Clipped Wing

Posted on Sat Aug 1st, 2009 @ 10:26pm by Charlotte Ashcroft & Lee Pierce

1,788 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Session One - Jailhouse Rock
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Current

With the four new shuttles back safely in the hold of the Warden without any difficulties Ashcroft was able to turn her attention to the mild burning sensation on upper of her left arm that had grown more intense as the journey went on.

Pulling at the sleeve to reveal an angry burn she racked her brain to just how she had gained such a wound. Martok and herself had dispatched several guards as they appeared ready to raise the alarm. Did one of them fire off a shot that grazed her arm? Did Martok cause it when he shot across Lottie's body? No matter it wasn't crucial, something that can be fixed up in a flash she knew.

She promptly scooped up the last of her firearms and pounded the deck towards the infirmary to be patched up hoping silently to herself that she wasn't spotted. What sort of impression would that make? The hired gun is the first to whimper to the doctor.

As she expected the sickbay was silent and like everything else on this boat appeared to be falling apart from the inside out. Still in the shell of dirt, rust and disrepair was the stark steeliness of the heart of the infirmary. Clearly the Doctor had been working hard to give this heap of junk a small nest of proper care and attention.

Propped up on the counter standing out starkly with her green colored skin Lottie spied a nurse and moved toward her pulling up her sleeve at the some time.

Lee heard when someone came in and she put down a scanner and turned to the person. "Hello," she greeted with a welcoming smile the shorter woman who looked about the same age range as Lee. The Orion nurse's gaze went to the woman's arm and she grabbed a tricorder from the station and walked up quickly towards the girl.

"What happened to you?" she asked, touching the woman's arm gently as she examined the wound. "Here..." Lee lead her first patient to the bed at the same time as she began to run a scan of the wound.

Perching the edge of the bed Lottie flinched as the nurse's green fingers prodded the raw flesh. "I'm not sure. It's just a gaze from a phaser although I don't know who's."

Fascinated Lottie watched the scanner as the nurse moved it over the burn listening intently to the series of bleeps it was emitting not knowing at what they meant. Lottie had to trust this woman there was no other option.

Lee examined the scan results as she motioned the other woman to sit on the bed. The wound didn't look deep and the nurse decided a dermal generator would do the trick. "I'm giving you a light sedative and an antibiotic," the Orion nursed explained as she put the medical tricorder down and looked at the patient. "Do you have any allergies I should know about it?" Lee asked softly as she moved over to one of the cabinets to retrieve the hypospray and the medications. "The wound is not deep so you will be as good as new pretty soon," she commented as she finished preparing the hypospray and turned to the other girl. "I'm Lee Pierce by the way."

"Lee? Sounds like a guys name," Lottie frowned eying up the hypo suspiciously. Knives, firearms, explosives of all shapes and sizes Lottie could handle without a second thought but needles and drugs... they made her break out in a cold sweat.

"Maybe for humans?" Lee wondered but shrugged off. It wasn't like her parents had chosen her name to please other people anyway and she liked her name. She never thought it was a male or female name. It was just her name.

"Nope, no allergies, but are you sure the drugs are really necessary? I have a high pain threshold you know." Her eye twitched nervously as Pierce moved nearer.

"Unless you are a masochist," the nurse continued with a light tone. "I don't see why you would like to make use of your pain threshold," the green skinned girl added with a broad smile as she applied the hypospray against the other woman's neck.

It had taken a lot of restraint not to slap the woman's arm away when she bought up the hypo. Lottie's level of flitching and the paleness to her complexity was clearly noted by the nurse for when she back she spoke softer still.

"There...see? It doesn't hurt at all..." Lee went on and put down the hypospray in order to get the dermal generator and began the process. "This shouldn't take long."

The sooner the better Lottie thought rubbing her neck with her good hand. Granted she could feel the affects of the medicine already but she wouldn't admit to it if questioned. She hated the sharp sting of an injection and the metallic taste it left in your mouth. Silly really, but that was one of the traits that made Lottie more human. A fear of hyposprays.

Lee turned the dermal generator on and began to hover it over the wound. The injury wasn't so extent and she didn't it expect to take too long to heal completely. She wondered though how the other woman managed to get hurt already when they hadn't even left yet. Problems usually came when they were away of the Starfleet's reach and not in their backyard. At least, that was how it worked in the ships she worked before.

"So.,what's your job aboard the Warden?" the green skinned girl asked, looking between the generator and the girl. "And if you don't mind me asking...what's your name?"

Watching the woman work with the gently humming of her medical tools Lottie could feel the skin of her upper from tingle slightly with new pass. Inching her eyes away from the sore Lottie met Lee's. "I'm Charlotte, or Lottie for short. I think the actually term is weapons expert but that sounds snobbish so I'm more like a hired gun just with more then one weapon."

Lee sized Lottie up for a moment finding the information curious, to say the least. Lottie didn't look the kind of hired guns Lee was used to but the Orion woman wasn't the type of person to judge a book for its cover. Lottie was probably very good at her job or Lee doubted the captain would have hired her. "It's a dangerous profession," Lee remarked and offered Lottie a tight-lipped smile. "I'm not very good with guns...not really my thing," the nurse affirmed as she continued to use the dermal, intensifying the application for a moment. "Have you being doing that for long?"

She had seen that look that Lee had worn many times before. "I was bought up on freight tending to whatever need my attention. I became versatile at most things. I think the turned point was when our freighter was attacked by savagers that broke down our defenses and boarded. Someone threw me a weapon and we started shooting. I found my niche then, and would you believe I still have that same weapon?"

"I grew in up a ship too," Lee said cheerily. For some reason the fact the two had a similar background in way made the Orion girl so happy. "And that must have been scaring," she commented then. She flicked her eyes to the wound on Lottie's arm and could see it healing. It was looking a lot better already. "But I guess it gave you a direction...your niche as you said and that's a great thing," Lee went on. "Some people spend years looking for their places, looking to fit in and it's great when we can find that."

"Yes, it was pretty scary but we made it through after a struggle. Its those moments that help to build character." She looked over the nurse feeling slightly more comfortable in her presence. "It helps, but I don't think my occupation makes me fit in anyway." She half smiled, "How's it looking?"

"You don't?" Lee asked quietly. "Maybe other people just expected someone taller," she commented playfully. Lee always found easier for hired gun people to make friends - and enemies - than green skinned nurses. People usually thought she was too fragile or useless unless someone was seriously hurt. "Oh, it's almost done," the nurse answered and sped things up a bit getting the impression Lottie didn't want to stay in the sickbay any longer than the absolutely necessary. If that was the case Lee couldn't blame her. No one enjoyed the sickbay...just medical personnel but that was predictable.

Lee moved the dermal around the borders of the wound to finish the procedure and ran another scan with her tricorder again. "There...you're all done," Lee stated with a smile. "The skin might feel sensitive for a day or so but it'll go away."

Twisting to see where the wound was previously Lottie examined the area briefly still smiling at the last comment. "Yeah. I do have that impression. Some times its useful as acts like a huge surprise when this tiny woman produces some scary weapons." The smile faded as she rolled her sleeve back down. "Thanks. I'll try to be careful next time otherwise I may become a regular visitor."

"Oh I love company," Lee told Lottie as she moved aside to get out of the other woman's way at the same time as she took the medical equipment back to their places in the cabinet. "But I'd be happier if you guys were careful and safe all that time. As much as I love what I do, I feel a lot better when no one is hurt," the Orion nursed smiled genuinely as she closed the cabinet and turned back to Lottie.

There was true meaning behind those words as Lottie rose and proceeded to leave sickbay. Lee seemed nice enough but it was the sterile squeaky clean equipment that made Lottie twitch and squirm or more precisely hypos and the thought of having he body filled with a chemical concoction that could destroy her life if given in the wrong dosage.

"See you soon!!" The green skinned woman continued with a wave of a hand as Lottie left the sickbay. Lottie was only third crew member Lee had really spoken to so until now but so far so good. Everybody seemed friendly enough and that was important for a good onboard working relationship.

The nurse then moved to the main station and made sure the entire procedure was recorded by the computer. She closed Lottie's medical file and returned to her regular chores.

 

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