Free at Last

Posted on Thu May 9th, 2013 @ 2:55am by Lieutenant Anandra Delair

817 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Mission 82 - The Aggressor
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: After "The Vice Squad PT2"

ON:

Anandra had always been a fighter. For as far back as she could recall, her father had dubbed her the affectionate moniker of 'the woman with the iron will' - now, a day or so after having been shot in a freak failure of safety protocols on the holodeck, she intended to must some of that 'iron will' and use it to get herself back on duty.

All morning she'd been sitting up cross-legged on her bed, working from PADDs and trying to be as productive as possible, but the prospect of another couple of days spent within sickbay walls was beginning to give her a feeling of cabin fever. With a huff, she set her PADDs on the bed and got to her feet - her abdomen still mildly sore, but it was her pride that had suffered the most damage, and now more than anything she just wanted to get back to her office and her usual routine.

She crossed sickbay toward the office, finding Hunter seated at the desktop console inside. She approached the doorway and knocked politely, offering a smile. "Hey." she said, stepping through the doors. "Have you got a moment?"

Hunter looked up at Anandra, almost catching her by surprise. Her feet were comfortably planted on the desk as she read through some PADDs, going over the medical emergencies that have shown up throughout the Starbase's history. As she realized she was not alone, Hunter quickly knocked her feet down and smiled awkwardly at the officer. "Of course! How's it going, Champ?"

"Please," she began, returning the smile warmly. "Just call me Anan." she let out a sigh, taking another step or two toward the desk as she made her case. "It's going quite well, actually..in fact, I'd like to return to my usual duties, if you'd be willing to sign for my release."

Hunter raised a curious eyebrow at the officer. It hadn't been long since she had been digging in her torso. Fortunately, she was a fellow medical officer. "Are you feeling any pain still? You seemed to have made it to my office okay."

Anan almost flatly replied with a no, if only to better her chances of getting out of there without resistance, but she did not want to lie to the Lieutenant. "The pain is..very mild, and only when I move in certain ways. I am sure it's nothing I can't handle. However, the restlessness is... unbearable."

Hunter laughed. She understood where Anan was coming from. She'd be pulling her hair out if she had to be stuck in a bed. "You're lucky you're a counselor. If you had a more physical job I'd make you stay. For the next day or so I'll have you on limited duty." She grabbed a PADD and pulled up her file. "Take it nice and easy. I'll set you up a couple of hypos for just in case you have a couple of painful bursts. But stay away from the holosuites for a while." Hunter smiled and winked at Anan.

She could have let out a fist-pumping victory shout when she realized she'd be back on duty, but the huge grin that spread over her face would suffice just as well. "Thank you," she said with a sheepish laugh at Hunter's last remark. "Don't worry, I think I'm good on holosuite adventures for now." she jested, though there was some truth to it. Anan knew that statistically speaking, her fear of another safety protocol malfunction was probably more than a little irrational, but she was still a little less enthusiastic about getting to the holosuite than she used to be. "And - you don't have to worry about the hypos," she insisted. "I try to avoid taking medication unless it's absolutely necessary - and when or if it is, I'll just come to you for it." she offered a smile. "Listen, I can't thank you enough for everything. If you ever need anything..anything at all, don't be afraid to ask. Even if you were simply doing your duty, I consider it a favor owed in kind."

"Just doing my job." Hunter stood up and walked towards Anan. "Glad to see I did my job well, though." She chuckled a bit.

"Indeed - as am I, naturally." she said with a wry expression. "Well." she inhaled deeply, eager to get to her office, and then her quarters. "If there's nothing else I think I'll be on my way. Stay comfortable." she said with a wink alluding to the fact that she'd seen the lieutenant's feet up on the desk. Anan couldn't fault her for it - she often did the very same.

"Oh I will!" Hunter yelled at Anan as she left the Sickbay. Shaking her head, the doctor stuck her nose back into her work. At least she was off to a good start.

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