Moving Forward

Posted on Thu Sep 7th, 2023 @ 1:23am by Nollel Livaam (*) & Captain Rueben Gregnol & Chief Engineer Michael Burnstein & Evelyn Reynolds
Edited on on Thu Sep 7th, 2023 @ 6:23am

Mission: Fractures
Timeline: 1st February 21:00
1811 words - 3.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Nollel had taken a couple of moments to think through what she needed to do but it had been nothing other than grabbing several cups of coffee and returning to sickbay. The place looked a lot calmer with Gregnol sitting by Michael and she was guessing medical was in the office trying to make sense of it all. There was no longer the confused state now that they had taken a couple of steps forward. She had enough coffee mugs, cream, sugar and a canister filled with coffee for the whole medical department if they turned up.

“I brought coffee.” She admitted. She knew it was late but she would not get much sleep until things were a lot more organised or at the very least, she was sure that Michael would not get any worse despite what Divash had told her about him being over the worst of it. “How are you doing?”

Burnie held one hand horizontal and wobbled it, but gave her a half smile and pointed to one of the coffees hopefully.

"Of course." Nollel nodded and set about making the coffee how he wanted it and gave it over to him before she made Grengol a coffee.

"Thank you." Gregnol said softly adding an extra sugar. He needed the boost.

"How are things?" She said quietly hopeful that things had changed a little.

Gregnol shrugged a little. There was not much changed other than the nan was awake and stable enough. “I think things are as good as they can be about now.” He had never seen Burnie quite so low.

The new arrival may not have been Evelyn's initial motivation for stepping out of the office but there was a palpable hesitation as the doctor allowed the door to close behind her whilst processing just how crowded her sickbay was getting. The blonde's features were impassive, marred only by the briefest flicker of her brow before she approached the end of the currently-occupied biobed and accessed its controls with a swivel of the adjustable terminal. "The computer's compiling the results from the latest image resonance," she spoke to the group, though it seemed marginally directed at a previous conversation with Gregnol. "Of course, it would be far easier if I had baseline data to compare it to." It was a reasonable statement issued with just the vaguest hint of reproach, aimed either at Burnie's capacity to dodge routine check-ups or the length of time it had taken to drag her out of bed to attend to his current episode.

“I can get you the last transporter log if that is any help?” Nollel asked sitting in the edge of the bio bed wearily putting down her new coffee and setting about pulling out a PADD to find out if it was any help.

Burnie sighed. He knew full well it wouldn't help much, though it was just as well - if a transporter could be used to identify or pattern of what was lodged in brain, TI might have locked him away somewhere no transporter could ever touch him. As it was, he'd been lucky to have had a CO who was former JAG and a doctor whose oath was less 'Do No Harm' and more 'Harm My Patient and I'll Vivisect You'. All things considered, having part of his medical records classified at levels old earth had reserved for nuclear secrets had been getting off easy.

Nollel looked over at the man as she heard him sigh. “No?” She questioned quietly wondering what the sigh was about. She knew very well he did not often sigh so there had to be a reason around it.

He shook his head, opening his hands upward in a 'what can ya do?'.

"I'll have a better idea once I've been able to analyse the recent scans." The doctor's shrewd gaze levelled on her patient. "Though I am this close to instigating a mandatory medical interview with the entire crew to avoid the constant surprises." Jake had another personality developing inside his head. Now their engineer seemed to have the neural equivalent of a transferal bypass for reasons his medical transcript refused to elaborate on.

Right, like it's my fault... Burnie didn't say it, not only was not allowed to say much, but he doubted his ability to even form a coherent sentence right now, and NOT looking seriously brain damaged in front of Nollel felt like a priority. Instead, he gave the doctor an eloquent frown.

Nollel offered a smile and lent out to squeeze Burnie’s leg. “Will be fine eventually.” She declared softly before returning to her silent musings over coffee.

"Has there been any progress on isolating the cause?"

If Evelyn sounded disgruntled it was probably because she was. As much as she reminded herself on a daily basis that a civilian ship wasn't going to have quite the layers of protocol that a Starfleet vessel would be required to operate under, it was still proving difficult to reconcile her custodial concern for crew health with the crew's own seemingly cavalier approach. She was far less willing than some of them to just handwave all these potentially serious conditions.

“I have asked Jeassaho to gather some responsible crew and to investigate but there has been nothing yet.” Gregnol said from his seat where he had been watching the scene. He had been trying to resist stepping into the medical conundrum that had over taken his evening.

"As of yet, there have been no other reports of similar symptoms amongst the crew, and from what I've been able to piece together from a smattering of sources, this is more a matter of a previous issue representing itself." Once again, Evelyn was not remotely comfortable with being the least informed in the room. "Treatment, if deemed necessary, is going to depend greatly on being able to ascertain if Michael's current condition is the result of temporary impairment or ongoing degradation."

The doctor made direct eye contact with Nollel.

"Which is why," she admonished, at least curbing her tone to show some empathy for the woman's eagerness, "certain conversations are best conducted between physicians, especially in time-sensitive matters."

Nollel raised her chin defiantly. She was not going to be told off for knowing how to contact someone from her husband's past. "I was not waiting for someone to do something that I could whilst medical helped but she wants to speak to you on a medical to medical basis instead of a spouse pleading for help when Starfleet want to brush this under the carpet."

Burnie puffed a frustrated breath. He so wanted to jump in and defend Nollel's effort, but also felt an impulse to defend Starfleet - classified was anything but 'brush under the carpet' and he did understand their reasons for doing it. But trying to actually say any of that? Especially with all this driving his stress levels up, he knew that was doomed from the get-go. Heck, doubted he could even pull off a quip about the only thing time-sensitive here being his brain.

As far as small mercies went, it was not an inconsiderable relief that the very thing that stopped Evelyn arguing the point was the same concern that would have prompted her to in the first place. Time had been squandered between the onset of symptoms and the present, where she was still scrambling to piece together enough accurate information to settle on a treatment plan. There would be plenty of time later to explain why processes streamlined correct intervention and, if nothing else, it sounded like her fellow colleague held similar expectations. "If you patch through her contact information, I'll place a communication request." Stepping away to continue her updates to Burnie's case file, Evelyn added upon her return to her office. "Don't let him stay up too late."

Nollel nodded. She wanted nothing more than to pass it all on and take a step back to actually focus on her husband. “Is he allowed to leave or does he need to stay here?” The Captain asked wondered looking at Burnie torn as Nollel worked on sending the communication signal through to the doctor.

"I can't discharge him until I've spoken to his previous consultant," Reynolds confirmed from the doorway to her office. Several seconds passed and, perhaps having taken proper note of the other woman's drawn features, Evelyn's expression softened. "I'll request contact as a priority, and if there's no repeated episode and no signs of ongoing deterioration then I will consider home rest." The doctor made brief eye contact with Burnie, sympathetic yet equally as resolute, and then returned to her desk to make good with intent.

Burnie flopped back on the biobed disconsolately and crossed his arms. He hated being stuck in medbay, especially when he knew it was pointless. But it wasn't like he could make a case to be released when anything he said would come out stammered. At best. His eyes roamed across the room - at least before there would things to fix (once the doctor wasn't looking of course) but with the recent overhaul everything was in shiny working order. Well, if worst came to worst, he'd just use what had always worked in Starfleet: start taking things apart until they got fed up enough to take it as evidence he was well enough to leave.

With a sigh, he looked up a Nollel and offered a half-smile. "I'll be ...okay."

Nollel smiled at the look on her husbands face and shook her head. Medical were going to be in for a long night if Burnie was going to stay there. “Better be. I did not just want months with you.” She said pointedly thinking back to when she had said she wanted decades with him. “I will let you sleep and enjoy having a bed to myself.” Nollel teased just a little.

Burnie smiled at her. He wanted to say something reassuring but knew by now to think it through, since getting hung up on a word would negate the intended effect. There was a word he wanted... simple word for not dying... starts with s... He sighed inwardly, reminding himself of what Nikodoros had told him: substitution was your friend; embrace it. "I lived last time." He put a hand on her arm. "More reason to now."

“Good.” Nollel put her hand over his and squeezed again leaning down to kiss his forehead quickly making her way out.

“Try and stay out of trouble.” Gregnol offered as he decided to make his own exit. The man did not need anyone else hanging around making him feel worse.

Burnie nodded and laid back, but actually staying out trouble... that would depend on how long he was penned up in here.