#46 Planetary Triage

Posted on Sat Mar 30th, 2024 @ 6:01am by Lieutenant JG Sheyla {Meji}

Mission: Hijacked
Location: planet
Timeline: current

ON:

On planet Danvers the medical officer known as Lieutenant Sheyla was busier than a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest. Once the attackers had been routed, killed, or sent to cells she had ran into the medical building and offered herself for service, explaining who she was and where she was assigned as a medical officer. They were glad to have her and told her to pick a section of triage and get to work.

For hours after that initial meeting Sheyla had been active with closing wounds, re-attaching limbs if it were possible, calling out times of death, and so on. Everything she had been trained to do as a Doctor in the Academy was now being put to use, from the smallest sprain to the most gruesome of wounds. The front of her was spattered with blood in various colors, and so much of it that it almost started to look tie-dyed. Med techs moved around to doctors who had finished stabalizing a patient and held out a portable sterilizer for their hands. One hand at a time could be cleaned all the way up to the elbows, so she had used it repeatedly as patient after patient crossed her path. It was triage, and that meant that they were to stabalize their patients and have them moved to another area so the next wounded person could be stabalized if possible.

Sheyla must have seen to at least a hundred patients over the past few hours, and the ones that hurt the most were those she knew she could not save. They were wheeled before her and she would start her tricorder scans. The fear in their eyes and expressions was horrible as they lay before her, hoping beyond hope that she could do something to save them. Thankfully, most of the casualties she worked on were unconscious before they passed away. Her psychology training aided in her ability to assuage their fears as she spoke to them, to keep a neutral, friendly expression to ease their suffering even as she loaded a hypo with a powerful pain killer and tranquilizer to ease their passing. They would slip into painless slumber as they passed. It was, by far, the hardest thing for a Starfleet doctor to do but when you were faced with long lines of those needing care, not sure if another attack was coming, you had to push through those that could not be saved without an extensive procedure.

A hand came down on her left shoulder from behind and although the hand was not placed in a gruff manner it caused Sheyla to spin about quickly, a fire in her eyes as she was ready to fight.

"Whoa! Easy now." Said the Doctor she had talked to when she first arrived. Lieutenant Commander David Blake. He gave her a tired grin as he brought his hands down from his defensive stance.

"Sorry," Sheyla said. "Still a little jumpy after all the fighting."

"I noticed you had some minor injuries. You need some care or...?" Blake let his query trail off, expecting a certain answer the moment he began to ask and seeing the look in her eyes. She was an Andorian, after all, and they did live by a warrior code.

"I'm fine," she said in a clipped response. Sheyla took in a breath and let it out to relax a little more. "Again, apologies. This is my first actual, life threatening triage. The training and schooling is good but it doesn't prepare you for the real thing as well as they say it does."

Doctor Blake nodded his agreement, getting them walking away from the treatment area. He did this on purpose to give her a break. Every hour all of the others had stepped away and sat down somewhere to collect their thoughts and take a breather. To try and push down all the emotions they had experienced while saving lives. But, not this one. From the moment she asked if she could help she had stayed at her station, shouting out when her meds or devices needed to be exchanged or refilled. Three hours. She had worked for three hours straight and had yet to sit down away from it all. "As the CMO for this triage, I am ordering you to take a break, Doctor. Even Andorians have their limits."

They made it to the replimat over in a far corner, with Sheyla going to the replicator and ordering a Klingon raktajino in a thermomug. Taking it up she then blew on the drinking hole and sipped cautiously. "Yes, we do." The coffee tasted wonderful and she had to admit to herself that after all she had done this day she was starting to drag her butt a bit. "I'm just afraid that if I park it on one of these couches I won't get back up for a few hours. I don't want to look useless, sleeping while others continue to work."

Blake gave a chuckle as he took up his own coffee from the replicator pad. "In here, with all we have going on, take a nap when you can. We have the flow slowed down tremendously, and freshly rested officers back on point. You can lay claim to a sofa and crash out, Doctor. My permission."

"Thanks." Sheyla replied. Taking his advice she walked over and sat down on a lobby style sofa, her body immediately relaxing into it as it showed her just how tired it was. Blake sat at the other end.

"What ship are you with again?" Blake asked.

"The Amandora." Sheyla answered. "She is supposed to be in orbit, but with all this going on something tells me that is no longer the case. If they left then I find it strange that they didn't recall a medical officer."

"If it was a dire emergency then that stands to reason. The ship may have had to depart post-haste to deal with a threat we have yet to hear about." Blake gave her a grin. "Or, she got blown to hell."

Sheyla smiled over at him. "That would be my luck. Newly assigned to a ship and then it gets tapped out. Might look good on my resume' though. Being one of a handful of survivors."

"Morbid much?" Blake asked as he gave a light laugh. "But, the reason I asked is so I know where to send the commendation for your dedication and service today. I saw through the windows how you helped in the firefight, then how you charged in hand-to-hand before you made your way in here. Combat medics are under appreciated in my opinion."

"All for king and country," Sheyla said, a yawn breaking free as she finished. She shook her head as the yawn lasted a few seconds. "Damn, I'm more tired than I thought. Sorry, you aren't boring or anything, I'm just dragging my ass."

Blake got to his feet. "No need to apologize, Doctor. You curl up and sleep as long as you want. Trust me, we'll be here when you wake up. This isn't over by a long shot."

Sheyla set her coffee mug on the table and then turned her body and stretched out on the couch. Blake moved away to let her sleep and as he did so she covered her eyes with her left forearm and closed them. She was slumbering like a baby within a few minutes.

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