Checking In on Sickbay

Posted on Mon Apr 25th, 2022 @ 7:04pm by Lieutenant Commander Alexander Espersen & Lieutenant F'Arra MD

Mission: Lower Decks
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: A short while after “Here, Kitty Kitty Kitty”

The lessons Captain Skyie had been teaching him were proving very wide in scope, from tactical skills to generic starship operations to the kind of reports needed to overall leadership skills. Sometimes the lessons crossed over multiple sectors, and one surprised him even though it really shouldn’t have: Starfleet Command required written proof that medical checkups were taking place in a timely manner, and one tip for getting people to do their checkups was to do yours in a timely manner.

He had to eventually meet with all of the department heads one on one, and so he thought it was a good idea to kill two or even three birds with one stone: meet a requirement, set an example, and meet the acting Chief Medical Officer.

And so he strode into sickbay. “Doctor F’Arra?”

The Caitian stepped out of the office, complete with her labcoat. "Yes, Commander?" She said in her usual raspy voice, offering a smile as her ears relaxed slightly, the white clump visible on the edge.

“Umm,” he said, stopping in his tracks before getting any closer. “You, ah, have something….” He gestured to his own ear.

The look F'Arra gave the man could have vaporised neutronium. "You ever had to babysit a toddler?" The doctor asked, moving to the nearest biobed, and prepping the screens for use. "They make a mess of everything."

“I’m afraid I wouldn’t know,” Alexander said as he followed her to the biobed, giving a smirk which he hoped would defuse the situation. “I didn’t see enough of my sister’s kids when they were toddlers.”

The Caitian doctor was quite a bit taller than him, which surprised the 6’ Mars native. He looked up to meet her eye as he got closer. “I’m Alexander Espersen, the new First Officer, and I’m here for my physical, and to talk about the medical department.”

F'Arra indicated the bed. "Please, lay down and we'll get you sorted." She had his medical records brought up. "Anything interesting I should know before we get started?" It was a stark contrast this the XO was just walking in, while the Captain had to be ordered to take a seat. This would be an interesting assignment.

“Nothing interesting,” he said as he lay down. “I’m Marsborn, but I’ve spent much of my free time in gyms to maintain good muscle tone. I’ve known too many from low-G worlds that don’t.”

"Seen a couple myself." F'Arra was running the sensor of her medical tricorder slowly along the man's body. "How's your diet? General eating habits?"

“I try,” he said, “but don’t always succeed. It takes a bit to get me away from my work, whatever it is I’m working on, so meals can be late and hasty.”

"Your vitamins are a little off, but not alarmingly so." F'Arra agreed, looking at the readings. "Grab some fruit on your way out the door. Natural vitamins and minerals do wonders over a supllement. I try not to prescribe them if I can avoid it." She affixed the sensor to the back of the tricorder, and flipped it closed. "I am going to put you down as healthy. A minor notation for the diet, but we'll see how things progress."

"You're not the first person to tell me I'm healthy save for my diet, Doctor," he said, sitting back up. "Let's hope you're the last. How's the crew doing overall? Mostly healthy, or mostly not?" With this, the ship where many were sent to just get them out of the way, he couldn't guess where they would fall on the health spectrum.

"On the whole, fairly healthy. The usual injuries of a crew that gets into trouble, but nothing to be concerned about." F'Arra knew the XO's job was to know everything about the ship and crew, though she was also weary of giving out too many details.

“I’ll want to be informed if that changes,” Alexander said. “Medical privacy rules permitting, that is.”

"Of course," F'Arra agreed with a smile, and a nod. She was liking this XO. He was professional, and curteous. A rare thing in senior officers, in her experience. Or maybe she just hadn't met the right sort of senior officers. "You mentioned you wished to discuss the Medical Department as well? I assume that goes beyond the mere health of the crew?"

“Correct,” he said. “Are you well sorted with equipment and supplies? And are you satisfied with the team? I understand you have quite a few Ensigns doing their internships rather than fully qualified doctors or nurses.”

"Interns come every year." F'Arra said with a shrug. "Give 'em a year, and they'll be residents. Few more, we might even have some Attemdng physicians out of them." Sure, some dropped out of.medical.during their intern year. It was tough. It was made to be tough. To find the weak early, to keep them from making some terrible mistake. "I had Interns come.and.go on the Starbase. This isn't anything new."

“This ship just tends to attract a younger crew,” Alexander clarified. “We have a few senior officers and a lot of Ensigns and even cadets. Among the enlisted ranks it’s the same; a lot of Crewmen and very few Chiefs. It means that every department is less experienced, on average, than one might be used to.”

"A younger crew has greater chance to learn." The Caitian countered. "They haven't picked up on other's habits yet, so can be taught the way you want them to do things."

"For the record, as a former Academy instructor, I agree one hundred percent," he said, nodding. "Not everyone sees it that way, so I'm pleased to see you're able to make the best of the situation."

"You'd be surprised how many physicians like myself are also teachers. The Academy teaches these kids how to operate the equipment, and some basic xenobiology, but it's up to us - the doctors - to teach them the clinical and surgical skills to properly treat a patient." F'Arra gave the man a look. "It's good to know our XO was also an Academy teacher. I may come tomyou if I have a challenging intern."

"That's what I'm here for," Alexander said. "Before I go, I need to ask if the Captain has been to see you yet, and whether or not I need to use XO command privilege to force her in here."

F'Arra's grin was entirely feline, with a tinge of evil. "I managed to wrangle her in here. I said a certain member of the crew was neglecting their health and well-being. She cut short a tennis session to come right here. That's when I reminded her of her responsibilities to her own health. I had to order her - Acting Chief Medical Officer - and that was that. We agreed to a weekly check-up. She knows all too well not to dodge it. I will have her dragged in."

"And you'll have an ally in that fight, if it comes to it," Alexander replied, grinning back, though in a way that was much less feline and much more human. "Well, I'll let you get back to it, Doctor. Let me know if you or your department needs anything, especially while we're still at Dock for a couple more days."

"It has been a pleasure, Commander " F'Arra replied with a nod smile, letting the man go on his day as she headed back for her office.