Difficult Patient
Posted on Thu Apr 8th, 2021 @ 12:52pm by Colonel Sehan t'Varis & Centurion Nancy Gable
4,976 words; about a 25 minute read
Mission:
Chapter IV: Unravelling the Mystery
Location: Medbay
Timeline: 238702.11-14
The day after was quiet. Gunnar had taken the first watch after the casualties had been all been treated - ostensibly to let the two surgeons rest in case they were needed should complications arise, but Nancy suspected he was also putting off having to explain himself to a miffed felinoid. But now Nancy was back and making rounds, checking on each patient but one in particular: Raven's wounds had been severe and brain surgery was never without risk. She stopped at her bed watching for any sign on the monitors of consciousness.
Raven's eye fluttered open. For a moment, she was completely disoriented. Where was she? Who was she? And why could she not see anything out of her left eye? Then, it started flooding back to her. The fight with Vulture. Her crashing into the console. Suddenly, her entire body was pain. She groaned, and weakly lifted her head. "Someone get me a glass of water, please," she croaked.
"Of course," Nancy took a waiting cup with a straw, holding the straw so Raven could drink without having to try to sit up fully or manage a cup on her own. "How are feeling? Other than thirsty."
"Thanks, Doc," Raven said, grabbing the cup out of the doctor's hand and pushing herself up. She winced a little, before emptying the cup in one go. "I may have been injured, but I'm not an invalid. How do I feel?" She chuckled. "I feel like I was chewed up by a targ and spit out again. But I'll live."
As relieved as was to see that Raven didn't seem to be exhibiting post-operative physical or cognitive issues, Nancy couldn't help but think Great, she's going to be one of those... However, difficult and making a full recovery was better than the alternative. "You better live," the doctor half-joked. "I put a lot of work into fixing you." She gently pressed her shoulder to ease her back down. "And I don't intend to see it undone, so you just lay back and rest."
Raven leaned back and sighed. "I know you want me to rest and recuperate, Doc, but my ship and my crew are just out of battle. I need to know what condition we're in. I have a responsibility as Commanding Officer to ensure that the damage is repaired and the crew is safe. I will let you keep me in bed, but you won't stop me from working. I want full status reports brought to me."
"The crew is on it," Gable assured her. "But I know that won't be good enough for you, which is as well because I have a list of people who want to know the very second you're awake and able to have visitors. This way, I can up them on rotation to deliver reports." And babysit she thought with a smirk. "Probably best to do verbal reports for today. Trying to read too soon with one eye will give you headaches."
The colonel realised that resistance, in this case, was futile. "Very well, Doctor. Send them in. But first, I would like something to eat."
"You got it." Nancy turned to go to the replicator, pausing at the door to call, "Daisy, you're up!" and then more softly, "Don't let her get out of bed."
The next morning Gable arrived after a well-deserved rest, coffee in one hand and a covered dish from Renee in the other. She could tell just by looking at Arnason that the night had not gone especially smoothly. "Here," she said shoving the food at him. "You look like you can use this. Trouble last night?"
As much as he loved Renee's cooking, the coffee was the important and he took a large gulp before answering. "Thanks. Yes, I didn't dare disappear to refresh my cup." His eyes shifted to where Raven seemed to be dictating something into her PaDD. "And I thought only doctors were terrible patients."
"Only doctors?" Nancy snorted a derisive laugh. "You're a nurse, and I certainly hope she's not in the category of 'has to be handcuffed to the bed'."
"Hey, now, that was because of the drugs you gave me," he objected, though a mild blush appeared at the reminder of coming around to find the whole medbay staff there just waiting to see his reaction to being restrained with Divash's pink fuzzy 'play' handcuffs. "Unlike some people, I took a civilized approach and rigged her bed to send a ping if she swung legs off it. Which she's tried three times so far."
"Good to know," Nancy chuckled. "Go on and take a break. I'll get some breakfast ready for her - with a touch of sedative since I'd hate for you to think I'm uncivilized."
"Too late," Gunnar laughed. "But I'll take the offer of sitting down for a nice breakfast."
Shaking her head, Nancy crossed to the medical replicator, tapping in the order and brought the tray over to Raven. "Good morning. Ready for some breakfast?"
"Morning Doc," Raven replied, putting down the PADD. She had been dictating some personal logs and catching up on personal correspondence - something she rarely got the chance to do on a normal day. She took the tray. "What's it today, porridge with a nice drop of honey and valium?" The colonel chuckled. "I know all the tricks, I grew up in a hospital. Well, a monastery, that also served as a hospital, anyway. All this sitting around in bed is making me nuts, Doctor Gable. Let me go for a walk, even if it is only around medbay. I need to stretch my legs. And I need to get out of here."
"I have eggs and bacon here. No Valium," the doctor replied - it wasn't technically a lie; valium was a much stronger sedative than she'd use unless Raven got really out of line - and set the tray in front of her. She hadn't had any abdominal surgery, so she should be able to handle that. "But you see the big blonde over there? The one you kept up half the night because you wouldn't stay put?" She nodded toward Gunnar. "I'm not complaining, because he absolutely deserves it - worst patient ever for insisting he's fine and can get up and work; he stood there with broken ribs assisting with your surgery when he should have been having those at least taped. So with that in mind, don't think I don't know all the bad patient tricks, like 'Doc said I could walk around a little'."
Raven took a mouthful of the food and then looked at Gable. "Okay, no valium. What's in it then? I can taste that you've done something to it, Doc, so don't even try to hide it. Remember whose ship you are on."
"Brain injuries." Gable shrugged innocently. "Sometimes taste is affected for a couple weeks afterward." Which was in fact perfectly true. Besides she knew what she'd put in there was tasteless. "Or maybe you're picking up Romulan paranoia from Hatham and imagining it."
"Or maybe you forget that I am part-Orion. And that I know you, Doctor. Either way, I know there's something in this. A sedative, I assume? Since you insist on keeping me in this bed and not letting me go about the business of running this ship." The colonel chuckled. "You know, I am glad you are such a dedicated doctor. I just wish I wasn't your patient. Or anyone's patient, for that matter."
She put the breakfast tray down. "And let me guess, when I ask you to get me a coffee, since you won't even let me get up and go to the replicator myself, you'll put some into that as well."
"Wow. Hatham would so proud," Nancy snarked. "Though I worked with an Orion in Starfleet for awhile, so I guess it goes with that too. If you like, I'll go get you a coffee and you can watch me take the first sip to prove there's nothing in it."
Raven laughed, before holding her side and wincing. "Ouch. No more jokes, Doc. Just a strong, black coffee. And a PADD. I have some work to do."
"Coming right up," Nancy said, heading back to the replicator. And good night sweet princess...
The next morning, Nancy came in and swallowed a laugh at hearing a soft snore - Gunnar was passed out a chair, head tipped back and mouth hanging half open. She immediately looked over at Raven's bed. Empty.
She spotted her shakily making her way over to replicator and stalked quickly over, taking her by the elbow. "Just because you somehow managed exhaust Arnason is no excuse for getting out of bed on your own," she scolded.
Raven reached the replicator. "Bacon and cheese omelette, extra hot sauce on the side. One large coffee, extra strong, black." She turned to Nancy. "Look, Doctor, I'm fine. You've done your job. Now, for the love of whatever deity you believe in, let me do mine. Sure, we're in dock and undergoing repairs, but that doesn't mean the ship doesn't need her Commander. And I can't make Rogers do it all on her own."
"And you're not," Gable insisted, not releasing her supporting hold in the slightest. "You can read updates, sign off on work, speak to anyone in here or at the dock via comm, and set a good example for the other members of the crew here who still need to rest so they can recover fully."
The Colonel took her coffee out of the replicator and took a sip. "Doctor Gable, as you are hopefully aware, this technically is a vessel of the Romulan Star Empire. I hold a Tal Shiar commission. You, meanwhile, do not. You have been seconded to the rank of Centurion in the Romulan Navy as per my authority." She pointed at the PADD next to her bed. "Feel free to verify my words in the regulations. A Commanding Officer of a Romulan vessel has the right to supersede their chief medical officer's orders when it comes to their own care. That is one area where Romulan regulations diverge significantly from that of Starfleet."
She began to shuffle back to her bed, and sat down. "I trust your judgement, Doc. But I also need to run this ship. I need to be back in charge. Vulture, or her allies in the Tal Shiar, could track us down any moment. Cera is an unaligned world, they have no jurisdiction here, but that has never stopped them before. I need to call a senior staff meeting."
Raven sighed. "Before you say anything, I know. I need to rest, blah blah blah. I get it, you are doing your job. The job I gave you. And I am grateful that you are so diligent with it. And I really don't want to undermine your authority by pulling rank. So here is what is going to happen. I will stay in medbay tonight. Tomorrow morning, after breakfast, you will discharge me for duty. Seeing as we are not likely to leave dock any time soon, I am confident there will be no danger to my, or anyone else's, health. I will return for daily checkups until you decide that that is no longer necessary."
Nancy crossed her arms and looked at Raven. "First, I was given the rank of Centurian by General Dorvaela and I'll thank you to not dishonor his memory by claiming any authority beyond his there."
"Second, If you think I give two QuS about Tal Shiar regulations, you better dismiss me and get yourself another doctor right now, because I don't," the doctor stated flatly. "And frankly, given what we've just been through, I doubt the Tal Shiar care one way or another about your commission either. So, here is how it will go: you want a staff meeting, I'll wheel you into the conference and back afterward, since as we are in dock there is literally nowhere else that you have to be until you are fit to be up and around."
Raven shook her head. "If you want to force my hand, Doctor, go ahead. But if you think I will back down, you do not know me at all. I will leave medbay tomorrow morning. And that is the end of it. Do your job, and look after those injured who still need your care. I, however, do not." She glanced at Gable's bat'leth, just visible in her office. "You'll have to use your bat'leth to stop me. You speak of dishonour. You are part Klingon, do I remember that right? Tell me, what does Klingon honour say about those who deny a warrior the right to battle? Do yourself a favour. Discharge me tomorrow morning."
"And you apparently don't know me." Nancy shook her head. She got it. She did. She was a terrible patient herself because it was hard to relinquish control in a place where you were used to absolute command. That didn't excuse declaring herself fit despite having no medical background to make that determination. "I am part Klingon. So trust me when I say there's no dishonor in you staying here - there's no battle to be fought until this ship is repaired." She walked over and looked her right in the eye. "However, there would be dishonor for me if I released you before you were ready. So here's the deal: you stay in this bed and you rest. Be good and I might release you early provided you wear a medical monitor."
"I'm not Klingon, Doctor. I am Romulan. I am Orion. I am Human. None of those three races believe in a code of honour like the Klingons do." Raven smiled. "There may not be a battle in the sense of disruptors and bat'leths to be fought, but that does not mean we are at peace. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. I am sure you are familiar with Sun Tzu's Art of War. A war is not just won on the battlefield."
She laid down on the bed and leaned back into the pillows. "One day, Doctor. I will do no more work other than to arrange the meeting for tomorrow. After that, feel free to check on me any time, you will find me reading Caesar's De Bello Gallico, in the original Latin. There is a lot to be learned from history. Tomorrow morning, after breakfast, I will leave medbay. I'll wear a monitor, since you insist. And I will try to take it easy. Now, we can waste time arguing for another hour, or you can agree and go see to your other patients, who are much more in need of your attention than I am. Do we have an agreement?"
"Did I say we were at peace?" Nancy lifted her brows. "I know we are at war and a battle is coming. So let me offer a different quote from Sun Tzu: Concentrate your energy and hoard your strength. Right now you have an opportunity to do that and you shouldn't squander it. I'll allow a meeting so long as you're monitored and return to rest - I'm not hunting you down to check on you, since as you note I do have other patients here it's more efficient to have you all in one place," she said gesturing around to the nearly full medbay. "Besides, I can give you better things to read. That bit of political propaganda by Caesar is better for learning Latin than learning war. I have a copies of The Dahar Masters and Martok's Commentary on the Dominion War."
Raven chuckled. "I've read those. Never have liked reading Klingon, it just doesn't do much for me. And who said I'm reading Caesar to learn war, I'm reading it for entertainment. I can see we aren't getting anywhere here, Doctor. So why don't you carry on doing your rounds and let me get back to my reading, and we can talk about this again later."
Nancy refrained from commenting on reading anything as dry as Caesar's bragging for entertainment. Even Arnason's drunk history rendition of sagas were more engaging - and she couldn't understand of word of that. She did have other patients to check, but she was also feeling profoundly skeptically about Raven agreeing to just read until then. "Okay," she finally said. "But if you get out of that bed on your own before then, I will sedate you."
"Keep your threats, Doc. Only reason I'd get up is because I'd need the head or something to drink and old sleepyhead over there doesn't react. So, relax. Go do your job." She switched on her PADD, and began reading. Caesar's bragging about his achievements in Gaul may not have been the most entertaining or interesting thing to read, but it was light on intellectual qualities. She didn't want to tell the doctor, but Raven was suffering from a near-constant headache. Still, she couldn't show any weakness, especially not now. She needed to be back on her feet as soon as possible, and she would do whatever it would take to convince Gable that she was fine.
"Okay. There's a call button if you need anything," Gable reminded and headed off, stopping to shove Gunnar.
"Wha-?" He startled awake, catching himself before the chair went sideways.
"Wake up, sleeping beauty. Back to Raven watching."
"Sorry. Must have dozed off." He rubbed his eyes. "If you're going to assign that as penance, at least get me some coffee - the real stuff, so I can stay awake."
Nancy smirked. "Fine. I'll send out to Renee for a pot of your favorite sludge," she said as she headed to the next patient to continue rounds.
Raven looked up from her PADD to check if Gable had moved far enough away, then waved Gunnar over. "Hey, Arnason. I want to talk to you for a sec."
Gunnar gingerly pushed himself up from the chair. You could mend broken ribs and deal with bruising, but the attached cartilage would still make you pay for the insult for days afterward. "Is there something you need, ma'am?"
"What I need is to get out of here," the colonel replied. "You've known Doctor Gable longer than most people on this ship. How do I convince her that I am fit for duty?"
It was all Gunnar could do not to say 'good luck with that', but he'd never be that flippant with a patient. "It's not that I'm unsympathetic. I may not have vulcanoid hearing, but I heard her describing me as the worst patient ever yesterday.' His tipped side to side slightly. "She's not entirely wrong, though I'll note she's never tried to keep doctors who insist they know they are fit from self-releasing. The truth is though, you may feel like there are things you have to be out of here to do, you may even feel that you are strong enough to go do them, but there'd be cost to leaving now and a good doctor will keep you from paying it if at all possible. Rough around the edges as she is, Gable is good doctor - and one with years of experience with Starfleet Type A personalities."
"I know this isn't what you want to hear, but your best bet is compliance." He almost unconsciously rubbed his wrist. "Trust me, if you pretend you're okay or hide an issue she'll never let you live it down."
Raven sighed. It was not the answer she had wanted, but she also hadn't expected Gunnar to say anything else. "I get that. And she has definitely proven that she really is one hell of a doctor. Probably more deserving of the 'best in the quadrant' title than our Romulan friend back there."
She leaned back. "Let me tell you a story. A young orphan, raised in a monastery by pacifist nuns who run a hospital for a run-down colony, top of her class in the command programme at Starfleet Academy before she disappears into nowhere. Reappears a few years later as a mercenary captain, flying an absolute antique. I've always had to fight for things in life, Mr Arnason, and most of the time, I've had to do it on my own. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere near where I am today without one of the most stubborn heads in the galaxy. Right now, Gable is the rock trying to smash the proverbial unbreakable object. I'm not going to budge, not one bit. I will be getting out of here tomorrow. Because I have decided that is what I am going to do. And I never let anything, or anyone, stop me from what I have decided to do. It's gotten me into plenty of trouble in the past, and it will again."
The colonel grabbed her PADD, and brought up a file. "This here is my Starfleet service record. Cadet Sehan t'Varis, Command programme, STV-28302-F. Top of class. Combat command simulations, all passed with merit. Introduction to Strategy and Tactics, passed with merit. And so on. But scroll down, and you will find five reprimands for insubordination within my two years at the Academy. Just to give you an idea who your friend is dealing with."
Gunnar took the PaDD, but was perhaps less impressed than Raven imagined he would be. She had been a promising student, but only that, and a few Academy reprimands for insubordination was... par for the course for command material; it's why Starfleet tolerated it. Rising from drop out to running a pirate ship was an achievement, but one of his first COs had watched her grandparents tortured to death by the Dominion joined the Resistance before she was old enough to drink, and another had run away from virtual slavery under Cardassian occupation of Bajor. T'Ango came from a nice stable background, but she'd had marched through hell so many times she probably qualified for a discount pass. They all hated being confined to bed, but that only put Raven roughly in the same club.
And then there was Nancy... but she avoided disclosing her background and he wouldn't violate confidentiality. "No doubt you've accomplished a lot and overcome a lot, but you aren't alone in that. Gable's story isn't mine to tell, but she is as much unbreakable object as you. Or perhaps immovable object on this." He smiled gently, handing the PaDD back to her. His own story he could tell, or at least what parts might be useful. "I understand stubborn, it's the reason I survived torture and an attempt at mind-bending. It's also the reason I got into that situation in the first place. I've also been told I have a self-reliant streak a parsec wide - and that it's probably what will kill me," his lips twitched in a wry half-grin, "possibly by driving my friends to murder me. So I do understand, but that understanding doesn't exactly help your cause, eh?"
Raven chuckled. "So, basically, we are at an impasse. Tell me, Mr Arnason. Is there any way an agreement between me and the Doctor can be reached, without me having to go with the nuclear option and dismissing her from my crew?"
Hard to dismiss someone while heavily sedated... was his first thought, but he did not voice it. Besides on this point his understanding could actually help. "I hope so, since dismissing her would be a particularly bad move since it would leave you going into battle without an experienced combat surgeon," he answered earnestly. "In general, Dr. Gable can be persuaded to allow desk work - which she has allowed you - though as you know she prefers that be done from bed until the patient is well out of the woods. But there's a consultation room in here that no one's using. If you don't try to duck out of medbay, you can probably persuade her to let you use that as an office." He looked up casually, out of the corner of one eye. "I'd emphasize the need for privacy to conduct business and meetings - something the recovery area here can't provide."
The colonel contemplated for a moment, and then shook her head. "A good thought, but not good enough. Does the equipment in there allow me full access to all computer systems throughout the ship? Secure comms channels? Access to my personal, restricted files? If I could do all I need to do from medbay, I would, Mr Arnason. The fact remains that we need to be ready for battle as soon as we leave dock. I need to be able to review detailed intelligence, contact allies. None of those can be done from here. I need my ready room. Besides, I can't really concentrate here anyway."
"You might explain it to her that way," Gunnar suggested. He watched her eye, not directly - he avoided anything that might appear challenging - but he knew better than trying to read her face and she hadn't raised any of those points to Gable. "Don't expect no push back though. As I understand it this ship was designed by Tal'Shiar, for a Tal'Shiar general. An area containing his confidential medical information is going to be very, very secure so it should be sufficient for most of that. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if all that access can be transferred here in the event some big shot was badly injured." He looked at her pointedly. "Or recovering from a brain injury. I'm surprised if you aren't at least experiencing headaches."
Raven held up her hand. "You don't need to worry about me. But I think you make a good point. I'll speak to the Doc when she finishes her round."
"I'm a nurse, ma'am, and you're a patient. Worrying about you is more or less my job, at least as long as I'm filling in here," Gunnar replied, and spotting Gable heading back, added, "and Dr. Gable's too as your doctor. But I'll let you two argue the point."
With that he headed toward Gable, and with his face where Raven couldn't see it now, gave enough in his expression for Nancy to have an inkling of what to expect. "She's all yours. I'm going to get some much delayed breakfast. And make sure T'Ango's bothered eat."
"Go on. Thank her for lending your time." It was as close as Nancy was going to come to thanking him for helping, but he knew that and smiled as she continued on to Raven's bed. "So, let me guess: you were asking my worst patient for tips on how to get around me?"
Raven chuckled. "He told me what I already know. We are in an unstoppable force versus immovable object situation. But the fact remains that I need to get out of sickbay. I need to be in my ready room, so I can access my files, communicate, and so on. Time is of the essence, Doctor, and we need to be ready as soon as the ship is repaired. Vulture won't rest until she's taken us out, and I need to make sure that next time we meet, we have the upper hand. It's as simple as that. Arnason suggested asking you if I can use your consultation room as a private office, but that won't do, as I need systems access I only have from my ready room. It's a built-in security feature, I can only do so much with remote access. Unlocking that would need a complete reprogramming of the main computer core, which would probably mean losing those files altogether."
"If those files can be lost that easily, I'd say engineering needs to address that." Nancy held up a hand, signaling she wasn't done. "However, I know that's a longer term fix. I'll offer this compromise: you can go to your ready room, with a medical monitor that does NOT get turned off or left sitting on a desk - I'll want your word on that - but you return here when that work is done. Time is of the essence and if you have a mini-stroke because you pushed before you are ready then we will not be ready to face Vulture, will we?"
The colonel contemplated for a moment. "So, to put it into simpler words. I am free to go to work, but I come back to medbay instead of going to my quarters." She chuckled. "You sure you're not part-Ferengi, Doc? Because you are one hell of a negotiator. If we ever end up needing one, I know who to call on. I doubt I'll get anything more out of you, so, I guess we have a deal." Raven held out her hand, and grinned. "Don't expect the next negotiation over a pay rise to go this smoothly, though."
"We have a deal, Colonel," Nancy said, taking her hand for firm shake. "Don't worry, I know my worth. And yours - which is why this deal is 100% revokeable if at any point your health suffers."
Raven smiled. "That's your job, Doctor. If you didn't do it, I'd fire you faster than you could say 'hippocratic oath'. Your diligence is why I keep you around. If that's all, I'd like to get back to my reading. The tactics used by Caesar in the siege of Lutetia are a rather interesting read. I'm surprised he got anywhere."
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