Paramedics Make the Worst Patients
Posted on Fri Aug 15th, 2025 @ 6:34pm by Lieutenant Commander Hermia O'Rourke & Lieutenant Vura & Sergeant Audie Fitch
Edited on on Tue Aug 26th, 2025 @ 4:42pm
1,483 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: Sick Bay - Deck 5 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD010 1300 hrs
Things happened in a flash, almost too fast for Audie to process, except that she was aware of someone swearing near her, then the bug was gone, splattered all over her and the street. Before she could react, she was on a transporter, on the way to the Pioneer's Sickbay...
Covered in yucky guts, bleeding at her leg through the suit, she sat up as the Pioneer's Sickbay shimmered around her, clamping her hand over the wound on her leg, then digging in her pack for a tourniquet...Ever the medic, trying to treat herself....
Vura was moving a mile a minute. She knew that triage was not supposed to be what she was doing, but she could not help watching as body after body kept coming into sickbay. However, she could not avoid noticing the female auburn haired marine that just beamed in. She wailed, as she rushed over to the marine, "Audie! What in the world happened to you?"
Ripping off her helmet and tossing it aside, Audie then wrapped the tourniquet around her leg. "Here, Vura, tighten this for me! And try not to touch any of that goo. Damned bugs! Size of a Klingon tick!" Starting to feel woozy, she closed her eyes and lay back, listening to the chaotic ballet taking place around them.
The Counselor grabbed the tourniquet and started tightening it as Audie instructed. "Is this a bite? A claw? Did some sort of weapon do this?" Vura asked rapidly. "No closing your eyes on me, Audie. Stay with me, do you hear?"
"I'm not going anywhere," Audie sighed, cracking open an eye to look at Vura, "but if I do, get Buster to Zek...." She managed a thin smile. "They are some big-ass bugs, and they fly...like angry pterodactyls with a huge grudge! Thing bit me." She didn't want to think about whether or not there was any venom in the bite, hoping that if there was, she would have known by now.
"Zek? Who's Zek?" Vura asked. She then looked at Audie's leg, "That's a bite?! Were there teeth on these bugs?" She then paused for a moment and said, "I know this is farfetched, but did you see anyone experiencing problems from anything other than a bite or scratch? Something like poison or venom?"
"Zek's..." Audie shrugged, frowning, convincing herself that everything was all right. "He's the witch doctor on the station...a shrink, like you...surprised you don't know...."
Taking a breath, she blinked quickly. "Nice guy...sweet. My leg's goin' kinda numb..." And maybe her head, too? "Didn't see noone else bit, but there's all sorts'a neurotoxins an'..." she frowned again, "nasty stuff...ma'be you shou' get a doctor? I don' feel so...right..."
Witch doctor? Really? Well, that will be something to talk about when Audie's all better. And why does she expect me to know whoever this Zek is? Does she know every marine? Definitely something that we will have to discuss.
"Hermia!" Vura called out urgently. "This marine here, Sergeant Audie Fitch is in need of urgent care. Come quickly!"
Hermia came running over. "What happened?" She asked.
"Ugly thin' bit me," Audie mumbled, blinking rapidly to try to keep her head clear. "Got my leg...but...dunno, just don' touch none'a that goo...not sure how toxic..." Seemed like it might be eating through the suit...
Vura said, "I'll get a test tube and extract some of that. Right, Hermia?"
"Yes, I'll program the analyzer." The CMO said. "Computer, erect a stasis field around Sergeant Fitch, once Lieutenant Vura has a sample." To Audie she said. "We're going to stasis field in order to slow the toxin long enough for us to synthesize an anti-toxin."
"Sloowww isss better..." Audie grinned crookedly, then wrinkled her nose. "Feels like m' brain's separatin' from my skull...hurts, bu' strange..." She knew things weren't right, but the analytical, medical part of her training kept her from panicking, although that control was staring to slip. "Bust'r....Zek..."
Vura rushed away. Whoever this Zek was seemed rather important to Audie. She got an extractor from the lab, returned in a hurry, and plucked some of the goo off of Audie. "I'll find this Zek and handle Buster if I need to, but you are not going to have anything happen to you, do you hear me, Audie?!"
"Too late f'r that!" Audie quipped with a silly grin, then shook her head. "Not plannin' goin' anywhere...too much paperwork..."
Hermia took the sample and ran it through the scanner.
"It's an organophosphate based neurotoxin, we can use atropine to treat it." Hermia said.
"A'leas' it's somethin'," Audie murmured, glad that there was a 'cure' should anyone else be exposed. "Re'dy when you are." It had taken some time, but on top of the dizziness, she was starting to feel nauseated and sweaty, and her vision was going wonky. The medication would likely amp her up, but it would block the effects of the toxin, and that was a good thing!
Vura looked over at Hermia, "Will that be sufficient?"
"Once the toxin is neutralized we can treat her other wounds." Hermia replied preparing a hypo of atropine.
"Ready when you are," Audie muttered, bracing herself. While she knew the Atropine would block the organophosphate response, but she knew that the spike in her pulse would be unpleasant and hold its own sort of nausea. Of course, that was better than letting the chemicals run their course.
Hermia applied the hypo to Audie and waited, watching her patient's vitals. Her heart rate spiked, but that was to be expected.
Vura held her breath. She had no idea who this Zek was but she was not about make a call for anyone telling them that their romantic partner was dead. She already got to witness it in person for herself. Nobody should suffer that pain.
"Now that the we've treated the toxin, we can treat the physical damage ." Hermia said grabbing the osteo regenerator and began repairing the break in Audie's tibia. She then asked Vura for the dermal regenerator.
"Hafta leave a little scar," Audie breathed with a small grin, "th' boys love scars!"
"Of course." Hermia said with a smile, adjusting the instrument.
Audie smiled weakly, reaching for Vura's hand, even though the measures to control pain were doing their job, but it was more the idea of her leg being messed with that had her on edge. She hoped she didn't squeeze the poor woman's hand too hard!
The Deltan naturally hesitated. Her touch could do so much and much of it not good. She inspected her hand. It appeared to be gloved sufficiently. Maybe something through the glove would ease her pain. At least she hoped that it would. Hesitantly, she allowed Audie to hold the gloved hand. It was rare to feel touch for her. Even though there was not as much sensation as the skin to skin contact, she was grateful that she could do this much, both for Audie and herself.
It didn't take long for Hermia to patch up Audie's wounds.
"Vura would you like to accompany Audie to Recovery?" Hermia asked.
"I would," she replied definitively. "I know I can't stay long with all of the others coming in but...."
"Okay, do so." Hermia said.
"Thank you, Hermia. Don't overdo anything on your own. I know you need me, so if you need me, scream."
"Oh, but please, don't scream too loud!" Audie managed a chuckle, closing her eyes and trying to relax. "I'll need'a get some sleep, ya know, so I can report fer duty tomorrow, right?" Her head was swimming, and she was ready to sleep.
Vura chuckled. Audie was definitely feeling more of herself. "Duty tomorrow? Let's not push it. Besides, now I don't need to contact whoever this Zek is and give this person Buster." She wrinkled her nose. "Besides, Buster could have a friend with me and Mister Tumnus...." The Counselor laughed lightly, hoping that Audie understood that was intended as a joke.
"Mister who?" Audie drew a deep breath, and before she let it out, she was asleep.
"Mister Tumnus, the ship's cat. He goes where he wants but he has a bed and treats in my office."
"See, now, I knew you were all right after all!" Audie grinned crookedly. "We'll hafta come visit once all this wears off!" Sighing, she relaxed and closed her eyes.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Commander Hermia O'Rourke
Chief Medical Officer, USS Pioneer
Sergeant Audie Fitch
Corpsman Team 2, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Vura
Chief Counselor, USS Pioneer
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