Fix Ma Back, Part 2

Posted on 03 Feb 2019 @ 3:39am by Captain Gabriel Barron M.D. & Chief Petty Officer Hank Grey & Lieutenant Mikail Kolmak

1,101 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Empty Creche
Location: Main Sickbay
Timeline: ED2 0030

ON:

He felt something was touching his feet. Then the same thing for his hands. Mikail stirred. Confused, he slowly opened his eyes to blurriness at first then it gradually cleared, showing the face of a nurse glancing at a PADD in his hands. Hank Grey, nurse, Mikail remembered. He coughed to clear his throat. "N...Nu...Nurssse. Wh...Where am I?"

Grey looked down at the Lieutenant and nodded, smiling at him. "Welcome back to the land of the living Doctor. Tell me can you feel this?" he asked pinching the big toe of the Doctor's right foot.

"Yyyess." He looked around the familiar room. ICU. "I can't feel any back pain... who did my surgery?"

Grey nodded and pinched the big toe of Kolmak's left foot. "That was Dr Barron and Dr. Afton. It's surprising but he's a passable surgeon." Grey grinned at the man "For a Captain."

"Ouch! I can feel that... I've wasn't sure who to trust to do my back." He pulled the sheet up to his neck. "I have been skeptical ever since that Klingon stepped foot on this ship. I sure hope to be pain free. Then, I think I will open up a little to get to know him."

"Well that's what we're here to see, you do have sensation in the extremities of your legs which is a good sign." Grey twisted his hand below the doctor's feet and ran a nail along the inside of the man's arch looking for a response.

"Great. I'd like to see my post-operative report about my back." His foot flinched with the response to something that felt like a metal running under it in a straight line. "I can feel that," he glanced down to see the nurse since his body was in a laying flat position.

Grey handed him a PADD after entering some information into it quickly "I thought you might want to see it. I've just updated it with the tests I've run just now. I'll go get the Captain while you review your report." he placed a hand on the man's shoulder "You'll be on your feet in no time Doc." he said before heading out of sight.

"Thank you, Mister Grey." He waited until the nurse left his curtain room. Since he couldn't sit up, he raised the PADD over his face to read all the information that was done on his back. He was surprised that his bones had degenerated and that he was lucky to not have his lung punctured but bruised. Mikail felt thankful and felt a small tear generating in both eyes. He has never been this emotional as he wiped his eyes quickly with the back of his free hand before someone sees it. Must be the drug creating this feeling of down emotion, he thought.

After a few minutes Gabe poked his head through the curtain and nodded "May I come in?" he asked in a gravely baritone.

He turned his head and placed the PADD down on his chest. "Doctor. Come in...", feeling a little upbeat with not being along again.

Gabe entered and looked at the bio readings displayed on the screen above the Doctors head and nodded "It looks like your doing well. Your readin's are normal. How are you feeling?"

"I feel much better, thanks to you. I guess my back couldn't wait till we got to Earth to see a surgeon. I just read the report," Mikail raised the PADD and returned it to his chest. "I rather hear it from your perspective."

Gabe shrugged. "I dont know what caused it but you had deterioration of the spine, specifically between your T11 and L2 vertebrae, this caused your muscles to spasm which also tugged on your ribs causing one to become detached from your sternum. It was that rib that was pressing against your lung and bruised it. We went in and reattached the rib, I ran a regenerator on the lung to heal the bruise. From there we reinforced the vertebrae with calcium and regenerated the muscles after reattaching them. You should be good to go in a few hours but take it easy and don't flex your spine overmuch for a few days to allow the muscles to attach firmly."

"What a mess. If you haven't read my medical history, I was attacked by Emers on another ship's away mission. The insectoids had sharp tails that pierce as a weapon and use spears. Whichever it was, the weapon broke 3 to 4 vertebrae in my back. The doctor who saved me was able to replicate the parts to fill in the space but it didn't last very long. I am grateful. I will take it easy."

Gabe nodded knowingly. "That does make sense, I think either the tails or the spearheads had a toxin on them. The progression of your injuries suggests that the muscles had been poisoned. You were lucky, I'd have to check the type of toxin but I don't think you got a full dose or you're back would have been gotten worse far sooner. On that hunch I've ordered a round of chelation. That should help remove any toxins from your system."

"I had no idea that I was poisoned," with a surprise on his face.

Gabe grunted. "From what I've read it would have been hard to detect. Again I'd have to do more research but most of the toxins from that culture are pretty fast acting. That's why I think you got a minuscule amount. Not enough to affect you immediately but enough to retard your healing and in some cases prevent and even do harm to your soft tissue over time."

"Well, how long should I be on the painkiller?"

"We can start weaning you off today. By the time you're up and moving around I don't want you so numb to the pain that you twist the wrong way and sever the muscles from their anchorages. There will be some discomfort but it will lessen quickly over the next few days."

"Sounds fair enough," Mikail nodded his head.

He grinned and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "Good, with Major Afton on the bridge you are going to be stepping up as acting CMO. We need you on your feet." With that Gabe turned and left the room.

The Russian doctor was surprised again. "Yes, sir," he said.

OFF:

Mikail Kolmak, M.D.
Lieutenant
Assistant Chief Medical Officer/Surgeon/Temporary CMO
USS Redemption

&

Gabriel Barron, M.D.
Captain
Commanding Officer
USS Redemption

 

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