Doctor, Doctor

Posted on Wed Nov 13th, 2024 @ 12:55pm by Ensign James Arundel

830 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: A marathon not a sprint
Location: Outside the Chief Medical Officer's Office
Timeline: MD 03

ON:

James Arundel took a moment as he stood outside of the Chief Doc's office door, tugging his jacket straight and neatening his hair up. He grimaced as he caught himself doing it though. Old habits clearly died hard for the ex-Marine. He finally cleared his throat, pressing the chime as he waited to meet his new boss.

"Come in" Hope said taking a quick sip of her water. She was looking forward to meeting the new surgeon assigned to her team.

"Ensign James Arundel," he announced himself as he moved in and came to a stand still, his posture speaking to his military background. The rigid state was softened slightly by a small smile though. "Surgeon."

"Welcome aboard, Ensign" Hope said with a smile. She had heard they were getting a new surgeon, which would take some pressure off of her in situations where surgery was required. "Please have a seat" the Doctor gestured to a set of chairs across from her desk.

He nodded with gratitude, moving to settle in the seat. He glanced around though, unable to help himself as his curiosity got the better of him over the kind of Chief he'd be serving with.

"I've reviewed your service recorded and it's rather impressive" Hope said looking in his eyes with a look of sincerity.

James hoped the surprise wasn't visible. He appreciated the observation, he just hadn't expected it. "Thanks, Doctor...I...you can probably tell I kind of fell into the medical profession, but now I wouldn't be anywhere else."

“Well we are glad to have you here in sickbay” Doctor Ross shot him a quick smile

"Thank you," James offered a small smile as he shifted, starting to relax a little as the formality of the greeting passed. "Is there anything you'd like to know? I've...never seen my file, I have no idea how full or light it is," he chuckled.

“Why the change of professions” Doctor Ross asked raising an eye brow and shifting in her chair.

"Honestly, it wasn't a choice," he replied, his usual straight forward self. He didn't see the point in pretending. "I just got unlucky. The marines still see some pretty difficult conflict, even now. I was serving as a field medic and got caught in an explosion. It...took me out for a while. We tried surgeries, therapies, even needed a biosynthetic leg but...I wasn't quite the same again, physically I mean," he'd glanced down at somepoint, not even realising he was avoiding eyecontact. "So they let me go."

Hope listened interested in what the newest member of her team had to say. “I take it you are up to date on all the latest Starfleet surgical procedures and technologies?”

James nodded firmly, looking back to her with the subject shifting back to the professional realm. "Absolutely. I retrained for two years before I was let loose as a surgeon in the 'fleet. No shortcuts here."

Doctor Ross offered a soft smile as she needed officers with experience. “Very good, James” Hope added.

"And of course, I'm trained to serve as a regular medic too, so you can get your money's worth out of me," he added, relaxing slightly at her acceptance to what he'd said, a small smile of amusement pulling at his lips.

Hope chucked “good to know that. We can always use extra hands in sickbay.” The smile on her face was a there “I’m looking forward to seeing your skills in action.”

He sat back a little, relaxing at there being no questioning or opposition regarding his previous experience. "Is there anything I should know about how you run things here?"

"Oh I'd like to think I run the sickbay aboard the Wolff like any other Starfleet sickbay" Hope gave him a smile and would leave it open to his interpretation.

James nodded with a small smile at the way she'd put it. It told him that she wasn't a tyrant, but at the same time, using the phrase 'I run the Sickbay' left no doubt as to who was in charge. He liked that balance. "Seems fair," he nodded his understanding to her.

“Any questions or concerns” Hope asked locking eyes.

"What....kind of ship is this?" he asked before laughing softly at himself for how vague that sounded. "What I mean is...you get ships, Captains and crews that have different...energies. Some run towards trouble, some run away...some attract all the trouble and others try and fix it."

“I’m” Hope paused for a moment, thinking about how to answer the question. “How about you get back to me in a month.”

James grinned at the considered words, watching her with a knowing nod as he lifted his hands in surrender. "Understood, Doctor," he chuckled softly. "Maybe we'll figure it out together?"

“Sounds like a plan” Hope said with a smile.

OFF:

Lt. Hope Ross, MD
Chief Medical Officer

Ensign James Arundel
Surgeon
[PNPC Rowe]

 

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