"Cassiopeia," Luana said as she entered the Life Station. "I've brought you a patient."
Cassie looked up from where she was tending another patient. The man's head bobbed as he smiled drunkenly at her while she examined the gouge in his forehead. She started when she saw who her newest admission was and a perplexed expression crossed her face. "Did Luana injure you in triad?" A slight smile hovered on her lips as she tried to imagine the slender young woman rib blocking Starbuck.
"No." Starbuck denied as he moved over to the bio-bed which she indicated and sat down. "It was after our practice. We interrupted an attack on a woman. I . . . bumped my head."
"And stopped breathing. Reece had to give him mouth to mouth. I heard his head impact with the deck when he lost consciousness." Luana told her.
"I know how you feel, mate," the drunken man commented from his biobed.
"Anything else, Luana?" Cassie asked as she ran her bio scanner over the lieutenant, while ignoring her other patient. The drunk could wait.
"Well, he gagged a bit when he realized that the Black Shirt was locking lips with him, but that was really pretty minor." Luana explained with a smirk.
"Shouldn't you ask me?" Starbuck asked the med tech a bit resentfully. "I'm the patient."
"You bumped your head. You told me." Cassie replied. "Look up, " she stated as she shone a light in his eyes. "How long were you in respiratory arrest?"
"Huh?" Starbuck replied, blinking as the light blinded him momentarily.
"It was only a couple breaths, Cassiopeia. Not even a half a centon." Luana told her.
"Respiratory arrest? That sounds serious." Starbuck muttered.
"Of course, it's serious! You stopped breathing! Why do you think I dragged you here?" Luana shook her head at him.
Cassie smiled as she heard Luana assure her in one breath that they had only lost him for mere microns, and in the next, tell Starbuck off for not taking it seriously enough.
"I feel fine." Starbuck argued for the sake of . . . arguing. He suddenly felt outnumbered. It was amazing how two women could suddenly join forces against the lone male in any given situation.
"Okay, lie down. Any headache? Dizziness? Confusion?" Cassie asked him.
"I have all three, honey. Come back over here." The inebriate told her.
"No." Starbuck denied as he shot an annoyed glance at his fellow patient while assuming a supine position. It was more of a head-throb than a headache. Ache was not strong enough a word. A couple T3's, and he'd be fine. Just fine. A little head-throb need not come between him and his Viper.
"How did it happen?" Cassie continued her questioning as she did a thorough examination, running through the systems one by one until she was reassured from both a professional and personal point-of-view that he was really fine.
Luana did most of the talking as she relayed the story, so the med tech deduced her man had one Hades of a headache, despite his denial. She threw a patient gown at him and pulled the curtain, so she could do a complete assessment of any other injuries he might have received while fighting the attackers.
"Is he okay?" Luana asked. She had kept the mood light as she told Cassie what had happened, but she was still shaken from the incident.
"He seems to be." Cassiopeia reassured her. "I just need to check him from head to toe for the records. I'm qualified to clear him for duty tomorrow, but I have to be meticulous with my assessment. Thanks for bringing him by, Lu. And thanks for telling me the truth about what happened." Cassie briefly squeezed the young woman's hand as she met her eye.
Luana nodded dumbly. Hades, this wasn't going to be as easy as she had thought. Honestly, she liked Cassie. Luana just thought that Starbuck would be happier with her. It was simple really. He needed someone who wouldn't stifle him. Someone who could understand him and accept him for who he truly was. Luana smiled. Yeah, just keep trying to convince yourself of that, girl. It'll make you feel better.
"I'll make sure he gets back to the billet." Cassiopeia assured her. "You go on and get some rest."
"Okay. If you're sure he's okay." Luana nodded. She tried to put herself back in the role of 'concerned friend'.
Cassie gently pushed her towards the door as she heard Starbuck's boots hit the floor. "I'm sure."