Posted by Civilian Jessa Novar (Child) in Sick bay and meeting Bren…When the past doesn’t match the future or the present
SNIP

“Wait,” Ian held up his hands, “are you telling me she is on narcotics? Since when?” It was clear the news was infuriating Ian.

“Is the scan for them something you have to look for or would it show up in even a basic scan?”

Pacing for a bit, he roughed up his hair. “They ran a full tox screen a week ago when she had her jugular vein punctured and needed emergency surgery. Dr. Shan didn’t mention anything about being doped up so can we figure out when she took them?” The medical records would show numerous blood tests since Jessa arrived a week ago and all of them were clean except for Dr. Satis’s scan. The last blood test was two days before this one in the record.

Bren both felt and recognized the agitation in Ian’s reaction, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. Sometimes when he delivered a child’s medical information to their family the Betazoid felt almost Vulcan, knowing it was best to deliver facts dispassionately.

“Any pain reliever that would have been delivered post surgery would have exited her system by now. Her records show that she was clear of narcotics during her most recent scans. That was two days ago. The delivery of the narcotic would have happened in the last forty-eight hours. My best guess, based on the concentration within her system and the onset of withdrawal symptoms is that consumption was in the last twenty-four hours.”

“You know I am right here,” Jessa yelled out feeling a wave of tension watching Ian’s reaction to whatever Dr. Bren was telling him. “And I didn’t do anything wrong. You said it was okay to tell you if I didn’t feel good. Did you do something to my nanites,” she suddenly became paranoid now that she was feeling better from the meds the doctor had given her. “Your leeches and blood lettings are vastly inferior to the Union’s medicine so whatever you found or are talking about means you have no idea what you are doing.” Jessa was feeling herself getting tense. She had an overwhelming urge to bolt from the space but it only remained a thought and not an action because there was no place to go.

Jessa Novar and Ian Bordeaux

“Hey hey kiddo, everything is fine. Can you give me a second,” Ian held a finger up to Bren and walked away before the man could actually respond.

Ian Bordeaux

Bren’s face softened as he looked toward Jessa. He hoped he’d never see a day when he looked at someone her age with accusation rather than compassion.

Moving to the bed, Ian moved to the edge where Jessa was now sitting with her feet dangling over the side of it. “You are absolutely supposed to tell someone, anyone if you are about to puke or have a headache or feel not one hundred percent in any way. You also have to give us a chance to figure out what is going on because unlike your medical…it takes us a minute. So if you just hang out here for a second I will introduce you to my friend the caramel frappuccino. Jack,” he looked at the man standing next on the other side of the bed who nodded before heading to the replicator. The choice was probably not the best one nor one Dr. Satis would approve of but it would keep Jessa in check for a few minutes. Patting her leg, Ian moved back across the room to Bren. “So how do we fix this?”

Looking back at Ian he asked, “I’d like to know more about her nanites. The Federation has been using nanites for medical purposes for a while now, but our technology is limited to accelerating and supporting the bodies ability to repair damage. I’m not aware of any ability for nanites to deliver controlled and targeted medicinal delivery, especially without external direction. I don’t know if that’s what’s delivered the narcotic into Jessa’s system or if she’s obtained it through another avenue, but I think it’s worth exploring.”

Bren had only a cursory understanding of who Jessa was and what was roiling through Ian and his family. His recommendation existed purely within his medical responsibilities. It was possible other priorities would supercede his request, but a minor with unprescribed narcotics in her system was a serious matter and, at the very least, would be reported up the chain of command.

Satis, MO

“Doc she has not been unsupervised the entire time she has been on the Atlantis except for the Promenade incident. I know you all are not just leaving drugs out like a candy bowl so given your time frame and her supervision,” his voice trailed off.

Bren’s lips pursed and he shook his head in the negative.

“Oh my god does anyone listen to a varping word I say,” Jessa noisily slurped down a large sip of her drink. “You are talking about the battle drug right? It’s not bad. It is just a metabolic enhancer that makes us more powerful, decreases our pain, and calms us down. Look at Ian’s arm,” she raised her own arm and pulled back her sleeve. “I have two puncture wounds because I took two doses. It looks more like tiny black and blue marks more than an injection site,” Jessa scrutinized her arm for a second. “Battles are pretty scary so I took two doses to not be afraid and make sure I was able to do my job. Ian and Rinker should only have one puncture because you have to activate the second dose. You only get the first dose automatically when you are attacked or have to defend yourself. I don’t know why you are so triffing freaked out over this. The best soldiers do whatever it takes to win. That is why we don’t lose.”

Ian pulled up his sleeve and looked at Bren and back down to the small puncture wound that resembled a nondescript black and blue mark. “You drugged me?”

“It was give you the suit or risk you getting killed and I wasn’t about to let that happen to you or Rinker,” Jessa looked almost hurt.

“Dr. Satis,” Ian directed his attention to confirm what Jessa was saying. A scan would show trace amounts of the narcotic still in his system. They could easily be removed by a dose of Naloxostine which would purge any illicit drugs from someone’s system. What it wouldn’t do was answer the multitude of questions Bren had asked or was thinking up now.

Jessa Novar and Ian Bordeaux CDO

Bren asked Ian to take a seat on the bed next to Jessa’s and did a cursory scan. Knowing what he was looking for made it easier to find. It also made it easier for Bren to see the external signs of the drugs effects on Ian. He’d missed the dilated pupils earlier, his thoughts focused on Jessa.

“Jessa’s right,” he looked to the tween, “of course. Your dose of the narcotic is lower and your body has already metabolized a good deal of the drug. We can let your body rid itself of the drug naturally over the next few hours. You won’t feel much worse than you do now. Or I can accelerate the process with a dose of Naloxostine. It’s a bit uncomfortable for the first few minutes, but that’s the end of it.”

“As for you,” Bren moved to Jessa’s bedside. “Rough estimate. How frequently have you received doses of this ‘battle drug’ and for how long?”

One dose wasn’t of much concern, but prolonged exposure could lead to severe side effects to withdrawal.

Satis, MO