Lieutenant Elor Letek - Craft time in sickbay

[Lieutenant Elor Letek]

((Sickbay - USS Eagle A))


Home sweet home. Home wasn't just where you felt most comfortable when you were rescued at the last second from an angry mob of religious fanatics. Home was safety. Home was familiarity.
Here on the ship was Elor's home. His domain. And even though things were still turbulent for a while after their rescue, he was in his element here.
Unlike the other away team, he didn't have to go through a lengthy quarantine and decontamination process, but could immediately throw himself back into his work.
Not only did he take extensive care of Braya after they returned, ensuring that her broken and fractured ribs healed, he also examined each and every Alomian hostage.
He examined them for injuries and made sure that the gas they had used had no unexpected side effects. While he was at it, he also took the opportunity to apologize to each of them for being taken out as collateral damage.

Then the decontamination process for the other team was complete, and he assisted Noemi in caring for the injured.
It wasn't easy for him to see his friends and colleagues in such a state, but when he saw Tholin, who was still sitting in a makeshift wheelchair and was clearly missing a leg, he had to swallow hard.
If he hadn't been busy, he would have rushed over to him immediately. Concerned. Sympathetic. But he had his hands full, so for the moment he just gave him an encouraging smile. The thought of what the away team must have experienced on the moon sent a shiver down his spine.

Tholin was their last patient on the treatment schedule. Not only because he had been treated for the time being, but also because his treatment would probably be the most complicated of all.
While his friend was lying on one of the biobeds, Noemi and he went over to him after the last patient had been discharged.


Lim: Alright, so plan of attack. We’re going to scan Mister ch’Clex’s other leg to create a blueprint base for the prosthetic and then tweak it a bit based on your prior medical scans to match the lost limb as much as possible. The prosthetic will get replicated and then we’ll put the area under local anesthesia, remove the tissue cap, then connect the nerves, bones and other tissue to the prosthetic cap. Once that’s done and there are no issues, then we can attach the rest of the new limb.


Elor listened to her plan, and as she explained the procedure, he placed a hand on Tholin's remaining leg, squeezing it reassuringly to signal that he was not alone and that they would take care of him.
The procedure Noemi suggested was standard Starfleet protocol. Effective, proven, and standardized. He himself would have opted for something more daring, something riskier, outside of any protocols, but he would follow her lead. It would probably be better for Tholin to get his own leg back, but Elor didn't want to subject his closest confidant on this ship to an experimental procedure.


Letek: ::Looking at ch'Clex:: That's the standard procedure in a case like this. Tried and tested. ::Patting him on his good leg:: We'll have you back on BOTH legs in no time.


Tholin’s voice came quiet and honest.


ch’Clex: I’m glad you’re here, Doc.


He then looked back to Noemi, forcing himself into the practical.


ch’Clex: And… thank you. For the prosthetic. You told me it would function like I had a real leg.  I’m still not sure I believe that. But I trust you Lim.


Noemi exhaled, relief softening her shoulders.
 

Lim: Okay good. Then let's get the scan started. ::To Tholin:: You don’t have to be perfectly still but try not to move too much unless we tell you.
 

Between Noemi and Elor, they positioned the specialty scanner over his remaining intact leg. The device hovered and hummed, mapping bone, muscle, nerves, vascular layout—turning him into measurements.


Letek: We need your leg now in action. Stretch your foot out, then pull it back again, move it in every direction so that we can also scan the stretching and contraction of the ligaments and muscles.


ch’Clex: As you say doctor.


As the scanner ran, Lim pulled up the computer’s catalogue of prosthetic options.


Lim: We’ve got several options here for how you’d like your prosthetic to look and function.


Elor glanced over Noemi's shoulder and looked at the prosthetic samples too, a grin on his face.


Letek: How about an android model? Part Andorian, part machine. As a security officer, you'd definitely have a more intimidating appearance that way.


He didn't know if his humor would help. He didn't even know if it was appropriate now. But he wanted to at least try to cheer his friend up a little.
Tholin glanced toward the display.


ch’Clex: Function is highest priority. But… yes. I want it to look like original.


Lim: We can set it up to look as close to the original limb as possible, though some people do have issues with that. Dives too far into the uncanny valley.


Letek: Alternatively, purely for visual illustration purposes, we could simulate the models holographically?


Tholin’s antennae stiffened slightly.


ch’Clex: No I will stick with a how it original leg looked like or at least as close as you can get it.


The scanner finished with a soft chime.
Noemis fingers moved quickly across the interface, adjusting parameters with practiced confidence. Elor watched over her shoulder.
Tholin leaned forward slightly, antennae angling toward Lim.


ch’Clex: How fast… do I learn to walk with it?


Elor tried to hide the sympathy in his gaze as he looked at Tholin in response to this question. He understood only too well. It would have been one of his first questions too if he had been in this situation.


Letek: Well... it will take a few weeks before you can run a marathon. But you should be able to walk on your own again straight after that.


Lim: Response?


Tholin sat up straighter.


ch’Clex: That fast?


Letek: It will feel a little strange at first, and you might stumble here and there...but most patients get the hang of it very quickly.


Lim: Response?


ch’Clex: I expected weeks before I could do more than stand. But sure, I can handle walking with a crutch to start with. But you are telling me that I will not even need that in the future.


Elor shook his head.


Letek: The prosthesis will replace your previous leg in all its functions. The sensations, such as when someone tickles your foot, will be different, significantly less intense. It will be significantly less sensitive to pain. But all in all, it will be like a real leg. You may no longer be able to feel the grass under your foot or the warm sand on the beach, but once you have adjusted to the changed sensory perception, you will be able to put your full weight on it.


Lim / ch'Clex: Response?


He was relieved that Tholin took it so positively. Yes, it wouldn't be the same as his real leg, but they were getting close, and that was worth a lot.
Elor stood at the console and began to adjust the scan of the remaining leg using Tholin's latest medical scans. He not only had to mirror the structure, otherwise Tholin would end up with two left feet, but also adjust the alignment of the bones and relocate blood vessels and nerves.


Letek: ::Jokingly:: You still have time for extra requests. Maybe an extra toe or two? Or a different skin tone? Scales?


Lim / ch'Clex: Response?


Letek: Okay, then we'll stick with the standard version. ::Turning to Noemi:: What do you think? I've adjusted the angles of the tibia and realigned the tarsalia. Do you think we should move the superficial peroneal nerve a little further to the left?


Lim / ch'Clex: Response?


TAG / TBC

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Lieutenant Elor Letek

Medical Officer

USS Eagle

E240201EL2

Patients are asked not to die in the corridors.