Feng Shui in Sickbay

Posted on 22 Mar 2016 @ 4:59pm by Ensign Lia Circe & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Lieutenant Olsam Mott & Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen M.D. & Petty Officer 1st Class Eric Anderson

2,550 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Episode 10 - Symposium
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 3 - Sickbay
Timeline: Day 94

[ON]

"No, a little to the left... now up a few centimeters... no, too much, back down."

Inside sickbay, Tuula was directing Olsam in their latest project. One thing they had learned was that patients tended to feel anxious about coming to sickbay, which they chalked up to the sterile, hospital-like nature of the decor. No one liked being in a sickbay, and the medical staff figured that perhaps by bringing in a little bit of decor from their quarters, they might give it a more welcoming, homier feel. As well as give patients something to look at while they're lying on their biobeds. So, here they were, mounting various art pieces and knick-knacks on the wall in an effort to make sickbay a bit nicer of a place for their patients.

"There," called out Tuula, when Olsam had the bone saw and its mounting bracket in just the right place. As he stepped away, Tuula admired their handiwork. She looked across the room at Allyndra, who was also busy decorating. "See, don't you think my bone saw adds some character to this wall? And adds to the feng shui?"

Lia walked down the corridor towards sickbay, she had to get an updated physical on file. She walked through the double doors and froze at what she saw.

Eric had been trying to stay out of the way, he wasn't altogether sure why Allyndra had agreed to this madness! Sickbay was meant to be a place of healing, of calmness in the midst of war...this place was beginning to become a joke.

Proof of the pudding had just walked into the room, the look on her face said it all...he was pretty certain that she was about to turn tail and flee. "I promise that despite all appearances, we don't actually bite. I also promise that if you stay...your examination will not include any of the instruments currently on display."

Lia blinked, "This was deliberate? I was about to call security to say Sickbay was vandalized."

Eric couldn't restrain the smile that broadened his lips as his hand reached for a near by PADD. "Welcome to your friendly neighbourhood sickbay...the haunted house is to your right while the insane asylum is to your left. Would you like your straight jacket in white, pink, blue or yellow?"

"But we don't have either one of those things," Olsam protested, looking to Tuula for an explanation. "Did you tell the nurses they could lie to patients?" Before she could answer, he swiveled his head to first glare at Anderson and then look at the new entrant, Lia. "I'm sorry, we don't have either one of those things. If you were looking for them, I think you should try another deck."

"I'm looking for a real sickbay not the little shop of horrors!" Lia harshly responded.

"This is sickbay!" exclaimed Tuula, pushing herself towards Lia. She sighed and took a deep breath. "Don't worry. You're in the right place. In fact, while you're here, you can help us out a little," she added, in an excited tone, one which contrasted her dark makeup. "See, we're trying to redecorate a little and make sickbay a little more comfortable, and we could use some patient input..."

Lia pressed her lips together knowing the lady won't approve of her opinion, but she had to be honest. "I prefer the traditional sterilized and clean atmosphere that should be universal in all medical facilities. What you're adding counters that sensation, and I don't find chains and barbaric surgical equipment decorative."

Olsam stared at the newcomer like she was some sort of foreign object, not a humanoid woman. "Well, gosh, you sure are a drag, lady. Do you know who designs these medical facilities? Engineers. And engineers have the interior design sensibilities of a targ. A dead targ, at that."

"A Klingon infirmary looks better than this." Lia rebuked shaking her head, "I spent most of my childhood in a medical institution, there is nothing wrong with the decor."

Allyndra had really wanted to have holo projections almost like a holodeck but the paperwork or rather electronic work was lost in the maze of things the Engineering department had to deal with and she had been firmly told that it was low priority and would require approval for the extra energy diversion to do what she had wanted. Thus they had resorted to doing what they could. She had even brought the painting from her own quarters, the holo painting of her world that changed with the time.

She listened for a moment before commenting. "We wanted something more, something to help sooth recovering patients but the request is nearly at the bottom of the pile. Trust me, I have been here on one of my own biobeds with sterile walls being vivisected. It would have been nice to have anything else to focus on." There, Allyndra thought, let that sink in. Tuula had been there, she knew what she was talking about.

"Hey...I'm with the new girl! Nothing wrong with a sterile enviornment...it's how it's been for thousands of years and it's what our patients have come to expect." Given that the poor woman was still standing, he motioned for her to move to a nearby biobed. He could at least get a start on her scans.

"And most cultures used stone knives and bear skins for thousands of years as well," Allyndra quipped back. "We have progressed beyound that but if you wish we could return to tradition for you? I believe that Tuula has some obsidian blades and we can conduct an operation without anesthesia with them in a nice sterile environment." Her tone grew a bit more serious. "You might find it more pleasant to have something to fixate on. Now if you excuse me. I think there is an experiment I need to attend to."

The whole thing had brought up the incident in the Mirror Universe. Though she had healed completely from it and even faster due to the mirror Akkadians more advanced technology did not mean that she had forgotten nor had not experienced just how much it had hurt.

Olsam looked from the departing Allyndra to Nurse Anderson, who'd apparently driven her off. He frowned, an especially sour look on his normally friendly, jovial face. "Way to go, nurse."

Eric's focus was clearly on the patient as a flash of temper went through his eyes, instead of making a scene infront of the woman and putting Mott in his place, the nurse rubbed his fingers across his forehead. "May I apologise for the chaos? Things are still a little...tense following our last mission."

"I can sense that. It would also explain why they are eager to decorate the sickbay if several were patients in here as an aftermath of the mission. However I don't think daggers and drapes can replace Counseling needed." Lia turned to look at the nurse directly. "The female clearly has repressed issues and I strongly suggest you put on her medical record that additional counselling is needed."

Pulling over a trolley with various medical equipment, Eric selected the hypospray as he gathered together a number of empty vials. He didn't look at the Bolian but directed his words at the alien, "Doctor Mott...as the Assistant Chief I believe that responsibility would fall to you."

Tuula angrily gripped her wheels, irate at the slight against her. "I'll have you know I'm perfectly sane and normal, aside from a minor mobility issue," she said, enraged at the insinuation that she -- and her dark makeup and decidedly non-regulation hair -- was anything but. "Though, I suppose if Olsam wants to give me some one-on-one attention, I would be more than happy to have him over to my quarters sometime," she added in a sultry tone, looking up at Dr. Mott with starry eyes.

Olsam looked down at Tuula with confusion. "What? You know I scored horribly in my counseling course. Which is fine, anyway. What a bunch of rubbish. Pseudo-science, at best. You're probably better off being counseled by an inanimate object, really."

Anger still tempered at the edge of his words as Eric smiled encouragingly at the patient. "No fear of hypos I assume? I'm going to take a few blood samples and then let the Doctor's take over if that is ok with you?"

Lia looked at the nurse and nodded, "That's fine."

Eric indicated for the woman to tilt her head to one side as he pressed the metal against her neck and begun too fill the three vials he held. "I promise that there bar is worse than their bite...Despite appearances, you are in good hands."

"Spent about a third of my life in a medical facility; I'm used to tests." Lia replied softly but was eager to leave. The thoughts of those in the room in addition to the decor is making the rather uncomfortable. Her eyes then shifted to nurse, the only brightside of today's experience.

As he filled the vials, Eric moved his chair back as he smiled gently at the woman. Normally he might have thrown in a joke but he thought that that was not what she needed right now. "Being used to and liking are two different things."

"A third of your life? Goodness, that's a long time," Olsam said, turning his head slightly to the side in an inquisitive look. "Do you have some sort of extensive genetic abnormalities? Irregularities? Chronic disease? Inability to function properly within the general populace?"

Lia turned to the doctor and her smile faded. "It's probably due to the fact that for the first ten years of my life my telepathic abilities left me in almost catatonic state. So I was under constant supervision at various medical facilities."

Olsam stared at her for a long moment. He might have expressed sympathy, asked a question about her progress since then, or even made a noise. Just a simple noise. Instead, he opened his mouth and said, "And after all that time just staring at those hideous gray walls, you still prefer that to a nice azure or pale turquoise? It's almost unthinkable."

"Doc...we really need to send you sensitivity training. Could you care to take a read of the patients file and carry out her medical so as she can can go about the rest of her business?" the nurse didn't verablly add the rest, that Mott could do with some arsehole prevention therapy while he was at it. Gathering up the vials, Eric touched Lia's shoulder very very lightly with concern, "Would you like me to stay until you are finished?"

Lia turned to look at Eric with her golden eyes. "I appreciate the gesture, but I'll be fine." she assured him and then turned to the Doctor. "Yes I still prefer the traditional look."

Eric smiled as he squeezed the woman's shoulder a little once more. "And don't worry about the Commander, I'll see to her. You just shout if this lot become a little too much."

"Will do. Thank you." Lia smiled.

"All right then," said Tuula, pushing herself towards Lia's biobed, "physical time. Olsam, why don't you go fetch her medical file and I'll get started." Looking up at Lia, she paused to give her a comforting smile, though whether her dark makeup helped or hindered that was open to debate. "So, aside from potential colourblindness -- after all, how else can one explain actually liking the decor in this place -- have you had any medical issues recently?"

Lia glanced down at Tuula. "My eyesight is perfect. We merely have stylistic differences. No need to level insults." She responded before relaxing her shoulders a bit, "As you'll see in my file, I have an auto-immune disease caused by my hybrid nature. I require monthly injections to keep my immune system stable. I will also need to recalibrate my cognitive sleep aid." She shifted to reach into her pocket and then handed it to the Tuula. I'm not allowed to reach full REM sleep only borderline."

"Hmmmm." Tuula turned the device over in her hands. "Impressive piece of technology," she mused. "Are you able to function without REM sleep? That sounds like it would take a toll on someone."

"I haven't taken the risk to sleep without the device or something similar so... obvious I've been managing." Lia replied.

Tuula nodded along as she began calibrating her tricorder. "You mentioned you were a hybrid?"

"I'm half Halanan, A fourth Betazoid and a fourth Human." Lia answered.

"Oooh, interesting!" exclaimed Tuula, her eyes lighting up at the mention of Halanan. She was absolutely fascinated by alien anatomy, and hybrids in particular interested her. She had never met a Halanan in person before, much less performed detailed medical scans on her. "Is your heart on your left or your right? How many chambers do your lungs have? Do you have two or four kidneys? And your brain... omigod, I have to see your brain scans. The structure has to be absolutely fascinating! And..."

Seeing the look on Lia's face, Tuula trailed off. "Sorry. Xenoanatomy was my favourite class at the academy," she added, offering Lia an apologetic smile.

Lia nodded, "Just as long as you don't dissect me, it's fine." She replied only half serious.

Tuula blushed with embarrasment; normally she would be up for a dissection or an autopsy, but after what she and Allyndra went through recently at the hands of her mirror counterpart, her nerves were still a little raw. As Olsam returned, she took the medical file in her hands and perused it. "Fascinating," she mused, before bringing her attention back to Lia. "You are due for a blood sample, but aside from that, this should be just a few routine scans." She took a deep breath as she began recalibrating her tricorder. "So," she continued, glancing behind her back at the wall across from Lia, "are you sure we can't brighten this place up with some cheerful colours like black and dark purple?"

Lia nodded, and then looked around the sickbay. "If a colour change is required, I recommend an aquamarine or light blues for the walls." She looked down at the row of biobeds. "We could do, black carpets with dark purple mattress/sheets for the biobeds."

"Aquamarine?" Tuula wrinked her nose. "That's so blasé. How about some nice happy dark grey flowers, on a black background?"

Lia looked at the doctor oddly, "I don't see how that would be appealing. Maybe black and white photography... on a vibrant majorelle blue painted walls with an alice blue ceiling, with the darker carpet it would be more welcoming."

"Oooh!" exclaimed Tuula. "I do have a series of framed photos of skulls from around the quadrant... Jaana doesn't like it, but it would go perfect on these walls!"

OFF:

Ensign Lia Circe
Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

Petty Officer 1st Class Eric Anderson
Nurse
USS Galileo
[pNPC Drusilla McCarthy]

LCmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen
Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Olsam Mott, M.D.
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

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