The Fallen

[DrDMatthews 0]

Dr. Deborah Matthews took one final look at herself in the full length mirror and tugged on the jacket of her dress white uniform. Satisfied with her appearance, she quickly left her quarters. A few minutes later, she stepped off the turbolift and entered Sickbay.

 

The two medics on duty looked up from their small desks as she walked in. Their names were Martinez and Jacobson, both petty officers on loan from Starbase 435. For the next several hours, they would man the Sickbay while the ship's medical staff attended the farewell service for the Reaent's fallen crewmen.

 

Within two hours after safely docking at the starbase, those patients remaining in Sickbay were transferred to the medical facilities on the base along with a few others who had been confined to quarters due to their injuries. At the height of the emergency, there hadn't been room in Sickbay to accommodate all of the wounded. The staff had been forced to send the less serious cases back to their quarters. Depending on the severity of the injury, medical personnel were required to check up on them every thirty minutes to an hour. It was a time consuming and less than efficient protocol. No one had been happy about it but it was the best they could do under the circumstances.

 

Debbie was greatly relieved when they docked at 435. Reaent had been badly damaged and the engineers struggled to maintain power to essential systems. On more than one occasion, the ship went dark until the emergency generators kicked in. Sickbay was always given preference on the power grid but with so many patients and so much equipment in use, the medical facility drew four or five times more power than normal. It was an untenable situation...another disaster waiting to happen.

 

Long before they arrived, Debbie had been in close contact with the base CMO. The arrangements for the transfers were in place and her staff had the patients ready to go when Reaent was finally towed in. It had taken about two hours to move them and another couple of hours to insure everyone was comfortably settled and the base medical personnel were up to speed on each patients' condition.

 

Sickbay had been empty ever since and would probably stay that way until repairs to the ship were completed.

 

Some of the crew were planning to stay aboard while repairs were underway. Many others had been given leave and were heading home or off to one of the many resorts scattered across the galaxy. But as of this moment, almost all of the crew remained on the Reaent. They would not leave until later today or tomorrow....after the memorial service scheduled to begin in about an hour.

 

The entire medical staff had agreed to attend the memorial together. They would meet in Sickbay and proceed to the Cargo Bay as a unit. The starbase had been kind enough to allow Petty Officers Martinez and Jacobson to hold down the fort until after the service. At that point, a skeleton crew would be assigned to handle any medical emergencies that might arise. It was unlikely there would be any and if there were, the base hospital was easily accessible. But Debbie wanted a couple of staff present at all times just in case. About 25% of the crew were staying aboard. With all the repairs underway, minor injuries were inevitable as were the more common head and stomach aches. The CMO decided some medical personnel should be available on the ship to handle such routine complaints.

 

Dr. Matthews took a moment to chat with the petty officers. They assured her things had been quiet since they'd taken over.... very quiet. She then proceeded to her office but hesitated before going in. Glancing around the Sickbay, she frowned slightly. During recent days, there had been so much going on and the noise level had been so high, Deb sometimes found it difficult to think straight. She remembered wishing for a little peace and quiet and she knew she wasn't the only one who felt that way.

 

Now, there was nothing but peace and quiet...no voices, no beeping and clicking and whirring of equipment....just total quiet. The place was like a tomb and she found that a little disturbing. Deb shook her head and stepped into her office. She hoped the others would arrive soon. The silence in Sickbay was almost as eerie as the silence in the Cargo Bay....and for now, the Cargo Bay was a tomb.

Edited November 28, 2007 by DrDMatthews