Posted by Lieutenant Commander Collin Harding (Chief Medical Officer) in Side Sim - A Mind Afloat

Posted by Lieutenant Ishtar Nhamashal (Chief Science Officer) in Side Sim - A Mind Afloat

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Collin Harding (Chief Medical Officer) in Side Sim - A Mind Afloat
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Tap.. tap.. tap.. A young Ensign clicked his stylus against a small flask, endeavouring to see whether or not the liquid might break up or remain semi-solid. While the sound was harmless to any passing scientist, it felt like a sledgehammer to her skull when it came to one in particular. Closing her eyes, she pressed her fingers to her temple, messaging the area in every attempt to release the tension she figured was causing the pain. But two cups of ginger tea, aspirin and an apple in, she couldn’t seem to find relief from this splitting headache.

“NE Karlson,” She waved her hand towards the poor Ensign, who had truly done nothing wrong. “Could you please test that elsewhere? The sound is incredibly distracting.” It was the best excuse she could muster without admitting her discomfort, an aspect of he life she did not particularly enjoy making privvy to anyone– especially not any of her subordinate officers. Focusing her attention to the PaDD laying before her, she didn’t catch Karlson’s response, and that was perhaps for the better.

Minutes passed like hours, as the throbbing sensation in her skull seemed only to worsen. Vibrant, concise lighting in the labs appeared less the luxury of the century, than a thousand little nails pounding into every nook and cranny of her cranium. Eliciting, in its wake, a sense of nausea she could not escape. Damn.. I told Harding I wouldn’t have to see him before that appointment. She thought to herself, as it became more apparent she couldn’t handle this one on her own.

“NLt Perish, please watch over the bay for a few minutes. I’ll be right back,” It wasn’t as if the scientists really needed a babysitter, but she felt better knowing she had a set of eyes on the job, in case something went wrong. Hauling herself to her feet, she made certain she could stand before slowly approaching the door, taking every step lightly to avoid any questions from her staff. Never so relieved had she ever felt to hear those doors hiss behind her, as her figure was swallowed by the halls. Narrowing her eyes to small slits, Nhamashal meandered down the corridor towards the turbolift, in hopes the trek would not be long.

In all honesty, it felt as if she had climbed Mount Everest by the time she had reached the Sickbay. It was not that her body was drained of energy, nor that she was incapable of movement, but the onset migraine was a beast she had yet the conquer.. and it had one hell of a vengeance on her. Blinking away the nausea, she stepped through the doors and into the Sickbay, briefly searching for a doctor to help her, so she could get back to work. Truthfully, she figured a higher dose of an NSAID would do the trick, something to dull the affects, but she was no physician.

Lt. Nhamashal
CSO

Collin was at his desk and while the window that separated his office from the main bay of Sickbay afforded him a view of the primary door, he’d never get any work done if he hadn’t trained himself not to be distracted by its constant motion. So when Nhamashal entered, it was a sturdy young nurse with short-cropped, dark hair and a jawline that had only recently moved beyond a stage where it could sport nothing more than peach fuzz, who greeted her.

“Lieutenant, how can I help?” he asked, his voice at normal pitch, unaware that loud volume was not this patient’s friend at the moment.

Harding, CMO

His ‘normal’ sounded as though he were speaking through a sound enhancer. Creasing her eyebrows, her hand briefly returning to the base of her temple, she offered a gentle smile.

“Hello,” She greeted, her tone leisure in comparison to her natural cadence. “I’ve come down with a terrible migraine which I cannot seem to shake. You wouldn’t happen to have something that could last me through shift? I hate to leave the scientists unattended,” There was a slight joke to her words, despite the pain becoming more obvious across her dark features.

Lt. Nhamashal
CSO

The young nurse’s face moved from friendly greeting to concern and he dropped the volume of his voice, “Of course, Lieutenant. Do you have a prescription from the doctor? If the doctor hasn’t ordered it, I can’t give it. I can fetch him.”

The nurse hesitated a moment, not moving for the doctor. He hated to bug Dr. Harding if he’d already ordered the medication for Lt. Nhamashal’s migraines, but then why wouldn’t she have it?

Harding, CMO

“I was supposed to schedule an appointment with the doctor about them soon.. but the work of a scientist doesn’t give much free time.” She chuckled, immediately regretting it. “No, I don’t have a prescription, yet.”

Nhamashal noticed how he seemed to hesitate, but she didn’t have the energy to inquire too deeply. “Is everything okay?”

Lt. Nhamashal
CSO

“Yes, of course. Let me get the doctor. Go ahead and take a seat,” the nurse scurried off.

“All right,” Came the curt response. As she waited for the doctor, Ishtar tried to pry her mind from the pain. Unfortunately, the only thing that came to mind was her niece covered in chocolate cake, from her first birthday. It took all of her will power not to chuckle at the memory.

It was only a few moments later when Harding emerged. He knew enough to pitch his voice low, “Come, let’s go in my office, it’ll be quieter.”

He offered a lightly placed hand as he led her to his office and closed the door. He gestured for her to take a seat in a chair across his desk and moved to unfurl his tricorder.

A leisure nod followed by a grateful smile accompanied her movement to his office. Taking a seat in the offered chair, she subconsciously crossed her legs. It was certainly much quieter than the bustle of the Sickbay, with its faint scent of nauseating chemicals. At last, some relief.

“I’m just going to take a quick scan,” he talked as he worked, moving the peripheral sensor around the Lieutenant’s head. “Ok, there, that should do it. A quick hypospray of anti-inflammatory and you should be feeling better in a moment.”

The NSAIDs of the 24th century were much faster than those of previous generations and Collin expected the CSO to feel better rapidly, but he was concerned that a migraine had come on so suddenly and in the middle of her shift. He ordered two cups of hot green tea, placing one on his desk in front of Ishtar and taking the other with him to his own seat. And he waited for her to feel well enough to converse.

Harding, CMO

Waiting for the NSAID to kick in, Ishtar closed her eyes, happily embracing the darkness which shielded the light from her. Within moments she could feel the throb of her head begin to dissipate, as if a sledgehammer had been thrust to her pain. “Damn, there is nothing like twenty-fourth century medicine.” Ishtar spoke wryly, a dryness settling into the humor of her voice. Opening her eyes with a few steady blinks, she was pleased to find she could see Collin without the aggravating accent of fuzziness, which her migraines graciously provided her.

“Thank you,” Ishtar sighed, gesturing to the tea. “For the medicine.. and the tea.” Although the medicine could not restore the energy robbed from her, at least she felt in decent enough health to speak.

Lt. Nhamashal
CSO

Collin studied her face as he sipped his tea, looking for the tell-tale signs of relief such as a softening of the lines around her eyes, the relaxing of the press of her lips, and finally open eyes and conversation. He’d seen other patients feel relief more rapidly, but the rate of her response to the hypospray was within expectation.

“You’re welcome. How are you feeling now?”

Harding, CMO

“Better,” Ishtar admitted, a deep sigh accompanying her confession. The throbbing sensation had dulled to a gentle ache, something far more manageable than the previous attack on her head. “You’d think by the end of the twenty-fourth century, we would have discovered a remedy for migraines and cephalgia.” She mused, quietly.

Lt. Nhamashal
CSO