Business As Usual

Posted on Sun Apr 29th, 2018 @ 10:12pm by Major Hailey Weston

Mission: https://wellington.pegasusfleet.site/index.php/sim/missions/id/4
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: A few hours before SpecOpsWarning

ON:

After seeing a large group of crew members for their physicals, she went to look for Rivendale. Rivendale was playing quietly behind the last bio bed. He had stolen two rolls of adhesive bandaging and had them tied all over him exploring it. He was a sight to behold and it made her laugh. "Rivendale, you are such a ham. Let me get that off you before you really hurt your self my little thief", she said, laughing as she carefully cut away the adhesive so he could finally scurry away from her and into his carrying pouch. Then she remembered reading the crew roster and saw that there was another doctor on board but not attached to her unit. It was a Major Hailey, and, well to get a broad prespective of the type of medicine she practiced, Janice decided it would be a good idea to speak to her. Hitting the comm link, "'Soran to Lt. Weston do you have a minute? I would like to see you in Medical."

Hailey didn't respond ,but raised an eyebrow at Nyx, who she'd been talking to, then excused herself after tapping her commbadge to acknowledge the request. A few minutes later, she was walking into the medical bay and instantly spotted the new face in the medical bay, evaluating the newcomer even as she made her way up, standard Marine Fleet uniform (non-combat) pristine as usual, a major's bronze oak leaf on each collar tab, "Actually, Lieutenant Soran, the rank is Major, not Lieutenant, haven't been an El-Tee in quite a while." She smiled slightly and extended a hand, "Major Hailey Weston, Marine CO, Second Officer and trauma surgeon. Captain Bartlett pulled me out of here and back to running some troops for a living."

"Ah...my...I don't. Know what to say. Maybe I misread your emotions. Do forgive me but...", stumbling for words to get her out of this corner she just painted herself into. "I do apologize for thinking that...you", 'Damn it Janice think woman think!', she thought to herself. "That you were a Lieutenant", she finally got it out. I am not much about ranks nor do I look at them. If you are hurt or wounded, rank has no meaning in my book", she said. "I live for my profession and basically will always be here to serve both human and animals who are hurt or injured, which ever comes first", she stated.

"I see..." Hailey said, "But I would highly recommend that you do take a few moments to check on someone's rank if you're intending on summoning them?" It was just a suggestion, but one that had always worked for Hailey herself, "The devil is in the details after all." The flicker of motion behind Janice caught Hailey's attention as the little animal flitted into her vision, then out of it. An eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch, but Hailey made no mention of the creature. Yet. She tried to put some warmth behind her smile, "Just to give you a touch of my own practical history, I started out as a combat medic before the Corps sent me to the Academy and turned me into a real surgeon. I've been out in the mud and the blood, saving lives right there on the battlefield, behind enemy lines and in the field hospitals. Nothing and nowhere is foreign to me, the key is keeping the surgical site sterilized to the best of your ability, but if you don't have a choice, fix the big problem and deal with the infection later. But there really is nothing like a good, clean surgical suite on a starship to work in."

"That is the best place to do surgery, a clean operating theater has always been good. However, I have worked in a MASH unit and done what they call meatball surgery and it ain't pretty ", she said. Janice wasn't too sure of her facts so she let the Major take the lead.

Rivendale had crept from his pouch and had ended just behind Janice's chair where she was sitting. Silently, like the thief he is, he slid between her arm and the arm rest of her chair and peeked out to see who the stranger was.

Hailey's eyes flitted to the motion of the little critter, evaluated it as a weasel, and back to Janice in the span of a heartbeat, maybe a heartbeat and a half, but for the moment didn't mention it. There seemed to be some slight hesitation in the other doctor's voice, but Hailey wasn't sure what it was about, but one side of her mouth twitched upwards, "MASH units are rather nice, most of them even are almost as good as an actual hospital, at least if properly run. I've seen a couple that weren't and I know those commanders were relieved within hours of my arrival at them. These days, a MASH setup has to be pristine, literally just as if you're walking into a civilian emergency room. The surgeries they do there? Oh, I've been there, done that, but those are relatively clean, not the 'true' 'meatball' surgeries. Those are when you're out there, under fire, trying to repair an aortal artery that's been punctured by a bullet so that they actually survive to get back to one of those units. Deciding right then and there who might live out of a dozen wounded troopers and knowing that the ones you don't treat will die, without a doubt, but not having a choice in the matter because someone put up a transporter inhibition field over the battlefield." The look in Hailey's eyes was rock solid, no hint of regret (she had none) no hint of a challenge (it wasn't a game), just cold, hard facts. "What you see in those field hospitals, safe behind our own lines? That's tame, pretty, where troops are most likely already going to live, but where the docs and surgeons make sure the fix from the field is done right and to repair anything else."

The human let those words hang there for a couple seconds, then glanced to the side, "But you didn't ask me here to go over war stories, though if you ever do, let me know and I'm more than able to." Her smile expanded very slightly, "You wanted to meet me and introduce yourself. I got an update on new personnel this morning, you arrive what? A couple days ago? But Lieutenant Janice Soran, Veterinarian turned Starfleet doctor, parents Michael and Janiea, no siblings, served on the USS Demon for several years before transferring to a Starbase, then to here." Hailey went from her memory of the personnel files she'd studied that morning briefly, having put more attention into the officers than the enlisted, "A couple interesting highlights happened for you, I'll definitely be interested in more information on those, just so I know more about you, but you should be an asset to the ship, so welcome aboard." She paused a heartbeat, "I do apologize if most of the details in my file are a bit... Lean, but I assure you my entire medical history is accurate."

Janice was slightly taken aback by her knowledge of her personal life. "I must congratulate you on looking up my personal profile before you and I met", she said. "First of all Major, I became a Veterinarian before I became a Doctor. I have both licenses and I both fields in Starfleet and then on the station before I joined the Wellington. I serve a double purpose on my ships and to this day I still do and with pride", she added. "Major, I know about your medical profile but what I don't know is you. I have nothing about you as a person. I wanted to meet you to know what you have been doing in the capacity of standing in for the CMO, who from what I understand is unavailable, which is why I took the spot of ACMO", she said. "Can we meet after my duty shift and discuss your tenure as the Chief in Medical?", she asked, smiling slightly.

"I never was the Chief in this department. Doctor Lin was, I was working on my bedside work." Hailey shrugged, "I never was the greatest at the 'normal' routine of physical exams, little problems, that sort of thing. But, especially as Second Officer on the ship, I look over all the personnel files as new officers and enlisted come on board. Knowing more about your people really does make a difference, especially in a tight situation. I can definitely tell you anything I happen to know about the department though. By the way, do you mind if I also tell you my opinions and suggestions? I know I'm more a 'visitor' than anything, though I do still come by for some regular standing hours when I have the chance, to keep up on things."

"Sure Major, by all means, do come by and we can talk and tell me your suggestions. I am sure that they will be insightful and helpful in my acclimation to my position here", she said laughing, watching Rivendale as he started to climb up on the bio bed next to the Major. "Major don't look now but you will have a friend in your lap in a moment", she said as Rivendale did a Peter Pan off the bio bed into the Majors lap. That sent Janice into a fit of laughter. "Major he is making friends with you, my little thief Rivendale", she said roaring with laughter.

No amusement came to Hailey's face, but neither did she make any sudden reactions when the weasel landed on her, holding her hands out for the animal to investigate. She wasn't an animal person herself, never really had the need nor the desire, "Then my first one: I know you started out as a vet, but do keep Rivendale out of the surgical rooms and any active patient areas? I know you have an affinity for the animals and well, as we've both said, you are a veterinarian, but no matter how meticulous you and they are, fur does shed and I know I really don't want to find a stray hair in one of my patients." She did smile a bit more, then very carefully with both hands lifted Rivendale and placed him back on the biobed, "Perhaps even set up Medbay Two as a dedicated animal clinic to keep them separate from the humanoid patients?"

"I had thought about that before. I want to make it into a dedicated Animal Clinic to actually keep my human and animal patients separated. I do not permit my animals in my human sickbay. Rivendale is here for the time being as I don't have patients in here, but once I leave with him, the medical bay gets sanitized thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly", she said. "Major, one thing I don't understand. You said 'one of your patients', I thought that being in the Marines, you would have a separate med bay dedicated for your Marines and not use Medical here?" she added. She wondered about that because on the Demon, the Marines had their own Medical Bay with Marine doctors and such, so as not to overfill the ships Sick Bay.

"Technically we have a medbay of our own, but I had it turned into an emergency sickbay for when the ship is in combat. With right about fifteen Marines total on board, me being the only medical Marine on board, I felt the best option would be to send the troops here." Hailey shrugged lightly, "Not really a big deal, especially since I do spend time on duty up here, along with my duties as Marine CO and Second Officer. Barring a major action, which this unit of mine is not equipped for with personnel or equipment, we won't be overfilling sickbay. But, I've got a plan for this team of mine, one that should keep us out of sickbay more often than not."

"Oh, do tell", Janice said with all ears. "Maybe we could combine the med bays to treat not only wounded troops but our own wounded as well. We do have a fighter wing onboard as well as your Marines, and on some missions, no doubt we will run into wounded from the other allied worlds that are willing to fight alongside our own people. It might be a good idea to pool our resources and make the medical groups one", she said. She hoped that this could be accomplished in a good way. It was a dream of hers to one day make a med unit for not only combat troops but also for the ships own wounded. Then there would be a section for the new species and their medical needs as well.

"That's pretty much what Colonel Blanchard and I had intended when I didn't activate it as a unit medbay and spent my time here in main sickbay." Hailey pointed out, "Even with the Colonel, the unit was only thirty-six Marines in total, now we're half that. We are quite literally already a single medical unit already, my troops don't even have a combat medic outside of myself. I need to go meet with the Wing CO soon anyways, but he won't have a dedicated medic either, so his people would be required to come here anyways. Perhaps we should set up a satellite medbay instead? Use this as the main hub, obviously, but activate..." Hailey punched a few buttons on the screen to bring up a schematic, and highlighted, "Medbay Four back here, keep either an attendant or junior officer on duty there. And if you wanted to set up here, Medbay three, as your veterinary clinic, you'll be able to access main sickbay quickly when needed."

"That sounds like a good plan. I like the convenience of it. Good thinking Hailey. We should take this up with the captain and see if she agrees. Don't you think so?" she said, smiling.

"Lieutenant, with all due respect, I'm not yet comfortable with you calling me by my given name." Hailey pointed out the faux pas, "No disrespect intended, but Major, ma'am, Doctor, all those are good right now. I save... Personal addressing waits with me until I get to know someone better." She shrugged apologetically, "But, yes, we should draw up a plan to present to the Captain. Schematic and proposal on a PADD, that way she can see it rather than just try to visualize it. I can work on that tonight when I'm standing third watch, if you'd like?"

"Major, I meant no disrespect, I am just accustomed to calling crew by their given names which tends to give them a sense of security and helps them feel safe. My apologies", she said. "However, Major, I do agree with you. I can also draw up a schematic as well and we can compare and join it together. I would like to see what you propose. Please do that on your third watch, as I would appreciate it greatly", she added.

It was a very thin smile from Hailey, "I didn't think it was out of disrespect, but quite frankly, I *am* the thing that goes bump in the night." It was what one of her fellows had once said about their team, "And perhaps in the future, you may be able to do as you so desire and call me by my given name, just not at this time. I'll have that the plan ready by the morning." The Major promised as she nearly backed out of the medical bay rather than turn.

OFF:

Lieutenant Janice Soran
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Wellington

Major Hailey Weston
Second Officer / Marine CO
USS Wellington