Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Brenner “Bren” Satis (Doctor/specialty in neuroscience) in Sick bay and meeting Bren…When the past doesn’t match the future or the present

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.

Ian let out a breath through his pursed lips as he crossed his arms over his chest defensively. It was not in reaction to Bren but Bren’s assertion to his question. Thinking Jessa got a hold of something once was problematic but a far different problem than Jessa hiding more than they already suspected she was. As a diplomat, Ian was used to surprises. Dwelling on a surprise did not solve the situation it presented so Ian approached this like a diplomat and not a parent. “It could explain the vast mood swings and emotional instability.”

“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 when I gave you the suit. It as that 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.”

“Of course I am right,” she stated as if it was the most normal thing ever. “No one ever listens to me,” she tossed her hair over her shoulder. Smiling at Bren, Jessa nodded happy that someone on this crew was treating her like an equal.

“I would definitely have listened if you opened up a conversation with ‘Hey Ian I drugged you’.” His voice carried a hint of anger but more his typical sarcasm. This conversation could easily go off the rails which is why Bren skillfully steered in into a far more productive dialogue than just accusation-slinging.

“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.”

“Clear us,” Ian stated making the decision for both of them. He had the parental authority to do it and made the call. Jessa was already throwing up and exhibiting the symptoms of withdrawal. Ian had had a hangover enough times and prayed to god for it to be over. At least he could move her through the physical aspect faster. Jessa was already in therapy so aside from telling Rinker to add detox to the therapy plan, this was a relatively minor setback in the scheme of what had happened over the past week.

“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

Being Betazoid, Bren could not help but feel the emotional state of those around him. The race took great pains to avoid being invasive however there were times when an individual they were interacting with was in such emotional turmoil it might not be possible to keep them at a distance.

Whether or not Bren would feel what Jessa was emoting remained to be seen for the moment. For Jessa, Bren’s question was not a simple one. Her slightly haughty tween glow about being slightly praised by Bren for being right evaporated in a flash. It was replaced by fear, anger, and waves of paranoia. The emotional response was also matched by a marked change in her physical demeanor. Her relaxed posture straightened and everything about her became tense. “That is none of your triffing business.”

“Hey hey hey get it together,” Ian snapped instantly. It had been a week and he was done with the tantrums and mouth.

Jumping off the table, Jessa’s legs buckled slightly but Ian caught her arm steadying her before he let go. “We are done here. I don’t need you or your quackery. If…if,” her tone began to increase along with her volume, “you had just left me alone the nanites would have taken care of all of this. I told Rinker that war was scary. The battle drug makes fighting less scary and stops you from quitting fighting when you are injured. It is a necessity no different than a weapon.” Her comment explained a lot without her realizing it. Jessa fully admitted to knowing she was taking it and shared the psychological reason for it given to her by those in the Galactic Union military. It also showed that she had hidden it which was odd since all she did was crow about how great things were in the Union. There was no way anyone could think Rinker knew Jessa was taking narcotics. It was more believable that Jessa hinted at it so vaguely, that it never crossed Heathcliff’s radar.

Rubbing her palms together hard, it was clear there was more to this than Jessa was admitting. “Look if you don’t want me to use it that is fine. I won’t again. You have to choose to use it and since I am not allowed to activate my suit on the ship it’s not like I can access it anyway. Okay?” Jessa wasn’t sure who to promise this to so she said it once to Bren and then repeated the okay to Ian just to cover her bases.

Jessa Novar and Ian Bordeaux