JL | Lt Keál, Sh'eik, EMH Doc "For What Ails You."

Posted on 241509.01 @ 8:52am by Lieutenant Keál & Cadet Sh'eik & Doc
Edited on on 241509.06 @ 2:58pm

Mission: Agua Mala
Location: Sickbay

'This won't hurt a bit....'
The injection hadn't hurt in the slightest. But then it shouldn't have. It was a hypospray.
At first it had seemed like nothing was happening, so Sh'eik had been moved from the stasis bay, to the main sickbay.
Shortly afterwards his breathing became laboured and a fever spiked. The war was on.

And what a war it was. Two further injections of nanites had been used, and eventually Sh'eik asked to be sedated as the pain rose beyond what he could tolerate. As his leg healed, his stats had begun to tank and spike as his body tried to fight something it didn't understand. Mercifully he'd slept through the worst of it, with the medical personnel working feverishly over him.

By contrast, when he awoke, aside from a feeling of general lethargy, Sh'eik felt... nothing. No pain, no crawling skin, no fullness in his leg. He took a moment to take stock, and looked around the quiet sickbay.
'It must be evening.' He thought to himself as he sat up slowly, and then his mouth hung open, as tears welled in his eyes. "I can see."

Keál was sitting in his office contemplating a nap when the medical alert chimed informing him that the patient in post-op had regained consciousness. The nanites injections had done their duty flawlessly, leaving no sign of the newly dubbed Phaseiosite Worm. While the young Caitian had been anesthetized, Keál had repaired the damage to his ocular nerves which would in turn restore sight to the patient. He had also repaired the damage to the musculature and ligaments of the lower right footpaw which had been caused by the growth of the cyst like egg sacs. All in all, Keál expected Sh'eik to make a full recovery.

When Keál walked into the post-op ward, worry instantly creased his brow. The young Caitian was sitting up in bed with tears rolling down his furry chocolate cheeks. "Arrre you OK? Arrre you in pain?" Keál asked as he flipped open his tricorder and began to scan the patient.

Doc was standing beside Sh'eik's bed, trying to stay out of the way until he was needed. His programming couldn't help him to keep from ruffling his feathers nervously. Stepping forward, he placed a wing on the young man's arm and said "Please sir, try to relax."

Sh'eik felt the soft feathery touch on his shoulder, looking down at the arm of the anthro bird, then up to the approaching Caitian man. He recognized the voice and scent instantly, his tears continuing to roll down his face, wetting his fur. He reached out gently clasping Keál's forearm.

"I can see..." His voice trembled, as he looked up to the man that had saved his life, and sight. Happy tears continued as he looked over the officer, easily a half meter taller than himself.
Then his stomach decided to speak up, where words failed him. He was hungry.

Somewhat shocked by the display of outward emotion the young cub on the bio-bed was displaying, Keál was taken aback. Though Doc was not a real living being, he did have a memory of sorts and to see a Caitian behaving in such a manner would be shameful to say the least. Though Caitians were known throughout the galaxy as social, diplomatic, and innovative, no one could say they were overly emotional in public. Keál finished his tricorder scans and nodded to himself as he snapped the tricorder shut. "Yourrr body is still underrr a great deal of stress frrrom yourrr orrrdeal. I know you feel like you could eat a whole targ." Keál said as he heard the boys stomach roar. "We need to starrrt you out on liquids beforrre you have anything tangible to eat though. You have been in stasis much longer than I would have liked, and there may still be some lingerrring side effects frrrom that. You have sufferrred some muscle atrrrophy as well and we will need to start some rehabilitation for that as soon as you arrrre up to it." Keál produced a sterile cloth from the bedside cabinet and handed it to the youth for his wet cheeks and drippy nose.

Sh'eik accepted the cloth, dabbing his fur, as he tried to collect himself.
"I'm sorrry, sirrr. I guess this is hitting me, all at once." The strain of the whole ordeal was no small thing for the young Cait, his emotions spilling forth nakedly.
Sh'eik looked back up to Keál, once he'd composed himself a little better. He did indeed feel weak, every time he tried to move. He felt, sluggish, like trying to wake up after sleeping in way too late.

And now what? Sh'eik was at a loss, as to what to do next. He felt great gratitude, but was also just as lost as before.
He looked to the Avian and then to the Cait doctor again, looking unsure of himself. Having never spent any time among others of his race, save for his family, Sh'eik was now concerned about how to interact with this full blooded Cait.
Doctor/Patient interaction was one thing, but on a more interpersonal level... Did the doctor know of his blood lines? How would he react, finding out the less palatable side of his heritage?

Sh'eik stifled the instinct to flee the situation, to avoid the awkwardness inside himself.
"I... would aprrreciate yourrr guidance..." Sh'eik looked pensive a moment, then bowed his head a little, in shame. He wasn't sure he wanted to look Keál in the eye just yet, and certainly didn't want to be disrespectful in some way.
"I am... Inexperrrienced in these things."

Keál could see a miriad of emotion in the youngsters eyes as they darted from him to Doc and back before he looked down. Having done a bit of research on Sh'eik and the situation that had put him in stasis on the Enterprise, Keál wanted to do much more for the boy then ethically might be prudent. It was hard for any Caitian to thrive alone, yet this young man had done it for some time. Then to suffer the effects of an unknown parisite which put him at great risk of losing his life. It was all a lot to take in even for a fully developed adault, let alone a teenaged, half starved, and orphaned survivor of phenominal circumstances. Putting his feelings aside in typical Caitian fashion, Keál said, "My guidance is that you rrrest, build yourrr strrrength, and eat, slowly at firrrst! Once you arrre back up to snuff, therrre arrre other wounds we must heal." Keál laid his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You arrre safe and amongst frrriends herrre."

Sh'eik looked down at Keál's handpaw, for a moment, before closing his eyes, exhaling the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
"Thank you, for everrrything Doctorrr. I'm sorrry to be a burrrden."
His stomach growled again, and his ears folded back in embarrassment, "W-would it be ok to have some soup?"

Keál smiled at the request, "You have been no trrrouble thus farrr." Keál stated matter of factly. "I think you should starrrt with a nice brrroth perrrhaps. Many Earrrthlings seem partial to chicken or beef brrroth." Keál stole a look at Doc to see if his feathers would ruffel at the mention of eating a fellow feathered species.

Doc's programming allowed him to react to the mention of consumption of avians. With a slight flaring of his neck feathers, he waited for Sh'eik's decision.

Sh'eik all but salivated, licking his chops involuntarily. "Could I have beef, please?" Terran Bovine had long been a favourite of his, it had been so long since he'd had the flavour... His eyes shone brightly as his stomach growled again. Sh'eik took having his appetite back as a good sign and smiled sheepishly at his doctors.

Keál grinned back at his patient, "Of courrrse."

Nodding, Doc happily trotted over to the replicator to get the young man's meal.

=/\=End Log=/\=

Lt. Keál
Chief Medical Officer,
USS Enterprise, (NCC-1701-F)

Sh'eik
Civillian,
USS Enterprise, (NCC-1701-F)

Doc (APB) Cliff
Emergency Medical Hologram
USS Enterprise, (NCC-1701-F)