NX-35 Vigilant - Sickbay

Jupiter Station

"Ensign Marisa Rodriguez."

"Uh…here, sir." A tall, brown haired ensign stepped out from the line of fresh recruits waiting at attention to be examined. Sulok recognized all the expected signs of anxiety and apprehension from a new crewman, though he perceived this young officer was slightly more anxious than most.

Sulok spoke clearly, for the sake of the remaining recruits in attendance as much as for Rodriguez.

"I am Dr. Sulok. As Chief Medical Officer for the Vigilant I only technically hold the rank of Lieutenant. It is appropriate to refer to me as Doctor or Doctor Sulok. In casual off-duty situations, "Doc" will be considered acceptable."

"Uh…yes, sir. Er, doctor." Marisa fidgeted.

"Very well. Come with me."

The Vulcan physician led her to the examination alcove, whisking the privacy partition into place behind them once she'd entered ahead of him.

"If you will be seated and remove your uniform we will begin the examination."

"Yeah…uh…about that…" The ensign tucked her behind one ear, smiling shyly.

Sulok would have suppressed a sigh, were he a lesser Vulcan. He found emotionally expressive humans, especially those who incessantly signaled a need for comforting, especially taxing. Sulok did not embrace of philosophy of coddling patients. A bed side manner of any sort was something best reserved for bond mates. If even that.

"Yes, ensign?" Sulok prompted, allowing one eyebrow to elevate to a level that would convey irritation.

The young woman paused for a moment. "Uh…never mind."

"If you have concerns Ensign, please state them. Or if you are uncomfortable being examined by a male or a Vulcan, Ensign Bailey may do so instead."

A certain snappishness was something Sulok had learned to cultivate during his tenure as Chief Medical Officer aboard the Vigilant. Not an emotional display so much as purely an act. Perhaps not fully in keeping with the teachings of Surak but certainly helpful in keeping sickbay running in an efficient manner.

Sitting quickly on the examination bed, Ensign Rodriguez began removing her uniform. "Oh, no, it's not…I mean…it's not important, doctor."

"Very well. Please be still until I instruct you to move."

**********

Emerging minutes later, Dr. Sulok called to his assistant. "Medic Bailey. Please seat Ensign Rodriguez on one of the recovery beds. She will wait there until I have completed the remainder of the initial examinations."

Bailey found the order unusual but didn't hesitate to show Marisa to her seat. Ensign Rodriguez waited uncomfortably for two hours before Sulok was able to see her again.

When Doctor Sulok reappeared Ensign Rodriguez found LCDR Kruger in attendance as well. She leapt from the recovery bed where she lounged to snap to attention.

"At ease, ensign." Kruger said, nodding to Sulok.

The doctor took the lead, referring to the PADD in his hands. "Ensign Rodriguez, are you aware that you have contracted Belts-Karnes Syndrome?"

Rodriguez responded. "Uh, yes, sir. I mean, doctor."

"And when were you made aware of this?"

"The…uh…physicians at the academy told me. They…I mean, in a routine check up, doctor." Marisa began to fidget.

"At present there is no known cure for this illness. At least for humans. After considering your specific case I would estimate morbidity in as little as three years. Possibly longer with diligent intervention. Did the physicians at the academy not inform you of this?"

At first Marisa was too shocked to respond. Not so much at the news. She already knew. But the casual manner in which the Vulcan had stated it…

"Uh..y..yes. They…yes, that's what they…uh…they told me." She stammered, shifting her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

LCDR Kruger was beginning to frown, she noticed.

"Ensign, according to Starfleet standards of fitness you should never have been allowed to attend the academy, much less graduate. The time and expense involved in training a Starfleet officer precludes accepting individuals unlikely to serve for an extended period of time due to illness, especially impending death. And considering this condition that will likely effect your performance within only a year…"

Marisa could only stare in shock until LCDR Kruger finally interrupted. "For God's sake, Doc!" With a glare he convinced the Vulcan doctor to stop speaking, though Sulok raised one eyebrow in protest at Kruger's unseemly outburst.

"Ensign, you'll pardon Doctor Sulok's complete lack of manners." Expressing his discomfort, Kruger ran one hand through his thinning hair before clearing his throat gruffly and continuing. "However, considering your illness there are some interesting questions here that need answering."

Marisa's throat had tightened despite herself but she swallowed thickly and replied. "Yes, sir. I understand, sir."

It wasn't really the topic of the conversation so much. She knew she was dying. She accepted that, as much as one could accept it. Being put on the spot with no warning was another thing altogether. Marisa just wasn't very good at confrontations.

Kruger accepted the PADD from Sulok, scrolling to the end of the document it displayed. "I have a waiver here, signed by Starfleet Medical Director Dillon and co-signed by Rear Admiral Billings himself. This waiver excuses you specifically from medical standards concerning this illness."

Marisa could only respond miserably. "Yes, sir." What else could she say?

Kruger frowned all the more deeply and even glanced at Sulok, at something of a loss. "Ensign, can you perhaps give us any insight into what the hell's going on here?"

At that Marisa gasped in sudden understanding. Of course. They thought…"Oh. Sir, I…I really don't know."

Kruger stared for a moment. "You don't know why Director Dillon and Rear Admiral Billings have taken a personal interest in allowing you to join Starfleet? In complete contradiction to standards of fitness?"

Marisa managed a helpless shrug. "No. Sir, I really don't. I have no idea what's going on. When the docs at the academy told me…I mean, I freaked out a bit. But…I mean, after a while…well, I expected someone would come around and tell me I had to drop out or something."

When the two men before her didn't respond, she continued on, more than a little eager to express her own bewilderment. "I mean…I just studied very hard and really applied myself. You know, to kind of keep myself occupied. I didn't know what else to do. I mean, I had counseling of course and…well, eventually it occurred to me to ask…what they were going to do with me?"

Sulok responded to that. "If you are referring to treatment for the illness, ensign, as I've said there is no known cure for humans. Some treatments are available to defer the progression of the disease…"

"No, no. I mean…yes, I knew that. Anatroloplene regimen and dichloral-whatever injections and all that. They did all that already. I mean I asked them if I was going to be able to complete my time at the academy. And then what I was going to do after. I…I really didn't know what I was going to do. And they said…well…they said…"

Marisa stopped to catch her breath and gather her resolve. "They said it didn't matter. Everything was fine. Just go ahead and graduate…and…apply for ship posting."

Kruger stared in amazement and even Sulok raised another brow. "I…even pointed out the fitness requirements in the regs. It was like…like no one wanted to talk about it. So…I just went ahead and graduated. My parents are gone and I don't really have any other family. I didn't have anywhere else to go…"

Oh, God. I'm babbling. Marisa thought.

Thankfully LCDR Kruger interrupted. "Let me get this straight, ensign. Not only were you allowed to graduate, as well as apply for and receive a ship posting, but your superiors ignored the fitness regs even after you pointed them out to them?"

Marisa nodded emphatically. "Yes, sir. The director and the liaison both. The director even ran me out of his office. I'm pretty sure he got…well, angry with me. And then all of a sudden there's this waiver on my fleet jacket. Out of nowhere. Sir, I…I just thought…"

Now Marisa truly was near to tears and her chin quivered. She fought to keep her voice level but was ashamed to find herself squeaking anyway. "I just didn't have anywhere else to go, sir. I thought it would be best to just…not question it."

Sulok stared at the wall, doing his best not to be cognizant of the rampant emotionalism being flaunted about the place. After a moment of awkward silence Kruger finally sighed heavily.

"Ensign…hell, Rodriguez, look. I'm not going to lie to you. This is highly irregular. It's something I'm going to have to look into. You understand?"

Marisa nodded weakly, still fighting. "Yes, sir." She whispered.

"I don't know how that's going to shake out. But it's what I have to do. So. You go on and report to Ensign Hsiao. Let him get you oriented to your duty station. When the time comes, I'll let you know what's what."

Marisa cleared her throat. "Yes, sir."

"Alright, then. You're dismissed."