Back into the Fray

Posted on Sun Aug 29th, 2021 @ 2:16am by Lieutenant Kennedy Ryan Walsh & Lieutenant Commander Emni t'Nai

Mission: The Place of Skulls
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Mission Day 6 at 0900

Sickbay had been quiet for the last day. With physicals complete and Dr. Ryan Walsh on temporary orders to rest, Emni had been able to pop in and out, checking on Commander Takomi and Lieutenant Giorgiou, but leaving the daily workings of Sickbay to the two, highly competent, nurses that she had come to respect deeply in the few days since they had met. They had even made it through the third duty rotation of the prior day with no on call needs giving Emni a much desired night of sleep.

Now she carried her coffee mug with her as she walked through Sickbay, checking on the two sleeping patients and making sure that all was in order for the day ahead. If she was honest with herself, these checks weren't needed. She had completed this circuit three times already, and yet should couldn't help a touch of nervousness. Dr. Ryan Walsh was due in any moment and she couldn't have said with any confidence how he had fared the day prior. Knowing what was on her plate, though, she deeply hoped he was able to walk into Sickbay without flinching.

Doctor Ryan Welsh felt very refresh from his day of sleeping. He slept through until 0500. He tried to go back to sleep but he didn't focus too much on the events that transpired on the surface. He more focused that Irynya stayed with him until he was fast asleep. He stepped into Sickbay and looked at the medical stasis of Lieutenant Nir Giorgiou. He froze. He took in a deep breathe remembering that he was safe and that the Lieutenant would be onboard the Miranda set for a starbase for treatment. He walked over to the bio-bed slowly almost reserved as he checked on Nir.

Emni could feel the now familiar mental signature of Kennedy Ryan Walsh as he approached Sickbay and let out a long low breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. What had been tidal waves the day prior was simply high swells of emotion, still troubled, but not exceeding the banks of his mind. She was quiet when he entered Sickbay, giving him a chance to acclimate.

She watched as he approached the bio-bed where Nir was being held in stasis. After a moment she approached him. "Good morning Dr. Ryan Walsh," she said warmly.

Kennedy looked up from the console on Nir's stasis pod and did a half-wave in her direction with a half-assured smile on his face. He looked back down to finish reading over the information provided before walking towards Doctor t'Nai, "I just wanted to check in on him." He looked down at his feet briefly before returning to see Doctor t'Nai, "Good morning, Doctor."

"Nothing wrong with that." Emni waved a hand over at the office. "Come talk with me a moment?"

"Yes, of course." Kennedy gulped as he waited for her to lead them to their office. He made a last minute gesture for her to lead.

The two made their way into the office, Emni settling into the chair behind the desk and Kennedy into a chair in front. The Romulan doctor laced her fingers together, placing her hands on the desk in front of her, waiting only until Kennedy was seated before asking, "How do you feel this morning?"

Kennedy sat down across from her and placed a leg over the other folding his hands together and resting them on his lap. He nodded, "I, I feel better. A lot better now that I've gotten a decent amount of sleep behind me with no dreams."

Emni tipped her head in his direction. "Good," she remarked, "you seem better." She raised a hand to tap her temple to signal her meaning; the doctor's emotional landscape was no longer overwhelmed. "Do you feel able to resume duty?" she asked to be certain of his state.

"Very much so," Kennedy nodded his head that he was capable in resuming his duties. He realized that he checked on Nir when technically he was still relieved to perform his duties as a doctor onboard. He gulped lightly.

"Good," Emni said again, unlacing her fingers as she spoke to tap a PADD, pinching and throwing the information onto a holographic interface between them. Kennedy's face--the image from his personnel record--appeared alongside his personal information. "because we need you here in Sickbay."

She paused for only a moment before pushing on. "As of yesterday I was made Acting XO and as of now you are the Acting Chief Medical Officer of this ship. I'll be around to help when you need help and I can take short shifts, but for now you and our LMH are the doctors on board."

"Pardon?" Kennedy was caught off guard with the surprise of the personnel change onboard the Sojourner. It made logical sense that Doctor t'Nai was made Acting Executive Officer. He pulled at his collar feeling it was tightening around his throat. He wasn't too sure about the added leadership responsibilities in the six days he's been Assistant Chief Medical Officer. He took in a deep breathe to recompose himself but anxiously congratulated as he was excited for her but afraid for himself, "Congratulations Doctor Emni."

"I've already made arrangements with the CMO of the USS Miranda to rendezvous and transfer our patients so they can get care at Starbase 22 while we continue on with our mission. We'll meet them in 2 days." She stopped, looking to Kennedy to gauge his reaction both physically and emotionally. "Any questions?"

"The Miranda?" Kennedy had recalled the name of the starship before but couldn't pin it down, "What is Commander Takomi's present condition?" He had been more concerned about Nir Giorgiou the past forty-eight hours or so since returning to the Sojourner from the surface that he couldn't recall anything about the Commander. His cheeks darkened in colour.

A quick pull and throw brought Takomi's record and vitals up on the screen. "He's doing well. The breaks in his legs are knitting well, but one of his knees was shattered and they're going to need to reconstruct it. We haven't tried to bring him out of stasis since yesterday, he took a fairly severe hit to the head when he fell and while the damage has been repaired the LMH had difficulty waking him back up. I'm hoping time to rest will do the trick."

Kennedy slowly nodded, "And Nir," Kennedy corrected himself as the two men weren't friends nor spoken a word, "Lieutenant Giorgiou has remained stable? From what I saw of his vitals." Kennedy's forehead began to sweat. He still found it difficulty to talk about it but he was in a better place than forty-four and twenty-four hours prior. He took in a deep breathe as he tried to focus on becoming Acting Chief Medical Officer.

Emni nodded her agreement. "Yes, that's correct. He's remained stable in stasis. He hasn't improved, but he hasn't deteriorated either. You did a good job getting him stabilized." She could feel the nerves mounting in Ryan Walsh, but was relieved when they resolved into normal peaks and valleys rather than a building wave of anxiety.

Kennedy smiled slightly at the Doctor's compliment but was still uncomfortable about his present feelings surrounding it, "Thank you for saying that Doctor. I keep replaying that scene in Sickbay when we came back onboard and what I could have done differently and there's nothing I could have done differently. I've come to terms that while it wasn't the result that I wanted, albeit the circumstances, I think I did the best I could do." He struggled with the last few sentences to articulate itself but the point remained the same.

Emni nodded her understanding. "Give it time," she remarked, standing and coming around the desk. "Anything else?" she asked, checking, but also aware that she was due elsewhere at 0945.

"Nothing else, Doctor t'Nai," Kennedy then rose his index finger on his right hand in the air in an attempt at humour, "I think you are in my seat?"

Emni chuckled at that. "I still out rank you Doctor," she shot back deadpan although the amusement in her eyes gave her away instantly. Carefully she stepped around the desk indicating the chair with a hand. "Sickbay is yours Dr. Ryan Walsh."

She stopped in the doorway if the office. "Take good care of her " And then, with a last glance around, she swept out of the office and made her way for the corridor.

=/\= A Mission Post By =/\=

Lieutenant Emni t'Nai
Acting Executive Officer

Lieutenant JG Kennedy Ryan Walsh
Acting Chief Medical Officer