Accidents Do Happen

Posted on 15 Mar 2013 @ 9:30pm by Lieutenant Commander Pola Ni Dhuinn M.D. & Ensign Tavish Hunter

1,072 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo, Sickbay
Timeline: MD -02: 2230 hours

ON

Sickbay, though as comparably compact as the rest of ship, seemed quiet as Tav entered. He was used to fighting his way through enlisted staff needing treatment or check-ups, and the Galileo seemed much calmer, that evening at least.

Approaching the person who seemed to be the duty doctor, a woman of roughly average height and slender build, who was busy working at a console, he attempted to get her attention.

"Good evening," he said, softly, hoping not to startle her.

Pola grumbled under her breath, resisting the urge to slam her hand down at the console she was standing at. It was starting to see that the repair team had been slack on it's repair to this console in particular as it kept fading out everytime she tried to run an analysis on a set of scans she'd taken earlier that day from Crewman Richards.

Rubbing a hand across her forehead, she almost jumped out of her skin as she heard a voice behind her. Spinning on her heel, she looked to see who was speaking to her. "Hello...Can I help you?"

"I have to report for a medical evaluation," Tav responded, hoping he hadn't startled her too much.

That hope only deepened as he noticed her rank, Lieutenant Commander.

"Sir," he added quickly. "Ensign Hunter, I've just arrived on board."

As Pola continued the rubbing motion, she repeated the name within her mind before a light blush moved across her cheeks. "Ensign..I'm sorry. You're name isn't ringing any bells. Are you long onboard?"

"Hunter, sir," he replied. "I've been aboard about an hour."

He looked around the room, hoping no-one was paying much attention to the slightly confused exchange. Glancing slightly at doctor rubbing her forehead, he wondered if it was out-of-place to ask if she was alright.

Pola tried to figure out why he'd said his name again and she realised that she'd phrased her sentence wrong. Blushing slightly, she ran a hand across her hair. "I'm sorry...I was trying to remember if I'd read your file. This console breaking on me has set back myself and my department so the frustration is having a knock on effect to my memory."

Tav smiled, he was glad he wasn't the only person on the ship who was having problems on day one.

"Ah, do you want me to take a look at it?" he asked. "That's my speciality afterall."

Chewing on her lip, Pola looked at the man curiously. "You're engineering? Or ops? Are you sure you wouldn't mind...if you're off duty it's ok. I can log it and wait for them to send someone down. I'd really hate to put you out."

"No, it's not problem, I don't officially start until tomorrow, but you'll probably have me coming back then anyway," he replied with a smile. "What's the problem with it?"

Running her hand along the edge of the console, Pola smiled slightly before looking over at the Ensign. "We use this girl for the quick analysis of blood samples which would take too long if we sent it along to the lab. She gives us a basic breakdown of the glucose, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium..." Pola's voice trailed off as she realised she might be boring the man. "Um..ye..so she helps us with initial assessments of our patients and see if we need to do further tests but she's just stopped working. Every time I attempt to load a sample she just spits it back out and powers down."

It was unusual, Tav thought, to find a doctor giving a personality to a machine, that was often the purview of engineers alone.

"I'll take a look," he said, walking around to face the console. "If you'll excuse me."

Realising she was standing in his way, Pola took a big step back as she nervously played with the tricorder in her pocket. She wasn't certain why but she'd grown attached to the machine. It was the one piece of equipment which had survived the Klingon's attack and that symbolised something for her. "Sorry...I'm used to being so nervous about patients whom are organic, not machines."

"Machines have personalities too, doctor," Tav pointed out, in a matter-of-fact manner. "Most people don't realise it, just us crazies from engineering."

He lifted the touch panel from the housing, exposing the isolinear circuitry and bioneural gel-packs inside.

"Normally, if a console works but stops it's because it's running out of processing power or there's a faulty circuit which isn't used until you ask it to do something," Tav explained, while he followed the circuits with his finger. "A little like a muscle; you don't know you've pulled it until you exercise it; then it hurts."

"Well that's not strictly true. Often simple use will cause you pain also, even things as simple as sitting down, stretching your arm out infront of you.." Trailing off, Pola started to realise she was being to get herself far too wound up. "I'll tell you what. Why don't I grab some scans of you while your doing that, and see if I can get the majority of your medical started?"

"Two birds with one stone, sounds good to me Doctor," Tav replied, as he lowered the touch panel back into place.

He pulled a thin tool from his belt, popped open the top of the receptacle where the sample were inserted and began looking instead.

As Pola fetched a tricorder from a nearby biobed, Pola watched the readout as she left Tavish to carry out his work, allowing her to carry out his. "Do you think you'll be able to fix her?"

"I imagine so, these things are pretty resilient," he replied, poking his head further inside. "In fact, I'm almost certain."

As Tavish's head disappeared, Pola traded the tricorder for a PADD as she begun to bring up the man's medical file. "Mind we asking a few medical questions or would you prefer to stay focused?"

Just as she was awaiting a reply, Pola's attention was distract by the cry from a male voice as the sickbay doors slid open. As the only Doctor in charge she gave her apologises to Tavish, advising that he should continue with his work before dashing off to help the new patient.

[OFF]

Lieutenant Commander Pola Ni Dhuinn
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Ensign Tavish Hunter
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

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