Blood Will Spill
Posted on Sun Jan 8th, 2023 @ 5:11pm by Captain Tristan Faust & Lieutenant Michael Amato & Lieutenant Commander Marc Kitchner M.D. & David Meddows MD-Ph.D.
Edited on on Mon Jan 16th, 2023 @ 8:31am
2,545 words; about a 13 minute read
Mission:
Mission 1: A Fool’s Errand
Location: Deck 7: Medical Division
Timeline: M1 MD08 (2268.23.05) 1720
Dr. Amato looked down at the communicator sitting on the desk. Meddows no doubt thought Mike was bluffing our would back down, but he was smart enough not to play his game.
"No, we're going to his office," Mike announced before heading towards the door.
"Go for Kitchner ..." Marc said still consciously reading the latest lab results. He was still a researcher at heart, and he'd brought some of his work with him.
"Dr. Kitchener, can you spare a few minutes for Dr. Meddows and myself?" Mike asked. He wanted to say that he was ready to deck the psychiatrist but held his tongue.
"Certainly Mike. Give me 5 minutes and meet me in my office," Marc said in reply. The tone in Amato's voice told Kitch it was something important to him. "Kitch out." The click of the comm closing hung in the air like a cannon shot.
Mike glared at Meddows, "Time to go," he said in n annoyed tone.
Dave sighed and got out of his chair. The things you had to go through to help people and make sure they were okay.
Dr. Amato was fully prepared to drag Meddows there by the leg. How could someone be that inept and crazed was beyond his comprehension?
Even though the door swished open automatically at their approach, Dave Meddows did his usual annoying schtick of rapping on the jamb with his knuckles and calling "Knock, knock, anybody in?"
Marc waved them in. "Thank you Nurse. Jenkins will appreciate your input on this. And I like it too." Marc couldn't help but watch the woman young enough to be his daughter walk out smiling. "Gentlemen how can I be of service to you both?"
"Just a slight difference of medical opinion on a case, Sir. We were hoping that you could cast your more experienced eye over it and render your judgement and enlighten us, Sir, like Solomon, as it were." gushed Meddows, sucking up to the veteran ship's surgeon.
"Oh that's a spin if I ever heard it," Mike responded, thoroughly annoyed, "I have never seen anyone botch a routine medical assessment in my life. Mr. Dienstag saw him this morning to be cleared for duty. He was fine before and a complete wreck after. From what I gather the session ended with some sort of fake exorcism which Dr. Meddows claims is some sort of a
command test." He tried to keep his voice slow enough so Kitchner could understand him but it was tough.
Meddows gave a sort of sympathetic, patronising smile in Amato's direction as he made his complaint. Once he was finished, he faced back to the recently re-activated Kitchner. "Mitsubishi Test, Sir: I'm afraid Mr Amato's never even heard of it. I think once he's brought his medical knowledge up to date, he'll see that everything was done in order."
The space-shrink turned back to Amato and put a hand gently on his shoulder and said softly "Hey Miiiiiike, I know it's difficult to keep a clear head about things when you're in a very close friendship with another crewman, but this process really is the best thing for Ensign Dienstag, and for the safety of the whole ship."
"Oh you fucking quack!" Mike yelled, his eyes popping out of their sockets. He clocked Meddows straight in the jaw. The two men were the same height but Meddows had about 80 pounds on him.
Dave went down and backwards like a sack of potatoes; his slightly overweight body thumping against the office wall so hard it seemed to wobble and a couple brightly coloured liquid vials trembled on their shelves. The psychiatrist didn't move. He was out cold!
Dr. Amato's right hand was trembling. It was as though St. Michael himself had filled him with strength. His eyes were incredibly wide, not believing what he just did. The asshole deserved it and deserved to lose his license but this could be career ending.
The whole thing was over before Marc could get out up of the chair. "Tony, Swiss, grab an orderly. QUICKLY." He bellowed towards the open door. He could see Meddows was breathing from across the room, his jaw was starting to swell visibly. Marc in a soft tone, 'Michael sit down. Please.', before guiding him into a chair.
Marc reached over to the comm button. "Kitchner to Captain Faust. Report to my office on the double."
Just at that moment Jenkins an Switalski came into the room. Jenkins was about to say something but a glance at Amato's face she swallowed what was on her tongue.
Captain Faust had just sat down to a quiet dinner in his quarters when the comm rang. When he heard the tone in Dr. Kitchner's voice he dropped the asinine comment he prepared. "On my way," he said with a sigh. He stood up and looked down at his steak dinner... A real steak dinner. He picked up the fine porcelain plate and his fork and headed out the door. He wasn't about to let this go to waste.
By the time he arrived in the Medical Section he knew something was up. There was a roar of voices and medical personnel were running around. He made his way to Marc's office, plate in hand, "I hope you don't mind I brought my dinner," he said but stopped dead in his tracks. He saw Mike Amato sitting in a chair at one end of the room surrounded by two burly orderlies and at the other, the slumped figure of Dr. Meddows, the ship's headshrink knocked out on the floor. His lip was bleeding.
"What the hell?" He asked nearly dropping the plate down onto the end table by the leather couch in the office. Before Mike could start, Tristan looked at Marc.
"Doctor besides the jaw obviously being dislocated and being knocked out there's no other immediate danger. Alright to move him?" Jenkins ask. Marc just nodded as two orderlies picked Meddows up under the shoulder and Jenkins and Switalski grabbed his feet. The Captain stepped back to let them past.
"Mr. Dienstag ... He went to see Dr. Meddows for the post concussion interview. It's standard practice, before a bridge officer can return to duty. Apparently it didn't go well." Marc said as he sat down hard on the sofa. "The Ensign was pretty shook up, he talked to Amato. Amato went to confront Meddows and then the two of them came to see me. Meddows put his foot in his mouth clear up to the kneecap, and Amato clobbered him. I just didn't want you to hear this third hand."
Marc looked over at Amato who hadn't said a word since hitting Meddows, bearly moving more than breathing and flexing his fingers. "Michael ... am I summing it up accurately?"
"It sounds to me like I'm already getting it third hand," Tristan responded before stiffening up. "Dr. Amato," he said in a formal, tone which only a Starship Captain had the authority to back up, "Start from the beginning. Leave nothing out. This could be a court martial offense if the doctor presses charges."
Dr. Amato stepped back into the moment, "That's just it sir, that man has no business being a doctor," he said before sitting up straight, "What Dr. Kitchner said was true although there are some missing details. I was notified as the attending physician that Mr. Dienstag had failed to report to duty this morning after being cleared to return to duty. I went to check on him and he was a mess. He described the entire session to me. He went for a routine formality and instead Meddows went into some new age therapy treatment. Insinuated the ensign was mentally ill and then attempted a procedure which the ensign said felt like an exorcism but Dr. Meadows claims is some sort of command test. Mr. Dienstag had an immediate panic attack and was a complete mess when I found him."
Mike took a deep breath, "I went to Meddows, confronted him. He attempted to examine me and diagnose me against my will and then said we should let Dr. Kitchner decide. We got here immediately verbally attacked me and then I had enough."
"What did he say that made you strike him? Captain Faust asked.
"Hey Mike, I know it's difficult to keep a clear head about things when you're in a very close friendship with another crewman, but this process really is the best thing for Ensign Dienstag, and for the safety of the whole ship," Mike retold verbatim.
The Captain nodded. Frankly it seemed justified to him. He had received numerous complaints about Dr. Meddows already. Everything from inappropriate remarks, to passes to attempting to medically discharging personnel. It was on his to-do-list to talk to Marc about this anyway, but he was hoping it would be after they tracked down the Orions and were docked at Starbase 10.
"Crewman, take Dr. Amato to his office and get him some coffee, but don't let him leave your sight," the Captain ordered. He gave Mike a glare indicating the young doctor better not mess around.
The orderlies helped Dr. Amato to his feet and prodded him out the door. Tristan hit the door panel to close and lock it. "What a fricken mess," he said relaxing his tone before sitting down onto the couch and picking up his plate.
Marc let out a deep sign. He stepped over to the wall and tapped on the wall panels until he found the right one. He opened the panel and pulled out a bottle and two glasses. "After seeing that, I need a belt and you need something to wash down that beef." He poured a healthy measure into both glasses. "Tris, what do we do about this?"
"Frankly I had a feeling this was going to happen... Not Mike decking him, but someone was going to blow up. I've heard quite a few comments and complaints about his behavior from inappropriate outbursts, to passes to some pretty bizarre treatments," Tristan explained.
He sighed, "Starfleet is mandating ship's psychiatrists starting with the Constitutions because we run into some oddball situations out here," he said, "But this guy just seems to make everyone's skin crawl. You heard the comment at the briefing this afternoon."
"So here's what I'm thinking. I can't do much about Dr. Meddows pressing charges other than go through the process," Tristan said, "He's my best friend's kid brother and I promised I'd look after him. In regards to Meddows, I want you to supervise his practice. I don't want him alone with patients until we sort this out. Once we get back to Starbase 10 I would like you to work with the Starbase's Chief Surgeon to organize a general inquiry if necessary. I want everything done by the book. If I just boot him he'll go screaming to any admiral who will listen about how I let my friendship get in the way of my command decisions." He took a sip from the glass, "Although the best case scenario is both of them just calming down," he muttered.
"Agreed, agreed completely. In the past few days I've heard what I had chalked up to stupid ships rumor. Idle banter, man did I read that one wrong." Marc said sipping at his glass. "The one thing that I can do and it can't be argued by anyone except the fleet chief surgeon, and that's to suspended his medical privileges aboard this ship. With your blessing of course."
"The problem is we have no proof, just some off color comments and rumors," Tristan responded with a sigh before cutting another piece off of the steak, "Regardless, I want you to override anything he writes concerning Mr. Dienstag. He's a good kid and a fine officer just inexperienced. I don't want mental illness diagnoses and command unfitness ratings or whatever other junk marring his record. He doesn't deserve that."
Marc half rested the glass on the edge of the desk. "Don't worry yourself about that. I as the chief medical authority aboard have access to every medically related file on the ship. I can conduct a private investigation into all of his activities. The first thing I will do is look at his patient list since we left the docks. I will give you an honest opinion ideally long before we reach Ten. I'm a researcher at heart, digging through notes and other minutiae it's what I do." He polished off what was left in his glass. "Plus I was planning to show you this once this Orion mess was settled." Marc reached behind him and pulled down a file folder. "Meddow's personnel reviews for the past 5 years. If that right there isn't proof enough, anything that I find will only corroborate the story." Marc got up and handed Tristan the folder. "Another?" Tristan just nodded, an poured another for himself.
"One more, then I should go get some rest... It's estimated we'll intercept the Orion vessel at 2200," Tristan responded, "You should get some rest too. I know this is Amato's shift, but I need you around both due to the emergency and due to this mess." He sighed, "Protocol would dictate me relieving him from duty, but I obviously can't do that," he said, "So instead he'll be confined to quarters when not on duty. He can have visitors but that's it." He set his fork down onto the empty china plate, "I'll have him take your shift tomorrow and give you the day off," he said, thinking outloud.
Marc topped off Tristan's glass. "That won't be necessary. I'll manage for a spell, your old man didn't call me 'Long Hitch Kitch' for nothing." Marc sat thinking for a long moment. "The worst that could happen is Meddows charge him with assault. They are the same rank, so it'll be a formal reprimand, and that's if it goes before a general court, which it probably wont." He took another sip from his glass. "Mike is a good kid. Good head on his shoulders. I need to ask you something but I'm asking as your Uncle, not a subordinate." Tristan nodded his mouth full. "Could there be any truth to what I've heard about Amato and Dienstag? Them being together? If that's the case it makes for an extenuating circumstance, and not in their favor."
Tristan sighed and downed the entire glass, "I won't deny it, but I'm not going to admit it either," he said, "Starfleet fraternization regulations as they are it's almost never worth it to date in the service, especially on the same post. Maybe it'll change one day... They are both junior officers, about the same age and in different departments so hypothetically there really shouldn't be an issue... Although situations like this make it an issue."
"Okay." Was all Marc could say.
Just then a knock came to the door. "Dr. Kitchner, I could use a hand out here. Dr. Meddows jaw is worse than we first thought." Tony Jenkins said from the otherside of the door.
"Damn." Marc said getting up. "We'll talk kid." He said as he walked out.
Captain Faust sighed and continued eating...
RSS Feed