Vitals
Posted on Thu Jul 31st, 2025 @ 8:11pm by Lieutenant JG Jean-Baptiste Dorsainvil & Lieutenant Alexandra Blackstone
Edited on on Thu Sep 4th, 2025 @ 8:49pm
1,368 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Peril at the Unification Accords
Location: Sickbay, Deck 12
Timeline: MD007, 1610 Hours
ON
The turbolift let out a tiny groan as it settled into place, and Jean-Baptiste stepped off reluctantly--but this was a summons he couldn't argue with. He wasn't dreading it, not really. Routine physicals never bothered him. He didn't mind tests, scans, nor the clipped questions from overworked medical personnel. It was just that Sickbay always smelled faintly of somewhere else--ozone, disinfectant, the ghosts of pain.
Still, it was his first time through the doors since coming aboard. Xalanth's reminder at the beginning of his duty shift had come in that unmistakable tone of his--rigid, but friendly. JB had smiled when he read it. Of course, being posted to Earth meant he didn't require frequent physicals from medical--but now that he was aboard a ship for the foreseeable future, he knew he'd be subjected to many more.
Sickbay was alive but not loud. A few figures moved across the room--no one in a rush, no one panicked. There was no emergency. It was the kind of calm that meant everyone was still breathing and cared for. JB found his hands tucked behind his back, not quite at ease but far from guarded. There was a woman near the central console--statuesque form, raven-black hair, posture straight as a line drawn by a ruler. Her lustrous hair hung just past the shoulders, as if this style was common for her.
He watched her for a moment.
"Sorry," he said, gently. "I'm looking for Doctor Blackstone."
Alex, hearing her name turned slightly and met JB’s gaze with a small smile. “Well, you’ve found her. What brings you in?” She had one brow raised inquisitively and her words came with an easy, measured pace as she peered at him with crystalline sapphire eyes.
JB cleared his throat gently and smiled at her. "I was summoned for a routine physical, doctor. I'm new to the Astrea."
“Someone that we don’t have to hunt down for their onboarding, eh?” Alex chuckled and motioned toward one of the open biobeds. “Well; we’ll make it as quick as possible. Tell me a bit about your medical history?”
JB moved toward the biobed, submitting himself fully to the protocol. He gave the edge of the bed a small pat before lifting himself onto it.
"Clean bill of health, mostly," he said, resting his forearms on his thighs. "No allergies. No implants. No chronic conditions, unless you count a tendency to overthink."
He glanced at Alex, his smile was faint but honest.
“Heh; and what makes it only ‘Mostly,’ eh?” She came over to test his reflexes before stepping to the biobed console and starting a full body scan. “Go ahead and lay back for now.”
JB lay back slowly, the cool of the biobed pressing against his back. He stared at the ceiling and considered what he should admit to Blackstone.
"I'm an open-water swimmer," he began, making it seem more a confession. "Mostly saltwater--long distances. Anyway, I've been told by more than one doctor that I have swimmer's shoulder. The blade clicks sometimes."
“There are options to heal that if you were interested.” She surveyed him for a moment and made a small clicking sound with her tongue. “Something tells me that isn’t everything. Might as well give it to me straight. I’m not here to make a determination on your fitness for duty… if you weren’t in condition to serve you wouldn’t have got this posting.”
"You're right," he sighed. "It's not the swimming."
His eyes remained on the ceiling a moment longer before shifting to her. "Boxing," he said simply. "From my time at the Academy. My last match, I tore my rotator cuff. They healed it, but it hasn't ever felt the same. It could be the click." He pursed his lips before continuing, "I still swam. Just learned to live with the catch."
Alex laughed for a solid minute, taking a moment to catch her breath afterwards. “I am all too familiar with the boxing… and other activities that take place at the Academy.” She gave him a warm smile which was an odd contrast to her half-vulcan side and then continued. “There are probably options to heal that a little more effectively if you ever want to pursue them; that being said though I don’t see a reason to poke it if you have learned to adapt.”
JB returned her smile, though his eyes stayed thoughtful.
"I appreciate that," he said. "I don't usually bring it up. Most people see a clean scan and assume nothing hurts."
“I’m a Neurosurgeon. I am used to working with people who suffer chronic pain from
Neurological conditions.” She explained as she eyed the scanner results. “You don’t look too bad off but tell me a little more about your shoulder and how it was originally treated.”
"They put me under for the repair," he said after a thoughtful pause, eyes tracing the ceiling contours. "Orthosurgical unit, I think. I don't remember a whole lot about it, but it was the last time I was ever in the ring."
His hand absently drifted to his shoulder--not to rub it, not really. Just to touch it, as if he needed to reassurance it was there.
“Lets see it then; it sounds to me like something didn’t take properly.” Alex watched him touch his shoulder and noted it in the ships record for him along with a notation that it could likely be fixed.
He sat up slowly and carefully. The kind of movement that comes when you've learned how to live alongside pain--not against it. JB peeled back the sleeve of his uniform and rolled his shoulder once, twice. A soft click answered back.
"It's always worse after I sleep," he said, angling the joint toward her view. "Takes a while to warm up. Sometimes locks up during drills. But it's reliable, mostly."
Alex placed her hands on the shoulder and took his elbow in the other. “Relax; going to see what I feel.” She slowly maneuvered his arm once he was relaxed enough; closing her eyes to let his body talk to her.
Jean-Baptiste sat still under her hand, letting the tension bleed out of his shoulder millimeter by millimeter. He didn't flinch, didn't resist. It was like he'd carried the discomfort so long it had gotten bored trying to grab his attention. After a long moment, there was a tiny click.
A soft, thoughtful sound escaped her throat and she released him, taking a half step back. “Well; there is some grinding and it doesn’t feel the most stable. It will probably be alright left alone but if you’d like I’ll put a note in your record for one of my colleagues a little more familiar with Ortho to meet with you.”
He smiled at Alex and rolled his shoulders, as if resetting them. "That'd be great, doctor," he replied gently. "If there's ever a chance for a solution, I'm open to it. But like I said, I've learned to live with it."
Alex typed in the note and sent a notice to the others that worked sickbay and then turned back to him. “I’ve got that in; outside of that I don’t see anything of major concern on your scans or your physical… you’re blood pressure is a little low but I suspect that is simple dehydration. Do your best to keep your fluids up.”
JB chuckled under his breath. "Noted, and thanks, doctor."
The truth was, he didn't mind being looked at--scanned, examined, logged. What rattled him was being understand too quickly. Like someone might find the frayed ends and tug.
He walked out with his shoulder still clicking, but the silence around it felt lighter. And for now, that was enough.
OFF
Lieutenant Alexandra Blackstone
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Astrea
Lieutenant J.G. Jean-Baptiste Dorsainvil
Assistant Chief Security Officer
USS Astrea
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