| Stress Fracture |
| Summary: | In which two crew members run into each other painfully, and healing is provided by unexpected persons. |
| Date: | PHD 164 |
| Related Logs: | None |
| Players: |
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It's another morning on the Kharon, just after the morning meal rotations. Crew move here and there, going about their duties or just tending to off-duty matters.
Just coming out of the laundry, Mimi Delann pauses to make sure the small, neat stacks of laundry in her scrounged plastic basket are in no danger of falling over. It took a little time to get them all arranged, and it'd take more to fix them if they did. And the nugget barracks are small enough as it is. Sorting this all back out wouldn't be a popular idea.
Patrols patrols patrols. It's a good thing the crew is largely self-disciplining, because LCpl Ajtai isn't the only Marine who minds his own damn business while doing the rounds. He's paying more attention to a pleasantly configured crewman who just passed him by, in fact. Spinning around, walking backwards to watch her from behind, there's a good chance he'll steamroll right over the petite who just came out of the laundry as she distracts herself with the stacks of clothing.
Good chances sometimes fail. This isn't one of those times.
Mimi barely looks up from her laundry when suddenly a very large person plows right into her back. She's got good reflexes, so she doesn't go over immediately, but she loses the basket, which hits the floor with a thud. A little shriek of dismay accompanies the accident. If the good Lance Corporal doesn't notice her pretty quickly, however, he might keep walking, knock her down, and fall right over her!
The collision is as mild as it is surprising. Running into something stable is to be expected - there are walls - but when that something wiggles against him at the same time that another something thuds against the floor, that's something completely different… and that's a lot of somethings. Panda doesn't walk over little Mimi, but instead of just twirling to regain balance he's dropping down, grabbing at the arms of his 'ambusher.'
Mimi manages not to fall, again, but she doesn't have time to turn around before she's grabbed from behind by the arms! By very big, strong hands, it feels like. She stumbles back into her as-yet-unknown ambusher with a yelp.
"On the ground!" the Marine barks, tugging her hands back and up. It's in the middle of this leveraging that he's able to focus and see what's going on; though Pandorian's too confused to let go as he awkwardly squawks, "Mimi?" Crap.
"OW!!!" Mimi shrieks as her hands are hauled up, pulling her off balance and dumping her on the deck on her knees. She blinks away tears of pain and looks back and rather far up. "Frak, Panda! You bump me and I'm the one under arrest?!"
The leather of his fingerless gloves flies from her wrists so fast that it could feel, for a moment, like rug burn. "Whoah, my bad, (shit) sorry!" His hands are up at shoulder level, palms open and fingers spread, and Pandorian stays still to reassure his erroneous victim. His eyes are dark underneath, and it's not carbon from the range either. "You alright?"
Mimi gasps in relief when Panda lets go, the rasp of leather on her wrists muted compared to the pain in her shoulders. "Define 'all right'…" she replies breathlessly, still breathing hard. FRAK, that hurt! "Panda, do you do that to all the girls you run into in the hall? 'Cuz it's not much of a come-on, just so ya know." Gritting her teeth, she flexes her arms experimentally and tries to get up. Sore knees, sore shoulders… this won't be easy.
"Naw, just the ones who seen me naked," he smirks, trying to make a joke. Then his eyes shift aside and Panda realizes aloud, "Uh, well, I mean, on account of the showers, that's… yeah. All the girls pretty much." With a blink of realization he thrusts out his open hand, wincing at himself. "Sorry, I-I'm an idiot, the frak am I thinkin', here, lemme help ya up…"
Kitty happens by and just in time to see the end result of the collusion, that being enough to make her arch a brow, obviously shocked by the sight. "If you two are going to frak you should at least have the decency to go somewhere private first," she mutters, her tone so dry that it's impossible to tell if she is joking or not. "Did you remember to put a condom in your pocket when you left berthing, Panda? I'm too frakking young to be an aunt, you know."
"Must keep Sickbay busy," Mimi grates, accepting that hand with both of hers. She barely keeps in a yowl of pain as he helps her up, considering how the gesture pulls on her shoulders. As it is, she hisses between her teeth. "Lords…"
And just then Kitty shows up to claim her laundry. Which is in the basket. Some of it still is, honest. Mimi gives a little cry and looks over. "Kits! Oh Lords, I'm so sorry about your laundry! And sorry about… huh?!" For once the chatty Aquarian is rendered speechless.
"What, you've got any left?" Pandorian snaps over his shoulder, lips curled over his teeth. The expression fades; it's clear he's trying to keep a stern face, but the Marine's will is fast wilting in the presence of his sister. He seen looks away, catches Mimi's eyes, and shamefacedly tries to find somewhere other than either of them to look.
"Gods, guys. Loosen up. It's a joke." Kitty smiles and shakes her head while waving a hand. "Don't worry about it, Mimi. I'll grab them while I'm here." Panda's snirked at and given a hug and a kiss to his cheek. "I think you need to do some…uh, relaxing in the shower, Pandorian. You're way too tense."
Mimi gives Kitty an apologetic look. "No, you can't… I mean, it's not ready," she stammers. She hides her face in her hands. "Some of it'll have to be done over, I mean."
Panda stiffens up at his sister's contact. The Marine tilts his head slowly, like a clockwork mannequin. "It doesn't HELP!" he shouts suddenly, slamming a fist into the ship's wall. Funny thing, the wall doesn't move. Another funny thing: His expression, squeezing his knuckles and dancing around in the Jig of Pain. "Frak frak frakketty fraking frak frik frak…"
This isn't the first time Kitty has seen her brother hit a solid object but she still cringes, wincing as she looks at his reaction. Seeking to distract him, she patpats him on his ass whil she looks at Marissa, the trainee getting a slight frow. "Washed….over? What the hell happened to my laundry, Mimi?"
Mimi shakes her head and points to the laundry basket on the floor, still partially full. The rest is scattered over the deck plates.
She looks over at Panda, hearing that thud of a fist and the blistering Marine swearing. "Panda?"
"What" he hisses, pinching his fist under his left arm. He's practically doing the funky chicken, even doubled over for it. The patting doesn't garner a bad reaction, rather a mellowing of his mood; while waving a hand Panda groans, "Sorry, sorry, just… gimme a frakkin minute."
Kitty looks at the clothes on the deck and ohs, blinking a bit as she frowns, her eyes narrowing. "Have Panda help you," she mutters after a moment, Panda's plight ignored for now, his dance allowed to go on without comment from the peanut gallery.
Mimi sighs. "I think I'm just going to Sickbay so Doc Pike can take a look at my shoulders. I might be going into pilot training any day, and if I can't move my arms, I'll flunk automatically." Biting her lip to keep back tears, she gives Panda a worried look and turns for the corridor.
"Aww c'mon, just wait a minute," Pandorian whines. He drops to the ground, gathering up the clothing off the floor. The string of cursing he lets out is halfhearted, his shoulders slumped in defeat. After a few moments of growling he drops onto his bottom and groans, "Can't win for nothin!"
Getting an idea, Kitty nudges Pandorian with a toe and tilts her head towards Mimi, taking an authoritative tone when she speaks. "Corporal, go accompany Crewman Delann to Sickbay and get your hand checked out as well." He'll know that tone as he's heard it before, his older sister will not take no for an answer.
Mimi shoots Kitty a dubious look behind Panda's back, but doesn't argue. "Just hurry, please…" Her shoulders are starting to seriously ache, with the momentary adrenaline rush wearing off.
Panda is busily punching panties into the laundry basket when the order comes. It's something to be said for both the training and Kitty that the Marine doesn't question, he just snaps to his feet and gives her a quizzical look. "Madam," Pandorian acknowledges with a nod, then turning toward Marissa. "I'm…" The man shakes his head quickly, hurrying up beside her. "I'll take you," he mumbles.
Kitty leans in and kisses Panda's cheek before letting them go, picking up clothes before going into the laundry room to try the wash thing again.
"Sounds good to me…" Mimi replies, falling into step as much as she can. His legs are a lot longer than hers. "Let's just hope Doc Pike is home."
Sickbay - Deck 2
The hatchway immediately opens into the larger room, though the muted blues of the room are complimented by the white sheets on the various beds lying at wait for any injured personnel, which are lain out in neat rows. Curtains are available around certain bed bays for examinations and privacy during them. Rows of lockers around the room are labeled in easy-to-read yellows that contain everything from surgical supplies to the basic items such as sterilized bandages. A counter to the Fore end of the room is the ships pharmacist and can dispense items like aspirin and ibuprofen to anyone who might need it. Behind the manned counter stands an electronically locked metal door that leads back to some of the more controlled pharmacological items. To the rear of the room is a specially designated and sealed 'clean area' for surgeries.
Pike is handing an ECO a packet of OTC pain meds before sending him on his way. "Now if you experience any sort of stomach discomfort, come back in and we'll try to find something more tolerable."
The walk to the infirmary is quiet. Not just from Panda, but from everyone who crosses their path. A fully kitted out Marine walking with someone not in uniform tends to mean there's trouble. When he's firing the 'frak-with-me,-please' look, conversations stop mid-stream. Pandorian still has that look when he and Marissa come into the sickbay.
Mimi, for her part, just looks like she's trying to hold back tears and trying not to move her arms at the shoulders. She sighs in relief at the sight of the Doctor. "Doc? D'ya have a minute?"
Pike sends the ECO on his way, before catching sight of Panda and Mimi, her expression turning quizzical once she sees the two of them being dead-bang serious. "Um, of course…?" She looks between the two, hoping for an explanation.
"Needs some anti-inflammatories, a profile slip keepin' her from pushups or pullups for a week, hot-cold pack, and protein powder if you still got any," Pandorian drawls, actively avoiding eye contact with anyone else in the bay. Seriously. If his eyes were Vipers, the Air Wing would be asking him for pointers on juking.
Mimi just looks embarrassed at the question. "What he said, I think… I got my arms wrenched up behind me way too much, and they hurt…" Which isn't much of an explanation, but it might spare certain feelings. Besides, the pain is obvious enough on her face.
Pike blinks at Panda's request for meds, then looks to Mimi questioningly. Her attention back on the Marine, her expression now shifting to something approximating his own stoicism, "Lance Corporal, I hope you'll forgive me if I actually examine and diagnose my patient before administering treatment or medications." She then looks to Mimi, "Can you seat yourself on an exam table comfortably?"
Panda's eyes go wide, his lips part slightly. Arms open, palm up, and he bows with crossed ankles as if graciously accepting a request to have-this-dance at a ball. "By all means," the Marine all but gasps.
"I think so. Well, maybe not the 'comfortably' part," Mimi replies. At least she can still joke a little. She smiles faintly at Panda's bow and moves to hop up onto the exam table. Literally. She doesn't use her hands at all, which makes the table shift a bit on the floor. "Ow…"
Pike nods appreciatively to Panda then winces a bit, noticing that Mimi deliberately avoided use of her arms. "All right, I'm going to apply pressure to various spots and I need you to tell me what spots are painful." She gently presses with her dominant two fingers along the length of Mimi's spine and the space between her spine and each shoulder blade.
For his part Pandorian stands aside, grunting in a curt, annoyed fashion into the radio on his vest. "Sickbay. No. All Clear. No. Minor. Yes. Unknown." This pattern is repeated a number of times, each less patiently than the last.
"Ow," Mimi murmurs at the last, high on the spine. She actually gasps as the first shoulder blade is checked, groans softly on the second, her reactions a bit less spontaneous. It's already hurt once, after all. She blinks hard. Mr. Pain is not her friend. He makes her cry.
Seriy arrives from the Hallway - Deck 2, Midships.
Pike frowns. "Does appear that you've hyper-extended the scapular tendons… how exactly did this happen?" She looks curiously between the two of them.
"Out," Pandorian snaps into his mic, a guilty look on his face as he ticks the radio off and approaches. "Major." So much for the informality of the showers. He shifts weight on his feet, looking between Marissa and the doctor. "Hard to explain. One minute, minute…" His voice is shaky, eyes darting around. "… and then the next? Whush!" The Marine gestures awkwardly in front of him, as if a rocket had gone off in front of him and it, er, somehow, lead to the injury.
"I got arrested for possession of a deadly weapon. To wit: a laundry basket," Mimi says flatly. She glances at Panda, startled, then looks to Pike and leans close, whispering.
Seriy steps into the medical bay, a uniformed petty officer not far behind her. "No, I'm sorry," she says with a hint of fatigue in her voice, "the short circuit is somewhere in this room. It was during my shift earlier, and according to the CIC it still is now. Do be careful here, please." She alters her course towards the small group. "I quite apologize, Major, but… Oh." She stops a little short, her eyes locking on Marissa, then moving to Panda, and then back.
Pike frowns a bit, both in reaction to the reason Mimi was popped by the CMC and the whispered comment. Before she can reply to either, she notices Seriy's arrival as well as that of her subordinate. "Ensign? Is there something going on I should know about?"
Panda grunts as if punched in the gut. "NOBODY -" He slaps his forehead, hand dripping down his face. "Nobody is under arrest," the young man slowly says. "I just…" Desperate for some distraction to give him time to think, he turns around when the doors open. "Godsdammit," he sighs, louder than expected, hand now going back up his face.
Mimi draws back, wincing as the motion jars her shoulders. "Panda, what's wrong? You've been acting strange since you ran into me." Seriy's arrival gets a faint, pained smile and a called, "Hey, Seriy."
Seriy pulls her eyes back away from Marissa after giving her a small, almost shy wave, briefly watching Panda's reaction as a look of confusion and concern colors her visage. "Umm, yes, I'm quite sorry Major but there is a short circuit in one of the communications relays and it is behind one of your walls. With your permission I'd like the technician here to check it, saving of course any medical reasons for his being unable to access the panel."
Pike nods a couple times in response. "Sure, of course, whatever you need. Let me know if you need any furniture or equipment moved." She then returns her attention to Panda and Mimi. "So now, where were we?" she asks them.
"I'm fine," Dorian snaps, wincing self-consciously. He glances aside toward Seriy (not the Ensign and the tech, one could easily note; just the Ensign), then back to Marissa and the doctor. Thumb and forefinger rub at his eyes, but when removed the redness fades; the darker purple under his eyes doesn't. "Doc I'm an asskicker, not an MP. The frak they've got us all f -" Under so much scrutiny he's concentrating enough to catch his own voice rising and stifles it with a frustrated growl.
"My shoulders, something about hyper-extended tendons. And Panda." Mimi follows Panda's look curiously, noting the subject of it. And then it hits her, so obvious that she would smack herself if her arms didn't protest at being moved at all. "I think I see the issue now."
Seriy gestures to the technician to carry on, pointing towards an unoccupied corner of the sick bay. "Please, open the panel and visually inspect the conduit," she says pointedly. She watches him head over there before turning back to catch Panda's clipped tirade. She turns her look of concern back to Marissa, asking an unobtrusive, "Are you alright?"
Pike looks between Mimi and Panda and frowns. "I think I may as well, but would someone actually finish their sentence so I might know best how to help?"
Panda's face tightens at Mimi's summary, but as she and Seriy speak he seems to relax to just standard irritable-Marine levels. "Arright someone wanna clue me in," he grunts, mostly to Pike. "I'm just a frr, a Marine," he self-edits. "They just pay me to shoot Toasters, and I ain't shot many Toasters lately." As he speaks the bored, flat tone rises in tenor, tension and temp. "And it wouldn't matter anyway 'cause there's a million billion trillion of 'em and we're all - this is pointless, we're all frakkin' dead already." It's not shouted; rather, the statement comes in a sigh of resignation.
"Nothing a week in bed won't fix," Mimi replies to Seriy. And, catching a potential other interpretation of those words, shoots a nervous glance at Panda. "Wow," she murmurs. "Panda, you're really feeling the strain, aren't you?" she asks, concerned.
Seriy seems assured by Mimi's reply, her visible anxiety dropping. She too turns to Panda though, a fresh batch of concern opened for the marine. "Pandorian," she says softly, reassuringly as she moves around to place her hand on his arm.
Pike blinks in reaction to Panda's confession and simply nods. "I… see." Her face turns sympathetic, but otherwise she's lost for something to say at the moment.
"Ares' balls, people," Panda sniffs, grinding the heels of his gloved palms into his eyes (but careful not to move the upper arm where that reassuring hand has alighted, nosiree). "Ain't bleedin' or nothin'. M'issa's the one who got hurt." He sniffles again, coughs and swallows; with a nervous glance around he appends a muttered, "think I uh, maybe think I got a cold though, heh," followed by another sniff and a throat clearing.
Mimi blinks and stares for a long moment in silence. "Doc, get me treated," she says, finally. "Please? I think someone needs a hug, and I sure can't do it like this."
Seriy doesn't say anything, she's really not the pep-talking type; she doesn't know the perfect words to say to someone who is realizing that all life as it's been known is fracked, so she says nothing. Her hand remains on his arm though, and she smiles up at him softly.
Pike nods to Mimi and makes her way over to the medicine storage cabinet. "Afraid I've nothing that'll put you back in hugging condition immediately, but these should get you back on the road to recovery fairly soon…" The CMO returns with a packet of analgesic skinpatches. "Have someone place one of these on the bare skin of the affected area once per day, okay?"
"Really, I, I'm fine," Panda says with the difference in his voice of a man who just got back from a week's vacation. A sniffle and cough - okay, maybe just a long weekend's difference. "It's just the, uh, recycled air. Have they, I mean, are we out of filters or something?" He clears his throat again and nods to each in turn. "Thank you, Doc." No word is said to Seriy but in its place is a soft smile and a warm pat of his hand on hers, even though it will likely mean the hand's removal from his arm. Then Marissa, to whom he gives a grimace of a smile in his nod. "I'm sorry."
Mimi accepts the patches, lifting her hands to receive the packet. Only at the elbow, of course. "Thanks, Doc. I owe you one. A visit, I mean. After the first time, what I owe you for medical matters could never be repaid."
And Panda's apologizing? Mimi's smile is a bit pained, but it's no less genuine for it. "Don't worry about it, Panda. It's done. But I think I'll be okay soon enough." She winks. "Provided you can help me with these patches, anyway." Yup, she figured out part of the problem.
Just as he suspected a happier Panda loses the sympathetic hand as she turns back towards Mimi. "I c-" she starts to say before Marissa finishes her statement, her expression dropping to a more schooled one. "Please, pardon me a moment, I should check on the repairs." She gives a slightly embarrassed sorry-for-getting-in-the-way smile before turning around to head across the room.
