The Physical I Was Waiting For
Posted on Sun Aug 21st, 2022 @ 4:00pm by Lieutenant Michael Amato & Ensign Tobias "Toby" Dienstag
Edited on on Mon Jan 16th, 2023 @ 8:33am
649 words; about a 3 minute read
Mission:
Mission 1: A Fool’s Errand
Location: Deck 7: Medical Section
Timeline: M1 MD06 (2268.21.05) 1800
After sacking out for an hour, Dr. Amato had managed to conduct 20 of the 368 crew physicals. The next batch were due to shuffle in within the next few minutes, so he was taking a quick break with a cup of coffee in his shoebox of an office next to the medical lab. The door was open and Mike could hear the normal buzzing of activity within Deck 7. He looked down at the schedule and saw a familiar name, Dienstag, Ensign, Sciences.
“Good Evening Doctor,” came a familiar voice from the open doorway.
Mike looked up and saw the face of Toby Dienstag, a smirk extending across his pale soft face, his blue eyes looking down at him.
“Hello Ensign, the physical I was waiting for...” Mike responded, a tired smile painting his face, the bags under his eyes were quite distinct, “Are you ready?”
“I was born ready, sir,” Toby responded.
Mike stood up from the desk, “This way then,” he said as he slid past the young man and into the corridor. They walked quickly down the corridor towards sickbay.
“Dinner plans sir?” Toby asked.
“Hadn’t gotten that far,” Mike responded, truthfully as they reached the duty nurse’s station. “Physical for Ensign Dienstag,” he said to Nurse Duncan who was sitting at the duty station, “He should be…”
“Physical number 31 of 368,” she finished.
Mike rolled his eyes, “Thanks for the reminder,” he responded.
“I take it these are your dinner plans?” Toby asked.
“Unfortunately,” Mike said as he took the clipboard which the nurse had placed on the top surface of the counter.
They walked down to Section D, the Examination Room section of Sickbay.
“Alright, boots off, shirt off and up onto the table,” Mike said as he smacked the black vinyl of the examination table.
“Yes, doctor,” Toby responded as he quickly did so.
Dr. Amato went through the usual questionnaire of if the subject smoked, drank, abused narcotics, slept with multiple partners and every other oddball question Starfleet Medical could think of.
After about twenty minutes, Dr. Amato declared, "That should do it."
"So I passed?" Toby asked although it was a question he already knew the answer to.
"You're as healthy as an ox, Ensign," Mike declared as he set the clipboard down onto the counter next to the examination table.
"More like a fox," the young man responded with a chuckle.
Mike threw the ensign his uniform tunic, which the young man caught. "You can get dressed," he added.
"Alrighty," the ensign responded as he first slid the black undershirt over his head before the blue sciences tunic. "How long before the next one?" He asked.
"About twenty minutes," Mike responded with a groan.
"Time for a sandwich from the synthesizer then," Toby stated.
"Yeah I suppose so, but not much else," Mike said as he motioned towards the door.
They stepped into the corridor and down to the duty nurse's station, "Physical number 31 completed," Mike said as he dropped the clipboard down onto the counter with a clack.
"Next one in 18 minutes," Nurse Duncan responded, not missing a beat and not even looking up from the computer console.
"You are the model of efficiency," Mike added in a sarcastic tone before heading back towards the tiny break room in the medical corridor with Ensign Dienstag in tow. The door closed behind him and Mike let out a sigh of relief, his posture relaxing.
“Long day?” Toby asked, putting his hands on Mike’s shoulders.
“Incredibly,” Mike responded as he loosened his shoulders.
“I haven’t seen you much in the past few days… I figured serving together might change that a little,” Toby said.
“You know how the service works,” Mike responded, before heading towards the food synthesizer, “Never enough time for anything.”
--
Lt. Michael Amato, MD - Surgical Resident
Ensign Tobias "Toby" Dienstag - Computer Specialist
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