Off The Beaten Track

Posted on Tue Nov 14th, 2023 @ 12:39am by Lieutenant Xavier Leiko

Mission: Character Development
Location: USS Athena, Sickbay
Timeline: [BACK POST] Not long after the pirate attack
1039 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Xavier stepped into sickbay and was instantly hit with the smell of antiseptic and blood. The smell was overwhelming but not as much as the view. The room was full of wounded officers, some from their various fights with the pirate intruders, others from the knockout gas that had rendered the entire Alpha section’s crew unconscious. He thought he had had a bad time being captured and held hostage, but the state of sickbay was a reminder that things could have been much worse for him had he remained aboard. The thoughts of the wounded penetrated his defences making him feel guilty for merely being here and he quickly turned to leave the way he had entered.

“Can I help you, Lieutenant?”

Xavier turned to face the voice, it was coming from crewman Zemke, one of the junior doctors on the ship. Xavier had gotten to know the medical staff quite well during his time on the ship, especially with all the issues he had had recently with his telepathy. Not to mention almost suffocating during a spacewalk, nearly being killed by Finn’s clone, and as recently as a few days ago getting abducted by pirates he thought to himself.

Dr Zemke, usually freshly trimmed and well-groomed, looked as though he hadn’t left sickbay in a week. His uniform was unkempt and dirty, his hair resembled a bird’s nest sticking out in multiple directions, and the bags under his eyes screamed of someone who was running on fumes and caffeine. “Lieutenant, are you okay?” Zemke repeated, running a hand over his stubbly chin.

“I’m good, you’re all busy. Sorry to waste your time,” Xavier replied.

“We are busy but you came here for a reason and the only thing wasting my time is trying to guess what that reason may be,” the Doctor said bluntly.

He’s clearly been spending too much time with Doctor Ki Xavier thought. “Sorry yeah that’s true,” he said, feeling the guilt swell inside him again. “I was hoping to get a couple of refills for this,” he said as he held up an empty hypospray.

“What is it?” The Doctor asked, taking the small device out of the Betazoid’s hand. Someone across the room yelped in pain, the Doctor turned to make sure they were being attended to.

“Trexamoxin,” Xavier replied, his voice calm and steady.

“Mhm,” was the Doctor’s only reply. He picked up a nearby PADD and started tapping away. Xavier was trying his best not to fidget, his eyes roaming the room as he waited for Zemke to finish whatever he was looking for. “It says here that you have recently been administered some Trexamoxin and you’re not due a resupply for a few weeks.”

“Correct,” Xavier said with a half smile. “However, I was told to up my dose after the attack I suffered on the shuttle and the pirate ship. Doctor Ki didn’t want any setback with my telepathic recovery.”

The Doctor nodded as he read more of the PADD, clearly trying to confirm Xavier’s sequence of events. The yelping officer was louder now and surrounded by two of the medical team. Zemke looked over again, his eyes narrowing before he turned his attention back to the PADD. “I see that Lieutenant, but you should still have enough of the drug left. I don’t need to tell you the addictive nature Trexamoxin can have on telepaths, especially Betazoids.”

“Of course,” Xavier said sheepishly. He could feel his cheeks growing warm and he was certain someone would mistake the glowing for the ship's red alert warning. “It’s silly, my last batch was destroyed during the pirate attack,” the Betazoid admitted. “I should have mentioned that, sorry.”

“I see,” the Doctor said. “That would explain why you’ve run out. I really should examine you first,” the Doctor said hesitantly as he surveyed the room. It was full to the brim and even though they were over the worst of the medical emergencies, using a biobed for this seemed unnecessary right now.

“Whatever you think is best Doc,” Xavier said, his voice sounding casual and light. He could sense the Doctor's hesitation and he didn't mind taking advantage of that. “It would have to be now though, I’m heading to Earth right after.”

Doctor Zemke shook his head, his hair getting dangerously more out of control. “No, no it’s fine.” He moved to the medical replicator and entered his access code. He returned a few moments later carrying a case with a fresh hypospray and several vials of the purple substance. “This should see you right.” He picked up the PADD and started tapping away, right as the biobed with the yelping officer erupted into wails of alerts.

“Doctor Zemke, we need you!” One of the nurses called desperately.

The Doctor thrust the PADD into Xavier’s arms and turned to help his colleagues. “Confirm that and come and see me soon,” he called over his shoulder, his mind already on his next patient.

Xavier studied the PADD.

NAME: Xavier Richard Leiko
RANK: Lieutenant (First Class)
POSITION: Chief of Operations, USS Athena
SERIAL NUMBER: BR-221-284 KDX
PERSCRIPTION: Trexamoxin
DOSE: One a day; 15cc
REVISED DOSE: Twice a day; 15cc (counter effects of recent head injury)
STARDATE ADMINISTERED: 54721.9
CONFIRM?
CANCEL?

Xavier’s finger hovered over the confirm button. He looked up and saw that Doctor Zemke was fully engrossed in dealing with the yelping patient. Medical officers like Zemke had saved his life on more than one occasion, in fact, his decision to join Starfleet was somewhat attributed to medical personnel who had saved his dad’s life. He would have made a terrible doctor, but instead fell in love working on starships in the same way they worked on bodies. In a lot of ways, they weren’t too dissimilar, working on flesh and blood or mechanical parts. They both needed specialists to keep them going and Xavier was happy with the path he had chosen. He placed the PADD back on the table, grabbed the case and left the room.








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