Welcome Back

Posted on Wednesday 12 September 2018 @ 17:26 by Captain John "Apollo" Barstow, M.D. & Commander Cale Llewellyn DSci & Lieutenant Michael Ki MD & 1st Lieutenant Cara O'Reilly MD & Lieutenant Colonel Kachiko Bayushi

Mission: The New Collective
Location: USS Merlin - Sickbay
Timeline: Current
1829 words - 3.7 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Cara walked out of a cubicle and stripped off her gloves, tossing them in the nearest recepticle. She looked around and could see that things seemed under control....for the moment. She decided to catch up on some charting and headed for the Nurses' Station. As she passed the CCO Unit she peeked in to catch a quick glimpse at the CO's monitors.

Barstow was sweating and starting to thrash around as he dreamt, the monitors showing his heart rate increasing. Just as Cara entered his pulse jumped to 180 beats per minute, triggering the alarms warning of an impending heart attack. The CO's eyes suddenly shot open and he sat strait up in bed, "RETURN FIRE, ALL WEAPONS, HELM, BRING US ABOUT AND GET US TO THE POLE TO MASK OUR SIGNATURE!" he called out, nearly jumping off the bed, "GET THOSE SHIELDS BACK UP AND SEAL OFF DAMAGED SECTIONS!"

Cara moved, quickly, over to the side of Barstow's bed and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Easy, Commander. Shhh.....you're not on the Bridge. You're in Sickbay. I need you to calm down and lie back. You're Ok. Just lie back," she said in a soothing voice as she, gently, pushed him back against the pillow. She glanced at the monitors as a nurse ran in to help. "Get me 3cc of Melorazine. STAT," she ordered and the nurse disappeared to get the medication. Cara looked at Barstow and pointed to her face. "Look at me, John," she said. "I need you to look at me. Focus on me and try and calm down."

With the ship under repair, the Agememnon watching over them and O'Hara effectively in charge for the time being, Kachiko finally had an opportunity to breathe. So she had taken to sitting with the unconscious Barstow and projecting calm feelings towards the unconscious man.

Until he was suddenly no longer unconscious, the unexpected yelling dragging Kachiko out of a light doze. Standing up, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder, keeping him horizontal, "Apollo, you're fine. You're safe, we're all safe. Relax." Her other hand was on the nurse call button, which she activated.

John looked between the two officers, trying to get his bearings. His mind was still stuck in the last moment he remembered and he was having a hard time pulling himself back. After a minute the heart rate monitor showed his pulse starting to slowly come down. Barstow looked around the room, "damage...casualties?" he asked as he let them push him back down.

Cara placed her hand on Bayushi's arm to stop her from answering him right away. "Slow breaths, John," she said, softly. "Slow." She kept one eye on Barstow and the other on the monitor. When his pulse had slowed back to a normal limit and his breathing had slowed, she nodded to Bayushi to go ahead but she continued to examine him while the XO gave her report.

"About thirty grievously wounded aboard the Merlin," Kachiko sighed, giving Cara and grateful look before returning her glassy eyes to the Captain. "No fatalities as yet. The colony has about nine hundred confirmed dead in addition to sixty Marines from the local garrison."

"O'Hara was injured but is still walking and working," Kachiko's eyes slid shut. For a brief moment it seemed that she had fallen asleep and in truth, she had. However, she came back awake almost immediately and continued, "Tillatix likewise suffered shrapnel wounds. I don't have her condition as yet."

"Finally, I have some minor shrapnel injuries from engaging the Borg dirt side. Then there's the most stubborn of Commanding Officers, whom suffered a head injury and is in Sickbay," the exhausted woman concluded her report.

"And your Chief Operations Officer is in the ICU after having his lung reinflated," Cara interjected.

John chuckled and then got a solemn look then groaned slightly and pressed the heal of his hand against his temple, "they don't issue us any other way," he replied then sat up again, "how is he? What about the Borg? and How long until repairs are complete?" he asked, relief showing on his face about there not being any crew fatalities, "and Doctor, thank you," he said with a smile, "when can I get out of here?"

Cara held up her index finger in front of his face. "Follow my finger with just your eyes," she said and moved if from side to side then up and down. She looked at the nurse and pointed to the portable CT Scanner. "Lie very still," she instructed as she moved the canopy over the head of the bed. Silently the scanner took images of Barstow's brain and displayed them on the terminal on the wall at the head of the bed.

At that moment, Commander Llewellyn rushed into the Commander's room. "Commander, I just received word from Command that I think you'll want to hear. You've been promoted. Sir, you're a CAPTAIN once again!!!" Cale said quite out of breath.

John grinned at the news, "well, that is something nice to wake up to," he replied, his chest puffing out a little.

Ki was on rounds and had saved the CO of the Merlin for last. Barstow remained in a comatose state but stable. Michael had the intention of working through the night until a diagnosis could be reached. However, he arrived in time to hear the news of the Commander’s promotion. He smiled “Congratulations Captain…” There was a slight pause in his speech as the smile left his face. “Now if you are not medical staff you must leave, that is if you want the Captain to be able to walk out of here and collect that shiny new pip. He needs rest, the sooner you let him rest, the sooner he will be able to return. So everyone out… We are still not fully sure what happened to the Captain.” The tone in the doctor’s voice bilked no argument, his ire was directed at everyone save Cara who if he was totally honest, he was happy to see in the room.

"Thank you for letting me into tell him the good news, Doctor Ki. I must be going back to the bridge, since the XO is in here, someone must be up there to coordinate the repairs and the assistance from the Agammemnon," Llewellyn said as he left the captain's room to return to the bridge. "Congratulations again, Captain Barstow."

"Thank you, Cale," the newly minted Captain replied with a nod before looking to Ki, "Doctor, I need to at least be released to my quarters, it isn't just work I need to get back to," he said and swung his legs slowly over the side of the bed, but didn't get up.

Michael turned a slightly stern gaze toward Barstow. "Listen Captain, I did not want to discuss this in front of everyone. However, it seems now I have no choice. You suffered a lot more than a concussion, or bump to the head. On top of the concussion you suffered a fractured skull, and a cerebral contusion. Now the first two would get you released after simple treatments. However, the latter that needs observation. You have only just woken up from a comatose state. I cannot allow to leave this Sick Bay for a full twenty four hours. Doing so would be against the Hippocratic Oath. The best I can offer you is the following, Commander Bayushi is more than capable to keep this ship in order for a day, and anything that she cannot handle she will be allowed to consult with you here. You may catch up on any paperwork here as well. If there are no harmful side effects from the contusion then you will be released to observed duty tomorrow." The doctor paused to let all he had said sink in to it's full effect. A smirk crawled across his face when he spoke again. "As of now this is a request. Please do not allow that fourth pip to make the mistake that all of that rank make. The mistake that requires me to make it an order." The smirk broadened into a full smile at the end of his statement. Michael hoped the slight joke was not lost on Barstow.

Kachiko shrugged and returned to the chair she had fallen asleep in. Maybe once the doctors were finished examining Apollo, she could have O'Reilly look at her painful shrapnel wounds?

Seeing that she was no longer needed and that the CO was in good hands, Cara started to step out of the cubicle when she noticed the look on Bayushi's face. She moved over to the chair and said, "There's an empty cubicle next door. Let me have a look at those wounds of yours." Placing her hand under Bayushi's arm she helped her to her feet.

Kachiko sighed, looking down at herself, just now realizing the state of the body-hugging body suit. There were numerous small holes and tears, hints of dried blood in most of the holes in the black cloth. She hadn't expected the gentle hand helping her upright. She held a hand up to Cara, turning back to Apollo, "Captain, after the Doc looks at me, I will return to the bridge. We're okay right now. The Agememnon's off the port quarter looking after us and giving O'Hara some extra hands in getting us back underway."

Before she and the lovely redheaded Physician left, she added, "I will bring your little one down here to see you later, Cap."

John just nodded, "alright, twenty four hours then I'm going to make a run for it," he replied with a smirk before looking over at a terminal next to him, "Barstow to Llewellyn I need you to have the Marine Commander come down here and prep for a briefing at zero eight tomorrow, be ready to present a course on that Borg ship and get with whoever you need to get me an idea about their behavior," he called and looked at Bayushi, "when you're up to it I want you to join Cale," he called as the XO and Doctor left before laying back on the bed.

"Aye, Captain," Cale responded so happy to be able to call his CO by his rightful title once more."I'll get right on that."

Michael simply smiled as the Captain acquiesced. Every Captain has to be a super hero he thought. As Barstow laid back down Michael bowed and went back to his office. He left instructions that he be notified if anything changed in the Captain’s condition.

Captain John "Apollo" Barstow
Commanding Officer
USS Merlin
Task Group 47-A Commanding Officer
Task Force 47

Dr. Cara O'Reilly
ACMO
USS Merlin

Commander Bayushi Kachiko
First Officer, USS Merlin

Lieutenant Commander Cale Llewellyn, DSci
Strategic Operations Officer
Second Officer
USS Merlin

Dr. Michael Ki
CMO
USS Merlin