Checking For Injured

Posted on 26 Aug 2016 @ 2:35am by Lieutenant JG Catherine Cooper & Lieutenant Lucas Abrams M.D.

3,825 words; about a 19 minute read

Mission: Click Three Times
Location: Various
Timeline: MD 6 || 1630 Hours

After leaving the torpodoe launcher in he capable hands of the repair techs she made her way to sickbay, which because the turbolifts were still out meant she had to climb. Well at least she was getting her workout in.

=/\="Cooper to Dr. Abrams". She commed as she made her way.

=^=Doctor Abrams here. What can I do for you, Cooper?=^= Lucas asked when the link was open. He just finished checking on his last patient until he made his rounds again in a couple of hours. Like everyone else on the ship, he was exhausted, but that wasn't going to keep him from doing the job he loved. He'd have the chance to sleep soon enough, and would take it once he knew everyone that could be helped had been helped.

=/\="Hows things in Medical Doc? Slow enough that you think we can spare some personnel to do a nook and cranny search? Make sure there's no one we missed? I think I can free up some medic trained security personnel to go with each one of yours in teams of two..." Cooper said tapping on a PADD as she moved dodging the bit of debris, that would mean pulling officers off other duties but the vital items would all still be covered and this was important as things slowed down enough to allow it. She put the PADD away as she arrived at a jefferies tube hatch guarded by a security crewman and began to climb.

=^=I just finished my rounds. I'm available, just let me grab a few things, then I'll meet whoever I'm going to be working with outside of medical. Abrams out.=^= With that, he ended the link so he could begin getting his medkit together.

Thinking this Abrams sounded like an efficient kind of guy she ordered Ensign Thatcher to meet him. Thatcher was quietly efficient in her own way and was just coming off a rest period of her own. Then with one arm hooked on the ladder and one foot holding her in place somewhere between Decks 5-6 she used her PADD and Comms to coordinate the other teams, she contacted Abrams to check details like number of medical/science personnel available etc so she could judge right number of security to free up and within minutes had some initial teams going.

The rest were a bit harder as she juggled other personnel, at one point moved to the side so an engineer could climb past her then she moved back into place. It didn't help she was tied but she kept her mind on task. Some personnel were marked in red on her PADD which meant they could not be moved or were on a mandatory rest period. Finally though she judged there was sufficient coverage, sent the information to her Chief's PADD and continued to climb down to Deck 5 where she hoped to grab her gear and go nap in the security offices, just in case she were needed.

Ensign Sarah Thatcher, adjusted her duty belt as after climbing out of the jefferies tubes. She rubbed her eyes, two hours hardly seemed enough sleep. Why did the bed always get most comfortable about 5 minutes before she had to get up? It's cruel that's what it is. She headed toward sickbay, her blond hair tied back into a functional braid down her upper back. She entered sickbay and glanced at her PADD to re-confirm. "Dr. Abrams? I'm Ensign Thatcher and I'll be partnered with you..." She said in her polite earth British accent.

At 5'2 she was often under-estimated by those who didn't think speed and agility were as useful as strength. She looked up at the Doctor and up until she met his eyes high up in his 6 ft 7 frame, her eyes held no fear though just a polite curiosity. She'd gotten over her 'wow he's hot' attack on the way over as she checked his image on her PADD to make sure she could ID him. Her smile was genuine as she greeted the medico trying not to stare at his eyes.

Lucas looked down at the smaller woman who just appeared. It was impossible to miss him considering he towered over most everyone on the ship. He'd never actually bothered to look to see if there was anyone actually taller than he was or not. That was just something he didn't really feel was important. "So, if I'm understanding our current objective, you and I are supposed to be searching for anyone who may have been overlooked in the initial search, correct?" he asked, putting the final items inside the medkit.

Thatcher nodded, "Yes Sir, a 'nook and cranny' Search was how Lt. Cooper mentioned it to me. Should we go up to deck one and work our way down?" She asked making a suggestion.

"It's my understanding that the bridge is currently charcoal," he said, picking up the medkit jut before he gestured for her to head out of sickbay with him. "I know we're not the only teams doing this, either. We should start at the bottom and work out way to the top. That makes the most sense to me. Are you the squeamish sort? Because, I've got a feeling we're going to see some things that will make more people pretty ill."

Thatcher took his question seriously, as she did many things and so did not reply immediately but finally said, "Squeamish I don't feel so, though I will of course attempt not to allow any empathy I may feel from preventing me from doing my duty." Her voice determinedly confident but honest as though it never occurred to her to lie about it or hedge, her eyes held a frankness as well.

"We're not going to be traveling through the Jeffries tubes, either. I'm a large man, and it's too tight a fit for me. Are you prepared for that?" he asked, looking down to the small woman as he closed up his medkit.

Thatcher blinked and looked slightly puzzled. "I see your point Doctor but I'm unsure what you mean." She said in a voice that was game but unsure.

Lucas shouldered the medkit cross body style and pushed it toward his back so it wouldn't hinder his movements. "We're going to be traveling via turbolift shafts. There is no way someone my size can fit inside a Jeffries tube comfortably and be able to climb up or down. When starships were designed, they weren't designed with freakishly large men in mind. It's because of that we're going to have to improvise. If you'd prefer to take Jeffries tubes, I can meet up with you."

"I don't think you are freakishly huge" She said honestly but trying to be supportive. Hot maybe but not freakishly huge. She shrugged a little embarrassed, "Many are taller than I, I don't tend to think about it much." She thought on the rest of what he said. Her arms already ached at the thought but her voice was game, "Who will break your fall if you slip?" She joked gently, "I'm game, ready when you are." She said, adjusting her belt tightly.

"If I slip, just let me fall," he said, his tone not even remotely close to kidding. There wasn't a soul alive that could catch his weight, and anyone who made the attempt would likely fall with him. "There's no sense in both of us having to get hurt if you made the attempt. But, I can assure you, I don't have any intentions of slipping or falling." He looked around to make sure everything was running smoothly. "Let's get going. I'm sure we're going to find people who need help, and they're not going to get it if we stand around here."

A little sheepish she nodded somberly, "Right you are Doctor". And she headed out, making way to the nearest turbolift.

Lucas made his way out of sickbay and made his way to the nearest turbolift. There was only one way to get the door open. The large man closed his eyes and cracked his knuckles, then found his grip on the closed door in front of him. This is what set him apart from a lot of people... brute strength. He grit his teeth together and pulled back on the door, his muscles flexing in the process. Sadly, his uniform didn't have much in the way of give, so the threads at the seams began to snap. It didn't take long before the door began to give him what he wanted and began to open. "Go, Ensign Thatcher. I'll be right behind you," he said once the door was open enough for them to get through.

Thatcher had stepped to one side to dig out a door popper from her belt. She looked up to see Abrams manually opening the door and her mouth fell open in shock. "Oh.My.God" She thought suitably impressed. At his words she immediately closed her mouth and put the door popper away. She then moved to the ladder and began climbing, training taking over.

The large man peered into the shaft and saw the turbolift was above them as he climbed onto the ladder. "We should be able to go all the way down to the lower levels from here," he said. "We'll start with deck eighteen, though, we should probably check the weapons pod, too. There could have been people in there."

"Makes sense." She knew the medical tricorders were especially well suited not just to find life signs but those who didn't make it. She also knew she didn't need to explain the functionality of a medical tricorder to the Doctor so said nothing more on it but continued as she climbed, "We will bring everyone we can home, one way or the other..." She said seriously mindful of their duty as she focused on climbing carefully.

Lucas began his decent, looking up at the door that was slightly ajar. It bothered him that he hadn't been able to close them, but there wasn't anything to get a grip on while trying to keep himself steady on the ladder. "It shouldn't take us long to get where we're going. I haven't been this far down on the ship, so I can only hope we can access the weapons pod some way other than Jeffries tubes."

Thatcher caught his glance at the door happening to look up herself to gauge his speed to help determine her own. She surmised what he may be after, "I have a door popper it closes as well, if you'd like?"

"We might need it," the large man said as they continued their decent. "If we come across anyone who is alive and in need of medical attention, the plan is to stabilize them so they can be transported back to sickbay. I'll have to do that physically since there's not going to be any other option, but I've got what I need to make it work."

"Understood Doctor..." She said then continued to climb down, "If not I can be your eyes and hands as best I can but we'll see what we can manage, can check the schematics when we get there see whats what..." She couldn't take out her PADD and check the schematics, not without stopping and she wasn't entirely sure there was another entry point. They could check when they arrived, far better to keep moving.

"It's appreciated, Ensign Thatcher. It would be nice to have more than just the two of us, but with both of our departments stretched so thin already, we're going to do the best we can," he said, looking for a marker as to their current location. "We've still got a ways to go. We've only just reached deck nine."

Thatcher made a sound of assent, Cooper had managed to send out more than one team but not a ton and only after re-arranging a complicated roster. Thatcher couldn't help but think the other departments wouldn't be much better off. "First time the ship seemed too big, usually it feels like we're tripping over each other..." She said, gamely continuing though her arms were starting to inform her she was doing serious physical activity, nothing dangerous yet but boy would she feel this in the morning.

"If you need to take a break, let me know," the large man said as he continued to move down.

"Can do Doctor." She said, wanting to say more but needing her breath to make the climb as alot of her focus was a denying gravity, she made it to deck 12 before calling up to him, "A fiver would be grand right here Doctor..." She said in a questioning tone.

"A few minutes. Time is an issue when the lives of others are at stake," Lucas said, stopping where he was. He couldn't carry on without her even though he wanted to, but if anything happened to her, he'd feel responsible, and couldn't live with that.

"Two minutes Aye..." She said and paused shifting to take the weight off her arms. At exactly 120 seconds she called, "Moving..." And continued down, the pause being just long enough to help but not so long her muscles siezed. Finally they arrived at Deck 18 and being the first one down she opened the hatch with the popper, then put it away and climbed out. She understood the need to move but was still working on upping her stamina and could not yet climb 16 decks without at least a brief pause. She figured it was better to be embarrassed instead of slipping and falling because she couldn't hold her grip.

When they reached their designated deck, Abrams climbed out and looked around. "Let's get started. There has to be some people still alive."

"Aye Sir..." Knowing an order when she heard one. She moved out with her tricorder carefully scanning, "Over here!" She called and took off to the area near the antimatter storage pods, she used the door popper again and eyes scanned, catching sight black clad leg peeking from around a corner. "Here Doctor!"
Then stepped out of the way.

When Thatcher called out to him, Lucas made his way over. He was almost afraid what awaited him when he pulled a panel off of the figure. There before him on the floor was a female who looked like she'd seen better days. He placed his fingers to her neck to check for a pulse. "She's alive, but barely." He dropped his medkit on the ground and began to scan her. Her injuries were internal, which wasn't good. He had the means to operate where he was, but it wasn't sterile. "She's suffering from internal injuries. If I move her, she'll die, but if I don't do something, she'll die." Moral dilemmas.

"If I were her I'd want you to try in this case" She said honestly "What do you want me to do?" Her voice determined yet laced with sympathy.

"I'm not going to have much of a choice. I can't leave her here to die," Lucas said looking over at the Security officer. "You're about to get what I imagine will be your first crash course in surgery. I'm going to need your help." He opened the medkit, wishing he'd be able to sterilize his hands, but the best he could do in this instance was use gloves. He grabbed a few wrist lights from inside and turned them on, pointing them where he was going to need to work.

He produced a pair of scissors and began to cut away at the woman's uniform shirt once he'd got the jacket open, then passed Thatcher some gloves. "If you feel like you're going to vomit, turn away from her," he ordered, pulling a pair of gloves on before he did his best to sanitize the woman's stomach. This was the last thing he wanted to be doing, but he couldn't leave her to die. The conditions weren't great, but he'd be able to treat an infection.

Thatcher nodded and pulled on the gloved kneeling nearby.

With a shaky breath, the tall man loaded a few hypos. The first he pressed to the unconscious woman's was Anetrizine, an anesthetic to put her out while he did his thing. He waited as long as he could before he cut her abdomen open, glancing briefly toward Thatcher to make sure she was going to be okay. "Once you get your gloves on, take the gauze from the medkit and open it. When I get her open, you're going to have to soak up as much of the blood up as you can so I can see what I'm doing. Be fast, but be careful." He would love to have a biomonitor right about now.

"Aye Sir..." She said she was breathing evenly and she readied the gauze after checking her gloves. At her knees was a sterile pack of gauze poking out of the med kit ready to be used. She nodded once it was open, "I'm ready." she took another breath making sure she was braced for it, she had medic training but this would be new. Her eyes and hands were steady.

"Here we go," Lucas said as he began to open her up. When he was ready, he pulled back quickly. "Now... be quick and gentle," he ordered, grabbing a dermal regenerator to have ready when Thatcher had her job done.

Thatcher nodded then moved smoothly sopping up the blood but barely touching the skin. Her pianist hands were quick and light as she worked. Filled one gauze and got another, switching hands so she didn't need to stop, then when the blood looked like it had slowed enough she pulled back briefly and glanced at Lucas.

The second Thatcher moved her hands out of the way, Lucas quickly went in to find where the bleeding was coming from. There it was... the liver. This wasn't good, but he'd be able to help her. As quickly as he could, he closed the laceration and looked for any others. There was a perforation of the pancreas he repaired and looked to Thatcher. "Blot quickly so I can close her up." He'd already noticed the woman was beginning to turn pale, and that wasn't a good thing. If he didn't hurry, she was going to die.

Thatcher didn't speak but moved in swiftly with a fresh bit of gauze then away again.

Once that was done, Abrams closed her up as quickly as he could before anymore blood could be lost. He'd have to get her back to sickbay as quickly as possible. He pressed a second hypo to her neck to administer a rather strong antibiotic given what just took place. "I need to get her back to sickbay, or she won't make it. The only way to do that is to carry her." He reached into the medkit to produce some straps he'd thought to pack, then looked to the Ensign. "I need your help to secure her to my back. Once we get her back up safely, we'll return to search."

Quickly, he packed up everything he pulled out of the kit except for the used gauze and pulled the gloves off, then positioned himself so they could get the enlisted woman on his back. "I won't be long if you'd prefer to wait here for me."

"You guys do good work." She said securing the bloodly gloves with the rest of the used material and gently helped Abrams secure the woman to his back. "I'm supposed to stay with you Sir, she glanced at the door concern for others clearly on her features, "But I'd like to search the area for more injured for you just in case..." She sounded uncertain. Not that this viking needed her help to carry a body and she expected he could climb the entire ship several times before he noticed.

"Keep searching. Like I said, I'll only be gone long enough to let the others know what's wrong, then we can continue our search. If I don't get her back, she'll die for sure. Sit tight if you would rather, but I will be back," Lucas said, getting to his feet and moving to the turbolift. He couldn't wait any longer, and with the enlisted woman secured now, he was on his way back up to deck four once again.

"Aye Doctor..." She said and pulled out her tricorder once again, she was no Doctor Abrams but she hoped she'd be better than nothing as she moved out into the hall.

Lucas got the woman to sickbay without incident, and after explaining what he'd found... done... and still had to happen, he made his way back down to deck eighteen to meet up with Thatcher. He'd retrieved his medkit along the way so he'd be able to help anyone else they'd come across. The number they'd managed to find among the living was minute in comparison to those that already perished. Between their group, and the others dispatched throughout the ship, a total of twenty-one people were still alive, most of them just barely, while on the other side, a much higher number of fifty-seven. Some of those people were piles of ash, so there was little way of knowing how many people actual met such a horrible fate.

Abrams was exhausted. When he and Thatcher made their way back to deck four, and he'd closed the turbolift doors, he leaned against a bulkhead and collapsed to the floor. His once handsome face was worn, showing clear signs that the day had taken its toll on him. He wasn't the only one who suffered for it, either. Countless others were in the same position he was in. If there was never another day like the one the Black Hawk and her crew had just endured, he'd be forever grateful.

Thatcher was just as tired but kept along doggedly checking every nook, every cranny. She slide down next to him a bit surprised someone who looked as strong as he did seem so pained by the suffering around him. She was unsure what she could say to be comforting when every dead body felt like a failure to herself. She silently offered him a bottle of water from her belt with an emphatic expression of sympathy. "twenty one, we can at least be grateful for that much..."

"Thanks," Abrams said, as he accepted the water. He took a drink and lowered his head. "Twenty-one... it wasn't enough." And in his defeat, he closed his eyes unable to look on the bright side when he had the blood of some many dead on his hands.

Unable to find the words, Thatcher gently laid a hand on his large arm as they both sat there, uncaring and tired in the corridor.

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