Tables Turned: Medical Edition

Posted on Sat Jun 15th, 2024 @ 5:07am by Lieutenant JG Amanda Clark, MD & Lieutenant Roan Gaeta

1,006 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Mission 1 - Project Concord
Location: Deck 12 (saucer section) | Sickbay | USS Concord
Timeline: Before Launch

Doctor Gaeta smiled as he walked into sickbay outside his own shift. There was a reason for it. He had insisted on everyone getting their baseline taken and checked over before they launched and here he was, ready for his turn. It was only fair. He was a doctor and had to set an example. He was a department head and therefore knew some of the lower ranks would take pleasure in him undergoing the same things that everyone else did. It was good for morale.

He spotted Doctor Clark without any issue, familiar with the brunette. "Doctor Clark," he greeted her as he walked over to her. "I'm here for my medical checkup."

Doctor Clark smiled and grabbed a tricorder from the equipment cabinet. “If you wouldn’t mind having a seat on bio-bed one sir” she requested and made her way to the bio-bed.

"Sir? How very formal..." Roan said as he moved to the biobed and sat down. "Might as well call me Roan for this. Since I have no authority over you as a patient." He said with humour yet the meaning was there. He would follow her advice, her orders, since she was his doctor in this moment.

Amanda wasn't about to call Doctor Gaeta by his first name. She only smiled and took the probe tool from the medical tricorder and started her scans "anything bothering you since your last check up?" she asked one of the standard questions.

"Not bothering me," he admitted as he looked at her. "I am tired, it may just be the workload. I am trying to make sure we're ready for launch. I am also not eating as healthily as I should, when I get tired I crave...less than healthy food. Still replicated though, so it saves my waistline."

Amanda smiled while pulling up her patients medical record and starting to make notes. “Gotta appreciate some of the small things, right?”

"It's all we can do," Roan said with a chuckle, watching her with a small smile. He knew his records would show various scars removed once he joined Starfleet. As well as how his body metabolised and rejected radiation. Apart from that, he knew he was just a normal human after all. That was still the core of his DNA.

As her eyes scanned over her superiors medical record she found a few things interesting “some interesting notes here” she smiled as she finished up her scans with the tricorder.

He chuckled at that, shaking his head. "Just the result of genes passed down on a hostile planet, nothing too...special," he said lightly. "And nothing a good dose of anti-radiation medication can't do in Starfleet."

She smiled at Roan and looked him in the eye “I wanted to say thank you Doctor” she paused for a moment and took a breath. “You know for taking me under… under your wing so to speak.”

He met her eyes with surprise before he smiled. "You're a good doctor, so there is no need to thank me. I want you to have the space and confidence to grow as a physician. If I ever get unhelpful, please let me know."

Amanda shook her head with a smile on her face. She did need to work on her confidence especially with patients that were ranking officers. “Well as far as I am concerned you are clear for duty, doctor” she smiled.

"That's good," he said with a soft chuckle, nodding as he watched her. "You're a good doctor, Doctor Clark. I am not just saying that to be nice, your record is excellent and the feedback others have given praise your bedside manner...a surprisingly rare thing to be praised. Which either say the rest of us are miserable or you...have a certain way that patients respond to."

Amanda all but blushed at the nice words “I just try to think about how I’d want someone to treat my momma as patient and I go from there” she smiled. “Besides kindness goes a long way, especially when someone don’t feel well.”

He nodded in agreement, watching her with warmth. "That is something that is natural with you. Can't be taught. Trust me...you have better bedside manners than I do."

Amanda took that as a great compliment “thank you Doctor” she said with a smile. “I’ll keep a close eye on our patient.”

"I know you will," Roan said and got off the biobed, stretching his back out for a moment. "So, are you enjoying it here so far? I know we've barely had the chance to sit down and take a breath."

"I am" Amanda smiled nervously "I'm excited and nervous all at the same time to be honest."

"Want to know something? So am I," he admitted, the warmth in his smile clear. "The mission, but also being on a new ship. New dynamic, new people...it is a lot."

"It is a lot" Amanda agreed and tried to break the tension a little by cracking a smile "at least we have a good doctor on board."

"Yes, we do," he said and motioned to her, chuckling. "And if we can get through this without anyone deciding to play idiots and get themselves into trouble on the holodeck with no safeties on, we may even keep our sanity."

Amanda chuckled and started her notes on the patient she had just treated. "Thank you Doctor Gaeta again" was all Amanda said standing there wearing a smile on her face.

He watched her for a moment before he stood. "And seeing as I am off duty...Sickbay's all yours, Doctor Clark. Hail me if there's anything I should know, if not I will read it in the handover notes for the next shift."

“Yes sir” Amanda smiled and started thinking about everything that just happened so she could do her charting. She was glad to know that doctor Gaeta had enough confidence in her to leave her in charge of sickbay.

 

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