For What It's Worth

Posted on 26 Aug 2016 @ 1:09am by Lieutenant Commander Camila Di Pasquale & Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler

2,191 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Click Three Times
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD 6 || 1615 Hours

Camila lay on the biobed where she had rested since she came out of surgery and tried to let the medication that Doctor Abram's gave her work it's magic in her system. A PADD lay on the bedside table beside of her and a song came from it at a low volume and she closed her eyes as her mind tried to sort out what the lyrics meant. She needed to be back on her feet, but knew if she tried, the surgeon would restrict her even more; he hadn't been happy when a combadge and PADD had been delivered to her, but the Captain wanted a departmental assessment done.

"What happened to Cooper?" she wondered out loud. "Was she one of the nine that I reported missing or dead? What about Corwin? Do I have anyone under me in the chain?" She sighed but didn't reach for the PADD to try to dig up more information because she was afraid that she had even less people that she could count on...or talk to...in her department and didn't want to be more depressed in her current state of mind. The only good news that she had so far was that the Romulan ship had been destroyed and she clung to that like it was a life vest in a storm tossed sea.

Joey picked Pequeno up and thanked Doctor Abrams for looking him over. The man wasn't a vet, but he cared about the lives of others no matter if they walked on two legs or four. As she began to make her way out, a name caught her attention on the master display screen. With everything going on, it never even occurred to her that Camila could have gotten injured, but the proof of that was right there on the screen for anyone to see. "What do you think, Pequeno?" she asked the little black ball of fur, though she didn't expect an answer from him. "That's what I think, too. Let's go."

She looked at the screen to get Camila's location, then made her way in that direction, steeling herself just in case. Corwin didn't know what was going to be waiting for her. The Chief was on the bridge when the Valdore was spotted, and the fact that she was in sickbay meant she hadn't come into contact with Thalaron radiation. That was a good sign. "Knock, knock," she said, making herself visible to the bed ridden woman.

At the sound of the female voice, Camila opened her eyes and was rewarded with the sight of Lieutenant Corwin and what looked like a fuzzy black ball of something in her arms. "Corwin?" she asked to confirm that she wasn't hallucinating, but if she was hallucinating, the odds were good that it would respond to her. She had just been thinking of her and Cooper and now she appeared as if summoned. "Good to see you're alive," she said after another moment of internal debate.

"Thanks. How are you feeling?" Joey asked, moving to settle down on the chair next to the bed.

"Hazy," Camila responded and now she saw the ball of black fuzz was actually a puppy. Her mind tried to associate the puppy with a name and failed to even figure out the name of the puppy. "I introduced my ribs and lung when the Valdore blew up and they didn't get along." She pointed in the general direction of the PADD which had stopped playing music at this time and sighed. "Bad news on almost all fronts. This thing is causing Doctor Abrams more stress, but Captain wanted my assessment on Security."

"Doctor Abrams will get over it," the brunette woman said, settling Pequeno on her lap. With Camila down, and not knowing where Cooper was, Joey didn't know what was going on with Security. "I'm glad you're going to be okay. I was in your position a few hours ago because of my shoulder. I was released just as the Valdore decided to make it's presence known." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think I'd been discharged maybe an hour or so before I had to come back. This is actually my third time here today, but I wasn't the patient this go around."

"I feel your pain," the honey blonde Security Chief said. "Maybe in a different spot. You need a vacation if you keep this up. Why...do you have a puppy with you?"

Joey took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She knew the question was going to come up, but she hadn't planned on it being this early into their visit. Turning her attention to the little guy settled on her lap, Joey ran her fingers through his fur. As young as he was, he'd bounce back relatively quickly as far as the changes in his life were going to go, but it would take a lot longer for the humans surrounding him. With tears in her eyes, she turned her gaze back to Camila. "Ensign Xavier Hernandez was killed earlier today by boarders."

Hernandez? Camila's mind chewed on the name, then associated it with the puppy. "K-9 officer, right?" It was a stupid question, but the puppy wasn't wearing any identification that she could clearly see. She sighed. "Don't answer that." She closed her eyes for another moment. "Shit," she muttered. "Why...why is this happening? Why are we being tested at every turn and losing good people? What are loyal officers dying while traitors get to live?!" Her last words were shouted right before her biomonitor started frantically sending a message to a PADD at Abrams desk at the same time tears of pain and anger began to flow down her cheeks.

Before Joey could even open her mouth, Lucas appeared in the room and looked between the two women. It was painfully obvious that the large man didn't look pleased. "Lieutenant Di Pasquale... I conceded when it came to combadge and PADD, but that's about as far as I'm willing to go." He turned his attention toward Joey. "Lieutenant Corwin... I think it's time for her to get some rest."

Joey cleared her throat and looked toward Lucas. She wanted to argue with him, but how could she? He was right. Camila needed to rest, and the longer she stuck around, the less likely that was going to happen. "Of course, Doctor Abrams," she said. "Can you just give me a few more minutes with her?"

"A few more minutes. Nothing more," Abrams said, looking pointedly at Camila. "Keep yourself calm, or I'll limit visitors." With that, he turned and walked away once again.

"I'm sorry," Camila said as she fought for control of herself. "It won't happen again." She looked at Joey. "That wasn't directed at you," she said after a minute. "I feel so frakking helpless laying here while good officers are risking everything. What else can you tell me, Joey?"

"I can tell you the Captain of the Cochrane is dead," she answered, giving that a second to sink in before continuing.

"One less to worry about getting a cushy sentence at a rehabilitation center," Camila muttered. "How did he meet his end?"

Joey leaned back. "Major Jackson killed him," she replied. "It was something I wouldn't wish for anyone to witness."

"Jackson...wasn't he the Marine who was left in charge of the Chimera?" the Security Chief asked as she tried to shake off the medication that was still in her system. "Maybe you should back up and tell me what happened. All I've been getting is bits and pieces and I need a cohesive report if I'm ever going to put things together. I may be stuck in here for the time being, but the Executive Officer and Captain want answers that I don't have and I can't leave here to find things out myself."

"The Captain is aware of what happened, but I'll get to that part," Joey said, taking another deep breath. "If I'm going to tell you, I'll start with the Chimera. Kill two birds with one stone." And thus, she began to give the Chief her report of the days important events.

Camila listened quietly; some of it she knew already, but the escape of the prisoners, Corwin being taken hostage and the rest was unknown to her. "Well done, Lieutenant," she said. "You've gone above and beyond the call of duty so many times in the past day than most officers do in a career. I'm definitely going to put you in for commendations and medals for what you've done and endured and before you say it's just part of your job, you deserve them."

"It's appreciated, Chief, but I don't do what I do for commendations or medals," the brunette woman said, looking down at the puppy on her lap before she looked back to Camila. "As for going above and beyond the call of duty... that's what I do. If putting my life on the line keeps the ship and her crew safe, then that's what I'm going to do. I'm not the only one who feels that way, either."

"Once I get out of here, you can count on me to be back in front," Camila said. "I really need to be seen and not as some random order coming from a PADD that may not get through to the personnel that I need to get in touch with. Have you seen or heard from Lieutenant Cooper yet?"

"I saw her just before the Valdore found us," Corwin answered. "I guess she found out I had surgery and was here, so she popped in to see me. For now, though, your focus needs to be on getting better."

At least she isn't one of the casualties, Camila thought before she nodded. "I know you've been through a lot in the past day, Joey, so I won't ask you to do more. I'll get ahold of her and have her be my eyes and ears for the rest of Security until I get out of here. Unless there's no more emergencies, I want you to get some downtime if you're able."

"If you need me to help out, I can. A few more hours of being awake isn't going to kill me," Joey pointed out.

Camila shook her head. "Downtime. Don't make me make it an order, Joey. If I could get out of here sooner, I'd order Cooper to do the same."

Joey shook her head. "I'm not going to argue with you, Chief. I don't want Doctor Abrams coming back in here to yell at either one of us. He's a big guy, and I really have no plans to make him angry. I could use a shower and sleep for a couple of days, though."

"Then go take care of it," she said. "I'm not going anywhere even if I wanted to. You're right on him being a big guy. When I first saw him, I thought he was a giant, but he's gentle as a kitten."

"You weren't here when I brought in Major Jackson and Godfrey. I tried to get out of here to do a few things with the intentions of coming back. He told me to clap. Smart ass man," the brunette said, shaking her head. "He means well, though. Listen to him, or whoever else comes in here to check in on you. It might seem like it, but they're not out to make this seem like they're torturing you. If you need me, though, you know how to reach me."

Camila laughed at the thought of the big surgeon telling Joey to clap, then shook her head when a twinge went through her chest. "Okay...no more laughing for me. I'll be here if you need to get ahold of me. Well, unless Doctor Abrams takes my combadge and PADD away from me."

"No more laughing, and I doubt he'll take those from you," Joey said, rising to her feet. "I'll be in touch with you soon. Get some rest." She offered Camila a smile as she tucked Pequeno under her arm, then made her way back out again.

Camila sighed again as she watched Joey make her way out with the tiny puppy. She knew that Security had taken losses, but getting a name was different from a number. She only hoped that the few casualties that had been given was all that there were for Security, but the mission assessment had given the tentative number of at least a hundred missing and presumed dead. A tear ran down her cheek, but didn't set the monitor on her arm off and she closed her eyes. At the rate the Black Hawk was losing personnel, soon they would be a skeleton crew. She was still thinking along those lines when sleep claimed her once again and she slipped into troubled dreams.

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