Check Up or Something Witty

Posted on Fri Jan 8th, 2021 @ 12:52pm by Lieutenant Commander Calvin Morgan & Lieutenant Commander William Rogers

Mission: Enforced Intermission
Location: Earth Medical

Calvin walked the hall of the hospital. He was always impressed at land based hospitals, their size, space, and amount of staff. His uniform had seen better days, but would barely pass inspection if he were to be stopped. It was the first time he had put it on in a while. Less people to stop and bother him wearing it in a place like this. Slowing his walk, he saw the right room number, and knocked on the door.

The door opened a crack and Buck's face appeared in the gap. "Doc!" He glanced about suspiciously and lowered his voice to a whisper. "You alone?"

Calvin raised an eyebrow quietly replying yes in the same tone that Buck used. Without understanding why he glanced over both shoulders before slipping into the room and closing the door gently behind him. "Why?" He asked, slightly louder, but still confused.

"I'm planning a breakout." Buck replied, his voice bearing a misplaced matter of factness. His room was a standard affair for this sort of facility: functional; sterile. For his part Buck was dressed, not as a patient undergoing observation following adverse reactions following a serious surgery, but someone who might have been going for a run.

"Planning a breakout?" Calvin responded, looking at Buck, realizing him wearing regular clothing. "Why?"

"Need to stretch my legs a little." Buck sat heavily on his bed. "I'm restricted to light exercise and they're not letting me leave the hospital grounds. Apparently I need a specific clearance to discharge myself." He waved his hand in a gesture of frustration. "And I don't have it. Apparently."

“Well, you have to realize a lesser man would have died from the injuries you sustained. Honestly even knowing you and your capabilities, your regeneration rate is still quite awe inspiring. Let me look you over quick, I can probably get you at least a recess from this place,” Calvin said, motioning him to the bed.

"So they keep telling me. Exploding consoles are one of the leading causes of death of bridge officers." The Astraea's former hem officer gave a slight chuckle and a small shake of his head. "They've got me feeling like a lab rat."

Calvin began doing a quick scan of Rogers, some of his scanning a little more hesitant than others as he passed over the same spot more than once. “Their interpersonal skills at places like this aren’t always the greatest.”

"The egg-heads that originally gave me the modifications were the same. At least this lot ain't so gung-ho about cuttin' me open." Buck laughed. "When they think I can't hear 'em the docs talk about studying how I heal and using it to produce new disease treatments. Wouldn't that breach that whole no genetic engineering thing you lot have going on?"

“Well, Doctors these days consider you a bit more human now. As far as genetic engineering,” Calvin shrugged, “Dunno. Not my thing. I just patch holes. You seem within your baselines. You sure you feel up to getting out of here for a bit? You aren’t pushing yourself?” Calvin asked with some hesitation in his voice.

"I definitely am. Not that it's going to stop me." Buck grinned as he stood. "How do you want to do this? I was thinking 'tie the sheets together to form a rope and climb out the window'."

Calvin pointed over his shoulder at the door. “I was thinking just going through the door,” He replied, closing up the tricorder he had used and shifted over to the console.

Buck frowned; unconvinced. "I tried that before. I don't make it off the property before someone comes to take me back to my room."

“Yeah, but not with me. I can keep you safe,” Calvin replied, not looking up from the console. He typed several commands into it before closing it down.

The helmsman shrugged and gestured to the door. "Worth a shot. After you, bodyguard."

Calvin stepped out of the room, almost stopping to say something as he looked at Buck, but continued. They walked at a normal pace, passing by groups of providers and other patients as they worked down the hall. Only a couple minutes after leaving the room the pair found themselves in the turbo lift going to the ground floor.

“See, easy peasy,” Calvin said to the only other occupant in the turbo lift.

Buck shook his head and gave an amused chuckle. "Well, now you've jinxed it."

The lift opened out onto the hospital atrium and the duo headed towards the exit.

"Excuse me!" The voice came from their left. "Mr Rogers? What are you doing out of your room?"

Calvin turned to face the voice, a nurse he supposed. It seemed it definitely wasn't his first attempt. "Mr. Rogers' care has been transferred. I'm escorting him out," Calvin replied in a flat indifferent tone of voice. As he walked to the staff member, he pulled his credentials out, purposely shifting his lab coat to show his uniform and rank pips.

"Oh." The nurse, a Bajoran, seemed surprised by Calvin's statement and frowned. "I see. That's a shame, he's quite the character, we'll miss him. Where are you transferring him to?"

To this, Calvin hadn't thought through. "He'll be in my personal care for a day," He said after a moment, "And then brought to the Astraea." Calvin at least assumed the new ship would be named the same.

"I hadn't realised." The nurse still seemed puzzled, news of the Astraea's only really just making its way through the normal channels. "Will you also be clearing him for duty? I don't believe we were ready to do that."

Raising an eyebrow, Calvin bit his tongue, his normal jovial nature being replaced quickly with irritation. *What a dumb question,* He thought to himself. He smiled to be polite before responding. "Yes, he'll be cleared by my team when he is ready to return to shipboard duty. Until then he'll be rehabbing," He said politely.

"Of course, of course." That seemed enough to satisfy the nurse. With that the pair were apparently free to leave.

Calvin turned to Rogers. “Shall we?”

"For sure." Buck didn't need to be told twice and headed for the exit with a brisk stride. Outside, far enough from the hospital for him not be worried about being called back inside, Buck looked over at his friend. "Is that true?" he asked, "About there being a new Astraea? That how it works in the future? Just slap the old name on a new hull and transfer over the survivors?"

“I mean, historically speaking there are many names that have carried over from vessel to vessel, like the Enterprise,” Calvin replied as they walked. “But from what I understand, the Astraea-A will be christened soon and the Captain has been given command and the option to bring whatever crew she wants with her,” He replied, his voice sounding a little more glum.

"You don't seem to happy about that." Buck noted, using his genetically enhanced power of pointing out the obvious. "Or you worried that the Cap won't ask you back?"

"It is what it is," Calvin responded, in a tone that he was done with the topic.

"Alright." Buck sounded less than convinced, but he brightened after moment. "Hey. I'm hungry. Let's go get wings!"