First Stop, Take Two

Posted on Fri Aug 10th, 2018 @ 4:51pm by Lieutenant Sandra Adamson

Mission: A Majestic Affair
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD1, 1500 hours
1953 words - 3.9 OF Standard Post Measure

Having left the Cassiopeia post haste, Sekat's only desire had been to be as far away from the Patherlons as possible. He had explained his reasons to the commanding officer who, thankfully, had been quite understanding. Now, he stood in the middle of sickbay, leaning heavily on his cane, his right arm still pressed to his chest and supported by a sling.

he had promised the XO that he'd have himself heal up more but sadly, that was a promise he had to break soon after making it. Leaving and healing weren't two things that went well together and so here he was to fulfil that promise, even if the woman wasn't his boss anymore.

The Vulcan looked around, surprised by the sheer brightnes of the place, as if every nook and cranny had to be covered by light, and shadows were not allowed. "Doctor?" he called, without really raising his voice.

Sandy was going to medical files of the crew when she heard someone called out to her. She got up from her seat and walked out of her office. She saw a vulcan limping in with his cane. She walked to him. "Do you need any help?" She asked friendly. "I am Doctor Sandra Adamson. And you are?"

"Doctor Sekat," the Vulcan answered softly, "I am assigned here, however I was injured quite badly on my last assignment. I still require further healing, will you assist me?"

" Of course, doctor," She said warmly. She helped him on a biobed. Then she went to get a medical tricorder and started to scan him. "Shall I help you remove your uniform so I can treat your injuries? Maybe in the meantime you can tell me what happened." She pulled over a trey and put the tricorder on it. She placed a dermal regenerator and a some other tools as well as some hyposprays.

"I would very much appreciate your assistance," the Vulcan replied, while settling on the bed. "The ship was under attack by Patherlons, a panther like species. I was attacked while seeking to help the first officer. He bit me.." he indicated his neck then his things, " and clawed me. I am healing but if I am to function properly then I need further assistance. I do not require full healing, I do want my body to do the last part on its own."

She helped him out of his uniform and examined his wounds. She then took a hypospay. "This is something against the pain and infections." She administered it and took a dermal regenerator and started to treat his wounds. "That sounds like quite the adventure. looking at the wounds it was quite an aggressive species."

He shivered as the cool air in sickbay touched his now bare skin. "They were felines," he explained, as if that said it all, "we were overrun. I got lucky when this young feline attacked me in sickbay, he struck me with his claws across the chest." He indicated freshly healed claw marks across his chest, then at the fading bruises around his throat. "And he tried to choke me. Either he was just toying with me or he got distracted I do not know, but he left me alone after I passed out."

Sekat paused. "I encountered him later when I was taking care of the first officer, that is when he attacked me a second time. Fortunately I was given a blade by a security officer before they went to search for others so I was able to defend myself and the first officer. He injured me gravely as you can see, but..." The Vulcan paused, looking away as if ashamed. "...I killed him instead."

Sandy wasn't empathic, but his body language seemed to be as an open book to her. She looked over the wounds as he pointed to them. When he shivered she said, "Would you like me to raise the temperature?" She kept treating his wounds, more gentle now. She never met with violence, though she had on occasion dealt with death. Patients she couldn't save. But never had she killed anyone. Being a doctor herself she could understand his feelings of shame over killing someone. She would feel the same way if she had killed someone. Even if it was to protect herself. As a doctor you made an oath to never do harm. She just never met a Vulcan so emotional though, with logic he would have understand it was self defense. "Sekat," she sighed. "I may not be able to understand what you're going trough right now, but I understand how you feel."

"I am not supposed to feel," Sekat answered gently, "I am not supposed to take lives. I tried to spare him but if I had he would have killed me without second thought." He lifted his left hand. "I broke his neck, though it took effort as I was weakened from blood loss." He looked up at her, as if realizing she'd asked him something before now. "No, the temperature is fine but thank you. I grew up on Vulcan, I am always cold though it no longer bothers me. I actually do not mind cooler temperatures."

She continued with his wounds. "You don't have to explain it to me, Sekat. I am just your doctor now. You can tell me if you want, but I won't judge you."

"People, especially Humans, will always judge," Sekat answered knowingly, "even without intending you. I would not blame you, if you did doctor but thank you for your offer." He winced as he shifted his right arm. "I do believe my attacker did quite some damage hence it was not all healed in one session. I was quite ill for several days, due to something either on his claws or on his fangs."

"I can tell," she said, "You may need several more treatments, before your body can take over." She took the tricorder and scanned him again. "I will have to keep you in sickbay, unless you want to stay in your quarters? Then I have to dress your wounds and you need to wear a medical monitor. I can treat you in your quarters." She offered with a smile. "And you can call me Sandy."

This, he hadn't expected but he nodded anyway, deferring to his superior's expertise. "I will remain," he said calmly, "it is more efficient for you, if I remain here." And efficiency, to a Vulcan, was everything. Why waste time going to someone's quarters when they can just as well remain on site. "Only if you call me Sekat," he added, smiling ever so slightly.

"Of course, Sekat," she said. "I will instruct the night nurse to watch over you. When on duty I like to keep the lights on in here. I hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all," the Vulcan replied, though he arched an eyebrow at her. "Though I am curious to learn why you would do that."

"Well, and this may sound a bit childish," she started. "But I am afraid of the dark. Have been since I was a child. They tried to get me over it, several therapies. And then I had something happen to me in the dark. I was never the same. I sleep with my lights on. I can't sleep if the lights are off."

"Do you know what caused it, what happened?" Sekat asked seriously, "I do not believe it is childish at all. It is perfectly alright to have something you fear."

"Yea I got really traumatized once. In the darkness." She was doubting a little, but then continued. "I think I was 6 years old. My mother got called in to the hospital she works at. It was late at night. I was sleeping at home. She thought she could leave me alone real quick. I was awoken by a sound downstairs. so I went down to look. I thought it was my mom. It was all quiet. The sound was gone. I wanted to turn on the light when someone or something jumped out from the dark shadows. I froze, I couldn't speak or move. I had no idea what is was. But it injured me. I don't know what happened afterwards, cause I found myself in the hospital. My mom had found me hours later in shock. She had treated my injuries. But I couldn't tell her what happened, I was still grasping the situation myself. I think after that I was sent to live with my grandparents." She sighed. "I have seen counselors, psychiatrist. But whenever its dark I just panic." She sighed and then went to get some dressings to dress Sekat's wounds. She never made much friends in school because of that either. She has been trying to forget it, and she gotten to use to the light and sleeping with the lights on. She dressed his wounds carefully. "There you go, I would order you to rest, but,...well."

"If you order it I would be obligated to follow it," Sekat pointed out, "and I think you likely suppressed such a traumatic experience. Has anyone ever performed hypnosis or a mind meld to try and uncover the memory?"

Sandy looked to the ground a moment. "It has been suggested, but I am pretty much freaked out by it, a bit. I am scared what I might see or find out. So I never got myself to do it."

"I would be willing, when you are," Sekat offered, "though I am no counselor an am capable of offering assistance from a medical point of view. I would be bound by the same rules as normal." He hissed as she touched a particularly -still- tender spot. "You do not have to do it, I will not pressure you. But if you trust me, then the offer is there."

Sandy put her hands on his shoulders. "Sekat, you should rest now. We will talk about this when you are fully healed, in the meantime I will think about it." She gently pushed him down on the bed. "I can wait."

"It is your choice, it will always be your choice," Sekat told her, "and I will rest. Is there still any residual sign of infection? There should not be but given the tenderness of these claw and bite marks..."

"Will you stop worrying, and don't say you're a Vulcan and you don't worry," Said Sandy, "It sounds like worry to me. and there is no sign of infection. But as a doctor you should know that rest is the best medicine one can get."

"I am aware." Sekat openly smiled at her this time. "I am Vulcan," he continued, "however I also worry. I am part Human, even if it is a small part, I will not deny that part of me by not allowing myself to experiencec some emotions. I will rest, right here, untill you tell me I have rested enough."

She took his hand suddenly. "Rest, Sekat, I will come back later to check on you. We could have dinner together if you like." She smiled back to him.

As if by reflex, Sekat pulled his hand back, more out of habit of not wanting to be touched in general than a reaction to her specifically. "I would like that," he answered softly, "it had been a while since I dined with anyone."

"Sorry," She whispered and said, "I will see you later then." She turned away to go back to her office.

Nodding, Sekat closed his eyes and soon drifted off into sleep.

---

Lieutenant j.g. Sekat
Medical Officer
Pnpc Lhaes

&

Lieutenant j.g. Sandra Adamson
Chief Medical officer