Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Cassidy Abrams (Chief of Security) in Sickbay- Seeking Advice

Posted by Lieutenant Seddk Vock (Chief Medical Officer) in Sickbay- Seeking Advice

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Cassidy Abrams (Chief of Security) in Sickbay- Seeking Advice
Posted by… suppressed (12) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Vock was silent a moment and then said “What is the crewman’s name?”

Vock, CMO

“Ensign Sabrina Poole,” Cass said, knowing that there was no going back this now. But it was the right thing to do. She knew that, but she only hoped at some point that Poole could see that too.

Abrams, COS

Vock tapped the desk interface and read quickly. “No reported injury or illness for the past 97 days. Previous was a strained shoulder. Training accident, it was deemed. Hmm…” and he closed the file and looked at the Security Chief for a moment. He then tapped his commbadge and said =/\= Doctor Vock to Ensign Poole. Due to an unfortunate set of circumstances, I must request you report to my office immediately. Thank you. =/\= When the message was sent, he said “I will not inform her of your concern, nor your meeting with me. I will excuse the call as a simple data entry error that requires her approval for changing. Which is not deception. I did, in fact, change a field in her record. And in accordance with regulations, I must have her permission to change the information it contains. The fact that she will be seated on a bio bed is irrelevant. I welcome you to stay here in my office, Lieutenant. I will close the windows so you can stay out of sight.”

Vock, CMO

Cassidy considered their options and while she preferred to give Poole her privacy, her instincts told her the time for privacy had long passed. So she nodded. “Okay, sounds like a plan.” At least with herself out of sight, Sabrina wouldn’t feel ganged up on. But if a confrontation did happen, at least it wasn’t just Cassidy trying to get the truth out of someone. She had backup. Information. It made it a great deal easier.

And sure enough, a confused dark haired woman stepped into Sickbay a few minutes later. “You asked to see me, Doc?” Poole said.

Abrams, COS

Vock inclined his head slightly and said “Doctor. But yes, I did. I do apologize for the interruption in your duties. Please, if you would take a seat, this shouldn’t take long at all.” and he indicated a bio bed that appeared off-line.

“Okay…” Poole said, slipping up onto the biobed.

“I was reviewing your record when I made a change to your file. I do apologize, but the change lead to incorrect information in your personal information. Per Star Fleet Medical Regulations, I am required to notify you of the error and ask your permission to correct the field and then have you verify that the new information is correct.” He handed her a PaDD and on it was her medical record with a single field highlighted in red: Her name was misspelled by a single letter. As she looked at the PaDD, the bed’s next to them and behind her display activated and began showing readings.

Vock, CMO

Taking the PaDD, Sabrina looked it over. “Ahh, it’s Poole with two o’s not, Pole. Was that it?”

The reading showed a small rib fracture that was mostly but improperly healed as well as several contusions that would be hidden by her uniform and all but one by any workout garments.

~Ensign Poole

“Indeed.” Vock replied and made the correction and then added the scan data to her file. “Now if I may, Ensign… what is causing you to favor your side? I ask only because there was no previous mention of injury in your record.” Vock tapped the PaDD and sent a text message to Abrams asking her to join them.

Vock, CMO

Poole froze, and looked around for a moment before her attention settled back on Vock. “I… uh… it’s nothing really.”

A moment later, Abrams stepped out and quietly moved to join them. Sabrina sighed and looked away. Cassidy came to stand near her but didn’t encroach on Poole’s space. “It would be easier if you just told us what was going on. I can’t help if you hide from me,” she said softly, before looking to Vock for a moment. She didn’t want to have to threaten to take her off duty, but Cass would if necessary.

Abrams, COS

Vock looked directly at Poole and said “Right now, the paramount concern of both Lieutenant Abrams and myself is your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. And while yes, you have violated some regulations, I do not believe either myself of Lieutenant Abrams feels that is warranting of any significant repercussions to you. I must stipulate that that particular belief is contingent on you working with us to help you, Ensign. Which is certainly the most direct and logical way to help the three of us alleviate the situation.”

Vock, CMO

Poole looked away, her embarrassment clear.

“Sabrina…” Cass said softly. “What he said is true. But you need to work with us.”

After a moment, Poole looked over, her head and gaze dropping. “I’m not sure what to say,” she all but whispered.

Cass considered her junior officer before looking at Vock. “Perhaps a refresher about the issue of working and training with an injury would be appropriate?” As much as she wanted to be kind and be a friend here, there were larger implications they needed to address and they wouldn’t get anywhere tip-toeing over the reality.

Abrams, COS

Vock inclined his head and said “Of course.” and he looked directly at Poole. “The ramifications of an individual working in a compromised physical of mental state can be far reaching and detrimental not just to the injured, but to those who may have to rely on that individual. Take the case of the USS Folcourt. An investigation showed that one of the Engineering officers had injured their back some days before the incident. That injury was not reported, as the officer felt they could simply let it heal on its own. But due to the nature of the injury, their response time and range of motion was limited. When there was a fluctuation in the warp bubble around the ship, they were unable to get to the command console in time. The bubble collapsed at warp six. There were two survivors of the seven hundred and eleven personnel on board. Or, perhaps more salient to the issue before us, was the case of a Security officer on Omega Nine mining platform. They did not report an injury to their knee. That, in turn, led to them being much slower and when they chased a known murder suspect their normally fast running speed was significantly hampered. The suspect got away. In turn, that individual went on to kill nine more people before being captured. Nine… all for want of going to medical and getting their knee treated.” Vock looked at Abrams and said “Should I continue? I have several more case studies that are germane to the issue at hand.”

Vock, CMO

Abrams shook her head. “No, I think that is enough,” she said gently as she gazed intently at Poole.

Head still dipped, Sabrina’s shoulder dropped and then shook slightly. A hand flew to her face as she tried to quell the sobs. Cassidy moved over and sat next to her on the biobed. “Talk to me Sabrina. What is going on?”

When Poole lifted her head, her face was streaked with moisture. “It’s just… it’s been a rough few months and I’ve been stressed so I’ve been taking it out on the kick bag and stuff in the gym. Sometimes the holodeck. I know I should have come by but… I was embarrassed.”

~Abrams & Poole

Vock looked at the woman and took a breath before speaking. “Ensign… if you take anything away from this discussion, please take this. I… my staff… we harbor no judgement on the mechanics of an injury. We need to know what happened so we can assess any other ramifications of what happened. That is all. If you come to me and say you hurt yourself, I will ask why just so I can anticipate any other needs you have that you may not be aware of. So, please… do not co corn yourself with being embarrassed. Besides… I did a rotation through Starbase One. I very much doubt that you can do anything as embarrassing as the staff of that particular installation managed.”

Vock, CMO

Head still tipped downwards, It was hard to know if she had taken in his words, but she did unfurl her hands and rest them on her thighs.”The pain… it feels real, you know?” she whispered.

Cass nodded. “Yeah, I’ve known that a time or two. Sometimes the thing that causes us discomfort is better than the pain we can’t speak about. While I want to be able to help, you are not required to share the personal details. But if you can’t talk to us about them, you’ll have to see the Counsellor. You need to talk to someone.”

Poole pushed herself off the biobed, moving away from them and then turned back, her eyes set with worry. “Either way, what happens now?”

~Abrams & Poole

“That is entirely up to you, Ensign.” Vock said. “Consider this your first step. It is that step that determines direction, no matter how long the journey. So how do you wish to proceed?”

Vock, CMO