Last time: Oppie and Kait enjoyed a drink together.
Now: Cien's dizzy spells get worse.
Chater 14- Dizzy Spells
"Quit hoggin' the whiskey!" Bubbles effusively squeaked at Nova as she took too long to pour the drinks, and didn't pass them out as she finished pouring each glass.
"Just hang on, Bubbles," Nova barked. She slid the glass over to the impatient pilot. "Here. Now calm down. Jeeze." She handed out the rest of the drinks to the others before settling back down in her chair.
"Thanks Nova," Scamp said with a chuckle as he took his glass and sipped it.
"You are welcome," Nova said, flashing a smile at him.
"More please!" Bubbles said, sliding the glass back across the table.
"Damn woman," Nova said. "You need to slow down."
"Seriously, Bubbles. I'm about ready to cut you off," Kelce joked as he sipped his ale. Whiskey was also too strong for him.
"You wouldn't!" Bubbles squeaked at him, aghast.
"Please don't, she flies better when she's tipsy." Hassen begged.
"I wouldn't but please tell me you are not flying drunk," Kelce asked concerned.
"No, no. Never." Bubbles said, looking side to side like she'd been caught.
Cien looked at them with her face hidden behind her palm trying to hide a smirk at the goings on.
"So when did you become the bartender?" Kyr asked Nova.
"Sasha gave me a few pointers," Nova stated with a smile. "Plus it doesn't hurt to know what liquors are explosive or not." She giggled at that last part.
"That's fair, never know. I suppose if you shoot 'em you might get a nice little grenade." Kyr mused, wanting to test it out now.
"Oh yeah," Nova agreed with a chuckle.
"Just don't blow yourself up," Kelce advised.
"You know me. I only blow up the bad guys," Nova joked. Kelce just rolled his eyes as he smirked at her.
"Oh, are your eyebrows bad guys?" Shades asked, teasing her.
"That was one time and that wasn't my fault," Nova pointed out, pointing a finger at her. "And they grew back." She subconsciously rubbed her forehead at that.
"Yeah, I can confirm that wasn't her fault." Kyr said speaking up for her. "It was the explosives fault."
Nova shot a glare at him. Kelce snickered at that. She smacked him lightly on the arm and he just laughed harder.
"If I remember it was that fuses fault," Scamp recalled as he sipped his whiskey. "It was shorter than you calculated. I'm just glad you only lost your eyebrows."
"Yeah same," Nova agreed.
"It was a very interesting day in the medbay. I was told someone blew up and prepared for the worst case only to discover you lost your eyebrows. That was probably the hardest punch I ever got as a medic, second to Wynnie's brass knuckles," Kelce told. Nova blushed at that. He wrapped an arm around her. "Don't worry. I wasn't mad and I was glad you were okay."
"Thanks, Kels," Nova said, still blushing.
"Blech." Kyr declared.
Cien glanced up at him with a wry look. "Reminds me of the time I went running out of the house because I was hearing explosions in the forest, and I thought you were under attack. And you were just 'chopping'", she made quote marks with her fingers, "firewood."
"What? You blew up the forest?" Scamp asked incredulously.
"Just bits of it." Kyr replied. "It was Op's idea." He stated indignantly.
Cien cocked her head to the side and looked at him from under a furrowed brow. "Really." She 'asked'. Nova nearly sprayed her drink at that.
"Yes." Kyr stated. "Good idea too. Would have taken forever to chop all those trees into firewood the traditional way with a vibro axe."
"Oh my, I wish I could have seen it!" Nova exclaimed in a laugh.
"Did Oppie really come up with that?" Scamp asked, not believing it was the Jedi's idea over the Mandos.
"Yes." Kyr said. "Well, in a manner of speaking. He said, 'there's got to be a better way to break these trees up.' And it gave me the idea." Kyr explained.
"Ah, yes I can definitely see how the breaching charges were his idea then." Cien said with a roll of her eyes as she took a sip of her juice.
Scamp chuckled at that.
"How many trees did you blow up?" Wynnie asked from Cien's other side.
"Uhh.. hmm like forty or so." Kyr answered.
"Felt like more than that." Cien murmured annoyedly.
"Did you really need that much firewood?" Troy asked from where sat near Scamp.
"Yep." Kyr said, looking over at him. "We go through quite a bit of firewood through the winter, it lasts about nine months. Plus it's fun to blow things up, and then burn it to ash later."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense then," Troy said, blinking at that. Cien hid a smirk, and a slightly annoyed look at Kyr.
"Well next time you decide to blow up some trees, call the expert," Nova said, gesturing to herself.
"I want to join to." Wynnie stated.
"It does sound like fun," Scamp agreed.
"It does. Could I join in?" Troy asked curiously.
"Sure, we'll make a family outing of it." Kyr said, looking between them. "I'm sure the Defiant probably needs its firewood restocked every now and then." He said facetiously.
Kelce sighed. "I guess that means Sasha and I will have our hands full dealing with all of you blowing yourselves up," he said.
"I won't blow myself up." Wynnie grumbled quietly.
"I wasn't talking about you, Wynnie," Kelce said with a chuckle as he cast a knowing glance to Scamp and Kyr.
"Oh, gee thanks Doc." Kyr said lifting his glass up in a mock salute.
Kelce grinned at him before sipping his ale.
"What about you Troy?" Nova asked. "How confident do you feel around an explosive?"
"I know to follow the bomb experts lead and stay the hell away from them," Troy answered.
Nova beamed at that. "He's a smart kid, Scamp."
"Yeah he is," Scamp said, ruffling Troy's hair. He swatted his hand away and fixed his hair.
"So what's this next planet we're heading to?" Shades asked after a moment of silence.
"Braylore." Cien answered, "it was another temple I visited after Morgual, the next one I visited after the planet where I heard the distress call from in the Force. I only spent a day or two there, it was a bit of a dead end for the research I was doing at the time, though." She said slightly annoyed. She also remembered that the resident Sith Lord there had been quite a shabuir, as Kyr might say.
"What would the next planet be after that?" Kyr asked.
"Abbiados." Cien answered, after putting her juice down. "That place was very helpful, it had an incredibly extensive library." She paused for a moment. "Still does, apparently."
"These guys have ended up being a step ahead of us, I wonder if we should jump ahead and try to meet them, in case they skip ahead again." Kyr mused.
"That's not a bad idea," Scamp said. "It would mean that we can have the jump on them. I can bring it up with Sulam and see what she thinks. I still think we may need to look into Braylore though, just to be sure we don't miss anything."
"Yeah." Kyr said, taking a drink. "Though at best these guys just have a little corvette and some gun boats, so we could split the 19th easily enough and still be able to overwhelm them."
"Oh yeah. That could work," Scamp said. He downed his glass of whiskey. "Here I'll go talk with the Admiral and see what we can do." He said, moving to stand.
"Maybe I should go with, I could give the full li…." She trailed off as she shot to her feet and faltered from another dizzy spell. Kyr shot his arm out to steady her, trying to get to his feet at the same time.
"Are you okay?" Kelce asked, shooting to his feet.
"Yeah." She said after a moment, recovering. Kyr was still standing at her side to steady her with his hand around her shoulder and a worried look on his face.
"How often have these dizzy spells been happening?" Kelce asked as he came around the table, noticing Kyr's worried expression.
"Not too often." Cien said guardedly, looking around the rest of the table and everyone was now looking at her.
"Alright, why don't we go have a chat real quick," Kelce suggested. "I just want to check a few things and then you can join Scamp in a bit." He cast a glance at Kyr on that. Kyr just glanced back at him.
"I'm fine." Cien insisted, even more guardedly as everyone still looked on. "Reya said it was expected." She said dismissively, trying to back away a little bit.
"I completely understand," Kelce said, putting up his hands defensively. "I just want a second opinion is all. Can you blame this doc for being a little worried?"
"No." Cien said in terse agreement as she backed away slightly. "Should we go find the Admiral?" She said, turning to Scamp.
The Clone looked at them, unsure of what to do or say. Kelce answered before Scamp could.
"Cien, please. I know you say you are fine, but I want to be sure. It'll put my conscience and everyone else's at ease," Kelce said, insisting. He leaned in closer and spoke in a softer voice, "Please just… humor me for like five minutes."
A flash of annoyance went across Cien's face as he insisted and she looked away. "Fine."
"Alright," Kelce said, straightening up. "Shall we?" He gestured towards the exit of the canteen.
Cien turned and went out the door, Kyr following at her side. Kelce shot a glance to the others before following them out. Nova let out a breath once they were gone.
"Man," Nova sighed.
"What was in her juice?" Bubbles asked, a little tipsy.
"It's not the juice," Scamp said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Will she be okay?" Troy asked, concerned.
"Yeah, she'll be fine, son," Scamp said, smirking at him. "I'm going to go talk to Admiral Sulam."
"Being pregnant doesn't seem like fun." Wynnie said quietly.
"Wynnie!" Shades said, looking at her.
"What the hell?!" Bubbles almost shouted. "The colonel's having kids? Why didn't we know?" She asked in shock.
"That's what you get for missing the Commander and Troy's spar the other day," Nova said, grabbing the bottle of whisky and pouring herself another drink.
Kelce led the expecting parents all the way to his office in the medical wing. Once there, he gestured to the two chairs before his desk as he went around to grab something from a drawer on the other side.
Cien stood there as if she was about to be interrogated, and looked at the chair, preferring to stand if that ended up being the case. She went around the chair and settled into it, sitting very upright, and Kyr sat in the other chair next to her only slightly more relaxed.
"Okay," Kelce said as he settled into his chair on the other side of the desk. He set a scanner down on the desk top before looking at them. Cien eyed it like it was an instrument of interrogation before looking back up at Kelce. "Thank you for humoring me, Cien. I just want to make sure that everything is okay. I mean the Colonel and his wife are about to have children."
Cien just nodded and waited for the questions to come.
"Thanks Doc." Kyr said. Cien shot a glance over at him before looking back towards Kelce.
"Alright. So I'm gonna warn you now these questions I'm about to ask might seem a bit personal, but we really do need to cover all bases," Kelce said before looking down at his datapad he pulled out. "Okay, is this the first time you are having children?" He started asking.
"Yes." Cien stated.
Kelce noted that. "Do you have any medical issues that we should be aware of that you are concerned about? That could be dangerous to the pregnancy?"
"None that I am aware of." Cien answered.
"Good to know," Kelce said then asked, "Have you ever experienced dizzy spells before you became pregnant?"
"No." Cien answered.
"Okay. How many times have you experienced them since?" Kelce asked. "Admiral Sulam did notify me of the first one that happened aboard the ship."
Cien's eyes narrowed slightly at that, then she glanced away before looking back at Kelce. "I have not kept track."
"Not too common, but it has happened several times." Kyr answered guardedly. Cien glanced at him again and said nothing.
"It's common for pregnant women to experience dizzy spells. Reya, the midwife I assume, is correct in that," Kelce explained. "However, sometimes it can also be connected to something else that is happening to the mother to be. You should always keep an eye on it." He cleared his throat before asking the next question, "anyway, have you ever received serious injury or injuries to your lower abdominal region?"
Cien glanced away. "Yes. But they were all treated."
"You are free to tell me no to this, but may I ask what caused those injuries or what they were?" Kelce asked very carefully. "I just want to make sure you aren't going to be dealing with anything potentially concerning during the pregnancy. Old wounds do have ways of reminding you they still exist sometimes."
"I…" She started, glanced away and thought for a moment. Kyr looked at her a little worried. "I got my injuries in various battles over the years, or as… punishment for disappointing my masters. As far as injuries, various broken bones or dislocated joints. Some soft tissue damage and internal injuries." She stated.
Kelce nodded as he took note of all of that. "Can you tell me a little bit more about that? Like was there ever any really concerning injuries that we should be aware of? I know this is getting rather personal, but I want to be sure," he said gently.
She was silent for a while. Partly out of annoyance for having to answer, partly because she had to remember all of her injuries. She looked down and started speaking. "Electrical discharges from Sith lightning, broken collar bone, fractured jaw. A severe concussion several times. Broken left forearm. Several broken or cracked ribs. Broken pelvis, both of my legs have been broken on separate occasions." She paused for a second, "dislocated knees and hips. I have had a punctured lung, bruised kidneys. And then an electrical discharge to my lower abdomen last year." She said cryptically. Kyr looked at her worriedly and wanted to take her hand.
Kelce sat in silence as he wrote all of that down. After a moment, he blinked a couple of times staring at the list before looking back to Cien. "Thank you for telling me all of that. That is very helpful to know. More than you realize," he said. "Women who have experienced bodily trauma in their lives are at a higher risk of complicated pregnancies or even miscarriages. However, there are plenty of things you can do to take care of yourself and the twins. I think right now, though, it is probably for the best that we figure out what is causing the dizzy spells. Just take it all one step at a time."
"Very well." Cien said relaxing only a little bit.
"Alright," Kelce said, rising from his seat. He grabbed the scanner and came around the desk. He knelt down before her on the floor. "Can you please roll up your sleeve? I just want to take a blood sample and run a couple of tests with this to see what's going on." He gestured to the scanner in his hand.
She hesitated for a second, and then undid her left glove. She pulled her gauntlet off and put it on the desk with a clank, and then rolled the sleeve of her flight suit up, presenting her arm to him. Kelce gingerly took her arm and placed the scanner against it. He pressed a button on the scanner and it took the blood sample. As soon as it was done, he let go of her arm and moved away, smiling gently to her.
"There. Easy as zherry pie," Kelce said as stood up. He went around the desk again, pressing a couple more buttons. "And now we wait. It should only take a few moments. If you'd like, I can give you guys some space for a few minutes while I wait for this to process... Your call."
Kyr glanced at Cien, waiting for her to answer.
"No, you can stay." She said quietly. "This is less stressful than the last time I waited for a scanner to finish." She added after a moment.
Kelce smirked at that. "Alright," he said as he resumed his seat. "I guess while we wait, do you two have any questions? I know all the first time parents got them. But I also understand saving those for when you see Reya next."
"She already explained the risks to me." Cien said, guardedly, but more relaxed than she had been. "Sasha arranged for her to visit the next day after we found out."
"I'm not surprised since she has been in your shoes before," Kelce said. "But that's good to know. Then I don't have to repeat anything you don't already know."
After another couple moments, the scanner beeped. Kelce picked it up and looked at the results. A relieved looking smile came to his face.
"Well it's all pretty much good news," Kelce said. "You two ready?"
"Yes." Cien said.
"Okay, all in all, you are actually completely healthy," Kelce started. "It appears your past injuries are simply in the past and shouldn't cause you any trouble. However, what's causing the dizzy spells is an iron deficiency and low blood pressure."
"I'm glad to hear that." Cien said quietly. "Those can easily be treated?" She asked.
"Kind of," Kelce said. "Your blood pressure will naturally rise as you get further along. However, taking into account the foods you eat is also something to consider. Do you eat red meat or anything high in iron?" He asked her.
Cien thought for a moment. "I suppose not. I don't know. I usually just have whatever Op or Sasha make at home, or the salads and… parfaits in the canteen since I have been here."
Kelce smiled at that. "Well then you shouldn't need to change too much. Just consider adding a thing or two to your diet to help keep your iron up. As for the low blood pressure, just take it easy. If you need to sit, sit down. If you need a break, take one. And try avoiding standing up too fast. Just take it nice and easy and slow, and you'll be set. Sound good?"
"Yes." Cien said. "Thank you." She added.
"Of course. It's what I do. And if you are still having trouble, don't hesitate to come find me," Kelce said. "We look out for our own here and you are a part of the Coppers just as much as Kyr is. And so are they." He nodded his head towards her stomach.
"Thank you." She said as she wrapped her arm around her stomach.
"No problem at all," Kelce said as he stood from his chair. "Alright, I'm going to go call it a night. But if you two still want to go catch up with the Admiral and Scamp, you are free to go. Or if you want to stay here and chat for a little, I understand. My office is your office if you ever need it." He said, making his way towards the door.
"Thanks Doc." Kyr said as he stood.
"Thank you." Cien said, getting to her feet too quickly, and she faltered slightly, again, as Kyr shot an arm out to steady her.
Kelce, who also leapt over to help her, straightened when he saw that Kyr caught her. He shook his head and gave them a smirk before looking to Kyr. "Take care of her," he said in a light manner.
"Sure thing." Kyr said as Cien recovered.
Kelce nodded and started for the door. He stopped part way and looked back to Kyr. He gestured for him to come forward for a moment. Kyr stepped over while Cien was busy putting her gauntlet and glove back on.
"I know she can handle herself, but if you see anything and I mean anything that concerns you, let me know ASAP. I'll make a house call if I have to," Kelce whispered to him in a serious tone.
"I definitely will. Thank you Kelce." Kyr said gratefully.
Kelce gave a nod before walking out the door and giving them some privacy.
She finished pulling on her glove as she turned around. "I hope that -" She was surprised as Kyr pulled her into a tight hug. She blinked before hugging him back.
I'm sorry you had to go through all of that." He murmured quietly.
"It's okay, Kelce was very kind." Cien replied, a little confused as she enjoyed the hug.
"Not that, I mean everything else." Kyr said with a slight, if troubled smirk.
"Oh." Cien said. "It's okay, it's what led me to being here." She said quietly.
They hugged each other tightly for a few moments before Kyr spoke again. "Want to go get dessert?" He asked as he backed away slightly.
"Yes." She said, since she hadn't gotten to have her zherry parfait.
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