Catch Up

Posted on Tue Jul 20th, 2021 @ 5:24am by Lieutenant Commander Michael Ki & Lieutenant Commander Finnley Keating VII

Mission: Character Development
Location: Sick Bay
Timeline: One Hour After "Problem Solving"
1672 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure

On:

Michael had finally had time to catch up on some much needed paperwork. It seemed that with the many Chief Medical Officers that the ship had recently the documentation was in disarray. In particular the crew's medical records. He noticed that an alarming number had never had physicals done when they boarded the vessel. Michael sighed and sipped his green tea as he knew this had to get done sooner rather than later. Well no time like the present. he thought. He decided the best place to start would be the Senior Staff members that he was missing.

MIchael tapped his com badge. "Ki to Lieutenant Keating. Please report to Sick Bay." Now we will wait to see how long it takes to get a response. I am really tired of people dodging me. Michael wanted to say, but instead all that came out was a sigh.

Finn was in the middle of running some tests in engineering when the call came through. Her facial expression turned from one of concentration to a look of bewilderment. Sick bay? Why? A repair maybe? She wondered. "Might I ask what you need Commander? If you need something repaired I can send a team." She fished for additional information, hoping to find a way out of having to go there personally.

Michael sighed heavily why people were afraid of the doctor he would never know. "You must complete your physical Lieutenant."

Has it really been that long since I've had one? Finn thought back to the only two times she had ever visited sick bay since she had joined the Athena. Once for repairs to a display and on her second visit, she had hallucinated a psychopathic version of the CMO at the time and obviously didn't stay long. The last time she'd actually had a physical would've been on her previous ship.

Well, it's been this long, maybe I can delay a while longer. She thought, tapping her combadge once more. "I'm in the middle of testing down here. I can try to stop by in a few hours."

Michael was in no mood to trifle with officers who duck him. He knew that if he did what he was about to do he would not make any friends. I am not here to make friends, I am here to do my duty. He thought. He tapped his comm badge to respond. "Actually Lieutenant you will report to Sick Bay on the double. If you are not here in ten minutes you will be relieved of duty. Sick Bay out." Michael thought that should get the fire lit.

The new CMO is insistent, great, Finn sarcastically thought as she rolled her eyes at Ki's last order. She considered, for a split second, just ignoring him or causing an issue that would force her to stay in engineering, but ultimately it wasn't worth a possible ding in her record. With a family name to live up to, keeping her career in good standing was always at the forefront of her mind.

Finn set the tests she was running to an automated mode and with a heavy sigh turned from the console towards the doors. She watched the time closely as she walked towards her least favorite part of the ship, determined to not arrive any earlier than she had to. She finally stepped foot in sick bay nine minutes after Ki's order, one minute early.

"You called? Or should I say insisted?" Finn stated with a smirk, trying to make light of the situation, though her words were laced with a hint of annoyance.

"Yes Lieutenant Keating please have a seat." Michael indicated one of the biobeds and then retrieved the instrument cart. "I am Dr Michael Ki and thank you for coming so quickly." There was a little sarcasm of his own when he said that. "Do you have any medical conditions that I should be aware of?"

A slight smile came across her face as Ki made the sarcastic comment. Her favorite form of communication was sarcasm. Maybe the new CMO wouldn't be all bad, she thought as she took a seat on the biobed. "If disliking being torn away from engineering in the middle of testing is a medical condition, then yes. Otherwise, no."

"I see... I have an allergy to officers who think they are superhuman. Now lay down please." Michael allowed the scanners to do their work. He decided that it would probably be best to get away from the quips. "So when you are not keeping this boat afloat what are you doing?" Ki found that small talk was a good way to grade the mental health of the crew. Decide who may need to be referred to counseling.

Finn thought about jokingly saying 'people have lives outside of work?' but thought better of it. The last thing she needed was some sort of mandatory off time or worse, counseling. Besides, even though she often took work home with her, she did manage to have fun too. "Probably the same as most. Grab a meal or a drink with a friend, spend time on the holodeck, work out, or read in my quarters. What about you?"

"I play violin and solve medical mysteries..." Michael's voice trailed off as he took a look at the computer screen to check the readouts. "...Have you had any major medical procedures or sicknesses that I should be aware of?" Before Finnley could answer Michael had another question. "What is it about doctors that you seem to dislike?" He asked without hesitation or emotion. At this point it was a point of curiosity above anything else.

"No major procedures or sicknesses," Finn replied to the first question and then paused for a moment as she thought up the right answer for his second. "It's nothing against you, Commander. If anything, I like you. You're direct and there's a hint of sarcasm in there, which I can appreciate," she smiled honestly. "I just don't like sickbay in general. I don't like being poked, prodded, or scanned. Feels like an invasion of my personal bubble. Beyond that, I don't know. I don't like the idea of my body being weak enough to need fixing I guess. My dad always said 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger', so I guess I've sort of subscribed to that philosophy." Finn replied with a shrug.

"Tis a good philosophy to subscribe to. However, out here everything can kill and nothing makes you stronger. In fact I often wonder what the hell we are doing out here. Considering that we can help ourselves so much better if we dealt with our own issues, instead of trying to solve the galaxies." Michael paused for a moment as he placed the tricorder back on the instrument tray. "...I can understand the feeling of invasion. However, think of it as a necessary evil. You wear your com badge everywhere, and by doing so you can be tracked wherever your are. But you do it anyway. Is this not the same?"

"No, it's not the same. A combadge just monitors my position, it doesn't read my insides and there's generally not another person on the other end of a combadge, no offense." It was hard to explain why exactly medical made her uncomfortable. It had to do with the invasion of space but also trust. Plus talking about how she felt wasn't exactly Finn's forte. "Anyway, you play the violin? What's your favorite type of music to play?" She asked, curious to learn more about the new CMO and to shift the conversation to a different topic.

It didn't take a degree in psychology to tell that the conversation had made Keating a bit uncomfortable. Michael allowed the change in subject with no further word. "I like to play concertos and bluegrass. An eclectic choice I know but fun to play nonetheless. Do you play any music" The doctor was new to the ship, a ship where most of the crew had served together for some time. He was going to have to earn their trust if they would come to him in their troubles.

"I took piano lessons a long time ago, but never kept it up. I can still play mean version of Chopsticks though," Finn chuckled. "What made you decide to pick up a violin?"

"My love of Sherlock Holmes. Every since I was a child I loved Holmes and he played the violin. So I play the violin. It wasn't until later in life that I came to love bluegrass music and learned to play the fiddle." Michael replied almost whimsically. In truth his playing helped him think. His thoughts were broken with a smile. "You know with your dislike of physicals you will make an excellent Captain." He laughed.

"Thanks! I think," Finn replied with a slight chuckle. "So, what's the verdict? Am I good to go?" She asked, wanting to get back to engineering. Ki had turned out to be more interesting than she thought he would be, but even so, she felt she had been in sickbay long enough for one day.

Michael paused as he placed every tool back on the cart at an excruciatingly slow pace. He sensed the engineer wanted out of Sick Bay and thought he would let her sweat for a moment. "Yes Lieutenant you are fit as a fiddle and clear for duty. But do not let me have to come down there to Engineering to find you next time." Michael said with a smirk.

"You might not have to come to engineering, but the next time I have to stop by, I might just walk as slowly as you put those tools back on the cart," Finn sarcastically replied in kind as she hopped off the bed. "Have a nice day, Commander." She gave him one last smile before heading out the door.

OFF