Fragili Mortalis

Posted on 25 Feb 2023 @ 9:42pm by Captain Jonathan Reynolds & Lieutenant C'Tora Kuroka & Lieutenant JG Harper Matthews & Lieutenant Cassandra Higgins-Stevens & Lieutenant JG Roger Harrison Jr & Lieutenant JG Kovan Talios M.D. & Lieutenant Syvar MD

Mission: Through the looking glass
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: After the events of "Touched by a dark fire"
2163 words - 4.3 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

Sickbay was silent, almost serene and peaceful. The gently lighting framed by the soft beeping of the biobed monitors and the main sickbay display. A few medical personnel milling about until the hum of the transporter cut through the air. C'Tora, crouching over the immobile form of Lieutenant Matthews and three others covered in sheets, at the same time the doors to sickbay parted as Captain Reynolds entered supporting a bruised and bleeding Counsellor Higgins.

"I can walk Captain... go!" Cassie urged the Captain who she could tell was worried about his people.

"Perhaps but after my temporary freak out up there I need to regain some machoism back here so humour me as I get you to that bio bed counselor," Jon said a little more sharper than he intended. "And yes I know we will be needing a talk about it."

"Honestly, I'm grateful... I'm not sure I could walk that far!" she teased and winced in equal measure. She assumed she had a broken ankle, several bruised ribs and certainly a head injury due to the blood that was dried to her forehead and cheek which could mean a concussion also.

She hoped up as much as she could but felt it was a futile move as the Captain had essentially lifted her up onto the biobed. "Thank you... Now go, check on Harper and the others!"

Her own anxious eyes taking in the sight of three bodies covered with crisp white sheets. Who were they? She had been out for most of the fight and was still only just trying to come back to her senses even now.

"How is Harper?" Jon asked the nearest nurse. She had been beamed directly into surgery to remove part of the view screen which had landed in her back. From all reports there had been a lot of blood. In fact his entire bridge was covered in blood. And bodies. Once Jon got over the shock factor of all this he knew his anger was really going to peak. He would likely be taking it out on a training dummy.

C'Tora overheard the Captain's question to the nurse. His ears laid back flat and his tail swishing with agitation. " She's not good Captain Reynolds. " He said with a slight growl. " We've managed to stop the internal bleeding, but now I'm doing my best to reconstruct her spinal chord and it's going to take awhile. "

C'Tora gave the Captain a quick glance over his shoulder and continued to work. " How the hell did I wind up with three dead in my sickbay and several wounded? " He asked. " What happened up there and why? It makes no sense at all. " Stated the large Caitian with a mix of sadness and anger in his voice. Two of them I considered good friends. "

M'Tara was coming over to help out, her tail twitching about not liking what had happened. "What did happen?" bringing over the tools to help out the wounded.

Roger was behind M'Tara, forcing his mind to clear and focus on the present. "Captain, I can help you over here," he indicated the biobed he stood in front of. Over his shoulder, he called out for a nurse. "Open the extra biobeds, please, Petty Officer." He turned back to the Captain. "What DID happen?" He glanced around. "Unless you'd rather me go up to the Deck; I can help out up there." Triage was what he preferred, after all.

Syvar came running, looking a shadow of himself as he spared glance towards Hawkins' body then turned towards the severely chief counselor. "What happened?" He asked, his voice shaking as he ran a scanner across her body, his hand shaking.

Cassie was still shaking, gripped by a fear that seemed unfounded.

"I don't remember!"

With an ungloved hand, Syvar reached to cover Cassie's hand with his own in an attempt to calm her. Her fear cascaded like a heavy blanked across his already fragile mental state, but he resisted the urge to yank his hand back. "Perhaps right now that's for the best," he suggested slowly as he drew in a slow and deep breath to calm himself. "Right now, we need to see to your injuries. Do you want anything to help calm your senses? Anything to help you deal with any pain?"

All she could do was turn pleading eyes upon Syvar, she was loosing herself to the lingering fear and horrible images that the Dark one had left in her minds eye.

C'Tora relaxed a bit as M'Tara came over to assist him. " M'Tara, get the bone regenerator and set the rate at 0.065 on the micro refraction to help stimulate new bone growth. Begin working in the areas just behind where I'm currently working at , I know that doesn't leave a lot of room for either one of us to work, but it will increase for odds for a quicker recovery. We'll have her walking again in a day or two, Are you ready? " He asked her.

Harper was unconscious. The events of the bridge massacre, as there was no other word for it, had left her body beaten and bloody both inside and out. Even now her mind ran in circles trying to make sense of what had happened, did she stop possessed Xu? Then there was a fritzing noise and she felt her mind slipping away. There was an almost choral sound as she looked over her shoulder to see beings of light trying to welcome her forward, but she hesitated.

In the real world her vitals crashed and had her body not been held in a medical forcefield it would have went into a seizure.

Roger glanced over at M’Tara. “Do you need help? She's crashing." He looked to a nearby nurse. "YOU! Go with the Captain and grab a couple of triage kits on your way out. Call me if you need assistance. I'll be there as soon as Harper is stable." With that, he moved into gear, working quickly on the opposite side of M’Tara and C’tora to try to revive the woman.

M'tara gave a nod towards Roger, she also had a quick glance over at Syvar then back to the work that was being done on Harper. "I do believe you are good a triage?" M'tara breaking the silence for the moment.

Jon allowed himself to be led away from his girlfriend and steered himself to keep it together. He tried to reach out into Harpers mind to say "Fight. Come back to me" but sensed little. "I just hurt my leg falling over a desk," he said to the nurse. "I'm sure theres far more need attending to first."

The nurse crinkled up her brow, as she had the Captain have a seat, "We need to tend to you as well, Sir." the nurse quietly but firmly replied. "If you are not attended to, it will make the morale of the others dwindle. And if you are being treated it will also help out her fight to live" the nurse had noticed his actions towards the woman who was on the table being worked on.

" Oh No you don't!! " Growled C'Tora. " You can crash on your own damn time!. I need one hundred milliliter of Inaprovaline administered directly over the heart and a Neural Stimulator and stand by with an AED. " C'Tora and M'Tara worked quickly and quietly and monitoring the readings as they began to return to normal. " Ok she's out of the woods for now. M'Tara rig up a bypass for the spinal fluids so we can control the flow and prevent any paralysis.

“What’s happening,” Jon demanded. “I can sense the panic in the theatre." He tried to get up but the nurse was determined to block him.

Squeezing Cassandra's shoulder, Syvar told her he'd be right back. "Captain, you can't go near right now. Why don't you come with me and help me with Lieutenant Higgins? Panic won't help Lieutenant Matthews, it'll be better if you try to be calm and send her thoughts of love and encouragement."

Roger ignored the Captain behind him, though it pained him to do so; properness and all that said that he should say something. On the other hand, his training and oath said "save lives first" so the Captain would have to wait unless he started to bleed out or somesuch. With a speed that belied his age but was an absolute testament to his triage skills, he grabbed the things C'tora asked for, and got to work, administering the medicine, and the transmitter. "AED at the ready."

"It wasn't me panicking," Jon said. "But now I'm starting too. She is going to be okay?" he asked allowing him to lead him back in the direction of his Shell shocked counselor.

C'Tora glanced up at Roger. " Thank you Doctor Harrison, let's pray that the AED won't be needed. She's already got a fight on her hands and we're going to do everything we can so that she can come back from this. "

C'Tora redoubled his efforts racing against the clock. "
" Captain I really need to focus at the moment, I am reconstructing her spine and M'Tara is fusing everything together in the completed areas. Best case scenario she'll have no side effects, Worst case scenario is I'm bothered to much and take too much time and she could lose five to ten percent of her mobility permanently. Sorry I can't be more subtle right now, but we'll do everything we can for her. "

M'tara glanced up in the direction of the Captain, "She will be okay, just keep praying to the goddesses, as I feel they will help out immensely." her gaze soft and kindly. She turned back to helping out both Roger and C'Tora. Then she looked at the captain and then to her furless cousin. "Perhaps sir, I think our Counselor and Syvar needs encouragement as well. " M'Tar maybe stepping out of line but felt that if the Captain were to help out Cassandra and Syvar, it will help him out as well.

"Perhaps," Jon said. "Keep me informed," he told his CMO and medical staff before heading back to Cassie. "Your stuck with me."

C'Tora gave a slight nod as he continued to work. " Understood Captain. I will let you know when the surgery is done or if there are any changes. " With that said he resumed his task wordlessly with vigor.

Roger worked quietly, murmuring his questions, passing instruments, and checking Cassandra's vitals. "Aye, I am trained in triage." Good at it was subjective. "That's all I did in the Dominion war. Beta colonies." He pressed buttons, and brown eyes scanned and flickered from one monitor to the other. "She's leveling out." Good, that meant they were out of the woods...for the moment. A crash could happen at any time and he was always acutely aware of that.

M'Tara was feeling a bit relieved, a cautious relief but a relief nonetheless. She didn't want another death on their hands when it can be prevented. The other losses were and are being felt by the others along with her. And she knew that her husband wasn't taking things too well. He was in fight with Death himself, in some way, to save Harper's life.

C'Tora gave a quick glance up at his ACMO and then refocused on his work. " You were in the beta colonies during the Dominion Wars? " He asked. " Damn that had to be rough for you Roger. But you made it out in one piece and that has made you a better doctor for the experience, I'm glad your with us here and now. " Said the big Caitian.

C'Tora looked over at the medical monitor and check the readings on the screen. " It seems that she is responding well to treatment and the most critical part is nearly completed and we should finish up with that in about twenty minutes. " He turned to M'Tara. " M'Tara please continue to fuse the spinal column, And both of you have done fine work today. Thank you, I couldn't have done this without the two of you. " He stated as he returned back to his work.

M'tara finsished up the work, along side both Roger and C'Tora, then she smiled as the readings were now going into proper form. "She's going to make it, by all the stars she is going to make it. "Great job Harper keep up the good work." she murmured quietly. "When you wake up, you'll see the eyes of the one you love." M'tara looking up from their patient towards the Captain.

OFF:

Captain Jonathan Reynolds
CO, USS Andromeda

Lieutenant JG Harper Matthews
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Andromeda

Lieutenant C'Tora Kuroka
Chief Medical Officer
USS Andromeda

Ensign M'Tara Kuroka
Medical Officer
USS Andromeda

Lieutenant Cassandra Higgins
Ships Counsellor
USS Andromeda

Dr Roger Harrison
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Andromeda