Is It That Time Already?

Posted on Mon Apr 23, 2018 @ 11:24pm by
Edited on on Fri May 3, 2019 @ 9:25pm

Mission: Falling Star
Location: Hanger Bay
Timeline: MD 33 || 13:30

Though new on board Antonio liked to get a head start in his duties, which mean reading up on the senior staff files, familiarising himself with the information that he needed to know like past injuries, medications, traumas and the like but most importantly was the need for up to date medicals. For some it seemed these were often delayed, a common thing with some with a dislike for Doctors or even the 'been so busy' types, Antonio was more than happy to make time for them especially for one Lieutenant Marisa Cheshire.

Marisa Cheshire, aged 31, 6 feet tall in fit and trim order, current assignment as Commander Air Group of the ship. A pilot, well that spoke some to him straight away. Past medical checks came through fine, late but fine for the most part. Signs of caffeine in every medical though indicating a habitual drinker or a heavy drinking on a regular basis and detected evidence of alcohol consumption. Antonio knew that some professions were high stress, a pilot being one of them but still the need to monitor, observe and keep these individuals healthy and able was a motivation for being a Doctor.

Antonio has set a notification alarm to inform him of Lt Cheshire's return, when it went off on his computer he left Sickbay intent on dragging, if required, the lady to Sickbay for her medical.

Marisa reclined in her chair, the deck crew taxing her charred fighter into a maintenance bay. Long haul flights do a number on the body. Inertial dampeners and zero gravity mitigate the issues faced by pilots of old somewhat, but sitting in the cockpit for any extended length of time still lead to cramps. A pair of maintenance crew manned a pair of yellow railed step ladders ready to place them either side of the cockpit. The canopy seal popped with a hiss and Marisa was quickly accosted by the two crewmen, first lifting her by her shoulders and then her thighs until she was out. They then left her to steady herself on the railing while the collected her TSO in the back seat onto the other ladder. placed her arm over the shoulder of the crewman while a hand stayed on the rail as the descended down to the deck where she hobbled with ever increasing strength towards the locker rooms.

Antonio walked into the hanger bay just as his next patient was heading down the ladder. Opting to head her off before she could flee Antonio spoke in a thick Italian accent.

"Lieutenant Cheshire, Dr Antonio Giovanni, Assistant Chief Medical Officer. I'm pleased to see you return in one piece, would you accompany me to Sickbay?" Antonio made it clear to see her records on the PADD in his hand, face forward so she could see with a red flashing marker, an overdue medical exam.

Still clinging on to the crewman Marisa glanced at the PADD, her expression becoming more exhausted if that was even possible. She looked at the doctor with incredible exasperation.

"I've just done a 20 hour recon run in a tiny cockpit." She said flatly "Think you can be courteous enough to let me have a few hours rack time before you drag me through a medical?"

"Medical first, then sleep." Antonio replied. "It should only take a few minutes, a blood sample, few scans and then you can get some sleep. Besides you are overdue for your medical. It would be unfortunate if you were to be grounded for failure to abide by medical requirements for flight clearance." Antonio knew how to play ball, especially when he was the one holding it.

Marisa sighed heavily, she considered arguing that she's hardly in a condition to give a good baseline or suggesting that there might casualties that should take priority. In the end however she was too exhausted to make the attempt.

"Meet me half way." She said after a moment "Give me 15 minutes to have a shower a coffee."

"I'll give you 10, and you can drink the coffee on the way." Antonio replied with a warm smile as he held her eyes with his own, a charming woman, attractive even still in her tired and no doubt cramped state. "I'll wait here for you."

"Fine, 10 minutes." Marisa replied with a frown, inwardly chiding herself for not originally suggesting 20. "You're worse than a Ferengi. Don't cross the yellow line if you don't want to get incinerated when the mechanics test the impulse drives."

Heeding the warning Antonio patently waited by the door, he took the opportunity to gaze around, see what was going on and what people were doing. Part of him felt a little cruel for having the woman who had up to now spent so long crammed into a confined space but protocols were must, a current medical was required for flight status. "Worse than a Ferengi." He smiled at that, not the worst he'd been called.

===

As promised Marisa emerged 10 minutes later dressed the standard star fleet uniform save for the leather bomber jacket festooned with squadron patches that replaced the normal quilted jacket. In her hand was a transparent aluminum thermos mug with three black marker lines placed, indicating different levels of fluid in the container. The first line near the top had 'shhh' written on it, the next had 'Almost' and the final one near the bottom said 'Okay, now talk'. Her posture had recovered to a reasonable extent, though her features were still haggard.

"Alright doc." She said with a slight nod of her head "Lets get this over with."

"Now now, don't be like that. I wouldn't have jumped on you now had you gotten this out of the way earlier." With that Antonio turned and walked with her to Sickbay. Compassionate to her long day he walked her to the a private room where he could carry out the medical, she was tired he knew and doubted she wanted others to see that too being part of the senior staff.

"Ok, jacket off, hop up onto the bed for me." He spoke. "Anything you want to inform me of before we get started, physically, mentally, troubles or issues?"

Marisa did as she was bade, leaving the jacket near the foot of the bed and began unbuttoning her command blouse, exposing a white sports bra with a star fleet logo over the left side.

"Nothing unusual. I found some muscles I didn't know I had about a week ago but I seem to have all healed up." She said with a shrug.

"Have you been eating properly, regularly? Drinking enough fluids and I don't mean Coffee?" He ran a medical probe from head to waist as he walked from in front to behind her. Readings were consistent with tiredness. He was comparing his readings to that of her last medical especially the readings of her head, heart and other vital organs.

"I'm an Aussie girl doc." Marisa said with a slight smirk "I can put it away. I'm feeling a bit famished at the moment though," She shrugged "Liquid lunches don't exactly sate. And yes, I keep my fluids up. Flying dehydrated is about as bad as flying drunk, arguably worse, and I have to set the example."

"Then I'd suggest remembering medical checks, you need them current for flight clearance." Antonio was not sure how he was going to explain this one away to the Chief Medical Officer. "What about work outs, keeping in shape? Do you have a routine, proper cardio?" He was not trying to be cold or uneasy, but everyone loved the job they were in otherwise they wouldn't be in it, he just wanted to make sure they stayed doing it.

"I've got a regime." Marisa replied with a nod, repressing a childish urge to stick her tongue out at the doctor. "1 hour of strength training 3 days a week, 30 minutes of cardio 6 days a week. I can't tell you the specifics off the top of my head though, I use a fitness app."

"Ok, aside from the obvious fatigue you seem well. I'll take a blood sample." Pocketing the scanner he lifted a hypo-spray from the table, inserted a vial and pressed it against her neck. "Do you often spend prolonged periods of time within your fighter?" Long periods of immobility over time could cause complications in and of themselves, he pulled out the vial and inserted it into the scanner before peering down the eye pieces to take a look.

"Not often, no." Marisa said, shacking her head "Normally we don't stray 4 ly from base. Patrols tend to last 4 to 8 hours, and we have exercises that stave off cramps and clotting."

"Ok well blood is clear, aside from your longer than usual flight l see nothing wrong with you but l should remind you these examinations forn part of your flight status and should be kept up to date." He was still unsure how he was going to explain that to the CMO but that would be later. "Ok I see no reason to keep you any longer."

"Great." Marisa gave the doctor a pursed smile and a weiry thumbs up before throwing her blouse back on. "I'm going to find a dark corner to pass out in."