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"Too Close"
[Previous post: "First Encounter"]
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Setting: USS LANCELOT, Corridor
Stardate: 63072.1545

"Because I wanted to be closer to the action," Ensign Lope murmured to herself from the corridor's floor in a reply to an unspoken question about how she had managed to find her way into the current condition.  The advantage had been that this time Adriana had not been alone or hallucinating about her missing sister, the Klingon sitting next to the aCMO had been quite real, as well as his wound.

Since she had been the senior Medical Officer present, Adriana ignored her own weakness and discomfort to attend to the FCO's injury.  Without access to a medical facility or a field medical kit, the aCMO had been forced to rely on more *primitive* first aid tactics.  A long strip of cloth was torn from her uniform and wrapped around the Klingon's arm in an effort to stop the bleeding and protect the wound from infections.

"Please stay still," the aCMO asked of her patient who had rapidly grown impatient with the attention that had been directed to him.

"I am fine," Drell stated in perfect macho Klingon-esque tone.

"What were those things?" Ensigh Lopez asked, the question having been meant to serve a dual purposes; to clarify what had happened and keep the FCO occupied on something other than his medical treatment.

"You know," Ensign Mitshiba answered from a ways down the corridor. "I didn't get a chance to ask."

It was only then that the aCMO noticed that the furry Kzinti Ensign had been out of sight.  Adriana gathered by the way Akira had been on her knees leaning over something that Ensign Fanggot had been down, if not injured.  Drell appeared almost pleased when Ensign Lopez turned away from him to head for the CSciO, but his expression quickly changed when the weakened woman stumbled.

The Klingon had been less than pleased to be the focus of anyone's care but he did seem more than happy to lend a hand.  "You are still weak, you need to take it easy," Drell said as he took hold of the aCMO's arm.

"I am fine," Adriana stated in her best possible imitation of the FCO who actually smiled at the woman afterwards.

Slowly, and with a lot of help from the FCO, Adriana made her way to the kneeling CSciO. Once there the aCMO placed her hand on Ensign Mitshiba's shoulder, a gesture that the woman understood to mean that the Kzinti would be in good care.

"Did someone get the name of that ship that hit me?" the furry Ensign asked through various painful grunts.

"I think you were lucky," the aCMO said as her hands gently scanned the Kzinti's ribs.  "Without the proper instruments I cannot tell for sure, but it feels like you have several broken ribs, but no internal bleeding that I can detect."

"Lucky is a matter of opinion," Hex sighed as a wave of pain shot through her.  "It could have missed me completely instead of trying to rearrange my insides."

"I think we were *all* lucky," the aCMO stated, a quick thankful glance having been sent in the direction of the Klingon FCO and the rest of the group who had all managed to survive this close call.

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Marissa Montonera-Lombardi {mmlm24@gmail.com}

Ensign Adriana Lopez
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS LANCELOT