The Worming of Lane
Posted on Thu Oct 8th, 2009 @ 6:40pm by Captain Elsie Halliwell & Commander Curtiss Drake
1,595 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Shoreleave - Welcoming Old Friends and New
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Current
Sickbay
Doctor th'Zahn was leaning sleepily on his left arm, quietly thumbing through the data PaDD on his desk, his head bobbing with sleep. After the third time his head nearly hit the desk, he sat back and rubbed his eyes, trying to keep his mind awake for the next few hours until his extended shift was over. Without a CMO, it was left to him as the only Doctor on board to be available; especially with the Trill Symbiont in stasis and clinging to life.
He turned around quietly to the replicator, but before he could announce his request, an alert claxon sounded from the bio bed. Antennae suddenly wide with shock, th'Zahn jumped from the chair and out of his office towards the bio-bed, sliding to a stop just before the panel. He quickly read the panel as the blue color in his face faded slightly. Stepping back a step he tapped the badge on his chest.
=^='Doctor th'Zahn to Doctor Elde and Captain Lane. Report immediately to Sick Bay. Medical Emergency.'=^= he announced, turning towards the medical tool stand beside him and crying out for a nurse.
Captain’s Quarters
The internal comm. resounded loudly through his quarters as Lane’s eyes shot open with a jerk to his body. Nestled in his arms, and sleeping soundly, was Rory. Softly breathing and motionless, just the gentle rise and fall of her chest and the low whistle of her nose as she slept.
Tapping the combadge that rested delicately on the bedside table, he whispered so as not to wake his daughter.
“Lane here, Doctor. What’s the problem?�
=^='Captain, we may be losing the Symbiont. I don't know how much longer I can maintain it in stasis. I think we need to prepare for the procedure immediately.'=^= th'Zahn replied.
Lane quickly shot a concerned look to Rory as she stirred in his arms. “On my way, Doctor,� he replied, a little more loudly than before as he closed the channel and squeezed his daughter tighter.
“Rory,� he whispered in her ear as her little eyes flickered open. “Rory, wake up.�
She stirred more widely this time and mumbled as her eyes opened fully. “Daddy,� she said, blinking hard. “What’s wrong?�
“Shhh, my love. Nothing’s wrong. But I need to go down to sickbay. Remember the operation I have to have that I told you about? Well, it’s time. I need to go now.�
He kissed her forehead as she hugged into him and said, “I’m excited for you, Daddy.� He smiled, more inwardly than out and hugged her back.
“Mrs. Gray,� he called as she hovered about the door-frame, already knowing what was expected. “It’s time.�
“I know, Coltan,� she replied, taking his hand in hers, a subtle tear welling in the corner of her eye. “I love you.�
He winked at her, smiled and then left. Leaving behind not only his daughter and his own mother figure, but life as he knew it.
Sickbay
"Get me another table, we need the stasis pod sustained off the bio-bed. We need to prep the bed for the joining." he ordered, pointing to the nurse. The Vulcan woman quickly followed his instructions as th'Zahn tried to get his head around the procedure and prepare the instruments and tools he would need.
Lane walked in to the pandemonium that surrounded him: Medical staff darting from left to right and right to left, crossing each others’ paths, snaking around each other.
“Doctor?� Lane sternly asked as the sickbay doors sealed behind him.
"Sir." th'Zahn replied, standing at the foot of the bio-bed, "We need to get you prepped right away. Doctor Elde's on her way now. We need to get this started before we lose the Symbiont." he added, gesturing to the bed.
Lane shot a look to the Doctor and took in a deep breath, feeling his heart wrack against the inside of his ribcage. As he steadied himself, the sound of the door behind him made him turn as the sight of Doctor Elde striding towards him appeared.
“Doctor,� she said, nodding, a panicked look searing her eyes. “It’s time, isn’t it?�
"Yes, Doctor." th'Zahn replied quickly, "We won't be able to sustain the symbiont much longer, the stasis pod is failing."
“Okay, Mr. Lane,� she said, turning to him with intent. “We don’t have much time. Bio-bed. Now!�
Lane felt two firm hands grasp his arms as he was led to the bed and lifted upon it. He breathed quickly, closed his eyes as the metal of the hypospray pressed against his neck and remembered nothing more of the solitary, hollow life he had led up until that day.
“Doctor,� Elde said, resting Lane’s head on the pillow, “showtime.�
th'Zahn took up station beside the bed and nodded to Doctor Elde. "Your surgery, Doctor. Tell me what you need." he said, looking a bit nervous, his antennae spread wide.
“Stand back,� she replied as they both undressed the captain’s stomach.
Grabbing the necessary tools, the Trill doctor leaned over his stern frame and proceeded to make the incision with the laser scalpel. As the flesh seared away, splitting perfectly along the incision, Elde called one of the med-techs to bring over the Symbiont. “Quickly,� she cursed.
Ordinarily, the procedure was conducted smoothly, silently, and ritualistically. However, now was not the time for tradition. As the tech approached the symbiont's stasis pod, the small creature began convulsing.
"Drop the stasis field!" th'Zahn called out, spinning around quickly to assist, "Now, now!" he called, quickly disengaging the pod. He stared confused at the computer readout for the Symbiont being projected on the wall of the biosuite and shook his head.
"I... uh... I don't know what to do." he said lamely, just as suddenly shaking his head free. "Computer, activate EMH." he called out as he ran the length of the deck and engaged the computer panel. The face of the transporter Chief appeared after a moment.
"Chief, we need another Doctor." th'Zahn called frantically as the EMH came to life and began conversing with a frazzled Elde. "Do you have any information on our CMO?" he pressed.
The Chief arched his eyebrow curiously, "Yes... it's here... but he's planetside. Not scheduled for arrival for another sixteen hours. Even if I locked him, he's unaware and at the utmost edge of our range" he replied.
"I don't care. We need him now, Chief. Get him here, now. The Captain's life's at stake here." he ordered. "I'm declaring a Medical Emergency. Get. Me. That. Doctor!" he ordered, before turning away from the panel and back to the bio-suite.
"Well, of course, if you'd let me do my job from the beginning rather than deactivating me out of precious pride we might have avoided this whole situation." the EMH said, turning to th'Zahn as he returned. "Ah, if it isn't our ball of sunshine." he quipped.
"Can you stabilize him?" th'Zahn asked. The EMH was his last hope if he was going to save the Symbiont.
"Already done." the EMH replied, with a pompous air. "One of the lux-." he stopped as the vital's readouts on the Symbiont all crashed completely, this time worse than before. "Oh." he muttered lamely.
"Hologram! Prognosis!?" th'Zahn boomed.
The EMH took a cursory step back, holding his tricorder lamely in his left hand and shook his head. "I.. I don't know. Starfleet Medical's information regarding the Trill Symbiont is vague at best. I'm simply- oh." he said as an older man stepped through his holographic image with a whoosh and grabbed the tricorder the EMH was holding as he did.
"Someone turn that damn thing off." Fox croaked, turning his attention down to the Symbiont in the pod. "Next person that turns it on in my Sick Bay can bunk in the airlock." he added, stowing the scanner node and heading toward the hypospray bay. He grabbed an empty one and pressed it to Captain Lane's neck before turning to the Symbiont and injecting the Trill blood into it. The vital signs reversed course in the complete opposite direction as the Symbiont began to absorb the Trill fluids, thinking it was in the process of joining. According to the computers, the Symbiont was now in a state similar to a human that had been injected with pure adrenaline; everything was in overdrive.
"Join them now. You won't get another chance." Fox said, standing back to let the sanitized th'Zahn hand the Symbiont over.
Elde stood forward and placed the slug-like creature into the hollow of Lane’s stomach quickly. It seemed to wriggle subtly as it nestled into the warmth beyond. The connections between Lane and Kerr took hold, fragilely at first, as Elde snatched the tricorder from Fox and began frantically scanning.
“It’s taking hold,� she announced, smiling slightly at the results. “The next twenty-four hours are critical. Lane must sleep. But there’s nothing more we can do as physicians. Just let nature take its course.�
"Indeed." Fox replied, folding his arms across his chest. "Now... would someone care to explain?"
Coltan Lane
Commanding Officer
USS Archimedes
[NPC - Doctor Elde]
Cailean Fox, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
USS Archimedes
[NPC - Doctor th'Zahn]
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