Infirmary

[Northern Girl]

< Staff Lounge -> The CMO’s office >

“Okay, see you two laters then” She flashed them a smile and then trailed after her boss inside his office and its two waiting visitors.

Carrie grinned inwardly and shook her head slightly as she pushed the chair to sit at the short side of Gus’ desk, making it possible for her to face them all; knowing that that chair would surely grant her to stay awake if this meeting turned out be a longwinded one…
She grinned towards Claire adding a “Hey!” and then reached out a hand towards Rachel “Don’t believe we’ve met yet, I’m Dr Carrie Svensson. Sorry for the inconvenience of dragging the two of you down here, I’m glad you both could come with such a short notice” and then sat down and happily let Gus take the lead of the meeting. Putting the laptop on an unoccupied spot in front of her, she then leaned back in the chair, curious of what kind of pieces of the puzzle the two women might contribute with.

[SilverRider]

The doctor turned first to Clarie. "Clarie, according to Carrie, you were talking to Capt. Bystronski before the group started to play basketball. I don't want to invade anyone's privacy here, but think back to the conversation. How was she acting? Did she seem...odd...different at all? Maybe, preoccupied or worried?" Gus knew that he was grasping a straws now, so to speak. But he had to try every angle. After all, one never knew when they would stumble across the missing puzzle piece.

((I had to physically backtrack for refreshing my memory ))

Claire's mind raced at what Gus told her, Natasha was in coma. Oh god. Shanking of the quick shock,when Carrie greeted her, "Hey."

She gave it a deep thought, at what CMO had said, "Well nothing out of the ordinary that's for sure. I mean all I saw was normal reactions of a human being. We basically had a general chat while playing some basketball," she told Gus without giving much of a disclosure, "but she really didn't seem to be preoccupied or worried. If she was she was hiding it real well."

"You think it may have something to with her current state of mind?" she asked, hoping that wasn't the case.

[JacksonMiracle]

[CMO's Office]

Gus could have kicked himself for not thinking to introduce Carrie and Rachael. He had just assumed that the two would have already known each other. But then again, Carrie had been off the base for some time.

The doctor carefully listened to everything that Clarie said about her encounter with Nat on the basketball court. He knew that it had been a long shot, but somehow he was still slightly disappointed that the Lt. couldn't think of anything else off the top of her head. When she finished, he leaned forward from his previously relaxed postion, and met Clarie's gaze. "I see. I'm sure, that you wouldn't hold anything back from us that you thought could help in any way, no matter how small. Keep thinking about it, and if anything sticks out, then let one of us know." He didn't want the woman across from him to feel intimidated or forced to come up with something if there nothing to tell, but at the same time, he didn't want her to hold anything back if it was for the wrong reasons. He hoped that his words conveyed exactly that.

Gus shook his head at the woman's question. "We don't know for sure. It might. We're just trying to cover all our bases, and that includes trying to figure out what Bystronski's state of mind was at the time she collapsed. The body is funny like that. It reacts to our thoughts and feelings in very physical ways sometimes." The CMO knew that he was walking a fine line just by revealing that much, but he hoped that it would be enough to satisfy Clarie's curiosity without being too revealing of the current theories about Nat.



**********************************************************

[Staff Lounge]

Julianna's eyes widened as the box was produced from underneath Delen's shirt. Did all of the Arans carry around things like that all the time? Somehow, the doctor thought that it must be the woman's way of keeping a little piece 'home' with her at all times. She made a mental note to tell Amanda about it later. If the psychologist was going to have any luck talking the Arans, then she would need to know their habits.

The doctor watched as the lid came open on the box, and out of habit, bent slightly closer to examine the contents. The plants looked normal enough. Taking a deep breath, Julianna decided that the plants were also unscented. Again, a normal occurance. "Well, they look fairly normal to me. I can see why the Romans didn't pay much attention to them. Lucky for us, I suppose." The doctor said, sharing Delen's sentiment that the Romans had underestimated the contents of the box.

"You're welcome to follow me to the lab. It's just down the hall." Julianna offered as she stood up.

NPC – Julianna Steele, MD

[Atlantean_Fan]

[Staff Lounge]

"Well, they look fairly normal to me. I can see why the Romans didn't pay much attention to them. Lucky for us, I suppose." The doctor said, sharing Delen's sentiment that the Romans had underestimated the contents of the box.

"You're welcome to follow me to the lab. It's just down the hall." Julianna offered as she stood up.

"It's true. It was their ignorance that saved this." She said patting the upper contents of the box. That was everything she had left from Ara, from her life, from her professional trade.

"Is it possible to search for more herbs outside? Someone said yesterday that there was a huge forest outside. Maybe we can find something therapeutically useful in it. You already have the labs for the testing, it seems. Have you tried that approach to fill your medical needs?" Delen asked curious. Probably not due to their reactions, even Carrie's first one, when she mentioned herbs as true medicine.

"Show the way, Julianna." Delen said after safeguarding the contents and the box that carried them in her left hand and then followed the other doctor to the Lab. Once in front of its door, Delen turned to Julianna and could no longer ignore what she saw.

"Thank you for everything, but after you introduce me to someone inside this Lab to help me with my work you should really take some time off. I know it's not my concern, but as a doctor myself, I can see how truly exhausted you are. Been there, done that deal. That doesn't help at the end of the day!" Delen said, knowing she could be stepping in a territory that wasn't hers, but it was in Julianna's face and steps how tired she was. She should be sleeping now.

Delen Treisa - Aran Refugee

[JacksonMiracle]

[Staff Lounge -> Medical Lab]

"As a matter of fact, back on Earth, we got our start in medicine by using plants and herbs as cures for different diseases. In fact there are....were....certain tribal groups and religions that relied entirely on natural medicines. Here, on Gaia, we have explored some to the plant life for food, and will probably be forced to start experimenting with some of it as medicine very soon, since our own supplies will eventually be depleated. We only have a few botanists left, but they have been trying to learn whatever they can about the indigenous plant life. They'll let us know if something interesting turns up." Julianna explained professionally to the other woman. "As soon as General Blue clears you to leave the base, you can most certaintly explore any of the plant life that you'd like. And if you do find anything, we'll gladly accept the help. We don't have anything against natural medicine. It's just that around here when an illness doesn't fit into the traditional pattern, it's easier to look for a non-traditional cause than try to treat it with traditional medicines." The docotor hoped that what she was saying made sense to the other woman. She certaintly didn't want the base guest's thinking that they were closed minded and too wrapped up in modern medicine and machines that they didn't even want to consider other possibilities.

Julianna swipped her card through the reader to the lab and the door glided open as she spoke to Delen. A small smile spread across her face as she talked. "I must be in really bad shape, if someone I've just met can tell how tired I am. I was actually on my way to get some sleep when Carrie had her idea. I'll leave as soon as Gus finishes his meeting with Rachael and Clarie. And actually, you don't even have to stay around here. We can just drop off a sample of the herb, and then leave the lab techs to their work. They'll let Gus know as soon as they have any conclusive results." The doctor offered, not sure how the lab techs would react to having an 'alien' staring over their shoulder while they worked. She figured that most of them would be ok with it, but there were always one or two who treated everyone that came from the other side of the gate as an enemy.

"Doctor." A white-coated female technician greeted them, as they walked inside.

"Hi, Becky. This is Delen, one of the refugees that the Romans brought through the 'gate yesterday. Becky is one of the lead technicians in this lab. She really knows her stuff." Julianna quickly made the introductions. Then got down to business. She did share that one trait with the CMO, she didn't like to waste time with chit-chat. "Delen brought an interesting herb with her from Ara. I'd like you to run a full range of tests on it. And make it a priority, Becky. We have a patient that could really use it right now if it does everything that Delen said it can."

NPC – Julianna Steele, MD

[aintright]

Spoiler:

[Nurse Jennyfer Santiago-Recovery 1]

Jennyfer was very aware of the light pressure of Kevin's grip on her hand as she prayed silently to herself. She prayed for a speedy recovery for Brih. And then she prayed for Kevin, that somehow he would start to realize the pressures that he was putting on the infirmary staff and that God would give him the confidence and the peace of mind that he needed to get through this challenge. She prayed for Carrie, and for Julianna, and for Gus as they endevored to keep Brihanna alive. The nurse knew first hand that care of a patient after a surgery was just as important as the surgery itself. Jennyfer had just reached the point in her prayer where she was asking God to give Josh the patience that he needed to continue to be there for Kevin and for Brih, when she felt the sudden release of her hand by Kevin. She didn't comment on the action, and kept her eyes closed as the chaplain started to pray aloud again.

As soon as Kevin called Brihanna's name, Jennyfer opened both eyes and looked first at Kevin and then at the patient lying in the bed in front of her. A quick glance at the moniters by the bed told the nurse that Brih was still very much asleep and any movements Cooper may have noticed were due to reflexes. She listened as the Chaplain explained just that to the councilman and nodded her head in agreement. "It'll still be awhile before she wakes up completely. Reflex responses aren't that uncommon when one is still under the affects of anathesia. Trust me, you'll know the second that she wakes up."

The nurse listened closely, her eyes moving between the two men and Gloria as Josh tried to convince Cooper to give them a little space to do their job. Jennyfer saw the look on Gloria's face at the councilman's insistence on staying in the room, and quickly jumped into the conversation before the head nurse had a chance to react. "I'll make a deal with you, Mr. Cooper. I'll call the mess for the best plate of food in the entire base, and you can eat it sitting right here beside Brihanna. But the blood donation really has to be done in the med bay. The more cooperative you are, the quicker it'll go, and then you can come right back here. Besides, there's really not alot you can do when she first wakes up. Gloria will need time to do a check on her, and you'll have to leave the room for that too."

Jennyfer gave Kevin a soft smile, and lightly placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping that he wouldn't pull away from her. She spoke softly, meeting his gaze with hers. "You don't have to be beside her 24/7 to let her know you care. I think that she already knows that, and if there was ever any doubt, I'm sure that in less than 10 minutes from the time she wakes up, she'll be convinced of exactly how much you do care." The nurse stole a quick glance at Gloria to reassure the other woman that she had everything under control, and hoped and that the head nurse would follow her lead when it came to dealing with councilman Cooper.

Spoiler:

< Recovery room 1 >

Gloria gave Jennyfer a subtle nod and then crouched down in front of Cooper, but suppressed her instinct to put a reassuring hand on his knee, afraid that he might feel himself cornered by her and Jennyfer.
“Kevin, please. Do as Josh say and go and get a hot meal in your stomach, then come back to see her for a minute or two and after that let Jennifer set you up for that blood donation. You won’t be of much use later on when Brihanna wakes up if you trip over from low blood sugar levels. Because when she wakes up, that’s when she’s really going to need you. I bet you haven’t eaten anything since early this morning, have you?”
She looked Cooper in the eyes with a silent prayer of him to give in, to not having to call security to get the man out of the room so that she could do her job to attend to her patients needs.
NPC - Gloria Fuentes, RN, head nurse

<<Kevin Cooper ~~ Brih's Room ~ Infirmary>>


<<NPC ~ Joshua Samuel McGregor SG Chaplain ~~ Brih's Room ~ Infirmary>>


Josh finished his thought in prayer silently as he kept a close eye on the interaction between Jennyfer and Cooper. She was truly a gift that he was grateful for. He smiled as he admired her soothing effect on Cooper. He cringed as Gloria stepped in. She brought a rougher edge to the table and he sensed she was unravelling all that he and Jennyfer had established.

Reading Cooper's face and his apparent clenching of jaw, "Nurse Fuentes, Councilman Cooper is the closest thing to family that Ms. Simmons has, after the loss of earth." He paused as he sucked in a deep breath, "Carrie, I mean Dr. Svennson, had agreed he would be treated as such. I was hoping that he my assistant and I could share lunch at the corner table." He smiled and signaled with a head motion to the small table in the corner of the room. "That way you can pull your curtain and do any examinations necessary in privacy. Yet, we can still give Kevin the confidence of being within earshot." Josh ran his fingers over his brow. The strain of the day and gate travel were beginning to take their toll.

He stood deliberately between the nurse and the councilman. Looked from the two woman to Kevin, "We can all understand his desire, no, his need to be at her side when she awakes. We would all want to find the face of a loved one if we were in her place."

Kevin took this opportunity to interject, he spoke with anguish, "She needs to know I am alive. She stood in the line of that bullet to protect the General. I was with him. She needs to know no one else, that I wasn't, harmed." He clutched her hand tighter and again stroked her face. The flutter of her eyelashes were a comfort. Maybe they were only relex but it affirmed she was alive.

Josh turned and faced the man, "Yes Kevin, she is a very brave woman. I think it is her courage that will help bring her through this." The two men exchanged eye contact. "Lets move to the corner and let these ladies do their work, okay?"

Kevin too texhausted to fight at the moment rose and followed the Chaplain's lead. After Josh had Kevin settled he looked back to the nurses in hopes that he would not be rebuffed. "Shall I send my assistant for that food?" He inquired as he stomach grumbled as if on cue.

[max_omega]

< Staff Lounge -> The CMO’s office >

“Okay, see you two laters then” She flashed them a smile and then trailed after her boss inside his office and its two waiting visitors.

Carrie grinned inwardly and shook her head slightly as she pushed the chair to sit at the short side of Gus’ desk, making it possible for her to face them all; knowing that that chair would surely grant her to stay awake if this meeting turned out be a longwinded one…
She grinned towards Claire adding a “Hey!” and then reached out a hand towards Rachel “Don’t believe we’ve met yet, I’m Dr Carrie Svensson. Sorry for the inconvenience of dragging the two of you down here, I’m glad you both could come with such a short notice” and then sat down and happily let Gus take the lead of the meeting. Putting the laptop on an unoccupied spot in front of her, she then leaned back in the chair, curious of what kind of pieces of the puzzle the two women might contribute with.

CMOs Office

Rachael smiled at her, "Dr. Rachael Ezekiel, base Chief Engineer." She answered taking the hand. Rachael sat there thinking of everything that had happened since the Quake, trying to remember the details of things that involved Natasha. "Anything to help out Natasha, I want her awake just as much as all of you."



((OOC- Sorry it took so long))

[Northern Girl]

< Recovery room 1 >

Gloria sighed and straightened her legs, this had been going on for too long now…
“Yes he can do that…” She mad a motion wit her chin towards the hallway “You can use the pone in the Staff lounge and have it delivered there.” Before looking back at the two men “Just let me get one thing straight here; No one eats in the recovery room, and that’s final. Mr Cooper; you’ve been promised to be here when she wakes up and no one is going to change that. But right now, I think you’re in here more for your own sake then for hers. Chaplain, I know what Dr Svensson said, and believe me, I am not treating Mr Cooper any differently then if they had been husband and wife for 30 years.”
Gloria walked over to the door and turned towards Jennyfer and her voice left no room for negotiation “Jennyfer, please escort the Chaplain and Mr Cooper to the Staff lounge so that they can have their lunch in an orderly fashion. Thank you...”

NPC - Gloria Fuentes, RN, head nurse

[JacksonMiracle]

[Nurse Jennyfer Santiago-Recovery 1]

Jennyfer knew better than to protest Gloria's decision that Kevin would have to leave the recovery room to eat his diner. "Yes, ma'am." She responded instantly to the direct order from the head nurse to escort the two men to the staff lounge.

She knew that the chaplain had been in the infirmary enough times to find his own way back, but she also knew that Gloria probably intended for her to make sure that Kevin stayed out of the way long enough for Gloria to check the patient. "Please, follow me." She said gently as she smiled directly at the councilman. "Gloria will take excellent care of Brih while you eat. And you can keep praying for her too, even if you aren't right next to her. We'll make sure that the two of you have some close time together as soon as she wakes up, and we make sure that she's doing ok." Again, Jennyfer made an effort to keep her words soft, and her expression unthreatening, a small smile still on her tiny lips.

[aintright]

<<Kevin Cooper ~~ Brih's Room ~ Infirmary>>


<<NPC ~ Joshua Samuel McGregor SG Chaplain ~~ Brih's Room ~ Infirmary>>


Kevin stared through the woman with horns growing from her head. For a short moment he felt sorry for her. It must be horrible to spend your life and have never had feelings for anyone. Not even enough of a glimmer to learn to feel compassion. His hand gave Brihanna's hand a signal that even if he wasn't there he really was. But then he knew that she knew that he was.

Now it was Josh's blood pressure that began to rise, Where is Corey when I need him? He just may have to drag me out of this place before I hurt someone. A gutteral growl in the form of an "OIY" escaped his pursed lips. If one listened carefully they could hear the grinding of teeth. The red faced Chaplain was a sight to see.

This time it was Kevin who stepped between the Chaplain and 'Nurse Ratched'. He placed a hand on the man's shoulder and quietly murmured, "Its okay Josh. Everything is okay." He gave him a reassuring look. The words 'you are here for your own sake' were still resonating in his brain. Kevin stood tall and confident. He seemed at peace with the current predicament. "She is right, I am here as much for me as I am for Brih. I need to know she is alive, I need to know she will live, I need to know that this event I dragged her through isn't going to be her demise. I need to know for many reasons, at many levels, for my being, for my soul, for my heart. If that makes me a selfish, evil being then so be it. I have no shame in that. I will admit no fault in having feelings, great feelings for another human being. I am certain you will back me when I say that is how GOD wired us."

Kevin left Josh dumbfounded, as his blood pressuse resided back to its level of inhuman calmness. Josh watched the man bewildered as he just bobbed his head up and down like a doll. His eyes made contact with Jennyfer behind the councilman and sensed her amazement in his attitude as well.

Kevin turned back to the frail woman strapped to the bed. He watched the fluids that trinkled in and out of her. Listened to machines that set and reset and recycled themselves as they performed their duty. He made one last gentle run of his fingers through her hair. Slowly dragged them across her cheek and smiled as her long lashes fluttered. Then he barely touched her dried and cracked lips with the tip of his fingers. He looked up to Jennyfer and did not have to wait or request the lip balm. As she attempted to administer it he looked at her with pleading eyes. He removed the container from her hands and lovingly placed the balm on Brih's lips. His giant hands dwarfed her full, plump lips. Yet, as large as they were they moved with a tender, elegant grace. His eyes trailed over her being and his simpered lips portrayed that of a man pleased.

Josh ran his hands through his hair, not sure what to make of this complicated man that had been presented to him. Just when he thought he had the angle another one revealed itself.

Kevin bent over and kissed Brihanna affectionately on the mouth. He pulled away but, before he had strayed too far he gave a final lingering kiss to the forehead.

He looked to Jennyfer, "Can I get some paper and a pen please?" He cocked his head to one side with a look that let her know there was no need to worry. Then he turned to the Chaplain, "Shall we?" As he began to move towards the door. Although his hand seemed to take an eternity to sever its contact with hers.

It was only Josh who noticed the forced gulp in the man's throat as they left the room. Josh had gathered his Bible and notepad. He nodded to Corey as they exited, "You stay here, find me, anything, you understand." They made eye contact and McGregor was sure he knew the drill.

[Northern Girl]

< The CMO’s office >

Carrie put up her left leg on her chair and wrapped her arms around it, frowning, thinking.
“Claire, do you remember that very brief conversation we had with Nat in the locker room yesterday before we came down here? Something about a feeling of everybody here being a part of her? About making a final choice or something? It didn’t really make much sense to me then, and quite frankly it doesn’t do that now either, but putting that in the equation of how Nat is doing right now, what are your thoughts then?”
She slipped a small sigh and looked between the two women at her side. 'Geez, that last part almost make me sound like a darn psychologist…'

[dancer_4_daniel]

<From Quarters>

Liam Harris walked slowly down the hall toward the infirmary. He'd heard through the grapevine that Major Bystronski was in a coma. He'd gotten to know her when they were on SG8 together and he had a deep respect and liking for her so he figured he'd get off his butt and go see how she was doing.

Stopping outside the CMO's door, he hesitated, wondering if he should really do this, or just let it ride a couple more days.

Deciding that you just couldn't waste any time, he curled his hand into a fist and rapped on the door.

[JacksonMiracle]

[CMO's Office]

Gus was listening intently to the interaction between Carrie and Clarie when there was a knock on the door. He sighed and rose from the chair. "Keep talking, I'll deal with this quickly."

The CMO's expression was one of annoyance, and frustration as he opened the office door expecting to see Mary standing there. The nurse knew better than to bother him while he was in a meeting. Instead of Mary, however, there was a man standing there. Gus racked his brain trying to remember his name. He was one of the few people on the base who was as tall as he was. The doctor imediently assessed the man for injuries, and not finding any decided that this was not some kind of an emergency. He looked past the man, searching for Mary. What had happened to that nurse? "How did you get past the nurse's station?" He asked aloud. "Look, I'm sorry, but unless this is an emergency, I'm going to have to ask you to stay in the waiting area, across from the nurse's station. I'm in an important meeting right now." Gus's expression was hard, and didn't leave much room for argument.

[dancer_4_daniel]

"Yes sir." Liam replied, bowing his head to him and heading back out to the nurse's station, where he tried to squeeze his lanky frame into one of the plastic chairs.

[JacksonMiracle]

[CMO's Office]

Gus shook his head to himself as he watched the man walk back down the hall. Maybe he had been a bit harsh with him, not even giving the man a chance to speak before sending him away. He would apologize later, but first he had to finish this meeting. The CMO returned to the chair behind his desk and sat back down without comment.



**********************************************************

[Waiting Area-Nurse Mary Irving]

Mary didn't know how she had missed seeing the man when he had first entered the infirmary, but she certaintly wasn't missing his attempts to get comfortable in the waiting area now. She smiled to herself as she made her way over to him. "Can I help you?" She offered.