A Pilot's Medical Checkup

Posted on Sun Jul 3rd, 2022 @ 11:02pm by Lieutenant Commander Kim Standish & Lieutenant Eve West

Mission: Prelude: The Gathering
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Mission Day 2 at 0900

[USS Proxima]
[Sickbay]
[0900 hours]

Aside from various meetings that she had with the pilots and flight control staff that would be serving under her, she needed to meet the Proxima's Chief Medical Officer because she was due for her usual medical exam. Eve stepped off the lift and proceeded down the corridor to sickbay. Once she got to the door, she entered the medical bay.

Kim was ensconced in her office, eyes scanning the medical records of each of the officers that were coming aboard or had already done so. She would scan enlisted personnel next, but for now she wanted to get ahead of any surprises. Besides, she wouldn't necessarily be treating everyone onboard. Well, at least not always. She did prefer to get her hands dirty, so to speak, so there was that in her favor she supposed. Although the reminder of Lieutenant West's appointment had popped up on her radar only a few minutes ago she had already lost track of time and was so heavily engaged in her skimming that she didn't hear the telltale swoosh of the Sickbay doors.

Eve turned her head to look around. She didn't notice that the Doctor was in her office. Eve turned to an enlisted medical technician that was in sickbay at the time. "Excuse me, where might I find Doctor Standish."

The woman met Eve's request with a warm welcoming smile. "Probably in her office," she said, pointing the pilot in the direction of the Chief Medical Officer's personal domain.

Eve nodded. "Thank you" she turned and moved herself to the office. Once there she pressed the door chime.

Standish glanced up once, eyes narrowing at the figure in the doorway. Her office door, as always, was open. "What is it with this crew and doors?" she muttered to herself before sitting back in her chair and raising both eyebrows at the woman just outside. "It's open," she stated wryly before her eyes narrowed further and she glanced down at the time showing on her console.

"Ah. You must be Lieutenant West." All of this was said and done with little to no time for the pilot to react. Instead Kim swung her chair to the side, standing quickly, and walking briskly out of the office as though she hadn't just been deeply immersed in crew files. "Over here if you would," she said indicating a biobed and then, with brisk efficiency picking up a boxy sort of device and rapidly finger picking through files until she reached the one in question. "How are you feeling today?"

Eve yawned a little as she sat down. "Sorry about the yawn. Aside from waking up just a few hours ago, I am feeling alright" she answered honestly.

"Hours?" Standish asked, her tone was neutral, as though the question was not actually that interesting, though she glanced up from her files to give the pilot a sharp look.

"I know that sounds kind of bad. Realistically it was an hour and a half to two hours ago. But after that long journey here, especially with tons of layovers, I'm still catching up on sleep, even after being on Lambda-2 for a few days" she chuckled lightly. "I should be caught up by the time we launch.

"Alright, look at the screen across the way there," here she pointed, "and hold one hand over your right eye. Read the lowest line you can see."

Eve did as she was told and covered her right eye. While this was a vision test that had been around for centuries, it was still effective. Especially for the pilot. Her vision needed to be in tip-top shape even if she wasn't a fighter pilot. "P, E, T, E, M, A, V, E, R, I, C, K" she repeated.

Standish tapped a quick note into her device, but otherwise reserved her comments. "Now switch to the other side please."

Eve covered her left eye. "P, E, T, E, M, A, V, E, R, I, C, K" she repeated again.

Another series of taps and then the doctor turned to pick up her medical tricorder, poking the requisite bits to get it running and then doing a waving pass up one side and down the other of the pilot. She eyed the data as it came across the screen and hummed an acknowledgement of it absently before setting the device back down. "Up on your feet if you would," she said before pointing at a spot on the other side of the Sickbay. "Walk in a straight line to that spot and then back pleas

"Yes ma'am" she nodded. Eve rose up and walked in a straight line across sickbay as she was told. She then turned on her heel and walked back towards the biobed. Once she reached the bed again she sat down.

"Good," Kim said. "How was your trip?" She asked then, as if she hadn't just spent a few minutes barely speaking to the other woman. "Aside from poor sleep of course."

Eve chuckled. "It was very long. Especially with layovers."

The CMO nodded, taking in the pilot for a long moment. It wasn't that her patients were necessarily especially chatty. Lots of folks preferred to get the whole physical over with sans conversational banter. Shrugging, Standish continued her work. "If you could place your arms straight up over your head and then lower them down to your sides until they are parallel to the floor and keep them that way. Palms facing down if you would."

She nodded and soon after began to raise her arms over her head. She held them there for a second and then lowered them down to her side. She then made sure her palms were facing down.

Once the other woman's arms were in place she gently placed her own hands on top of her biceps, pressing gently downward and then moving to her forearms before repeating the motion. "Do you have any concerns you'd like to discuss?" she asked, again making conversation, but this time veering in the direction of the doctor-patient dynamic.

West thought for a moment. "I can't really think of anything in that regard at the moment doc."

The remaining tests were quick and spent mostly in silence while Kim tried to think up some other way to connect. Eve seemed nice enough, but didn't seem to have any interest in small talk. Or maybe the doctor was simply failing to get something started.

"Alright," she finally said, "that's the whole deal." She held the PADD in her hand, adding a few last notes as she indicated that Eve could leave the bio bed.

"Before you go, though, one last question," Kim said, making a final bid for conversation. "If you could have any pet aboard the ship. Any size. Any type. Any housing requirements. What would you choose?"

"Personally I like both dogs and cats so I'd probably go with both. In terms of breed, I might be a little biased because I crew up in Canada, but I'd probably have to go with some kind of Shepard or Husky. Or maybe even a Border Collie. As for a cat I'd go with something simple like an Orange Tabby or a Black and White Tabby" she answered.

"Hmm...." Standish responded, as if the answer were of great scientific interest. "A cat and dog person. That's uncommon. I'd choose the tabby myself," she said with a twitch upwards to her lips. "See you around Lieutenant West," she said then, offering the woman a quickly broadening smile. "And get some rest."

"I grew up around a lot of pets so I'm used to it" Eve smiled. "Anyways, if there is nothing else, I shall be going. I still have some of my pilots to meet. I'll see you around Doctor Standish."

Kim nodded. "Best get to it then," she said by way of acknowledgement as the pilot left the Sickbay. She lifted her PADD again, tapping out of the notes on Lieutenant West's record and checking the time. There was just enough.

"Coffee..." She mumbled to herself. "More coffee."