Part 1 )
*** Main Hospital. SB Unity ***
"This is USS Montgomery to Starbase Unity, we have a
priority one medical emergency, request immediate transport
for one patient straight to sickbay."
In the main hospital the call was passed to the head nurse
Lucy Fleming who immediately alerted the team on call in the
emergency rooms.
Three people materialized into the middle of the hospital
reception area. Doctor Borvan was holding up a sachet of
plasma as his nurse was trying to keep an oxygen mask on the
patient.
"Details" Lucy said, wasting no time on pleasantries.
"This is Major General Richard Sharpe, male, aged 50,
he's bleeding out internally, but we can't isolate the
source. He's not responding to treatment and he's
slipped into cardiac arrest twice prior to beam down."
Doctor Borvan reported.
"Straight to the sensor suite." Lucy directed although the
team needed no second telling. " ..and contact Doctor
Summers." she said to the duty nurse who nodded and put
through the call. Anyone of high rank was routinely seen by
the CMO whether or not in an emergency.
"How long has he been like this?" Lucy asked walking
extremely quickly to keep up with the trolley and the trio
engaged in keeping the patient stable.
"Just shy of an hour." Doctor Borvan said. "He'd recovered
from his
initial
injuries in sickbay, but he broke out of sickbay, then this
happened."
"When were the injuries...how long ago?" Lucy demanded as
they entered the brightly lit suite.
"Coming on eight hours now." The doctor said.
On the count of three, the Generals body was transferred to
the bio bed and immediately a surgical support frame was
lowered across him.
The nurse was back. " The doctor will be here in a few
minutes." she said.
"Good." Borvan said, just as Richard once again went into
cardiac arrest.
"Damnit! He's coding!" Borvan moved towards the General.
"Don't you
dare die
on me you old fart!"
The 'clamshell' support frame had an inbuilt
cardiostimulator and it was this that stabilised Richard
'though it took a few minutes.
"Whats happened?" Rangi asked as she hurried into the room
and Lucy explained about the previous injury, the cardiac
arrests, the internal bleeding and how Richard had
"...broken out of sickbay." glancing at Borvan as she ended.
Rangi looked sharply in his direction. " Broken out of
sickbay?" she asked.
"He was in a state of emotional distress." Borvan said. "He
refused
to
return to bed, despite repeated requests. He kept blaming
himself for the
failure of the mission, so Sergeant Harper took him
somewhere to try and
cheer him up, then a few moments later, called for help, as
the General had
collapsed and was spewing blood from his mouth."
Rangis lips compressed into a line of annoyance for she had
just left her previous patient who was blaming himself for a
failure which in all probability he couldnt have avoided
either.
"Let's see what he's done." Rangi said taking Lucys place at
the side of the bed, her eyes scanning the multitude of
results made possible by the sensor array above them.
Borvan waited patiently for Rangi's assessment of the
General.
"That's it." Rangi said and looked across at Borvan. " Youve
never treated him for a duodenal ulcer?" she asked.
"A duodenal ulcer?" Borvan said, with a look of mild
surprise. "No, we
were
dealing with combat triage, we dealt with what we could see.
We were
remarkably short staffed, so it is conceivable that a common
alement went
unnoticed."
" I take it he never complained of it then?" she said,
already suspecting the answer would be 'no' She had had
dealings with marines before and was of the opinion that the
vast majority of them felt that seeking medical advice was
tantamount to laying down their phasers in the face of the
enemy.
"I'm not his regular physician." Borvan said, narrowing his
eyes. "I
was
just on duty in the recovery room when the General woke up.
His physician is
the MEF Chief Surgeon, Colonel Veronica Fletcher. But no, he
mentioned
nothing about an ulcer, and it wasn't in his file."
"Then he's probably put up with the discomfort...possibly
for some time." Rangi replied. " he could ofcourse have been
self medicating, taking non prescription drugs to ease
things...he wouldnt be the first to do that."
"With all due respect doctor, this speculation isn't helping
to stop the
bleeding." Borvan said, flatly.
"We wouldnt have to speculate if we had up to date medical
histories." Rangi stated and ignoring Borvan, requested Lucy
to prepare the surgical tools she needed.
"You may observe if you wish." she said looking at Borvan
again and accepting the exoscalpel Lucy held ready, waited
only a moment for his reply.
Borvan shrugged. "I've got other patients to deal with. I
assume I can leave
the General in your charge then?"
"Most certainly." Rangi replied and to Lucy added: " Let's
begin."
*** End Part 1 ***
Commander Rangi Summers
Med Adv 1st TF
CMO SB Unity
&
MGen. Richard Sharpe
MEF CO
&
Lucy Fleming
Head Nurse
SB Unity
(npc) Rangi
&
Dr Borvan
(npc) Frankie
