The Antican Patient

Posted on Sun Jun 12th, 2022 @ 2:13am by Lieutenant Kennedy Ryan Walsh & Lieutenant Margarar

Mission: In the Aftermath
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Mission Day 1 at 0800

Some time had passed since their collective experience on Talbeethia Prime resulted in the experience of living through another person's memories. In Doctor Kennedy Ryan Walsh's expertise and experience came at the test of Lieutenant Serana Zhaan's ancestor Omri. He wondered what the implications and the consequences would have been if he ran to help Omri. What would the guards have done? Did they see them? But he knew there wasn't anything he could have done with all of his medical expertise. He would have still died in that extraterrestrial world. While it was a lot different from the horrors he faced on Cho'thil.

The nightmares of Cho'thil still haunted him and now the visuals of Omri being stabbed through the chest brought back the memories of Lieutenant Nir Giorgiou. He looked at his terminal absentmindedly as the Tellarite Nurse entered his office without him noticing, "Doctor?"

Kennedy remained unresponsive before the Tellarite impatiently spoke once more, "Doctor Ryan Walsh?"

Kennedy came to and looked over at the Tellarite puzzling why he had disrupted his horrific daydream. A slight blush came across his face with a sudden realization that he was in his office in Sickbay and not at Debbie's. His eyes shifted to the terminal to see an alert for Lieutenant Margarar's medical evaluation came up as scheduled, "Is this regarding... Lieutenant Margarar's eval?"

"Yes. She's waiting and if you think Tellarites were... impatient... Anticans? Just as much. And they have nails, sharp nails."

The Tellarite looked over his shoulder to ensure that the Antican hadn't heard him but with their hearing she most likely could hear him grunt halfway across the ship. He was curious if they had any telepathic abilities, "Doctor?"

"Yes. Got that. Let her know that I'll be out in just a moment. Sit her at a bio-bed."

"Of course," Dogrov nodded his head and left the CMO to his devices.

Dogrov doubled around and made his way to the Antican but giving her some distance away not to cause any disalarm, "The Doctor is in but he will just be a moment... Lieutenant Margarar if you would follow me to bio-bed three."

The Antican was not amused at being made to wait. Margarar also knew that she was required to have this medical exam. It was part of the entire Federation protocol. Consequently, she knew she had to have it done and would obey. However, in the back of her mind, she wondered what the point was. She was the first and only Antican to get into Starfleet. How would they really know if there was anything wrong with her? And, she was already at that point in her life where her biological clock was starting to express its urgency. But what was the point in that? It was not as if there was another Antican anywhere nearby even if she had the desire to mate. In other words, this entire exam was a waste of time that she could be using to maintain the ship's integrity.

"Fine," the small Antican grunted. "Just make this quick. I have work that needs my oversight. I need to make sure that nothing was damaged by our recent guests arrival or departure after their little time travel experiment."

The Tellarite Nurse groaned in an almost growl at the Antican but paused halfway through remembering his proper Sickbay etiquette, "This way to bio-bed three."

Dogrov gestured to the bio-bed while he pulled his medical tricorder from his belt waiting for the Antican to situp on the bed. He would at least do the preliminary scans before Doctor Ryan Walsh had come over to take over the rest of the medical exam.

Margarar hopped on the bio bed, as it was taller than what she could readily sit upon. She said nothing as she watched the Tellarite do her job. "I do not understand the point of this. Being the only Antican in Starfleet, it is not like you can compare my bio signs to those of others similarly situated in Starfleet."

Dogrov snorted and then ground his teeth shaking his head, "You've have had several medical examinations at this point, Lieutenant Margarar. We run a diagnosis and use your previous medical scans to see if there's any changes."

"The only change is that I am aging 4 seconds to your every one in comparison," the Antican complained.

Dogrov looked up and heard the young doctor approach them. He made a joke with humour, "How is our patient?"

The Tellarite Nurse nodded his head, "Looks good so far." The Tellarite brought the preliminary scan data up onto the screen, "I'll leave you to it. If you need anything else, Doctor... please... wave me over."

The Tellarite nodded his head to the Antican and then to the Doctor and made his way to his next task in the relatively small Sickbay.

The Doctor.... Margarar sighed. This was his domain. This meant that he was in charge and she would obey but that did not mean that she had to like being here. The fresh face on the doctor was more disconcerting. He was likely just weaned from his mother's breasts. I am getting too old, Margarar thought to herself, as she sighed audibly and heavily. "So, Doctor, have my reproductive organs shriveled up yet? I know that I am old. Or is there other bad news that you have come to convey?"

Kennedy's cheeks pinkened brightly at the Antican's comment about her reproductive system. He gave her a toothy smile. He brought up the information while he read over it, "You're still good to reproduce. However, I give you three to five years."

"Sounds about right," Margarar replied despondently. She looked up at the doctor and said, "I really was not looking for the answer to that question, you know, right?"

"Once you step into my Sickbay any question you have will be answered honestly and to the point. I don't do rhetoricals. There's none of that in my line of work." Kennedy continued to look through the scan, "Have you been experiencing any cramps or swelling anywhere lately?"

"I see," Margarar reflected in a tone somewhere between abashed and disappointed in the obvious response. "So, in other words, your bedside manner is such that having a bunch of meaningless conversation to try and make me feel comfortable, I may actually get out of here in a reasonable amount of time." She looked up, feeling a bit better. "Refreshing."

"The commentary is unnecessary, Lieutenant." Doctor Kennedy continued, "Everyone has a different style on how they do things but at the end of the day its medicine that we practice. And I'm all about the medicine. Now, please. Answer my question."

Margarar was stunned to realize that she had not answered the question and that she conversed with the unusual doctor. She thought that she might like him. To have someone that just got straight to the point without all that nonsense small talk was admirable. "No cramps or swelling. Do you see some?" she wondered. After all, the tricorder should have revealed that without her verbal answer.

"That depends have you done anything strenuous or overworked any of your muscles since you came to board?" The Irish doctor brought up the medical scan on a PADD. He picked it up off the tray and passed it over to show her the readout. He circled his finger around the area that detect, "It's a good thing you came out or it could have ran into something worse. Would you like me to go ahead and treat it or do you have something more pressing to do?"

Margarar looked at the readout. She growled in annoyance. Running on fours had some disadvantages. It meant that all of the muscles were in play. Her left underarm had been bothering her but she was an Antican and had learned to hide minor injuries. Apparently, this was becoming worse, according to the doctor. "No," she huffed. "Just get it taken care of now. If I leave, you most likely won't see me back."

"You're always welcome in Sickbay," Kennedy gave her a friendly smile while he walked over to the station and grabbed the dermal regenerator. He set it to to muscle restoration and then established it to the preset from her last full medical scan to use as a baseline, "Can you please lift your left arm stretched out at the side please?"

Obediently, Margarar did as she was asked. "I may be welcome, but I do not have a desire to be injured or sick."

"Of course, no one wants to be injured or sick but I'm here nonetheless," Ryan Walsh continued, "Up in the air above your head?"

The Antican sighed and did as she was told.

"Now forward in front of you."

Margarar put it out in front of her, wrinkling her nose as she did so.

He watched the flexibility of her underarm and then stepped in closer and ran the dermal generator time underneath the lower bicep to below the area of her armpit, "How does that feel?"

Reluctantly, the Antican admitted, "Better. Thank you."

Kennedy returned the dermal regenerator to the tray and picked up the tricorder to continue scanning, "You're dismissed. Thank you."

Margarar thanked the doctor, hopped off the biobed, and headed back to duty.