Medical Check Up: Hawthorne

Posted on Thu Sep 28th, 2023 @ 6:15pm by Lieutenant Roan Gaeta & Crewman Avery Hawthorne

1,835 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Mission 1 - Project Concord

Doctor Gaeta had taken the time to get to know his sickbay and once he had gotten comfortable he had booked the slots in for medical check ups. He hadn't even asked for permission, but booked them all in regardless. Because it was important for him to get a baseline for the patients, should they encounter different environments that affected their physiology.

He glanced at the PADD, seeing the name of his next appointment. Crewman Avery Hawthorne. Human, so he expected the baseline to be similar to what they had when graduating, unless bad habits had crept in.

Moving in to the Sickbay exactly on time, Avery glanced around before motioning to the doctor. Avery's hair was long, blonde and wavy, but neatly tied back, and the fair colour accented the blue eyes. Their body looked slender, maybe overly so, even in the uniform, but they moved to the doctor with a sense of energy and lightness. "Doctor Gaeta?"

"That is me, and you must be Crewman Hawthorne," Roan said, running his eyes over the crewman. They were slender, he could see that. But it might just be their natural build rather than something Roan had to worry about. He had known people like that, all speed and leanness. "It's good to meet you."

"And you," Avery nodded with a soft smile, watching him for a long moment before offering a hand over, but unsure if it was the correct thing to do. "If you...do this..."

Roan took it, smiling as he nodded. "I can do," he said, watching them for a moment, that small smile. "I tend to adapt to what people prefer though. Keep them comfortable. Now...mind if I call you Avery for this? I try and be a bit more personal."

"Avery is good," they assured with a gentle smile, shaking his hand before letting go to motion to the Sickbay. "While I'm here, you should let me know if there's anything else you need. I can pass on any problems or requests."

"So far, it's all working. Really...high on the technology. The EMH is as annoying as I expected," Roan said before he moved to the biobed and patted it. "Up you go. And you might as well tell me if you have any aches, pains, questions, concerns..." he raised an eyebrow, but was still smiling.

Avery sat up on the biobed, undoing the uniform jacket incase it needed to come off. "I've not been sleeping well. This is my first posting, so...maybe it's just that."

Roan nodded, smiling gently as he reached for the medical tricorder. "Computer, display vitals on biobed 3," he said, to see the heart rate, oxygenation and blood pressure displayed. "Not sleeping well...struggling to fall asleep, waking up a lot or uneasy sleep?" he asked them.

"A bit of all of it," Avery admitted, but was watching the doctor, and then the readouts, with interest. "I don't know how you could ever learn what all this means."

"A lot of repetition," Roan admitted as he shook his head, smiling. "Same as most things in life. I wasn't good at it in the beginning. It took me longer than most. But the computer helps...colour coding depending on species anyway, but I find that a bit difficult since no one is the same. Even humans have some differences in them, physically. What would be a high heart rate for some is normal for someone else, under the right circumstances depending on environmental factors."

"See, that's what I mean," Avery shook their head with awe, but their gaze was still on the moving stats with fascination. "I think that would get my head in such a muddle..."

"No more than the paperwork and organising a yeoman would need to do," Roan said, but it was with a small smile. "To my mind. We are all different, with different strengths." He paused, looking at Avery. "Tell me about your current routine for getting to bed, Avery."

"Hm..." Avery thought about it for a long moment, biting and worrying at their lower lip with it. "I...don't really have one. I just...keep doing the things I like until I'm so tired that...I can't."

"Ah..." Roan nodded as he looked at them, a small smile coming to him. "Perhaps that is something you could try changing? Routines are helpful to ease the mind. Don't...get me wrong, I have often worked until I have collapsed and slept the sleep of the exhausted. But I think you can do better."

Avery contemplated that for a long moment, needing to process the idea of changing lifestyle. "Would you...could you...suggest a routine?" Avery finally asked, knowing from experience that it was sometimes better just to ask someone who knew better rather than trying to figure it out.

Roan nodded, putting the medical tricorder to the side. They were healthy, he didn't have to worry about Avery in a medical sense. "I knew someone who would always start with a cup of herbal tea before bed, no screens, no work. Just twenty minutes of calm before going to bed. Others, I know, might like a shower before bed. I...read."

"What do you read?" Avery asked quickly with a warm but curious smile. Avery wasn't sure that reading would work in their case, it would probably get their brain all riled up and ready to work, but the curiosity was still there.

"Poetry," Roan admitted, with no sense of shame or irony over it. He liked poetry, he liked how it flowed. So why hide he liked it? "But I've heard the Transporter Instruction Manual is good bedtime reading. Two lines and you are unconscious."

Avery's features brightened up at that, a gentle smile appearing. "Against these turbid turquoise skies, the light and luminous balloons, dip and drift like satin moons, drift like silken butterflies..."

Roan smiled as he heard that, meeting their eyes. "I've liked poetry since I realised it could expand my vocabulary," he said playfully, before he shook his head. "That...sounds familiar." He couldn't place it, but his brain told him it was from Earth, possible 19th Century.

"Oscar Wilde," Avery admitted, colour touching their skin at how frivolous it sounded. "Don't you just love how tactile his language is?"

"It is," Roan said before he tilted his head, clearly thinking. "How many loved your moments of glad grace, and loved your beauty with love, false or true? But one man loved the pilgrim's soul in you, and loved the sorrows of your changing face."

"Yeats," Avery smiled with awe, clearly enjoying the poetry before glancing down awkwardly, the smile weakening. "Sorry. I can have a very detailed memory for not particularly important things, I've been told it's annoying."

"Not at all, I am jealous," Roan told them, watching Avery for a long moment. "Don't apologise for something that is...a part of you." He reached out, touching his shoulder for a moment.

Avery watched him with surprise but it eased to a small smile as they gave a nod, relaxing with it. "Well, not everyone likes things being quoted at them. At least I've found someone to come and shoot poetry at," they teased.

"Yes, you can always shoot poetry at me. Better than slings and arrow," Roan said with a chuckle. "Now, any medical things bothering you?" he asked, looking at the results. So far, so good, but always good to ask again. To check.

"I don't think so," Avery shook their head, but thought seriously on the question. As with any question sent their way. "Just the sleep. And the odd headache. I always put the two together."

"Not necessarily wrong," Roan said as he looked at them, with a small smile. "Do you usually get these headaches at a certain time, or after doing a certain activity? Or does it just show up?"

"In the evening," Avery considered, pursing their lips as they tried to visualise the day. "So I stop working and play some piano or cello. I forget about it in no time."

"And it helps your head?" Roan asked, with a small smile. Playing an instrument, it sounded so...so nice. So peaceful. And beautiful. He watched them with interest at it, waiting for them to tell him more.

"Yes, I..." Avery stopped, a slight frown appearing as they looked to the Doctor with mild confusion. "Hang on, that doesn't sound quite right does it. I mean, it doesn't sort of go together."

Roan smiled as he met their eyes, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not trying to trick you," he said, his voice quiet. "I think the headaches might be stress or just tiredness. Doing something else, like playing an instrument, gives you a break from one of those things."

"Ah...." Avery nodded, thinking on it for a long moment, processing it. "I don't think when I play music. It's just...the music."

"Sound like magic," Roan said and nodded, putting the medical tricorder to the side. "You should do it as often as you can. Keep it up, creating something beautiful."

Avery smiled softly, looking down for a long moment at the words. "It was going to be my career," they said softly.

"What happened?" Roan asked, watching their face. He was curious, but also...getting to know the crew was important, as a doctor. That trust. And he wasn't a monster, he wanted to get to know people.

"The war," Avery smiled weakly at how...silly it sounded. How naive. "My mother is a Starfleet officer. She served in the war, and it seemed like the right thing to do. To join up and fight oppression. This...is my first posting though. I didn't even finish training before the end of the war."

He nodded, watching them before he reached out, to touch their shoulder. "Some things happen for a reason. My advice? Keep your passions going. Starfleet is brilliant, but as a lifelong career it isn't necessarily for everyone. Many are now finding it...difficult, the shine a bit lost as we've had to put the ideals on the sideline to survive."

Avery held his eyes, watching him with trust that the words were true. They nodded solemnly, taking the advice to heart. "Yes, Doctor," they said softly.

"Alright...you're healthy. And sane, although that isn't my speciality," Roan smiled as he met their eyes, nodding. "You're good, Avery. But if you ever need anything, anything at all...come and see me."

"I'd like that," Avery admitted with a warm smile, nodding sincerely at the idea. "Thank you. You've made this a piece of cake."

"It was my pleasure," Roan said, with an easy smile as he offered his hand to them. "Don't be a stranger, Avery. And best of luck, not that you need it."

Avery smiled brightly, taking the hand as they nodded, encouraged by the words. "The same to you, Doctor. Let's hope this ship takes us to good things..."

 

RSS Feed