Back To It!

Posted on 23 Mar 2019 @ 9:20pm by Lieutenant Pippa Faust & Lieutenant Gabriel Walker

Mission: Prologue
Location: Medical - Mark Miller

After making it to his quarters and sitting down to remove his running shoes, Gabe was grimacing and realized he was going to be foolish if he continues to try to ignore the problem.  He looked at his shoes and realized it would be just as painful to put them back on, so instead he stood and left his quarters.  It didn't take long to make it to Medical, and the tension seemed to be easing, but the low burning and twinge were still in place by the time he entered through the doors, padding over to the nearest nurse.  "I'm looking for a doctor," he said, standing stiffly.

Nurse Verity Hartdegen cocked a pristine eyebrow at the Lieutenant, then blinked slowly in the direction of the smallest woman in the room. She took a breath, clearly taking her time, then brought her brown eyes back around to meet Gabe's and said with complete British coolness, "Of course. Doctor Faust, there's someone in need of you."

Pippa started slightly, having been so deeply concentrating on what she'd been doing that she hadn't even processed Gabe's entrance. She turned around quickly and offered the nurse a quick smile. "Thank you, V-- Hartdegen," she said, catching herself before accidentally saying the woman's first name again. She'd called her by it earlier that day and, well, the regal chill she'd received from Hartdegen in response had made it very clear that they were not quite at that level of familiarity just yet. 

She crossed the distance to the pair and stopped before Gabe. "What can I do for you, Lieutenant?" she asked, watching out of the corner of her eye as Hartdegen turned away and returned to the work she had been doing prior. 

"I've wrenched my back," Gabe said, watching the exchange with some interest.  The nurse's demeanor was oddly comforting.  Not a single offer of interpersonal falseness.  "It was injured a few days ago and then I hurt it again in a collision with a crewman not long ago."  While speaking to the doctor, he was glancing around Medical.

"Oh," Pippa said, eyes widening in concern, "well, that won't do, will it?" She glanced at the biobeds then returned her attention to Gabe. "Would you be more comfortable standing at the moment or do you think you can sit on one of the beds?" she asked.

Gabe held the sigh.  "Doctor, my level of comfort should not be a concern superior to your needs in treating the injury.  I will do as you instruct as I acknowledge, at the moment, your training and skill set is superior to my own in this situation.  Recognizing that, I must then defer to what you require and is within my capability of performing."

"Oh, uh, well," Pippa said slowly, "my concern is for your comfort level as pain is usually indicative of some level of trauma and manipulating certain traumas any which way can cause more damage... which I would like to avoid." She waved him off. "But you know what? Let's just scan you, huh?" She pulled the hand sensor out of the tricorder cradle and began to wave it about the man.

"As you wish, Doctor," Gabe said, standing still while she completed her scan.  "I was told by the station doctors this could be a problem.  I thought I was being careful but did not expect to run into a crewman."

"How did you injure yourself originally?" Pippa asked, eyes focused on the tricorder readouts. "Before your collision with the crewman." If his previous injury had been agitated by just pumping into someone, it must have been fairly serious to begin with and that concerned her.

Gabe took a moment as he considered the way to answer that question.  Finally, letting out a breath, he shrugged.  "I was struck in the lower lumbar by the butt end of a disruptor rifle.  It caused some swelling that resulted in partial paralysis for a time."

Pippa winced sympathetically and shook her head. "I'm sorry that happened to you." Paralysis was never a joke. Taking a breath, she focused on the scan until it was finished, then lowered her hands and raised her eyes again. "Looks like there is definitely some inflammation in your lower Supraspinous Ligament and your Erector Spinae has been strained as well." She moved over to the main biobed and patted it. "Hop up and I'll take care of it for you," she said before smiling and added, "But not really hop, of course. Carefulness is actually recommended."

"Why do I get the feeling phrases like 'restricted duty' and 'time off' are going to get uttered?" Gabe asked while he did as she instructed, sitting on the bed and looking at his hands resting between his thighs.  He tried to ignore the deep ache in his lower back as he just sat.

"With any luck," Pippa began, moving around the bed to stand behind him, "neither will be necessary." She turned to go grab the equipment she needed, but before she could even get one step away, Hartdegen was standing there with the specific tool needed in hand. Pippa raised her eyes to meet the other woman's and grinned. "Thank you, Hartdegen," she said, thoroughly pleased with the efficiency of her head nurse.

"Of course, Doctor Faust," the woman replied before stepping away again.

Pippa turned back to Gabe. "Alright, now hold as still as possible please." Once he had, she raised the subdermal regenerator and got to work repairing what she could. 

She took longer than was strictly necessary, but when she did finished, she was pretty satisified. "Hopefully," she said, as she came back around the bed to face him, "what I've done will be enough to get you back on the road to full recovery. I am going to give you an anti-inflammatory as well, just in case." Again, Hartdegen appeared at her side with the hypospray in hand, for which Pippa shot her another thankful smile. She pressed it to the side of Gabe's neck and nodded. "Alright, I think that will do it for now. If you find youself still having troubles, I can always give you a muscle relaxant as well. And yes, while I'm not restricting duty, I am telling you firmly, take it easy. Let's avoid surgery, shall we?"

"Doctor," Gabe said as he gingerly got up and stood, feeling the pain was gone and he seemed able to move freely again.  "I'm the chief of security on a research vessel.  How much easier can I take it?"

Pippa leveled a patient look at him, then smirked and shook her head. "Try your best, please," she implored. "I do love when people come visit me, but I also generally prefer my visitors to be in one piece when they come."

"So limbs can be only nearly severed," Gabe said, completely deadpan.  "I'll put out the policy to security.  Thank you, Doctor, I hope not to have to see you again anytime soon."  With that and because there didn't seem to be any need for anything further, he headed for the door and to return to what other duties he had planned.  Ones that didn't run the risk of colliding with science crewmen.

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Lieutenant Gabriel Walker
Chief of Security/Tactical
Mark Miller

&

Doctor Pippa Faust
Chief Medical Officer
USS Mark Miller