Visiting the Injured

Posted on 11/08/2020 @ 10:24am by Captain Cian D'Anvers

Mission: S2E2: The Auction House
Location: Captain's Ready Room; Sickbay, USS Crazy Horse
Timeline: Day 41 at 1730

There was a lot still to do but some things came first. He took a deep, steadying breath, willing himself to a calm he was far from feeling, as the familiar Starfleet logo disappeared and was replaced with the image of Mr. and Mrs. Boudreaux, the Master Chief's parents. "My apologies for disturbing you at such an early hour," he said. "I'm Captain Cian D'Anvers of the USS Crazy Horse."

"That's Henri's ship," his mother whispered as she pressed her hands, one crossed over the other, against her mouth. "Oh no ..." He saw the bloom of sudden tears in her eyes, how the understanding spread from one to the other, in a fraction of a second, before even he could draw breath to speak. "What's happened?"

"I'm sorry," Cian said softly. His accent thickened as it was wont to do when he was feeling something strongly but the rich tenor of his voice carried to them his own grief. He hadn't known the Master Chief well but he could draw on a lifetime's experience. To survive the loss of someone you cared about was a pain beyond words. "Your son died today in the performance of his duties." There were other words. He spoke but mostly, he listened to the outpouring of their grief. When the quieted, he spoke again. "I won't keep you. I wanted you both to know that he was a valued member of this crew and he will be missed."

"Thank you," his father said, his voice thickened by grief. "When can we ... the ... body, I mean?"

"It will take some time. Weeks before you have him home. We'll be bringing him back on the Crazy Horse," Cian said quietly. "Say, a month and a half. I am sorry for the delay but we are outside of Federation space and it was a long trip getting to where we are now."

"I understand," his father said. "It will take time to gather the family, make arrangements. We'll ... uh ... we'll be ready when you get here. You'll let us know the date? When you do?"

"Of course," Cian said. "I'll be in touch personally. If there's anything I can do to help, please let know."

"Just bring my boy home," his Mother said. "Just bring him home."

The connection was severed on their end and Cian sat quietly for a long moment, wishing that he'd had time to know the man better, and saddened that he never would. With their grief uppermost in his mind, he left the Ready Room. "I'll be down in Sickbay," he announced.

"Aye, Sir," the operations officer answered. "Lieutenant Joral to the Bridge."

[Sickbay]

He entered Sickbay and looked around for someone he could speak with. He had been informed that Lieutenant Lae'Or had been wounded by not much more than that.

"Afternoon, sir," greeted Chet as he approached, somehow both wearily and cheerfully at once. "What can I do for you?"

"I heard that Lieutenant Lae'Or was wounded and wanted to check in, see how she was doing," Cian said quietly. The memory of his earlier conversation with Henri's parents remained wrapped around his thoughts. And while it wouldn't stop him from doing what needed to be done, he carried the weight of it with him. "Well that, and to let you know that I've spoken with the Chief's parents. They want him returned to Earth for burial in the family plot."

"That won't be difficult to arrange," Chet replied. "As for Lae'Or, she's doing well. Had a nasty hole in her chest and a bit of damage to her heart. The chief surgeon is finishing up with her now. She may need a bit of reconstructive surgery, too, but we'll have to wait until she's healed up completely before we'll know."

"How long do you expect she'll be on medical leave," Cian asked.

“That depends on how quickly she heals up,” answered Chet. “A week at least. That’s typical with this sort of damage. With light duty to follow. On the outside? That’s anybody’s guess. I’ve seen people take a month to fully heal, but they’re typically a lot older. She’s young; she should heal up fast.”

"Thank you, Doctor," Cian said. "I should get back to the Bridge. Please let me know if the situation changes, won't you?"

"Absolutely, sir," replied Chet simply.

Cian nodded and left Sickbay moving toward the next thing that had to be done. Tonight, he was the Captain. Later, when he was alone, then he'd be Cian and think about the rest of this.

A post by:

Captain Cian D'Anvers
Commanding Officer
USS Crazy Horse

and

Lieutenant JG Chester O'Hamlin, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
USS Crazy Horse