Checking in with the doctor

Posted on Wed Jul 9th, 2025 @ 8:58am by Lieutenant Amber Laurell & Lieutenant Rio Kholin MD

1,797 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Gaia
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: After ‘newcomers’

{IC}

Amber headed to sickbay to check-in with the ship’s new CMO Lieutenant Kholin. The visit was two fold, meet and greet plus to get her boarding physical out of the way while she was at it. As she reached sickbay she walked inside offering a polite nod to the nursing staff as she did so.

Rio had checked her schedule which had been filling up very fast since she got on board and started to work through the high volume of medical check ups that were needed before the next mission launch. She needed to get to know the crew and doing these herself was a good way to start that off. It was a lot of checks to do and a lot of information and details to absorb but rather than get someone else to do them, Rio was keen to try to fit in as many as she could so she would be more up to speed in a quicker timescale.

Next up on the appointments list was an officer who had been recently added in and was someone Rio was keen to meet. It would be the Chief Counsellor and Rio was a great supporter of the way that a CMO and a CC could (and should, in her humble opinion) work together for the benefit of all the crew, as well as themselves. Kholin was looking forward to finding out who she would be teaming up with so when Lt Amber Laurell walked in, Rio stood up and immediately offered her a spontaneous hug of welcome. This could have gone one of two ways, it could have been a welcoming, friendly start to a great partnership and teamwork or it could have scared the poor woman and put her off immediately, causing her to avoid the apparently over-the-top, nutty Doctor whenever possible.

Rio took the risk and approached Lt. Laurell around the desk, smiling warmly at her and giving her a brief, gentle, informal, genuinely welcoming light embrace. "I've been looking forward to meeting you Lieutenant" she said with enthusiasm. "We have SOmuch to plan and work on. I can't wait to get to know more about you and how you prefer to work, as I know we're going to be such a great team here!" Whilst she was welcoming her new colleague, the CMO held out her arm to indicate a biobed inside a private cubicle where she was implying as she spoke, that Laurell should sit and make herself comfortable.

Amber smiled warmly at the light hug, she hadn't been expecting that, but she didn't mind at all. "I'm glad you've been looking forward to meeting me" she moved across to the biobed as she spoke taking a seat upon it. "I like to have a good working relationship with the medical staff, actually with everyone." she grinned before pausing to massage her temples. "Sorry, it always takes me some time to adjust to the number of minds onboard ship, the downside of my abilities developing earlier than they should have. I keep an inhibitor in my quarters just incase its ever needed."

Rio was delighted that meeting had gone so well to start off. "I'm part Trill - as you can see by my washed out version of the famous 'patterning' and so luckily for me, I don't have telepathy to deal with like you. I imagine it must be like a very loud crowded event going on all the time. I think I would find it hard personally." she sympathised.

"One Routine Medical for you today?" she asked, just invoking the standard protocol of having requested permission first even though it was almost a rhetorical question.

Amber nodded. “Yes, please. I wouldn’t be much of a Counsellor recommending treatment to my patients if I didn’t get on with visits to sickbay myself. Besides I’m used to being in and out of medical care, it used to be a regular thing when my abilities first manifested. For me the voices are always there in the back of my mind, I don’t get to switch them off or block them out. All I can do is quieten them down a little.”

Rio shook her head sadly. "I don't know how you cope with that, Lieutenant. I'm so impressed by your strength and endurance." she said, in genuine admiration. As she spoke, Kholin's fingers flitted briskly and lightly across the LCARS on her controls of the Bio-Bed, initiating routine scans.

“Well it helps being part Vulcan” Amber smiled. “It helps to ground my emotional state, although my father disapproves that I kept my emotions in the first place.”

"Our parents don't always see what we're trying to do or experience, and sometimes they don't see why either. Probably because they're likely to be influenced by how similar effects looked or felt to them and in an attempt to protect us, or offer advice that applied to themselves in situations or conditions that they anticipate - sometimes mistakenly, that could be similar for us to how it was for them. It's very rarely the case though, because with the best will in the universe, they simply can't feel the same as their offspring, despite often believing they recognise the circumstances - because everyone is and feels differently and copes or endures or enjoys differently. So the odds that every single part of every single combination could ever be the exact same, is off the scale unlikely."

As she had been speaking, Rio had been running the tests and comparing the results with the Chief Counsellor's medical files.

"I am getting readings that infer exposure to Trellium D in your historic cells, such as hair, nails, blood and general cell structure. There's a correlation in your records but it does appear that your Betazoid half is coping with balancing out some of the more dangerous aspects. Has anyone medical talked about this with you before?" the CMO asked levelly but with a serious concern for her new colleague's awareness and care of herself.

Amber nodded. “Briefly, the usual here’s what happened and here’s what might happen next. There wasn’t really an in-depth explanation. Back then I just wanted to get my recovery over with, I should have asked for more information. I have done some research of my own, but a medical perspective wouldn’t go astray.” She gave Rio a curious look hoping to find out more.

Rio parked herself on the end of the biobed. "Well, the dosage you appear to have been exposed to, may cause you problems in the future but despite your having inherited the copper based blood system of your Vulcan heritage (so giving the initial impression that you're going to react more on that side of your genetics) you do have a very strong, fit betazoid side too and this does seem to be holding its own in the balancing act that had been rejecting the Trellium D when it tried to infuse into you.

It would have been something that I would imagine was pretty unpredictable at the time, but judging by your good bill of health today, I would say that 'so far, so good' will likely be appropriate as your current mantra! Kholin smiled softly.

"Trellium D is toxic and in a high dose it can be deadly - especially to Vulcans, as you may know, but your body will have had to attempt to reject its effects due to the strength it had at the time and the level of contamination too. Currently it's doing well and you can thank your Betazoid side for most of that success." she went on with optimism.

"Obviously, I can't promise that it will always stay that well balanced and I have to say with all honesty that there is a chance it will display some symptoms in time but if you are careful, keep a close medical 'eye' on it and eat healthily, don't indulge in any excesses that might weaken your liver, kidneys, lungs, etc, then you will be giving yourself the best chance to stay ahead." she became more serious now. "This isn't a fix-all plan and there's no certainty that whatever sub-cellular damage that might be fixing to appear in your future, will get a chance to do so, but at your current level of balance and protection from your Betazoid heritage, you can be positive and proactive in keeping it at bay, with a little luck as well as judgement.

I'm sorry that's not definitive nor fool-proof but with something as unpredictable as exposure to Trellium D, I wouldn't be doing you any favours nor being honest with you if I didn't tell you all the options I think might be possible, bad as well as good, and give you a chance and a starting grid to do all you can to keep your own strength, resistance and odds up.

You could easily outlive me for all we know. On the other hand it could get a little complicated as time goes by. That's about the same as I could promise anybody who came in here, so to sum up, I wouldn't live in fear of it, just be sensible that it happened, respect your body for all that it's done and is doing for you and any recovery it can achieve; help it if and where you can and at the same time live your life to the full - you've been given the gift of more time, hopefully a LOT more."

Handing over a data rod with her findings and records on, ready to take away, Rio also sent a copy of the data to the Main Medical Records and smiled.

“I appreciate the information and your honesty.” Amber smiled warmly. “I will endeavour to maintain a healthy lifestyle and work, life balance. Doesn’t mean I won’t go off the rails from time to time, but not by much” she grinned playfully.

Rio grinned "That's all I can ask" she replied jokingly. "But don't forget..." she added a little more seriously. "... If you find anything untoward or troublesome presents itself then I'll be here with some dodgy remedies you can try." the grin returned. She meant that she would always support Ash medically, if she got into trouble with the exposure symptoms and she could tell from the lightness of Ash's reply that she was being understood, despite the light-hearted banter.

Amber nodded. “I’ll remember tha.” She smiled warmly as she hopped down off the biobed and headed towards the door, pausing to look back. “Ohh and thank you.”

 

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