Medical Matters

Posted on Sun 11th Dec, 2022 @ 1:47am by Lieutenant Commander Cadence Marshall & Makila i'Hartelhai

1,216 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: A Fresh Perspective
Location: Captain's Ready Room, Deck 12
Timeline: MD 5 - 0800 hours
Tags: Marshall, middle, 2 tags

Cade peeked in on Emily to make sure she was still sleeping. His meeting was in fifteen minutes. He hadn't yet found someone to stay with his daughter while he managed his daily duties, so he'd fixed up a small area in his CMO office for her to sit and read after school while he saw to his patients. Today was different, however. Today his meeting was with the base commander and it was during an off day from school. He couldn't really bring her to a meeting, so he had no choice but to leave her asleep while he left. He set the computer to monitor their home while he was gone. Hopefully, the meeting would only be a few moments and he could get back before Emily woke up. He slipped out as quietly as he could and hurried toward the Commander's office.

=Base Commander's Office=

"What do we have going for the day Yeoman?" Eleana asked as she finished filling out equipment requisition forms. The upgrades for the aquatic area redesign were starting to finally come along.

Cowley picked up a PADD from his desk and walked into Navarro's ready room. "It's a mixed bag, Captain," he said, as he handed over the personal tablet.

"First, the new Chief Medical Officer arrived on SB109 only shortly before you did. He's coming to meet you, and you also asked me to make notes on the conditions in Brown Sector, and the vaccine on its way from the Admiral. That should arrive within the next 24 hours. I had hoped to have Dr. s'Siedhri, the Romulan civilian who is the closest thing to a doctor and clinic in Brown Sector, here at the same time, but his clinic hours start early today, and that wouldn't work. In the middle of an epidemic, I thought it best not to pull him out, since until the Admiral's people get here, there's only his daughter and a counselor to help Dr. s'Siedhri. I hope that was the right decision," he concluded anxiously.

"Have we not issued any Starfleet personnel to assist with the epidemic?" Navarra asked as she pulled up the personnel files on Dr. s'Siedhri and Dr. Marshall.

"I'm not sure, Captain. I didn't check that, because I actually talked to the doctor's daughter, who helps him, and I didn't think to ask." He made a note on his own PADD. "I apologize, but I will find that out, and Dr. Marshall may know the answer to that, too." If he weren't so professional, he would have hung his head in shame for not anticipating such a logical question.

Cade stood tall, straightened his uniform, and chimed the door to Captain Navarro's ready room. He was anxious to meet the Captain for several reasons. He hadn't met her yet; they had come aboard basically hours apart. He wanted to see about the epidemic in Brown Sector; he had done the research, but hadn't yet made it down there. That was next on his list. And, he wanted to get back to Em before she woke up.

"That should be Dr. Marshall now. I'll go back to my desk and contact Dr. s'Siedhri's clinic again," the captain's yeoman said, turning toward the door, which opened automatically for him.

"Dr. Marshall, Captain Navarra is ready for you," he said standing back so the man could enter before he exited.

"Dr. Marshall, please come in and have a seat." Navarra said as she stood from behind her desk and walked over to greet her guest with an extended hand. "I have read and heard a lot about you. How are you finding things on the station so far?"

"Thank you." Cade gave a quick nod of appreciation to the yeoman and walked toward the Captain's offered hand. "It's been a whirl wind, I have to say." He smiled. "But I think we're settling in. I'm looking for a permanent home for myself and my daughter. Our quarters are more than satisfactory, but I think she needs a little room to stretch." He explained that they had just come from their family's ranch on Earth. "I'm afraid I'll be hunting her down before too long. She isn't afraid to go anywhere."

Navarra quizzically looked at the CMO, confused about the living quarters situation. She had assumed her CMO would have been assigned adequate quarters for him and his daughter.

Extending her arm to invite the Doctor to have a seat on the couch, Navarra asked, "Would you like for me to reassign you to bigger quarters, Doctor? I am sure there is something to be worked out for you and your family to make things a bit more comfortable"

"Thank you, ma'am," Cade moved to the seat Navarra had indicated. "But, no. Our quarters are adequate for now." He explained. "I'm looking into procuring one of the larger residences on deck," He paused to recall where he'd been. "One of those decks encompassed as Tivoli Gardens." He smiled. "We just came from a 230 acre ranch and I think Em is feeling a bit closed in." He smiled nervously. He hoped he hadn't offended the woman or sounded ungrateful.

"So what is the situation in Brown Sector regarding the Flu?" Elena asked hoping the soon-to-arrive supplies would help ease the burden on the medical staff, along with the residents there.

"To be honest ma'am. I only reported for duty a couple days ago. I've read some of the reports and I'm working on putting a team together, but I don't know who to contact when we get there. Brown Sector seems to be one of those areas that falls through the cracks." He shook his head a bit. He'd been dismayed reading some of the reports and not seeing any Starfleet help being offered until recently. He hoped his team would be able to relieve some of the burden.

"I've got two Doctors and three nurses from both alpha and bravo shift set to help out. I'm waiting to hear from gamma shift if there are any volunteers." He knew it wasn't much, but he had to consider the patient load to the rest of the station as well. "We'll rotate four hour shifts over the next few days. One doctor and two nurses with one nurse dedicated to vaccinating those who aren't sick."

Navarra was dismayed to hear about the condition of Brown Sector. She herself could not believe the condition it was in on a Federation Starbase. "Doctor, I tell you what. I have not been to Brown Sector yet." She stopped for a moment and thought about the name itself. "Brown Sector" she said internally. The name did not make it a desirable place to visit. "If you have a moment, let us go now for a tour of the area. Are you free now?" Navarra asked as she stood up.

Em should sleep for another hour. As long as he stayed focused, he should be able to tour and be back before she woke. "Yes, I can take a quick tour." He stood and adjusted his uniform. "I'd like to make an assessment before I send my teams down there." He felt guilty for feeling it, but he wondered if his teams shouldn't have a security officer accompany them.

 

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