(no subject)

[dancingmd]

Who: Beverly Crusher
Broadcast: Fleetwide Video
Action: Blue Fish
When: Right After the Attack

[Beverly is onscreen, the Blue Fish's med bay, still intact, behind her. Her jaw is set with determination as she talks.]

Attention, Drift Fleet. This is Dr. Beverly Crusher of the USS... of the SS Blue Fish. I know some of you have taken significant damage to your ships, possibly to your sickbays, and that others do not have a medic on board. Fortunately, our sickbay survived the attack, so I am offering it as a central location to help the wounded while repairs are being made elsewhere. We have a small supply of blood on hand as well, should anyone need it. If any member of your crew is too severely injured to be moved, please let me know, and I will come to you. No payments will be necessary for any treatment.

Thank you for your time.

[She signs off with a grim smile.]

Comments

action;

[dancingmd]

[Beverly immediately hurries over and guides him to one of the beds.]

Sit down.

[She examines his head, but though it is clearly bothering him, she sees no evidence of injury. Strange.]

Were you injured in the attack?

action;

[catamite]

[he hesitantly follows along, winces when his head is touched... but his attention is a little divided. as the good doctor looks him over, he's maybe... staring, a little bit.

when she questions him, he nods a little, but most of his attention is elsewhere. he's distracted.

and finally, he can't keep it to himself anymore.]

...Hey, aren't you the dancer?

action;

[dancingmd]

[Well, it was ridiculous to expect that no one was going to mention that April Fool's ... incident, now wasn't it?]

I'm a doctor, not a dancer.

Now, have you had any dizziness? Nausea? Vomiting?

action;

[catamite]

Dizzy.

...And you're really not a dancer? You seemed really good at it.

action;

[dancingmd]

[She sighs. There's no getting around this is there?]

I was a dancer at one time. I'd rather not talk about it.

[She smiles, to reassure him that's she not really angry at him or anything. That was all just very embarrassing for her.]

Now, can you tell me your name?

action;

[catamite]

[give him a minute, because there's only one kind of dancer that he's aware of that might not want to talk about their past career.]

...Oh. I get it, sorry.

[your secret is safe with him.]

And I'm Nel.

action; I'M DYING I'M DEAD GOODBYE FRIENDS

[dancingmd]

[The implication here is totally going to fly right over Beverly's head, as the double meaning of "dancer" would simply never occur to her with her Federation upbringing. Though, if she did know what Nel was thinking, she would not be upset with him. Just... confused.

She is already a bit bemused that he accepted this so readily when he seemed pretty focused on her dancing just a moment before, but she'll just chalk it up to his concussion.]

It's alright. Really, I shouldn't be that embarrassed about it, but I just had some unfortunate experiences in the past.

[How's that for vague? Make of it what you will Nel.]

I believe you may have a concussion, but I'm going to perform one last test to be sure. I need to see how your pupils are dialating, so is there anything I should know about your species that would cause you to react differently to light than humans would?

action; I REGRET NOTHING

[catamite]

[and oh yes, he is totally translating the real meaning behind that in his head.]

It's pretty amazing that you went and became a doctor afterward. Must have been a lot of hard work.

[none of the strippers he knew ever became doctors. and he shrugs a little.]

And, uh... yeah, maybe. Our eyes work a little different.

[...and he's also got some amount of intoxicants in his system, so that might throw the test as well. oops.]

action;

[dancingmd]

[Tilting her head slightly. Now she may be starting to get suspicious that they're not talking about exactly the same thing here.]

Oh no, I was dancing while I was in med school. But it was a lot of hard work, either way. It was well worth it though. I wouldn't trade my job for any other in the world.

[She goes to one of the drawers and finds a small light.]

I'll keep that in mind. Now, I'm going to shine this light in your eyes - don't worry, I don't think it will be too bright, but let me know if it is - and move it around a bit. If you have a concussion, like I think you do, your eyes won't dilate properly and you'll probably have trouble following my movements. Okay?

Re: action;

[catamite]

[Beverly might be suspecting that something is amiss, but it still makes total sense to Nel. what an ambitious woman! he's heard of people stripping to pay their way through school, but didn't think it actually happens.]

Oh, I see. I can't imagine, either way. Being a doctor seems, like... impossible.

[talking, of course, when he should be holding still while there's a light in his eyes.

and there's definitely something up with his eyes. despite squinting at the brightness of the light, he flawlessly tracks it as it moves. maybe even more smoothly than would be normal for a human. his pupils, however, are on the sluggish side--either from a concussion or something else.]

Re: action;

[dancingmd]

Few things are truly impossible, if you put your mind to it.

[She lowers the light and turns it off.]

Hmm... have you been drinking anything?

oh awesome dw, I never got this notif :T

[catamite]

Um... like, recently?

[dancingmd]

[She nods.] Just within the past few hours.

[catamite]

Maybe a little...

Does that count, if it's just a little?

[dancingmd]

[Her tone is firm, but not judgmental.]

I'm afraid it does. You have a minor concussion and alcohol will only make things worse.

[She prepares an ice pack and rests it gently against his temple.]

Can you hold that there for me? Don't apply too much pressure.

[catamite]

Oh...

[and he obeys, holding the pack against his head while he thinks. and hesitates. and maybe frets a little.]

Is that bad? ...Like, with the alcohol added in too?

[dancingmd]

It will make it more difficult to recover and sometimes the presence of alcohol will mask a more serious brain injury. I don't want you drinking any more alcohol until we're sure you've recovered fully.

[She opens a nearby cabinet and takes down a bottle of acetaminophen, frustrated that she has to resort to something so inefficient, by her standards. If they were on the Enterprise, she could get Nel back into perfect shape in minutes but as it is, his recovery will take a few days. She hands him a pill to take.]

This will help with the pain. Ino should have some of these on your ship, but if she doesn't, let me know. Take one pill every four to six hours and reapply ice to your head every couple of hours. I'll let Ino know what I told you and she can help keep an eye on you. Someone needs to be with you for the next couple days in case your symptoms get worse. And they'll need to wake you every couple of hours while you're sleeping to check on you. If you're not feeling better in the next day or two, contact me immediately.

[catamite]

[he takes the pill, he nods along, but how much he's actually absorbing is kind of questionable. ...his mind is busy chewing over a different thought.

so, after she delivers all of that helpful information, mostly in one ear and out the other--]

...What about other stuff? Like... is there other stuff I shouldn't have?

[dancingmd]

[That will raise some alarms. She keeps her face neutral, however.]

Why? Are you taking any drugs, either for medical reasons or for recreation?

[catamite]

[and this is why talking to doctors makes him nervous. ...hilariously enough, however, it's her supposedly sordid past that encourages him to go out on a limb and answer at all.]

...Some, to help me sleep.

[dancingmd]

I see. And that's all, just some sleeping aids?

[catamite]

...Is that bad?

[dancingmd]

[Oh dear. She needs to tread carefully here.]

Sleeping pills aren't bad in themselves, no. In this case, though, it might cause you further injury. Besides, you don't want to be asleep for more than a few hours at a time while you have a concussion. Do you think you can stay off the pills for two days?

[catamite]

[he has to actually think about it. glancing away, he gnaws on his lip ring a little.]

Yeah...

[dancingmd]

[She rests a comforting hand on Nel's shoulder.]

I know it's hard, but it's really important that you do this. If you want, I can come over to your ship while you're recuperating sometimes to keep you company.