Anomalous Healthlines - Pt. 1
Posted on Sun Apr 28th, 2024 @ 9:42pm by Lieutenant Sarah Graesyn
1,672 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Opening Moves
Location: Sickbay | Deck 4 | USS Thunderbird
Timeline: MD021 - 1300
Lieutenant Graesyn stepped into sickbay the doors sliding shut behind her with a quiet hiss. She let out a soft sigh; this was the part of every new assignment that she hated the most and it rarely had anything to do with the ships doctors themselves; no instead it was the fact that every new assignment came with a new baseline which meant a lot of poking and prodding and usually the majority of her first day not spent in engineering.
Charlie was in the midst of her first walkthrough of sickbay when she heard the door. She'd only arrived ten minutes before, so this would be a record for her first patient. "Computer, full lights," she instructed as she came around the corner to greet her visitor. "Good afternoon, Lieutenant," the doctor smiled, cathing sight of Graesyn. "Charlie Hart, the Chief Medical Officer. How may I be of assistance?"
“I don’t know if you have had a chance to review any of your records yet Doc, but you and I are either going to become best of friends or worst enemies during our time on the Thunderbird.” Sarah chuckled, extending her arm which today was covered in both a wrist and an elbow brace to support her joints which had been bothering her since she woke but the computer had alerted her to Charlie’s arrival just a few minutes ago and so she had pulled herself out of the warp core relays and headed down to meet her. “Lieutenant Sarah Graesyn, Chief Engineering Officer, I’ve had a slew of late arrival notifications from my entire department and I am beginning to wonder if I’m not the only engineer that is going to come on board! I’ve been very busy since I arrived nearly a month ago. Once everyone else gets here they are gonna be working their tails off, lemme tell ya!”
"I bet they will," Charlie took the extended hand and shook somewhat carefully. "And I vote we try for best of friends. I'm sorry to say I have not had a chance to review crew files yet - I've only been on board about an hour, and only beat you to sick bay by a few minutes." She looked around the room and noticed only the on site surgical bay and one of the standard biobeds were operational, and neither condusive to an initial record review. "Mind if we start in my office? We can chat while I review your medical history and you can answer any questions or fill in any blanks, and then we can come back out here for a proper scan?"
“That sounds perfect to me; for the moment, and pending that nothing extraordinary happens I am completely at your will and command.” She gave a sly wink and prodded lightly at Charlie. “I am I suppose your victim, though I am happy to have a friend outside the med bay that is aware of my condition and can help if something does go wrong.” She stepped towards the office, glad that one of the first things she had done when she boarded was lighten the gravplating settings just a hair so that it was easier for her to navigate the ship.
The office was spartan but functional. Charlie would have to find a way to make it a bit warmer, more inviting, but that was a superficial task for another day. She gestured for Sarah to take a seat on the other side of the desk, then spotted the replicator and realized she was still thirsty herself. "Can I get you anything?" she asked, walking over to show it would not be an imposition.
“Actually… a cup of jasmine tea would be nice, with a pair of sugar cubes and a mixing spoon” Sarah relaxed a bit into the offered chair though whereas most officers would make themselves more comfortable by crossing their legs she kept hers on the ground and just sorta scooted to the back of the chair where its backrest would better support her back before turning her head to look at Charlie. “Feel free to ask where and what you will, Doc.”
"I suppose my first question is how have you been feeling?" Charlie served Sarah her tea and then took a drink of the water she'd ordered for herself. She settled into the chair on her side of the desk for the first time in her office, then set her drink aside and logged in to the desktop computer to retrieve her patient's records.
"Nothing out of the norm; the last few days have been a bit taxing and such... though I've got braces for a reason" Sarah added the sugar to her tea and stirred it idly as she thought for a moment. "I suppose that getting used to a new assignment is a bit stressful but I have been trying to watch that I don't overly aggravate anything"
Charlie nodded as the engineer's medical history began to scroll across her screen. Right away were the qualifiers that Sarah was not rated for away teams and that she had to check in with the ship's doctor twice monthly in order to remain on active service. In her experience, such restrictions had always prevented an officer from serving on a starship, let alone as a department hand. Too much risk, too many variables. She'd meant to stay conversational, but this record required her full attention, and she took her time to read it thouroughly.
Several minutes later, she leaned back in her chair and regarded the woman accross from her. "Lieutenant Graesyn... I'm not entirely certain where to start."
Sarah snorted with a harsh laugh and nodded her head for a long silent moment before she looked back to Charlie with a knowing smile. "That is not at all an uncommon response to seeing my medical records. I would suggest that we start with my restrictions and the reasons that I am still an active Starfleet Officer." She leaned forward and spun Charlies computer so she could scan through her records until she found the mention of the Medical Study and then pointed it out. "I am in a study meant to figure out what exactly my condition was caused by and my restrictions come from Starfleet Medical back on Earth, as long as I am compliant with them I get to serve pretty much wherever I wish because I am excellent at my job. It does kinda get boring being ship-bound however"
"I can imagine it might," Charlie agreed. "Even with holodecks. But you've clearly got the willpower to handle it. In addition to the engineering skills you possess, you still had advocate for yourself and your right to serve. That's pretty damn impressive." The doctor took another sip of her water. "That being said, I understand the gravity of my responsibility to you, career goals or not. Your health is more important than anything else, so I need you to promise me right now that you will always be honest with me. Having an injury or feeling under the weather will not disqualify you from serving aboard this ship, but trying to hide or ignore symptoms would be. Can I count on your candor?"
"You can count on my honesty; but I can't promise you that I won't push through something in the moment to finish a job... especially if that job is critical. It's not out of lack of care for myself or my condition but I know how important my job is to the ship and the crew and I really do not want to be the reason for something catastrophic." a sip of tea was taken and Sarah fixated Charlie with her gaze, not a hard one but one that revealed her feelings on the matter. "That aside, you will know practically the moment I am aware of anything that comes up"
The doctor smiled. "I would never expect you to walk away from an emergency. Your word is good enough for me." She cleared the file from her screen and leaned foward, folding her hands and resting them on her desk. "Now, do you have any questions for me before we step back out for the exam?"
She looked to her tea and finished it, standing carefully and setting the cup back upon the replicator. “Not that I can think of, Doc. It’s a pretty straightforward process. At the moment I’m sure you noticed my elbows and wrists were braced rather handily, my knees are also. The job has been nonstop and that means I have been as well.”
Charlie nodded, able to relate. She'd only just arrived and had met the captain, found her sickbay, started treating her first patient, and now there had been a notification when she'd been bringing up Sarah's record that she was expected to check in with the Chief of Security today for weapons certification. She led the way out of her office and directed her charge to the surgical bay. There were more in depth scanners ready to go, and the doc intended to put them to use.
"Please have a seat," she instructed, silently offering her arm for Sarah to use to steady herself if needed.
Sarah climbed atop the biobed steadied herself once she had done so and then looking at Charlie. "How do you need me? Laying down or sitting?"
"I can get the readings I need either way, so whichever position is more comfortable for you," Charlie replied, readying her medical tricorder.
Sarah nodded and made herself comfortable in a seated position with a small smile and pushed away the wave of nervousness that rose in her at the sight of the tricorder. "Alright; here we go, right?" she chuckled, placing her gaze on Charlie.
Charlie offered a reassuring smile as she slowly lifted the tricorder probe. "Here we go."
Lieutenant Sarah Graesyn
Chief Engineering Officer
Lieutenant Charlie Hart
Chief Medical Officer
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