Sean Keane

Sean opened his eyes slowly. The lights were dim and it took a while until his eyes would focus on anything. After a moment he understood that he must still be in sickbay. Then he suddenly remembered painfully why he was here. For a moment he didn't dare move. He was afraid that even the slightest movement would trigger more pain. After a few minutes during which Sean only listened to the ambient noises of sickbay and tried to ignore the panic rising within him he realized that it must be night. The lights were always dimmed to allow patients to sleep. All he could hear was the deep breathing of someone lying in the bed next to him and a soft whisper, the source of which he could not quite identify. Turning his head into the direction of the sound he saw two nurses standing together. They were obviously talking to eachother. One of them noticed that Sean was awake and came over to him.He had seen her before but he had never gotten around to actually learning her name. He was sure she had told him at one point but he must have forgotten. He was hopeless with names. The nurse smiled at him before taking a quick glance at the monitor displaying his vital signs. “How do you feel, Doctor Keane?” she asked in a low voice, adjusting the settings on the plasma infusion unit on his bed. Only now did Sean realize that he must have been in sickbay for a while. He hadn't noticed that he was wearing a sickbay gown. When he lifted his hand he was surprised at how easy it was. At his startled expression the nurse chuckled. “We have set an anti grav unit in place in order to relieve the pressure to your body. It obviously eased the pain a bit. You seem to be doing better than last time you woke up.” Sean was confused. He couldn't remember waking up. “You mean,” he started speaking but had to cough right away. His throat was sore. The nurse helped him sit up slightly and then pushed him back onto his pillow gently. “You mean I was awake?” Sean asked in a hoarse whisper. The nurse nodded and smiled. “It's not surprising that you don't remember what with the analgesics and sedatives you got. Are you still hurting?” “A bit but it's definitely bearable. When can I leave sickbay?” Sean had actually planned to get up but after he had sat up to cough he had quickly dismissed the thought. His head felt like it would explode and he definitely needed some rest. The nurse's smile widened. “You'll have to talk to one of the doctors about that but I wouldn't get my hopes up too high.” Sean tried to reply something but the nurse interrupted him. “Don't worry about that now. I'll give you some more ambrazine so you'll be able to sleep again.” Being too exhausted to argue Sean just let her administer the sedative and he fell asleep so quickly that he didn't even hear when the nurse told him she would be checking on him again later.

Sean was sitting on a biobed in an out of the way corner of sickbay, brooding over a pile of PADDs trying to make sense of the data. He was sure he had missed something. If he could only find out why the medication, usually used to treat ordinary Cartalian Fever, wasn't working in this case he'd be considerably closer to actually finding a cure. He picked up a PADD lying beside him on the bed, trying hard to ignore the pain that was spreading along his arms and legs. It felt like his skin was on fire. But that wasn't important now. All that counted was finding this cure, saving the lives of the crewmembers of the Exeter, Manticore and Starbase 36 and, of course, his own. This whole thing was getting more and more frustrating. Sean knew that they were running out of time quickly. Not only could he see it but he also felt it. He did not simply monitor a patient's condition that was getting worse. He felt the pain, saw the effects this disease had spread over his own body. There were black-ish spots appearing on his hands. The tingling sensation in his limbs was gradually giving way to pain that was slowly getting worse until it became almost unbearable. Sean tossed the PADD back onto the pile that was lying beside him. He glared at it as if this simple display device was the cause for their present situation. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and lay back. This moment of relaxation ended all too quickly as a surge of pain shot through his body. Sean tried to stifle a scream but didn't quite manage. He hadn't been prepared for this. It felt like someone had literally set fire to his skin. His vision blurred. All he could make out were indistinct shapes moving around his biobed. Someone put a soothing hand on his shoulder. A voice was talking to him but he couldn't make out the words. Then he felt someone press something to his neck and with a feeling of deepest relief he felt the pain subside. The blurred shapes slowly disappeared. The voices sounded far off. Sean's last thought before slipped into unconsciousness was that now all hope was lost.

Full Name: Sean Patrick Keane Age: 22 Place of Birth: Athenry, Republic of Ireland Race: Human Gender: Male Weight: 152 lbs Height: 6'1" Hair: Red Eyes: Green Distinguishing Marks: 4 inch scar on left shoulder blade, 9 inch scar across chest Service Information Assigned: U.S.S. Manticore NCC-5852 Rank: Ensign Position: Assistant Medical Officer Family Mother: Cathleen Keane (marine biologist) Father: Brian Keane (marine biologist) Siblings: Lily Keane (36, research physician) Personal History Sean was born in Athenry but his family soon moved to Inisheer, one of the Aran Islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay just off the western coast of Ireland, to pursue a project in marine biology. He spent his childhood exploring the three islands. At the age of 9 he built his own 'currach', a kind of boat that had been used in these parts of Ireland for centuries. A family friend taught him to navigate it between the islands and soon boating became Sean's favourite past-time, one of which his mother greatly disapproved due to the dangers of the sometimes savage seas around the islands. Cathleen's worries were well founded. At the age of 11 Sean almost drowned when he did not make it back in time and came into a storm with his boat. He had been missing for two days when a rescue team found him hidden in a cave in one of the cliffs of Inisheer. Sean's currach had run aground on the cliffs and he had been washed overboard. He was severely injured but made a full recovery, the wounds only leaving two scars, one across his chest and one across his shoulder blade. Despite this incident Sean still went boating regularly. When he got older he spent a considerable amount of time as a tourist guide offering free tours in his currach. As much as Sean enjoyed life on the islands he had never meant to stay there for good. When he was 14 he asked his parents to send him to school in Dublin where his sister had moved to go to medical school and later get a job as a research physician. At first Sean found it very difficult to adapt to life in the city but he stayed and finished school in Dublin. During that time he decided he wanted to become a doctor like his sister but since he'd never been interested in becoming a research physician and spending his life in a lab he started looking for alternatives. A friend of his gave him the idea of joining Starfleet, a notion that greatly appealed to Sean. So, at 18 he applied to and was accepted at Starfleet Academy. While never coming top of his class Sean never had problems passing his courses. He graduated 46th of his class and was assigned to U.S.S. Manticore upon graduation.

Sean closed the body bag and had a medic help him put Lieutenant Snelling's body back into a drawer in the morgue. After thoroughly washing his hands he went over to a desk, making a detour past a replicator to get a mug of coffee. When Sean sat down he sighed. There was a lot of work to do and he had no idea where to start. “I may as well finish the report before doing anything else...Computer, display results of external examination of Lieutenant Snelling's body prior to his arrival aboard the U.S.S. Manticore.” The computer beeped and displayed information about evidence found on the man's body. There was nothing surprising. A few Klingon hairs had been found. Under Snelling's fingernails they had found traces of skin from a Klingon. It indicated the man had tried to fight his tormentors. The clothes had been torn in many places and they also contained traces of Klingon DNA. After this preliminary examination the body had been stored in the morgue and further examination had been left for the Manticore's doctors. Sean had been the 'lucky' one to do the autopsy. The Clarendon's medical staff had done a good job with the report so far so Sean decided to just continue. “Computer, continue autopsy report 74/8462 Lieutenant Adam Snelling. Lieutenant Snelling is a human male. Age, 31. Hair colour is dark brown, eye colour, brown. There is no visible old scar tissue or other distinguishing features.” Sean paused. So far this was a normal autopsy. But he hated to think of what would be coming next. “Alright and now for the wounds,” he muttered then raised his voice again so that the computer would continue the recording. “There are considerable external wounds, mainly contusions. They are centred around the lateral thorax at a level of the fifth, sixth and seventh rib on both sides. Extensive contusions are visible in the dorsal paravertebral region of Th XII to L III.” Again Sean paused. Whoever had tortured this man had known exactly what they were doing. These wounds were very painful and in the case of the contusions in the area of the kidneys even potentially life-threatening. “Abrasions in the region of the palms, wrists, elbows, knees and shoulders suggest that the man had been lying on the ground especially since those wounds show signs of inflammation.” Sean shook his head. Actually those wounds suggested that Snelling had been unable to walk and therefore tried to drag himself around on a dirty floor. Sean sipped his coffee and allowed his thoughts to wander for a moment before going on. Then he took a deep sigh and continued. “The abrasions around the wrist and the lack of defensive wounds show that the victim was most likely tied up. There are apparent wounds to his head that suggest he was hit with a blunt object.” He paused once again. These wounds had most likely caused his death but it would become more apparent once Sean got around to recording the results of the internal examination. “Internal examination: Upon opening the chest cavity it became obvious that the fourth, fifth and sixth rib on the right side and the fourth and fifth rib on the left side were broken. The fifth left rib penetrated the pleura and left lung which led to its collapse. However, there are no signs of a tension pneumothorax.” Poor guy. In addition to the pain he must have had quite some trouble breathing. While a collapsed lung was not life threatening unless the air wouldn't have a way out of the chest cavity, it certainly made for quite some discomfort. “No abnormal findings in the heart or aorta. The abdomen shows signs of considerable bleeding especially in the region of the kidneys. Both kidneys have abnormal external appearance due to the injuries sustained. Still, the extend of the injuries does not suggest Lieutenant Snelling died of these. The gastro-intestinal system also shows signs of bleeding, which is not extensive enough to have caused death.” Sean took another sip of his coffee. Of course, he tried to sound as professional as possible but still this was the most difficult report he had had to make, yet. His words evoked pictures of a man lying on the ground in a filthy cell, covered in blood and probably wishing they would just kill him. Sean drew a deep breath and continued. “Examination of the brain showed a considerable subdural haematoma. The external surface of the brain shows gyral flattening. There are lesions in the region of the frontal and parietal lobes as well as the brain stem due to raised intracranial pressure.” Sean paused one last time before making his final assessment. The Lieutenant had died of his head injuries. On top of the pain and trouble breathing his last hours must have been utterly miserable. Symptoms of subdural haemorrhage have a slow onset and include vomiting, headaches, dizziness and seizures. This evoked a picture Sean wished he would be able to forget as soon as possible. He ran his hands over his face and exhaled audibly. “Cause of death: 1a Respiratory and cardiac arrest 1b Subdural haemorrhage 2 Blunt trauma to the head Computer end report.” Sean leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He wished he wouldn't have to do this again any time soon.

Making a few last adjustments to the settings of the biobed Sean took a deep breath. He hadn't counted how many patients he had treated today but it had been definitely many more than he had ever treated before in a single day. The man in front of him was still unconscious and Sean intended to keep him that way. The injuries were such that if the man woke up he would probably be in considerable pain. Better to let him sleep through the worst. Sean quickly checked the plasma infusion unit. Satisfied with everything he turned to look for the next patient who needed his attention. He didn't need to look for long. On the biobed next to the man he'd just treated was sitting a woman about Sean's age. She was cradling her right arm and she obviously was in pain. Sean wondered why no-one had got around to giving her an analgesic, yet. One look around sickbay answered his question. The room was packed with patients. Nurses, medics and doctors were bustling about, doing their best to help everyone. It looked like pure chaos but Sean knew it was not. A nurse whose name he could not remember looked at Sean from across the biobed. He nodded then turned his attention to the woman on the biobed and smiled at her. “I'm Doctor Keane. Where exactly does it hurt?” he asked while gently taking the woman's arm. “Wrist,” she managed to say. Sean nodded and turned to the nurse. “Please get me a hypo with asinolyathin.” The nurse reached for a tray next to the bed and retrieved a hypo. Sean took it and administered it to the patient. The woman's features relaxed almost instantly as the analgesic took effect. She even managed a weak smile. Putting away the hypo Sean began his examination of the hurt arm. He started moving the elbow then carefully rotated the forearm before actually taking a look at the wrist. A preliminary scan with a tricorder did not yield any conclusive results. So Sean decided to do this 'old style'. He knew that despite the analgesic the examination of the wrist and hand would probably still be painful. Slowly he moved the thumb and then he carefully felt the base of the thumb. He watched the woman's face attentively. Just as he applied a bit of pressure she winced in pain. Sean nodded. “Sorry. Can you try to grip my finger, please?” he asked, holding out his index. The woman did so but hardly moved her thumb in the attempt. Turning to the nurse he said, “Pressure to the anatomical snuffbox produces a jump sign, problem gripping objects and swelling in the thumb area of the wrist. I'd say a broken scaphoid bone but the tricorder would have shown that.” Before the nurse could even answer Sean leaned a bit closer to his patient. “You've got a partially fractured bone in your wrist. We'll use an osteogenic stimulator to heal the fracture. You'll be out of here in no time.” The young woman smiled at Sean and just nodded. Sean gave some instructions to the nurse and walked off to take care of the next patient. This would still be a long day.

Sean walked down the corridor, looking closely at the doors, hoping to find the one to his quarters. “Ha!” he exclaimed as he finally found the right door. When he entered the commands into the small touchpad next to it the door slid open. Walking into the room Sean grinned broadly. This was his new home. Granted, it did not quite look like home, yet but he'd add a personal touch to the standard issue quarters soon enough. He slowly made his way through the room, looked at the desk, the replicator and finally sat down on the sofa and leaned back. This was what he'd been waiting for ever since he had graduated from the Academy three months ago. It had taken a while until Sean had received his orders and then just as he had been assigned to a ship it had been blown up. He did not understand why and he decided it would be better if he didn't even try. Sean took a deep breath and felt a rush of excitment run through his whole body. He was going on a deep space mission. It had been a dream of his for as long as he could remember. He got up and dropped his small bag with the few personal belongings into the chair behind the desk. Then he took another glance around the room before he walked out of the doors again. He just had to go to sickbay and see where he'd be working.