Check ups & surprises

Posted on Sun Jun 24th, 2018 @ 12:29pm by Lieutenant Commander Ariana Monroe-Wayne

1,478 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 95 - Helping Old Friends
Location: Starbase 400 Sickbay 1
Timeline: Day 5 Current

ON:

Braxton wanted to howl like a wolf. No wonder Lai referred to him as a wolf man. He had pulled a shift with the Marines and now was helping here. Hades had left orders to give him as many hours as possible. He wasn't much liked by the patients, he was not a talker but they were short staffed and he worked quickly so the sickbay staff was glad to have help.

He finished updating the report he was working on and was about to grab his jacket and head out when Catherine Mclintock, the LT that Hades left in charge stopped him. The woman did not like it. He could sense it. She told him there was one more assessment to do and he knew why when he looked at the file. Not only was said patient a counselor but pregnant. Mclintock was out to kill him he just knew it. He palmed his face and sighed. Alright Brax you can do this. He then noted that not only were the above two true but said counselor was Betazoid. "Oh my gods. She'll want to talk incessantly." It was a Betazoid trait, one that skipped him thanks to his half El Aurian culture. Mclintock made a smart arsed comment that he couldn't respond to lest he be demoted.

Grumbling he headed to the main assessment area. When he arrived he barked, "Monroe, Ariana."

Ariana looked up as her name was called, the vibe coming off the man in front of her wasn't one that made her feel particularly comfortable but she would do her best to make the most of it. "Here..." she smiled politely as she walked across to him.

He gave her a quick glance and then pointed to the bio bed to the left. "Hop on. Check up time." He noted Mclintock giving him the evil eye yet he couldn't muster enough to fight back. He was too tired, too drained. This would be a quick exam....or so he thought.

Sitting up on the biobed Ariana did her best to smile & relax, she had no doubt her blood pressure would probably be up as it was when she left Betazed but the doctors were hoping it would settle. She was also still trying to settle her senses & get used to the number of minds on the station which always took time. "I'm not sure if my medical records will have caught up yet, if not I have a copy here with me."

He gave a grunt and then took the files. He quickly scanned through them and set them aside. He picked up a tricorder and began scanning. His brow furrowed. "Blood pressure is still elevated." He said as a matter of fact. He scanned her stomach. He hadn't been comfortable about dealing with pregnant women since his Nicole was lost to him. His wife was pregnant when she died, nobody knew that but him. It was always a punch in the gut. He steeled himself, "Alright. You are still early in the pregnancy, no." it wasn't a question. His Cajun accent thickened whenever he was faced with stress.

"Yes" Ariana nodded, "Just over two months..." she could sense that this officer was part Betazoid he was also doing a good job of trying to keep her from sensing his emotions, "is everything alright?"

He ignored her and walked over to the shelf. He picked up a bottle of leaves and gave them to her, "Betazoid Duwam leaves. Good for blood pressure, easy on the child. Brew tea. No more then three days three times a day."

Ariana nodded as she took the bottle "I've heard of these, are there any side effects?"

"None if taken correctly," He said as he made notes in her file. "Only thing to watch for is sever ankle swelling and that is only if you drink more then three cups." He turned to the bio read outs and noted a few notes from her old file. She'd been hurt. "It say here you have scars on your back. Any pain? Any other issues dizziness, sneezing? Easily tire?"

"Dizziness yes, headaches... But they're the norm for me due to being due to having my abilities since birth, no sneezing but I do get tired although I thought that was normal when you're pregnant." she looked at Braxton, "as for the scarring it does play me up from time to time, I'm not sure whether it's just the memories of the explosion that trigger it off or something else."

Braxton gave a nod as he thought things over. He was exhausted but his medical brain and love of all things medical and his old nanny's influence would not let anyone off that easy. "Oui, I understand," he said his accent getting thicker as his brain sorted through all the medical and naturopathic knowledge he had, "Di dizziness is normal, the headaches...even with full abilities should have ended a while ago. But there is something for that. Di Vulcans have a herb called Seleya's locks. It is....you can find it at the health shop on the promenade. It will not interfere with Duwam leaves. You don't drink them. You brew the tea and put compresses over your eyes at night for 10 minutes. It will help." He then thought of the scars, "Aloe is good for scaring. I can make you a cream mix with Aloe that will help. It will lessen the scars and any actual pain. Phantom pain will go away over time." He tilted his head. "I would like to do a scan," he pointed to her belly. "Would you like to see the bebe?"

Ariana nodded enthusiastically, "I'd love to although I thought thee wouldn't be much to see just yet"

Brax smiled, a rare occurrence from him. He picked up the hand scanner and tuned the screen, soon an image formed very tiny but clearly visible. He pointed to a small dark dot, "There....and..." He smiled again unknowingly, "There. Deux....I mean two. Two little ones."

Ariana gasped, something she didn't do very often but this was something she hadn't been expecting. "Twins?" her eyes watered but more with shock & delight than anything else, "I never thought..." she wiped her eyes and looked at Braxton, "Thank you"

He smiled and hit a few buttons on the screen. He stood and walked over to where the medi rep was and pulled out a little square. "Holo photo," he said handing her the square. "For now all is well. Regular check ups."

Ariana took the holo photo, this would become a treasured photograph for her. "When will I need to come back again?"

Brax gave a nod, "I would recommend regular check ups, every two weeks."

Dr. Harris pocked his head in and smiled, "Brax you should have been off an hour ago."

Brax shrugged.

"No argument. Off you go, I'll finish here. The last thing I need is for your cousin to come back and airlock me. Off you go." Brax had already wanted to get away. The pain was too much. This all reminded him of Nicole and his lost child that never had a chance in the world. He gave a nod to the counselor and beat a hasty retreat.

Harris sat down and reviewed Braxton's notes quickly. "I see all is well here. My apologies for the switch but he's been overworking himself and you will find I have a better bedside manner." The older man smiled warmly.

"To be honest I have no complaints with his bedside manner" she smiled, "If I might ask on a strictly professional basis I had the feeling he was trying to cover something... painful." she looked at Harris, "I'm the new Chief Counsellor so if there's anything I can do?"

He sighed, "Braxton is...well long story." He said entering Braxton's notes in her file. "He came to us looking like a wolf man. Long hair, beard, ate with his hands, grunted instead of speaking. His Marine unit, the one he came from, was a bit...well wild. But from my understanding from Doctor Hades, the CMO and his cousin, he lost his wife. She never made it to the escape pod and he was unconscious when he was put in one. She was...pregnant when she died, three months. That's just the scratch off the surface." Harris said.

"I see" Ariana nodded as she sat up on the biobed, "...and he's just been put through examining a pregnant woman not far off the same amount of months as his wife. I'll send him a request to come by my office and see if he'll talk to me about it after all thats what I'm here for" she smiled as she stood to leave.

Harris smiled, "Welcome to the team."

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