To Molokai

[DrDMatthews 0]

It was very quiet in Debbie's office, which suited her just fine. Beyond the open door, in Sickbay proper, a few people milled about but there really wasn't much going on. Debbie wondered if this was the calm before the storm.

 

Reaent was now in the middle of an asteroid field in the Devolin system. The only thing Debbie new about the system was that it was extremely close to the neutral zone. She was not privy to the reasons for Reaent's presence here but that wasn't unusual. She was the CMO....not a bridge officer. The Captain would fill her in on the details when and if he determined it was necessary. In the meantime, her department was ready for whatever lay ahead and Debbie was relishing the peace and quiet. She had a feeling she'd better enjoy while she could....it probably wouldn't last.

 

She was engrossed in an interesting article on infectious disease precautions when the comm sounded. Debbie was slightly annoyed at the interruption. She continued reading as she answered the persistent chime.

 

"This is Matthews," she quipped, clearly distracted.

"Sorry to bother you, Doctor," replied the unknown voice. "But you have a priority message from Dr. Krieger at Deep Space 4."

 

It took Debbie half a second to recall who Krieger was. The moment she remembered, she lost all interest in the article.

 

"Thanks," she replied. "Please put it through."

 

The young voice on the bridge said something in response to her request but Debbie didn't pay it any mind. Her thoughts were elsewhere as she waited anxiously for the recorded message to appear on her monitor.

 

Ian Krieger was the CMO on Deep Space 4. A middle aged Terran male, he was fair skinned with dark, curly hair and deep brown eyes. Just a few days ago, Debbie had given him custody of Lt. Xavier Crispin.

 

Crispin remained critically ill with Calkins disease. Calkins was very rare and usually fatal. Until recently, there was no hope for these patients. Fast growing tumors would develop in the frontal lobes of the brain. They usually overwhelmed the patient within days. A huge tumor had developed in Crispin's right frontal lobe. It would have killed him within hours had they not placed him in stasis. The Reaent's medical staff had been able to locate two research facilities that had developed experimental treatments for Calkins. It was Cripsin's only hope.

 

Unfortunately, the closest facility, Molokai Center, was located in the Sol System, in a remote area of the Earth's moon. The Reaent was on the other side of the galaxy. There was no way they could deliver Crispin personally.

 

And that's where Ian Krieger came into the picture. Upon arrival at Deep Space 4, Debbie made arrangements with Dr. Krieger to take custody of Crispin and see to it the young Lieutenant was transferred to the facility. She'd already contacted the director at Molokai. They were more than eager to have a living patient to work with.

 

Dr. Krieger's message was brief and to the point. Earlier in the day, he had placed Crispin on a Federation transport vessel called the Cecil. It was headed for the Saul System. They had two or three stopovers before ending their journey at Mars. The Molokai Center would dispatch a shuttle to meet the Cecil and take delivery of Crispiness stasis unit. According to Dr. Krieger, the chief of staff at the center would contact Debbie directly once Lt. Crispin had arrived.

 

After the message ended, Debbie Matthews sat quietly for several seconds staring at the now blank view screen. She couldn't shake the despair she felt whenever she thought of Xavier Crispin. There was no treatment for Calkins. What the Molokai Center offered was nothing more than an experiement that had never been tested on a living patient. There was no guarantee it would work...odds were it would fail. But it was all they had to offer Crispin.

 

Debbie took a deep breath and tried to shake off the gloomy feeling now enveloping her. She called up the information they'd gathered on the Molokai Center and checked their roster. She was particularly interested in the chief of staff....a Dr. Myra Donatelli. Debbie didn't want to wait for Donatelli to contact her. Instead, she would make sure the Molokai's chief of staff knew how important this crewman was even before he arrived at the center.