The Return (backpost)

Posted on Tue Jun 18, 2019 @ 10:10am by Lieutenant Nicole Anderson & Lieutenant Penelope Naroot

580 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Plaga Navis
Location: Landing Bay
Timeline: After Mission is a go and before Génie Oreiller

An hour to rendezvous left plenty of time to set up an emergency surgical table to be set up in the landing bay. As the ship landed and the hatch unsealed, Nicole and Maggie climbed in as Penny dipped in back to help pull the wounded marine out of her seat.

Her color was grayer than a Borg drone and her breathing was ragged. "BP 50 over 40, pulse barely registering," Penny said automatically as they carried her over to the table. Penny was covered in blood, as was Zack and another marine as they came out of the ship. Penny smiled a thank-you at Zack for his help, then turned back to the patient.

As the biobed began showing readings, they were all crashing. Suddenly Rossa shook and lay still, the surgical bed sounding an alarm.

"She's crashing," Nicole said. "Penny, compression, Maggie I need AB-positive flowing." She grabbed an oxygen mask and put it over the woman as Penny attempted to restart the patient's heart.

Nicole watched the readings and shook her head. "Penny, cortical stimulators. Maggie, prep a hypo."

Penny placed the equipment on the marine's forehead and activated the charge. "Ready," she said.

Maggie stood to the side with a hypo and Nicole monitored the readings. "Go," she said.

Rossa's body convulsed as energy pulsed through her body, jump starting it. "Again," Nicole said. Penny hit the charge and the marine convulsed again. They raised the amount twice, but in the end, the unending beep couldn't be avoided.

Nicole glanced at the chronometer on the side of the bed and marked the time of death. "I'm sorry," she said. "She lost too much blood and her body had too big of a shock."

Penny sniffed and nodded, her eyes wet. "We tried," she said, quietly.

Nicole helped Maggie put the girl on an anti-grav gurney and put a sterile sheet over her for modesty, nodding for Maggie to take the body to the morgue. Nicole put a hand on Penny's shoulder and squeezed. "Why don't you go get a fresh uniform. I'll finish up the paperwork."

Penny nodded. "Yeah...I should get to the bridge," she said, quietly.

"Did you get anything vital from the mission at least?" Nicole said, hopefully.

Penny shrugged. "Found an AU operative on board. Not sure what he was up to. He got away and then we were attacked and..." she looked at the doors as they closed behind Maggie and sniffed again. She walked away, head down and went to change.

Alec stayed in the background as Nicole, Penny and Nurse Cromwell all worked feverishly to save Rossa's life. In the end they were unsuccessful and the marine died. He watched as Penny slowly left the landing bay she was clearly affected by the death. He doubted anyone knew but this affected him as well. He was in command, a member of the crew lost their life under him. It was his responsibility to see everyone made it back alive and he had failed miserably. He looked over to Nicole. "Thank you, Doctor, for everything you did. It is greatly appreciated," his voice low and soft.

Nicole nodded, taking a breath to steady herself. "I should get to Sickbay and start on the autopsy," she said. She nodded to him and walked out of the landing bay, her equipment still there to be stripped down and removed later by medtechs.

The long day wasn't over yet, and she was already bone tired.

 

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