Lieutenant JG Ras El'Heem - 3.6 roentgens Pt. 1

[Ras El'Heem]

((Sickbay, Deck 6, USS Khitomer, Lagoon Nebula))

 

The exceedingly brief moment of respite from pain reassembled itself as the atoms did. His brain could hardly keep up with what just happened. There was a Planck second his brain rationalized that he was dead. That the probe had exploded and he suffered the consequences for it. Luckily for him, his consciousness was not fully intact in those moments. Or perhaps, unluckily. Regardless, not even a whisper of that thought logged itself as an entry in his hippocampus. The pain in his hand sent a pulse through his body and in his fractured state, it manifested to him as a drop of water creating circular ripples of agony radiating from where his hand laid on his chest.

 

He was hot. So very hot. The suit would burn him up alive. Chills ran over his body sending ice into his bones. With his eyes open the room spun so fast the face that loomed over him was a blur. He closed his eyes and intense moments of synesthesia betrayed the here and now and his body felt like it was liquid swishing around vigorously. A ringing in his ears muffled everything else he was hearing.

R. Matthews: :: Moving to kneel down :: Hey –

 

Finally in his first real moment of clarity in what felt like ages, he groaned so helplessly that it made him feel like a kid again. Suddenly the ringing stopped and the sounds around him crashed into his head in an overwhelming capacity. He tried to move, and his body resisted.

Prix: =/\= Ouchita to Khitomer Bridge, Engineering and Sickbay. We transported Lieutenant El’Heem to sickbay. The energy discharge hit us hard… We will try to return to Khitomer shortly. Ouchita out.=/\

 

His stomach threatened to betray him too, but what was one more interoception malfunction to add to the looming list of problems he faced? He sat up shakily, not really looking around him or understanding what was going on. He tried to put his right hand under him to stand and immediately collapsed again. Now with his left he was able to enter a wobbly crouched position.

R. Matthews: :: Moving to place an arm on Ras shoulder :: Ras, buddy, you’re okay. You’re on the Khitomer. I’m going to get this helmet off you. Can you tell me what happened?

He knew that voice. Whose voice was that? Ras groaned as the pattern of the deckplating under him blended together into strange streaky patterns of silver and black. He closed his eyes tight and shook his head to try to get some semblance of the here and now back. He opened his eyes and groaned again.

R. Matthews: :: Getting the helmet off and tossing it to the side :: Ras, how many fingers am I holding up? :: He held up a hand with three up. His thumb and pinky curled closed ::

The fresh air replaced the stale. He sucked in a huge gulp as the cool on his skin returned some cognizance. He looked around to see many faces standing around looking at him. Most unrecognizable. He looked towards the man touching his shoulder.

El’Heem: ::strained and hoarse:: Richard? Wha-

 

Ras strained again to lift his body up and his legs shook as he did.

 

R. Matthews: Doctor. :: He said, moving to stand ready to help as directed :: Just tell me what you need.

 

As he stared at Richard’s face, a sudden jolt hit his side and he turned his head abruptly to see what hit him. It was Chief Ohnari. He felt her lift his body. What was wrong with him? What had happened? How did he get here? The Kressari struggled to remember the events that led him to sickbay.

Ohnari: Help me position him on the bed. ::with assistance, the floor-bound Lieutenant was now atop the biobed. Practiced hands worked to activate various scans and imaging. The whirl of the primary scan sang merrily along with the vitals readout. Alarmingly high blood pressure, but that wouldn't be out of the range of expectation. The EV suit was more or less intact...with the exception of the right hand.:: No one touch his hand. Ensign Matthews, make sure that oxygen matrix is in position, Ayemet, ::handing a tool:: work on getting him out of that suit. Boots off, cut it off, whatever you need to do. 

 

The speed in which things began happening around him wasn’t alarming. It was comforting. Familiar. They hoisted Ras onto the biobed and he let his body relax.

 

A. Dewitt/R.Matthews: Response

 

El'Heem: What is…What happ-

 

He searched the faces of everyone working on him. Were they scared? Did they know what was happening?

 

Ohnari: Ras? How are we doing?

 

He looked away and down at his body. His right hand lay pulled tight to his chest. When he tried to open his fingers, the pain pushed all the memories back to the forefront. He winced.

 

El'Heem: Aghhhh. My hand. ::groaning:: I b- broke my hand.

 

He watched the Haliian woman’s hands fly imperceptibly fast and with intense precision. He swallowed, realizing how dry his throat was.

 

Ohnari: ::administering the analgesic she had prepped:: Way ahead of you. Focus on that breathing, ok? 

 

The fog of everything around him lessened in one way and increased in another. It was no longer chaotic. No longer shrouding. With the burden of the pain in his hand now lessened, his brain kicked back on. But a comforting daze danced at the edges of his vision.

For some reason, he wanted to chuckle. Things felt warm and fuzzy.

 

El'Heem: ::raspily:: I know it’s a stereotype, but I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to probe me after you abduct me. Not the other way around.

 

He allowed his head to flop backwards onto the bed as he stared at the ceiling.

 

oO The probe? The probe! Oo

 

El’Heem: The probe! ::lifting his head. Frantically:: Did I stop it?!

 

Ras gasped as Ohnari lifted his arm from his chest and unfurled it onto a bedside table.

 

Meteorites of pain shot through his body. His vision blurred for a moment before his whole arm felt like millions of Moon Ants had made their home under his flesh instead of a Moon Grazer carcass like they usually did. His appendage was replaced with static, and he fought the urge to pull it away. Something else was going on here. His hand was broken, assuredly. But his brain shouldn’t feel this way.

 

A. Dewitt/R.Matthews: Response

 

Tags/TBC

Lieutenant JG Ras El’Heem

Medical Officer

USS Khitomer (NCC-62400)

K240106RE3