Destination: Sickbay!

Posted on Tue Sep 28th, 2021 @ 1:38am by Ensign Ezra Gonzalez & Lieutenant Commander Emni t'Nai & Lieutenant Kennedy Ryan Walsh & Andrew Munro & Lieutenant Jennifer Bracco, M.D. & Ensign Sheldon Parsons & Lieutenant Miriam Lal & Lieutenant JG Glum Dogrov

Mission: The Place of Skulls
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Mission Day 16 at 1250

[Sickbay]
[MD16: 1250 Hours]

They’d done it. Bracco had gambled that the hallway behind them would remain clear of drones and, blissfully, that had been the case indeed. The trio -- quartet if you counted Ellsworth’s gestating child -- had only encountered one drone on their slow way to Sickbay. It’d been felled while in the process of scanning them; a lucky break, though Jennifer wondered why the drones kept scanning their potential targets first instead of just outright firing. It seemed bizarre behavior for automated drones but that was neither here nor there at the moment.

Stepping into Sickbay -- Ellsworth’s arm over Kennedy’s shoulder, Gral’s over Bracco’s -- the group had at last reached their destination. The medical ward of the ship was a buzz of activity, nurses on hand treating wounds and the LMH already activated to aid in triage and treatment decisions. With an uninjured Ryan Walsh now on the scene, the staff turned to the Acting Chief Medical Officer and got to work, ferrying Ellsworth and Gral to open bio beds so that Kennedy was free to act as needed.

“Where do you need me?” Bracco asked Kennedy, eyeing both of the wounded officers they’d just brought in. There were several others as well, though their injuries didn’t seem as bad. While Jennifer was primarily a therapist, she did hold a medical degree and was offering to be of use. “Just tell me where to go and I’m happy to help.”

“I would like you to work with the LHM and see to Ensign Gral here. I’ll have one of the Nurses assist me with Lieutenant Ellsworth and her baby,” Kennedy replied to Bracco’s inquiry. He looked around for Lieutenant Miriam Lal before he raised his hand, “Over here please, Lieutenant.”

Lal’s eyebrows crept up as she heard Dr. Ryan Walsh’s directions, but she did as requested, making her way quickly to meet him by Ellsworth’s biobed. “Baby?” she inquired quietly, rapidly pulling Ellsworth’s medical records up on her PADD. She hadn’t recalled any pregnant crew members from the recent required crew physicals.

“Medical scan indicates that she’s seven and a half weeks pregnant,” Kennedy reported with a bit of uncertainty in his voice.

Ellsworth could only hear a distinct ring; but, could hear no voices. She saw flashes of light from underneath her eyelids; but, could not make sense of them. While her body was now in the sickbay, her mind was in fact lightyears away. She knew she was pregnant for a while now; but, things had not acted like a traditional pregnancy - due to the fact that the likely father was not a human like her, and therefore her unborn child was affecting her in untypical ways. When she found out she was with child she initially didn’t feel anything, she pushed the realization to the side, a took a raincheck on feeling any clear emotion. Yet, the moment she stared down at her severed arm those emotions hit her, and in that moment she wanted nothing more than to be a mother. She wanted nothing more than for her child to be safe.

The Trill nurse nodded, making a note on the PADD before turning back to Dr. Ryan Walsh for directions.

“Lieutenant, I need you to lay your back down onto the bio-bed, please. Very carefully,” Kennedy instructed.

Coming around to the other side of the lieutenant, Lal gently wrapped her arm around the woman’s waist. “Ok, Eleanor,” she said, using the woman’s first name, her voice gentle but firm, “We’re going to lay back on 3. Ready? 1, 2, 3…” on three, Lal moved, taking some of the woman’s own weight onto herself to help her up onto the bed. “There you go,” she said, voice quiet and soothing. “We’ll get you checked out.”

Kennedy assisted Nurse Lal and Ellsworth onto the bio-bed. He looked over the medical scan details from his advanced medical tricorder, “Lieutenant, junior grade; ELLSWORTH, Eleanor; twenty-nine year old, Caucasian human female. Suffered from the loss of an arm severed. Lost a significant amount of blood. Let’s cauterize the arm.” He pressed through the details of his present scan. A light tear ran down his face as he was hopeful, “Your baby is going to be fine. Do you hear me, Lieutenant? Baby is going to be fine.” He passed the scan over to the Nurse to verify as he wiped a few tears of relief from his face as he was trying to hold the stress in. “Mother however also is suffering from internal bleeding but we’ll be able to fix that with no problems.”

Lal nodded as Dr. Ryan Walsh ran down Ellsworth’s details. She kept a hand on the woman’s shoulder as he spoke until he offered her the tricorder to confirm. She stood, quickly scanning the results, a small smile on her face as she reached the same conclusions. “Everything looks good with baby,” she remarked to Eleanor, repeating Kennedy’s words, but applying the gentle firmness to her tone that she had used earlier. “Let’s get you sorted and you’ll be good as new.”

Ellsworth’s eyes fluttered open as she gazed up at those around her. She still felt weak as her dried cracked lips parted, “Thank you.” Her voice was a gentle whisper as the edges of her mouth curled in a smile to chase her words. “Thank you,” she repeated.

Bracco, meanwhile, had nodded as the Doctor asked her to assist the LMH. Moving across to stand near Gral’s biobed, she spied the trick of light and forcefields and offered a wave. “Lieutenant Jennifer Bracco, M.D. Ship’s Counselor but more than capable to assist. What do you need?” Jennifer asked, surveying Gral laid up on the biobed. From what she could see, the man was suffering from multiple, serious burns that would need tending. She did not, however, want to jump the gun on the LMH’s treatment plan. And so she waited for his instruction.

"Longterm Medical Hologram Mark-6 Adelphi," the LMH said with a nod of greeting. "I believe the appropriate reply would be, glad to meet you."

“There is also internal bleeding…” Gral added, “A natural candidate to drag halfway across the ship to receive treatment…” He gave some side eye to the woman who had led him there. His words may have sounded like an insult; but, from the Tellarite it was his way to say thank you. He was grateful that they had gotten him safely to sickbay, and even more so he was thrilled that they had gotten the woman and her baby there. “I am fine, just let me rest - tend to the others. I promise not to die on you.”

The LMH had begun a tricorder sweep of Gral as he spoke and, ignoring the man's hyperbole, ran down what he found. "Gora bim Gral, Ensign. Several 2nd degree burns across the torso. An additional burn and laceration to the thigh. Evidence of minor internal hemorrhaging which," he turned to Bracco with a neutral stare, "if you would, Doctor, the dermaline gel should be found in a storage area on the other side of the Chief Medical Officer's office. I suspect we could use more than Mr. Gral needs himself." His expression remained neutral as he spoke. "Are you familiar with treating burns with dermaline gel?"

"It's been awhile but I think I can manage," Bracco nodded back confidently. In truth, she'd done her own residency as a doctor -- a prerequisite for attaining her psychiatry certification -- but it had been almost 15 years since. She wasn't going to miss a step, though, if she could help it. "I'll grab the gel," Bracco said before moving off towards the office.

Reaching to the small portable tray next to the biobed, the LMH prepped a hypospray with an appropriate pain medication for Tellarite physiology. "This should help with the pain, Ensign," he said before applying the hypo to the man's neck.

It was then that Bracco returned, dermaline at the ready. She'd brought enough to treat half the ship if they had to. Tubes of the gel had been stacked on a cart and wheeled over, one of which Bracco now opened. As she began to apply the gel with assistive instructions from the LMH, nurses and other personnel began grabbing more of the gel from the cart to see to others' injuries.

The doors to Sickbay swished open, allowing the entry of three men. Andrew Munro, ship's biologist, was obviously badly injured, some of the fabric of his civilian duty top burned away, swaths of charred flesh painfully exposed on his chest. He was propped up and carried by Ensign Ezra Gonzalez, who seemed to have some pains of his own but was otherwise managing to help carry Andrew into Sickbay proper. As medical support staff whisked Andrew to a biobed and began to stabilize him, the third and final man backed fully into the medical ward, letting the doors hiss closed behind him.

Doctor Kennedy Ryan Walsh had finished his work on Lieutenant Ellsworth. In the corner of his eye he saw a familiar face step into his Sickbay. It was Andrew Munro who had assisted him in the Chameloid autopsies ten days earlier. He nodded to Miriam to finish with Ellsworth and called up, "Incoming wounded. Nurse Dogrov, please finish attending with Ensign Gral."

The Tellarite Nurse gave his doctor a curt nod of his head as he moved on to Munro as the medical technicians brought him to the available bio-bed.

Kennedy turned to Bracco, "Doctor Bracco, please see to Ensign Gonzalez." He then turned to the LHM. His mouth dropped as he saw:

Phaser in hand, Sheldon winced at the pain running down his side but stayed on his feet. "I think that's all of the drones for now. At least," he gulped audibly, "I hope so." Spying Munro being worked on, Parsons approached the nurses attending to the man. "Is...is he going to be alright?" he asked, suddenly sorry he'd not taken the time to better get to know the biologist. On a starship -- with weeks between exciting events popping up at times -- it was so easy to think you'd always have more time for these things. Today was a reminder that such was not always the case. Sheldon resolved himself to better know Munro if the man came out of all this OK.

"I-I think Gonzalez has a hurt arm, too," Parsons said, gesturing to the young ensign in question. Parsons made no mention at all of his own injuries, though they were plain to see.

"... Sheldon," Kennedy was relieved to see a familiar face. He wanted to embrace his roommate with a hug but that wasn't necessary presently, "LHM, please see to Sheldon."

Kennedy moved over to Munro quickly, "Mining beam to the chest, three degree burns. Barely holding onto consciousness..." he read out on his tricorder. "Please get me a hypospray of epinephrine. I don't want him falling unconscious while I treat him. I want him awake."

The tech nodded their head and went to go get the doctor a hypospray.

A familiar face looked down at Andrew as he drifted back to consciousness. He'd been vaguely aware of his surroundings as he faded in and out but hadn't had the energy to look around or even focus on any particular voice. This time they were closer and so he could.

"Doctor Walsh," Andrew acknowledged and attempted a smile. His mouth felt incredibly dry and his voice faltered part-way through. Whatever had been in the lab medkit hypospray was still taking the edge off the pain, but he was feeling cold and sweating at the same time. It was as though his body were more confused than his mind.

"Doctor Ryan -- never mind," Kennedy decided midsentence correcting Doctor Andrew Munro was not the good use of his time. The medical tech brought over the hypospray, "I'm going to give you epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, which is going to keep you awake for now, Doctor Munro ,so can best treat you for your injuries and keep you mobile, for now. Nod, or prefer a verbal confirmation that I am about to give you this drug."

Andrew opted to nod. It seemed easier than speaking. Sleep seemed inviting but he understood that he must try to remain consciousness, at least until he was treated.

Kennedy administered the drug. He had placed an order for proper pain management drug to administer on Munro while he began to treat the burns with a dermal regenerator.

Ezra sat on a nearby biobed, breathing nervously and rocking back and forth as he took the whole scene in. He favored his hurt arm and tried to calm himself down by clenching and unclenching his free hand, but it didn't work. None of the other stims he tried were successful, either.

"Hello," came a gravelly voice from nearby, "you must be Ezra? I'm Doctor Bracco," Jennifer said, offering the young man a supportive smile. "Looks like you hurt your arm, huh?" She'd procured a medical tricorder from somewhere and now separated the sensor unit from the main body. Bracco passed the scanning nodule over Ezra's arm, noting where the damage was showing up and then nodding.

"Looks like a hairline fracture of your radius...one of your forearm bones," Bracco clarified, trying to seem upbeat. She'd noticed the man had been rocking back and forth, eyes wide, and wondered if there might be other factors in play beyond the immediacy of their current situation. "If you can sit still for me, I'm going to work on repairing the damage, OK? Won't take long. Hang tight for me -- I need to grab something."

"Has anyone got the osteopathic regenerator?" she asked, poking her head into the knot of doctors and nurses currently attending all of the other patients. "I can replicate one if needed but--"

"Here you go," one of the nurses said, passing the device over to Bracco. The device had been on her tray but wasn't needed for the moment.

"Thank you," Bracco nodded, turning back to Ezra with the regenerator. "Can I run this over your forearm, Ezra? It will knit the bone back together. I can also give you some pain medication that will help." It may have been 15 years since her residency at an emergency facility but it was all coming back to her now. She loaded up a hypospray as she awaited Ezra's permission to begin treating him, not wanting to violate his space until he was ready.

Ezra nodded and sat as still as he could. "I was jumping out of the way of the drone and landed really awkwardly. I might have hit it on something...I don't really know." After a pause, he gave one of his preprogrammed answers to the unasked question. "I have autism, so I was stimming to try to calm down. It's a way of reacting to unpleasant stimuli by creating my own."

Meanwhile, a passing nurse -- who'd correctly identified that Sheldon Parsons was in need of care himself -- had gotten the young engineer settled on a recently vacated biobed. The Sickbay staff was doing a great job of keeping traffic moving, so with a bed now open, Sheldon could finally be attended to properly. He laid there, very clearly in pain, as he waited for the LMH or one of the other doctors to stop by. Why do they make the ceilings of Sickbays so boring? he wondered, eyeing the drab ceiling and finding it thoroughly uninteresting to look at. It was a silly thing to focus on but, in that moment, it was distracting him from the pain and that was a good thing indeed.

Although the action wasn't expressly necessary, the LMH walked across the room to see to Ensign Parsons. In his short span he had found that simply moving himself from one place to another, while expedient, did not elicit the best results from patients, so he took the slow route.

"Ensign Parsons," he said as he came alongside the young man on the biobed. His tricorder was already in hand, running scans before he finished his patient's name. "It appears you have a significant laceration tracing along your left side. I'm going to give you something for the pain and then we'll address the wound." The LMH was all business as he spoke, selecting a hypo from the tray next to him and adjusting for a correct dosage. He looked to Parsons, waiting for a nod of confirmation, before applying the hypo to the man's neck. The telltale hiss announced the delivery of the medication.

"Ok," the LMH said returning the hypo to the tray. "Let's get a look at that burn."

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

Lieutenant Jennifer Bracco
Acting Ship's Counselor

Lieutenant JG Kennedy Ryan Walsh
Acting Chief Medical Officer

Andrew Munro
Biologist

Ensign Ezra Gonzalez
Archaeologist/Anthropologist

Ensign Sheldon Parsons
Engineer

Lieutenant JG Eleanor Ellsworth
Flight Controller

Ensign Gora bim Gral
Tactical Officer

Lieutenant Miriam Lal
Head Nurse

Lieutenant JG Glum Dogrov
Nurse

Long-term Medical Hologram