Pulled Back Among The Living

Posted on Sun Apr 6th, 2014 @ 5:14pm by Captain Liarra Von & Ensign Corrine Steiner & Lieutenant Commander Drewe Reed

Mission: Manhunt
Location: Sickbay, ICU-1, Starbase 332

ON:

The duty medic met Dr. Reed outside of ICU-1. "Thank you for coming, Doctor. The patient, she's..." A bit exasperated, he threw up his hands slightly, "I just don't know what to do. The patient has just given up. She's lost the will to go on. She's not regaining more consciousness, she's just folding up inside herself!"

Reed recognized the desire to heal within her fellow medic and sympathized with his frustration. Drewe had been on her way to meet with Steiner when Reed had received word the Ensign had somehow escaped the Infirmary by drugging some of the medical staff. Drewe had witnessed first hand the subsequent frantic chaos and frank panic the human female had caused across the base amongst the crew and civilians alike. A part of her marvelled at Steiner's ability to avoid capture even as another part of her felt maternal concern. Steiner's behavior was certainly consistent with a frightened, and apparently ill or injured wounded animal, and the longer it took to reach her emotionally, the less likely she was to survive.

Drewe's impression of Steiner as vulnerable and frightened out of her mind was only reinforced when she reviewed the video footage and reports of Steiner's re-capture. Drewe actually winced when she saw the phaser blast hit her, and later felt visceral satisfaction as she watched Beekerman get dragged off to the brig. Reed wasn't completely convinced Steiner wasn't pulling a fast one on them, but if that were true, the Ensign had proven herself to be quite the actress.

Reed recalled Steiner had mentioned something about being used, and experimented upon? She didn't remember her exact words, but Drewe made a mental note to herself. If she managed to get Corrine to trust her and to talk with her, maybe she could get her to agree to a full medical exam and the collection of potential evidence. Reed would have to determine what had already been done by the medical staff, of course, but she doubted they had an opportunity to do much beyond getting her stabilized. With the threat of a potential infection, Drewe didn't blame them. In any case, Drewe believed Steiner was likely a victim in all this, and the last thing Drewe wanted was to subject Steiner to a forcible exam.

Until she had clear evidence that Steiner was somehow scamming them, Drewe was going to trust her gut, and her gut told her Corrine Steiner needed to be cared for and protected. To the medic, she asked, "Are our people ok? I was told they were dosed pretty good."

The medic literally blushed, clearing his throat, "Uh, mmh, Yes ma'am, we're all fine. The only lingering effect for me will be sheer embarrassment. I... made quite the fool of myself!" He shook his head, "We're all fine." He then glanced over at the patient, "She's a planner. She anticipated being quarantined in sickbay. She prepared an escape from here and mapped out what she'd do after that." He pondered, "They say that crazy people are clever like that."

"Let's refrain from calling anyone crazy," Reed offered evenly. "As medical professionals, we should expect better from ourselves than derogatory labels. Besides, planning for possibilities could be seen as a drive for survival, depending on your perspective."

The infirmary doors slid open again to allow Captain Von to enter. It had clearly been a long day since she looked a bit disheveled, though mostly because of her dark eyes and frazzled hair. She stifled a yawn as she fell in next to the counselor. "Good evening, Doctors. Is our patient awake?"

The medic stood to, "Ma'am." He then looked towards the patient with a sigh, "Captain... her injuries are serious, but they're curable. The problem is, she's not coming out of it like she should." He shrugged, "It's like she's given up, lost the will to go on."

Reed nodded. "I'm going to do what I can to get her talking, Captain, but it would help if you could offer your own reassurances. You're the only one who can back up whatever we offer." Drewe stood close to her patient. "Our Captain is here, and as promised, she wants to listen to what you have to say. No one will hurt you here, and no one wants you to give up."

Liarra stepped up to the bed beside Dr. Reed and nodded in agreement. "That's right, Corrie. You're safe now. We're going to take care of you, make you well."

Corrine's eyes slowly opened. When they were able to focus on her visitor, she managed to slowly whisper, "I am so sorry... I pointed a weapon at you. You... didn't do anything wrong..." Her eyes welled up with tears.

Drewe let the Captain take the lead for the moment, but she made sure to school her own features to convey warmth.

Von considered carefully how she wanted to proceed. She certainly didn't like having a phaser drawn on her, but this was an interesting situation. "I know, Corrie. You were scared and alone. You felt like all of Starfleet was after you." Liarra reached out and took the ensign's hand, hoping that would help keep her calm. "But I do need to know more about you. I need to know who you were running from, and why."

Corrie tightened her clasped hand a bit. She stared into the Captain's eyes and gave slight nods. The mind was willing, but the body was not yet ready. Her eyes then lost focus and rolled back a bit. Her head turned slightly as she fell unconscious again.

Von sighed and let go of Steiner's hand. Once again, she was out cold, though her vitals still seemed to be stable. She waved the medic back over. "Ensign Steiner has lost consciousness again. It's imperative that we speak with her. Notify me and Doctor Reed as soon as she wakes up again."

The medic nodded in acknowledgement. "Aye, Captain."

OFF:

Captain Liarra Von
Commanding Officer

Lt. Commander Drewe Reed, M.D.
Chief Counselor

Lieutenant Miranda Keller, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer

Ensign Corrine Steiner
Escaped Prisoner