Rehab with Zombies

Posted on 05 Aug 2014 @ 8:21am by Commander Andreus Kohl & Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen M.D.
Edited on on 23 Sep 2014 @ 7:09am

919 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 3, Sickbay
Timeline: MD 07 - 1535 hours

[ON]

Even laying flat on a biobed, Andreus Kohl's appearance was uncharacteristically disheveled. His uniform was wrinkled from a morning of fear-sweating inside an environmental suit. His hair was matted flat. Piled on his feet were a dozen or so tribbles. He was laying with an arm crossed over his eyes, either to block out the sterile overhead lighting, or because he foolishly thought it would hide him from view. He lay there quietly, except for shallow breathing.

"Lieutenant Kohl," called out Tuula as she rolled towards his biobed. She had spent the last couple hours wrist deep in Abbey's guts, repairing organ damage and trying to stop the bleeding. About three hours and a dozen units of blood later, her injuries were finally under control, at least for the time being. She was lucky; had she not been wearing a nanofiber reinforced EV suit, the cable would have cut her in half. Still unconscious, Abbey would need a bit of time to stabilize before her next surgery, which would give Tuula some time to deal with less critical cases.

"How are you doing, Lieutenant," she asked, picking up a PADD that was hanging off his bed. As he started talking, Tuula began opening his medical file.

"Lower back pain. Worse than I've felt in weeks," replied Kohl. His answer was tentative, almost terse. He tried not to wince, as he shuffled into an upright seated position on the biobed. "How's Abbey?" he asked with greater concern.

Tuula was silent for a moment, engrossed in his medical file. "She's okay," replied the doctor, her eyes not leaving the PADD. She was transfixed by his medical history and the tale it told of his life, his injury, and his treatment. "I'm sorry," added Tuula, her mind snapping back to her work and her hand on the height controls for the biobed. "Let me run some scans," she added. "How long have you had this pain?"

Tentatively, Kohl replied, "A day, maybe..." His head bobbed as he considered it some more. "Maybe more like three," he admitted, and he winced for his earlier deception. "It's been worse since I went running through the mines with the away team this morning."

"Running through the mines? You really should be taking it easy," replied Tuula, as she waved a tricorder over his back. "Especially when you're using motor assist bands. You've got some pretty bad strains in some of your back muscles."

"Wasn't much of a choice," Kohl said, glancing over his shoulder at Tuula. Without realizing it, he twisted his upper and lower back in the process, causing him to breathe out a pained breathe through gritted teeth. Kohl shrugged helplessly, and added, "Had to choose between jacking the motor-assist bands up to maximum, or get dismembered by shambling, Cardassian creatures in the mines."

"Shambling Cardassians?" asked Tuula. "Sounds like something out of an old Earth zombie movie."

Rather impatient as a patient, Kohl looked over his other shoulder to glimpse a peek at the biofunction monitor on the wall behind him. He narrowed his eyes on the reading as he listened to Tuula. "What's a zom-bie?" he asked.

"It's a creature in some old earth horror fiction. A zombie is a mindless, re-animated corpse that wanders around, with a taste for human flesh. And if they bite you, you get infected and become a zombie," explained Tuula in an upbeat tone before realizing that her excitement about zombie fiction may make her patient uncomfortable. "I love zombie movies," she added, matter-of-factly.

Kohl simply laughed in delight at Tuula's enthusiasm for zombies. Just as engaged in his own words, Kohl said, "In the legends of Argelius, the dead only return as intangible, non-corporeal things. They attack the heart and the mind moreso than the flesh. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to recommend a zombie story for me to experience. After today... it may be cathartic."

"Dawn of the Dead is one of my favourites," replied Tuula. "It was originally a 20th century flat-screen video, but there are holodeck remakes if you want to participate as well. I'd join you, but..." she glanced down at her legs momentarily, "I'm afraid I'm not very good at those sort of programs, and wouldn't want to hold you back and have you get zombified," she joked before back down at her readings. "But probably not for a while. You should really avoid strenuous physical activity. I can give you a muscle relaxer and something for the pain for now. Do they have you doing any exercises as part of your recovery?"

Nodding at Tuula's question, Kohl replied, "I'm in the exercise compartment every morning for a conditioning program of care. These days, self-directed exercises is the extent of my treatment." He tilted his head to examine Tuula's wheelchair, and the way she maneuvered it. "Mind you, I think I could substitute one of my cardio routines for being chased by zombies, once I heal up this soft tissue damage." --Kohl smiled a hopeful smile at Tuula-- "Are you sure you wouldn't be able to join me?"

"You know," started Tuula, "why not? I'm sure it would be fun." She placed a hand on his leg and offered him a little smile. "Just take it easy for a few days first, okay?"

"Easy-peasy," Kohl said with a wink. "I promise."


[OFF]

Lieutenant Andreus Kohl
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (J.G.) Tuula Voutilainen
Medical Officer
USS Galileo

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