PNPC Lieutenant Kyle Morgan - Shrapnel

[Addison MacKenzie]

(( Primary Sickbay – Deck 7, USS Artemis-A ))

 

On his biobed was perched not just one of the Artemis engineers, but also his friend. Though in for a routine medical exam, Imril had disclosed an encounter with some shrapnel that hadn’t yet been logged into his official record. (He’d get to the bottom of who failed to enter the information later.) For now, he needed to conduct the exam and make sure all was as it should be. With the tricorder out and flicked open, he started the physical.

 

Imril: It took a while, but, yeah, I got some jabs back at them. Of a sort. Helped the local good guys lob a few truth bombs. The best kind of bombs! ::small laugh:: And yeah, there's a twinge.

The physician keyed in several more commands into the tricorder, and then removed the portable scanner from the top of the device. He held the tricorder in one hand, and proceeded to move the scanner over Imril’s lower back for a more detailed reading.

 

Morgan: Hmm… Is it like a stabbing pain or like a sore muscle ache-type pain?

 

Imril: Sort of a sharp pulse? Like my muscle fibers are the strings of a harp being played by someone who’s never seen or heard a harp before.

 

Morgan: When do you notice it? Is it persistent, or does it come and go? And if so, do you know what might trigger it?

 

Imril: It comes and goes.  A ‘pluck’ or two or three, and it’s gone. Some residual tension after that dies down within a few minutes. It started when I was squeezing around all the machinery on Deck 17 a couple days ago. It’s pretty cramped down there, maybe that has something to do with it. I haven't been able to pin down any specific sort of movement that could be triggering it, though. But with all the repairs and structural cross-checking, I am doing a lot of moving around. Ducking, crawling, waving a tricorder. Lugging my kit everywhere I go, too. The last time was about an hour ago, as I was sitting down to lunch.

 

Kyle held his face still, not wanting to give anything away or leap to any potential conclusions before having more information.

 

Morgan: And have you noticed a change in frequency? Increasing or decreasing, or after certain types of movement?

 

Imril: They've been happening more often today. It’s been annoying, but it hasn’t hampered my work. And I know that there are more pressing injuries for Sickbay to tend to and follow up on since the battle with the Syndicate. So I didn’t see any reason to bump up the appointment that I already had.

 

Morgan: True, but probably good that you didn’t put it off any longer. Roll over to face me, please.

 

Imril started to roll over, but before he was perpendicular to the biobed, a sudden spasm affected his lower back.

 

Imril: ::Wincing:: Oooh! There it is!

 

Kyle moved his hand along Imril’s lower back, pressing gently as he did so. When he got to the impacted spot, Imril winced again.

 

Morgan: Hmm. And it’s been like this since Galaris?

 

Imril: Response

 

Kyle once again had his tricorder in hand, this time waving the scanner over the area of Imril’s back that seemed to be affected.

 

Morgan: Is this the same spot that you had the shrapnel removed?

 

Imril: Response

 

His brow furrowed once again as he keyed several commands into the tricorder.

 

Morgan: But did you feel any relief after the initial bit was removed?

 

Imril: Response

 

 

Tag, and TBC!

 

 

Lieutenant Kyle Morgan

Interim Chief Medical Officer
USS Artemis-A
V239601AM0