Bedside Visit

Posted on Mon Jul 31st, 2023 @ 2:18am by Lieutenant Commander Andrei Petrov & Lieutenant Dr. Daniel Brasken
Edited on on Mon Jul 31st, 2023 @ 2:18am

Mission: S1 Episode 5: Ex Post Facto
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Date 2371-08-20 at 0635
1566 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

Andrei had been highly irritated at being left on Banea while the rest of the crew went to rescue Lyra. He should have been allowed to be there to secure her safety; him, and not someone else. When he boarded Vengeance again and was told that Lyra was going into surgery, he had made a beeline down to sickbay as quickly as he could and had quite the row with a few nurses who told him he couldn’t remain. Now he sat outside the surgical suite in a chair he’d had pulled up for the occasion and the surgery was no over. He fully expected to see her when all was said and done.

Daniel stepped out of the suite with the slight hiss of the door opening, his hand raised to run through his hair as he finally allowed himself to relax. The patient was out of direct danger at this point and he could breathe for a moment.

He had been informed of Andrei's presence before leaving the suite as the commander has made quite the fuss in his sickbay while he was working. Without missing a beat as the hiss of the door shut again, Daniel spoke up. "Computer, secure surgical bay two. Medical procedure override, Brasken-Omega-Pi-Five-Nine-Epsilon-Epsilon-Eight-Five." The system chirped in confirmation and a hum sounded as a containment field was activated. Without another word, Daniel angled to head to his office to enter his log notes and monitor status of other patients while he had been busy.

Andrei knew what the doctor was doing, of course, in locking the surgical bay. It was amusing to him that he thought that would seriously stop Andrei from entering. Beside the fact he was the ship's XO, he would find a way in if he really wanted to. He was that dedicated to doing whatever it was he set himself to doing. He adopted a neutral expression and stepped between the doctor and his destination, blatantly rebuffing the man's attempt to walk away from him without a report.

"Report, Lieutenant." he said, emphasizing the man's rank rather than the honorary title of 'doctor'. Medical branch or not, he was a soldier. And that meant he would do what he was told as far as Andrei was concerned. "How was the surgery?"

Daniel paused without a jerking motion, looking up at Andrei with fatigue allowing to show through his eyes. "Successful, sir." He then tapped his badge and spoke without waiting for a response. "Doctor Brasken to Captain Petrov. Do you want to come to Sickbay for my report or me come to you?"

Andrei smiled. Brasken didn’t respect him. Whether it was a disdain for his personality or some strange jealousy, the man had a clear desire to avoid taking him seriously. It was a dangerous game.

“I can be down in a few minutes, Doctor. I just need to finish another meeting first.” Sounded the Captain’s voice.

“I’m already down here, sir.” Andrei responded before the comm ended. “I can receive the report while you finish your meeting and then I can catch you up.”

There was a pause on the other end which left several moments of awkward silence between the two men outside the surgical suite. Andrei’s visible eye was locked on Brasken the whole time; dominant.

“Yes, I suppose that’s fine, Commander. Just come see me right away.” Ivan said, reasoning it would take the same amount of time either way. “Petrov out.”

Two of them were left standing together again. Andrei took another slight step forward.

“Report, Lieutenant.”

Daniel resisted showing his annoyance with the man attempting to intimidate him. He knew where he stood and what Andrei was capable of, that was only intimidating if it frightened you. Instead Daniel lifted his eyes just slightly without raising his chin before speaking. “If you’ll follow me to my office, I’d be happy to give you information now that the captain has approved it.”

He was far from an idiot and the pause in the delivery from Ivan was telling in how Andrei’s attitude was being taken. Daniel had some leeway to push this…for now.

Andrei followed the man wordlessly. He would play his cards close to the chest. And if the man wanted to continue playing these little power games, he would make a game all his own and see how Daniel fared.

As they entered the office, Andrei grabbed a seat opposite the desk. He waited, relaxed, for the report he had asked for.

“There is no regulation that prevents an officer from giving a medical report to a superior, nor am I aware of any standing order on this ship that would warrant you circumventing my direct authority over you.” Andrei said, his one-eyed gaze even and cold. “Perhaps I’ve misread my reports or missed something from an administrative meeting? Enlighten me, Doctor.”

“Confidentiality between doctor and patient is still a standing order. I answered your question and informed you that the medical procedure was successful. Unless your need to know the details of the Lieutenant’s procedure affects an ongoing mission, then providing you that information is by their decision or the captain.” Daniel moved to take his seat at his desk. His voice was calm and matter of fact, nothing showing of anything being intimidated by Andrei.

Andrei frowned quietly. The idea of any institutional rule separating Lyra and himself seemed to him manifestly ridiculous. They were close enough to justify the sharing of anything at this point. Still, prideful and demoneering as he was, he knew when he was out reasoned. He would move on.

“Well the Captain has authorized it.” He said. “So tell me the finer details so that I may relay them to him.”

“When teleported up, Lyra’s BP and Pulse were off the charts, along with high doses of angiogenesis inhibitors, phentermine, yohimbine and a variety of other stimulants. We first had to get her BP into a reasonable level before we could risk any other surgeries for fear that further trauma could cause a fatal hematoma or some other malady.” Daniel brought up the numbers for Lyra’s status as he went through the details. Making sure to give every detail to the second officer as he went along so as not to be able to have Andrei accuse him of hiding anything. Instead Daniel amused himself by giving all of the details in the most scientific of terms he could think of, continuing for quite some time to see if Andrei would lose his patience.

Andrei didn’t understand much of what was being explained and, while ordinarily he would interrupt the doctor and ask him to simplify, he felt like he was getting the gist. Most of all, he was distracted by dreams of suffering for those who, from what Brasken was saying, nearly killed Lyra. And he knew that, unlike most people, he actually would care if he lost her. He balled his fists and listened. When the doctor finished his long-winded presentation.

“So what will her recovery look like?” He asked, and supplemented his question with a more professional one. “What’s her schedule for returning to working condition?”

“Physically I expect her to be ready for light duty within a week and full duty not long after that. The problem is the psychological aspect.” Daniel shook his head and allowed some of the frustration and anger at the situation to show with a heavy sigh.

“The damage done by Lyra’s capture and imprisonment I wouldn’t weigh too heavily on, but paired with the damage done by the memory engram procedure…I’m advising full psych evaluation and clearance before full duty can commence.”

Andre considered that silently. Would she be broken in mind as well as in body? Somehow he couldn’t picture her weak like that. She had always shown herself to be so resilient so far. He kept it to himself though, and looked back up at Brasken.

“I’ll make sure she gets the help she needs. I can be a terrible patient, but she won’t be able to do the same.” he said. The statement had no bite to it, but was delivered with an almost friendly tone notwithstanding the lack of smile. Andrei stood then and extended his hand, his visible eye locked on Brasken’s. “Thank you for taking such good care of her, Doctor. I’ll relay your report to the Captain. Please let me know if you need anything regarding her recovery and return to duty.”

Considering how this meeting began, Daniel wasn’t exactly sure he trusted the attitude that was being presented to him. Still, there was nothing to indicate a problem at this point. He stood and shook hands with Andrei. “Of course.” Confused as he was, he couldn’t think of anything else to say as he took his hand back and kept eye contact with Andrei.

Andrei didn't linger, but instead released the doctor's hand, turned and left. This moment of defeat he would allow to sit with him for a while. Sometimes, to get everything one wanted, one had to risk what was truly important to them. He would return and sit with Lyra after he gave the Captain the promised medical report.

END