Science Database Meets Medical Database

Posted on Tue Sep 20th, 2022 @ 6:39am by Petty Officer 2nd Class Mai Ichihara & Ensign Dillard Klee Dr.

1,974 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Trade Troubles
Location: Varios
Timeline: Before encountering the Nikko

It was a quiet day in sickbay for Nurse Ichihara. The EMH had been deactivated an hour earlier, leaving Mai alone to work quietly, updating charts and organizing shelves.

The door opened and in walked a young man in a blue uniform with an Ensign pip and glasses on his face, covering both eyes unlike her own. "May I help you, Ensign?"

"Hello. Dillard’s the….” He scowled. “Agh!.. Aha!..” The ensign stifled a sneeze. “It is of... I ... I apologize to bother you, Nu...Nurse." Sniffled Ensign Klees.

"It's a long-standing, long, long-standing family tradition of allergies..." The science ensign wiped at his nose with a cloth. Dillard's face was flush with redness, the inflammation of his sinuses aching, itchy, and overall, just terrible feeling. "Might I be able to get an allergic suppression? My doctor on the U.S.S. Zhukov…” His nose seemed to whistle inward with the sound of breathing as he recalled the registry number, “NCC-26136.”

“He would have my file.” Finally clearing and straitening his glasses, he smiled. “Hello, Petty Officer…”

“Ichihara,” she said, completing his sentence and offering a slight bow. “And yes, right this way. Take a seat on the biobed and I’ll be with you shortly.” The man was truly a wreck, red in the face and breathing with difficulty. “I need your last name, Ensign, if I’m to find your medical file.”

"Of course." Klee took a moment to clear and breathe inward. "Ensign Dillard Klees. Starfleet Registra.... Stra... st-" He then stifled the sneeze to come. His eyes red, bloodshot. "I don't understand. I had my last environN... NNnnnN" Dillard sneezed in to his sanitizer wipe. "Oh, dear. I am a mess I am sorry, Doctor Ichihara." Klees frowned sympathetically at her.

"Nurse Ichihara," Mai corrected him. "Let's get you something for that." She found his file on her PADD. "Dillard Klee. Ensign. Date of birth 5 October 2372. That's all correct?"

Dillard nodded his head in agreement. He didn't speak, risking a sneeze, taking out this aft section of the ship as a result! His eyes scanned the Petty Officer, watching her fill out his much-needed hypo vial of antihistamine.

The nurse adjusted her single-eye glasses as she further studied the screen. "Important to verify the patient. Your file says your previous doctor prescribed you regular antihistamine injections. I'm authorized to continue that treatment for now, but the EMH will need to verify it within one month of our launch from Spacedock." She set down her PADD and walked to the pharmaceutical replicator, where she produced a dose of medication.

Stifling another fit of sneezes, Ensign Klee's twisted his head to see his own medical profile. As a scientist, he was naturally curious. "Erm." He looked back to Mai. "I already have it noted." Klees again gave a slow nod, feeling the injection as the cute petty officer injected.

"Yes, but that was by your last doctor," Mai explained as she pulled the spent hypo away. "Standard policy is to revisit old diagnoses and prescriptions and confirm whether your new physician wants you to continue with them. Sometimes a new doctor will have a new idea, or will notice some undesirable side effect your medicine has been making which the old doctor didn't see."

"That would be advisable. Thank you." Dillard slipped off the biobed and felt at his neck. "How long before the... The... " He stifled this time no chance he would break another wind speed. "Medication kicks in, Petty Officer?" Dillard began to feel a sort of effect a clearing of his sinuses. Or it could have simply been the placebo effect.

"Should be rather quick, Ensign," she replied, noting that she could already see the relief on his face. "That should last about one week. You can come in for top-ups every Monday morning. You can just walk in any time between 0700 and 1200, and I'll have prepared it for you." She gave him a stern look. "Don't be late. You're not the type to be late, are you?"

"It is not in The Klee's family vocabulary." Dillard had felt better now. "I am feeling much better." He breathed in and out deeply confidently. "Gee." Dillard was leaving and turned back. "I was wondering. Hot tea helps me clear my sinuses. Would you care to take a quick break with me? I have a Botanist friend onboard who grows me real Gyokuro Loose Leaf tea!" Dillard was a connoisseur of teas, hoping that it might help make a friend onboard the USS Myogi. Dillard sensed that Mai was smart, no non-sense with a hint of logic.

That got her attention. Authentic gyokuro, you say?” Mai asked. She smiled, inclined her head down slightly, and fixed her eyeglass. “I’m due for a break.”

Ships Lounge

Petty Officer Ichihara was left to find them both a table. Dillard left only momentarily to set up his antique Japanese Tea Set out traditionally and gently unpackaged his Gyokuro tea from his bamboo tea holder. After sufficiently timing the correct temperature, not too hot, not too cold either.

Returning to the table, Dillard had refreshed after having had his sniffles. He lent a nod. "Petty Officer Ichihara. Please... Be my guest." Dillard always stated when he drew a pot of tea. After setting down the pot gently pouring his own cup, he turned to Mai. His first chance to watch the Petty Officer as a close-up.

She smiled, nodded, and poured one for herself. She bowed her head. "Itadakimasu (I will drink, thank you)." She took a sip and enjoyed the flavour that so reminded her of home.

Dillard's green eyes watched Ichihara. She sipped from the cup so peacefully, so dainty with her cup. He watched behind the shine of his glasses, imparted his intense anticipation to her simple response. Having to formulate and use his sizeable brainpower, he added. "Ichihara." Visibly pulling the mechanics of the Japanese language together is not so quickly done. "Watashi wa kōeidesu..." (I am honoured.)" Dillard spoke with a simple phrase; however, nowhere near passing novice level.

“Your Japanese isn’t bad,” she said. “This ship is not lacking people fluent in my mother tongue, but it is nonetheless kind of you to learn some of it.” She sipped again. “The quality is quite good. Your friend in botany does good work.”

He blushed. His eyes hiding. "I actually grew it. My Mother's neighbor had given her a seed catalog from Earth." Dillard gleamed. He siped his cupped in two hands now, enjoying the relaxation of the tea, its warmth. "The notes of seagrasses and quality of the sweetness is a test apparently." He coyly mocked. "It was my first try at growing teas. What hobbies do you enjoy, Petty Officer?" Curious he set down his cup to relax back.

“I read,” she answered. “Mostly trashy romance novels,” she added with a smile. “But they’re fun. My old classmates and I exchange book recommendations every week or so and talk about them on subspace. It’s good fun. I’ve tried my hand at writing them too, but I’m not very good at it.” She sipped her tea again. “What about you?”

“I enjoy Bonsai.” In Dillard’s quarters, he had a miniature 200-year-old stylized Bonzai tree. The trunk was old, as was its heirloom status within his Family. He nodded. “Romance is not trashy. It is an… Idealized state.”
“Actually. I enjoy Vampire Lestat.” The series was a rather tawdry romance read by literary genius Anne Rice. As the Officer revealed her interests, Dillard felt secure that he would not be looked down upon as he took a sip in kind. It was refreshing. Both the chat and the tea. He didn't get much out of his Ensign's shell often.

“You might change your mind about romance if you read these books,” she said with a laugh. “My grandfather enjoyed Bonsai. I have very pleasant memories sitting with him as he worked on that little tree.”

“You have experience with Bonsai?” Dillard curiously thought. He looked in his warm and gently diffusing tea, then to Ichihara. “I do have a bit of a problem. Perhaps you might be able to help Mai?” He lent a glint of hope as he gazed.

“I can try,” she offered, wincing. She didn’t have a lot of experience.

“I have a crossed stem. I’ve been preening for weeks to ensure the stem sees a route around.” He was at a loss. “Perhaps the stem may need to be pruned. If so, I would be honored to offer you, my stem.” The Bonsai was over 200 years old. “It would be a shame to destroy a piece of such care.” He felt hopeful.

He blushed. “You have good reads. Perhaps I may borrow one? Any good ones?” Dillard gave a bit of a chuckle at that and then snorted. “Oh my! I snorted. My apologies.” The Junior Lieutenant had snickered.

“That’s fine,” she said, giggling. “I’ll send you a few ebook files. As the the Bonsai, your offer is kind, but I have no decline. I don’t think I’d be able to devote to it the attention it would need. It deserves more than what I can offer.”

“Of course. I had to ask.” He pondered. “Although, I could root the Bonsai trim and hand it to Captain Takahashi. “Have you seen many plants in her ready room?” Dillard for the life of him could not remember. He only had been in the captain’s ready room once when he had boarded.

“Thank you. I would like that.” He then gently took the pot and gestured. “Shall we finish the tea?” Enjoying the company and relaxation, Dillard realized that his own went down fast. Perhaps he was nervous, but why?

“Sure,” she said, moving her cup within reach of the pot and fixing her single-lens eyewear.

"So back to good reads." Klees filled the porcelain Japanese tea cup with care.

"I am interested. What spare time reads do you conquer, Mai?"

She smirked at the terminology. "My latest conquest was Separated by the World by Sylvie May." She picked up her cup and sipped again. "I'll send it to you if you like. I find books are best enjoyed without knowing anything about them though, so I won't spoil anything." He didn't need to know that it was a steamy romance set in Earth's twentieth century. The shirtless man with the pecks and six-pack abs on the cover would give away the genre easily enough. "How about you? What's your most recent read?"

"Sounds interesting. I would enjoy a new read. Please, if you have the chance I would like that." Dillard nodded nerdily and nervous. The topic of what he was reading piped him up. "I like old earth cinema. I'm currently reading an unauthorized biography of Katherine Hepburn. Just an incredible actress. So much a pioneer in her day. When computer screen play was just a dream, and real acting took paramount. You had to dance, and sing and also look good. That's show biz!" Klee let out a snort.

“Cinema never really interested me,” Mai admitted. “I prefer getting to imagine the setting and the characters in my own mind, rather than have someone else show me. But maybe I’ve never given it a fair try.”

"Mai, you have a very intelligent mind. I am overjoyed." Dillard Replied.

She smiled and sipped her tea again, finishing the drink. “Thank you for the gyokoru, Dillard. We should do this again.”

Dillard nodded silently. "The pleasure was all mine."


OFF



Petty Officer 3rd Class Mai Ichihara
Nurse

&

Ensign Dillard Klee, Dr. [PNPC Pratt]
Science Officer
USS Myogi

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