When the Dead Awaken - Part 2 of 2

Posted on 29 May 2012 @ 3:20pm by Lieutenant Commander Pola Ni Dhuinn M.D. & Captain Jonathan Holliday & Lieutenant JG Drusilla McCarthy & Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm

4,010 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo -Sickbay
Timeline: MD7 1930hours

[i][b]Previously.....[/i][/b]

As she tried to take in what was happening, Drusilla tried to understand where she was. All she could remember was a flash of pain and then darkness. Looking up at the ceiling she was aware of a sheet tucked around her and an alarm going off. Trying to look around for the sound, she felt as if her body was awash with quicksand, even though she could move it was with great difficulty. As she became aware of a soft spoken woman speaking, the counsellor moved her head slightly, fighting a panic which tightened in her chest. Even though the woman wore a teal coloured uniform she was a stranger. Where was she? What was going on? Attempting to get up, Dru found herself unable to gain the energy. As she heard the woman call out she felt her fear increase, who was Jonathan?

[i][b]And now for the conclusion....[/i][/b]


[ON]


Any alarm sounding on a starship, or in fact any Federation facility was enough to pull John back into the world of duty and honour. Following the doctor's lead, the XO threw himself out of the chair and followed her somewhat ungainly stride into the main Sickbay area, watching in shock as he saw the til-now-lifeless figure of their former Chief Counsellor begin to move on the biobed.

"I thought you said she was in a coma doc?" He called out, staggering past a nurse that virtually knocked John to the deck as she rushed past to hand the requested hypospray to Ni Dhuinn.

Putting aside the hypospray for a moment, not wanting to frighten Drusilla any more, Pola kept her attention on the patient while staying aware of the readouts on the bio bed monitors. Making a motion to Jonathan, out of Dru's sight, the doctor indicated for him to step up close to the biobed. He had been the one who brought in the counsellor so she should know him, having someone close who Dru knew should help calm her. "Dru...I'm Doctor Ni Dhuinn, or you can call me Pola. I've taken over from Doctor Hilyer. You're still on board the USS Galileo. Do you remember your XO, Lieutenant Commander John Holiday?"

Still uncertain of what was happening and who the woman over her was, Drusilla closed her eyes thinking this was all a dream. How could one minute she be in her office and next lying on a bio bed. The uncertainty, the unknown, was scaring her. As the woman's voice penetrated the fog in her head, she heard the name John Holiday which seemed familiar. Reopening her eyes, she slowly tilted her head slowly to the side, trying to see the man to see if she knew him.

Holliday was still unsure as to exactly what his function was supposed to be in amongst the chaos of Sickbay. By now the majority of the staff who had appeared during the sounding of the alarm by the main computer had decided that they were no longer required and had moved off, either to complete other tasks within Sickbay, or left entirely. With the exception of a couple of nurses pottering around near the medical stores, there was nobody else in the room except the Martian XO, the Irish doctor, and the very confused-looking counsellor.
Moving closer to the bed, John dared not get too close, for fear that his very presence might in some way impede the recovery of his colleague. As he saw her head turn, John called out, to see whether or not she did indeed remember him.

"At ease Lieutenant...you had us all worried for a second."

Focusing her eye's on John, Drusilla tried to remember the face and the voice. As she started to smile slowly a recollection coming to her, a memory suddenly flashed through her mind, causing her to suddenly cry out. All she could remember was the pain, the falling over. The helpless feeling of not being able to stop herself.

Rushing forward, Pola applied the hypospray of inaprovaline against Drusilla's neck. All vital signs were showing that the woman was stable but her heart beat was rapid and her BP high, all signs of the panic she was feeling. Going down on her hunkers, the Doctor softly placed her hand against Drusilla's arm, "Hun...I need to listen to me, your safe. Things are fine I promise. But I need you to breath slowly, to trust me and Jonathan." Watching the monitors, Pola watched as the vitals started to stabilise.

Making eye contact with Jonathan, Pola motioned him in closer. "She seems to somewhat recognise you but I think she is connecting you to the night of the accident, you were the one who found her. Do you know of someone else, a friend or someone, she was close to?"

That sentence was all the cajoling that John needed. He knew full well that there was only one person on the ship that knew the now conscious Lieutenant to any great degreee. As much as it pained him to have to consider going along with a clear breach of Starfleet protocol, the greater good of his crew required him to be a little flexible at this time. Nodding to the doctor, he stepped back away from biobed, retreating closer to the entrance of Sickbay before tapping on his faithful combadge.

"Holliday to Saalm....ma'am your presence is requested in Sickbay....Lieutenant McCarthy is apparently awake"

Lirha had just arrived back on board Galileo with the latest group of civilian scientists when her commbadge went off. She still had one final trip to make back to the starbase, but now stood in slight shock for several moments in the middle of the shuttlebay as personnel hurried by her on their way to unload supplies and cargo. Had he just said Dru was awake? "On my way." she replied with a tap to her chest. The captain's head perked up and she quickly began to walk to the large exit doors, hustling into a slow jog as she navigated the tight corridors on her way to sickbay.

Staying on her hunkers, Pola continued to stroke the young woman's arm as the cries calmed down to soft sobs. The Doctor felt almost sorry for the young girl. Waking up to strange faces, not knowing what was happening, it would frighten even the strongest of people. Pola was concerned though about the difficulty the counsellor was having trying to reconise people and the also difficulty she expressed at trying to move. Her priority right now was to get the patient calmed, further tests could be done after.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Pola smiled softly as she looked around and saw Jonathan, "Maybe you should consider a career in medicine, you see to always be around for the emergencies."

With a swish, Lirha stepped through the sickbay doors and immediately noticed her XO and medical chief gathered around Dru's biobed. She moved further into the bright room and slowed down as she came near them, putting a hand on Pola's arm and standing at the foot of the bed. There, she looked down at Dru, a warm smile spreading across her gold lips as saw her conscious again for the first time in many days."How is she?" she asked, looking back up between John and Pola.

"Not my department I'm afraid...she's conscious. That's about as good as my medical determination gets."

John didn't mean to be rude but he knew full well that this was not a set of facts that he would be able to deliver. His medical training extended as far as a combat medic and the standard Starfleet courses, nothing any more advanced, and so for now, he was content to keep a relatively low profile.

Noticing Drusilla had gone quiet, the Doctor looked back around and saw that the counsellor had her eyes fixated on something to the side of her bed. Following her gaze, Pola's eyes settled on Lirha. "Captain. She was very distressed when she awoke, and it seems to be currently coming in waves. Right now I'm trying to focus on getting her calm which it seems your presence seems to have done." Frowning, Pola rechecked the counsellor's vitals. "She hasn't said anything yet and seems to be having difficulty moving, any movements she makes are very slow and seem to zap her energy."

Trying to lift her arm, Dru found she could only move her fingers. Partly opening her lips, she attempted to to form some words but all that came out was a gargle of noise. Trying again that same sound emitted from her throat. As she felt a tear roll down her cheek, she kept her eyes on Lirha.

The captain made eye contact with the counselor for what seemed like forever, watching her struggle to speak and move. Finally, realizing the distress she was in, Lirha quickly moved around next to Pola and took Dru's hand in her own, squeezing it tightly and rubbing her fingers along her skin in the hopes she could feel the reassuring sensation. "Dru, it's okay." she began, leaning close and peering into her blue eyes. "Try to relax, you're in sickbay. Don't panic." she said in a soft voice.

Feeling the touch of Lirha's hand in hers, Drusilla felt more tears run down her cheek. She didn't understand what was going on. When she tried to squeeze the woman's hand, she could only manage to slightly flex her fingers. She wanted to sit up and wrap her arms around Lirha, press her head against her neck but her body wouldn't let her.

Standing back slightly to allow Lirha access to Drusilla, Pola watched on, uncertain what to do. The patient had obviously calmed down but this lack of energy was causing her alot of concern. Picking up a second hypospray with a further 10cc's of inaprovaline, the Doctor placed it against Dru's neck hoping it might help. The tears weren't concerning her, they seemed different to the one's from earlier when the girl was panicked. "I can give you a few moments with her if you'd like. She seems to be responding to you, it might help."

"Thank you, Doctor." the captain replied with a nod, then looked back towards the lieutenant commander. She held his gaze for a quiet moment, then let her eyes fall to the carpet and back to Dru. Standing next to the biobed, she waited for the present company to depart.

Walking over to John's side, Pola indicated to her office, "If you want to stay on we can wait in my office, or you can go on ahead. I'd pretty much covered off everything I needed to."

Being given the option to escape was something that John had been waiting for since this whole moment had begun. He wasn't exactly the best at empathy, nor was he particularly fond of hanging around in Sickbay, in fact it was something that he virtually dreaded. With the words from Pola essentially giving him free reign to escape, he wasted no time in heading towards the doors.

"I'll be on the Bridge if you need me...Doctor....Commander" He acknowleded to both his colleagues as he swiftly made his exit, heading back to his duty shift after a rather lengthy spell away.

Watching as Jonathan walked away, Pola just slightly shook her head. Turning back to the Commander, she rechecked Drusilla's vitals. "The last injection I gave should help give her a little more energy but take your time with her, she is still very weak. If you've any concerns just give me a shout, I'll just be in my office." Looking over Drusilla once more, Pola ensured the monitors would sound an alarm if anything went wrong before leave the two women alone.

The captain nodded in thanks, then went to over to the wall to retrieve a small stool. Placing it next to the biobed, she took a seat and looked down at Dru, noticing her gaze was still locked on her. It seemed strange, Lirha thought, that the counselor seemed to be fully conscious but somehow her body was still asleep. With a sigh, she patted Dru reassuringly on her chest, then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Try to relax," she repeated, "You've been in a coma for several days and you need to save your strength." she said quietly to Dru.

As a confused look entered into her eyes, she tried to understand what Lirha was saying. Coma? What did she mean? Several days? How could several days have passed? Feeling a tightening in her chest, she focused all her energy into the hand with Lirha had picked back up, trying to squeeze as hard as she could. In times of trouble, in the past, Lirha had always been her friend, her rock. Parting her lips again, Dru focused on trying to get a word out, "S...s....so...eee."

Soee? Lirha wondered, trying to decipher the word that the counselor was trying to pronounce. She all of a sudden felt her hand being squeezed and looked down to see Dru's pale fingers flexing and gripping her green skin. After a few brief moments of contemplation, suddenly understood. Sorry. The captain's heart melted and she bent back down over Dru, kissing her again on the forehead and then brushing some of her brown hair neatly along the sides of her face. "No, don't apologize, it's not your fault." she answered with a shake of her head. "You just had an accident, that's all." she explained, trying to comfort her.

Closing her eyes as she felt Lirha's lips against her forehead, Dru kept her grip on the Captain's hand, afraid to let her go incase she left her on her own. All of this talk about coma's and being in one for several days still had her so confused. Reopening her eyes, she tried to figure out why she could listen and think fine but her body and voice wouldn't react. Feeling a tear run down her face, she wanted to wipe it away, tell herself to stop being so silly, that she was fine, but yet her body still wouldn't react. Moving her eyes to meet with Lirha's she parted her lips trying to talk again, "R....Re...Re...he..."

Lirha grinned then lightly shook Dru's hand. "Heh...let's not start with that again." she playfully chided, her eyes beginning to tear up slightly from joy. Even though the counselor was still immobilized and had difficulty speaking, it appeared that her sense of humor was still intact. A good first step in her recovery, Lirha thought. "How do you feel?" she asked, wondering if Dru was in any sort of pain or discomfort, beyond the obvious shock of emerging from a coma.

For the first time since waking, Dru realised she hadn't stopped thinking to evulate how she was, beyond not having the energy to move her limbs nor the ability to be able to speak. Closing her eyes, she did an evaluation of her body. She wasn't experiencing any pains in her limbs or torso. Dimly she did start to become aware of a dull throbbing in her head, there didn't seem to be to be a specific place it was central to, it just seemed to be overall. Panicking slightly as she had a flashback to the pain she experienced before the world went black, Dru looked back up at Lirha, fear in her eyes. "He...he...head."

"Yes, you hit your head hard, inside your quarters. It was just after your visit with Commander Holliday. Luckily, he found you rather quickly and brought you here to sickbay." she recanted, giving Dru an apologetic smile. "But Doctor Ni Dhuinn assures me that you'll make a full recovery. You just need some time." she said. Lirha knew those weren't Pola's words, but felt that it was the best thing for the counselor to hear at the moment. She already seemed frightened and uncomfortable, and Lirha didn't want to add to her uneasiness.

Watching Lirha, she tried to figure out if she was telling the truth. She felt so tired now but was scared to close her eyes again. What if the pain returned or what if it went black and days passed by her again. Using the last of her energy, she squeezed the Captain's hand again. "S...s..st....stay..."

Glancing at a monitor on the wall, Lirha took notice of the time. It was already 1945, and Galileo was scheduled to depart within the half hour. She had one final trip to make to the station but she could afford to stay with the counselor for a few more minutes, she reckoned. "Of course." she replied, scooting closer on her stool to the bed.

Smiling ever so slightly, Dru felt her eyelids continuously drooping. She fought to try make them stay open but it wasn't working. Feeling Lirha's thumb stroking her knuckles, she attempted to lift her head to look into her eyes, fighting the urge to fall asleep. "L...l...lo...." As her eyelids closed over, she felt herself drift off before a few moments passed and her eyes opened again frantically seeing if Lirha was still there. Seeing the woman's face, she tried to say the words before sleep grabbed her again, "L...l...lo..." As her voice drifted off, Dru allowed the darkness to take her again, unable to fight it anymore, knowing Lirha would look after her.

The captain watched as Dru's eyes closed, once, then twice, and her hand became limp in Lirha's grip as she lost consciousness. Slightly concerned, she glanced at the biomonitor above the counselor's head and noticed that her vitals appeared to be stable. She's probably exhausted, Lirha thought, then released Dru's hand and pulled the blanket up around her neck and shoulders, making sure it was snug against her skin. The captain rose from her seat and walked over to the nearby office where she tapped her fingers lightly on the glass to get the medical chief's attention.

Sitting back in her chair, Pola was staring at the monitors on her desk showing Drusilla's vitals and brain activity. None of this made sense. Even though the patient had stabilised, this inability to talk was puzzling. The lack of energy was to be expected. Even though the counsellor had been in a coma, the coma was so as her body could recover from the trauma, thus is would still be very weak at this point.

Enlarging the scans of the brain, Pola focused her attention on the frontal lobe. Even though the ability of speech was controlled by the temporal lobe she had already managed to rule that the issue wasn't there. Knowing that the frontal love controlled some of the more minor aspects of speech, she wondered if the problem was there. She would need to carry out more tests once Dru was steadier.

Shaken out of her thoughts by a knock on the glass of her office. Looking up, she saw Lirha standing outside. Moving quickly, she left the office, "Is Drusilla ok?"

"I don't know." Lirha answered, then shook her head to correct herself. "I think so, but I'm not sure. I was sitting with her and she suddenly became very fatigued. She's asleep now. Or unconscious, one of the two. I looked at her biomonitor and her vitals appear to be stable." she elaborated to the doctor, her voice laden with nervousness.

Indicating for Lirha to follow, Pola went back into her office to double check Dru's vitals. An alarm would have alerted them if something had gone wrong and she would have noticed when she was monitoring the counsellor, when giving her and Lirha space. Bringing up the vitals, she studied them for a moment before smiling gently at the Captain, "She's in a deep sleep. Everything looks ok, she just wore herself out, especially this soon after waking up."

Lirha followed the doctor into her office and waited while she confirmed Dru's vital signs. After hearing the assessment, she let out a sigh of relief and smiled back at Pola. "How long do you think she will be resting for?" she wondered. There was still work to be completed on board SB-152 and she needed to return rather soon. If Dru would be sleeping for a few hours, it would give Lirha the chance to see her again after she returned from her duties.

Leaning a shoulder against the office wall, Pola moved a hand over her hair as she thought it through. "I'd rather she rest for a good few hours. Her body needs the rest more than anything. She seems to be in a natural sleep so I'm not going to administer anything, also I'll hold off of the tests to try find out what wrong with her speech. If your thinking of returning, how about you give her 5-6hours? But if you do come back and I'm not here, please try not wear her out."

That sounded reasonable to Lirha, as it would give her sufficient time to complete the transfer and get Galileo on their way back to Sector 001. "Of course, I will make sure to give her some time to recover." she agreed with a nod. Suddenly, she remembered something Dru had said to her. "Do you have any sort of analgesic you can administer to her?" she asked, then explained, "While she was awake, I asked her if she was in any pain and she told me that her head hurt. She couldn't explain any more to me but I think she's in some discomfort."

Biting down on the corner of her lip, Pola found herself frowning, "Did she give an indicator to the area the pain was in?" Looking through the window, she looked across at Drusilla, knowing sight wouldn't tell her much but it was still reassuring for some strange reason. "I can give her a mild dose of morphenolog but I don't want her becoming more tired with pain killers."

The captain nodded, slightly unsure of the exact drug which the doctor had mentioned, but also agreeing that it was best to keep the counselor from becoming too medicated. "Whatever you think is best, you are her doctor." she replied quietly, her eyes glancing between Pola and Dru.

Placing her right hand behind her neck, Pola rubbed at the space at the base of her skull before turning back to Lirha, "You seem to be the person she trusts the most, she was highly agitated until you came by. Did you observe anything which concerned you in anyway? Aside from the pain she indicated she was feeling?"

Lirha thought for several long moments if there had been anything out of the ordinary during her short visit with Dru. It was hard to tell, as she had seemed tense and uncomfortable for much of the time. "No, I don't believe so." she answered simply.

Smiling softly, Pola absentmindedly nodded her head, "That's something at least. Hopefully the issue is isolated to her speech." Moving her hand to rub the back of her neck, Pola winced as she hit a knot. "She's in good hands here Ma'am, especially with the new nurse we have to hand. If your worried, you can contact us at anytime and I'm available 24/7."

"Thank you, Doctor." she replied, "For the moment, I must return to One-Five-Two but I will be sure to visit sickbay again as soon as we have completed the transfer and are underway again." she said, taking a long final glance at Dru's sleeping figure before nodding to Pola and walking out of out of the room.


[OFF]

--

CMDR Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

Lt Cmdr Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

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