Commitment

Posted on 16 Aug 2012 @ 10:47am by EMH Mark X-C "Shirley" & Lieutenant Commander Pola Ni Dhuinn M.D. & Lieutenant Theron Rhodes & Ensign Varek

1,784 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Main Sickbay
Timeline: MD08 : 2325hrs

[ON]

=^=Transporter Room Two to Sickbay - medical emergency inbound - prepare to receive casualty. =^=

The voice of the Transporter Chief over the intercom echoed through Sickbay as the deluge of wounded and dead personnel continued to mount up and stretch the limited resources of the Nova class starship to it's limit. It took only a few moments for the tired and worn down medical personnel to respond with their usual efficiency, albeit laboured and in need of some sleep, preparing equipment trays and equipment as the transporter beam shimmed bright blue and their latest casualty arrived.

The uniform of the officer was charred and scorched in places, the result of a plasma discharge of some sort which had done no favours to her hands or face in the process, leaving them as marked as her clothing.

Yet this officer was known to them all.....it was Kestra Orexil.

Having just come back from having a rest, Pola had thought all the emergency cases had been taken care of by now, and sickbay was on a slight wind down, helping the people with the minor injuries. As she heard the words, she watched as her ever ready staff started to clear a biobed. Moving to it's side, she grabbed a surgical gown which she threw on before grabbing her tricorder.

As the body materialized she stopped for a moment, recognizing it as their head of security and tactical. Another senior officer had landed with them, but this one they would ensure would survive. Pola gathered up the dermaline gel and started to rub it into every single burn wounds. "Varek! I need your help over here."

The vulcan was there in an instant. "Yes, doctor?" he asked with his usual steadfast tone. His green eyes passed over Kestra and, anticipating Pola's need, began reaching for a hypospray.

"I need 20cc's of inaprovaline and 7cc's of kelotane. Her body is starting to go into shock. Also get someone to help with getting these clothes removed!" Concentrating her focus on rubbing the gel into the worst of the burns, Pola tried to ease the stress on the Betazoid's body. Carefully she watched the blood pressure, already in stage 2 hypertension and heading towards critical.

Varek already had the inaprovaline inserted into the hypospray. He injected it while reaching for the kelotane. It took him only a moment to switch the vials, his hands moving with memorized speed and precision. As he adjusted the setting to 7 cc's, he took a quick glance of Sickbay. No other medical staff were present and this was an emergency situation. There was only one logical thing to do.

"Computer, activate emergency medical hologram." He injected the kelotane while the program materialized and lost no time explaining the situation. "Severe burns, extensive," he told the holographic doctor as he grabbed another hypospray vial and moved around to the other side of the security officer, "Assist me in removing her clothes, some of it may be melted to her skin. I am using four cc's of triptacederine."

Being called forth from the computer memory banks seemed to be becoming a regular occurrence for the EMH, he had seen more hours of operation in the last few days than he had done in the lifespan of several other emergency medical holograms in the fleet, nevertheless, it was obviously an indication that his crew appreciated the fine work he could do.

"Betazoid female... plasma burns... damage to upper epidermis and dermis... I assume you have administered kelotane Doctor Ni Dhuinn?" The hologram enquired as he approached the surgical bay, picking up a laser scalpel and slowly began to separate the charred sections of skin and uniform from the rest of his patient's body.

"20cc's of inaprovaline and 7cc's of kelotane." Without looking up, Pola changed positions with the EMH in an almost dance manoeuvre, two Doctor's used to helping each other out. She knew in this case the EMH would be quicker then her, minimising the damage these burns would be causing.

"It's like peeling an onion... Mister Varek please apply a cortical stimulator set at twenty megajoules on a repeating two second burst... the last thing we need is her setting into shock."

Varek gave the doctor that inquisitive look vulcans seemed to favor over showing genuine interest. "Peeling an onion, doctor?" he asked, walking over to where the cortical stimulator was located, "an... unusual expression to apply. Twenty megajoules, two second intervals." He planted the small device on Kestra's temple and then activated it.

"Indeed... removing sections in layers Mr. Varek... an adequate example for this I feel... is the stimulator having any effect?"

Varek glanced up at the screen. "At the moment she is not entering shock, but her neural activity is remaining erratic. She may enter a coma."

"Hmm... we need to stablise her neural pathways... increase the pulses to thirty megajoules and adminster an additional dose of kelotane..."

"Yes, doctor," Varek acknowledged, adjusting the levels of the cortical stimulator and then repeating the kelotane injection. He glanced at the monitor to see what effect the treatment had.

Hearing the alarms go off, Pola reacted quickly, shoving Varek to the side as she grabbed a hypospray with 10cc's of lectrazine to inject into Kestra before they completely lost her. "Her body is in complete shock...we need to start getting the minor 1st and 2nd degree burns healed now to relieve the strain on her system. EMH I need skin cultures started to we can start grafting the 3rd degree burns."

Unphased by Pola's brusqueness, Varek moved aside for her without complaint.

"Already in progress - additional skin replacements are being replicated as we speak - the joy of being hooked into the main computer - handsfree replication!" The EMH chuckled for a second as he checked on the progress of his work.

As Varek stood to the side, Pola nodded her head towards the dermal gel, "Varek I need you and whomever you can get, to use the gel and regenerators to repair what you can, we have to get the strain on her system reduced or we will loose her."

"I think the EMH and I will have to do for this procedure, doctor," Varek replied, picking up the gel and beginning to apply it to the worst of Kestra's burns.

"Doctor... I think we have a problem." The EMH replied, looking at the vital readouts being displayed on the panel next to him. He frowned for a moment as his subroutines processed the data in front of him.

"We can treat the burns... or we can treat the shock... but I don't think we can manage both in the available time... not with so many of our resources taken up by our other patients..."

The EMH quickly put down the dermal regenerator before turning around and moving to the main sickbay console, furiously tapping controls as soon as he was in place.

"We can put her into one of the stasis chambers... that'll keep her stable until we get back to a starbase and can transfer her to superior medical facilities..."

Ensign Rhodes walked into Sickbay, and heard the last of the conversation.

Without waiting for Pola's reply, Varek left the table and went to the control panel on the wall, preparing a stasis chamber. "Number three is available," the vulcan announced.

"Wait a minute!" Rhodes abruptly says. "You need to heal her now!" He said anxiously and looked one to the other. "There's too much going on. We need her now!" He turned from them looking at his chief, his mentor. So many emotions filled him at once; fear, frustration, anxiety, concern. "Why can we not help her now!" He was almost yelling at this point.

"Ensign." Varek's calm voice tempered the hysteria of the illogical human's. "We are helping her. This is the treatment which provides Lieutenant Orexil with the greatest chance of survival. If you want her to be healed, you should allow us to work without interruption."

Rhodes stood at the bedside looking for any signs of life in the body that lay before him. Turning to the doctors impatiently, "What are your plans?"

Having watched the interaction between Varek and Rhodes while she continue to work on Kestra, Pola realized she had to make a decision. "Varek, move her to stasis pod 3 before it's too late. We have her heart somewhat stabilized right now and if we leave it any longer we may loose her."

The vulcan looked at Pola and gave her a nod. "Yes, doctor," he replied. Without delay, he returned to Kestra's side and prepared her to be moved.

Rhodes watched as the Chief was moved out of the room. He felt overwhelmed with grief and did not know how to help.

Taking Rhodes by the arm, Pola guided him to the outside corridor in order to have a quiet word, "Ensign, we have to put her into stasis until we can get her transferred to a base or a ship with better medical facilities then we have."

He took a deep breath as he stared past the Doctor. He said somberly, "I understand." Then in a more professional tone. "Have you notified the Operations officer and the First Officer? It is important for them to know she . . " Rhodes turned back to look at sickbay. "That she is temporarily relieved of duty."

Moving a hand across her hair, Pola smiled wearily, "Well as Acting First Officer consider myself notified. I will speak with Commander Holiday to advise of the situation, so as an acting chief of security can be put in place." Leaning back against the wall, she watched Rhodes for a moment, "Until you hear further, can you take care of letting the team know?"

Rhodes looked at her. This was not at all what he wanted. Many thoughts flew through his mind. Being in charge was not one of them, but under the circumstances, he realized that was a possibility.

Sensing Rhodes slight discomfort, Pola reached out to gently squeeze his arm. "You're a good man Theron, have as much confidence in yourself as we have in you." As her comm badge went off, Pola was hailed as being needed back in sickbay. Taking a moment more she smiled, "Take this one step at a time. First notify the team and leave the rest to myself and Holliday." As her comm badge went off again, the Doctor smiled apologetically before making a sprint back into sickbay.

[OFF]

EMH Mk-X
Emergency Medical Hologram
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Pola Ni Dhuinn
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Ensign Varek
Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Ens. Theron Rhodes
Security/Tactical
USS Galileo

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