Another One Bites the Dust

Posted on Thu May 5th, 2011 @ 10:49am by

Mission: Renegades
Location: Deck Seven: Main Sickbay
Timeline: Following: Carus Triumphus

Nothing more than a Counselor's Aide, Crewman Kaci Baxter found herself stuck in the heart of it all, but her current position in her department didn't matter. Medical was incredibly short staffed and needed all hands on deck. Not only that, but she knew her way around a tricorder and first aid. She would be able to determine who would do well with a bandage, who needed more invasive help, and sadly... those who were beyond help.

She took a second to assess the area around her and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly to calm her fraying nerves. More and more people were being brought in by the minute. Some with head injuries, some missing limbs and even some with shrapnel pertruding from their bodies. Of course, the young twenty-one year old woman wanted to help all of them, but realistically, she knew some of the injuries were too severe.

Kaci listened to the chaos around her as she moved her tricorder over one patient to the next, setting up makeshift medical charts for them through her PADD. Many cried for something to take the pain away, while others just begged to be put out of their misery.

She moved to the next patient, a young man no older than she was with a piece of metal in his head, and moved her tricorder over him. She looked at the data that came up and frowned. The metal was embedded in his brain, which was starting to swell.

"Hurts..."

Crewman Baxter looked around, then down at the man lying on the makeshift bed. Blinking once... twice... three times, she saw his lips move once more, followed by a very faint, "Help..."

She felt his cold and clammy hand move around hers and fought to not break down in front of him. Everything inside of her begged to help him, but his injury was beyond anything that she, or anyone else, could take care of. So many other people needed her at that moment, but she just couldn't walk away from this man, knowing that his last minutes, or seconds, of life were slowly slipping away. Kaci put her tricorder down and placed her hand over his. She opened her mouth to speak to him only to realize that his eyes had drifted closed.

It wouldn't be much longer now.

The Arizona would add one more to be listed among the dead.

Placing her fingers against his neck, she stood there until his pulse completely faded away and frowned, pulling the sheet over his badly injured head. She had a feeling she would witness more of this as the hours ticked by.