Not So Sleepy Walshy

Posted on 26 Apr 2016 @ 9:52am by Commander Terry Walsh & Commander Jayla Kij

1,365 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Outbreak
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD 7

Terry just laid there with his eyes closed. His throat was still sore, he was exhausted, and he hadn't been sleeping. When he did wake up in Sickbay, he was surprised. He remembered falling asleep on the couch in his office. Then he remembered the dream, or rather nightmare, he had. When he thought about it, he began falling again. It was tough. But he was also tough. He wasn't going to let it take him out; the sickness or the nightmares. He just wished he could sleep. Or least roll over. These biobeds weren't made for someone who tossed and turned a lot.

Jayla was just as exhausted as everyone else, but not because she couldn't sleep. She could sleep, but she hadn't slept enough. She was too busy trying to figure out what this virus was and how it worked. That she had worked out it was a virus was a step in the right direction, but she was no closer to figuring out how to beat it.

She finished up with a young cadet and moved onto the next bed. "How're you feeling?" she asked Walsh, who had come in the day before and now, like the others, wasn't sleeping at all.

Terry rolled his head over and looked up at the Trill Doctor. “Got anything that’ll put me down, Doc?” His voice was a little raspier than yesterday. “Or how about a bigger biobed? I never did fit well on these things.” He chuckled a little, but it hurt too much. “Aww man. I hate that. I can’t laugh at my own jokes.”

"Unfortunately, they're standard, but I always felt like they should come in different sizes," she answered, taking out her tricorder. "If it's any consolation, though, the worse a fit they are, the better readings it gives me. I have no idea why, but the people whose feet hang off the end have much more accurate information than those who actually fit."

Terry reached up and grabbed his throat as he started laughing. “Doc, you’ve got the best bedside I’ve experienced in a long time. I just wish it didn’t hurt so much to laugh. But as far as how I’m feeling, still tired beyond belief.” He sighed. “But that’s just the half of it,” he muttered and rolled his head over to face the wall.

"There's worse than not being able to sleep?" she asked, stowing her tricorder in her pocket again. "Have you been seeing anything strange lately?" she added, hoping that he wasn't already hallucinating.

“Nah,” replied Terry. “Nothing strange, here.” Though he did wonder why she was asking. Still looking at the wall, he continued, “That nightmare I was having when I was sleeping, I still see when I close my eyes. It’s like a waking dream or something. I can’t get it out of my head and it just makes this…this sleeplessness…feel worse.” He coughed a little bit, rubbed his throat, and rolled his head back to look at the Trill Doctor. “I’ve never been this sick before, Doc.” Worry and concern were easily noticeable on his face.

"I know," said Jayla sympathetically. "I don't think anyone has. Once this is all over, hopefully the dreams will stop. Mind if I take a blood sample? I'm trying to narrow this thing down."

“Nah, go ahead, if you think it’ll help.” Terry was just tired of everything at this point. Tired of the sore throat. Tired of being tired. Tired of the nightmares. Tired of the waking dreams. “So what are you looking for Doc? As if I'll even understand.”

"A cure, mostly," she replied. "In the short term, we're looking for how it works. That will lead us to a way to slow it down and then we can work out how to fight it. I'm sure I'll get it."

“Good,” said Terry. “Here, let me move so that you can get to my arm better.” Terry rolled, but he went a little too far and rolled right out of the biobed and hit the floor. “Ouch!” He tried to set up, but was so tired that all he managed was rolling over. “Aw hell. I tink I boke muh nose.” Blood was running out of it and it was sorer than his throat.

Jayla gasped as he fell and rounded the bio bed quickly, pulling out her tricorder. She scanned his nose quickly. "Not broken," she said. "But it'll have one heck of a bruise. Let me see what I can do about that. Come on, I'll help you back onto the biobed," she added, moving behind him to help pull him up under the arms.

Terry was glad to hear that bit of news, but was not to happy about having a bruised nose; even though he thought it was broken. It sure as hell felt broken. Surprised that the small Doctor was trying to lift him, he tried his best to set up and pull himself up on the biobed. “Tanks Doc,” was all he could manage. He laid back down was very still this time. "Are you sure it's not broken, though. It hurts like crazy."

"I'm pretty sure," she said, taking out her tricorder again. "Although, I am a bit under rested. Let me see." She ran her tricorder over his nose again and studied the results carefully. "No," she said. "Oh, wait. Hairline fracture. It's so tiny I didn't see it. I need to get some sleep, I think."

Terry smiled. If he could have stood a laugh, he would have. But now with a broken nose on top of a sore throat, there’s no way it would have felt good. “I’m glad you found it. What’s it gonna take to fix it? I mean, it’s got to be pretty easy, right?”

"Yeah," said Jayla. "Especially a hairline fracture. First, pain killer," she said, loading a hypospray and pressing it to his neck. "Then, we get the bleeding under control." She took out a subdermal regenerator and went to work.

After a few minutes, Terry’s nose felt better. He tried to reach up to move it around, but was too tired and weak. “Thanks, Doc. Now if only curing this, whatever, were as easy.” Terry started coughing a little. “Sorry ‘bout that,” he said. “So, taking blood will help you figure out how to slow it down? How’s that work?”

"I'm not sure, yet," said Jayla. "I'm hoping to find that it feeds on something. If we can starve it of that, we should be able to at least slow it's growth. But, it's hard to know until we know what it feeds on."

Terry shuddered. “I’m not too sure I like the idea of anything feeding on me,” he said. “I don’t care how small it is. But I hope it works for you.” He took deep breath. “I can’t believe how tired I feel. Is the way it is with all of these other people?”

"To varying degrees," answered Jayla, taking out the syringe and vacuum tube and quickly taking the blood sample. "Some people seem able to carry on working through it. Most of them just lie there, though."

“That’s what I feel like doing, too,” said Terry. “Just lying here, trying to sleep. This thing is killing me, though I hope not literally.”

"I won't let it happen," she said. "I'm working my tail off to figure this out."

Terry sighed and then coughed. “Glad to hear it, Doc. So, can I have some more of whatever you’re giving to help us sleep? Or have I reached my limit?”

"I haven't found anything that actually works so far," she said. "If I can find anything new, I'll be sure to let you know. Do you need anything else?"

“Nah, I think I’ll be fine for a while,” he replied. “Thanks, Doctor Kij.” He knew that he wouldn’t be fine. There were too many things going through his head right now.

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