Bedside Manners

Posted on Thursday 21 July 2022 @ 10:26 by Captain Melody Jones & Lieutenant Nir’anyar & Lieutenant JG Zirvell Khen

Mission: Revelations
Location: Sick Bay
Timeline: MD003 0900 hrs
2119 words - 4.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Since the Merlin was still getting repaired, and the flight deck had not been crossed off the repair list as of yet, Maverick thought it time to get the most tedious of duties off his list. That of the new assignment physical. He had his medical records transferred from the Iwo Jima and had no idea why he had to get another physical. Yet orders were indeed orders. He strode confidently into Sick Bay and saw the Benzite that Pete recognized from the ship's records as the Chief Medical Officer. "Hey Doc, I hope I am not interrupting anything."

"Yes you are but such is the nature of my job!" she said rather abruptly not shifting her gaze from the mountain of medical shipping containers now standing before her. "Ensign Zirvell.... These are supposed to have been sent to Cargobay three ready for transport to Deep Space 21 for that colony they are setting up. Why oh why are these sitting in the middle of my sickbay?"

"When was I supposed to have time for that doctor," the young nurse sputtered, "we've had so many injured that we had to tend to....and I wasn't even aware I had to move them...." Surprise was evident on the Cardassian's face, followed by a touch of insecurity.

"Well... now Ensign!"
She barked feeling the frustrations of the last few days mounting rather then easing. She finally turned on the new comer. "I would say come to my office but as you can see..." she waved a frustrated hand in the general direction of her office, the windows blown out, the bulkhead separating the private space and sickbay in a somewhat melted condition. "I am struggling with a complete refit pending in here after the disaster we just survived... What can I do for you Lieutenant?"

"Just thought I would pop down here and see if you can give me a clean bill of health. Once the Merlin is repaired I am to be your new pilot. But I can come back if need be..." Pete spoke with an air of confidence and a small amount of conceit. He knew he was the best of the best and felt that everyone should know that especially if he was flying them about the galaxy.

Zirvell sighed as he moved towards the crates, haphazardly sidestepping around their visitor. "Sir.." he muttered as he passed the man.

"And please do forgive my assistant... If he survives the next forty eight hours it will be a miracle of biblical proportions!" her voice raising over the last few words so Zirvell could hear her as he went.

The Cardassian cringed visibly at her words as he wondered what he had done to deserve this kind of treatment. Still, he picked up the first crate and started to move it aside. He'd have operations or engineering transport them to the cargo hold once internal transporters were fixed.

"You know I have nothing to do. So, once the physical is over I would be happy to lend a hand." Pete said with a smile that lit up his face.

Zirvell cast the man a grateful look. "Thank you sir," he answered softly as he set to work, moving the crates at least out of the immediate path of the very cranky CMO.

"Lieutenant..." she absently waved a hand at the nearest biobed and pulled the tricorder from her teal lab coat as she stalked around the pile of crates as the doors to sickbay opened once again, this time with another arrival that she had a feeling would be intent on pulling at her previous and very sparse time.

Pete took a seat on the biobed as requested, eager to get this physical out of the way. "Right doc... I believe I am fit as a fiddle. But you tell me..."

"So you do have an idea what a Doctor does... Good boy!" caustically she said knowing that she was pushing today but things had landed on her that she was not expecting. second Officer, a planetary colony set up and losing her sickbay.

"Doctor!" Zirvell called out, a shocked expression on his face. His expression turned apologetic as he turned towards the new arrival. "Please excuse our dear doctor sir.... we've been through quite a bit as you know... we're all a bit stressed."

"Well if you want to vent go for it. Top Gun has trained us to deal with the pressure. I mean I can imagine everything that the Merlin has been through has not helped anyone's mental capacity especially the medical staff. As the new guy who has not been through all of that I am happy to be a sounding board. So vent away." Pete responded and he managed to be both unphased by the Doctor's comment and genial about his offer.

"It hasn't," Zirvell replied from a slight distance away. While the new pilot might be unphased, the Cardassian wasn't really happy with how his boss had responded. From what had been drilled into him at the academy, this wasn't proper bedside manner.

It was at this moment Melody entered sickbay. The repair team at drydock had restored life support to allow the officers and crew to retrieve items from their quarters before the repair and refit began. Melody was having a look around the ship and was surprised at the level of devastation and amazed there were so few injuries among the crew.

Melody was also shocked at the amount of damaged in sickbay. One of the crew who was helping to clear sickbay snapped to attention

"Captain on deck!"

Melody acknowledged him "Carry on. Good afternoon Doctor, Major, Lieutenant."

"Captain... What can I do for you?" Anya asked.

"It's alright Lieutenant. I was just looking around, surveying the damage. It looks like sickbay took quite a beating."

"Plasma fire took out my office and Deep Space 21 are requisitioning our medical supplies for the new colony. I am assured that replacement supplies will be here for when Merlin's refit is complete!" she added with confidence.

"And what do you think these are," the Cardassian nurse grunted as he was trying to move a particularly heavy crate.

"You have eyes and hands Ensign... Open the crate and find out!" Anya snapped. Still feeling the frustration of the last few days tugging at her last remaining nerve.

"I know what is inside," Zirvell snapped back, finally losing his patience, "because I can read, and this PADD tells me what's inside." He tossed the device at her. "Supplies, as you requested."

Melody cleared her throat, picking up on the tension between Anya and Zirvell but not wanting to impose upon it just yet, hoping they would sort it out between themselves. Still, a gentle nudge in the right direction...

"Well, this mission has been hard on all of us. I think we're all looking forward to some rest and relaxation, to allow saner heads to prevail. Wouldn't you both agree?" she asked looking in turn at Zirvall and Anya.

The nurse turned glaring eyes towards the captain as he continued to try and move the crate, on his own, which was undoable. "Yes," he answered curtly.

Melody frowned. She moved closer to Anya and spoke in a quiet voice. "Can we have a word in private?"

"One moment sir!" Anya turned to Zirvell, having already heard of the run in he had suffered with the Bajoran from Security but right now she was feeling a swell of pride. "Ensign... I need you to keep that fire. I know I can be difficult, stubborn, abrasive and oftentimes oblivious to how I can across. You have to proven that my belief in you is justified. I need you to keep me in check... Also you are out of uniform" her last comment left hanging as she fished a small black case from her lab coat pocket and left it on top of the crate the young Cardassian was trying to shift. "Now, Lieutenant, please organise the supplies, call in as many medical staff as you need and once that is done go and get yourself some R&R along with the rest of the crew!"

Anya turned on her heel, looking at the Captain, a beaming smile pulling at her sensory ganglia along the ridge of her upper lip. "Captain, you wanted to speak to me!" she started to lead the Captain from sickbay.

Melody kept her voice low "I Couldn't help but notice some serious tension in that exchange. I know this past day has been tough on everyone but a good leader will always put his or her feeling secondary to the needs of the crew. Even if it's the last thing you could think of doing. As a senior officer, you need to be an island of calm amid the storm. Yes, you need to command authority and respect from those you command but letting yourself get rattled and then taking those frustrations out in your orders is not a good idea. Understood?"

"And I need an assistant who is going to stand up to me rather than just let me run gunshot over them. That young man just showed he has the balls I need from an assistant and has earned that promotion!" she said with a confidence she didn't even realise she had in her and nervously shot the Captain a look before adding "Sir!"

Melody smiled and nodded. "Just remember the appearance of self-control. Fake it till ya make it if needs be," she added with a wink.

"How do you think I made it through Medical School?" Anya asked with a gentle chuckle as the two women wove their way from Sickbay.

Stunned, Zirvell stared after the retreating woman, then slowly his eyes travelled to the small box, still unable to fathom what had just happened. He reached for it and looked inside, eyes widening. Ah so that was what 'out of uniform' meant... Carefully he attached the hollow pip to his collar, finding it difficult to do so with trembling hands. "Uhm... what about Lieutenant Mitchell?" he managed, now looking towards the man still sat on the bed. "Was he done? Cleared?" He turned to the man. "Were you?"

Pete still amazed by what he had witnessed snapped himself out of it. "No, I do not believe the Doctor had a chance to perform the physical."

"I suppose I could... at least the basics to clear you for duty if you like," the young Cardassian offered, somewhat uncertainly. He was sure he could see to at least the basics and if anything was up then the CMO would have to see to the rest later. "It'd at least clear you for your shifts, sir."

The idea if the Cardassian touching him made Pete's skin crawl. He would never forgive them for killing the only thing that mattered to him, his father. A small amount of disdain crept into his voice, something that he could no longer hold back. "No thanks, I think it best if I just wait for the Chief Medical Officer."

The disdain was easy to pick up, especially after having heard it from people around him for the better half of his life. Zirvell knew he had only two choices, either he could enforce his position and thereby lose any chance of 'reconciliation' in the future, or respect the patient's position in the hopes of improving relations in the future. Still, both choices were hurtful to the young nurse as he took a small step back. "As you wish sir," he answered respectfully, "if you change your mind, I'll be over there. You can wait here until Doctor Nir'anyar returns." And given that she had just left sickbay, that could indeed be quite a while. Giving the man a small nod, Zirvell walked away, flagging a few other nurses along the way to please come assist him with the particularly heavy supply crate.

Pete kept an eye on the Cardassian as he left. Now that he knew that they were serving in the fleet he would have to make sure to keep clear. But, for the time being he would wait for the CMO to take care of him. Besides, it would give Pete a chance to calm down.

---

Ensign Zirvell Khen
Nurse
pnpc Seklar

●● Lieutenant Nir’anyar
Chief Medical Officer
USS Merlin

●● Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell
Chief Flight Control Officer/Commander Air Group
USS Merlin

●●●● Captain Melody Jones
Commanding Officer
USS Merlin