BACKSIM JP: Cmdr del Vedova, Lt Ukinix, Ens Riya - Malato Come Un Cane [Part 1]
Tony Colella
((Sickbay, USS Veritas))
Wil had just beamed back aboard from his walk in a Ketar V forest with Raissa. That’s when he had got a message from someone in sickbay, along the lines of, “hey, remember that follow up medical you promised you’d do? Well, now that we’ve detected that you’re back on the ship…”
True, it had only been a few weeks since his last medical, but he had put that one off long enough. And Addison had insisted he schedule a follow up appointment. He didn’t want to feel her wrath…
So as soon as he could he showered and changed back into his uniform.
Ukinix: (Singing) I-said, Dreeeeea-mer... You’re no-thin’ but-a dreeeeee-amer…
He walked into sickbay, smiling and quietly singing a tune to himself.
Ukinix: (Singing) I-said… Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar out… what-a-day… a-year… a-life it is...
He spotted his continental neighbour, and smiled even more.
Ukinix: G’day Doctor Del, my favourite Aussie from Leichhardt.
Del had glanced up at the burst of song. Normally he would have been pleased to see Wil, and even more pleased to reminisce about home, but -- well, today wasn’t that day.
del Vedova: (weakly) Hi, Wil.
Seeing Del’s face so pale, Wil became concerned. He could sense that his friend wasn’t feeling too well.
Ukinix: Geez, you OK, Del?
del Vedova: I’ve been better. (beat) But I’ll be fine.
Both statements, Del was sure, were true. After all, leave time was the perfect time to pick up a little illness. He could’ve had Addison or the new Ens. Riya take a look at him and give him a hypo, but there was no point, he figured. It was just a little nothing.
Ukinix: You sure? You don’t look too good.
del Vedova: (stronger) I’m sure. Now, what can I do for you?
Ukinix: I’m here for my scheduled follow up medical.
del Vedova: I guess you are due, aren’t you, (with a wink) Lieutenant? Well, go on, have a seat.
Wil walked over to the biobed, and then sat up on it.
Ukinix: Alrighty. But I think it’s you that should be sitting up here, not me. I can tell you’re not feeling too good.
del Vedova: Fine. But only because you asked.
Del sat on the biobed opposite the one Wil had chosen and cracked open his tricorder. For a split second, he almost turned it on himself, but then he aimed it at Wil. Sitting down made him feel much better, and it wasn’t as though Sickbay was terribly busy. Knowing Wil, this was as much a social call as anything else.
del Vedova: So, how have you been feeling?
Ukinix: Actually, pretty good. Been keeping up my running. Have been keeping up the workouts that I used to do with G’var. (Looking down) My ankle’s been good. Nothing to report.
del Vedova: What about mental state? Anxiety, nervousness…?
Ukinix: (Thinking, shaking head) Not really… I’ve had very slightly blurred vision a few times in high stress situations, does that count?
Del levelled a look at Wil over the top of the tricorder.
del Vedova: It wouldn’t be unusual. You’ve just been promoted, and now you’re in an assistant chief position.
Ukinix:(Nodding, shrugs) OK. It didn’t worry me to be honest, they were split second things.
All of a sudden, the constant, low-level pain that Del had been feeling -- and that had been lessened slightly when he’d had a seat -- spiked sharply. Del winced and groaned. Wil leaned forward and put his hand on Del’s shoulder.
Ukinix: Mate, seriously, are you OK? (Pointing at chest) Part Betazoid, remember? You’re not feeling good.
del Vedova: I’m sure it’s (beat) nothing. Just a little pain.
Wil got off the biobed, and stood up to help try and help Del sit up again. He could feel that his friend was not well.
Ukinix: I think your definition of “little” differs from mine.
del Vedova: (grimace) I’ve treated much worse. I’m sure I’ll survive.
Ukinix: C’arn Del, lie down on the bed, I’ll get (looking around) one of the medical officers to look at you.
Del gave a shaky grin, a pale imitation of his usual.
del Vedova: Oh, no, you’re not going to get out of this physical that easily.
Wil responded immediately with an incredulous chuckle and a shake of the head with a large smirk.
Ukinix: You’re kidding, right? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. (Furrowing brow, looking left) What does that saying even mean?
Del could only shrug.
del Vedova: I think it’s something Bolian.
Del grinned, again in a way that was a shadow of his usual gregariousness, and again he lost even that to a grimace of pain.
The smile on Wil’s face rapidly vanished, as a look of concern came over his face.
Ukinix: Del?
del Vedova: Oof. Okay, that did hurt a little.
Wil sensed that Del was rapidly getting worse.
Ukinix: Nah, you’re not good - Del!
Out of fear and concern for his friend, Wil’s face went as white as Del’s. He placed his hands firmly on Del’s shoulders, and guided him to lie down on the biobed. As soon as he was sure Del was safe, he reached up to rapidly to tap his combadge. In a panic he missed his target, which made a “thud” sound on his chest. His second attempt successfully hit the combadge, this time with a harder “thwack” sound that made his combadge leave the beginnings of a small bruise on his chest.
Ukinix: =/\= (Quickly) Medicalemergency! =/\=
The sound of Wil’s voice echoed around the sickbay that he was redundantly trying to contact.
Riya Sanaso, who was just on his way in to check an experiment involving Phylosian spore samples contributed by C3C Phyllis, heard both the call and its echo as soon as he walked in. He snapped into action mode, and hurried over to the inverted scene before him: the engineer Ukinix standing over the physician del Vedova, who lay unconscious on a biobed. He froze for one overwhelmed moment -- he didn’t want to have to treat one of the senior docs this early in his medical career -- but he was needed.
Riya: What’s going on?
Ukinix: I dunno! He just - he just looked white, he was bent over in pain, and then I helped him lie down on the bed.
San stooped to pick up the tricorder that lay open beside the biobed. He’d hoped to see a key to whatever was happening, but he was disappointed when he saw only Ukinix’s routine physical workup. He hastily flushed that data and turned the tricorder on del Vedova.
Riya: He was performing a physical? Not doing anything else, not anything strenuous? (beat) Did he say how he felt?
Ukinix: (Panting) He was in a lot of pain, I know that much.
San gave a terse nod. His preliminary scan suggested something neurological, with the computer tagging similarities to Forrester-Trent, Albright-Salzman, and Irumodic syndromes. However, the preliminary symptom profile didn’t match any of those. San gave a quiet ungh of frustration.
Riya: Did you notice any seizures? Paralysis of his face or limbs?
Ukinix: No, just that he looked very pale.
Riya: Never mind. He’s out for the moment. I want to keep him that way.
Ukinix: oO He’s *out?!* Oo
Ukinix: (Panting) Tell me what I can do to help.
San hesitated for a moment, but there were no nurses currently scheduled for this shift, and he could certainly use the help. He pointed to a nearby workstation.
Riya: There, sir. I need to put him in stasis. While I’m prepping, can you find the routine? It should be easy to access, and the computer will guide you through the steps. This is biobed 3. We want level D2, and no more.
As he listened to instructions and tapped at the nearby console, there was a microsecond of blurry vision and slightly bright colours before Wil blinked his eyes, and everything came back to normal.
Riya: ...Sir?
San had noticed that the lieutenant had seemed to take leave of himself for a moment. That’s all the ship needed, San thought -- for this to be something new and contagious.
Ukinix: Yes?
Riya: (urgently) How are you feeling?
TBC…
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Commander Nic del Vedova
Chief Medical Officer
USS Veritas
V238208LV0
And
Lieutenant Wil Ukinix
Assistant Chief Engineer
USS Veritas
V239511WU0
And
Ensign Riya Sanaso
Medical Officer
USS Veritas
V238208LV0