Rick in Sickbay

Posted on Sun May 24th, 2015 @ 1:11am by Admiral Ricky Wegener & El'Shar Blackhorse & Lieutenant Commander Earl Crane & Lieutenant Commander Ophelia Payne & Lieutenant Commander Solis

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Piper Medical - Deck 365

* * * Piper Medical - Deck 365 - Intensive Care Unit * * *

“That fucking bitch!”

Those were the first words all of the medical staff heard when the materialization of Rick and El’Shar completed.

He roared in pain on the transporter pad and looked around at the staff. His anger was evident, as was the look of concern on El-Shar’s face as she held him close to her. As doctors and nurses swooped in to begin scanning him he began huffing like an enraged bull with no more potential for release of his anger toward Eria Azoulay.

Once moved to a biobed for a more thorough examination, and removal of the majority of his clothing, he couldn’t let go of El. He needed to feel her there with him. He pulled her close to him. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I broke your statue. I should have grabbed anything other than that.”

She smiled and rubbed his head. “Oh, honey. You were just shot. I’m not happy about it but I can forgive it, considering the circumstances.” She kissed his forehead.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but we’re going to need you to give us some space,” one of the nurses said. “He’ll need to be put under for a bit so we can work on him.”

El could now see the extent of his injuries. She didn’t know what setting the phaser had been on but it had gouged what appeared to be a one-inch hole through his hip and went all the way through, exiting his left buttock. She could see how the pain was getting to him as he was turning pale, likely a bit of shock from the trauma.

Squeezing his hand, she said, “I’ll be close. I won’t go far.”

Scrubbed and ready for anything, Earl Crane entered the room and smiled tightly at El’shar. "No worries, he's in good hands. I've operated on far worse with much more primitive equipment. I'll come get you when he's all patched up."

The door opened once more and Solis entered, his long hair wrapped up in a bun at the back of his head and held in place by a wooden tongue depressor. “Admiral, Earl. I got here as soon as Ophelia called.” He looked at the wound and simply nodded. “Ready.”

"Say nighty-night, Admiral," Earl sing-songed at the wounded man then nodded to Ophelia.

Ophelia pressed a hypospray to Rick’s neck. “Now then Admiral, you can start your cursing again and we'll see how far you get.” She smiled down at him. “And I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Oh, for--just get it over and done,” Rick sighed, now resigned to the fact that this was happening and he had no more control over it.

Ophelia watched him and soon his eyes closed. She looked up to the bed and nodded. “Alright gentlemen, he’s down for the count. I’ll continue to monitor.” She fell silent, resting her hand on his bare shoulder.

"Awfully strange to be working on one of my own," Earl commented as he started working on the Admiral's wound.

“He’s not the first, dear. Remember Adrianna way back when?” Solis handed the suction tube over to Earl. “Funny though, I always think of your kind as just going on and on and rarely darkening the hallowed halls of sickbay.”

"Oh, right. That was a weird one, too," Earl shook his head and tossed aside an instrument. "How was the mission anyway? Interesting?"

“That is a vast understatement.” Solis looked at Earl over Rick’s body and frowned. “But then you know that. Your lovely wife has called me in for debriefing. Julisa saw the message.” Solis dropped a magnifier down over his eyes as he began some detailed reconstruction. “I am in deep shit. And I mean with that mission, not with the admiral here.”

Earl grunted. "Have to remind Ehlana that you two share everything," he said absently as he concentrated on his work. Their conversation petered out as each focused on the job at hand.

Some time later, Earl straightened up and stretched. "Good work, Sol. 'Phelia, you can wake him up. We'll go get El’shar."

Ophelia nodded and as they departed the room, she turned back to Rick. A second hypospray was administered to counteract the anesthesia. She could sense him beginning to wake and turned her attention to the readings. They all looked good, so she spoke finally.

“Admiral? can you hear me?”

His eyes opened, taking a moment to remember where he was. He looked around the room and then to Ophelia. “My ass,” he said.

Ophelia laughed. “Yes, you still have one. Are you in pain?”

“No. I can’t feel it. It feels like I’m floating on this thing,” he said, still a bit groggy. “How long will that last? I wouldn’t be able to know if I’m sitting on the toilet or anything like this.” He tried to smile but it was a brief one.

“Well, about that. You don’t need to worry about it just yet. It will be worn off long before you’re out of here, trust me. Dr. Crane’s gone out to get El’Shar. How’s your stomach? Does it feel stable?”

“It feels empty,” he replied as he tried to sit up then flopped back down. “That was a mistake.”

“I’ll have none of that, sir.” Ophelia’s voice was firm as she helped him get comfortable. “Your lower body’s going to be useless for another hour or so, then I’ll be back to give you something for pain that isn’t so immobilizing.”

“Maybe you can scrounge up a cheeseburger in the meantime?” His stomach growled, as if on cue.

"Might want to wait a bit on that, just to see how your stomach takes the drugs," Earl said as he came back into the room. Behind him was El’shar. "If you want to get to be my age, son, you need to avoid phaser fire."

“I’ll make a note of it,” Rick replied as he held out his hand for El. “So,” he said to her, “what’s a foxy young thing like you doing in a dive like this?”

Earl leaned a hair closer to El’shar and said, "Try not to excite him too much for the next 24 hours." He winked at her then left the two alone.

Ophelia smiled at them, turning to follow Earl. “I’ll check back in an hour but call if you need me before then.” Ophelia scooted out the door with Earl.

“They told me everything went well,” she said as she pulled a chair close to his bed. “The doctor said they’d come and talk to us about what they did later, but for now you’re to just lie here and be a model patient.”

He didn’t like that last bit at all. “I’m still starving. I wonder if there are any crackers around here?”

“And no eating yet,” she added. “Doctor’s orders.”

“Well….hell. He Kissed her hand. “I wish I had been able to do more earlier.”

“And what would you have done? Gotten shot in the chest instead of just in the hip? She was ready to kill, Rick, no matter who it was.”

He slumped at that. “I don’t know. I just couldn’t stand watching her holding you like that. I don’t even want to begin to think about what I would do if she had actually fired on you.”

“Then don’t,” she said. “All is well now. I’m here, you’re shot in the ass and we’ll be getting something to eat in about an hour. What could be better?”

“Being able to feel my ass.”

**************************
Admiral Ricky Wegener
Feeling Perforated

Captain El-Shar Blackhorse (ret.)
Relieved

Lt.Commander Earl D. Crane
Lt. Solis
Ass Reconstruction Specialists

Lt. Ophelia Payne
The Lady With The Good Drugs