A grin spread across Vincent’s lips.  “And yet here you are keeping her secondary physician at bay.  I insist that you allow me a more… thorough examination of the patient just to be sure there isn’t anything you may have overlooked.  Granted you have significantly more experience and knowledge in the medical field than myself and while my methods are far from orthodox, I’m confident that Mae will be feeling much better after I have a chance to work my magic on her.”  That last remark was punctuated by a suggestive wink towards his girlfriend.<br/><br/><em>”Now… are either of you hungry?”</em>The co-pilot’s stomach gurgled in the affirmative since its owner clearly didn’t realize that he had not only skipped dinner, but effectively used up his reserves in that scuffle.  “Well…”  He said with a sheepish smile, “I guess that answers that.”<br/><br/><em>"Don't think that I'll be leaving you alone for longer than it takes me to grab something out of the cold storage, which I don't need to remind you is just outside this door.  So... how about some fruit?"</em><br/><br/>"By chance is there a larger medical bed in cold storage?  As hungry as I may be..."  Vincent looked from Dani back to Mae with a loving smile.  "I would much rather a chance to snuggle up next to my new girlfriend."