"Ensigns and Hyposprays"

[Kestra 0]

"Ensigns and Hyposprays"

SD 20511.14

 

Starring:

Ensign Kestra Miral and Ensign Avery Tynte

 

Kestra stepped into sickbay and glanced around, automatically feeling uncomfortable. She recognized several of the doctors, including the one who had first given her a physical when she came on board. The one with the sense of humor that she didn’t understand. Unsure for a moment, she moved to speak to her when she saw a Bajoran doctor coming over.

 

Avery walked up to Kestra, smiling lightly as doctors are trained to in order to put people at ease. "Greetings Ensign," he said, "Can I help you?"

 

She smiled hesitantly in return. "Possibly. It's sort of silly, but ..." She hesitated again. "Well, I'm still in some pain from before. The station, and then the shuttle."

 

"You were put through a rough ride, Ensign. It is no surprise your body is still in a bit of pain." Avery motioned towards a biobed, picking up a medical tricorder and moving some equipment towards the bed as he did so. "Please, have a seat." Eyeing the equipment, Kestra moved over to the bed and took a seat where he had indicated.

 

"Call me Kestra. After all, you did save me back there." She looked up at him, blushing slightly as she spoke. "You know, I didn't have the chance to say this before. Thank you."

 

Avery's lips turned in another smile, this time a real one. "Anytime, Kestra." He opened the tricorder and began scaning her. "You can call me Avery, by the way." He looked at the display on the tricorder. "Geez, what in the world happened over there? You’re showing severe muscle strain, fatigue and more bruises and contusions then I can count. And that is not even including the damage that Commander Dacotah did to you." At that Avery glanced over at the Commander, lying on her own biobed, still out cold.

 

"Let's just say that our Chief of Science isn't the lightest person on board. Neither is Commander Trichon, for that matter," Kestra added under her breath. She glanced warily over at the Commander. "Is she going to be okay?"

 

"She is making a full, however slow, recovery. She should be fine though." Avery picked up one of the instruments, running its blue glow along Kes' face. The contusions begin to clear off the ensign's face a bit. "Kind of scary is it not?"

 

Kestra eyes swept up towards him quickly. "Scary?" Memories of the station flooded through her. "We were lucky to all make it out of there. I can't imagine what the Captain and the Commander have been through." She tried to focus on sitting still as he continued to treat her.

 

Avery looked over at Dacotah again. "Yeah, one has to feel for them. Having to watch it all and not be able to do anything about it." Avery turned his attention back to Kes running the tricorder along her neck and back. "I believe you have a slight concussion from where Dacotah threw you against the shuttle's bulkhead. Please lie down." He moitioned downward along the biobed.

She nodded and stretched out on the biobed. Feel for them? It was all she could do not to feel, right now. She had put up an empathic block right after she had first escaped from the command center. It was wearing on her, becoming harder to control. She suddenly felt very tired. Avery selected another tool, running it along the ensign's back, this time a red glow eveloping her body. He felt his mind falling deeper and deeper into subjects he had already overthought. He decided to turn the subject to lighter conversation

 

"So, your file shows you have not had a decent physical since arriving." Avery smiled a bit. "You can sit up now."

 

"Decent physical? Well I did have one when I first came on board. They told me I wouldn't have to be back for awhile." Kestra sat up, confused.

 

"Do not panic Kestra," Avery smirked, "I will not corner you into a physical." Avery winked. "I do not prefer entrapment...unlike some in my field." He ran the tricorder along the length of her entire body one last time. "Well, I cannot say good as new. But how about back to normal...what passes for normal in Starfleet anyway." That came with a smile of it's own.

 

She found herself relaxing slightly. "Thanks Avery." She whispered to him conspiratorially. "Actually, I wasn't even going to come in. I only did because the Chief kicked me out of Engineering and I suppose it was just as well, I couldn't focus anymore."

 

"Well, Commander Light did the right thing by sending you out. You need rest Kestra." Avery replaced the tools and tricorder back on the tray and moved it away. Then in a voice as low as Kestra's he spoke again. "What do you mean by not being able to focus?"

 

He seemed so easy to talk to. "I sometimes block out other people." She paused, watching his reaction, then kept going. "Emotions mostly. I haven't been able to do that as well lately, and with tensions running high on the ship ..."

 

Avery leaned against the nearby wall. "Your file shows that you are only half Betazoid. But then again, I guess being only half does not damper much." Avery gave her an understanding look. "How bad is it? Can you feel the whole ship, or just those near you?"

 

"Oh, it's not that bad." Kestra spoke quickly, trying not to trip over her own words. She wanted to assure him that she was fine. "Just those near me, unless they are particularly familiar. I'm sure it will pass once I get some sleep." Standing up, she offered Avery a faint smile.

 

Avery regarded Kes with a questioning look, but decided against saying something. "Well, I am going to give you 10 cc's of Nepervaline. It is a mild sedative, it will help you sleep." Avery loaded the hypo, and injected Kes with it. "I want you to go rest, and come back for a check-up soon, ok?"

 

She looked at him accusingly. All doctors were alike. "You could've warned me you were going to do that."

 

"Tsk tsk, what would the fun in that be?" Avery winked and gave Kes one of those "child-like innocent Bajoran smiles".

 

Kestra couldn't help but laugh. "Well that's not the way to get your patients to come back for check-ups. I'm not scheduled for another shift for quite awhile, so I might just take your advice on that part about resting." As eager as she was to leave sickbay, she simultaneously found herself enjoying Avery's company.

 

Avery turned his head to one side. "Glad to hear that you will get some rest. But do not make me send NDak to get you for your check-up." He found himself trying to come up with something to say. Something to keep the ensign in front of him from leaving.

 

She mocked an expression of fear on her face. "No, anything but that!" They both broke out in laughter together. Kestra grinned at him before she turned to leave. "Thanks again Avery, I appreciate it."

 

"Anytime Kestra." He watched as the sickbay doors whooshed shut behind her. Walking back over to the front desk, he picked up his coffee and began sipping, his mind falling into thought. Ensign Kestra Miral ... a pleasure to meet you, he thought.

Edited November 14, 2005 by Kestra