Posted by Cadet Adinah Gartenberg (Doctor) in Sickbay - Cadet Taurean Gets a Preliminary Physical

Posted by Cadet Anders Taurean (Scientist) in Sickbay - Cadet Taurean Gets a Preliminary Physical

Posted by Cadet Adinah Gartenberg (Doctor) in Sickbay - Cadet Taurean Gets a Preliminary Physical
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Where would Anders Taurean be without doctors? He guessed somewhere back in Buenos Aires, playing caretaker to his parents and most likely without the use of his right arm. The safer life that his mother and Lillian asked him to lead whenever they deemed Anders to be riding a dangerous line. But Lillian was gone, and once she was it felt as good a time as any for Anders to act in spite of his mom.

Starships had effectively wide corridors, but being Anders’ first true day aboard, he was still getting used to it. He felt as though he had to stop and let passing officers by, even though there was more than enough room for more than just the two people. As he thought the thought, he conjured its reality, and paused as two Ensigns strode past. At first Anders pretended to be checking his uniform, but then the pain flared up and numbed in his right forearm. Two years into the consistent pain, Anders had to laugh. Of all the things, playing recreational basketball to be the thing that almost cost him all use of his dominant arm. Even after endless tests and procedures, Cadet Taurean was told that while he was lucky to regain near full-use of the arm, the nerve damage had been just serious enough that they were unable to undo all of it. Of all the unluck.

Anders let out a deep, nervous breath as he stepped into sickbay and, addressing nobody in particular, said:

“Cadet Anders Taurean, reporting for my physical examination.”

(Cadet Anders Taurean, Science)

Adinah didn’t respond for a moment as she cleaned and reorganized the last of the supplies. She assumed that the Cadet was speaking to someone in specific, but when she didn’t hear any kind of reply she turned to check. “Oh,” Adinah muttered very quietly under her breath, it seemed like she was the only medic not busy at the moment.

“Apologies,” Adinah said as she made her way over to the cadet, “I’m Cadet Gartenberg, if you follow me I can handle your physical.”

Adinah waved at an empty biobed, the one she’d just finished checking actually, and mentally ran through a check list of the medical information she’d need to check. A basic physical should be easy enough to get through.

Cadet Gartenberg (Medical)

“No need to apologize,” he began, “it’s busier here than I expected, for some reason.”

“A lot of cadets work with officers,” Adinah began with a shrug, “and a lot of us are practicing different operations or other procedures. I suppose with the learning process can come a sense of busy.”

Wandering over to the bio-bed with a couple long strides, Anders sat down and looked Cadet Gartenberg, who looked as if she were an android running a self-diagnostic. Anders wondered if that’s how he looked whenever processing information, attempting to move quick.

“I’m Cadet Taurean, scientist,” Anders said, offering the cadet a cheery smile that was just a bit forced. But he thought it might make her feel more at ease, “Anders, actually. Uhm, are you part of the new Academy class? Or are you finishing up your tour?”

(Cadet Anders Taurean, Science Division)

“I’m Adinah,” Adinah replied with a smile, getting some quick readings from the bio bed and settling into a fairly normal routine. The form was just the same as she remembered and there wasn’t really any reason to be nervous. “I’m still fairly new on board, so I wont be graduating quite yet. How are you settling in? I assume you’ve just arrived?”

Adinah ticked off a few more things on her PaDD before looking up at the other cadet properly. “Have you noticed anything unusual physical or have any concerns you’d like to discuss?” She asked.

Cadet Gartenberg (Medical)

“Yes, recent arrival. Just finishing my final check-up, then I’ll have an hour or so and then my first shift,” Anders attempted to return her smile, though he was feeling a little drained from the long day.

Adinah gave the new cadet a sympathetic look, he didnt look it too much but Adinah remembered how tired she’d been her first day. “I’m told it gets less exhausting eventually,” Adinah told him, a bit of humor in her voice, “I’m still waiting for that bit, but I will say it’s worth it. Besides,” Adinah grinned at the cadet now, “after this you’ve got a bout a year before the next time you have to go through this all.”

Cadet Gartenberg went about her business for a short time, and Anders hummed and thrummed impatiently, unable to keep his nervous energy under wraps. He tapped in rhythm on the biobed, using his fingers as quiet drumsticks, sometimes tapping his heel along like a bass drum. When she asked about anything unusual he’d want to discuss, Anders clenched his right hand and felt the pain shoot up his arm, and he let out a slight wince.

“Just an old sport injury,” He said, acting more nonchalant than his wince had let on. “Doctors on earth repaired most of the damage, but there’s some lingering nerve issues. It mostly flares up when I’m under a lot of stress. They think the pain itself is in part psychological; at least, they say it should be more of a numbness than a shooting pain.”

Anders capped it off with a shrug, and the right side of his mouth curled into a smirk that betrayed a sense of growing use to the lingering effects of his injury.

(Cadet Anders Taurean, Science Division)

Adinah frowned slightly, she didnt know much about psychosomatic systems, that wasnt her area after all, but if he really was experiencing shooting pain she wanted to check on it just in case. “If its psychosomatic,” she began, fixing her gloves, “I cant do much of course, but just in case I’ll need to have a quick look. I’d prefer to check and there be nothing I can do than not check and there have been something. Do you mind?” Adinah motioned to his arm, one hand held out expectantly.

Cadet Gartenberg (Medical)

“Oh of course not, it’s your job after all!” His reply was a wry kindness. It wasn’t that he didn’t mean it, but it was a routine Anders had gone through many times over the last several years, with an untold number of doctors and nurses.

If, if, if it were psychosomatic, he ruminated. Cadet Taurean couldn’t honestly answer whether he’d prefer it to be mental or physical. Without hesitation, however, Anders’s right arm shot forward with a swiftness, slightly overshooting her outstretched hand before dropping gently - like a landing shuttlecraft - and placing itself in her hand. He gave a half-wince as he did so, attempting to conceal the pain he felt, nervous that it was entirely mental, making the cadet nervous that he was exaggerating a pain that wasn’t truly there.

“You should have access to my prior medical records from Buenos Aires and the Academy alike,” he suggested, “I’ve been through this song and dance a couple times before. Most likely I’ll have to work through this with the counselor, as opposed to the doctors. Not that I don’t appreciate you taking a look. Just-just, you know, like I said, I’ve been through it before.”

(Cadet Anders Taurean, Science Division)