Doctor the Grouch

Posted on Wed Mar 27th, 2019 @ 6:17pm by Commander Hades,MD & Lieutenant Commander Carolyn Corrigan MD

1,951 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 97 - Cultural Exchange
Location: Sickbay, USS Pegasus
Timeline: MD 05 1100 hours

ON:

Hades had just finished checking on Ariana. He now stood in the stockroom checking to make sure they had what they needed for the trip back. They would be leaving in a couple days.

His El Aurian side guaranteed that he was immune to the fever down on the planet but to say he was healthy completely would be wrong. He wondered if Carolyn knew she could very well end up being CMO. As he put away a vile of Betrazine his hand violently shook.

"....you followed me aboard for a reason?" Doctor Corrigan asked as she entered sickbay. With the most space to treat patients in the aftermath of the outbreak and enhanced containment fields should the situation require it, a decision had been made to focus the recovery effort here, aboard the Pegasus.

Following her inside, Doctor James Adams offered a disarming smile as he held up his hands. "Just thought I'd do more good here than in a lecture hall," he offered, his Irish lilt as as strong as ever. "Just put me to work. But if I'd be too distracting, I get that."

Carolyn rolled her eyes in exasperation as she turned on her heels, heading towards the office reserved for the CMO. Looking inside she frowned, her gaze sweeping Sickbay for any sign of Hades.

"Ensign Williams," she called out as one of the nurses walked by. The young woman turned, smiling.

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Could you give Doctor Adams the whistlestop tour and keep him out of trouble please?" Carolyn explained, before warning, "beware of the Irish charm. And you, Doctor Adams, just need to help wherever you are needed. Any sign of anyone not responding to the treatment as they should, I want to know."

"I'll keep him out of trouble," the nurse promised, gesturing for him to follow her.

"I am so going to regret this," Carolyn breathed as she pushed away from the wall. "Has Dr Hades arrived?" she asked nobody in particular.

"I think he was checking the supplies while it was a little quieter," one of the technicians commented as he passed by, gesturing the store room located just off the far corner of sickbay.

"Thanks," Carolyn nodded, heading in the direction he had pointed. Entering the room, eyeing the carefully stacked inventory which went from floor to ceiling, she moved through the stacks of medical supplies which had been packed into such a small space. It was impressive. And a maze.

"Doctor Hades?" she called out.

He sighed, he'd wanted to avoid people for a while. It took all his strength to..."Over here Doctor Corrigan." He said. He'd alphabetized the entire room from top to bottom. He stepped out from behind one of the storage shelves and clasped his hands behind his back in a Vulcan fashion.

"Sorry I'm late, I wanted to make sure everything was taken care off aboard the Sutherland," she told him. While the Pegasus was to be the focal point of overseeing the care of those infected, those who had not survived were now safely aboard the Sutherland. She held out the updated medical report towards him, "updated data on the outbreak from Cardassia. The numbers are looking better."

He stood there studying the PADD. He'd rather not reach for the PADD but he had no choice. He took a moment and the reached for it his hand slightly shaking. He reviewed it. "Excellent. Doctor Corrigan the Starbase is lucky to have you. In our short time working together I find you to be detail oriented and skilled, and you have a bedside manner that rivals my own. I have no doubt that should something happen to me you would make a great CMO."

"I appreciate that," Carolyn began slowly, her eyes narrowing. While anyone would love to hear they had earned such confidence and high praise, she was suspicious. "Care to tell me what is going on?"

"Absolutely nothing." He began to walk trusting that she was following him. "The Cardassians have sent up some medications that we lack and we've traded some that they need so we are in good shape. I feel that..."

Nurse Lari, a young deltan woman, entered the room. "Doctor those my apologies but I was unable to understand a part of what you wrote and I wanted talk to you about the fact that you haven't eaten in a while."

Hades narrowed his eyes as he took the PADD. He studied the words. "Damn it all can't you read! I wanted you to take the nursing staff to Cardassia for a final seminar. The event will run all day tomorrow. It is as clear as day. What don't you find clear about that."

The nurse looked quite uncomfortable, "Yes sir...I also wanted to speak with you....medical records indicate that you've not eaten since yesterday which could explain your....irritab...."

"My what?" He rounded. "Nurse Lari you will mind your damn business and stick to your job and that doesn't include monitoring me." He huffed, "I have patients to see."

“Thank you,” Carolyn interjected, stepping between them. She nodded to the nurse who wisely decided to escape and make herself busy elsewhere. Taking a moment to banish any look of surprise from her face, Carolyn turned back to Hades. “Actually about that, I need a small favour. Your office?”

Following behind, she picked up a medical kit. After they were over the threshold she activated the privacy screen and opened up the medical kit on his desk. “Before you decide to shout at me,” she said, cutting off any argument, “this is for me. I had a disagreement with a cardassian and I can’t easily treat myself without inventing a new yoga pose.”

It was in her mind a win win. He could mend what she suspected was a fractured rib and she could try and figure out why he was so... not himself.

“And I’d rather do it here, fewer eyes to stare at scars,” she added quietly. That was entirely truthful.

Finally a problem he could solve. "Very well." He picked up a small device that would help mend her rib. He started with a tricorder scan. "Two broken. I can fix it though. It will take a half hour." He looked at the bruise. "I need to treat the bruise first. Please hold still."

"Thanks. Don't know about you, but I think next time a cultural exchange comes around, I may hide," Carolyn commended, wincing slightly as he inspected the injury to better direct his treatments. She did not miss that, although less noticable than before, there was still a slight shaking in his hands.

Hades sighed, "Yes I agree with that. They say that adversity builds strength and friendship so .... the second one should go easier." He finished treating the bruise and began Osteo-regeneration. "You did very well down there." He fished the first sweep letting the area rest and then began the second sweep. "I heard there was a scuffle down there. Braxton was raving about counseling interrupting a good fight."

"There was nothing good about it," Carolyn sighed. "But I am grateful he was there... I need to thank him properly when things calm down a little."

"Braxton loves a good fight. No thanks necessary." He smiled.


"Thanks," Carolyn breathed, taking the first deep breath in what felt like forever. "Better already. Now... we need to talk."


"Of course....What about?" He asked putting away the instruments.

"That ... out there with the nurse? That is not you at all. At least not the you we know," Carolyn insisted, pulling on her lab coat. "I have not once heard you raise your voice to someone, even that time Ensgin Wells set fire to the the medical lab."

He sighed, "And it will only get worse."

Carolyn frowned, not quite sure she had heard him right. Instead she sat herself down in the chair beside her and looked up at him. "Okay. I'm listening."

"This is not easy to talk about. The end result is I may die so I need you to be ready to take over." He sat down and closed his eyes trying to bring the shaking in his hands under control. "It's getting harder to not show this."

Leaning forward, they were only inches apart as she studied his face, of the effort he was putting in. "We need to be able to trust one another," she reminded him, "please... talk to me. Because I am done losing people. And if there is a chance we can deal with whatever it is, I'm here for you. One hundred percent."

He sat back. "Vulcans are not allowed to talk about this but to hell with it I'm only half Vulcan." He stood walked over to the replicator and, remembering her fondness for hot chocolate, he replicated one for her and a coffee for himself. He took it back to her and sat back down. "I noticed I was getting sick when we left the station." He sipped some coffee. "I did several scans and I confirmed that my entire body...is off balance. I used Velite injections to keep me stable but that only works for so long. The imbalance is growing. Think of it in Human terms. It's like having adrenaline pumping into your system twenty-four seven."

Taking a sip of her drink, Carolyn frowned, “and you obviously know the prognosis.... Velite is used to inhibit the Vulcan endocrine system. It has severe contra indicators for other species. You could have caused more harm than good. You are assuming this is due to your Vulcan heritage. Is there history within your family?”

"All Vulcans go through it...I have gone through it once before and was able to meditate it away it seems that this time....it's not possible. We Vulcans have a word for it and it happens every seven years. It is the Pon'farr. Vulcans are called to return home, mate, or die."

“I’ve heard of it,” Carolyn assured him. “And it sounds like you have a couple of non death related options. Is there time to get you to Vulcan? Or a significant other in your life?”

"No...and no." He sighed, "There in is the problem. Usually Vulcan's are bonded at a young age so when one goes through this the other does too. I was never...bonded. An no the holodeck is not an option. I am entering Blood Fever Plak'to and soon it will be too late. Since I am not bonded this is considered the first full cycle. I have asked the Admiral for time off two days...I will meditate and try what I did the last time but if not...." He stood and walked over to the desk pulling out a PADD. "If I return then give this to me if not you will likely be promoted."

“There has to be something we can do to help you work through this,” she insisted, making no move to take the PADD. “Could a Vulcan help with your meditation? Or different medication? James came on board... he’s an endocrinologist and brilliant at it. It could be worth a shot.”

He sighed, "I will try the meditation..." He stood with great pain. "I estimate I have four days at most....If I am no better in two we can try one last time." He studied her, "You never give up...do you?"

“Nope,” she confirmed, climbing to her feet. “And you better be back here good as new in two days or I will come find you.”

He smiled. "Until then, Sickbay is yours."

OFF:

RSS Feed