Second Opinions & Scoldings (Part 1)

Posted on Fri Sep 26th, 2025 @ 6:53am by Lieutenant Amu Hinamori M.D. & Lieutenant Commander Nyxala Valentine
Edited on on Fri Sep 26th, 2025 @ 6:54am

1,471 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Preserving The Past
Location: USS Tokyo Sickbay

Amu was going over the readings she had taken from Tahuna. From what she could tell, the concussion was the least of her worries. The young girl seemed strife with medical conditions that Amu needed some help coming up with a treatment plan for. One of the most concerning issues was that she was severely malnourished. It seemed that even though she had been 'cared for by the village', she often didn't get enough food.

She knew that they would have to return Tahuna back to the surface. However, with the way her health was going she would be lucky to survive into adulthood. Usually this sort of issue was easy to control and remedy with twentyfourth century medicine and a starship medical bay, however on a planet where their level of medical technology was apply herbal plants to wounds was... difficult to near impossible.

Then the young doctor had a 'lightbulb moment'. She remembered that there was a medical specialist aboard the Kanna. It was a simple beam over and they could work on these issues together. So, after a brief talk with Captain Aisaka, Amu had gained permission for their medical specialist, to join her for a few hours to 'Provide a Second Opinion and More Options' for Tahuna.

The woman that breezed into the sickbay was an enigma of her own right. The uniform she she wore wasn't just tailored to her, but appeared to be form-fitted with a deep cut in front. The matching two inch heels gave her even more height than she naturally had and her eyes glanced around like lasers looking for the person who'd summoned her. One hand idly reached up to rub the neck of the small dragon that perched on her shoulder as she did so, which rustled it's wings in apparent discontent. "Are you Doctor Hinamori?" The alto voice came out smooth but focused.

"Thats me," Amu said as she turned to face the newcomer. "I gather that you're Doctor Valentine?" she asked with a smile, one hand resting on her large rounded out stomach.

"Veil-en-teen." Nyx corrected, always having to do that given how often people mispronounced it, but that was to be expected, "But yes, you can call me Nyx, that way we're not doing 'Doctor this' or 'Doctor that', it just adds too much in the way of formality. So, what do you have that you wanted me to take a look at?"

Amu smiled. "Got it. Well, welcome to the Tokyo Sickbay Nyx." She said. "I sent across some preliminary scans for you to look at, including a brief of the current situation. Have you had a chance to have a look?"

"A brief look, but what I saw is very concerning.." Nyx exhaled and glanced around, giving a slight shrug as she didn't see anywhere to stash the drakeling on her shoulder. Oh well, she was used to Gigi being there and if she got too heavy on the one side.. "Human, from the civilization on the ground, but with complications." Nyx didn't need to refer to the notes that were in the small PADD on her belt, "Severe malnourishment, concussion, internal parasites, unhealed bone injuries, infection from some poorly healed cuts and the list does go on." Nyx shook her head slightly, "Not good at all, Doc, not good at all."

Nodding Amu agreed with her. "Indeed. And for a child of approximately eight years old, its even more concerning." Amu informed her. She gestured to Nyx to join her at the diagnostics console. She quickly pulled up Tahuna's readings on the screen for them both to see. "The big question is, what can we do to help her before we have to send her back to the surface after a memory wipe? Right now she's with Counsellor Johnson, no doubt being fed every flavour of ice cream this side of the Milky Way." Amu chuckled. "I'd ideally like to find a way that helps her over time, without one: being noticed, and two: without future medical intervention from us. Prime directive and all that jazz."

"The last thing I'm worried about is the Prime Directive." Nyx gave a sad smile, looking down from her towering height at the smaller doctor, "This takes me back to some of the 'Hearts and Minds' duty I pulled back when, but those were known societies. To be honest with you, I'd say keep her for about a week so we can actually treat everything comprehensively and in sequence rather than try to tackle it all at once. The infection is the most dangerous short-term issue she's got, but if we can heal up those skeletal injuries fully, that will be the most help in the long-run and is more than skin deep. It's getting her back up to par with her immune system and nutrients that will take the time. We can vaccinate her for anything that's likely to come up and handling the parasites is straight forward, but that's a two-day process in itself to make sure they're cleared out without potential adverse effects. How long are we going to have before we need to send her back?"

"Thats the problem..." Amu said. "Captain is planning on sending her back tomorrow. The plan is to have her sent down to a 'safe spot' where Commander Johnson's team can 'find' her and bring her back to her people. At least, that's the plan..."

"Tomorrow?" Nyx's eyes shot open wide and she absently waved a hand and made a three-toned whistle sliding down and the drakeling on her shoulder dove off, opening it's wings before it hit the ground and flapped once to get to the height of one of the biobeds and landing on it. Another gesture and a two-tone whistle caused it to curl up on the bed, head resting on it's own tail, "The locals already think she's sick..." Nyx cupped her chin in one hand, "We can't fix everything in that time, but I'd hit the bones and try to see if we can't reinforce them a bit, hit her with a large dose of antibiotics and parasiticals, then pump as many of the vital nutrients as we can through an IV in the time we've got remaining... We could even inject some reservoirs into her for further absorption, which will help in the short term. But by doing all of it at once is going to turn her into a VERY sick girl, Amu, even if she'll get better."

Amu nodded. "I had a similar thought and came to the same conclusions." She sighed. "Hence why I asked for you to join me here. I've done some digging in the Starfleet Medical Database, but nothing like this has been recorded before. Apparently anything that 'breaks' the Prime Directive has a lot of black ink blotting it out." she let out another sigh, this one was of almost defeat. She began to rub her back. "And it doesn't help that my back is killing me too. Not what I need when facing such a problem." she looked at Nyx, locking eyes on her. "I know one thing, I am not prepared to send her back until I know she's going to survive. Otherwise all our efforts will be to waste, and we're all about saving lives, surely we can find a way. She's got so many years ahead of her, she deserves the chance to live them."

A slight smile crossed Nyx's face, "Then what we need is more a plan to keep her on board at least one more full day, minimum, not just one to get her back on her feet and able to walk. This is assuming that your Captain is dead set on sending her back, of course." She glanced over Amu, the subject now having been broached, it would be appropriate to mention it, "But can I assume that you're making sure your fellow medical staff is checking you out as well? Everything normal and on schedule, taking your prenatals and getting enough exercise?"

"Sort of... I guess... Well... Maybe no..." Amu said sheepishly. "I've been giving myself the 'one over' ever now and again. Its been super busy around here, and we lost our last Chief Medical Officer some time ago. I don't feel comfortable with that damn 'Emergency Medical Hologram' thing either. Personally technology shouldn't take away the whole 'Human' side of being a doctor... Or, Betazoid side... You get my meaning right?" Amu explained, trying to absolutely bullshit her way through an explanation. "As far as I can tell, this little one is doing ok. We had a scare a while back, but thats a totally different story." She ran a hand over her bump. "Thirty Four weeks as of two days ago."

To be continued...

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