Risky operation Part 1

Posted on Sat May 26th, 2018 @ 10:43am by Lieutenant Galatea Polaris

Mission: Misson 1 - Rebirth
Location: Sickbay USS Wolff
Timeline: 7th Feb 2395

ON:

Galatea walked into the sickbay having beamed up to the ship. They had decided that even some minor injuries were brought up here when equipment was missing.

Galatea put down her away team travel medi-kit and picked up her tricorder. She walked over to the first patient. Nurse Michelle looked up. "Broken tibia. Vertical fracture we've been trying to bring surrounding muscle swelling down."

Galatea sighed. "Alright status."

"Ten percent swelling at the moment. Pain medication holding."

Galatea gave a nod and turned to the patient," What's your name?" She asked putting her hand on the young man's shoulder.

"John Davery ma'am."

Galatea's nose wrinkled, "Let's leave the ma'am part for someone else...much older."

The young man chuckled even though Galatea noticed that he could still feel the pain of his leg. The sweating was not a good sign. She pressed a hypo to his foot and right above his knee. Within minutes the strained expression on the man's face eased.

She smiled, "Alright John, I'm going to use an Osteogenic Stimulator."

He looked up, "What's that?"

"It's a device that will stimulate the natural repair of broken or fractured bones. In your case the proper word is fracture because it's a vertical one." She brought up the computer. "Your fracture runs from here to here." She pointed from foot to knee. "It's not common injury and this is not an easy treatment but I've seen it done and have done it myself many times. Nurse Michelle here had to bring down the swelling before we could try and fix the damage."

"Will it hurt?"

She smiled at the innocent question that conveyed fear. "No, John you will be walking out of here by tonight. I promise."

She saw the man's war with himself and then the resolve settle upon him. She smiled again and brought over a device that was quite large. "This is the regenerator. It will fit over your leg and begin sending beams to the bone. It's going to stimulate the bone to heal itself. Now there won't be pain but an intense cold, then heat, and then it will itch like crazy. You have to stay still John."

The man looked horrified. "I hate itching!"

She laughed, "It'll be okay. Now lay back and just relax okay. I won't let anything happen and I will be here when you need me. In fact I'll leave Nurse Michelle here to talk to you while the healing is going on okay?"

He gave a nod and she could tell that he was quite young. She positioned the machine and began the treatment just as Carter, one of the doctors that had remained aboard the Wolf rushed in. "Doctor! Emergency, the burn victim."

Galatea left John in Michelle's capable hands and ran after Carter into the OR.

As she stepped into the room a nurse rushed forward and helped her into a sterile red smock. Galatea scrubbed in putting on the matching red hat and mask and slipping into the gloves. A short trip through the sterilizing machine and she was ready. So much happened in just a few short seconds.

Her eyes took in the scene before her. The patient was just removed from the burn chamber. She could see that his wounds were 90 percent healed but something was wrong. He was sweating and his eyes were tightly shut. He clutched at his chest groaning. The surgical team stood by. "Explain." One word that set the crew in motion. "He complained about burning and cramping the chest. We couldn't risk operating until his burns were healed and the tricorders didn't pick anything up."

Galatea nodded, "Prepare a plasma infusion unit we have to manually go in. Set it for Betazoid blood plasma."

Carter stared at her. "How do you..."

She tapped her head, ~Can you hear me, focus on my voice. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise you this.~

She felt the patient give in felt him release his feelings through his senses and she opened hers, something she didn’t do often. Her half El-Aurian side threatened to make that overwhelming. She felt the burn in her chest she allowed herself to feel what he was and it nearly buckled her.

She felt a strong pair of hands grab her. Her name was called, “Galatea!”

The ruble of the strong voice brought her back to reality, what felt like hours was seconds. She had a hunch. She shook off the hands, “Scalpel, prepare a Vascular Regenerator. I think he’s bleeding out.” She watched as a hypo was pressed to the man’s neck and as he slumped down no longer thrashing or gasping.

She watched her staff move without question setting up the operations tray and machines. She was intent on finding this. She felt the remanence of the Betazoid connection still surging through her. She shook it off and steadied her hands as she made the incision. The blood made it hard to see if there was a tare as she thought. Minutes slipped away his vitals were dropping. She heard Doctor Carter yell out. “Here! Micro tare.” She activated the Vascular regenerator that would help seal the tare. It would gently repair the blood vessels of the heart.

From the back of the operating theatre Hunter watched her work, she was pale, she was sweaty and barely held on to control but she was focused and worked like a woman on a mission. He would have a lot of talking to do. What she had just done, connected like that with the man telepathically was dangerous, not for the patient but for her. She could have gone into synaptic collapse. She wasn’t a full Betazoid and the El Aurian part of her, as it had its own form of senses, could have caused a lot of damage. He tried to stay his anger. Would he tell the captain? No, not unless she did something asinine like that again but he would have words with her.

Galatea pulled back, feeling the strain of the Betazoid connection and the surgery. She let Carter close and scrubbed out of the theatre. She left the room removing her smock and cap and mask. She tossed her gloves and on shaky legs headed to her office.

Entering she allowed herself to collapse into her chair allowing herself to react to the last day of stress.

The door hissed open and a figure kneeled by her. She heard rustling and then a cold cloth pressed to her head a muttered curse before she looked down and watched the drops of blood drip from her nose onto the leg of her uniform….

OFF:

To be continued…

Lt. Galatea Polaris
Chief Medical Officer and Counselor
USS Wolff