Lorna Holsen
Commander
Registered: Nov 5, 2007 11:54:02 GMT
Posts: 296
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Post by Lorna Holsen on Apr 15, 2008 13:31:09 GMT
When the lock-down on the Hepta ended the medical staff immediately beamed the unconscious Commander Hope to main sickbay. Lorna was on duty, she knew this was going to be bad, she was however grateful that Dr Hope had not been on duty, he did not need to see his wife like this although he had been called and would no doubt be here soon.
Lorna swallowed and carefully checked the other woman over. It did not look hopeful. There was too much tissue damage to be able to graft in replacement tissue and allow it to knit together. The Romulan's optic nerves were still intact so some sort of technological option was possible. However, that all depended on the patient. Lorna wouldn't claim to know S'reena well but she had seen a little of the woman's spirit (and too much of her blood), Lorna hated to see her like this and she couldn't imagine anyone who would take losing their sight well...
It would take a day or so for the injuries to close, it wouldn't be until after that that anything further could be done. Lorna had left the bandaging around S'reena's eyes to ensure their was no infection. The sedative had almost worn of and S'reena should be coming around any second now. The only other injuries she had sustained were superficial cuts to her hands which had been patched up by the team on the Hepta. Lorna hadn't been needed as an instructor this training cycle, maybe if she had been there... Then again maybe not. It was no use second guessing herself or the rest of the medical staff they had done the best they could.
She hoped when the Commander became conscious she had an angry romulan on her hands, that would be so much better than the alternative of a really depressed one.
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Deleted
Registered: Apr 24, 2024 3:59:47 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2008 20:16:15 GMT
Even in her semi-conscious state, S'reena had the oddest feeling of being transported, but she couldn't be certain whether it was for real or just all in her mind. When she finally did come out of her induced slumber, she panicked slightly when she couldn't see anything, her hands automatically coming up to her eyes, encountering the bandages before she could touch her injured eyes.
Listening, she heard voices and though she didn't recognise most of them, she immediately picked out Michael's worried voice somewhere in the distance. "Michael?" she called, "Michael what's going on? Where am I?"
Michael approached, reaching towards his stricken wife. "Conqueror's sickbay," he answered, "and it appears you suffered a terrible accident. I'm sure doctor Holsen will do anything she can to help you, won't you doctor?"
S'reena sat up abruptly, surprisingly stable considering her still drugged condition, then stood beside the bed, reaching for her husband. Michael immediately moved in to support and guide her, knowing it was a moot point to try and get her to return to the bed, especially now. "I want Doctor Black," she said sharply, ignoring Holsen altogether. She knew of course she was there, but didn't know where exactly in relation to her own position.
Sighing, Michael Hope cast the chief medical officer an apologetic look. "Better call him, she'll be uncontrollable until he gets here." He turned his attention back to S'reena. "Calm down," he whispered to her, taking her into his arms, "everything will be all right. Lorna will call for Jason now, and then they'll both have a look at you."
"No," the Romulan snarled, pushing her mate away, "I won't have her touch me. I want Jason and if Jason can't be found, find Salek!" She had never gotten to know Holsen, never really sat and talked to her, but Jason had helped her through a tough pregnancy of triplets, and had helped her with the aftermath of it. Salek had been there when she was pregnant of her older daughters and she had a special connection with either man. A female doctor was just something she was unused to.
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Deleted
Registered: Apr 24, 2024 3:59:47 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2008 21:11:53 GMT
< Neurological Institute, Nirana Prime >
"Jason?" came a voice.
Jason Black looked up from the microscope and looked over at his colleague. "Yes, Nedra?"
"I was sent to tell you there's a communique for you. A transmission from a Doctor Michael Hope, Starbase Conquerer. Weren't you assigned there?"
Michael? Jason hadn't heard from the Hope's in years. What could this be about? "Thanks, Nedra." He tapped his commbadge. "Dr. Black to Ops. Rout the incoming transmission to my lab."
A few moments later, he found himself looking at a transmission of his former assistant. "Michael! This is a pleasant surprise."
"Not so pleasant, my friend, once I tell you why I'm calling," Michael said. His expression was grave. "There's been an accident. A console on the Bridge overloaded somehow...S'reena was at it." He paused. "S'reena's blind, Jason."
"No..." Jason said, horror-struck, bringing his hand to his mouth. His stalwart superior officer, and dear friend...blind? "Is there anything I can do?"
"Yes, there is," Michael continued. "That's why I'm calling. She has specifically requested you, Jason."
"Me? I'm dozens of light-years away from Conquerer these days. Surely the doctors over there-"
"She doesn't want the doctors here. She wants you. She trusts you, Jason."
"Alright, alright," Jason said, thinking. "I've got some leave stored up. I can be there in a few days."
"Thank you, Jason. Michael out."
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Deleted
Registered: Apr 24, 2024 3:59:47 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2008 19:21:56 GMT
The two days that spanned the time until Jason's arrival, S'reena was uncontrollable and a royal pain in the [word deleted] to put it mildly. She kept snapping at poor Doctor Holsen and even Michael wasn't safe from any verbal lashing.
Doctor Hope had chosen to keep the children away from their obviously stricken mother, though Michael could quite understand her behaviour, even if he didn't approve of it. Finally at the end of his patience, he slapped her soundly. "And now you'll be quiet and just lie down," he snapped after the umpteenth verbal assault. "Jason will be here soon, and then he'll have a look at you. Until then you'll allow Lorna to care for you."
He signed. "S'reena be reasonable, there's nothing you can do right now. You can't see and there's no way you're going to get about unassisted."
"I've always managed," S'reena retorted, but lay down on the bed anyway, allowing Michael to gently guide her. She knew it wouldn't do to alienate her own husband but she was feeling helpless and it was a feeling she thoroughly hated. It was a huge dent in her precious pride, and she wasn't sure how much of this humiliation she could take.
"Michael?" she called, panic clearly audible in her voice after she realised he had never answered her retort. "Michael say something, please?" If anything, the silence was worse to bear than the loss of vision.
"I'm going to pick up Jason from the airlock. If you're good, I'm sure Lorna will allow you to accompany me. Perhaps a little stroll will help you to settle your nerves." He cast the other doctor a pointed look, before taking his wife by her arm. "Come on honey, let's go for a walk."
It was a slow walk, and it took them nearly an hour to get to the airlock. "Wait here," he told S'reena, gently setting her down in a seat near one of the observation windows. "I'll be right back, I promise." Michael walked off to the airlock to wait for Jason. "I'm glad you're here old friend, she's starting to become trouble. Nurses won't even go near her again since she gave Nurse Mitchell a bloody nose."
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Deleted
Registered: Apr 24, 2024 3:59:47 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2008 20:25:29 GMT
"Got here as soon as I could. Sympathy was taken on me and they took me straight here by shuttle," Jason said, greeting his former colleague. Jason looked over and spotted S'reena in the distance, looking at...well, nothing. "So, fill me in."
"There was an accident on the Hepta," Michael explained, "from what I'm told she was taking the science station to track our intruders, and the console exploded in her face. An ensign had the wit to transport her to sickbay immediately but the damage was already done. Her eyes are badly damaged and we don't think she'll ever see again. Lorna's hopeful of course, but S'reena's really...well...depressed about it. She won't listen, won't rest, and doesn't like the bandage obviously. Normally we'd leave it but she wouldn't leave her eyes alone, so we were forced to bandage them, especially since we can't keep her sedated forever."
Jason continued to look over at S'reena. "Not exactly a pleasant predicament such a fierce-willed woman, is it?"
"That's an understatement," Michael answered sadly, as they walked back to the disabled woman. "S'reena, I've someone here you'd like to...." He nearly said 'see' but at the last second swallowed the word back. "talk to," he finally settled on, placing her hand atop that of Jason to let her know where he was in relation to her position.
S'reena managed to stiffle one single sob before pulling the other doctor closer. "I'm so glad you came," she managed to whisper between sobs, "I don't know who else to turn to..."
Jason put his arms around S'reena. He had never seen her like this before. So scared, vulnerable... "I'm here, S'reena. We'll find some way to give you a sense of sight again," he said, holding her tight.
I'm scared," the Romulan whispered, "and I hate being like this...having to depend on others. It's putting quite a strain on Michael, and I hate to be a burden like this. Can you help me Jason? I don't want anyone else to make a fuss, you I trust. I don't know Lorna, she's too new, haven't had many dealings with her. But you're different." She felt so small, even at her one-hundred and seventy centimeters in length. "I feel so alone..."
"I know you are...I know. And I'm certainly going to do my very best," he said, trying to reassure her. "I'm having a set of ocular implants delivered to Conquerer. They should be here within a week, and then we'll get your sight almost back to normal. I'll be here to help you manage until we can do that."
"T-thank you," S'reena sniffed, then shivered. "I don't feel so good.......can we go back to sickbay?"
Michael's eyebrows rose in surprise. This was the first time ever that he'd heard her request to go back to the one place she feared most. He nodded at Jason. "It's the safest place at the moment," he offered. "I'll inform Commander Manto and Admiral Drew about the situation, if they're not already aware. Someone should take over her duties for now."
Jason stepped back from S'reena a bit, then took her hand and put it on his arm. "Come with me. We'll go back to Sickbay."
The Romulan smiled ever so slightly. "My eyes are burning," she complained, "must be the salt..." With her free hand, she wiped the tears from her face, but was very deliberate about not touching the bandages. "I'm sure you're in for a fright, my eyes are a mess. Oh I overheard the nurses talking..I may be blind but there's nothing wrong with my hearing. Will you talk to Lorna? I hope she understands...she's nice but I just don't know her."
"I'll explain it to her, yes," Jason replied, as he carefully lead her back to Sickbay. "And I think I can handle the sight of your eyes." He chuckled at the irony of the situation. "To think of all the times I almost had to drag you kicking and screaming to get you to Sickbay."
S'reena stopped dead in her tracks, nearly causing Michael to run straight into her. "That wasn't even remotely funny," she suddenly snapped, "don't think that I like to be there. I'd rather be useful, doing my job. I can still listen to reports, and I don't need my eyes to know the lay-out of the bridge. There's a perfectly good audio system in place to lead me around the station if needed...I'm quite scared of my future, but I am not disabled. I refuse to believe that."
"Good," Jason replied. "That's one step that we can skip. Because I refuse to let you believe it, either. Just because most humanoids are dominantly dependent on their sight, that doesn't mean you can't learn to cope without it."
She yanked her arm away from his support and stalked away, only to run headlong into a bulkhead. She uttered a string of Romulan profanities under her breath, before finally breaking out into tears of frustration once more. Michael walked up to her but she pushed him away. Helplessly, the doctor glanced up at his collegue. "Computer, three to transport to sickbay," he finally ordered, as a last resort.
"Something tells me this isn't going to be easy," Jason said in a low voice to Michael.
"Gee, you think?" Michael mocked. "Go see Lorna, she should know you're here to help. I'll tend to my wife for now."
(JP between S'reena and Jason)
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Lorna Holsen
Commander
Registered: Nov 5, 2007 11:54:02 GMT
Posts: 296
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Post by Lorna Holsen on Apr 17, 2008 8:52:42 GMT
"I want Dr Black." Even after a couple of days the words still rang in Lorna's mind. She knew that S'reena hadn't been deliberately setting out to hurt her, but the comment still niggled. She had sensed the waves of anger, fear and loss that had come from S'reena like a torrent when the Romulan had come round. That memory also made Lorna shiver, it didn't take an empath to know that someone who had just been blinded was going to be emotional. Lorna had made a conscious effort to keep her empathy (such as it was) off when she was near S'reena. During her stay in sickbay S'reena had raged and yelled, she'd even given one of the nurses a bloody nose and Lorna had barely avoided the same fate herself as the Romulan lashed out physically and verbally.
Lorna hoped the arrival of Dr Black would be a stabilising influence on the Romulan. It hurt to know that she wasn't wanted but then they had only served together two missions so far, not even six months. Of course in those two missions Lorna had had S'reena in a serious condition in sickbay twice, first after the Borg had assimilated her and then again after they'd had to 'kill' her to get the holodeck to shut-down. Of course given that she hated sickbays maybe that hadn't helped their relationship at all. Lorna was trying very hard not to be angry or upset at her patient's actions but it was difficult. S'reena needed a friend now, probably more than she needed a doctor, Lorna hoped that S'reena's old college's arrival would help.
She knew of Dr Jason Black but had never met him. He was obviously a well respected individual, when he actually arrived Lorna had no difficulty making the decision to allow S'reena to leave sickbay with her husband to meet him.
A while later Jason Black arrived in sickbay. Lorna made an effort to be friendly although she rather resented having another doctor called in.
"Hello, You must be Jason Black, I'm Lorna Holsen. Pleased to meet you. I guess you've all ready seen S'reena, doing her personally better than I do, what do you think?"
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Deleted
Registered: Apr 24, 2024 3:59:47 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2008 20:52:42 GMT
"Her reactions to this are about what I'd expect. She's been through so much, and born it well too. To see her brought down by something like this..." Jason drifted off, shaking his head. "This is going to be a long and difficult process, both for her and for us. She's stubborn, independent. She's not going to make it easy to help her, since she'll most likely resist any help at all. Except maybe from me..."
He looked at the other doctor. "Also, Doctor Holsen, you should know that I don't mean to usurp your authority here in any way. I know you're S'reena's doctor now, not me, and I respect that. I don't mean to be stepping on your toes at all. It's just that...well, S'reena knows me, trusts me. We've been through a lot together. I was there for the pregnancy and birth of her triplets."
"However, I do acknowledge that you're the CMO here. I will respect and defer to your authority. You'll, of course, make the decisions. But I think it would be better if I were the one with the more direct contact with S'reena. With regards to treatment, I hope you don't mind, but I've taken the liberty of speaking with some associates, and am having a set of ocular implants delivered here."
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Lorna Holsen
Commander
Registered: Nov 5, 2007 11:54:02 GMT
Posts: 296
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Post by Lorna Holsen on Apr 21, 2008 12:43:06 GMT
Lorna was reassured by Jason's insistence that he wasn't trying to 'steal' her patient. Although she agreed with the worry about S'reena. "I hope you don't mind, but I've taken the liberty of speaking with some associates, and am having a set of ocular implants delivered here."
"I don't mind," Lorna said. "I've been thinking along the same lines although I don't know what S'reena's feelings are on the subject. She's avoiding talking to me." Lorna sighed audibly. "I'm just glad that there is someone here she'll talk to. I think Michael's been getting the sorst of it the last few days. Until the delivery arrives do you think we could arrange a robotic guide or a senor net or something. I think it would do her good to be able to get around on her own. I've tried to broach the issue but..." Lorna shrugged, she guessed she was showing how much S'reena's actions had worn on her.
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