Meet and Greet

Posted on Sun 5th Feb, 2023 @ 9:30am by Lieutenant Commander Lanis Dhuro MD & Lieutenant Commander Cadence Marshall & Khellian s'Siedhri MD

1,454 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: A Fresh Perspective
Location: Main Infirmary, Dr. Marshall's Office
Timeline: MD-3

In the changing room directly accessible from OR-5, Lanis stripped off his scrubs, stepped into the sonic shower for a few seconds, and then changed into a fresh uniform. He checked the clock on the wall and sighed. Fifteen minutes late for his meeting with the new CMO. Nothing to be done for it; that was how surgery went, sometimes.

He tapped his combadge. "Dhuro to Marshall. I'm out of surgery now. Are we still on to meet?"

When the call came from Dhuro, Cade was poring over the notes from his tour down in Brown Sector. He was making an order for supplies that would be needed during and after the epidemic was over. The families, especially with children, deserved the care Starfleet provided everyone else on the base. He wanted to be sure s'Siedhri got the supplies needed to treat everyone. He was happy for the distraction from supply lists and medicines.

"Please, come on by," he responded. He rocked his neck from the right to the left, feeling the quick relief to the muscles there. Walking to his food slot, he ordered, "Chai tea latte, hot." It was something his wife had introduced him to years ago and he still enjoyed them. Lifting the hot cup to his face, he inhaled the sweet aroma before taking a sip and moving back to his desk.

Lanis arrived a few moments later and rang the chime to announce himself. He'd had little opportunity to interact with the new CMO, other than a brief introduction and the arrangements for this meeting. It would be interesting to see how this man would influence the infirmary after Chlamydia's several years of leading the department.

"Come." Cadence called as he pushed a PADD aside being careful not to spill his tea. He smiled as the man came through the door. "Ah, Commander Dhuro, or do you prefer Doctor Dhuro?" He stood and offered his hand. "I was just having some tea, would you care to join me?" He asked politely.

"Hello, sir," Lanis said. "I prefer to be called Dr. Dhuro here in the infirmary and Commander outside of it. Lanis is also fine when it's just among staff. And yes, I could do with some tea; thank you."

"Same. You can call me Doc, Doctor, or Cade, in the context of work, and the fact we are of equal rank; Cade or Doctor is preferred over sir everywhere." He smiled as he replicated another mug of tea and handed it to the man. "I've never been a stickler for titles." He took a seat again and indicated for the man to sit in the chair opposite him.

Lanis chuckled. "I will never call you Doc; been trained out of that. 'A dock is a place to moor boats,' he quoted Chlamydia. "Cade it is, then. Please feel free to call me Lanis." He accepted the cup of tea that Cade gave him and sniffed it. "This smells good--I like the spice." He took a sip. "Tasty, too." Lanis seated himself in the chair that Cade indicated. "How are you finding the place, so far?"

"So far, so good." Cade smiled. "The tea is Chai. My wife turned me onto it years ago." He smiled as her memory seeped into his consciousness again. "It's similar to Vulcan Spiced tea." He quickly switched subjects again. "Your last CMO, Doctor Addams, she ran a very organized hospital. I hope I can live up to her standards." He tapped a stack of PADDS on the corner of his desk. "I've been a practicing doctor for 10 years, but never had to worry about the operations behind it all." He shook his head. "But, I've always been open to a challenge."

Lanis nodded. "Logistics is everything." He sipped from his tea and placed the mug on his desk. "What can I help you with on the surgical side of things?"

"I just wanted to touch base with you." Cade smiled and shifted in his seat. "I've been reading over the reports from the last six months and it seems like everything on the surgical side is running smoothly. I really only need a copy of your staffing schedules for my records," He shifted in his seat. "I would also like to know what you might need from me. What can I do to help you continue to be a successful department?" He asked with a sincere intent of helping with anything that might be needed from him or his office.

"Here's the staffing schedule," Lanis said. He took out his PADD, slid his fingers over the screen, and tapped once. "I'm supposed to be getting a Vulcan intern soon, so I'll send you an updated schedule once she arrives."

Lanis swiped his PADD screen a couple of times. "As for what kind of help we need from you--I was going to approach Chlamydia about sending Dr. Motaba to an ophthalmic surgery conference on Trill in a couple of months. I'm also scheduled to present at the FAST* conference, which will take place on Starbase Five later this year. The Second Officer has asked me to oversee annual first-aid training for docking crew staff, so I'll be doing that in batches. I could use some co-instructors for that, to speed things along."

Lanis tapped on his PADD once again. "Part of the simulation will be that medical transporters go offline halfway through the event, so I'll need the following supplies approved to be requisitioned for the trainings."

Cade shook his head and gave a small laugh. "It sounds like you should have my job." He looked over the PADD. "Dr. Szardos has been asking for more to do. I'm sure she'll be able to help you with your first aid training." He offered. "She's young, but highly qualified. I can also teach, as long as we're not in the middle of any epidemics or mass trauma at the time." He looked around his desk. "Or I'm not buried in some bureaucratic mess." he shook his head again. "There really is a lot of paper work isn't there? He laughed again.

"Dr. Szardos? Yes, she's good. I'll talk to her--and I'd certainly welcome you teaching, as well. If nothing else, it will be a good way for you to meet some of the crew outside of an exam room." Lanis made a note on his PADD. He gave a light laugh. "I was acting CMO for only a couple of days, but yes, the paperwork was beyond belief. The mess in Brown Sector, and now this flu epidemic, are causing it to multiply."

Lanis paused as a thought occurred to him. "There's also a Lieutenant Auden who I'd like to include in the first-aid simulation. He's a Ba'ku researcher who's programed a set of exo-comps to work as a trauma surgery team on-site. I haven't seen them in action yet, but what he's described sounds pretty amazing."

"Auden," Cade mentally zipped through the files he'd read on the staff. "Yes, I know who you're talking about. I'll make sure his schedule accommodates your plans." He made a mental note to switch the officer's shifts around. "I have to pull staff to go to Brown Sector to help with this epidemic, as well. There are plans in place to get vaccines out and more meds."

"Ah, yes. I think I admitted the first case, didn't I--that little boy?" Lanis said. "Were his parents ever located? And if you need more help with vaccinations and medical care in Brown, I'll volunteer. They serve some of the best Bajoran food on this station in the eateries down there, so I'm a frequent visitor."

"Perhaps we should check in with the physicians working the Brown sector. I'm sure they would know if the parents were located and what we can do to help. I haven't met many people yet and definitely none of the people outside of my command." Cade had been in his position only three days and was still going over his duties. He'd barely had a chance to unpack and get settled, but he wished he'd been more aware of what was going on. He felt as if he'd been remiss in his duties when he heard about the epidemic and that help hadn't been arranged yet.

"I'm sure the LCARS will have a record," Lanis said. He tapped his PADD and studied it as he scrolled through "Baby Doe" and the admission date. "Jadar Kharee, 18 months old. Went missing the day before admission." Lanis shook his head. "His parents must have been frantic. I'm glad that kid was found. Who are the doctors working Brown Sector?"

*Federation Association of the Surgery of Trauma

 

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