JPL| SciO & Nurse| Ens Kharg & Ens Val'ren |"Unexpected Diagnosis"

Posted on 241709.04 @ 2:11pm by Ensign Ayissa Kharg & Ensign Sennia Val'ren

Mission: Reconstruction and Refocus
Location: Sickbay

Walking into sickbay, Ayissa's attention was drastically less on the area she entered, and far more on the padd that she held just a few inches from her face. Dark brows furrowed in concentration, or perhaps frustration, it was difficult to tell. Narrowly avoiding ramming her thigh into a biobed, the half-Klingon still did not look up, but at least halted her progress. "Hey Doc, you got anything to help me get some sleep?" she asked in an indirect fashion, lifting one hand to scroll furiously at whatever it was she was studying so intently.

Sennia looked up from the padd she had in her own hands, charts from a prior patient displayed on the screen. She lifted a curious eyebrow, and studied the woman before her for a moment. "Well, while I am not a doctor, I still don't generally like giving out medicine without an exam or at least a consultation first. Any other way tends to generate more problems than solutions."

Realizing that it was not Forgrave who also occupied the room, Kharg immediately lowered her padd. Verdant gaze quickly took in the Vulcan woman, and just as swiftly recognized her error. Grinning sheepishly, the half-Klingon cleared her throat slightly. "Sorry, I thought you were the Doctor, Miss...?"

The Vulcan nurse kept her eyebrow quirked, if not quite as high, "Sennia Val'ren', Registered Nurse," she said, directing her attention back the the padd in her hands, pulling up the search function to find the half-Klingon woman's medical file. "...And you are...?"

"Ayissa Kharg. One of the Science officers." Quickly stowing her padd beneath an arm, the Ensign took a small step to close the gap between them, offering her hand in the standard greeting. "Nice to meet you."

Sennia stifled a cringe. What was it with shaking hands? She never liked it, it was strange and always ruins any semblance of sterile tech. Forcing an awkward smile, she shook the hand of the woman in front of her, in yet another attempt to assimilate and conform to social normalities. "The pleasure is mine."

A quick study of the immediate surroundings did not turn up the more familiar countenance of the Doctor. Turning attention fully to the nurse before her, Ayissa accepted that she was going to probably have to be examined once again. "Well, since the Doc isn't here. Maybe you could assist me? If you've the time, of course. It is not exactly a life or death matter. Just a mildly obnoxious interruption of circadian rhythms and a propensity for overthinking."

Walking to a nearby station to prepare for an exam, redoing her sterile tech, she responded to Ayissa's question with her usual flat tone, "An interruption in one's sleep pattern can leave the proverbial door open to compromised immune responses and irregular hormone production, which can exacerbate the initial problem further. It isn't unreasonable to think deeply on the matter."

"Well, I'm not over thinking about the sleep so much. It's more there's a problem we need to be solving, but we have to wait for just a bit more information and a tool to become available. So my mind likes to run wild, and it is exceedingly difficult to turn it off." Ayissa explained, watching the Vulcan nurse in her preparations with a small amount of apprehension.

After putting on new gloves and grabbing all the usual supplies for an exam, she motioned to an exam area for privacy, "Follow me please."

Trailing along dutifully, Kharg once again took her padd in hand; though mostly just to keep herself occupied more than anything. The stiffness that emanated from the other Ensign drove a need to fill the empty air between them. "I have already attempted various distractions. Exercise, several foul tasting teas that the replicator's menu listed as good for insomnia, meditation."

"I was doing fine before transfer." Was huffed, taking a seat on the biobed without having to be told as they entered the examination room. "Though, I am sure the four day layover on Terra doesn't help. Hard to abide by a supposed time frame without any real solar body for guidance. That and the general excitement of getting posted to the Enterprise. Hard to top that, right?"

Sennia found herself taking a silent deep breath while her back was turned to her patient. The social nature of her patient was somewhat daunting. Turning to Ayissa, she nodded, "Indeed. The nature of this ship does lend it a sense of prestige. Look straight at me please." Sennia leaned in, and scanned her patient's eyes, checking the reaction of her pupils, then lightly checked for swollen nodes in the neck. Her touch was surprisingly firm for her willowy appearance.

Though trying her best to sit still and obey the order, Ayissa could not help but find herself struggling not to giggle nervously at having the Vulcan so incredibly close. As soon as those vise-like fingers were far enough away from her throat, she felt the proverbial stream of words pushing to escape once again. "You remind me of the physician on my parent's ship. Always hands-on before he used the bioscanners. Didn't trust them as much as his own intuition, he said. Cantankerous and outdated are what my Mom said, behind his back. We never lost a crewman to illness, though! So obviously it has to work."

"It is how thousands of races have diagnosed illness for thousands of years. Since we're on the topic...!" Sennia said as she picked up the bioscanner. "I felt a small amount of swelling. I would be willing to bet you have contracted a virus. Common cold most likely." After a quick scan, the Vulan nodded and picked up her padd. "White blood cell count is high, heart rate slightly elevated...." Upon looking up the nurse furrowed her brow, "...pinkish cheeks. ... I will have to forward the data to the doctor since I do not have the appropriate credentials to deliver a diagnosis nor administer medicine on a non-emergency basis, but I think it's safe to say that you are 'under the weather's so to speak. Rest and increased vitamins would do you some good."

Exhaling a small sigh, Ayissa couldn't keep a fleeting frown from passing over her lips. "If getting sleep was not an issue, I doubt this would have occurred to begin."

"Now I'm really going to have to be exiled for a few days." Was continued, the Ensign looking utterly crestfallen as the realization fully kicked in. "Well, I guess if the Doc has anything helpful, have her let me know. Gotta go tell the boss to forward all my work to my quarters."

Sennia nodded in response, "In the meantime drink plenty of caffeine free, sugar free fluids and eat foods rich with vitamins D, C and Zinc. I will also send you information on breathing techniques. You may also want to try adding more calcium into your diet as a deficiency can perpetuate insomnia."

"Salad and tea." Ayissa responded, scrunching her face in an expression of distaste. "Wonderful."

Her tone indicated a hefty amount of sarcasm, but that was about as far as her protest got. Rising from the biobed, she gave a small stretch and a sigh. "Well maybe I can actually finish getting unpacked I suppose. Thanks for checking it out."

"Just remember, these things only work when done as directed," she said, knowing all too well that the sarcastic patients tend to be stubborn with medical advice. "If your symptoms become more severe, come back and see me. In the case of a fever I will be able to do more for you."

"I sincerely hope that I won't be back." Ayissa retorted, softening the somewhat harsh words with a fleeting grin. "No offense to you, Nurse."

Lifting one hand in a brief gesture of farewell, the Ensign made her exit swiftly; both wanting to no longer engage in discussion of her personal care practices, and to abate the air of slight awkwardness that now lingered in the examination room.

=/\=

Ensign Ayissa Kharg
Science Officer
USS Enterprise

Ensign Sennia Val'Ren
Nurse
USS Enterprise