From: "Amy Gross" <agross@m3.sprynet.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 00:40:59 +0000
Subject: USS CHESAPEAKE: Extraction
SD: 90717.0435
MD: 14.0830
Scene: USS CHESAPEAKE, Sickbay
"If you'll just *sit,* sir, just for a minute," Catherine stated
firmly. The Captain's eyes widened, and she wondered if the CMO had
even raised her voice to anyone before, much less a commanding
officer. Barely concealing her disbelief, she sat, perching gingerly
on the edge of a biobed.
"Actually, Captain, it would be better if you would lay..." Ledoux
went on, taking up a medical tricorder and tucking a loose curl
behind one ear.
"Lay..." Bell muttered. It was a bit late to turn tail and run
now, she supposed, and reclined onto her back, her rigid form bearing
more than a passing resemblance to a corpse.
Catherine shook her head slightly, punching a few keys and running
the instrument smoothly over the Captain's body, several inches above
it. She made a few passes, her face darkening each time she
scanned the abdomen. That was impossible, she told herself. Anyone
who was checked even fairly regularly would have had something like
this detected by now.
Anyone who was checked even fairly regularly. Exactly.
Thinking back, she tried to recall when Bell's records placed her
most recent physical. She had avoided it during her brief stint at
Engineering, and with the shuffle of physicians on the USS BURKE,
she had apparently ducked out of it there, as well. Prior to that,
she had joined the HOOD in mid-mission, and almost immediately beamed
down on an away mission. Before that, there had been the
hearing on the Calliope disaster, which were preceded, of course, by
the incident itself. It hit the CMO with greater force than ever-it
had probably been several years since Amanda Bell had had an
actual physical. Somebody somewhere had done a good job of
overlooking it. And now, Ledoux sighed, it was coming back to haunt
her.
You can sit up now, sir," she said quietly, and Bell heard some
light tapping as she did...something with that tricorder. The CO sat
up about as quickly as Catherine had seen anyone do before.
"So, doctor," Bell asked, her mouth twisting into a smile that was
almost as grim as it was humourous, "will I live?"
Ledoux stares back at the CO seriously, the faintest hint of
reproach surfacing in her pale eyes. "Probably, sir. With the
proper care."
"Excuse me?" Bell frowned, and even the tight little smile she had
been sporting dissolved. "I would think an officer of your
experience would have been sense than to..."
"It's true, sir," Catherine stated flatly, shaking her head as she
examined the readings again. "Do you get pains in your stomach, bad
ones?"
The CO shut her eyes for a moment, sighing. "On occasion. We age,
and not everything agrees with us anymore. In another ten years or
so, you'll..."
"Captain..." the CMO sighed. "With all due respect, you know it's
more than that. And I know it's an ulcer. One that should have been
caught and taken care of months ago."
"An ulcer," Bell repeated, a vague smile curling at the edges of her
mouth again. "So," she exhaled slowly, "lay me down and zap it
out."
"It's not quite so simple. It's...really, Captain, it should have
been taken care of long ago. I wonder that you can bear to eat at
all."
Bell's eyes narrowed into small, dark slits. "What are you saying,
*doctor*?"
Catherine swallowed and stiffened her spine, willing the knot in her
own stomach to stay down as she spoke in as firm a tone as she could.
"What I am saying, Captain," she began quietly, "is that
your stomach is playing host to any number to acids. An ulcer is
eating away at the lining with stunning efficiency. Neglect,
coupled, I assume, with emotional repression, have only made it
worse. You require surgery, and we don't have the equipment here,
yet. Nor would I think it wise that this ship begin a mission with
it's CO flat on the operating table, even if we did."
"So, what is your recommendation?" the CO asked, her voice
frosty.
"That you depart this ship as soon as possible, and head back to
DELTA for immediate treatment. I can alleviate the symptoms, but
it's been let go for far too long."
Bell simply stared at Ledoux for a moment or two, her dark eyes
boring into the CMO's pale ones. She stayed is that position even as
a wave of fire seemed to pass through her midsection. After it
passed, heedless of the sweat on her brow, she simply said, "You
would have me abandon my duty. Very well. Know that if I wanted to
stay here badly enough, I could."
She slid off the bed and stalked out.
***********************
MD: 14.0930
Scene: USS CHESAPEAKE, Ready Room
"I...see..."
Commander Daniel Brennan sit silently for several minutes, his back
straight as he faced Amanda Bell from across her desk. He was only
partially successful in keeping the bewilderment from his face.
.
"Of course, this throws a rather large wrench into the negotiations.
I have consulted with Admiral Jokinen. You will, of course, take my
place in them, just as you will be taking it here, on the
CHESAPEAKE. You may tell them what you like about my absence. Any
and all information and notes I have pertaining to this mission can
be found here." She gestured to an array of PADDs and data chips
stacked neatly in three piles upon her desk.
"You will be leaving the ship, then?"
Bell nodded, sighing. "As soon as is convenient. A convoy is
departing from one of the mining colonies later today. I can be on
it. My things will follow when you return to DELTA at mission's
d. As for those...." She gestured to the two seahorses floating
serenly inside their tank. "I will prepare them and bring them with
me as well. Are we clear
Clear? No...but she had already stood and looked away from
him.
"Bell to th'Tellan. Please report to my Ready Room.
Immediately."
Brennan himself rose also, and when the Romulan OPS officer entered
the room, CO and XO turned in tandem to greet him. "Gentlemen," Bell
began evenly. "I see no need to waste time." She swiftly
ounded her desk and headed for a console mounted on the far left
wall, the other two in close pursuit. Once there, her hand shot out,
and she tapped in a few quick commands as the display screen hummed
to life.
"Computer," she intoned immediately, "This is Captain Bell, Amanda
H. Emerson. Begin sequence for transfer of command, authorization
Bell-beta-omega-four-nine-one."
<<Initializaing...>> The soft, feminine tones of the ship's
computer responded. Bell nodded to Brennan.
"Computer," he said, his voice steady, "Continue sequence,
authorization Brennan-epsilon-gamma-six-six-three."
<<Acknowledged.>>
Bell and Brennan both stared at th'Tellan. Whatever he may have
been thinking, he did a pretty admirable job of concealing it. With
only the slightest pause, he took a breath and began, "Computer,
conclude sequence, authoization th'Tellan-gamma-delta--seven-two."
<<Transferring...>> There was a pause of about thirty seconds.
<<Command transfer complete. Commander Brennan, Daniel J., now
recognized as Commanding Officer, USS CHESAPEAKE.>>
Brennan swallowed once. "I relieve you, sir."
Bell snapped her gaze back to him. "I stand relieved," she said
after a moment, then sighed. "Thank you both." She took a step
back, exhaling slowly. "Tell the crew, if you would, that they have
my every confidence. It was an honor serving with them."
"Of course," Brennan said quietly, nodding.
"And at that," Bell said tonelessly, "I leave you to your ready
room, sir." She walked quickly to the door, collected as ever.
NRPG:
Chris: I hope I got Ledoux right...thought it might be interesting
to have a bit of turnabout.
Takako, Melvin: Same gose for the admittedly brief transfer scene.
All: There was a better ending to this post, but it got eaten by my
computer. In any case, I tried to pull this off with as little
disruption as possible., and I hope I succeeded. This should fit
in after the arrival at the system, and the early contact with the
delegations, though I leave that to your new CO to confirm. <G>
In closing, allow me to state again how much of a pleasure it's been
RPing with you all. Best of luck.
Respectfully submitted,
Capt. Amanda Bell
Amy Gross, agross@sprynet.com
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