"Can't Jump the Medical Fence"

[LeftEar JoNs 0]

Note: this log is set three hours after the 07.20.08 sim

 

07.26.08

USS Excalibur NCC-2004 C

“Can’t Jump the Medical Fence”

 

“Let that be a lesson to you; just lie there and be happy that you’re still alive.”

- Doctor Leonard H. “Bones” McCoy to a recovering Captain Kirk (TOS episode Journey to Babel)

 

****

The Excalibur’s executive officer, for the most part, was stabilized now.

 

Lieutenant Call, the human head nurse currently on duty, re-checked the monitors that were tracking the feline’s condition. She had less monitors recording her progress since she was out of immediate danger, and had been moved out of the Intensive Care Unit to one of the regular bio bed sections, so this was a good thing.

 

Call herself had been attacked as well by the green skinned pirate raiders, but her injuries had not been as extensive as the XO; the human nurse had been treated and cleared to maintain her duties. One of her assigned duties before the raiders had boarded the Excal had been to monitor the condition of the baby as well … and Call very much was wishing that she was still able to perform that duty.

 

One of the tracking monitors suddenly pinged a warning and then the data flowing across the screen stopped, showing that the heart had flat lined. Call was brought out of her mental musings and her stomach flip flopped when she checked the pinging monitor. Oh God, it was the Exec’s heart monitor. Call grabbed the emergency medical kit that was kept next to her duty station desk and bolted toward the regular care unit where Commander Left Ear JoNs was recuperating.

 

When the medical el tee rounded the corner, she was not met with the sight she was expecting: the prone form of the distressed executive officer lying on the bio bed. She was met with the sight of the upright executive officer shrugging into a light gray pair of Excalibur issue Starfleet sweats, as well as an engineering officer laying in the bed opposite the feline who had broken his arm during some repair work trying to verbally dissuaded the feline senior officer from what she was doing. Call slowed her pace and as she drew closer to the bio bed, and she saw that the commander had stripped off the three monitoring patches - - including the heart patch - - that had been attached to her skin; small tufts of brown fur were still clinging to the round progress markers.

 

“Belay the chatter Ensign Barrons!” That order was barked out to the engineering officer, and while JoNs’s tone was quiet, the tone also brooked no argument from the junior officer.

 

Call quietly placed her medical kit on the empty bio bed next to Left Ear’s own bed and made eye contact with the officer who had been attempting to way lay the Exec. Barrons just nodded to Call, confirming he would help if she needed him; he shifted his weight on his own bio bed so it would be easier for him to bolt across the aisle if his services were needed. To be honest, he hoped that they were not needed; he really had no desire to deal with a large and irate panther.

 

“Can I help you Lieutenant Call?” Left Ear spoke to her without turning around as she adjusted a sleeve on her sweat jacket.

 

Damn feline senses. She’s worse then my sister’s cat.

 

“Uh, yes sir. Just wondering why you yanked off your monitoring patches?” Call kept her tone professionally neutral, yet moved herself into a position where the executive officer wouldn’t be able to get past her unless the feline vaulted over the bio beds set on either side of her.

 

“I’m checking myself out of sickbay Lieutenant.” Now, the big brown panther turned to face the on call nurse. “And, I am pleased that you’ve recovered from your own injuries.”

 

Call rubbed ruefully at her healing nose, hidden behind a small bandage. “I’m lucky they didn’t break my nose.” Her hand dropped and she sighed. “Sir, I’m sorry, but you can’t leave without authorization.”

 

“That’s fine. Get one of the line doctors or CMO Wydown for the authorization.”

 

“We still need to monitor you for a little while longer Commander, just to make sure that … “

 

“Lieutenant, I’ve already been monitored to within an inch of my life ... “

 

Call over talked the executive officer “Yes well, maybe that’s because according to the medical reports you were almost taken to within an inch of your life.”

 

Now the commander flared, literally. Her ears went flat and her tail and neck ruff puffed out in displeasure. Call knew that normally, the on rush of adrenaline through the cat’s body that resulted in the flare of anger was really no issue; but in her semi weakened state, the adrenaline was something that would be detrimental to the senior officer’s recovery.

 

Predatory green eyes flashed with anger. “ … Lieutenant Call. I have my duties. And this crew has a missing baby to rescue, a Crownstone to find, and pirate raiders who are in due need of a comeuppance. Do not impede my progress out of this medical facility.” Even though her movements were stiff, Left Ear deftly worked her way past the medical lieutenant and walked down the aisle separating the rows of bio beds. “I just need a sonic shower and a good hot meal ... “

 

JoNs had made it about five steps when the adrenaline rush abruptly faded and ceased pumping through her body and the big panther feline stumbled and leaned against a nearby bio bed for support.

 

The medical nurse bolted into action and was at the XOs side in less then three steps; she moved in front of Left Ear and for lack of a better term grabbed the feline in a bear hug to support the executive officer and stop her from pitching forward. Call was a couple inches shorter when compared to the feline commanders five foot five inches, but she was strong enough to manage the more muscular panther cat.

 

Left Ear screwed her eyes shut and groaned and coughed as the nausea rose in her belly and her head swam with lightheadedness.

 

Call quipped, trying to lighten the mood. “Sir, if you throw up on me I’ll file a formal complaint.” In reality, the nurse had been yakked on so many times throughout her career that she was immune to it now. “You’ll be fine sir, you aren’t the first officer that tried to jump the fence to get out of the medical compound so to speak and you won’t be the last. You just need another couple hours of rest.”

 

There was no protest from JoNs at this statement, only a grunt that Call took as an agreement.

 

The nurse lieutenant then called out to Barrons. “Okay Ensign, give me a hand over here!”

 

The engineering ensign was at her side in less then five seconds, careful to keep his bad arm with the bone knitter device attachment, out of harms way. He used his good arm to help Call assist JoNs back onto her bio bed. The feline commander went down for her “nap” with no further complaints, and she even managed a muttered thank you to the two junior officers. Call flipped on the local field medical monitor inset into the bulkhead above the bio bed that Left Ear occupied, and linked the device up to the front desk where her station was at.

 

Lieutenant Call gave Commander JoNs a gentle pat on the thigh. “Now, let that be a lesson to you sir. Just lie there and be happy you’re still alive.”

 

Ensign Barrons, who had settled back into his own bio bed, regarded the nurse. “You handled her pretty well.” He indicated the prone executive officer, who had now rolled over onto her belly, with a nod of his head. A slight sound of purring could be heard throughout the ward area now.

 

Lieutenant Call moved away from JoNs’s bed and gathered up her medical kit from where she had left it and offered a smile. “Let me tell you about commanding officers and executive officers. I came up through the enlisted ranks as a medical technician and then took up nursing and switched over to the commissioned ranks. I’ve served for well over twenty years in the medical field, and one thing I’ve learned is that the command staff of a ship or station, if you know how to handle them, can be pussycats. Pun, intended Ensign.”

 

Barrons chuckled at the joke. “Well, I hope the rest of your shift is uneventful Lieutenant.”

 

“I’m sure it will be. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to draw up a report on what just happened.”

 

Now that threw the engineering ensign off big time. “Whoa, wait a minute, are going to report the Exec? Uh, sir, I mean.”

 

Call offered a lopsided grin to the male junior engineer as she started to walk towards the entry way to the medical recovery area. “I learned early on in my career to document everything, no matter how small or trivial, that occurs on my watch. The medical bay sensors already recorded that her monitors went flat line, so I need to follow up with that in a report anyway. As for Commander JoNs herself? It really doesn’t matter that she has a few extra pips more then I do. She tried to leave the medical bay before she was cleared to do so, and before she was cleared to return to her duties. The entire medical department is here to help. I’ve never understood the general predilection - - and I’ve seen it throughout the years on several of my postings - - among any crew or staff that I’ve served with to bolt from medical, and the medical staff really doesn’t appreciate it either. If you’re in medical, then you’re here for a reason and should just calm down and let us treat you instead of leaving. We’re big on mutual respect and the honor system down here Ensign, and we expect our patients to treat us the same way.”

 

Lieutenant Call paused at the doorway to the recovery ward and turned around to regard Barrons. “So, to answer your original question Ensign? Commander JoNs tried to stiff arm her way past medical care before she was completely recovered, and yes I’m making a report up on the matter.”