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CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

INSPECTIVE MEASURES.

STARDATE 57651.44
APRIL 17, 2381
0800 HRS

[ Lt. JG Kate Foster | Personal Quarters | Deck 08 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Griffinsummoner

Laying peacefully on her bed, the sheets haphazardly strewn across her lithe body, Kate Foster was deep asleep. The day prior had been one of the most physically taxing in recent memory, as she had spent the first part of it working a double-shift in Main Sickbay, only to have her chance to rest spoiled by the calamity of an explosion that had befallen the ‘Spearhead Lounge’, mandating further sacrifice, and leaving her to perform a number of surgical procedures throughout the night. Her lone brief yet pleasant interlude having been spent in the company of one of the Lone Wolves; a charming and overtly interested female pilot, which caught something of a reciprocated interest from Kate. Alessia had made an initial gesture, which had devolved into something unexpected in a rather hasty fashion, yet duty and timing had dictated a delay for a least a short time. Though, Kate still found that her dreams had rather prominently featured her presence, her bravado, and a that smile that seemed to infect the blonde surgeon.

[The time is oh-seven-hundred.]

With a groan, Kate hefted her heavy head up from where it lay on the mattress, and she squinted through blurry eyes at the starfield just visible beyond the viewport near her bed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She exclaimed in exhaustion, the three-hours that she’d been afforded as a means of sleep having passed by in what felt like the blink of an eye.

[I’m afraid not, Doctor Foster.] answered Thea, despite however rhetorical Kate’s rebuke had been.

Deliberately, Kate plopped her head down onto the bed out of frustration before she gradually began to emerge out from under the sheets, the same uniform that she’d been wearing most of the night still clung form-fittingly to her as she sat up. She desperately wanted to lay back down and steal a few more winks of sweet respite from the waken world. To dream a little more of her friendly company from the night prior. But she knew that people were counting on her skilled and practiced hands, as there were a number of surgical procedures that still needed to be performed. Some which were life-threatening, other which were far less imperative, but which still warranted her attention. Everyone in Medical was earning their stripes today, and it would have been exceedingly selfish of Kate to have opted out of work because she wanted to sleep. No, she needed to suck it up, and get moving. So it was, with a deep sigh of reticence, that she stood up from bed and approached the bathroom of her quarters, delicate hand working to strip away the old uniform from her, and letting it fall wherever as she desperately needed the refreshment of a shower.

50ish minutes later.

[ Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ]

Stepping into Sickbay, Kate sipped at the aluminum tumbler of coffee in one hand, while the other brushed her still damp asymmetrical blonde hair behind her right ear. There were weary exhausted faces everywhere she looked, as some had yet to be relieved from duty. But for the most part, the chaotic atmosphere which had permeated some hours earlier had settled down to within normal parameters. Even the many Klingons that were milling about seemed more reserved in the manner in which they were conversing, their voices settled down from the general overly boisterous volume that they were notorious for. What was even nicer, was that they seemed to afford the petite blonde woman far more space than they had the night prior, as none of them made any moves meant to elicit her companionship. It was the first time in almost two months that she’d been surrounded by so many of them, without at least one of them trying to add her to their list of conquered women. If anything, it was refreshing.

“You're here before me?” Kate exclaimed in surprise when she saw Ensign Janteel reading a PADD nearby main reception. He was her direct subordinate, and arguably the second most skilled surgeon on Theurgy. In the short time that she’d been aboard, the two of them had come to develop a pleasant enough professional friendship.

“Only just barely.” He replied, holding the PADD he’d been reading for Kate to take. “Today’s list. Minor procedures mostly; your Klingon patient with the ruptured bowel the only real stand out, to be honest.” The patient in question had been one that Nurse Vojona had been treating, and which had required emergency surgery after having re-aggravated an injury sustained during the explosion. They’d managed to stabilize and stave off septic shock, but he had been left with a temporary colostomy while they attempted to grow a replacement portion of his large-intestines, which would be surgically replaced within him at some point during the day, though that procedure was still likely a few hours off. For now, Kate would see to less demanding work, just as Janteel would. Scrolling the list, she found one that had been scheduled for 0800, and knew she’d take it. Something relatively simple that she could get done while she was effectively still waiting for caffeine to hit her.

“I’ll take Leblanc.” She explained, handing the PADD back to Janteel. “You handle the other oh-eight-hundred procedure?” she posited.

“Got it. The Petty Officer is in the ICU, he was sedated last night, but I believe he’s likely awake by now.” Janteel explained, as he set the PADD back down on the receptionist’s desk and moved to head off to the PCU. “Catch you later for lunch?” he asked, the gesture innocent enough as Kate had already ascertained the Bajoran man’s preference for his own gender when it came to companionship.

“If we get a lunch!” Kate retorted, before she too left the receptionist’s desk, headed for the ICU.

A moment later, Kate stepped into the Intensive Care Unit, and for a moment she appraised the general situation. Immediately she could see that Nurse Duncan had finally called it a quits for the night, as she had been the last member of the surgical staff still yet lingering when Kate and the others had departed. As it was, only Ensign Kitty Ellison was to be found, tending to another Klingon patient. Kate had yet to really work, or become acquainted with the bubbly blonde nurse, but she seemed proficient in how she went about her business. Affording her a little smile and a nod as they caught each other’s attention, Kate approached the third bio-bed, wherein lie her patient. “Petty Officer Leblanc?” She spoke to him softly, the tangerine-hue of her eyes glinting slightly as the bright overhead lights were caught within them. “Good morning. I’m Doctor Foster, how’re you feeling today?” She asked, punching up the medical readout at the head of his bed to get an up-to-date understanding of his vital signs.

The man had sustained a series of burns and wounding to the left side of his body, most notably his arm. From what she’d read in the report, he had been tending to an EPS conduit when a surge caused by the ‘Spearhead Lounge’ bombing had caused an overload. He was lucky to have survived, as EPS blowouts could fry a person’s nervous system in an instant, killing them.

OOC: Tagging other writers who's characters are mentioned in this post. @Shandala @Aharon

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #1 –
Day 01, 2135h
[ PO1 Scruffy Leblanc | Maintenance shaft | Deck 14 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ]

I knew this was going to be a long day...

Scruffy had arrived some ten minutes or so earlier to a rather cramped section of the crawlspace between decks, working on some late-night alert that Ops had handed to Engineering.  But because of cleaning up everything aboard the Allegiant, he had still been in Engineering at the time and had been ordered to check out the situation immediately.  Something about some strange feedback coming from the EPS line on Deck 14.  With everything else that had been going on lately, his superiors weren't taking chances with anything that could spill over from one Vector to another.  As if I hadn't already helped save the ship once today.  But he certainly wasn't going to risk word getting back to Tiran if he pointed out how long he had already been on shift and he wasn't even sure of the security clearance required for what he and T'Less had just dealt with, so using that as an excuse was out, too.

So, here he was, rolled onto his back, left arm wedged at an uncomfortable angle, trying to run the detail scanner along the conduit to find the problem.  His eyes were on the readout display in his other hand, but with some in-regulation micro abrasions that fit typical wear-and-tear, he hadn't yet found anything to indicate what might have set off an automated alert.

Suddenly, a deep rumble set the deckplates around him vibrating, his eyes wide and on alert.  An audio alarm pulled his attention back to the readout.  A resonance pulse was causing a power surge through this section, and with the paneling opened up for his scans there was a good chance of rupture.  He tried to extract his arm, but it got stuck in his panic.  He barely managed to wrench it free and roll to the side when there was a bright flash and everything went dark.
-------
Day 02, 0800h
[ PO1 Scruffy Leblanc | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Swift

Quote
"Good morning. I'm Doctor Foster, how're you feeling today?"

Scruffy opened his bright blue eyes and looked up into those of the cute doctor standing next to him.  "Not too bad, all considering.," he said with an easygoing smile. "I couldn't get much information out of the lovely Nurse Ellison, but given that I'm immobilized and can't feel most of my left side, I take it I was in pretty bad shape when I arrived.  Have to say, Doc, that I've got a terrible itch developing in several areas."

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #2 –
[ Lt. JG Kate Foster | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Griffinsummoner

As an updated readout of her patient’s vital signs flashed up on the screen at the head of his bio-bed, Kate saw that aside from moderately increased blood-pressure, likely due to a level of discomfort from having been stuck in the same position throughout the night, that the Petty Officer was well within normal parameters. A suspensory field had been activated by the bio-bed’s immobilizing unit, meant to ensure that none of the small shrapnel fragments still within Scruffy’s body migrated someplace else during the night. Many of his wounding had already been healed, case in point only a small portion of the burns he’d sustained during the EPS conduit rupture were still present, but there were still some places which required additional attention. Given how intense the night was, the Doctor that had treated him during the night had performed the healing measures which were mandated by immediacy but left those that weren’t necessarily of the life-threatening variety for the morning shift to pick up on.

Her gaze soon shifted back to the handsome features of his face when he began to answer her query, and Kate immediately took notice of the strikingly blue tone to his sharp eyes. She had already been about to afford him a sweetly genuine smile of habit, when his attempt at humor caught her off-guard, and she let a little slip of laughter escape.

“If you’d like, I could ask one of the Klingons neighboring your bio-bed to scratch it for you?” She teased in kind, reaching out with her delicate hands to examine at the exposed portion of his upper torso, as his uniform had been stripped of him upon being admitted the night prior. Leaning in closer and tilting the pate of her head to the side, she seemed to examine the upper-most portion of his left-pectoral muscle until that same blonde length of hair slipped free from behind her ear and draped down across her face. Though she ignored it as her hands began to probe gently against his chest, feeling for something for a minute or so before she spoke again. “Okay... well, when the EPS conduit burst; oh yeah, I suppose you might not know that. Well, you do now... anyway, aside from burning the good portion of your left arm, upper-torso, and abdomen; it also jettisoned a number of small metallic fragments which lodged themselves into you. From what I’ve read of the report from your admission last night, most of the larger pieces have been removed already, but there are still a few left inside.” Kate pulled her hands away from his body, and actuated a console attached to the bio-bed, getting a fresh scan of Scruffy so that she could pinpoint the location of those remaining pieces.

“You’re unable to feel anything, because of the immobilization field being projected into and onto you. It’s helping keep the...” she waited until the screen flashed with a new deep tissue scan. “...two pieces in your pectoral, three pieces in your shoulder, four pieces in your forearm, and one in your wrist; it's keeping them in place. Otherwise they could have hitched a ride in your circulatory system and found their way to your heart... among several areas.” She winked at him wryly as she turned about to retrieve a nearby medical cart, bringing it closer to the side of his bio-bed.

“Once they’ve all been removed, we can deactivate the suspensory field, and you’ll be able to feel your left side again.” She explained, having retrieved a hypospray, her intent at sedating him once more clear, though there was time for him to refuse if he was so inclined.

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #3 –
[ PO1 Scruffy Leblanc | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Swift

Quote
"If you'd like, I could ask one of the Klingons neighboring your bio-bed to scratch it for you?"

Scruffy tensed slightly as she reached for his shoulder, though it was more anticipatory than any anxious response.  His gaze following her delicate hand, he relaxed when he saw her make contact, even if he couldn't feel it.  Which was weird enough, he supposed.  "Eh, I'll be happy enough to be able to scratch it myself, once I can move.  Probably more psychosomatic than anything, anyway," he finished with a completely straight face, before throwing her a wink.  His eye couldn't help but follow the bit of hair that hung in front of her face as she leaned in close.

Then his ears caught up with her description of what happened. "Oh.  Wow.  That makes sense.  I definitely remember getting the maintenance assignment, but not much after climbing into the Jeffries access.  If I made a mistake, Tiran's going to have my head."

His eyes glanced in the direction of his various regions as she tallied the shrapnel.  "My heart can take quite a bit of abuse, Doc, I'm just glad it didn't shred my arm.  Having two definitely comes in handy."  He saw her retrieve the hypospray from her tray.  "If it is all the same to you, I'd rather stay conscious.  I can't feel it anyway, right, and I'm really not tired.  Besides, I'd appreciate hearing more about what I missed."

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #4 –
[ Lt. JG Kate Foster | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Griffinsummoner

The Petty Officer was surprisingly easy-going, Kate found herself thinking as she listened to him play off her teasing. The manner in which he had deflected the reality of his situation; how he had very nearly come to be incinerated by an exploding power relay, was just another testament to the resiliency of Theurgy and its crew. The slight smirk that had settled upon the periphery of her sharp lips stretched a little more when he returned her wry wink, with one of his own which echoed the amused sentiment of their interaction. Yet as he explained the few details of what had befallen him, and that which had prompted his admission under her care and stead, it dawned on Kate that Leblanc was possibly without any awareness of the total scope of the situation. The grim realization that she’d have to be the one to explain the matter to him, settled in at the pit of her stomach, just as it had every time, she’d had to explain it previously. Delivering bad news was something that every Doctor had to come to terms with, but after last night she’d assumed that for the most part anyone and everyone had come to know the sum of the butcher’s bill.

“Umm...” Kate’s pleasant expression waivered as she reached for a sonic-separator and a tissue tractor.

Taking a step closer to the immobilized man, Kate leant across him ever so slightly so as to better reach the upper-most portion of his exposed left-pectoral muscle, while a free hand slipped the still damp lock of blonde hair back behind her ear so that she could better see. “You can rest easy in that the EPS conduit overload wasn’t your fault.” She began to explain, as she reached out with her delicate hands to find the general vicinity of where one of the micro-fragments had pierced his toned flesh. “But... I’m afraid the root cause is probably worse. There was... umm... an explosion in the Spearhead Lounge.” She began to explain, using the sonic-separator to make a small incision just below the root of his collar-bone, after which she held the tissue tractor over it, and let it’s blue attraction field reach into and gradually pull free the first fragment. Thanks to the suspensory field, he’d not feel an iota of what Kate was doing, but Kate still found it necessary to afford him a reassuring glance as she went about caring for him.

“The... investigation is ongoing, but the general belief is that the explosion was an act of sabotage, rather than an accident.”

The first fragment freed from his flesh, Kate deposited the crimson-soaked piece of what she assumed to be duranium into a nearby dish, only to then retrieve a sub-dermal regenerator with which she could first heal any internal wounding it had caused. An instant later, she set that tool down, and selected a dermal regenerator that would seal up the wound from the outside, a practiced procedure that she was decided deft with. “As of now, there are thirteen dead. Seven Klingons from the Chancellor’s retinue, six... umm...” Kate struggled to find the right words, but the sentiment was clear by how her voice had trailed. Six members of Theurgy had tragically been killed in the explosion. With a sorrowful sigh, Kate recovered the sonic-separator and tissue tractor so as to repeat the process on the next piece of imbedded fragmentation in the Petty Officer’s pectoral. “Twenty-seven others were injured too.” The extent of those injuries were wide in range and variety, as Kate herself had experienced throughout the night, though she declined to go into much too much detail at the moment.

Sensing how such a revelation might trouble him, Kate once again let her tangerine-hued eyes trail over to find his of blue, meant to offer a semblance of comfort to him.

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #5 –
[ PO1 Scruffy Leblanc | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Swift

Scruffy smiled as Doctor Foster leaned in what could have, in other circumstances, been uncomfortably close, his eyes betraying a hint of nervousness as they danced between her face and what he could follow of her hands.

Quote
"You can rest easy in that the EPS conduit overload wasn't your fault. But... I'm afraid the root cause is probably worse. There was... umm... an explosion in the Spearhead Lounge."

Scruffy almost sighed in relief, half-jokingly, at the news the rupture wasn't his fault, but something in the good doctor's tone made him hesitate.  When she mentioned an explosion in the lounge his breath did catch.  His mind began racing, only distantly following her words, trying to remember anything more of what had happened to him, wondering if the conduit explosion was a symptom or consequence.  But until he could recover his memories, or go over the site, he wouldn't know if there was anything he should have noticed.

Quote
"As of now, there are thirteen dead. Seven Klingons from the Chancellor's retinue, six... umm..." Kate struggled to find the right words, but the sentiment was clear by how her voice had trailed. Six members of Theurgy had tragically been killed in the explosion. "Twenty-seven others were injured too."

Scruffy's mind caught up with her words, the number of dead quickly becoming a focus.  His heartrate and blood-pressure began to climb as the first stages of what could be a panic attack developed.  He had been really lucky, more so than he cared to admit.  And burns and shrapnel had landed him as a low-priority patient.  As bad as the rupture he was caught in had been, if he had been much closer to the lounge...

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #6 –
[ Lt. JG Kate Foster | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Griffinsummoner

Having just barely removed the second such piece of crimson-soaked metallic shrapnel from her patient’s left pectoral, Kate’s focus suddenly shifted as an indicating alarm at the head of the bio-bed chirped. The readout displayed a gradually elevated heart and respiratory rate, commensurate with a general spike in Leblanc’s blood-pressure, but it wasn’t anything to be too concerned about just yet. Besides which, it made sense that he’d have some kind of a visceral reaction to the news that she’d just relayed. Likewise depositing the piece of shrapnel into the collection cup, Kate set the tissue tractor down, and once more retrieved the sub-dermal regenerator so that she could heal his flesh at a micro-cellular level, prior to closing the wound with a dermal regenerator. “Two down. Another eight to go, and you’ll be free to escape me, and go about returning to duty.” She explained, hoping that her reassuring words might quell some of the mounting anxiety that had sprung up within him.

Still, she would keep a close watch on his steadily increasing vitals. It was of paramount importance to keep them within certain parameters, otherwise the suspensory field projected upon him would lose effect, and allow him to not only feel his wounding, but to also regain control of his body. The dangers there being, he might unintentionally cause the remaining pieces of shrapnel to shift, and perhaps migrate throughout him.

“Just try to relax, yeah?” She requested of him, the tone of her voice soft, and meant to be reassuring once more. She imagined such a request was easier said, than done, given whatever thoughts might be racing through his mind. He probably had a good bunch of questions which dictated most of the unrest within him, and maybe if he felt more informed, and in control of something she could prevent such a panic-attack from truly setting in. Then again, maybe distraction was a better approach. It really all depended on the individual person, and unfortunately Kate hadn’t really come to know him, or much of the rest of the crew just yet. Rather than make an attempt either way, as it seemed a fifty-fifty proposition at best, Kate decided instead to just keep quiet and pick up the pace in removing the next piece of shrapnel from his body, shifting over to hover above his exposed left-shoulder. Her hands working dutifully as she repeated the process of extraction, and subsequent healing on the first piece of shrapnel there, and the third piece overall.

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #7 –
[ PO1 Scruffy Leblanc | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Swift

"Two down. Another eight to go, and you'll be free to escape me, and go about returning to duty."

The update on the progress washed right over him without interrupting his hurtling train of thought.  He looked back, much further than last night, and every risk he had taken, every time had been cavalier with his life, flew past his vision.  He looked forward, and struggled to peer through the fog to see anything that showed he had been here.  He thought of his grandmother, worried and waiting, and pictured the worst when he thought of what news of his death would do to her.  His parents... with everything going on, he didn't know what their respective ships had gone through recently.  He hadn't received word of their deaths, but with communication with the Fleet being what it is, that wasn't a guarantee.

"Just try to relax, yeah?"

And he had done nothing to honor their contributions.  Oh, he finished his grandfather's van, and followed his parents into space, but what did that matter beyond himself.  He had no legacy of his own, and here he was just coasting through life.  More-so than any guidance counselor or mentor had ever done, there was suddenly a real pressure on him to do something.  If he had died last night, anyone could have replaced him and things would have continued unaffected.  He had to do something with his life, he just had no idea what at the moment.

Well, it looks like I have a bit of time to figure that out.  But I have a feeling things are going to be busy in Engineering.

With that thought, his body began to relax again, his heartrate and blood pressure slowly dropping back toward normal.  His mind finally began to catch up with his ears, processing what the doctor had said, though his response was just noticeably delayed.  "Yeah, I hear you, Doc. If I had to be stuck anywhere, at least I'm somewhere with a great view."  He gave a shaky smile, an echo of the smirk he gave her earlier.

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #8 –
[ Lt. JG Kate Foster | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Griffinsummoner

Having removed a second piece of crimson-soaked shrapnel from Scruffy’s left shoulder, Kate was mindful of the vitals readout displayed above her patient’s head on the bio-monitor. She was ready to take more direct action in bringing him back from the verge of adrenaline induced panic-attack if necessary, though she obviously preferred to ease him down with reassurance, rather than sedation. Still, as her gaze trailed back and forth between the bio-monitor, and the care she was tending unto his toned arm, she could sense that there was something at play within his mind. There was a concerned expression transfixed across the handsome features of his face, and she wondered what it was that had driven him attention far and away from where he was in actuality. Not possessing the extra-sensory capabilities of her sibling, Kate had to make-due with assumptions based on rationale; and given the crisis of which Theurgy had experienced the night prior, she imagined that his thoughts were awash with worry for his crewmates.

Yet just as soon as he had seemed to relax, maybe in adherence to her wishes, his attention seemed to snap back from where it had strayed, and he paid her something of a mildly flirty, yet amusing sentiment all the same.

Rolling her tangerine-eyes in accordance, Kate couldn’t hold back a broader grin from crossing her face. Little moments which could distract her, and anyone from the past day or so were more than appreciated by the Medical Staff. It was nigh-impossible for her and her colleagues to escape the consequences of the traumatic events of the previous night because it was their duty to tend to the injured and wounded. Other members of the crew might have been able to find escape from reality by focusing on their work, that wasn’t a luxury extended to Kate and her colleagues. Few understood the immense personal and emotional toll that healthcare workers were burdened with, and even fewer seemed to extend any sense of courtesy or appreciation of that sacrifice. At least in the moment however, the Petty Officer laying before her seemed to extend a notion which could be construed as appreciation. For that, Kate was grateful, and in between a switch from one tool to the next, she let one of her delicate hands come to a rest gently on the centerline of his chest in a further gesture of comfort, and reassurance.

“So, Schubert...” she casually used his given name, unaware of his personal preference for the nickname that he’d garnered in life. “...when you’re not crawling through the bowels of the ship, how does a man like you like to spend his time?” the distracting question was innocent enough, through there may have been a hint of personal consideration at stake for the blonde doctor, however coyly she tried to play it off. Carefully, Kate removed her hand from where it had nestled against his chest, and found the sonic-separator once more, as she was set to remove the last piece of shrapnel from his shoulder.

“That is, whenever there is time for such frivolities?”

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #9 –
[ PO1 Scruffy Leblanc | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Swift

His smile grew more genuine as he saw her roll her eyes and grin, the moment helping to distract both of them from the circumstances.  His warm gaze fell on her hand as it settled on his sternum, though it twitched slightly at her use of his given name.  "Please, Doc, friends and colleagues alike call me 'Scruffy.'  Started as a jab, but I made it my own.  As for rec, I get in my share of holodeck time, spelunking and experiencing historical holonovels.  Get to the gym occasionally for endurance fitness, and read both for pleasure and professional interest.  A fair share of my time I guess I just try to relax with music, strumming along on my Ukulele or playing solo."

As he spoke, he continued to follow her work as best he could with what little movement he was afforded, though his gaze couldn't help dancing across her slim face now and then.  He admired the focus in her eyes, the way she seemed to be able to push everything else aside.  A useful skill for a surgeon, to be sure.  But even with the casual conversation, he appreciated the compassion she displayed.

And hey, she laughed at his jokes; that never hurt to put one at ease.

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #10 –
[ Lt. JG Kate Foster | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Griffinsummoner

Having detected how he was further relaxing, both by the manner in which he was starting to beam in reaction to her and also by the readout of his vital signs displayed on the console monitor above his head, Kate in turn felt more relaxed in her own right. She was becoming relatively confident that she’d not need to call Kitty over for help in subduing a panicked patient. That was good because it meant that she could more completely focus on removing the shrapnel from the left side of his body.

“Scruffy it is.” She acknowledged simply, understanding how one might have come to prefer a nickname to such a unique given name.

After she’d closed up the last wound on surface of his left deltoid, Kate gently trailed her right hand down the length of his bicep until she found the first piece of shrapnel at the upper-most cusp of his forearm. From what she’d seen of his bio-scan, this one particular fragment was by far the largest to have pierced his flesh and was the closest to any major blood vessel; there wasn’t too much of a threat of migration, given the size of the fragment, but if removed carelessly it could lacerate the artery and lead to other obvious complications. Leaning in ever so slightly, Kate listened as the handsome man went on to expand about his personal proclivities, while her hands found the sonic-separator once more. Carefully she made a slightly larger incision than any she had previously and swapped for the tissue-tractor so that she could go about removing the foreign object. “It’s uhh... definitely nice to be on a ship with so many of them. Holodecks, I mean.” She had herself indulged in a few trips to them since coming aboard Theurgy, and even though one such trip may have gone a little awry, she had thoroughly enjoyed each of them. “...and yeah, I can tell you have a fitness streak.” She commented, her tangerine-eyes slipping away from where they had been focused on her arm for a faint moment, as they trailed over his exposed and exceedingly fit upper-torso.

Sensing how it might have seemed a little unprofessional, she searched for any excuse she could make to redirect her thought as she furrowed her brow in consternation. “Your uhh... bio-scan shows how good of shape you’re in.” Clearing her throat audibly, she delicately removed the nearly two-centimeter chunk of crimson soaked jagged metal from Scruffy’s forearm, and after holding it up so that both he and she could see it in better light, she set it down into the collection cup nearby. “I’m ashamed to admit it, but...” she grinned cutely for a moment before she selected the next necessary tool to continue the procedure. “...I’ve always kind of had an affinity for cheesy romance holonovels. Contrived narratives and plot conveniences all.” Transitioning to another subsequent tool, Kate carefully closed up the incision she’d made so that there was no hint of it having ever existed in the first place. “But... I also enjoy some more exhilarating activities.” There was a momentary pause as she went feeling for the next wound on his forearm.

“Have you had a chance to check out any of the cave complexes on Vulcan? There’s a nice selection of them in the database here on Theurgy.” Her tone suggested firsthand experience, and another interest they had in commonality.

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #11 –
[ PO1 Scruffy Leblanc | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Swift

Scruffy couldn't feel her trailing his arm, but he definitely noticed she took her time removing the last piece from his bicep.  He didn't miss her eyes trailing over his torso, before jumping up above his head with an obvious excuse.  Of course, he didn't call her out on it, he definitely wanted to avoid a nervous/embarrassed doctor doing surgery on him with shaky hands.  "Though maybe I'll save that for later on down the line."

Then his focus was entirely on the shrapnel piece she extracted from his arm, his breath catching a moment.  But he managed to get control and turn his mind away from it before he could go too far down that path again.  He smirked at her as she revealed her "weakness" for romance holonovels.  "I don't know, Doc.  Some of those romance stories can be quite exhilarating."

"I haven't had the chance to check out any of the Vulcan caves, yet, no.  But I certainly wouldn't mind the challenge, especially if the holodeck simulates the higher gravity.  It'd certainly be much better with a guide, though.  Got any recommendations?"  He intentionally left it open whether he was asking for locations or guides in that question.

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #12 –
[ Lt. JG Kate Foster | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Griffinsummoner

The process of removing the debris from where it had embedded itself within Scruffy’s arm was becoming second nature to Kate, though to an extent it was already a tried and true method that she’d honed through her years as a Surgeon. Still, she wouldn’t waver in the level of care and adeptness that she afforded the handsome man, as he was under her stead, and she took her profession with the utmost sincerity. If the rest of her life was in a state of disarray, which it surely was, she could at least keep this aspect of it clean and focused. Though she couldn’t entirely escape the possible personal consideration that had been teased between the two of them as she went about caring for his injuries, as Kate picked up on the mild bedside flirting at play, and in fact hat offered some of her own in reciprocation. Besides, given the nature of the degree in which they now existed aboard Theurgy, and how tumultuous the previous hours had been, a little bit of distracting fun wouldn’t do anyone any harm.

With a slight chuckle as she was pulling another crimson-laden piece of shrapnel from his forearm, Kate searched for the right words to use in response to his comment about her predilection for romance holonovels. “I suppose exhilarating is one way to put it.” She teased, letting her eyes roll a little in acknowledgement of the double-entendre of her chosen words.

“Well... like I said, there’s a nice selection of them. Of which I’ve only had a chance to check out one; the Osana Caverns, but that’s mostly because I’ve actually been there... y’know, like for real. But I do want to check out some of the cave systems that run throughout the Vuldi Gorge, and maybe also The Forge since in a holodeck I needn’t worry too much about Sehlats, and the burn of the womb of fire.” She in fact was starting to appreciate the adventurous nature of Theurgy and its crew, since her interest in such extreme exploration rarely seemed to be shared among previous friends and colleagues. “It would be nice to have a bit of company the next time I go. Maybe instead of crawling through Jeffries Tubes, you’d... y’know, want to crawl with me. Through the caves, I mean.” She quickly corrected herself, clearing her throat as she found the dermal regenerator and resumed closing up a wound on his forearm.

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #13 –
[ PO1 Scruffy Leblanc | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Swift

Well, that settled it.  He definitely enjoyed seeing that smile play across her face.  Her eyes were especially expressive, and not just because their unusual color drew focus.  He could tell they were past the worst of the shrapnel by the ease with which she approached his forearm, and what he saw of the pieces she removed didn't dispute that.  Seeing her relax her focus, but not her attention, helped him relax as well, as he listened to her talk about her climbing desires.

"I've always been fascinated by The Forge since I first heard about it," Scruffy agreed.  "I suppose we could save the Sehlats for when we have more combative company," he joked, referring to both crew and guests that have been aboard of late.  He figured some of the Klingons, at the least, might appreciate the challenge.

He couldn't help but smirk at her word choice when she invited him along, and didn't bother resisting the urge to tease her this time.  "I suspect Engineering will have me doing plenty of Jeffries' tube crawling once I'm back on duty, but I'm sure I'd enjoy crawling with you, anywhere. And exploring caves sounds fun, too."

"I don't know how much free time we're going to get for a while.  If the ship is running straight into another conflict, we'll probably both be on call or working extra shifts as needed.  But whenever we do get time, it'd be great to get in some holodeck time together."

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #14 –
[ Lt. JG Kate Foster | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Griffinsummoner

Her hands finding the final piece of shrapnel which had been lodged within his muscular flesh, Kate went about removing it in as delicate and careful a manner as she had the previous number of times. All the while, she let her patient take up his end of their pleasant and distracting conversation, allowing herself to listen with a modest sense of glee evident in her outward expression.

“Yeah, if it’s all the same, I’d uhh... rather avoid any unnecessary Klingon engagements.” She winked to him in teasing fashion before she glanced about her a moment to ensure that none were within earshot, and after leaning in a little closer she whispered softly to him. “There’s only so much oafish grab-assing a girl can take, before she feels the need to start offering knees to groins in return.”

Indeed the petite Doctor had experienced more than her fair share of untoward advances from the warrior race since having come aboard the IKS ChunDab some two months earlier, at the beginning what was to be her journey to Theurgy. When she arrived and discovered that she wouldn’t be free from their grubby and overtly sexual interest, she was more than annoyed. It wasn’t that Kate was prudish, if anything she was far from it, but while old Kate might have been acquiescent to such advances, new Kate didn’t so overtly appreciate the blatantly disrespectful tone as they had been shown her. These days, she found that she generally preferred a more subtle interest as it was being shown, which was most certainly the case unfolding in this moment, even if there was a hint of playfully overt interest lying just beneath the surface.

As was soon evidenced by his reciprocated word-play, which summoned a rather succinct chuckle from Kate, though not meant in any dismissive sense, rather than as further hint that she was enjoying her time spent at his side. “I’ll have to see about making that happen then.” She jested, being deliberately vague as to which aspect she was expressing a concerted interest in, be it ‘crawling’ together, or exploring. “...and I imagine you’re right.” She lamented as the last piece of shrapnel was deposited into the collection cup, and she went about healing his wounds. “I think we’re headed for stormy weather.” Content that her work restoring the condition of skin on his toned arms was complete, Kate gently padded him on the bicep before she stood up to access the command console on his bed, deactivating the suppression field, and essentially allowing Scruffy to move and feel once more. Simultaneously she depressed a hypospray against his arm, just beneath his deltoid and administered a mild analgesic which would dull any potential discomfort or neurological pain from his injuries.

“Well, that should do it.” She said, reaching out to brace gently against his left collar, so as to ease him back into feeling once more. “You might feel some... umm, lingering sensations from how the suppression field worked against your body.” She let her eyes trail down over him once more in emphasis of her point, but perhaps to also take further stock of it for personal considerations.

“Let’s make sure your arm feels... normal.”

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #15 –
[ PO1 Scruffy Leblanc | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Swift

Scruffy's face soured, briefly, as she mentioned the sexually aggressive behavior of the Klingons.  He had seen his fair share of it and it always conflicted with the individual respect his grandparents had raised him with.  There's only so much of that I can stand being in the presence of, I can't imagine the restraint with being subject to that much of it.  When she whispered conspiratorially, he responded, "Yeah, I've been known to throw a punch or two when someone isn't getting the hint.  Although when defending yourself you have to be more careful that you strike the right blow, so your message is understood."

He couldn't help but give her a broad grin when she seemed to agree with spending more time together.  He watched her clean up the incisions on his arm before dropping the forcefield.  Movement returned to him much faster than sensation, and he began with doing some minimal flexing of his hand and arm.  He was definitely grateful for feeling her hand against his collar, though.  And not just because his first instinct was to sit up after lying still so long.

He again caught her gaze sweeping his form as she talked about "lingering sensations," but resisted making too obvious a joke about it.  "Yeah, there's definitely a bit of a tingle on that side, but I'm already getting pressure-awareness back in the arm.  Were there any particular tests you wanted to perform?" He put his hand through some dexterity exercises, each pass being more coordinated.  "Yeah, seems you put me back in order, Doc.  Glad to be in such good hands."  His tone was neutral, but there was definitely a sparkle in his eye at that.

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #16 –
[ Lt. JG Kate Foster | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Griffinsummoner

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Given how aggressive Klingon mating rituals can be, I better be careful were I am.” She mused along with him, nodding with a likewise understanding that what might have been considered a pretty strong rejection, may have been misconstrued as something altogether different under the right, or rather wrong circumstances. She in fact imagined that Scruffy might have elicited a similarly strong approach from the female members of Martok’s retinue, given his handsome features alone.

“Be glad I’m not a Klingon, otherwise I might headbutt you here and now.” She teased him, though there was of course a less than subtle hidden subtext.

“...and let’s save the celebration for later.” She commented, helping him to sit up carefully with her hand still place gently against his left collar, the other reaching to cradle the middle of his back before she shifted in her stance. “Humor me, yeah?” She watched his reactions as she found his wrist with her left hand, and once more placed her right against his firm deltoid, then guided him into extending it up and out in front of him. While there was still the personal attraction at play in a sense, Kate’s professionalism took over as she wanted to be sure that he wasn’t feeling any serious amount of discomfort or pain. Keeping his arm extended before her, Kate pressed against his shoulder, then his bicep, then elbow gingerly so as to induce sensations which would reveal any lingering injuries that she had missed. All the while, she monitored the expression of his face for feedback. “How’s that feel? Any pain?” It was likely he felt some tenderness, and perhaps some lingering ache even through the effect of the analgesic she had given him, but she was still counting on it being slight, if at all.

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #17 –
[ PO1 Scruffy Leblanc | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Swift

"Be glad I'm not a Klingon, otherwise I might headbutt you here and now."

Scruffy had a very brief look of shock flash across his face with her tease, that being one of the more blatant lines the lovely doctor had used on him this morning.  "I'd rather you didn't.  I just woke up, don't need a concussion, too."

On her mention of a "celebration", his mind couldn't help but spin that a couple ways.  Definitely an improvement over the tracks his mind had been going down earlier.  His gaze drifted off while he sat up with her assistance, liking the touch at his back and the proximity it put them in.

There was definitely some tingling in his arm as she helped him extend it, but given that it was more pronounced the closer to his wrist she got, he was willing to attribute it to the fading anesthesia, rather than the personal contact.  "No pain.  I can feel you pushing on it, but that's mostly it."  He focused on closing his fist, trying to do it in a controlled manner and paying close attention to the feeling of his muscles in his arm responding accordingly, his eyes drifting closed.

"Yeah, I definitely feel like I could do my job in short order.  Though that might be the lingering effects of the field."  He opened his eyes and looked sidelong at her.  "If anything changes, I'll be sure to let you know personally."  It was pretty clear he enjoyed the attention he was getting.  Now that he was upright, he couldn't help a quick look around this part of sickbay (he wasn't in here often, after all), noting any other glances his way.

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #18 –
[ Lt. JG Kate Foster | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Griffinsummoner

“Yeah, I uhh... I guess I wouldn’t want to add even more of you to my workload.” She remarked, enjoying their playful banter as it was unfolding. There was definitely a sense of relief that Kate had selected this patient and procedure as one she would start off with this morning, as it would hopefully snowball into a more pleasant day than the previous had been.

She indeed watched for his reactions, gauging each of them in respect to how she would press against and direct the movements of his arm, knowing instinctively through her training and experience, which was normal, and which weren’t. As it was, she felt confident by the way his face didn’t contort in too negative a fashion, that he was for the most part on the upside of recovery, and that she’d done a thorough enough job to warrant his being cleared from her care. Though, she wasn’t so careless as to allow him to return to active duty so quickly, no matter how much personal bravado may have dictated such a request on his part. It would have been unfair to have expected him to conduct himself with the same level of professional care as he had prior to his injuries. No, he needed time to properly recover, and to work out any lingering kinks which may have yet to present themselves. It was a commonality among the crew, and especially of her male patients to try and return to full duty as soon as possible, and while some of them had the rank with which to ignore and override her recommendations, poor Petty Officer First Class Scruffy LeBlanc did not.

“Hang on there, handsome.” She remarked, raising an eyebrow so as to draw back his attention as it seemed to wander astray. She imagine that by now, Kitty and perhaps some of the other patients had taken note of the physically fit officer sitting more attentively upon his bio-bed. A quick peak over her shoulder, she saw indeed that Ellison had cast a wayward glance in their direction, before returning to her own duties. “I’m not clearing you for duty just yet.” She reached for a nearby PADD, noticing how it’s frame had sustained a modicum of damage at some point in past, likely from her having tossed it out anger over an argument with another patient. Regardless, she punched up Scruffy’s medical log, and began to input a few commands with one of her delicate hands. “I’m giving you twenty-four hours mandatory rest and relaxation.” Raising a finger in advance of what she expected a protestation on his part, Kate continued. “The Engineering staff will have to make do without you for at least that long, and I’m sure they will. If anyone has an issue with that, they can take it up with me, and Lieutenant Kobol  if necessary.”

Setting the PADD down, Kate crossed her arms over her chest and appraised him. “You’re free now, by the way.” She smirked.

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #19 –
[ PO1 Scruffy Leblanc | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Swift

Scruffy pulled up a tad when she called his attention back, and especially so with the nickname she used, thus missing any other attention they had garnered.  When he said she wasn't clearing him for duty for 24 hours, a part of him was definitely relieved.  He needed time to get his thoughts in order so he'd be ready to face whatever Blue threw at him when he was next in Engineering.  His fault or not, he expected a tongue-lashing for getting caught in the conduit rupture.

He watched her enter the order into her PADD, and couldn't help but smile when she expected him to protest the break.  She obviously hadn't heard his reputation.  He still held that smile when she looked him over.  "And it would seem I'm free until tomorrow morning.  I'd ask if you were as well this evening as thanks for the attentive care," his smile faltered a little at the implication of his next words, "but I don't know how much work you've still got ahead of you, dealing with the aftermath of last night."

"Either a meal or something more recreational; no climbing, I promise.  I know I'll probably be a tad stir-crazy so if you need to let off some steam or get out of your head and away from work, let me know."

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #20 –
[ Lt. JG Kate Foster | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Griffinsummoner

Once the order was entered into the computer system, Scruffy’s name would automatically be cleared from any duty-rosters which had likewise been entered, with a redirect notice which would explain his mandated absence. He was officially persona non grata when it came to the Engineering department until no later than 0700 the next day. For a moment, she envied the freedom which had just been presented to the Petty Officer, as her day was set to be decidedly more complicated.

Yet as he made the offer for them to reconvene at another point and time, perhaps even later on in the evening, Kate felt herself surprisingly excited at the prospect, and couldn’t help but allow the already modest smile on her face broaden a little more bashfully. Averting her gaze a little as she considered accepting his offer immediately, though trying to appear far more coy and elusive, she was brought back to the harsh reality set out before her as he reminded her of everything that was and still would unfold for her. There were still a number of patients which needed to be seen to, some of which demanded her specific skills and capabilities as a surgeon. In fact, save for what she assumed to be a pleasant break in the mid-day for lunch with her newest Amphibian friend, Nurse Vojona, she had trouble seeing an opportune moment when her day wouldn’t be complicated. Searching for something to latch onto as he expanded on the offer, Kate wanted to find any excuse she could to make it happen, but knew it was an impossibility to confirm this early on in the day.

“I uhh... I’d love to. Really.” She started off, brushing the same tuft of blonde hair that constantly slipped from behind her right ear, back into place for at least another minute or so. “But... y’know, I uhh... don’t know if it’ll makes sense, with everything going on here.” She hated the idea that he might take her delay in the matter as a rejection and watching his expression carefully she sought to ensure that wouldn’t be the case. “Tell you what; I’ll comm you if I find the time. Maybe things settle down here a little at some point, yeah?” she bit her bottom lip a little as she tilted the pate of her head ever so slightly toward him, hoping that the proposal she made would be of an agreeable and appealing sort, because the truth of the matter was she found herself surprisingly interested in knowing the man at little better. “It’ll umm... give me a chance to check-in on you. Make sure you’re recovering well.” She knew the excuse was lame, and rather trite, but had still felt it necessary to make once again given the protocol at play between Doctor and Patient.
 

Re: CH02: S [D02|0800] Inspective Measures.

Reply #21 –
[ PO1 Scruffy Leblanc | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Swift

Scruffy's smile didn't falter as she began her declination of his invitation.  As he said, he expected today to still be a chaotic mess all over the ship.  At least she isn't a counselor.  Sheesh  "That's all right, Doc.  I know the pressures of being on-call in or after a crisis.  Somebody's gotta clean up the mess before everyone else can move on," he said reassuringly.

He had caught her moment of bashfulness at his proposal, so he figured he was on the right track even if the timing was terrible.  When she suggested messaging him later, his smile split into a disarming grin.  When she tried to come up with an excuse for it, he couldn't hold back a quiet chuckle.  "Good to know you make house-calls, Doc.  I hope the rest of your day goes smoothly, however large the workload is."  He stood up off the bed and gingerly worked an offered undershirt on, covering his torso for the journey back to his shared quarters.  Still working a few kinks out of his arm, he nevertheless confidently strode out of the surgery bay, stopping at the door to give Kate one more wink and a grin before he left.

~FIN~
 
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