Bright Lights

[Atrian Waterford 0]

"Bright Lights"

Stardate 0706.07

A joint log by Ensign Kevin Anderson and Midshipman Atrian Waterford

 

Kevin was lying on the bed in his quarters feeling a bit under the weather. His head had started hurting when he got back from the away mission. It probably was nothing more than a mild cold but his head was killing him by now, he should probably stop by SB. So he got up, dressed and made his way to the TL, the light was way too bright for his taste. He entered the TL with a couple of crewmates who were in his opinion way to loud. "Deck 16." If only the headache would stop. He felt his throat, he never really knew why he still did that because he never really felt anything anyway. Kevin exited the TL on deck 16 and walked down the corridor towards SB. The lights were awfully bright there, too. Brighter still were the lights in sickbay, where Atrian sat at his desk, keeping busy with a stack of overlooked medical reports. Occasionally he'd consult a PADD on his desk for reference, but he did most of the work from memory. Consumed in the repetitive nature of his task, Atrian didn't notice a figure enter sickbay.

 

Kevin took a moment to look around and then saw a fellow blueshirt sit at a desk doing some paperwork. He walked over to the doctor and stood in front of the desk. "Sorry doc, think you could help me out?"

 

Atrian made a few, final annotations to a report before looking up. "Sure thing." He stood up, stretching out his arms, weary from the hours of filing work. Then he turned to face Kevin, "What's the trouble?"

 

"Well, either the lights are awfully bright all over the station all of a sudden or something's wrong with me. Actually my sensitivity to light is also accompanied by a major headache. I just don't feel too sharp." Kevin walked over to one of the biobeds without having to be invited, he felt exhausted from that short walk to SB. Maybe he should just have stayed in bed and replicated himself some chicken noodle soup. "No, you don't look too sharp either," Atrian commented, grinning slightly, as he followed his patient to the biobed.

 

Kevin tried to smile but stopped half way through finding that to be too tiring as well. "Ensign Kevin Anderson, in case you need the file, although I think it's just a cold. But then, you're the doc, please work your magic." The guy looked nice enough, bit young but perfectly capable of fixing a simple cold. Actually, he looked to be about his own age, as he didn't really have any friends yet he could maybe have a drink with him sometime. Some time when the lights weren't so bright. "I'm Midshipman Waterford, Atrian Waterford, " he added. Glancing over at the bedside table, Atrian picked up a tricorder. The Ensign was probably right, colds were an easy thing to catch on a station of Aegis's size. However, not one to guess at diagnosis, Atrian extracted the peripheral scanner and waved it methodically over Kevin. "So headache, light sensitivity, grogginess...any other symptoms? Muscle weakness...fatigue...insomnia...skin irritation? "

 

Kevin smiled. "Doctor Waterford I hope." He sat still while the doctor scanned him." I just feel tired and weak, erm... no rashes though, my head itches if that matters." Kevin wondered how long Atrian had been aboard Aegis. "Oh, you were looking for a doctor? My mistake." Atrian said, with a small grin, as he stopped scanning.

 

Kevin raised an eyebrow. " Actually I was more looking for a hypo so I could crawl back to bed and sleep it off, but as an officer you must be a Doctor, if you were a nurse you'd be enlisted. At least I thought that's how it worked in medical." He shrugged, he didn't really care anyway, it's not like he needed brain surgery. Atrian shook his head, smirking, glad he chose a career as a doctor rather than a comedian. "Well, your diagnosis was close." He placed the peripheral scanner back inside the tricorder, and set it back down on the bedside table. "You've got a mild case of the flu. Nothing one of our pharmaceutical cocktails won't clear up. " He moved away, back to one of the lab stations. Atrian picked up a hypospray and loaded it with a combo anti-virulent/pain killer designed for mild flus like Kevin's. Returning to the biobed, he injected the hypospray into the right side of Kevin's neck.

 

Kevin shook his head when Atrian went for the hypo and grinned. "Well nurse, I'm glad you can help me. How would you feel about grabbing a drink with me some day when the lights ain't so bright? I mean, I haven't been here for long and I have a feeling you haven't either." Atrian returned with a lopsided smirk. "Hm...well next time you feel like drinks, come in and ask for Doctor Waterford. In the mean time, these might help..." Atrian headed back for his desk, retrieving a canvas duffle bag underneath. "You're lucky I never unpack, I saved these from my post-graduation trip to the beach about two months ago, right before I transferred here. " He handed over a pair of black sunglasses.

 

Gratefully he accepted the sunglasses. "I bet I look way cool in these, thanks Doc, I'll return them at Drankum's." Kevin got off the biobed already feeling somewhat better. "But now I shall go and get some rest, thanks a lot and I'll see you soon, with an alcoholic beverage in hand instead of a tricorder." Kevin left SB and looked forward to his bed, hoping he'd finally be able to make a friend when they'd go for drinks.