Wellness Check of a Different Sort

Posted on Sat Aug 3rd, 2019 @ 12:12pm by Lieutenant Xenia Windsor & Lieutenant Jane Sinclair MD, DVM

1,414 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Mission 2 - Love ORION Mistaken
Location: Shuttle Bay

Xenia walked around the shuttle bay, silently surveying their small fleet. She was meeting the CMO to go through each of the shuttles and make sure the medkits were properly stocked. It was a good practice to keep up with, but one not done often, even if it was regularly. On other ships she'd done it with one of the other Medical officers, whoever the CMO assigned to it, but never the CMO themselves.

The door into the shuttlebay opened and allowed Jane to walk into the massive landing area. She held in one hand a PADD and carried a small bag over her shoulder. Officers and noncoms worked around the shuttles, but Jane recognized the young brunette in a gold miniskirt uniform as she whom she was supposed to meet. “Lieutenant Windsor!” she called, waving her arm.

Xenia turned upon hearing her name. "You must be Dr. Sinclair," she said as the other woman approached. She held her hand out in greeting. "How're you?"

“I’m fine, thanks,” Jane answered, taking her hand and offering a wide smile. “And Jane is fine. So you know what it is I want to do?” She showed off what she brought. “This is to take notes for anything that needs replacing, and the bag is so I can promptly remove anything that might be dangerous, like expired pharmaceuticals.”

Xenia nodded. "Makes sense. This won't be my first time." She started walking toward the first shuttle nodding for Jane to follow. "Though it is the first time with the top officer, and not some junior still getting 'new guy' assignments." She grinned over her shoulder as she got to the first runabout and opened up the access hatch.

Jane grinned back. "Why let the junior officers have all the fun? Let them stay cooped in sickbay as I get to make new friends in the shuttlebay. Privilege of rank!" She stepped into the hatch and promptly found the first aid kit. "Is this our primary shuttle? The one that would almost always be deployed if we needed to launch one?"

Xenia shook her head, "No, this is merely the closest one. This is the Farragut. The main shuttle sits in the middle of the bay," she explained, pointing out the shuttle that was the largest among the auxiliary crafts. "That's New Vulcan, named for the hope that came out of the same disaster every bit of this ship did."

“I...didn’t know the shuttle names,” Jane admitted. “That’s profound. Thank you.” She examined the first aid kit closely. “This one is mostly fine. I think it’s short on gauze and other wrappings.” She wrote some notes on her PADD. “Please show me the New Vulcan. It will be our priority for today.”

The pilot nodded. As she closed up the Farragut, she gestured to the other shuttles. "After the main shuttle, the other runabouts are all named after the ships whose parts make up Legacy. The other smaller crafts bear the names of some of their captains. It's a nice tribute. Almost makes the ship a moving memorial, I suppose." As they approached the New Vulcan, she signaled the hatch to open. "She's large enough, she may have 2 kits, one in the bay area, one in the cockpit."

Jane stepped in and quickly found the kit on the runabout bay area. “Expired analgesic.” She put the tainted medication in her satchel. “I’d like to schedule checks like this monthly. One of my staff can come in and do this much more quickly when it’s regular.”

Xenia nodded. "That shouldn't be a problem. We can set up a schedule. First, middle of the month. Whatever works for both departments."

She found the kit in the cockpit, too. “This one looks fine.” She put it back and smiled at Xenia. So what do you prefer flying? The shuttles or the Legacy?”

"Depends on the day. Both have their pluses and minuses. The shuttles are small and maneuverable. Makes them a lot of fun to fly around. But there's just a sense of awe that comes with piloting something as big as the Legacy. Fortunately, I haven't had to test her maneuverability yet. But out here, it's probably just a matter of time."

“Indeed,” Jane agreed. “We didn’t need any fancy maneuvers when we faced the Klingons, Romulans, or those ships attacking Vivyra, but I’m sure it’ll be necessary soon.” Jane stepped out of the runabout and followed Xenia towards the next one. “Xenia, I don’t suppose I could get a high level crash course in the helm someday? As Second Officer, I should understand our bridge a bit better. If I ever need to take command, or sit in your chair, a basic understanding of what to do will be useful.”

The blonde opened up the hatch of The Hood and stepped aside to let the doctor in. "Actually, I think that sounds like a grand idea. Should we schedule a time between missions, when we're not focused on some emergency? Even if we do that, I should give you some materials to read that will explain the basics."

“I’d love that,” Jane replied as she stepped into the Hood. “Huh. This one has much less gauze. Maybe someone injured themselves in the shuttlebay and decided to treat it themselves? We’ll restock it, but please make sure you’re staff know to come to me. Even if they’re minor and can be fixed themselves, workplace injuries need to be reported.”

"I can check the log to see if anything was reported here. And I'll mention the injury policy, but I don't know how much can be done. It's common to just let small things go and not bother the Medical folks. A simple cut isn't worth the time it takes to leave the worksite, go to Sickbay, and return." She leaned against the wall. "I know you're going to tell me that's not true, but you're a doctor. You're supposed to say that. It's hard to convince those down here of that, though."

Jane nodded. "Fair enough. Anything more serious than a simple cut or bruise should be reported though, even if they think it's minor. And at minimum they need to report using ship's supplies so they can be replenished immediately." She made a few notes and closed up the kit. "So Xenia, what do you like to do for fun? I've seen you around the ship but we've never really crossed paths off duty before."

Xenia made a mental note to send a message to all the flyboys about the policy. Jane's question caught her off guard though. "When I'm by myself, I enjoy reading, getting some exercise. With others, I tend to migrate to the lounge, or sometimes a holodeck. It's probably my own fault, since coming aboard, I've kept to myself. I'll have to make sure I get around a little more. Next runabout?"

“Next runabout,” Jane agreed. “The lounge is a fun place. Just two days ago I did an impromptu concert there. I’m honestly not sure why, but Ensign Rosenbaum got out her violin and I sang for the crew. It was fun!”

The helmsman looked at the doctor, a surprised look on her face. "You sing? Now I will have to make a point of going in hopes of catching an impromptu show. Now me, I can't carry a tune in a bucket. But that means I can appreciate those who can. Possibly envy them a bit. This is the Armstrong, same type of shuttle as the Hood."

Jane entered the Armstrong and promptly found the kit. "This one looks in good condition, but the antibiotic cream will expire in two months. I'll make a note that it be replaced before then. No sense recycling it now though." She closed the kit and wrote something on her notepad. "And yes, I love to sing. I also play piano and write a bit of piano music. I've been debating organizing a concert night for the crew, involving anyone who can play an instrument or sing. Could be fun."

"You should!" Xenia replied. "I would definitely go see something like that. Are you done here?"

"Yes," Jane answered, stepping out the Armstrong. "What else is there to show me?"

RSS Feed