A Moment of Compassion

Posted on Fri May 6th, 2011 @ 1:00pm by Captain Nathan Cowell MD & Lieutenant JG Elizabeth Marion

Mission: Renegades
Location: Sickbay, Desk 7, USS Arizona
Timeline: The day after 'It must be Tuesday...'

=Sickbay, Deck 7, USS Arizona=

Commodore Nathan Cowell had spent more time wading through the weak and wounded in the day following their costly victory against the Romulans than he had in nearly a decade. Thankfully, while he outwardly appeared to be somewhat senile, Nathan had been in the business of saving lives long enough that even with the lack of modern technology, a great many lives had been saved. It was due, in large part, to the Commodore's ability to draw from techniques no longer taught by modern medical science, methods that had become 'archaic' over the years. Those same methods, in the situation the Arizona had found itself in, had been the difference between life and death for a large percentage of the crew that now lay in the recovery wards of the ship, destined to return to service in the not too distant future.

There was one patient in particular that Nathan had attended to when he had first set foot into Sickbay and basically took it over. He hadn't taken even a second out of the last twenty-four hours to pay a visit to the bed that she was still occupying. Thanks to the combined efforts of not only the Arizona medical staff, but the entire crew, coupled with the loan of more than a little help from the Casey, Nathan was now, finally, able to pull back and let the people wearing the Teal run Sickbay again.

Doc Cowell approached the bedside of his adopted daughter who was, and had been since he'd brought her down to the bay and performed the required care, garbed in the medical dressing gown that he had placed on her after having to perform a good deal of restorative surgery thanks to the multiple plasma burns covering much of her body. Nathan pulled up a stool and sat next to the woman, his hand cupping hers. He hadn't actually intended to rouse her from her slumber, indeed, he hadn't actually thought she would be strong enough to do so given the trauma she'd endured. That was what made it so startling when she started moving at his touch.

Her eyes fluttered open and searched the immediate area, resting on objects only briefly until she found the figure that had pulled her free from her recuperative slumber. The smile that was associated with seeing that figure crept onto her neutral features as she struggled to prop herself up to get a good look at him.

"You look like shit, old man..." Elizabeth said softly, her voice still not back to strength.

"You spend twenty-eight straight up to your eyeballs in other people's blood, guts, and filth and see if you look any better," the Commodore groused.

"No thanks..." Lt. Marion said, sinking back down onto the bed, though she did turn her head to the side he was on to keep looking at him, "How many did we lose?"

"Hell if I know..." Nathan admitted, "I've been stuck down here robbing Death of as many souls as I could manage. At least I know I've managed to keep about sixty alive to kick some more ass later."

"Good to know," the woman smiled in response. It was good to see that his sense of humor hadn't suffered from the ordeal. She could only imagine what had transpired after the fighting stopped and he had discovered her injured. She decided to make mention of it.

"Did you tear anyone's head off for celebrating our victory?" Elizabeth inquired.

"No..." Nathan said before actually thinking about it, "Well... maybe... Shrek did let out a loud 'woo hoo' or something while I was trying to get you to Sickbay."

"Have you apologized?" she asked.

"No, I made him a nurse," the Commodore remarked flatly.

"That's nice..." the Operations Officer said with a smirk, "Good to see you getting along with people..."

Nathan glared at the girl. Sometimes she said the most asinine things... Elizabeth reached out to him, and Nathan obliged her by taking her hand and giving it a soft pat. He got a squeeze in return before the girl's eyes started to flutter closed again. He could see it written on her face. She was exerting her full strength, what little she had, just to say the few things she had. Touching as it was, as a physician, Nathan knew it wasn't healthy.

"You rest, kiddo," he said, placing her hand down on the bed as he stood up from the stool, "I'll come check on you in a little while."

Nathan leaned down and gave her forehead a quick kiss, something he would not have normally done in full view of the crew. Today was different... everything was different for now. He couldn't worry too much about his ego when people needed what they needed to heal. Whether it be a kind word, a kiss on the forehead, any brand of medicine right now was the least the old curmudgeon could do for her... for the crew as a whole. Lt. Marion's eyes slid closed and she drifted back into that sweet, comforting darkness that she'd been momentarily disturbed from, leaving Nathan standing there alone for a moment.

The Commodore sucked in a breath, let it out, and departed the Sickbay for, what would likely be, the last time for a good long while as he headed off to the bridge to pick up the pieces...