Out of Harm's Way ((Lepage/Spader))

[Jennifer Spader 0]

Sickbay was still teeming with activity. Some patients were sitting on their biobeds, waiting for their physical and the OK from a doctor to get back to duty. Others were not so lucky. Some of the engineers had sustained serious injuries during the collapse of the station. Broken bones, burns, contusions, internal bleeding. The list of injuries was long. The good news was that they would all make it unless there were complications.

 

Nick entered the bustle of main sickbay. He had just checked on Commander Chirakis before getting back to work.They had decided to put her in the the long term ward even though she would most likely not have to remain in sickbay very long. But it was much quieter in there and she definitely needed the rest. Now he was making a beeline for the console which showed which patients still needed treatment.

 

Spader carefully sidestepped a member of the Missouri's medical staff as she entered the sickbay, her implant-gaze sweeping the main bay quickly, taking in the increased heat of the crowded room. Some of Aegis's medical staff was here, and new patients too; all in all the air seemed to vibrate with body heat in her vision. This place was not meant for the influx it was being forced to bear. She ignored the distracting element, however, and the unpleasant thoughts that went along with it; she had a mission here, and it didn't take long to nail down her target. "Dr. Lepage," she said, just loud enough to be heard over the noise around them, seeing the Aegis CMO pushing his way towards the console on the far well.

 

Nick turned around, expecting to see a nurse asking him to sign something or to check on a patient. He was surprised to see Lieutenant Spader. She hadn’t been aboard Aegis when the station had collapsed – or so he thought. “How can I help you, Lieutenant?” he asked.

 

Quickly Spader crossed the few feet separating them and came to a halt in front of Lepage, her arms laced behind her back and her eyes not quite looking at him, more somewhere over his shoulder. “Chief Dabi sent me; hoping to bring back a report on the state of the...last survivors of Aegis, sir,” she said, her voice just the slightest bit stiff as she tried, and failed, to find a way to phrase the situation that didn’t sound so damn final.

 

“Oh, right,” Nick replied, his mind more on treating patients than giving reports. It took him a few seconds to think of an appropriate answer. “Everybody’s condition seems to be stable. We’re keeping Commander Chirakis here for the time being. I’m not entirely sure about the others since I didn’t treat them but it seems everybody is doing...well...fine, considering the circumstances.”

 

Spader nodded slowly. “Yeah...considering the circumstances...” she said slowly, looking around. It was a vague but satisfying report; she supposed he couldn’t give her more without breaching doctor-patient confidentiality. “Well, that’s good to hear...everything we can do towards nailing down where everyone is and how they stand.” She rubbed the back of her neck and looked back at Lepage again. “Any bad news Security should know about?”

 

“I have no idea what you have in mind but, well, no.” Nick was a little puzzled by the question. “What bad news were you thinking of?”

 

Spader chuckled. “In my experience, bad news is usually the stuff you can’t think of. Never mind...just trying to be thorough.” Her implant-gaze flicked its way around the room again, searching for faces she recognized, a few niggling worries at the back of her mind trying to satisfy themselves. “You haven’t--” she began, then stopped, debating giving voice to her concerns.

 

“No I haven’t,” Nick replied with as serious an expression he could muster. “But I’d love to. Only sickbay’s a little crowded right now for skydiving,” he added with a broad grin spreading across his face.

 

For a second it was Spader’s turn to look puzzled; then she caught the grin and realized he was joking. “Right...” she said with a low laugh. “I’ll get back to you on that later, then, when you’ve got more room to maneuver.” She paused, then went on more slowly, “What I was going to ask is...you haven’t seen a civilian captain...brown hair, brown eyes, about yea tall...” She gestured about two inches higher than her own head. “Name is Finlay...he been through?”

 

She felt stupid for asking. Caden probably wouldn’t be asking after her. But she had realized, in the wake of Aegis’s disintegration, that she had not seen him since the early stages of the evacuation process, and that she had no idea when, where, or even if he had beamed out. “Just...trying to keep track of everything,” she added lamely, with a mildly forced air of nonchalance.

 

“Right,” Nick replied simply, playing along. He stepped over to the medical console and pulled up the patient files. “Nope, he hasn’t been in here. Do you have any reason to believe he was on the station with the engineers and the Commander?”

 

Spader shrugged. “I dunno where he was. He had no one ordering him around, and his ship was still aboard the station...” Her voice trailed off and she shook her head. “Like I said, just thought I’d check.” Caden wouldn’t have stuck that close to his ship, would he? He’d have left. He’d left in the past when things got tough, after all...

 

She shook her head. Stupid thoughts for a senseless time. “Anything I can do to help while I’m here?”

 

“I’m sure he beamed out when we all did.” It was obvious Spader was asking for a reason and Nick had the hunch that there was more to it than just making sure no one had been left on the station. “As for helping,” Nick paused and looked around sickbay as if he was seriously considering her offer. “Thanks but last time I had someone from another department help out I had two engineers running around suggesting to leave seriously injured patients to their own devices. So, well, we’re not that desperate yet.” The grin that showed on Nick’s face yet again betrayed his amusement.

 

Spader laughed. “Yes, but those were engineers...Security is much more sensitive, you know...” she said dryly. “All that aside...I can take a hint; I’ll be out of your way now, and make my report to the chief. You need anything, though, give a holler.” God knows I need something to keep me busy...

 

Turning, she walked towards the door, her expression a bit troubled.

 

Nick’s smile faded as he watched Spader leave and his mind turned back to the patients who were still waiting to be treated.