[Round 7] The Healing Process

[Guest]

((OOC: This could have gone on for ages, but we've trimmed it down. My thanks to Nel for offering to do this - her knowledge of the human mind is both vast and unfathomable! I don't think she minds me saying that Hope y'all enjoy!))

((USS Wellington - Sickbay))

::With many of the casualties dealt with from the Rakis System, the Wellington medical staff were now stepped down from alert and concentrating on follow-up patient care. One of the nurses has been checking on Ensign Devereaux - the young man who had lost his right leg in an attack on the surface - and noticed that he hadn't touched his dinner.::

Nurse: Is there something wrong with the food, Ensign? The chicken can't be that bad...

Devereaux: No it's fine, I'm just not hungry.

Nurse: Oh, well I'll leave it just in case.

::Marty didn't respond, he was busy reading something on a PADD. The nurse turned and approached the CMO of the Ronin - whose staff had agreed to pull shifts on the Wellington to accommodate the wounded until full power was restored to the Akira's sickbay.::

Nurse: ::quietly:: Doctor Adair?

Adair-Walker: Ro was quietly going over files, and looked up "Aye?"

Nurse: Lieutenant, I think we have a problem with Ensign Devereaux. He's not eaten his dinner, and by the look on his vitals chart it seems he hasn't eaten in days.

Adair-Walker: : "Really? " Ro got up and walked over to Marty, and stood looking down at him.

::The nurse nodded and returned to her duties.::

::Marty glanced up from his PADD to see the red-head looking directly at him. He offered a weak smile. She had - after all - amputated the rest of his defective leg and saved his life. He had to be grateful for that, didn't he?::

Devereaux: Hello Doctor. Is there a problem?

Adair-Walker: Ro never pulled punches "Aye Laddie there is, you're no eating." She sat on the edge of his bed."Are ya not feeling well?" She knew there was nothing wrong, she could read the bio signs. Physically he was well.

Devereaux: No. As a matter of fact I feel fine. I'm getting used to the cramps of lying in bed with nothing to do.

Adair-Walker: : Ro laughed softly."Ahhhh so you want to be up and about then? what do you think you should be doing at this moment in time?"

Devereaux: Say, they don't need someone to inventory the class 2 torpedoes do they?

Adair-Walker: "If they did I wouldn't assign you to it at the moment"

::Marty sighed.::

Devereaux: No. I suppose not.

Adair-Walker: "Marty" The r rolled with her accent."Before I sign you back to duty , you need some physio, you need strengthening exercises, you need some counseling, there are many things that need to be done. I canna seem to get you out of here to get started, why not?"

Devereaux: ::shrugging: : I just don't feel like it.

Adair-Walker: Ro sighed and put her hand on his."Why not Marty? and laddie I am not asking in a professional way, I'm asking as myself, why da ya not feel like it?

Devereaux: Because what's the point? Build me up just to crash again? I have one leg and no future.

Adair-Walker: Ro sighed inwardly, unfortunetly this was something that anyone in his situation would feel, it was understandable. "Aye, ya da have one leg, but when it heals we can make you an orthotic that even you won't be able ta tell from the real one, but that doesna mean ya have no future." She made him look her straight on."The legs no whats botherin ya, not really, come on lad, spit it out."

Devereaux: It was my fault that the attacks came on the planet. If I'd have managed to kill that first one then maybe it wouldn't have called for its buddies. I didn't help Enrico when he was fighting it...I jus...

::Tears welled up and he clung onto the edge of his blankets.::

Adair-Walker: His distress was almost unbearable for her, he should have had some help right after surgery, but there was no time.Ro unwound his hands from the blanket, and made him grip hers."There was no way ya could have known anything like that would have happened.None of us knew that there would even be life on that planet, we didn't have time to do a full scan, check for the dangers.And you did the best you could under the circumstances, there was nothing more ya could have done."

Devereaux: I could have if I tried! That's the point! I could have - I spent years at Starfleet Academy and trained in all kinds of tactical simulations. ..I should have been able to kill it. Deep down I'm just a coward.

Adair-Walker: Ro shook her head."Thats not true, if you were a coward, you wouldn't be telling me what happened, a coward would have made up a lie, made himself look good, you aren't doing that, all you are doing is beating yourself up because you are not a coward.

::Marty wiped his eyes and sniffled.::

Devereaux: You're just being nice. I know what everyone thinks. "Marty the doofus. Marty the sap." No one really likes me. I'd still be on DS17 cleaning torpedo casings if it wasn't for LtCmd Wilde's sister.

Adair-Walker: Ro bit her bottom lip, the poor man really was in a bad way. "But you showed them didn't you, you ended up on a state of the art ship, not an easy feat for anyone." She didn't let him look away."Do you want met to transfer you to Ronin's sick bay? that way your friends can come and visit"

Devereaux: No thanks. I'll just stay on DS17 out the way. I don't want anymore visitors...

Adair-Walker: : Ro shook her head. "Marty, I'm not going to let you hide, nor am I going to let you continue to beat yourself up.You are as much worthy for your position as I am for mine, yes we make mistakes, I could gi ya list a mile long of mine.And as far as no visitors, I doubt that I can keep your mates away."

Devereaux: I bet they'll all stay away when you find out what happened.

:: Ro slid further back on his bed."What your feeling is normal Marty, you've had a loss, a big one, not only do you feel the pain of what you think you didn't do right, ya also can see what happened to you, and ya can remember what happened to Enrico."

Devereaux: I just want the memories to go away. I just want to feel a bit of peace...but all I can do is think about it.

Ro put her hand on the stump of the amputated leg."This will heal faster than you can imagine" She then leaned forward and put her hand first on his heart, then on the side of his head."This will take longer, and probably require more hard work on your part than learning to walk again."

::Marty thought for a second. Perhaps he did have something to live for, but it was just so hard...so painful. He knew deep down there was only one person who could make it right: himself. Offering a weak smile, he patted Doctor Adair's hand.::

Devereuax: Perhaps you could ask the Counselor to come and see me when I'm back on the Ronin? And get me some pasta and meatballs. I am quite hungry...

TBC

Ensign Marty Devereaux

Tactical

USS Ronin

as simmed by Lt.Commander Danny Wilde

&

Doctor Ro Adair-Walker

Chief Medical Officer

USS Ronin

[Guest]

One of the best sims posted to the Ronin group recently in my mind. The OOC dedication at the top is from Danny Wilde.

This post is the making of young Marty Deveraux - he started life as not much more than an occasional comic character but in this post Danny has fleshed him out, with the excellent assistance of Ro, into a fully rounded and likable character with depth and feelings.

It's a very well written piece and I think is worth considering for the way in which it moves a part-time NPC onto the next level.