Explanations

Posted on 13 Feb 2019 @ 3:09am by Commander Jayla Kij & Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler

1,401 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Kalisa Conundrum
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD 1 || 1645 Hours

Joey stirred around with a groan, a light haze blanketing her mind. She cracked one eye open, then the other as she tried to figure out where she was. There was the steady beating, no... beats... above her head along with other sounds as well. She wasn't quite sure what those were, but after a quick scan around the room, it was clear where she was.

Sickbay.

But why?

What happened to put her here? Joey tried to focus and clear her mind, but things were still too foggy. Perhaps, it would be better if she asked someone? Yes, that's what she'd do. "Hello?" she. called out, hoping someone would hear her.

Nearby, Nurse Rigby glanced up from her PADD and spotted Joey looking around. "Doc!" she called over her shoulder and Jayla appeared.

"Joey," she said, heading to her bedside and taking out her tricorder. "How are you feeling?"

"Confused," she admitted with a frown, though, it was nice to see a friendly face. "Did I fall and hit my head or something? My mind is a bit cloudy, and there's a bit of a headache."

"Something like that," hedged Jayla. "The whole ship has been infected with some sort of bacteria. It's making us hallucinate and forget things. I forgot I'm a doctor for about a minute not too long ago."

Joey blinked. That didn't sound promising. "Bacteria? That's causing hallucinations?" she asked as she tried to sit up. "Could that be what's causing the headache and hazy feeling? Or did that happen when I hit my head?" That's what happened, right? It had to be. What other explanation could there be?

"You... didn't hit your head, Joey," Jayla said gently. "You were hallucinating that your children were dying and needed to be removed."

"I... what?" the Intel Chief asked, unable to hide her shock. Her hands flew to her stomach. It was still quite round, which meant they were still tucked away in there. But, were they safe? "Are they okay? I didn't hurt them, did I?" Tears began to rim her eyes. "Please, tell me they're okay."

"They're absolutely fine," Jayla assured her. "No harm done. They didn't even get stressed. We got you all patched up and all three of you are doing well."

"Patched... up? Jayla, what did I do?"

Jayla took a deep breath and closed her tricorder. "You... you tried to cut them out," she replied.

All color drained from her face. She tried to cut them out? Joey closed her eyes and shook her head. "But they're okay now? You're sure they're okay?" she asked softly. There was no way she'd ever willingly hurt her children. Ever. And now, she hoped others knew that, too. With tears rolling down her cheeks,her gaze turned back to Jayla's. "Was it because I was hallucinating?"

"I would imagine so," Jayla replied. "I can't think of any other reason. But, they're fine and you're fine. Don't worry yourself about it; neither you nor the babies need the stress."

Joey tried to take a deep, calming breath. Jayla was right, and it was definitely best that she listen to the doctor's advice. "Thank you, Jayla. Truly," she said softly. "When will I be able to leave?"

"As soon as we're sure you're really on the mend," Jayla replied, taking her tricorder out once more. "Think you can sit up?"

She nodded her head and carefully sat up. "I still can't believe what I tried to do..."

Jayla gave her a gentle smile. "It is unbelievable," she allowed. "But, a lot of people have been doing mad things. One guy was chasing a pig through the hallways- no, there was no pig- and one of the nurses was absolutely sure I was her mother."

"So, this is a ship-wide thing? Any idea what's making it happen?" the taller woman asked while the doctor did her thing.

"We're not one hundred percent sure," replied Jayla. "There's a bacterial infection that everybody has, but we're not sure if that's what's causing the hallucinations or if it's the low-level radiation and the mild radiation poisoning causing it. Either way, we're treating both."

There was more radiation? Joey found herself wondering how far she'd get in a runabout with a course set for home before anyone noticed she was gone. That wasn't her, though. She wasn't a quitter. "It sounds like you and the rest of your team have your hands full," she stated, looking toward the biomonitor above her head. She really did feel fine except for the minor headache, and the fog was beginning to clear. "So, what's the verdict, Doc? Am I good?"

"As good as can be expected," replied Jayla, closing her tricorder. "But, promise me something; if you think your babies are talking to you again, please come see me."

Joey nodded her head, but she hoped like hell nothing as bad as this happened again. "I promise. I absolutely promise," she said, reaching out to hug the doctor. "Thank you, Jayla. I mean that from the bottom of my heart."

"It's literally my job," replied Jayla with a grin. "But, I always appreciate the sentiment. You're welcome."

"Am I free to go?" the Intel Chief asked.

"Sorry, yes," said Jayla with a shake of her head. "My brain is still a bit fuzzy. I guess I never said, did I?"

Joey shook her head. "But that's okay, and understandable, all things considered."

"Thanks," replied Jayla with a relieved grin. "It seems like people always expect doctors to be on top of everything at all times. It's kinda nice to hear someone say that I'm allowed to be off."

"Well, I'm not one of those people. You and the rest of your staff go through the same things the rest of us do, so I feel you should all be cut a little slack," she said as she slipped from the bed. "Keep telling yourself that you are allowed to be a bit off once in a while, especially in times such as these. There's not a single individual on this ship that's perfect, and those that think they are need to pull their head out of their asses."

“I’ll be sure to tell them you said so,” Jayla replied with a cheeky grin. “‘Lieutenant Geisler says I’m allowed to be off now and then, so you just shut it!’ Think that’ll go over well?”

Joey laughed. "You never know. It might work."

"It might just," replied Jayla with another grin. "You are the Captain's wife, after all."

"And I'm hormonal. That might scare people more," she told her with a grin. "I guess I better let you get back to work. Things have to be a bit hectic right now with everything going on. I can't speak for anyone else, but I'll be glad when we're back in our own part of space."

"I think everybody will," agreed Jayla. "And may nobody else ever have to return to this gods-forsaken bit of space."

"Oh, I can almost guarantee Starfleet will return to this part of space once we're back," Joey said as she began to get dressed. She'd need a new uniform top, but everything else seemed to be in pretty good shape. "No one has ever really been here before us, so there's much to learn. Starfleet will send a few ships in once they get reports back from us. Hell, they haven't heard from us in a month. We've been off the grid since we crossed the barrier."

"I'm going to highly recommend that the Captain highly recommends against visiting this area ever again," countered Jayla. "Granted, I don't think anybody will take that recommendation, no matter how many people give it."

Joey knew Jayla would do it, too. "I wish you the best of luck, but Starfleet will find their way back here. There's more to explore, and that's what they do."

"I just feel like there are better places to explore," Jayla pointed out. "Oh, well. I suppose we're just too curious."

"I think that's a pretty accurate statement," the taller brunette stated. "I'm going to let you get back to work and do the same. Thank you again, Jayla." Joey offered her a smile, then made her way out of sickbay. There was still a lot that needed to be done.

RSS Feed