You Almost Died, Idiot
Posted on Thu Dec 11th, 2025 @ 1:04am by Lieutenant Alexandra Blackstone MD/DSAPM & Lieutenant JG Jezra Siv MD
Edited on on Thu Dec 11th, 2025 @ 1:55pm
1,965 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Peril at the Unification Accords
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD9: 2230h, approx 28 hours after Medical Emergency
ON
Sickbay had quieted down after the medical emergency, the air delicate with the lingering tension. Jezra had received permission to keep the Ambassador aboard until the autopsies were completed. The tension in the room wasn't just from T'Varel's death. The Trill was at a console near the biobed with her assistant chief, the quiet beeps on the display above the bed pulsing in time with vitals in recovery. The neural monitor was still in place on her forehead, lights blinking. The dress uniform Alex wore had been replaced by more comfortable, but also more readily accessible, patient scrubs. Jezra had taken a long pause from her work to watch Alex's chest move with her breathing. Shallow. Steady. Despite assurances from the other medical staff that they could handle things, Jezra hadn't slept much, and it showed. Faint circles accented her eyes, and she had been relying on coffee ever since she started working around 3am. Her hands were braced on the sides of the console as she mentally replayed the events from 28 hours ago.
Was the risk worth it?
Every lived experience from the Siv symbiont, even the ones outside of medical practice, thought the meld was a stupid idea. Even Jedex's experiences, as risk-addicted as they were, held reservations. Jezra didn't pretend to understand the nuances of the telepathic mind. They were sure that Alex had known the risks, but it didn't mean they had to like or agree with it. The incident report sat open on the console next to the one for the autopsy, but what would Jezra write? That their own ACMO nearly killed herself by mind melding to a dying Vulcan? That Alex risked a resuscitation discharge stopping her own heart?
Their eyes shifted up to the monitor again. As unhappy as Jezra was about the situation, she wanted Alex's side of the story. It was only fair. Unfortunately, it meant waiting for her to wake up. The neural-suppression coma was only necessary for the first fifteen hours, because any active dreaming could have complicated the medical response. It took a consultation from one of the Vulcan medics to finally stabilise her neural activity, but it took its toll. With all the strain caused by the neural shock, it was anyone's guess when she'd wake up.
Jezra stopped pushing the thiopental thirteen hours ago. For thirteen hours, she waited for Alex to wake up on her own. Her personal side refused to accept the possibility that when would become a question of if, but the medical knowledge knew that her odds of waking up decreased as time went on. Alex's odds were still good, but if she was still out after six more hours, those odds would start dropping dramatically.
Alex's breath shuddered slightly as she began to come to. Her head was pounding ferociously and she could feel the stress her body had been under while she was inside both her own and the Ambassador's mind. There is something in what she showed me though...
Alex opened her eyes slowly and then had to squint them shut again against the bright overhead lights. She monitored her body and performed a mental checklist for a moment, surmising that despite the soreness and the headache she was in acceptable condition. After another slow and deep breath she whispered, her voice hoarse. "Computer, reduce light levels by 11.5%"
The breath and change in monitor sounds alerted Jezra, and bitter relief washed over her when she saw the telltale signs of someone shifting into consciousness. The whispered request made the sickbay lights dim, and Jezra tapped on the console to dim them a little more for comfort. As Alex worked to wake up, the CMO went to the replicator and got a small glass of water with a straw, setting it on the medical cart with some hypospray vials before bringing it over. The woman was likely to be weak, so the supplements should expedite the recovery.
Jezra had decided hours ago that they wouldn't let their emotions dictate this moment. The priority was recovery, and an argument now wouldn't do any favours, so the Trill plastered on that composed bedside manner everyone practiced in medical school. "Take your time," they instructed softly. Their focus was intentionally on the medical tricorder, watching the readings as Alex's system came up from resting levels. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I ran three Olympic marathons and got run over by a runaway truck..." she replied dryly. "...but the tricorder could've told you that." She slowly sat up, adjusting the biobed herself by reaching for the positioning controls until it met her back again and allowed her to lean againsy it. "First thing; thank you for being here.... Second, my apologies that it increased your work and stress."
She turned her head and spotted the water, picking it up gingerly and taking a long sip, groaning as the water hit her parched throat. She pressed her palm against her brow which was still tender despite the Dermal Regenerator.
The fatigue was understandable, and expected. Jezra's lips pressed together slightly when Alex apologised, but it didn't break her composure. "I am only doing my job, Lieutenant," they responded, keeping their tone clinically neutral. "Because you went into neural shock, I have to perform a couple memory tests to make sure there was no neurological impact." They knew Alex knew the procedure, especially as a neurosurgeon.
Alex shook her head, musing at the request. She felt mostly fine but knew from a glance at Jezra's visage that pushing back would get her nowhere. She knew she herself was every bit of the stereotype of Doctors being horrible patients but she only gave a soft, barely audible chuckle.
"I want you to remember the following words: Tricorder. Apple. Summer." Jezra paused to let Alex process that before continuing. "Now, can you tell me your name?"
"Alexandra Grace Blackstone, MD" her reply was curt, nesrly emotionless.
"Do you know where you are?"
With just a glance around she came back with a hint of sarcasm. "U.S.S. Astrea, sickbay by the looks of it."
Jezra nodded. "Good. Can you take your right index finger, touch your nose, then touch my index finger?"
Alex pressed a hand to her brow. "Might be a touch difficult on that one, Doc. Vision is a bit blurry from this blinding headache." Despite her response though she performed the test with only a little bit of hesitation when her finger came close to her face and eyes.
Everything checked out. "Last test: can you recite the sequence of words back to me?"
"Tricorder, Apple, Summer." Her words were soft and slightly acidic alongside a grimace of pain but the entire test took just moments.
Jezra knew the tests were probably ridiculous to Alex, but they weren't taking chances. At least one of them was going to follow proper protocol. "Thank you," they said, deliberately ignoring the mild attitude. "Memory recall is intact, awareness of self and surroundings is good, and coordination could be better but is fine considering the headache." Closing the tricorder, Jezra turned their attention to the hypospray vials, loading the painkiller first. "I can give you something for the headache, and have some supplements to aid in recovery. Are you experiencing any other symptoms?"
"No. No painkiller, I need my wits. I have alot to process and go through mentally. The supplements on the other hand... those are a smart idea." She paused in her thought and her face contorted into a questioning and puzzled look. "I wonder...."
Jezra watched Alex for a couple seconds before unloading the painkiller and replacing it with the supplements. Fine. If she wanted a headache, then she can have the headache. "I can't tell you what to think or not think about," they began, administering the supplements, "but cognitive strain can slow down recovery. You just woke up from a neural suppression coma, your current priority is rest."
Alex actually laughed at that comment, squaring her gaze on Jezra and raising a brow. "Are you quite enjoying this, Chief? I'll be sure to rest." She shook her head slightly while she waited for the injections.
The casual tone made Jezra's composure falter. Her grip tightened slightly on the hypospray. "No, Alex, I don't enjoy this," she responded curtly. She didn't need to raise her voice, but that clinical neutrality she was fighting to maintain was thinning. "I don't enjoy treating my assistant chief for something that was preventable. The irony of telling a neurosurgeon how to recover from neural shock is not lost on me. However, right now you are a patient in my sickbay, not a colleague. Until you are cleared for duty, that is how you will be treated."
"Fair enough. If I might recommend adding Omega-3's to the list of supplements; they are beneficial for Neurological recovery." Her voice was blank but she met Jezra's gaze directly. "For what it is worth; there is information I was able to recover from the Ambassador's mind; though I am not quite sure what to make of it yet."
It wasn't clear if Alex's response was a coping mechanism to avoid what happened or an attempt at telling Jezra to calm down. Either way, it was getting under the Trill's skin more than she liked. Best intentions aside, the response felt dismissive of a clear boundary, and she was not willing to meet Alex halfway just yet. Not while the ethical fallout was still lingering. "Noted." The acknowledgement was clipped, stripped of the procedural bedside warmth typically reserved for patients. At least focusing on reading the monitors helped a little. "You'll remain under observation for a couple more hours. If there's no complications, you'll be released to your quarters to rest."
Alex nodded simply, not bothering to give any further answer. She held in a sigh and instead breathed slowly, carefully. Her head answered her with a sharp spike of pain but she held the grimace that attempted to come with it.
Jezra then felt a little guilty for being so distant, and perhaps even a little harsh. As frustrated as she was, deep down she had been worried. "Once you're cleared for duty, then we'll talk," she added, her tone softening just slightly. "For now, just focus on recovery, ok?"
"Aye. That is both of our goal I think. Thank you for being on standby and doing what you needed to." Alex nodded to her, curt, but polite. Her eyes shone with seriousness; as well as something more though it could have been either sadness or perhaps even a touch of fear.
Supplying some Omega-3's like Alex had suggested, Jezra administered the hypospray before collecting all but the water from the medical cart. While a small part of it was to deny a doctor the ability to self diagnose, the cart could double as a pretty functional side table for patients at times. "Don't mention it," Jezra replied, though it was unclear if the tone was literal or appreciative. "I'll have someone check on you in a couple hours, but if you need anything before then, you know where the call button is."
Alex nodded and leaned back in the bed, resting her head against it and closing her eyes as her thoughts turned back inward and she began to analyze the information her brain contained.
OFF
Lieutenant J.G. Jezra Siv
Chief Medical Officer
USS Astrea
Lieutenant Alexandra Blackstone
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Astrea
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