Medical Checkup: Walker

Posted on Sun May 12th, 2024 @ 4:43pm by Lieutenant Roan Gaeta & Lieutenant JG Freya Walker

1,597 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Mission 1 - Project Concord
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Before Launch

Doctor Roan Gaeta looked down at the PADD, which was looking pretty good with all the people he was seeing. A nice checklist of people, crossed off, cleared for the mission ahead. The next person on his list was the Chief Counselor. He had met her during the mingling the crew had done. But that had been a short talk. Unexpected, he hadn't exactly expected the counselor to be a fighter. He pushed it aside. Fighter was a fighter. He was one too, even if he pretended he wasn't.

Walker came in. "Alright Doc. Grab me and I will cough." That wasn't how her check up would go. She didn't have those parts, even if physicals were done that way anymore. Things were done with a tricorder now. She had a busted lip from a hands on counseling session. She had to kick someone's ass to get them relaxed enough to talk. It was effective. He emoted after she broke his ribs and bruised his kidney and liver. Boxing. She was a little mean for it. Not many People have their vagus nerve cluster stimulated in a therapy session. Not many Couselors can do it.

He watched her, taking in her appearance before he frowned. "I feel like pointing out it isn't even midnight and you look like you've been five rounds against a Klingon..." his eyes narrowed slightly. "Must be something going around, should I be worried about the increase of violence?"

Walker answered, "Swing shift crew member that doesn't talk well, especially to a woman, unless they sweat and bleed. So, I made him sweat and bleed, then he talked. Of course, I fast tracked the encounter by tripping his vagus nerve. I can't be trying to go blow for blow with someone a foot taller than me." She grinned. She wasn't a dumb fighter by any means.

He gestured to the biobed, the frown still there. Her answer hadn't helped. "Why would he had issues talking to a woman?" he asked, somewhat confused. "I'll need to heal you up before I can examine you properly to get a baseline. Unless a split lip is standard for you..." The last he said quietly, to himself, more than to her.

She laughed, "I'm Walker. Split lip and bruised knuckles come with the package. As far as talking to a human or a woman, Cultural issues. I guess I get to see the upgraded dermal regenerator. Probably the bone knitter too."

"And I take it that there's no way of talking you out of therapy with your fists?" he asked as he motioned for her to sit as he took a hold of a dermal regenerator. "I can give you something for the pain if you want."

Walker smiled, "Every session is a little different. Every patient is a little different. If my patient needs to talk, I talk. If they need to sweat, we work out. If they need to bleed, I beat them up."

"I'm not a counselor," he said, moving to heal her lip, his hand gently touching her chin. "So honestly, I don't know." But the idea of beating up a patient went against everything the doctor was now. A bit of a callback to his past, perhaps.

She laughed, "I meant that mostly as humor, usually I go running or lift weights with a patient if they have trouble talking."

He met her eyes, holding them for a moment before focusing at his work. "As a physician, I can only advise against violence. We might have a lot of medical wonders, but the body can't be fooled in the end. Everything has a price."

"I agree. However, we can't ask someone to deny their Culture." Walker laughed, "My Culture says Violence is always an option. It is honorable to die in Battle. It is also honorable to die loved and surrounded by one's family. Wisdom makes you want to lean towards the latter." Her wife was dead. Her siblings were dead. Her family in this time were all born after Q kidnapped her and played his games with the USS Broken Arrow. She knew the current family line shared a similar mentality and Culture, but she didn't feel a connection. She didn't grow up with them or fight Beside them.

"Xuè wilt xuè..." Roan said, and the universal translator seemed to struggle with his pronunciation. He looked at her, taking a deeper breath. "Medicine doesn't really care about culture. I just mean that the red stuff...usually stays inside," he finished with the dermal regenerator and pulled back. "Where it belongs."

Walker Grinned, "Or Green Stuff or purple stuff. Your side of Medicine doesn't always deal with Culture until it is Last Rites and what Medical Procedures are allowed. I get to deal more the the emotional aspect. Different branches of Medicine. Did you speak to me in Chinese?"

"Sort of a mix language, from where I am from," he said, his voice quiet. "Ease back, I need to get your baseline. We don't know how this trip will affect our bodies, so I am getting a baseline of every member of the crew."

Walker laid down and let him do the scan. She was in Really good shape. She had a specific Genetic Marker that showed she was descended from a Non Soonien Eugenic Soldier from the War. Other than that she was very healthy.

The genetic markers were somewhat of a surprise, but he supposed that no one could be punished for what their ancestors had done. There was a river of blood in Roan's own family history that he was glad he didn't have to answer for. "Any discomforts and issues that haven't resulted from your approach to counselling?" he asked, unable to quite keep the distaste out of his voice.

She watched his facial tics, "No Sit, Doc. Did I Offend you?" A lot of People were offended by her for various reasons. She wanted to figure out this puzzle.

He met her eyes, letting out a breath. "No. But as a physician, seeing needless injury...it goes against what I've been taught," he said, watching her. "I also don't believe violence solves anything. And what I am seeing from you is violence. You radiate it. From the weapons you wear to how you easily laugh at having caused injury to another member of the crew. Injury that I have to repair. So you have not offended me. I just fundamentally disagree with your approach to counselling."

"Yes, I have the ability to laugh after violence and trauma. It is my defense mechanism. It isn't always a good one. Most of the time, my sessions are a lot less hands on. Every situation demands it's own assessment. I create the treatment based on the multitude of factors. If someone has a history of hemophilia and need Surgery, you treat that person differently, having certain tools closer I assume." Walker thought for a moment. "Violence is just one aspect in my toil bag. I don't always need a hammer."

"And what I am saying is..." he looked at her, thinking. They would fundamentally disagree. Most likely forever. Did he really have the energy to put into debating it when it wouldn't change anything? Truth was, no. He didn't. "Doesn't matter. So your medical history all seemed rather standard. Which is good."

Walker grinned, "Good. I'm healthy. Other than reducing my bacon intake and increasing my fruits and vegetables intake, you believe it prudent I find a less violent endorphin Activity."

He looked at her, with some confusion at what she was saying. And when in doubt, you asked. "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean?" he said, adding a small smile at his own brain clearly not processing her meaning.

Walker grinned, "Doctors on old Television shows pushed less bacon and more fruits and vegetables. The other was a reference to my love of martial arts and sparring to relax."

"Ah," Roan chuckled as he understood it. He had heard of television but had never been that enticed by 20th and 21st century technology. If you could call it that. "Well the genius of the replicator has balanced most things for us. I think the bacon from it is...far less problematic."

"In modern times, the replicator food tastes better than it did a hundred years ago. Bacon almost tastes like Bacon. Before it tasted like baloney."

"Don't knock baloney," Roan said with a smile, shaking his head. "I am not entirely sure what I really think about replicators. I didn't have them growing up." He watched the results coming in, logging them for the baseline on her profile.

Walker grinned, "But if I want Bacon, I want Bacon. Baloney is just different. However, there is baloney time. If it is baloney time, I want baloney."

"There's a time and place for all the foods," he said before he stopped, considering it. He snapped himself out of it and nodded. "And there we go, I got your baseline now. Looks good."

Walker grinned, "I'm good or do you need to poke me some more?"

"No, you are all good," he said and logged it, stepping back. "You are free to go. Or run, I have had a few people running out of here for some reason..."

Freya grinned, "I'm a Walker. I don't run away." She hopped off the biobed and moonwalked away.

Roan chuckled, waving at her before shaking his head. Now Walker was certainly going to be an interesting addition to this crew and its adventure.

 

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