Battered And Bruised

[John Randall 0]

OFFICIAL LOG

LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL

USS CHALLENGER

 

(Personal Log Stardate 11602.18)

 

The med team and the anti-grav cart carrying John's body materialized on the transporter dais in sickbay. The team hurriedly descended the dais and took Randall's body to a nearby bio-bed. The medical computer analyzed John's injuries, and the CMO shook his head as he saw the results displayed on the monitor.

 

"This officer is in bad shape," he announced to his team. He then began issuing orders on what treatments John was to receive. The team worked on Randall's body for the next half hour; the entire left side of the chief engineer's body was a mass of burns. The team took great care in applying salve and other chemicals to the burned areas. A regeneration tube was then brought over to the body, and John's left side was encased in the tube.

 

The CMO then ordered his team to take a break and rest, it would take a while for the tube to work its magic. 2 hours later, the doctor checked on the results from the regen unit, and nodded to himself; the tube had done all it could do for now. The next phase of the treatment could begin; John's head would require surgery, and it was going to be a tricky and challenging operation.

 

John's body was prepped for the surgery, and he was taken into the operating room. A total of 105 minutes were required for the procedure, and the CMO was drained when the operation was finished. He ordered Randall's body be moved to the recovery room, then went to his office to rest a bit.

 

After catching his breath, the doctor knew he had to let the captain know what was going on with his chief engineer. He summoned the captain to sickbay, and a few minutes later, Ja'Lale came through the doors. The doctor was summoned by a nurse, and he came out into the room.

 

"Captain, thank you for coming," he said. "I have an update on Lieutenant Randall." The doctor led the captain into the recovery room, and Ja'Lale regarded Randall's body with some dismay. "Captain," the doctor continued, "Lieutenant Randall is in bad shape. He was caught in the blast from the cloaking device when it exploded. He has extensive burns all on his left side from his neck to his ankles. His uniform was burnt away, as you could probably tell. He also was hit in the head by a piece of the device, which knocked him through a doorway, and he collided with the wall of the corridor beyond.

 

"As a result of that, the left side of his skull was fractured just above his ear. It's the same place where it had been fractured around 4 years ago by a Klingon whom Randall vanquished in one-on-one combat, or so I read in his medical file. An operation was performed to repair the fracture, and it was successful. That is why his head is bound the way it is."

 

The captain absorbed the information from the doctor, his eyes never leaving Randall's body. After a few seconds, he turned and looked at the CMO. "What is the prognosis?" he asked in a rough voice. The doctor shook his head. "At this time, sir, it's too early to tell," he replied. "The next 12 hours will be crucial for the lieutenant. His vital signs are very low and fluctuating. In my opinion, Captain, Lieutenant Randall is very lucky to be alive."

 

Ja'Lale nodded, and looked at John again, then returned his attention to the doctor. "Well, the lieutenant is a tough man," he said. "I've actually seen him in worse shape than this. He's a fighter, Doctor, that has to be one thing in his favor." The CMO nodded. "It will help, Captain," he agreed. "The lieutenant needs all the help he can get right now. One other thing, Captain. When he recovers, and I sincerely hope he does, it will be months, I'm afraid, before Lieutenant Randall will be able to return to duty. He has some major healing to do, and I am not going to rush it. You will have to do without the services of your chief engineer for a good while."

 

The captain nodded. "Anything else, Doctor?" he asked, and the CMO shook his head. "I will, of course, keep you updated on his condition," he said. Ja'Lale nodded. "Thank you, Doctor. Take care of him." The captain turned and regarded Randall's body once more, then he whirled and strode out of sickbay.

 

The CMO watched the captain leave, then regarded John himself. "Godspeed to you, Lieutenant," he whispered, knowing the chief engineer had a battle in front of him. Unknown to the doctor, ensign Susan Maloney had slipped into sickbay behind the captain, and had overheard the conversation. She had left before the captain, and had made her way down the corridor to the turbolift, weeping the entire way. She rode the lift to deck six, where an engineering team led by Jeff Michaels was still trying to extract the fighter craft of Lieutenant Dyan Sylvanis from a corridor wall.

 

Maloney made her way to Michaels, and haltingly, through her tears, repeated the conversation between the doctor and the captain to him. Michaels stood in stunned disbelief at the news, then closed his eyes and bowed his head. The team, watching him, temporarily stopped their work, knowing something was wrong.

 

Michaels raised his head and found everyone staring at him. He relayed the news given him by Maloney, and identical expressions of stunned disbelief swept the entire team. A few seconds later, Michaels ordered the team back to work, saying, "Let's get this done for the chief!" The team roared approval, and went to work with renewed vigor.

 

Michaels watched them a moment, then pulled out his communicator, and informed Lieutenant Steve Davis of John's condition. A few moments of silence told Michaels Davis was just as stunned as he had been. He told Davis he would contact him with an update as soon as he found out anything new, and signed off. He raised his hand to his eyes, and let out a long, shuddering breath. He was now worried sick about his friend, and was afraid John might never be the same after this. He then went to give his team a helping hand, trying to take his mind off his friend.

 

END LOG