Lizard Speed

Posted on 04 Nov 2017 @ 6:33pm by Lieutenant Sterek & Commander Terry Walsh & Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler & Lieutenant Commander Camila Di Pasquale

3,197 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Crossing Over
Location: Flight Deck | Sickbay
Timeline: November 15, 2388

Joey wandered down the corridor with the chocolate still in hand. She planned to give it to Torg, but it was chocolate, and who was she to pass something so delicious up when Squirt described it the way that she did. Besides... it wasn't like the Tellarite knew she was going to give it to him. In fact... no one knew. Only she did, and after having to give up Gizmo, the Intel Chief needed the pick-me-up. What could possibly be the harm in that?

She stepped into the turbolift and bit into the chocolate confection, closing her eyes as it began to melt on her tongue. The way Kelly described it was spot on... this decadent little treat was unlike anything she'd ever tasted in life. Sure, maybe it was meant to be savored, but Joey couldn't waste time on that. Without hesitation, she shoved the goodness into her mouth and allowed it to melt, feeling the effects almost immediately.

When in the world did she speak? And why was the turbolift depositing her on the flight deck? Nevermind... this was where they kept the fighters, and she could surely pilot one of them. It was all just a matter of speaking to the big bald Squadron Commander. He was around here somewhere. All she needed to do was follow the glare his head was bound to give off.

The Intel Chief made her way through a set of doors that led to another and found herself inside Terry's office. Was that someone behind her speaking? She wasn't sure, but the man she wanted to see was present. "I want to be a fighter pilot! Teach me, Obi Wan!"

"I'm sorry, Commander," came the voice from behind. "I tried everything I could, but there was no stopping her. I have no idea what's going on."

Terry looked up, a bewildered appearance to his face. "Um, that's okay. I've got this...I think." He watched as the Ensign turned to leave and the doors closed. "First off all, congratulations, Lieutenant Geisler. Secon, Ohbee wants what?" He stood up and walked sideways around his desk to get to the front.

"Congratulations? For what? Did I already become a pilot?" she asked, the words rushing out of her mouth one after the other. They were wasting time talking. "Show me to my fighter! I need to get it painted, and put my call sign on it!"

"Uh, no. Congratulations on the wedding," said Terry. "And what do you mean your fighter? What'd he do? Give you one as a wedding present?" Terry sat down on the edge of his desk. Why did he always seem to draw the nutjobs. Even if they were married to the Captain.

"I'm married!?" the brunette asked, but it was clear it was taking more self control than she had to try to stay still. She was practically buzzing where she stood. "And he gave me a fighter as a wedding present? Woah... I wasn't expecting that. Take me to it! I want to see what it looks like!"

"That wasn't a statement, that was a question...I.... Lieutenant, have you been drinking?" Terry asked, walking over the woman. "Or have you had too much caffeine, Twitchy? That'd be your call sign, you know that right? Twitchy. Personally handed out by the Squadron Commander." He reached for her arm, "Now, why don't you sit down and try to relax for a few minutes. You're too antsy to get into a fighter right now."

"Twitchy? No, no, no. Donuts! Donuts is my call sign!" the Intel Chief protested. Then suddenly, she stopped and started looking around as if something just scurried across the floor. Joey squealed and found herself leaping into the big guy's arms. "They're real! They're here! They're going to eat my donuts!"

Terry caught Joey as she jumped into his arms. "What the?!" exclaimed Terry. "There's nothing here, Twitchy. Or Donuts. Whichever. C'mon, I'll put you on the couch." He started walking over to it, "Walsh to Security, can you have someone report to my office right away. I'm not sure what I've got here."

"You're calling the fuzz!?" Joey cried as he tried to put her on the couch, but she wasn't having that. The former Security officer wiggled until she was free and jumped on to the back of the couch. "They're fuzzy! And have eight legs! With little beady eyes!" She gave a full body shudder and started to play a mental game of the floor is lava without even realizing it.

From the couch, she launched herself to a chair and gripped the back of it. "All I wanted was a fighter and to be taught how to use it, but you didn..." And almost as quickly as the sugar high hit her, her metabolism burned it off, leaving her feeling horribly sick. Joey clutched her stomach and fell from the chair straight onto the floor.

A moment later Camila came running into the office with her phaser at the ready and stopped when she saw Joey on the floor and Terry looking confused. "What's going on here?" she asked.

"I haven't the slightest idea," Terry said. "She came in here saying that she wanted to be a pilot and paint her fighter. I thought I was being pranked or something. Then I asked if she was drunk or had too much caffeine. She responded by jumping into my arms and screaming about seeing things on the floor. I put her on the couch and she leaped to the chair. Next thing I know, she's on the floor grasping her stomach. Which, by the way, I didn't expect." He stopped for a minute to catch his thoughts. "There's a basic medikit in here, if we need it. I didn't want her to get out of here and hurt herself or someone else. And I knew, heh, from experience, that you've dealt with people who are out of their minds before."

The Security Chief put her phaser in the holster and ran to the medkit to open it. She pulled the tricorder out and came back to start scanning Joey. "Elevated sugar levels and excess amounts of Theobromine," she said as she looked at the reading. "It sounds like a really bad sugar crash. Still, I'd like to take her to medical. She's pregnant and I don't' want the Captain to think I'm being irresponsible with his wife or anyone else."

Joey groaned on the floor and quickly rolled onto her side. She was trying to keep herself from being sick, but it was a losing battle. "Bathroom," she choked out, and that was clearly a struggle.

Camila looked frantically around the office and winced. There wasn't a bathroom in the small office. "Just let it go, Joey," she said when she saw there wasn't anything to catch it in.

She didn't need to be told twice. The Intel Chief rolled onto her side and tossed her cookies right there on poor Terry's floor. Never again. Never again would she eat one of those chocolates Kelly gave her no matter how delicious it was. Not if it made her act like she was on drugs, and now there was a concern for her babies. Were they okay during all of that?

Terry just stood back and watched. He had a strong constitution, so the look and smell didn't really bother him. "Well, good thing I'm a Lieutenant Commander. I ain't cleaning that up." Terry tapped his commbadge, "Commander Walsh to Ops. I need some new carpet for my office floor. Could you send someone up with a repair kit or whatever you guys use. Walsh out." He looked from Joey to Camila. "You make a good point. Let's get her to Sickbay. It'll also give Ops the time and space they need."

=^=Di Pasquale to Medical. Medical alert in Fighter Operations=^=

Sterek's reply was almost immediate. =^=Dr Sterek here. What is the nature of the alert? Is emergency transport required?=^=

=^=Negative,=^= Camila responded. =^=Subject is pregnant.=^=

There was a small pause, probably while Sterek searched his memory for who that was. =^=We should exercise caution in this case. Prepare for emergency beam-in.=^=

Camila stepped outside the office. =^=Beam in on my coordinates=^=

Joey remained on the floor in a fetal position with her arms wrapped around her midsection. She felt like she would be sick again, but fought it as hard as she could. What the hell was in that chocolate she'd eaten?

It was times like this that Terry wished there was more than a basic medkit in his office.

Ever the efficient Vulcan, Sterek had a biobed at the ready over in sickbay - and a bucket beside it, just in case. "I am going to administer an anti-emetic as soon as I confirm that it is safe to do so," he stated, as he passed the tricorder's hand-scanner over the pregnant woman, seemingly unbothered by the faint smell of vomit coming from her. "In the meanwhile, can you describe your symptoms in more detail, please?"

Joey wanted nothing more than to take a shower and sleep off the after effects of the chocolate, but that wasn't going to be happening. She looked to the doctor. "I ate a piece of chocolate... spazzed out... and now I'm here wishing I would have given it away like I originally planned to. The best way to describe it is like having a really bad hangover, and I think I'm going to be sick again."

Sterek grabbed the bucket and offered it to her quickly. "I am going to administer a fast-acting antihistamine for the vomiting," he said blandly as he set aside the tricorder and reached for a hypospray. "Please explain what you mean by 'spazzed out'."

The Lieutenant continued to fight against the urge to be sick. She'd done more than her fair share of it over the past few weeks. "I showed up in Commander Walsh's office," she started, feeling completely mortified by her behavior. "And wasn't myself. I'm pretty sure at one point I jumped into his arms. I think he can tell you better than I could."

"Your blood sugar is low. It could merely be a case of reactive hypoglycemia... I will run a brief test in case this is an atypical presentation of gestational diabetes." He picked up a PADD and scrolled down with his thumb as he administered the hypo with the other hand; he seemed to move with an almost graceful ambidexterity, perhaps used to multitasking. "I note you have been tested already, although it can manifest late... Nurse, could you please fetch the Lieutenant some water? Thank you."

While a nurse went to get some water, Joey looked to the doctor. "Are my babies okay?"

"Preliminary scans indicated they were in optimum health. I will take some more thorough readings in a moment, but in all likelihood, there is no cause for alarm." Sterek's voice was consciously gentle, almost reassuring. He paused, lingering his attention on the PADD, before putting it down again and resuming his scanning. "Your file does not specify that you are carrying twins. Is there a reason for this?"

"Not that I know of," Joey answered.

Camila came running in a minute later and looked around before going to join the Vulcan doctor by Joey's biobed. "Is she okay?" she asked.

Sterek glanced round, tricorder and scanning attachment in hand. His grey eyes seemed to scrutinize Camila for a moment before he turned back to Joey.

"She is unharmed - as are her offspring - but I would recommend avoiding refined sugars until after the birth." He quirked an eyebrow at Joey. "Altered reactions to food are common during pregnancy. Your insulin levels are normal, but I will draw up a detailed nutritional plan for you just in case." Another glance back at Camila.

"Incidentally - Lieutenant Di Pasquale - may we converse privately after this? I need to check some details against your file."

"Certainly, but Lieutenant Cor...Giesler needs to be your priority right now," Camila said.

Joey was glad Camila was there, but she had to address the doctor. "A detailed nutritional plan is great, but I have morning sickness. Of course, I'm taking meds for that, but there are still foods that make my stomach turn," she explained. "Right now, I eat whatever won't make me feel nauseous. I've been reading up on it, and according to that, my morning sickness should go away in a couple weeks."

Sterek scrolled down over her file again. "We could attempt to adjust your medication to compensate, but that would take time and I cannot guarantee success. Smaller and more frequent meals can help, as can mint and citrus flavourings." He looked up at Joey. "Both yourself and the twins are healthy; again, I would simply caution against refined sugars for the remainder of your pregnancy. Are there any additional areas of concern while you are here?"

"This was the first time anything like this has happened to me. Ensign Khan gave me a piece of chocolate, and then this happened. There could be something in it," the tall Lieutenant commented from her place on the biobed.

Sterek stopped and looked at her. "It was given to you?" he repeated, a little pensive. Then he moved over to the other side of the bed. "I am going to run a toxicology analysis. Your initial readings were normal, but a more thorough scan should inform us if you were given an unexpected substance. Please lie still."

"Yes, it was given to me," she repeated, lying still on the biobed.

His grey eyes scanned the output screens impassively. "Interesting. Have you consumed significant amounts of caffeine recently, Lieutenant Geisler?"

Joey shook her head. "Not really, no. Coffee makes me nauseous, and the tea I've been drinking doesn't have too much caffeine in it."

"I am detecting traces of a substance called theobromine - a metabolic product of caffeine that also occurs in certain types of chocolate." He gave Joey a significant look. "Usually the effects are negligible, but evidence suggests that the high sugar content and your current physical state may have exacerbated the effects."

"I don't think I'll take anything else from Kelly when she offers it to me," she said with a sigh, but in the Ensign's defense, neither of them had any idea it would make her react like that. Well... at least Joey had no idea. She couldn't say for certain if Kelly did or not.

"I would suggest severely limiting your consumption of chocolate, or even avoiding the substance altogether, until after your pregnancy," the Vulcan replied.

Joey blinked when those words left his mouth, and she found herself sitting up a lot more quickly than she meant to. "You did say limit, right? Not cut out entirely?" she asked in a voice that sounded to be on the verge of panic.

"Severely limit, if complete cessation is not an option." Sterek picked up the PADD and typed something in. "How much did Ensign Khan give you?"

Joey calmed a bit. "It was one piece. I don't even know if she has anymore of it, and even if she does, I can assure you that I won't be eating anymore of it after what happened."

"That would be wise. I have made a note on your medical record - along with updated details of your pregnancy." The Vulcan tilted his head, perhaps signalling confusion. "Of slight concern, there appears to be some data missing from your file. Which doctor here first informed you that you were carrying twins?"

Terry had arrived a few minutes after Camila and stood against the wall, out of the way. He was glad to hear, and see that Joey was being well taken care of. But...chocolate? That had to be some confection. He made a mental note to talk to Ensign Khan at their next fighter training and find out where she got it.

"My husband is the one who made the discovery, and he was a doctor before he was a Captain," Joey replied as she sat up. "It wasn't time for my routine checkup yet, so that's why you don't see it in my file. You get to be the lucky one to insert that bit of information."

"Understood," replied Sterek. "Are there any other concerns you have regarding this incident? Or your health in general?"

Joey shook her head, but planned to take everything she heard during this impromptu visit seriously. "No, I can't really think of anything aside from not wanting to lose chocolate entirely, even if it's strictly replicated."

"As long as you are careful with what you consume - I would recommend in particular avoiding dark chocolate or anything with a high cocoa content - I deem it unlikely to recur. If it does, you should contact us immediately." He looked up from the PADD. "A 'false alarm' is strongly preferable to yourself or your children incurring harm."

"I can assure you that I don't want anything like this happening again, so I'll do whatever I need to to keep from landing back in here," the dark haired Lieutenant told the Vulcan.

"In which case, I believe it is safe to discharge you." Sterek lowered the PADD. "Perhaps you could escort her to somewhere she can rest, Lieutenant Commander Walsh? I have a matter to discuss with Lieutenant Di Pasquale."

"Sure. I can do that," said Terry. He looked to Joey, "Whenever you're ready, Lieutenant." He then turned his attention to Camila. "Good luck," he said.

Joey slipped off of the biobed and moved over to Terry. "Sorry about all of that," she said with a sheepish smile. "Not how I planned our first official meeting going." She looked toward Camila. "I'll see you later."

"Take care of yourself and no more chocolate from Ensign Khan" Camila said. "I'm tempted to investigate it and see if that's where she gets her energy from."

"I'm not taking chocolate from anyone after this, unless it's Harvey," the taller female stated with the shake of her head. The one time was more than enough for her. "As for an investigation, I don't think that's a half bad idea all things considered. Still, though, that's your choice. You could always eat a piece of it and see if you end up in a similar situation."

"Whoa," said Terry. "No way. One crazy woman wandering into my office a month is enough for me. And I've hit my quota already," he said, gesturing to Joey. Terry grinned and winked at both women.

Joey couldn't help but laugh even if she was still rather embarrassed by the whole ordeal. "I'm not normally crazy like that, for the record. That was a one time thing, and like you, I've reached my crazy quota for the day. And since I have to rest, it looks as though home is the place to be." With that, she thanked the doctor once more, gave Camila a hug, then made her way toward the doors of sickbay.

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