Last but not least

Posted on 18 Sep 2016 @ 2:10am by Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen M.D. & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Crewman Aurangzeb Ameen

1,277 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 12 - Recluse
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 3 - Sickbay
Timeline: MD -02 1500

[ON]

There had been a bunch of new arrivals and checkins but finally they had cleared all but a final few. There was one last one to get done and the appointment time was fast approaching.

Allyndra had thought that making an actual schedule for people coming on board worked out better then just letting them show up willy nilly. It made planning for the department easier and it made it easier for the medical department to know that there was a new person to check on it.

It was nearing the end of her second shift and she knew Tuula would be coming in a bit early to take over so Allyndra had a bit extra time. Tuula was a godsend, willing to pitch in. Not all liked her eccentric looks and attitude but brush that all aside she was one heck of a physician.

She sipped at her tea, which was something like her fourth cup already and awaited the arrival of either of the patient or Tuula or both.

He was running a minute or two behind schedule for his medical physical and fitness check. He was playing catchup with the chief in engineering when she kindly reminded him of the mandatory visit. He didn't often leave a shift early, but those last few diagnostic reports and communiques would have to wait until tomorrow. If he hadn't sprinted the last length of corridor, he would have certainly been late.

Entering sickbay, Aurangzeb's muddy-brown colored eyes surveyed the medical facility as he pushed the elastic hem of his jumpsuits' long sleeve up to his elbow. The air smelled more antiseptic than usual, he could taste the chemical tang in the back of his throat. Standing at one of the freestanding console stations nearest the entrance, Aurangzeb waited for a doctor or nurse to check him in.

"Hello!" exclaimed a female voice with a distinctively Nordic accent as the door opened again. "Sorry I'm late, my hair just wouldn't stay up," she said, even though she was still at least a half hour early, before turning towards the unfamiliar person near the entrance and then back towards Allyndra. "Fresh meat for a boarding physical?" she asked.

Not realizing the other officer had been hot on his heals, Aurangzeb was startled by the boisterous greeting, as much betrayed in the surprised expression painted across his face. "Hello!" He reciprocated in a subtle crack of voice and with just as much vigor. His attention was blatantly transfixed on the woman's wildly eccentric hairstyle. Aurangzeb had met a countless number of interesting people during his service to Starfleet, but with this specific type of hair configuration. "I like the color." He noted in an attempt to break the revere. Without realizing it, he'd already started reaching out a hand to feel its uniquely appearing texture, almost as if, to help hold their shape, each coned-spike had been dipped in an adhesive compound of some kind.

"Me too, it matches my uniform," replied Tuula, keeping her head steady as the new entrant reached for her hair. "You know, makes it look a little more professional."

"I am surprised that it was even worth the effort to try to defy gravity," Allyndra remarked. "Perhaps if we are all done looking at fantasical hair style?"

With fingers still curled around one of the sturdy, vibrantly-colored cones, Aurangzeb quickly withdrew his hand, a sheepish expression of embarrassment tinging his mocha-colored cheeks in red. "My apologies." He expressed sincerely to both women. "I'm Aurangzeb, I had an appointment at fifteen hundred hours for a physical and fitness check."

"That's all right," replied Tuula. She was used to being stared at, whether it was her chair or her unique style. "People tend to be curious..." she glanced over at the biobeds. "Why don't you take a seat on one of the biobeds while we pull up your file? In the meantime, feel free to check out some of the artwork on the walls. My favourite are the portraits of humanoid skulls; they're by a photographer named N'xypb X'rry."

Curiosity hardly seemed accurate a word to describe Aurangzeb's unquenchable thirst for knowledge; it was suitable, for now. Following the woman's suggestion, he slowly wandered, taking in the peculiar artwork hung at regular intervals around the perimeter of sickbay. Every once in a while, he couldn't help but cast an interested sideways glance towards the wheelchair-bound doctor.

Allyndra continued to watch and noted the artwork. Holiday had ordered it taken down but now that he was not here anymore, she had not pushed that order. Still she thought she might say something which might help those not as informed as to Tuula's tastes.

"While there is a certain artistry there, I see them more as a scientific display of anatomical differences."

"And they really brighten up a room," added Tuula, glancing around the recently renovated sickbay that was almost a second home to her, before heading towards the office to pull up the file.

Perplexed by the doctor's statement, Aurangzeb took a closer look at one of the photographs, trying to glean some kind of interpretation from its high resolution, black-and-white filter. It was only when he viewed the image in anatomical terms, that he recognized the tangled mess of limbs, photographed using a telescopic lens. He didn't blink, merely stared at the piece of artwork trying fathom the artistic message the photographer was trying to capture. Succumbing to ignorance, Aurangzeb made a mental note to research the artist before dismissing his current thoughts with a simple shrug of the shoulders. Walking to the nearest available biobed, he hopped up onto its surface, a subtle swing of his legs as they dangled over the edge. "I don't need to undress, do I?" He asked, a grimace furrowing his brow, visibly conveying how uncomfortable he'd be if doing so were a necessity.

"Not unless you want to compare ink," replied Tuula as she returned with a PADD containing Aurangzeb's medical history on her lap. "I'm not seeing anything too out of the ordinary in your file. Cholesterol is a little high, so I would like to take a blood sample and keep an eye on that." She paused for a moment as she pulled out her favourite tricorder, the black one with the skull engraved on it. "Here's hoping we don't have any surprises. Though... it would be nice to show our resident some brain surgery..."

Aurangzeb laughed, "Piercings, yes; tattoo's, no. So I guess I get to keep my clothes on." He liked the skull engraved tricorder, it had character that was as unique as the one wielding the instrument. "I'm on a few different medications, but that wouldn't have anything to do with my cholesterol, would it?" He asked, a hint of concern held captive within his tone of voice.

"Hmmmmm..." Tuula looked over Aurangzeb's medical file for a moment. "I don't think so. It could be genetic, or it could just be too many jelly donuts in the mess hall..."

Allyndra was watching and added, "Have you cut your salt intake lately?"

"Yes, I have," he replied.

"In humans, cutting back salt intake suddenly can actually raise cholesterol levels." She added.

Allyndra nodded, "We will keep an eye on that. Well Tuula I think we can finish up."

"I suppose," she replied, folding up her tricorder. "Clean bill of health, just eat some salads and go easy on the dressing."

[TRUNCATED]

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CN Aurangzeb Ameen
Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

Cmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical and Second Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. Tuula Voutilainen
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

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