And the doctor's worst patient is quite possibly...

Posted on Sat Jul 9th, 2011 @ 7:58pm by Captain Vorn Krace & Lieutenant Elena Valdez

Mission: The Fate of the Swiftsure
Location: Deck 1, Ready Room
Timeline: MD2 0945 hrs

After finishing up with Lt. Cook, Elena revisited the notes left for her by Ensign Tenebroso. She looked them over more thoroughly this time, noting that he had listed the personnel who needed physicals by the date of their last exam. Right smack on top of the list of most overdue was none other than Captain Vorn Krace. Elena had to chuckle at that; she'd heard at the Academy that commanding officers often made the worst patients.

Doctor Valdez opened the Captain's file. The physical had indeed been quite awhile ago, and was incomplete at that. Tenebroso, who must have been feeling a bit ashamed of his earlier behaviour, had helpfully left a note confirming her suspicions. It read:

"Good luck getting the Captain in sickbay...I suspect the only time he'd ever come willingly is if he needed a limb reattached, and maybe not even then. I recommend trickery and subterfuge."

Elena chuckled again; perhaps Tenebroso would end up being a pleasant co-worker after all. She decided to take his advice. There would be little point in calling Krace over the comm system and requesting his presence in sickbay when chances were he'd find an excuse not to come. Far better would be to plan an ambush. Elena had not yet reported in, so she decided it would be as good an opportunity as any to pin Krace down for an exam. She attached her smallest and most portable of medkits to her belt, containing a small medical scanner, tricorder, and a couple of hyposprays. It wasn't going to be as comprehensive as using a biobed, but it would do.

She made her way towards the bridge, where the on-duty officers noted with curiosity her teal collar, quirky smile, and lively eyes. Finding Krace to be absent, she next tried the door to his ready room. Tucking a stray wisp of dark hair behind her ear, she pressed the door chime.

"Come in!" Vorn called. He'd just recently returned to his ready room from the bridge, to study the pathway out of the Solaria Nebula that they had been sent data on called the 'Safe Passage', amplified with data from their own sensors pointed in that direction. He knew it was really the job of the flight control staff, but he wanted any excuse to do some studying of the area, and so was trying to see what the best navigational route through the passage would be, since the storms surrounding it shifted so much on a daily basis.

Elena walked into the room with hands clasped behind her back. She wasn't as nervous as she thought a new officer probably should be, but she was older than most new officers. "Lt. JG Elena Valdez reporting in, sir," she said with a small smile.

"Ah, welcome Lieutenant," the captain responded, with a smile as he looked up from the readings and sensor data on the Passage. "I trust you've been settling in well, doctor?"

"Very well, sir," she responded. "The sickbay is a dream; Starfleet didn't hold anything back when they designed her." She considered telling Krace about the lip she'd gotten from Tenebroso, but decided that a CMO should be able to handle such things without whining about them to the captain.

"They certainly didn't at that, did they?" Vorn responded with a smile. It was clear that he was quite proud of his ship, and all of the various facilities contained within. "If there's anything at all that you need however, just let me know."

"I have to admit, Captain, that I've come to you today with an ulterior motive," Elena said with an apologetic smile, although there was a mischievous look in her dark eyes. "You are extremely over due for a physical."

"Ah, yes well I've been rather a bit too busy to visit sickbay for it of late," Vorn replied. His body language and tone of voice immediately showed a change at the mention of a physical. He had no idea why he was so averse to them; he felt almost embarrassed at the fact that it seemed like an utter and needless waste of time for him and for whichever doctor performed the physical, and so had avoided them wherever he could do so. His body language became more hurried as he shuffled about PADDs on his desk and brought up new displays on his computer, and his accent suddenly became a touch stronger. "Perhaps another time?"

Elena hoped the chuckle she hastily turned into a polite cough wasn't too obvious. Krace was definitely a reluctant patient, but Elena had dealt with worse. A few years of giving vaccinations to squirmy toddlers had honed her level of stubbornness into something almost epic.

"Sir, with all due respect, I'm well aware of how hectic a captain's schedule can be. But I'm sure you are also aware that Star Fleet requires routine physicals for a good reason, from all crew members."

"Now I promise to make this quick and painless," continued the doctor, abruptly whipping out her tricorder like a gunslinger drawing his pistol. She wasn't sure to what degree she could order around the captain, especially since she had just met the man, but in for a penny, in for a pound. "We can do your exam here or in sickbay, but it will get done either way. So what will it be?"

Vorn couldn't help himself but pause and chuckle - she had actually brought her medical kit to the ready room with her! She certainly was an audacious and forthright medical officer. Vorn wondered slightly if he was going to regret in some ways having her aboard; he got the impression that she wouldn't let him get away with much. "Very well," he said, begrudgingly. "But make it quick please, doctor."

"It'll be over before you know it, Captain." Krace looked to be a robust man, so Elena doubted there would be any major issues. With a couple quick taps the doctor told her tricorder to do its thing. "Are you currently on any medications? Any allergies I should know about?"

"No, no medications," the captain responded, as he focused half his concentration on studying the data that was still on his computer's display. "And no allergies that I'm aware of."

The tricorder finished taking vitals, so with another tap of her finger Elena switched the scan settings. Her brows furrowed slightly as a new set of readings started to flash onto the tiny display, indicating quite a bit of inflammation around Vorn's left knee. She would let the scan run its course before drawing any conclusions, however. For now she would continue her interrogation.

"What's your diet been like lately? And how've you been sleeping?" Elena was pretty sure she knew the answer to that question; she probably wouldn't have time to sleep much either if she were responsible for a star ship and all the lives upon it.

"It's been the same as it has for a while," he responded. "Meats, vegetables, the usual, and I've been getting enough sleep."

"We're almost done, sir, so just bear with me," continued Elena with a small smile. There was definitely an issue with that knee, but she'd get to that in a moment. "How often are you getting exercise? And are there any medical problems in your family history I should know about?"

"I exercise a few days a week in the gym," he answered, pausing slightly before answering the next question. "My father died of lung cancer. That's the only medical issue in my family history that I know of." Even after all the years since passing, talking about it still sent a spike of pain into his heart.

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir," responded Elena, and she truly was. She loved her own father very much, and couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose him.

"Alright," she continued, "that's the last of the textbook questions. Now tell me how long you have had to deal with that." Elena pointed to the knee her scan had indicated as having a problem. There was definitely some inflamed tissue, possibly excessive wear on the adjoining ligaments, and maybe even some damage to the joint itself. She had a hunch it was the result of an injury that had never properly healed.

"Hmm?" Vorn asked, snapping him out of the reverie - part about his father, part on the screen's still-displayed data. his gaze followed her finger to his knee, and he searched his memory. "I remember injuring it at some point whilst we were still on the Lincoln. It ached for some time afterwards, but I don't recall feeling anything from it in a long time." He did register as his attention was drawn to it however as slight ongoing ache, but he figured that was likely part of his imagination, following on from the topic of conversation.

Elena holstered her tricorder and squatted down, a thoughtful look in her eyes. She methodically began to prod and poke at the knee as any good doctor would do, glancing at Krace's face for signs of discomfort.

"How's that feel?" She already knew the answer, but wanted to see if Vorn would admit he had a problem.

"Fine," but it does twinge a little, he added, silently. He knew his automatic clenching of the facial muscles would have told the doctor what she needed to know anyway.

"You probably don't want to hear this, sir, but I'll have to do a couple scans in sickbay before I really know what's wrong. It's a safe bet that this knee is likely to get worse unless we correct the issue. A minor surgery will probably be all that's needed if we do it soon; if you wait too long I might have to rebuild your whole joint." Elena paused for a moment before adding, "recovery time for the latter option is significantly longer."

"Well, I'm afraid we'll have to put that off for a little while yet, doctor," Vorn said, as he stood from his chair. "I have too much work to do at the moment getting us ready for our first cruise in the Delta Quadrant. I just don't have the time to visit sickbay right now."

Elena rose to her feet as well. "I understand, Captain. However," and she looked him straight in the eyes, "if you plan on staying too busy to ever get that knee taken care of, be assured that I will come and drag you to sickbay if necessary." The doctor hoped she wasn't overstepping her bounds, but she had to let Krace know that she was going to make sure he stayed healthy no matter what his schedule looked like. It was her job.

"Understood, Doctor," Vorn responded, knowing that he wouldn't be able to avoid her on this.

"Thanks for your time, Captain," concluded Elena before leaving to return to sickbay. She felt like she had won this time around, but had a hunch that Krace wasn't likely to capitulate so easily in the future.

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Captain Vorn Krace
Commanding Officer

&

Lt. JG Elena Valdez
Chief Medical Officer