Title: Sundown Syndrome
Author: T'eyla
Rating: PG-13 for... embarrassing? situations ;)
Genre: Humor
Disclaimer: Nah, still don't own them. Working on it though... --evil chuckle while she adds finishing touches to her Send-Paramount-Straight-To-Hell-Bomb--
Betas: SitaZ and The Libran Iniquity (can't thank you enough!)
AN: Not gonna comment on it. Just read it. If you're a guy, watch out. This might give you nightmares -eg-. Oh right: This is TUCKER/REED! As in slash or male/male pairing. Do not read if you don't like that. Thanks.
Well, now, on with the story, and as we all know, feedback is better that chocolate!
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Part One
"Phlox! Anyone! Quick!"
When Dr. Phlox heard Trip Tucker's voice, calling for help and carrying a panicky undertone, he immediately abandoned the inventory of his opiate storage closet and stepped into sickbay's main room, prepared for anything from a plasma burn to a sudden unexpected heart attack. His eyes fell on Enterprise's Chief Engineer, who was looking around in apparent search for medical staff, and on Malcolm Reed. The Lieutenant was half standing next to, half leaning against Tucker, who had an arm around his partner. Reed's face was pallid, and Phlox could see a thin film of sweat on his forehead. With a few strides, he came up next to the two officers and together with Trip helped Malcolm over to the scanning unit's examination table.
"What happened?" he asked while Reed was lying down on the table, a pain-filled expression on his face.
"Ah don' know," Tucker answered, the worry evident in his voice. "We're in mah quarters, havin' dinner, and at some point, Mal, he disappears into th' head an' dinn't come out fo' half 'n eternity, an' when Ah called him he dinn't answer, an' so Ah go in there an' he's there pukin' his guts out an' holdin' his stomach an' tellin' me he's in pain, an' so I brought'm here."
Phlox had noticed before that when the Commander was worried or upset, his accent thickened, but it had never been as bad as it was right now. He almost had difficulties making out what exactly Tucker was telling him. He got the gist of it, though, and turned to Reed, who was pressing his hands on his stomach, his eyes closed. The Lieutenant's face had an unhealthy yellowish hue to it, and there was sweat gathering on his brow and upper lip.
Phlox gently pulled Reed's hands away, starting to apply careful pressure to the spot where the Lieutenant had had his hands. Reed moaned, and Phlox pulled his hands back.
"I assume this is the location of the pain?" he asked, and Reed nodded. Taking a med scanner from the table beside him, Phlox ran it over his patient and studied the readings. What he saw didn't exactly surprise him, it was only a confirmation of what he'd thought of when Tucker had told his story.
"What's th' matter with him, doc?" he heard Tucker's worried voice beside him. He pursed his lips.
"Well, according to these scans, it seems that Mr. Reed is suffering from an acute typhlitis."
"A what?" Tucker asked. The Lieutenant had opened his eyes and looked up at Phlox. The doctor put his scanner aside.
"An inflammation of the Appendix Vermiformis. Appendicitis."
There was a short moment of silence as the two men gathered the meaning of what Phlox had said. Then Tucker uttered a small "Oh." and Malcolm closed his eyes again, a mixture of pain, relief and resignation on his face. Phlox put his med scanner aside.
"I assume that you have been experiencing the stomach ache for some time now, Lieutenant Reed?" he asked as he went over to his equipment table. As he turned back, he saw that the Lieutenant had propped himself on his left elbow, one hand still on his stomach. He nodded. "Yes, it must have been two days, I think," he said, his voice sounding a bit hoarse. "It started yesterday, and today it got a lot worse when I had something to eat."
A frown crossed Tucker's face. "Why didn't you tell me, Mal?" he asked. "I would've brought ya here earlier."
Reed shook his head. "It really wasn't that much of a bother, it only twinged a little. It's been only in the last few hours that it's got any worse."
"The last few hours?" Tucker sounded rather agitated now. "If it started ta get worse hours ago, why did ya even agree ta have dinner wi' me? And why did ya wait till you started throwin' up as if-"
"Now now, Commander," Phlox interrupted him. The last thing his patient needed right now was a well-meaning partner who got him all upset and worked up. "Appendicitis is very well treatable, and in Lieutenant Reed's case, a simple laparoscopic operation should set things straight again. No need to worry."
"What kind of operation is this, doctor?" Reed asked, and as Phlox heard the suspicious undertone in his voice, his heart sank. He knew that tone, he always heard it when he suggested any kind of treatment to the Lieutenant that Reed wasn't a hundred percent comfortable with. Since the Lieutenant hated to be treated medically, this was the case with almost every treatment there was.
"It's called a laparoscopic treatment or an abdominoscopy. In the procedure, I will operate with the help of a small camera that I will insert into your abdominal wall making three very small cuts. This technique avoids the otherwise necessary cut through the abdominal wall, and will reduce the post-operative pain a great deal. It is used in cases of acute appendicitis as a routine treatment." Phlox had tried to make it sound like something that could be tolerated considering that it would help make the pain go away. Judging from Reed's face, he hadn't succeeded.
"You are planning to stick a bloody camera into my stomach?" he asked, and Phlox sighed inwardly.
"No, not at all, Lieutenant. I am planning to insert a very small piece of medical equipment into a small, not very deep cut in your abdominal wall to be able to see what it is I am operating on. You won't notice any of it, I'll put you under a general anesthesia."
Reed shook his head, lying back down on the examination table. "No, doc, you're not going to stick anything into my stomach. Isn't there another way of treating this?"
Tucker, who had watched the exchange silently, stepped forward and put a hand on Malcolm's arm. "Mal, it doesn't sound like a very dangerous operation."
"It isn't," Phlox added helpfully, hoping that maybe with the Commander's help, he'd be able to calm down the Lieutenant enough so he could administer the anesthetic. "As I said, it's a routine treatment. However, an untreated appendicitis can become very dangerous. If the inflammation is allowed to spread, there might be a perforation of the bowel, which can lead to peritonitis, a life-threatening condition. Besides, there's also the danger of an abscess forming, which I would have to operate on as well. In that case, however, a laparoscopic procedure is not possible, which means I would have to cut through the abdominal wall, a much more complicated operation than the simple removal of an inflamed Appendix Vermiformis. The wisest thing to do, Lieutenant, is to let me operate right now before any more damage occurs."
Reed gave him a very doubtful look, then turned to his partner. Phlox watched a short silent exchange between the two of them, then the Lieutenant looked back at him. "Alright, doctor," he said, and Phlox smiled, feeling relieved that he hadn't had to take drastic measures to convince the Lieutenant that agreeing to the operation was the sensible thing to do.
"Very good," he said. "Mr. Tucker, I must ask you to leave, then. I will operate immediately, no use in waiting any longer. Mr. Reed, please take off your clothing, I will give you something to wear during surgery. Mr. Tucker, would you do me the favor of informing the Captain? Thank you. Well, let's get going!" Phlox gave Reed and Tucker a reassuring smile and walked over to a cupboard to get the equipment he would need. As he opened the storage compartment, he heard Reed's voice.
"I wish I wouldn't have to do this. I hate agreeing to letting anyone cut me open."
"You'll be okay, darlin'" Tucker answered. "Phlox knows what he's doin'. It'll be alright, trust me."
Of course it will be, Phlox thought, almost glad that Reed would be under general anesthesia in a few minutes. He simply couldn't understand the Lieutenant's distrust for medical procedures - after all a person underwent medical treatment to feel better afterwards. The Lieutenant always made it seem as if doctors were only out to hurt and torment their patients, which if not offended at least annoyed Phlox a little. It made the Lieutenant a very complicated patient.
He turned back, clucking disapprovingly as he saw that Tucker was still standing next to the scanning unit. "Now, out, Commander," he said, arranging his equipment on an OR tray. "Don't worry, the Lieutenant is in good hands."
As he looked up, he saw Tucker eyeing the laser scalpel with a distrusting expression on his face. He was about to say something else when the Commander nodded once. "Alright, doc, I'm off." He squeezed his partner's hand. "You'll be fine, Mal. Don't worry."
Reed nodded, and Tucker crossed the room, pushing the panel next to the sickbay doors, leaving Phlox alone with his patient. Smiling and nodding contentedly, Phlox gathered his thoughts and applied himself to the task at hand.
TBC...
Please let me know what you think!