Medical Misnomers

Posted on Mon Dec 24th, 2012 @ 7:04pm by Lieutenant Sngarlassanarn & Captain Nathan Cowell MD
Edited on on Mon Dec 24th, 2012 @ 7:12pm

Mission: Funzone
Location: Bridge, USS Arizona
Timeline: Post-"Meeting the Old Man" and

Having dropped his carryall off in his quarters, Snarl made his way to the bridge. That's where the computer told him the Admiral was. But, by the time he made it to the bridge, the Admiral wasn't there."

"The Admiral in the ready room?" the doctor asked a passing NCO.

"Uh, yes sir."

Snarl nodded . "Thanks." He crossed the bridge, taking note of the fact that there was no center seat. He approached the Ready Room door and pressed the chime.

Silence greeted the L'Dira as no acknowledgement was forthcoming from the Ready Room. Indeed, seconds ticked away without so much as sound. It wasn't common for a Commanding Officer to simply ignore someone requesting an audience. But then... Nathan Cowell was nothing close to common.

"You've got to hit it again. He's probably taking a nap," a female voice called out to the L'Dira from somewhere behind him.

Had Snarl been a Vulcan, he might have quirked an eyebrow. Instead, he pressed his paw against the chime again.

"Oh for the love of..." came out through the door, "Hurry up and come in, dammit!"

The door slid open at the implied command for it to do so. One thing the computer hadn't seemed to forget was Nathan's bizarre and outlandish way of speaking. If anything, it had gotten better at anticipating his desires. The sight revealed was not what normally presented itself when an officer entered the Ready Room. Most Captains would be sitting erect behind the desk, doing some manner of paperwork or another and doing it with professionalism. Nathan Cowell, on the other hand, sat slumped in his chair with his feet on the desk, looking none too happy to be woken from what could only have been a good nap.

"Well I'll be damned... when'd they open a zoo on my ship. Hate to break it to you, Tiger, but this is Starfleet, no Ringling Brothers," Nathan chuckled to himself, "Well come on in. Pop a squat and tell me you're not another damn shrink."

The Doctor came in and squared off at military attention. He took note of the fact that the Admiral was wearing a Captain's uniform, and made a mental note to speak with the Counselor about getting a psych eval done. "Admiral, Lieutenant Sngarlassanarn, Chief Medical Officer reporting aboard this clusterfuck... sir."

"Clusterfuck, eh?" Nathan muttered, "Ain't heard that in a while. You must have salt in your blood, Sailor. And it's Captain... for now. Now sit down before you fall down, Snuggles."

"I prefer 'Snarl' sir." The Felinoid would avoid using a rank to address the senior officer for now, so as to not play to any delusions, if they were delusions. "And yes, I came from the enlisted ranks. Served 9 years with FMF, as a Corpsman, and did a starship tour before applying for a commission and going to med school." Snarl took a seat on the small sofa along the bulkhead, flaying his tail along the rear of it.

"Right, that's what I said, Snuggles. Anyway, how long have you been practicing medicine? What's your specialty?" Nathan asked, glossing over the fact that he'd butchered Snarl's name again.

Snarl didn't address the name a second time, even though it annoyed him. His tail twitched a little bit. "I've been in Starfleet since '62. I was a Corpsman from then until the end of the War. I took some time off after that, and came back to the Fleet as a Corpsman for five more years. I earned my bachelor's degree while aboard the Mercury, and applied for OCS, which I attended in '81. I then went to medical school at the Academy, graduating in '85. I did not do a residency, but instead took a tour as a general medical officer aboard the Havers, where I was from '85 until today. So... I've got two years as a doctor, with no declared specialty. Closest I come to a specialty would be emergency medicine, from my time as a Corpsman. This is all in my personnel file..."

"Yes, that book of half-truths and opinions I never read. Gotta hear it from the horse's mouth... or in this case, the cub. Anyway, emergency medicine is nothing to shy away from if you're good at it. I'm a General Practitioner myself, but I've done it all. Even brain surgery when that sort of thing was popular. I've had about thirty or forty private practices in my time, enjoyed that a lot. Got to know the towns I was living in pretty good, got a good day's pay out of it most of the time. So how you liking grass on this side of the fence? Better than beating your face against a wall listening to the dumb ass officers who never did a day in the field?" Nathan rambled on a bit.

"I s'pose one could say that, yes sir." Snarl hadn't had too many problems with officers when he was a grunt, since well... he was with the Marines, and they considered all their officers to be line officers, unlike Starfleet with their 'Staff Corps.' His tail flicked again. "Sir, about Captain Haverson... my orders weren't updated to reflect you as my CO... are you legally in command?"

"Took over about an hour ago... maybe two... I don't know... it was before my nap. So yes, this boat is mine again. Boyle pitched a fit, but he can kiss my wrinkled ass. These people needed the best and I'm better than those fuck ups so I came a runnin'. Why, you got a problem with an Admiral running a boat in Captain's clothing? Figured this was better for morale anyway. No calling the room to attention every odd minute, no one tripping over protocol. Damn the torpedoes, I always say," Nathan smirked.

"No... problem... with it sir. I'm just.... not used to it. I always figured once an officer made Captain they'd... adhere to protocol a little more."

"You sound like the Admiralty... Always on my ass about acting like an Admiral. Back in my day, a General Officer was in the shit with his men just the same as any other one. Hell, when I served in World War Two, I served with a Three Star General who took four bullets and still kept giving those Kraut bastards what for. If I don't lead from the front like those men, I might as well shit on their graves. I'm a man of action!" Nathan slammed his fist against the desk, "And you can't sit behind a desk, safe on Earth, and lead. If I'm out in the shit, I know what the troops are going through and I can make a difference. That's what I'm all about, Snuggles, making a difference."

"Noted and filed, sir." Snarl hadn't read the man's file, but he knew he was an El-Aurian, who had already lived several lifetimes worth. He didn't know it went back that far though.

"Good man," Nathan said, finally throwing his legs off the desk, "So here's the thing. This ship is pretty banged up. I'm sure there's a shitload of people that need your help. From the sound of it, this is going to be a pretty big job for you since we have nearly a thousand people to watch over. That being said, if you need people, equipment, or supplies, come talk to me. I've got strings dangling everyone I can tug on. This crew's health and well being is your new life, Snuggles. Do me proud, son."

Snarl once again ignored the incorrect nickname. Maybe if he ignored it, and just slipped the right one into usage, the Admiral would eventually start using it. "Aye aye sir. Is there anything else?"

"No, I can't say that there was. I'm sure you've got plenty on your plate. If you need a second opinion, I'll be up here. Just make sure if it's important you ring the doorbell more than once," Nathan smirked, effectively dismissing the L'Diran without really having to do it.

"Blame one of your bridge officers for that, sir. I didn't catch which one." Snarl stood. "Good day, sir." Without another word he was out of the ready room, leaving the Admiral to resume his nap.