If We Must

Posted on Wednesday 11 May 2016 @ 20:52 by Commander Caroline Miller & Lieutenant Commander Gregory Alein

Mission: Old, New Ship
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Current
1653 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure

On:

Having just left the Captain's Office Greg was still a little taken back, Executive Officer. It was those two words he never thought he'd see again. Hell he as convinced he'd end up in prison before he every worked in Command again. Still he was happy to take the job, and knew that he had to continue to improve, or risk loosing it all; again. He stepped through the bridge to the nearest turbolift, "Deck 7," he ordered. He knew his next stop and figured he would just get it out of the way.

Still sat crossed legged on a Bio bed, Caroline now had 2 young nurses who had arrived, reported in and were acquainting themselves with sickbay. She looked relaxed and was absently humming as she read some correspondence on a PADD from some of her fellow researchers. The entrance of yet another striking man and not just any man but by the looks of the uniform the XO, sent her two new staff into a quiet conversation, one filled with smiles in the officers direction. Ah to be that young and have your head turned so easily, Caroline mused. At least senior meetings would have a fairly nice view, she figured. If not surrounding her in a sea of blue eyes.

"You look like a man who does not want to be here," Caroline stated boldly. She wasn't particular looking forward to this one knowing he was likely to be a handful. His medical history was wrought with alocoholism and it seemed there had been an incident on the station before his appointment. Not that she would let him know that Jess had given her a heads up on this man.

Greg laughed, "Come on Doc, does anyone really want to be in Sickbay if they don't have too?" He knew that tendency for Officers to ignore their required evals. He looked over his shoulder at the two nurses, "Tell me Doc are they getting younger, or am I finally that old now? And yes, I am here willingly to get this over with yes. Before you remove my access or something..."

"I'm afraid it's both Commander. And regarding access, the nurses are off limits. Firmly off limits. This way," she commanded indicated her office.

Greg only gave the Doctor a glancing look, clearly someone had done her homework, he thought.

"I'll get right to the point," she stated firmly. "I need there to be truth between us right from the get go. If the situation were reversed and I as Xo had walked in here with a long history of substance abuse right up until immediately before your appointment, how would you feel this situation should be handled?"

"Blunt and straight to the point," he commented, "well in the interest of being open and honest; your bedside manners suck." He took a seat on the nearby chair, "So are all your visits this friendly, or should I expect worse later down the road," he asked intentionally not answering the question.

"It's bedside manner and your not currently in a bed," Caroline shot back. She sat down on her desk. "If you want sweet and fluffy get a pet. The fact of the matter is, your little drinking problem could not only put other people at risk but also you. The patient. And I'm not going to clear you until you tell me the full extent of it. You don't have to like my bedside manners or me as a person, just trust me to look after you. I can't do that without truth."

"Doctor," he was polite but firm, "Clearly you've done some reading up on me, however I think your information might be a hair outdated. Since serving on the station I've cleaned up a lot, do I drink? Yes, I do. Do I get so drunk that I can't function, not in a long time. However, if you'd like to start tossing around weight, and authority, I do control the Duty-Roster, as Exec, and I would be happy to move you to the third shift, so that bedside manner doesn't offend anyone else," he was pleasant but clearly was going to back down. "You're not the first Doctor I've dealt with you and certainly won't be the last. So we can either get along and make this work or try the current route which won't go well for either of us."

Caroline merely smiled and pulled out her tricorder, "Commander I survived med school, delivering gorn sextuplets, and the florian plague outbreak. Sticking me on third shift as often as you can will only inconvenience the rest the ship and yourself, not me and besides employee regulations state you can't assign me to it indefinitely. However growing a new liver is a lot longer the process the further down the line you are, and even if you have cleaned up your act you already have started accumulating damage," she turned the tricorder round to show him.

"You are in the first stages of ARLD. Would you care to threaten me some more or would you like to discuss your options?" She asked softer this time.

"Hmm," Greg replied implying his wasn't surprised. "Gorn Sextuplets, quite the task," he added. "So growing a new liver, why does that sound painful," he stated more of a comment then a question. Obviously, she wasn't one to be pushed around and if she was being honest he'd need her help later on. "So full-extent," he replied, "What exactly do you need to know," he asked with his arm folded. He was still going to stand his ground, but if there was an Officer on the ship who could relieve him of duty, it was the CMO so for now he had to play nice.

"Those little buggers bite, believe me," Caroline said seriously. "Okay, how much are you putting away ..... Every time ... Well when you have," she almost said episode, "a drink?" She asked.

"I don't exactly keep a running record, Doc," he replied.

"We can reverse the damage but you need to stop. I can start a course of liver regeneration and you can make some lifestyle choices but you need to refrain for at least 6 months," Caroline told him. "And if you choose to continue drinking after that do it in moderation."

"Six months," he comment more out of shock or fear then concern. He was taking in the words but he really didn't want to deal with all this. "Fine," he muttered his heart really not in it as his mind drifted to the scotch that was waiting for him tonight back in his quarters; a partly gift from his previous assignment. "That will be a long six months," he muttered.

"And I want you in here weekly for check ups. I will be re-scanning your Liver. If you slip up, I will know. Oh don't give me that face Commander. I am really not that bad once you get to know me," Caroline told him. "I can be sweet and fluffy."

"Aye aye Ma'am," he joked. While he understood what she was saying at this point in time he hadn't mentally processed anything, and certainly wasn't ready to deal with it; just yet.

"Now," she frowned as she read the device in her hand again. "What is going on with your lungs?" she asked. His cilia were showing signs of irritation. At least that was easier to fix, she pressed a button "Tara can you bring me 5cc of dreodroxinal," she stated.

"Have you had an infection Commander? Or recently been somewhere very very dusty?" she asked. She suspected something else of course but without more evidence and potentially a sample she couldn't confirm it. The issue was not however as pressing as his liver.

"Could be anything really," he replied, "Stations tend to be a hot bed of medical activity; what with all those people coming and doing." His mind went back to the bottle of Aldeberan Whisky the HELM Officer had just given him and wondered if the good Doctor would really know if he slipped up once and a while. "Anything else, that requires immediate attention," he asked not really wanting to know the answer?

Caroline had the distinct feeling that the commander had just chosen his words carefully. Yes there was truth in that stations could be a hot bed of medical activity - she knew that better than anyone but she couldn't shake that the feeling he had left something out. Something important and her plead for truth between them was probably a pointless exercise. She jabbed the hypo spray into his neck, possibly with more pressure than she needed too. As it hissed she informed him, "You may feel a little tingling in your lungs as that clears out and neutralizes whatever is irritating them. If you feel it returns, then come talk to me."

Greg stood up as the Doctor finished his treatment, not wanting to stay around any longer then needed he smiled as the hypo did it's work. Slight tingle, he tried hard not to wince. He didn't feel like giving her the satisfaction. "Well with that I have more rounds to get too and more, lovely, people to meet," he nodded mentally telling himself that if he was to return it would be on a shift that the good Doctor wasn't working. He'd make sure of that. He'd seen better bedside manners in his ex-girlfriends; and they hated him. "If there is nothing else," he didn't wait for an answer as he strolled out of sickbay. Bitch, he muttered under his breath after he was certain he was far enough away.

"Should have pushed it in harder," she muttered watching the man retreat.

Dr Caroline Miller,
CMO - USS Merlin

LtCmdr Greg Alein
XO - USS Merlin