Late Night Examination

[H'Rasha Trenral 0]

According to our records, you are due for your ship board physical, and full blood and fluid work up testing. Please report to Doctor H'Rasha Trenral of the medical department for your scheduled time slot.

 

I expect you to comply fully with these orders.

 

C.T. Caine, Chief of Security of the ISS Agincourt, stepped over the threshold of the ship's sickbay already in a sour mood. It seemed extremely unlikely to her that Commander JoNs had been anything but purposeful in delivering the half-Vulcan officer a physical slot at the inconvenient hour of 0200, and while she was not unaccustomed to late hours, the obvious jab inherent in the orders had her on edge.

 

She looked around. The sickbay was quiet at that hour; the only other creature present was another Caitian in medical blue standing near the far wall. Caine almost groaned aloud. I wasn't aware I had signed aboard a zoo.

 

Her arms crossed, she watched the half breed come in and look around. While there was nothing most people would notice, there was a definite lack of enthusiasm once H'Rasha was spotted by the Security Chief. This was going to be fun, she thought.

 

"You're late," she growled, the clock on the wall just ticking to 0201. "I'll be sure to note that down." Unfolding herself from the wall she stalked over to Caine, looking the woman over with a predatory gleam in her golden eyes.

 

Caine raised one eyebrow slowly at this display of confidence on the part of the third-watch alien doctor and folded her arms dismissively, then brushed past Trenral and moved further into the sickbay. "I would like to get this taken care of as quickly as possible, Doctor," she said curtly, her tone clearly indicating that she felt that title had not really yet been earned.

 

"Quickly, did you say," H'Rasha said, a statement and not a question. "Let me help you with that." Noting that Caine had folded her arms, she took a step in, grinned ferally, and then pounced the woman into the nearest biobed. "There, now all you have to do is disrobe," she said, stepping back.

 

Caine grunted as the heavy weight impacted her stomach, knocking her back into a reclining position and disappearing before she had time to strike back. She coughed, clearing the effect of the impact from her lungs, and looked at the Caitian doctor with annoyed surprise. Her fists clenched, her whole expression cooled to the relative temperature of an ice block. "Careful, doctor, I did not come here to play games." She unsnapped the collar of her uniform jacket and pulled it off with an almost sulky air, tossing it onto the bed beside her. Only the knowledge that she would be pestered and bothered and interrupted by JoNs and even potentially Harper until she was examined kept her sitting on that bed. This had to be dealt with first; any punishment for the Cait's cheek could wait.

 

"Yes, you're here to be examined by yours truly. Therefore I suggest you shut up and do as I tell you," H'Rasha said, entirely unconcerned; besides her Caitian physical abilities and instincts, she also was a doctor that specialized in pathology. She could claw someone, poison them, or infect them with a designer disease, and if the person merited that treatment she'd certainly enjoy any of the outcomes.

 

"Lie down," she ordered, flicking on the biobed. She paused a second, to see if it would be necessary to assist Caine into that position.

 

Caine made a growling noise of annoyance and let her head fall back on the bed, but her body was tense, her fists still clenched at her sides as she watched the Caitian doctor approaching her. Caine hated physicals; the sense of vulnerability one garnered from lying at a doctor's mercy was often difficult to deal with. Her gray eyes tracked the approaching physician with an almost tactically analytic focus, and she waited to see how this would progress.

 

H'Rasha stopped about a foot from the biobed and studied the readings a moment. Considering she had riled her patient beforehand, the slightly elevated numbers were not surprising. Stepping in the rest of the way, she loomed over Caine.

 

"So, Caine, Christina-T'Prinn..." H'Rasha fangily smirked down at her. "How do you feel?"

 

Caine rolled her eyes. "Never better. If I were not feeling well, I would hardly have had to be ordered down for a physical, would I?" She wondered if she could find an excuse to demonstrate her excellent health by forcibly removing that smirk from Trenral's face. It would certainly be satisfying.

 

"Well, that's something. Isn't there a human saying about still having your health? Considering where your career reputedly is at the moment..." She grabbed a medical tricorder and popped out the scanning wand as the statement trailed off into the air. She watched Caine's face for a reaction.

 

Caine's head snapped around and she narrowed her eyes at the Cait doctor. This one has some balls, doesn't she? "My career is more than solid enough to make you very sorry for a comment like that, doctor. I suggest you watch your footing."

 

"So you and I are having this lovely conversation at 0200 because of your job security, I see..." H'Rasha waved the wand over Caine's head. "Perhaps you are a creature of the night, then? Or is it that you are modest, and didn't want to come down during busy hours?" The wand trailed down over Caine's torso.

 

"Are you this talkative with all your patients or did I draw the lucky number?" Caine asked moodily. This Cait was a little too perceptive for her own good.

 

"Oh, I'm just the friendly sort," the furry medico responded with a purred chuckle. It was always so much better if the patients hate the interaction as much as I do, she thought. She trailed the wand further down and scanned the rest of the security chief. "Well, I'll need to get some samples from you, let's start with blood, shall we?" She replaced the wand and pulled open a drawer from the bedside table. From it she extracted a large and rusty hypodermic needle that she'd replicated before Caine arrived. She turned, making sure the half breed got a good look.

 

Caine was distracted from a sardonic response to Trenral's comment by the sight of the needle, and one eyebrow quirked reflexively. Her jaw tightened slightly. She showed no other response, though her internal discomfort level rose with the realization that the Caitian certainly intended to have a good time during this examination. An examination where a doctor had too good a time was never a pleasant prospect. She said nothing, just watched unblinkingly as the Cait worked, looking for any sign of funny business.

 

"Cat got your tongue, finally?" H'Rasha asked.

 

"If you're hoping I'll run screaming from the room, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed," Caine replied shortly, her tone as dismissive as she could make it. She couldn't resist a short jab however. "But I'm surprised you are reduced to using such...degenerate-looking equipment. Are you not allowed near the good stuff?"

 

"Oh, I have the 'good stuff' missy," H'Rasha said, unperturbed. "But why waste it so early on in the show?" She then plunged the needle into the bed with lightning speed. "I so seldom to get to play with the pretty balls of yarn," she quipped. Pulling the needle back out, she dropped it back into the drawer and extracted the usual hypo instead.

 

"This more what you were expecting?" She asked before pushing it into Caine's arm and drawing out the blood. If the setting drew it out faster than was generally comfortable, it must surely have been an accident.

 

Caine's breath hissed out between her teeth, partly with discomfort, partly with annoyance at the showmanship which Trenral seemed to have decided it was necessary to exhibit. "Yes...something more along those lines," she responded coolly.

 

After the vial in the hypo was full, she put it aside, then picked up a PADD and looked through it, checking off items. She completely ignored Caine through this. After a moment, she flat out purred. "Ah yes," she said, sounding entirely too delighted. "I love this next bit." Putting the PADD aside, she looked Caine in the eyes. "Care to guess?"

 

"No. No, I don't."

 

"All right, I'll show you." The sound of her claws clicking out was clearly audible before she took a swipe at Caine.

 

Caine had hardly registered what Trenral was doing; her response was almost instinctive. As the clawed paw swiped forwards, Caine jerked upright and twisted her upper torso around, dodging the line of attack and angling her body inside the reach of Trenral's arm. Backing up and pushing herself off the bed, she yanked forward, pulling the doctor's weight down, then pivoting in an attempt to throw the Cait down onto the bed herself. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she snarled.

 

Catching herself with a paw before she could be pinned to the bed, Trenral merely smiled, though of course the sight of her fangs may not have been too friendly. "Reflexes are sufficient. Mind letting go so I can jot that down?" She asked, almost sweetly.

 

Caine stared down at her for a moment, then quirked one eyebrow and laughed sharply, angrily, annoyed at having had her own skills played against her. She released the doctor with a jerk and stepped back. "You enjoy playing with fire, don't you, Doctor?"

 

"I do prefer my tuna grilled," she quipped, stepping over and jotting down something on the PADD casually as if she'd no more than taken Caine's temperature. "While you're up..." H'Rasha reached back into the drawer and pulled out a little plastic tub. She led the way to the head, crooking a finger over her shoulder indicating Caine should follow.

 

Caine followed with a sense of vague resignation. At least she could extrapolate without too much difficulty what this test would be, and she only hoped that Trenral would not for some reason insist on watching.

 

As if the thought hopped from Caine's brain into H'Rasha's, the Caitian doctor held out the cup but made no move to leave the small room. "Can't have you transporting in someone else's, can we?" For the first time her delighted demeanor wasn't present, as even she didn't enjoy this part. Which of course meant that when this was done she'd have to make up for it.

 

"Just be lucky you're not a man," she added a few minutes later as they made their way out. "When the form says 'every fluid' they mean it."

 

Caine looked at her sidelong. "I don't know; it might serve to be the most enjoyable part of the examination in that case." Turning away, she proceeded back to the biobed and picked up the jacket she had removed earlier. "Is there anything else or may I return to work?"

 

H'Rasha dropped off the sample before heading over to check the PADD. "Well, what do you know, you've managed to survive the ordeal. I suppose that's a pass of itself, however I can't file the form until the lab work is in." She looked over Caine. Apart from the snooty attitude, she had been pleasantly surprised by the woman. In any case, she'd followed the orders from the XO to the letter, and enjoyed herself in the process.

 

"Yes, you may go," H'Rasha said. "Though what you have in mind for work at this time of the morning... Sending more officers with knives throughout the ship?"

 

"Of course. I have to ensure you earn your keep, after all," Caine replied icily, and disappeared out the door.