Greeting and check-up

Posted on Sun Jan 17th, 2010 @ 4:33am by Commander Dhindara Vrel & Commander Basil Hart

1,363 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: FORGING AHEAD
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: present

[Sickbay]

Dhindara walked into sickbay. She looked around, hoping the place wasn't too busy, before she approached who she recognised as the CMO. "Doctor Hart?" she asked. "I'm Dhindara Vrel, the new Counsellor." She held out her hand to him. "I've come here for my physical, and also to say hello, of course."

Basil smiled at her. "Ms. Vrel! it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He took her hand in a warm, firm handshake. "It is always so nice to meet a fellow practitioner who is so adept at healing the soul! I have taken the liberty of looking up your personnel file, and I must say I am impressed. To deal with PTSD as deftly as you is something I would be hard-pressed to approach. I look forward to working closely with you." His eyes never strayed from her attractive face, and he knew she would sense his sincerity and lack of guile.

"Now: Let's get you up on that bio-bed so I can have a look-see and get you to work." He gestured towards bio-bed one. "After you, Mademoiselle."

Dhindara liked him already. "I hope I can rely on you when it comes to neurology", she said. She walked into the examination room and stripped out of her jump-suit uniform and boots. Lying down on the bed in panties and an undershirt she said, "I've just had the time to look at personnel files of the senior staff. I was hoping you could give me some pointers as to who I need to keep a close eye on from the get-go."

Basil chuckled. "I'll do my best, but I've only just arrived within the last few days, myself." He went over to a drawer next to the bed and pulled out an odd-looking device. It was made of metal and plastic, with two protrusions on the top which the doctor inserted into his ears, and a dangling one with a metallic disk or wheel on the end of its flexible tubing. He then turned to his patient. "Have you ever seen one of these outside a museum?" He grinned proudly as he placed the disk near the top of her anterior chest wall. It was cold. "Breathe normally." She noticed that he professionally kept his eyes averted as he placed the disk at various locations around her upper torso.

Dhindara smirked. Since she understood she wasn't supposed to speak she sent him a mental note. ~You're pretty hands-on. I hope you've arrived in the dermal regenerator age for wounds. I hate scars.~

To his credit, he didn't jump at the surprise mental contact. He only raised an eyebrow. "Now that's unusual. I'm not usually sensitive enough to receive a thought transmission. But in answer to your brilliantly unspoken question, if you'll pardon the pun, I use all the latest technology, but I do like to keep the old tools handy. Never put all your eggs in one basket, I always say. And as to scarring, I would sooner throw a rock through a stained glass window in a church than to allow a scar on so lovely a specimen of the humanoid form." He meant it. Beauty was not just in the eye of the beholder, but in the heart and soul of the beheld as well. There were none of the baser emotions here, just the sheer enjoyment of beauty for beauty's sake. "Now sit up, if you please, so I can listen to your lungs through your back. Since you can communicate in such a convenient way, I will be happy to answer any questions you might have."

The sickbay door opened, admitting someone else. He called beyond the privacy curtain around the biobed, "I'll be with you in half a moment, as soon as I've finished with this one. Do have a seat and enjoy the reading material." He then pressed a button, closing the exam room doors. "Now where were we?"

Sitting up, Dhindara replied, "You admiring my physique", she grinned. "You should see me in civilian clothes. This regulation underwear doesn't do much for me."

Basil allowed himself a glance. "On the contrary, mademoiselle, I get the feeling that no matter what you wore, it would do nothing but glorify what God gave you." he smiled as he listened at several points over her back. "Well, you've as healthy a set of lungs as I've seen. No signs of congestion or constriction of the bronchi. Your heart has a good strong sinus rhythm, and should serve you for many years to come if you keep taking such excellent care of yourself." He activated the biobed. "You may lie down again now." He began reading the instrumentation, noting how healthy she was.

She lay back, chuckling. "I have to take good care of myself, in case someone invites me to a wedding. I'd want to look good, you know?" She stretched. "Say, I'm having these back problems after long days in the office. I've switched the chair out for something more comfortable, but come evening I can't sleep unless I take a long, hot shower. Is there anything you could do about that?"

"Turn over on your stomach. I have a decent working knowledge of chiropractic medicine, and could at least see if I can adjust something." He raised an eyebrow. The biobed reported spinal vertebrae L-3 and L-4 were indeed slightly out of alignment. As she turned over, he placed his hands on either side of her spinal column, feeling gingerly for the right spot on her back. Massaging for a moment to loosen up the corresponding musculature, he applied gentle pressure and a slight torque, and felt the corresponding shift of the two vertebrae into alignment. He checked the biobed to ensure that his action had not brought anything else out of alignment. Everything else seemed to be holding. "That should do it." He smiled, glad that he had not lost his touch. "How does that feel?"

"Ou!" Dhindara exclaimed. She breathed out at his question, then back in again. A smile placed over her lips. "Much better, thank you. I should have praised your hands more to Freiherr von Hackleberg."

He chuckled. "You flatter me. I think. What's this about von Hackleberg?"

"He commented his Marines would be in good hands with me. I told him hands were your thing, and I didn't know about them yet. I specialise in the mind, after all", Dhindara explained.

"Oh, I see," he nodded, smiling. "Now I suggest that you make a habit of getting up from your desk every two hours at the longest, stretch a little, and walk a few paces. It will help you avoid such tension in the future. Your muscles have a certain amount of memory, so they will want to torque your back into its old position. The frequent stretch breaks will alleviate that tendency. Is there anything else you wish to ask me?"

Dhindara turned back around and hopped off the bed. She stretched her back around. "I'm getting too old for these", she then commented as she bent down with her legs straight but couldn't quite reach her toes. "Maybe oiling my joints a little?"

Basil smiled at her. "The more you do it, the easier it will become. Just don't stretch too far in the beginning, or you might pull something. Moderation in all things. Believe me, you've got the Tin Woodsman beat six ways from Sunday, and his joints were easier to oil. Now why don't you get dressed, and I'll see you out?"

Standing up straight again Dhindara smiled. "Thanks, Doc. But it's moments like these I just feel terribly old." She grabbed her jumpsuit and got back into it, followed by her boots.

"Well, you don't look it, young lady." He said. When she was dressed, he opened the exam room door, and they both exited out into the main area. "Now remember, no more than two hours without a break for stretching." he called as she headed for the door.

"I will", Dhindara replied. "Thank you, Basil."

=/\\= End of Transmission =/\\=

Lieutenant Commander Basil Hart
Chief Medical Officer

Lieutenant Commander Dhindara Vrel
Counsellor

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