Ask The Doctor

[ask-the-emh-blog]

"Hello"

Hello.  Who, pray tell, are you?

[askbelanna-blog]

Baby watch: Day 13.

[askvorik]

“I believe it is medically possible, although you would have to consult the EMH to be certain.” Vorik was not going to point out that “whatever they like” was an inappropriate linguistic construction to use when talking about Vulcans, because he wasn’t a complete idiot. He sped up with her. “Speaking of Mr Paris, do you need me to notify him?”

[askbelanna-blog]

“Yes, if he’s busy though tell him I’ll be fine with the doc” She mumbled as she walked into Sickbay. “hey Doc. sort Vorik’s hand.”

[askdrphlox]

“Ensign Vorik’s hand, whatever you did to it, can wait.  Right now I have an engineer in labor to attend to.”

[askvorik]

After a brief discussion with Tom Paris through the comm system, Vorik started to help B’Elanna onto the nearest biobed with his good hand, making no attempt to extricate his broken one. “The Doctor is quite right,” he said, although his voice did sound a tiny bit strained. “It is not a priority.”

[askbelanna-blog]

B’Elanna shook her head and squatted against the biobed and looked up, letting go of Vorik’s hand and starting one of the exercises that she’d learnt “Sort Vorik’s hand so he can leave and I’ll get my pants off.”

[askvorik]

Vorik flexed his hand experimentally—or attempted to. Some of his fingers didn’t move, and the others just kind of twitched. He decided—wisely—not to lodge any kind of protest. Vulcan discipline only took you so far, and besides, he didn’t exactly want to stick around for this.

[ask-the-emh-blog]

"Very well then.  B'Elanna, there's a surgical gown on top of the biobed you're using as a makeshift labor coach, if you'd like to change." He ran a tricorder over Vorik's hand.  "Four out of five fingers fractured, some bones in the hand crushed entirely."  He looked up and his mouth curved into a smirk as he produced an osteo-regenerator.  "Good news, Ensign!  Your injuries are severe enough that the bones need time to set even with the osteo-regenerator.  And so I know that you won't sneak off and further damage your hand, you get to spend the next half an hour right here with me, B'Elanna, and the baby currently working it's way through B'Elanna's vaginal canal.  The miracle of life, Ensign Vorik! Isn't it exciting??  This is once in a lifetime opportunity, I wouldn't squander it."

[askbelanna-blog]

Baby watch: Day 13.

[askvorik]

Vorik shut his eyes briefly. Then he opened them again. A small and almost inaudible squeaking sound escaped his throat. He was fairly sure that Lieutenant Torres had just broken at least two of his fingers. Well, at least it was a distraction.

He took a moment to compose himself, still careful to support B’Elanna’s weight, and then said, in very calm tones; “Might I also suggest beginning your breathing exercises now?”

[askbelanna-blog]

B’Elanna looked at him with a sarcastic look on her face, trying not to imagine how satisfying it would be to step on his toes, especially considering at the brief look of pain she may have done some real damage. She set off again as the turbolift opened on deck 5.

[askvorik]

“It was a genuine suggestion, Lieutenant,” said Vorik as he helped her out into the corridor toward sickbay. “Vulcan women-“

He shut up quickly, realising that this was not a wise avenue for discussion. His hand was in quite enough pain already. Besides, some small and selfish part of him still didn’t want B’Elanna to let go of it. “We are almost there,” he said, in an attempt to change the subject.

[askbelanna-blog]

“Good” She grunted, picking up the lace a little if only so she could get back in the very comfortable squatting position that she’d been in in engineering. “Vulcan women can do whatever they’d like, I am managing the pain by visualising way I could invent something so that if we have another baby, Tom can carry it.”

[askvorik]

“I believe it is medically possible, although you would have to consult the EMH to be certain.” Vorik was not going to point out that “whatever they like” was an inappropriate linguistic construction to use when talking about Vulcans, because he wasn’t a complete idiot. He sped up with her. “Speaking of Mr Paris, do you need me to notify him?”

[askbelanna-blog]

“Yes, if he’s busy though tell him I’ll be fine with the doc” She mumbled as she walked into Sickbay. “hey Doc. sort Vorik’s hand.”

[askdrphlox]

“Ensign Vorik’s hand, whatever you did to it, can wait.  Right now I have an engineer in labor to attend to.”

[askbelanna-blog]

Baby watch: Day 13.

[askvorik]

Vorik shut his eyes briefly. Then he opened them again. A small and almost inaudible squeaking sound escaped his throat. He was fairly sure that Lieutenant Torres had just broken at least two of his fingers. Well, at least it was a distraction.

He took a moment to compose himself, still careful to support B’Elanna’s weight, and then said, in very calm tones; “Might I also suggest beginning your breathing exercises now?”

[askbelanna-blog]

B’Elanna looked at him with a sarcastic look on her face, trying not to imagine how satisfying it would be to step on his toes, especially considering at the brief look of pain she may have done some real damage. She set off again as the turbolift opened on deck 5.

[askvorik]

“It was a genuine suggestion, Lieutenant,” said Vorik as he helped her out into the corridor toward sickbay. “Vulcan women-“

He shut up quickly, realising that this was not a wise avenue for discussion. His hand was in quite enough pain already. Besides, some small and selfish part of him still didn’t want B’Elanna to let go of it. “We are almost there,” he said, in an attempt to change the subject.

[askbelanna-blog]

“Good” She grunted, picking up the lace a little if only so she could get back in the very comfortable squatting position that she’d been in in engineering. “Vulcan women can do whatever they’d like, I am managing the pain by visualising way I could invent something so that if we have another baby, Tom can carry it.”

[askvorik]

“I believe it is medically possible, although you would have to consult the EMH to be certain.” Vorik was not going to point out that “whatever they like” was an inappropriate linguistic construction to use when talking about Vulcans, because he wasn’t a complete idiot. He sped up with her. “Speaking of Mr Paris, do you need me to notify him?”

[askbelanna-blog]

“Yes, if he’s busy though tell him I’ll be fine with the doc” She mumbled as she walked into Sickbay. “hey Doc. sort Vorik’s hand.”

[askdrphlox]

“Ensign Vorik’s hand, whatever you did to it, can wait.  Right now I have an engineer in labor to attend to.”

[askbelanna-blog]

[askvorik]

Vorik shut his eyes briefly. Then he opened them again. A small and almost inaudible squeaking sound escaped his throat. He was fairly sure that Lieutenant Torres had just broken at least two of...

[askbelanna-blog]

Baby watch: Day 13.

[askvorik]

“That is correct,” replied Vorik in a carefully neutral tone, as he checked the readings from the assay test. All good; time to connect it up. “Counselor Dax is a truly fascinating individual, and we have a number of common interests. She has agreed to provide musical instruction when she has the time.”

[askbelanna-blog]

“You want to learn music? You know Harry went to Julliard, you should speak to him.” She trailed off with a hiss and rocked back a little before shaking it off and going back to the conversation. “Ezri is talented in a lot of areas, from what I know. I need to speak to her soon.”

[askvorik]

Vorik paused in the middle of sealing the connections, his eyes darting very briefly to B’Elanna’s abdomen. “Lieutenant, if I am not mistaken, you do appear to be in pain,” he said. “Shall I alert the EMH?”

[askbelanna-blog]

“Might be an idea. Think she might actually be on her way this time. You do that, I’ll finish sealing this off.”

[askvorik]

Vorik didn’t need to be asked twice. “Ensign Vorik to Sickbay. Lieutenant Torres is in labour; prepare for emergency beam-out.”

[askbelanna-blog]

B’Elanna started shaking her head vigorously. “No. No no. No no no no. No no. No. No. You are not beaming me anywhere. I will walk and you will be happy about it.”

[ask-the-emh-blog]

On the other side of the comm-link, the Doctor raised his eyebrows, but realized that trying to argue with a half-Klingon in labor is quite a bit like trying to move an elephant with a toothpick - it's futile, and all it will do is enrage the elephant.  Or, in this, case, the aformentioned half-Klingon.  He decided not to mention that particular metaphor to B'Elanna, at least not until the baby was born and she was no longer in active labor.

"It's your choice, Lieutenant, but I must say I think your newborn will be much happier if she is born in a sterile Sickbay, and not in a dirty corridor."

[erikaahernandez]

Party on the Enterprise.

[erikaahernandez]

She couldn’t resist another excuse to tease him when he left it wide open. “Oh, I remember. I think your butt saw more of the floor than your feet did.” She elbowed him lightly in the side as she spoke with a grin. 

[jonnyarcher-blog]

“Don’t remind me.” he replied.  ”Have you tried the punch yet?  I’m thinking a cup of it is in order.”

[erikaahernandez]

“It’s a good one, chef definitely did well with it.” She grinned and handed him her empty. “Get me a refill. I’m going to go check in with Columbia.” She smiled and walked away, nodding to people who were still ariving.

[ask-the-emh-blog]

The Doctor, after a particularly rousing dance with Ezri, noticed B’Elanna sitting by herself in a corner, looking moody.  He strides over to her, enjoying his newly restored legs.

“B’Elanna!  You should get up and enjoy yourself!”

[askbelanna-blog]

B’Elanna looked up and shook her head. “I am enjoying myself. I’m just uncomfortable and getting up would require moving and Miral isn’t letting me do that easily.” She smiled and motioned to the two engineers walking away. “I’ve been learning some really interesting tips.” She waved in the direction of Ez who had looked in their direction while searching for next dance partner.

[ask-the-emh-blog]

"Ah, Counselor Dax is quite the agile dancer, isn't she?  Perhaps I could persuade her to give me a few lessons before we return to our own time."

[erikaahernandez]

Party on the Enterprise.

[oldsoulyoungatheart-deactivated]

“Commander!  Wanna dance?”  Ezri came up, grinning brightly and took Trip’s hands in her own.  ”Come on, it’ll be fun.  I’ll go easy on you!”  She laughed and winked.

[charlestuckeriii-blog]

“I’ll have you know I’m probably the worst dancer you’ll ever come across, but I’ll do it anyway.”

[jonnyarcher-blog]

Jon entered the room just in time to see Trip dragged onto the dancefloor by Ezri.  He smiled at his friend, hoping that Ezri had a high pain threshold.  Her feet were going to be stepped on quite a bit.

He spotted Erika and walked in her direction, greeting people as he walked through the crowd.

[colonelkiranerys]

Walking arm-in-arm, Kira and Odo came to the party just in time for the dancing to begin. The two went around and greeted everybody before taking to the dance floor.

[erikaahernandez]

Erika smiled and greeted everyone who came up to her, then grinned wider as she saw Jon arrive a few minutes later, she stepped back into her little corner by the viewport and watched him get closer. She watched the dancers as he slid against the wall beside her.

“I hope nobody expects us to dance.” She said by way of greeting, shooting a teasing grin at him as she did.

[jonnyarcher-blog]

“No one here expects me to dance, not after seeing me at the formal celebration of Starfleet’s anniversary.” He said with a smile.  ”Apparently I look like I’m having a seizure when I dance.”

[erikaahernandez]

She couldn’t resist another excuse to tease him when he left it wide open. “Oh, I remember. I think your butt saw more of the floor than your feet did.” She elbowed him lightly in the side as she spoke with a grin. 

[jonnyarcher-blog]

“Don’t remind me.” he replied.  ”Have you tried the punch yet?  I’m thinking a cup of it is in order.”

[erikaahernandez]

“It’s a good one, chef definitely did well with it.” She grinned and handed him her empty. “Get me a refill. I’m going to go check in with Columbia.” She smiled and walked away, nodding to people who were still ariving.

[ask-the-emh-blog]

The Doctor, after a particularly rousing dance with Ezri, noticed B'Elanna sitting by herself in a corner, looking moody.  He strides over to her, enjoying his newly restored legs.

"B'Elanna!  You should get up and enjoy yourself!"

[erikaahernandez]

Welcome to Columbia - ((Closed to the USS Tumblr Doctors))

[erikaahernandez]

A few minutes later Erika walked in to the briefing room. Still shaking her head about the experiment that some of the biological scientists had run in the secondary science lab where they had been banished to too avoid annoying Captain Janeway while she worked. She took a look around the assembled Doctors, exchanging a quick smile with both Doctors Crusher and Bashir, while studying the other two. Her eyes found the missing legs of one doctor, clearly the holographic being that Jonathan had mentioned, and her face split into a wry grin.

“You appear to be missing something, Doctor.” She smiled a little and nodded at him. “I’ll put a call through to Enterprise when we’re done here, see if your engineer can talk Karl through the repairs.” She smiled again, clasping her hands behind her back as she did, grateful for Veronica’s presence at the back of the room. “You’ve been brought aboard Columbia so that you can all work together, and there will be no lag time on the comms that sometimes happens when travelling at warp.” She nodded, and Veronica keyed an image onto the screen. “The doctors from Enterprise may recognise this. It’s a virus.” She motioned at it and then looked to the four doctors. “It’s also manufactured, by a race we know as the Xindi. It’s specifically designed to target Humans, though obviously, it may affect other races, we don’t know for certain yet.”

She brought her hands in front of her and looked at them. “We want you to reverse engineer it, and find a way to cure it, in the next 5 days.”

[cmdr-beverlycrusher-md-deactiva]

Beverly glanced at the new arrivals to the ship. She recognized the EMH Mark I from the prototype deployed on the Enterprise. Although she wasn’t fan of computerized medicine, she knew from Lt. Barclay that this EMH was a far cry from the smug hologram residing in the ship’s computer. 

Her gaze then fell upon the legendary Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy. He looked as frazzled as the rest of them did. A small seed of dread began to form in her stomach as she realized this virus wasn’t the typical ‘bad news wrapped in protein’ they were all accustomed to. 

“Do our new guests have any insight into the make up of the virus?” she asked. Based on the image, the filamented virus vaguely resembled the deadly Marburg virus of the 21st century. “Have you performed a preliminary analysis to determine if it’s DNA or RNA based?”

[askdrphlox]

“We believe it’s RNA based.” The Doctor responded, trying hard to look as though the lack of his legs wasn’t a problem.  That was thwarted when he attempted to step forward and remembered that his body was essentially floating in mid air.

[askbashir]

Julian looked at the data, sipping his coffee and feeling a bit more awake as he did so.  “Do we know how it is distributed?” he asked.  Looking up he noticed the Doctor’s uncomfortableness with his legless-ness.

He decided to send a note to the Doctor, not wanting to point it out before the whole group.

Doctor,

Is there something malfunctioning on your emitter?  If you like, I could take a look at it.  I took some engineering courses and could take a look at it for you after the meeting.

[erikaahernandez]

Erika looked between the Doctors and thought now would be a good time for her to exit. 

“You have your orders, this room is yours for the use. I’m going to go and contact Enterprise for you now, Doctor. See if I can speak to your engineer.”

She smiled and nodded to Veronica, the two command officers leaving to deal with their ship.

[cmdr-beverlycrusher-md-deactiva]

“Well, it looks like we need to get to the Level 5 containment area. If Dr. Metzger doesn’t mind assisting, we’ll get the supplies down there,” Beverly said with pointed look to Johanna. “Do any of you have an equipment requests before we proceed?”

[npcusst-blog]

Johanna nodded back, hitting a contact on the wall as she did to call down her medical assistant to take what equipment was needed to the level 5 area they were in. “It’ll be here in a few minutes. There is a biohazard containment are in the science lab next door.” She pointed over her shoulder in the direction of the science lab. “Captain Hernandez gave permission to use it too.”

[crackingbonesmccoy]

Before we got here, The Doctor and I were running some tests…well, more to the point Doc himself was running the tests because it wasn’t exactly safe for me to help him. We might be able to speed up one of the two tests now.  We ran temperature exposure tests on the biotoxin on Enterprise, a heat test and a cold test. I can probably speed up the heat test now that we have the containment field. Now, for the equipment request, if there is an extra phaser lying around, I could use one. This might sound crazy, but….trust me, I’m a doctor.

[npcusst-blog]

“We’re all doctors here.” Johanna glared a little and stepped forward. “We don’t have a containment field, but we do have a containment area designed for biotoxins and other nasties that can be brought aboard the ship.” She shook her head at the last suggestion. “I’m sure Lieutenant Thayer would come down with a phase pistol, but she’s not likely to let anyone else use it.” She wondered what they could be planning that would require both the containment area and a phase pistol, but she was intrigued now. 

[askbashir]

“How in-depth do your scans go,” Julian asked, looking over his information file. “I might need to get my tricorder and see if it brings up anything new.”  He realised how arrogant that sounded seconds after he said it and hurried to correct himself.  “Not that it would necessarily bring anything new, but one should always use all the tools they have.”

[crackingbonesmccoy]

You’ll have to ask The Doctor exactly how detailed the scans are. He did not want me getting near the toxin. The last thing we would’ve needed was a doctor who became a patient. We were trying to determine if heat or cold would weaken the biotoxin enough that we could possibly create a vaccine. I asked for the phaser because I thought I could apply more direct heat to a sample and speed up the test. If I set the phaser’s strength low enough, I can use it as a heat source without doing too much damage. If this works as I intend, I could apply the equivalent of a day’s worth of heat in just a few minutes. I know it sounds like a crazy idea, but sometimes crazy ideas are the ones that work best. I would feel better about this technique if I had a second opinion though. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[cmdr-beverlycrusher-md-deactiva]

“Have you tested any existing anti-viral agents against it? I doubt they’ll provide a cure, but they may also weaken the virus enough for a human to get close to it.”

Beverly turned her attention to the EMH. “I know you’re having some issues at the moment, but you are our only hope… for now.”

[askdrphlox]

“We’ve been testing a myriad of anti-viral agents against it for the last few days, but there’s no way to determine if it’s weakening or not.  I’d be extremely reluctant to let a human get close to it at the moment.”

[ask-the-emh-blog]

"Hello Doctor... Do you know how to treat disruptor burns?" ((OOC: Can we roleplay? :3))

I do indeed.  And who might you be?

[erikaahernandez]

Welcome to Columbia - ((Closed to the USS Tumblr Doctors))

Erika had made it to lunch with Jon, and almost fallen asleep at the table. She hadn’t even argued with him when he’d made her contact Veronica to take charge for a few hours then put her in bed. It was amazing what a few hours of uninterrupted sleep could do for a person, though, and she felt better for it. 

Now it was time she go greet her newest… passengers? Crew? 

What should she call them? Did it even really matter? Probably not. 

She knew what she needed to order them to do, that had also been discussed at her informal lunch, and she wasn’t entirely sure that the docs were going to be all that happy about doing it. As she pulled a fresh pair of underwear on she hit a contact on the wall, opening an intraship channel.

“Could the doctors please report to C-Deck briefing room in 5 minutes, and yes, this includes you Dr Metzger.” She added for good measure. While she wanted Johanna to be the one dealing with the crew, she also wanted her to watch over the other doctors. She was beginning to become too suspicious of everyone, damn this war. 

[cmdr-beverlycrusher-md-deactiva]

The vague sound of the word ‘doctor’ rustled Beverly from her light nap. “God, what now?” she rumbled as she rose from her bed. She make a quick stop in the bathroom to splash some water on her face and run a brush through her tangled tresses.

She managed to find the briefing room after turning only one wrong corner. Luckily, Lt. Graylock was passing by and noticed her confusion. “Doctor…Crusher?,” he said in his thick Austrian accent, “If you are looking for C-Deck, it’s back around that junction. I can escort you if you’d like?” He offered her his arm while a wide grin. 

Beverly felt her face flush, but knew she couldn’t turn down the handsome man’s offer. “If you insist,” she replied and placed her hand in the crook of his arm.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the briefing room. Bev chuckled at the engineer’s witty reply to her small talk. “Well, thank you again for your assistance. Maybe I’ll get the layout of this ship down soon,” she said with a warm smile. 

“Maybe I can assist you in that endeavour? How about joining me for dinner tonight?” he asked with a hint of mischief.

“I’d like that,” she replied with a hint of a blush. “I need to get in here before the Captain changes those plans.”

“Of course, I’ll see you soon.” With that, he left her at the door. Beverly took in a deep breath and entered the briefing room. She quickly took her usual spot against the wall and waited for the rest of the medical staff.

[askbashir]

Julian wondered into the briefing room, hoping that there was coffee.  After working for hours on the autopsy and other experiments with the orb, plus trying to figure out the most current crazy turn his relationship with Ezri had taken, he hadn’t gotten much sleep.  And Julian was a big fan of sleep.

Thankfully he spotted a crewman who had brought some coffee and gratefully took a cup, smiling at her before wondering off to find a seat.  He nodded at Beverly in greeting and then focused on the lovely concoction that was in his mug.

[crackingbonesmccoy]

Coffee would be excellent right now. I know I’m a doctor, but I’m human, I need to sleep too. Well, now that I’m up, I guess we should get down to business so my colleagues and I can get back to sleep at some reasonable time. 

[npcusst-blog]

“Excuse you.” Commander Fletcher said, walking into the room. A quick briefing with the Captain about Dr Metzger’s current situation had lead to Veronica coming down to the doctor’s briefing first, and the first words out of a newcomers mouth being about lack of sleep just rubbed her the wrong way. “You’re not the only one with a lack of sleep here, doesn’t give you an excuse to be impolite, and the briefing can’t start until the Captain is here, and she’s dealing with a situation that arose this afternoon while she was sleeping for the first time in a week. Have coffee, I’ll have chef bring up some breakfast bagels, and sit tight til she gets here.”

[ask-the-emh-blog]

The Doctor marched onto C-Deck, trying to look important and like he knew what he was doing.  He would never admit it, but he was missing B’Elanna.  He knew that she was probably whipping the other engineers into shape on Enterprise, but it would have been nice to have someone from his own time and his own ship with him.

Halfway down the corridor, his legs abruptly disappeared.  Clutching at the bulkhead, he cursed Ensign Vorik for his incompetent reconfiguration.  On second thought, he supposed he should curse B’Elanna, since it was her daring Sickbay escape that led to the whole situation.  Using the bulkhead to propel himself, he made his way into the briefing room, his dignity only slightly diminished.

[erikaahernandez]

A few minutes later Erika walked in to the briefing room. Still shaking her head about the experiment that some of the biological scientists had run in the secondary science lab where they had been banished to too avoid annoying Captain Janeway while she worked. She took a look around the assembled Doctors, exchanging a quick smile with both Doctors Crusher and Bashir, while studying the other two. Her eyes found the missing legs of one doctor, clearly the holographic being that Jonathan had mentioned, and her face split into a wry grin.

“You appear to be missing something, Doctor.” She smiled a little and nodded at him. “I’ll put a call through to Enterprise when we’re done here, see if your engineer can talk Karl through the repairs.” She smiled again, clasping her hands behind her back as she did, grateful for Veronica’s presence at the back of the room. “You’ve been brought aboard Columbia so that you can all work together, and there will be no lag time on the comms that sometimes happens when travelling at warp.” She nodded, and Veronica keyed an image onto the screen. “The doctors from Enterprise may recognise this. It’s a virus.” She motioned at it and then looked to the four doctors. “It’s also manufactured, by a race we know as the Xindi. It’s specifically designed to target Humans, though obviously, it may affect other races, we don’t know for certain yet.”

She brought her hands in front of her and looked at them. “We want you to reverse engineer it, and find a way to cure it, in the next 5 days.”

[cmdr-beverlycrusher-md-deactiva]

Beverly glanced at the new arrivals to the ship. She recognized the EMH Mark I from the prototype deployed on the Enterprise. Although she wasn’t fan of computerized medicine, she knew from Lt. Barclay that this EMH was a far cry from the smug hologram residing in the ship’s computer. 

Her gaze then fell upon the legendary Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy. He looked as frazzled as the rest of them did. A small seed of dread began to form in her stomach as she realized this virus wasn’t the typical ‘bad news wrapped in protein’ they were all accustomed to. 

“Do our new guests have any insight into the make up of the virus?” she asked. Based on the image, the filamented virus vaguely resembled the deadly Marburg virus of the 21st century. “Have you performed a preliminary analysis to determine if it’s DNA or RNA based?”

[askdrphlox]

“We believe it’s RNA based.” The Doctor responded, trying hard to look as though the lack of his legs wasn’t a problem.  That was thwarted when he attempted to step forward and remembered that his body was essentially floating in mid air.

[erikaahernandez]

Welcome to Columbia - ((Closed to the USS Tumblr Doctors))

Erika had made it to lunch with Jon, and almost fallen asleep at the table. She hadn’t even argued with him when he’d made her contact Veronica to take charge for a few hours then put her in bed. It was amazing what a few hours of uninterrupted sleep could do for a person, though, and she felt better for it. 

Now it was time she go greet her newest… passengers? Crew? 

What should she call them? Did it even really matter? Probably not. 

She knew what she needed to order them to do, that had also been discussed at her informal lunch, and she wasn’t entirely sure that the docs were going to be all that happy about doing it. As she pulled a fresh pair of underwear on she hit a contact on the wall, opening an intraship channel.

“Could the doctors please report to C-Deck briefing room in 5 minutes, and yes, this includes you Dr Metzger.” She added for good measure. While she wanted Johanna to be the one dealing with the crew, she also wanted her to watch over the other doctors. She was beginning to become too suspicious of everyone, damn this war. 

[cmdr-beverlycrusher-md-deactiva]

The vague sound of the word ‘doctor’ rustled Beverly from her light nap. “God, what now?” she rumbled as she rose from her bed. She make a quick stop in the bathroom to splash some water on her face and run a brush through her tangled tresses.

She managed to find the briefing room after turning only one wrong corner. Luckily, Lt. Graylock was passing by and noticed her confusion. “Doctor…Crusher?,” he said in his thick Austrian accent, “If you are looking for C-Deck, it’s back around that junction. I can escort you if you’d like?” He offered her his arm while a wide grin. 

Beverly felt her face flush, but knew she couldn’t turn down the handsome man’s offer. “If you insist,” she replied and placed her hand in the crook of his arm.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the briefing room. Bev chuckled at the engineer’s witty reply to her small talk. “Well, thank you again for your assistance. Maybe I’ll get the layout of this ship down soon,” she said with a warm smile. 

“Maybe I can assist you in that endeavour? How about joining me for dinner tonight?” he asked with a hint of mischief.

“I’d like that,” she replied with a hint of a blush. “I need to get in here before the Captain changes those plans.”

“Of course, I’ll see you soon.” With that, he left her at the door. Beverly took in a deep breath and entered the briefing room. She quickly took her usual spot against the wall and waited for the rest of the medical staff.

[askbashir]

Julian wondered into the briefing room, hoping that there was coffee.  After working for hours on the autopsy and other experiments with the orb, plus trying to figure out the most current crazy turn his relationship with Ezri had taken, he hadn’t gotten much sleep.  And Julian was a big fan of sleep.

Thankfully he spotted a crewman who had brought some coffee and gratefully took a cup, smiling at her before wondering off to find a seat.  He nodded at Beverly in greeting and then focused on the lovely concoction that was in his mug.

[crackingbonesmccoy]

Coffee would be excellent right now. I know I’m a doctor, but I’m human, I need to sleep too. Well, now that I’m up, I guess we should get down to business so my colleagues and I can get back to sleep at some reasonable time. 

[npcusst-blog]

“Excuse you.” Commander Fletcher said, walking into the room. A quick briefing with the Captain about Dr Metzger’s current situation had lead to Veronica coming down to the doctor’s briefing first, and the first words out of a newcomers mouth being about lack of sleep just rubbed her the wrong way. “You’re not the only one with a lack of sleep here, doesn’t give you an excuse to be impolite, and the briefing can’t start until the Captain is here, and she’s dealing with a situation that arose this afternoon while she was sleeping for the first time in a week. Have coffee, I’ll have chef bring up some breakfast bagels, and sit tight til she gets here.”

[ask-the-emh-blog]

The Doctor marched onto C-Deck, trying to look important and like he knew what he was doing.  He would never admit it, but he was missing B'Elanna.  He knew that she was probably whipping the other engineers into shape on Enterprise, but it would have been nice to have someone from his own time and his own ship with him.

Halfway down the corridor, his legs abruptly disappeared.  Clutching at the bulkhead, he cursed Ensign Vorik for his incompetent reconfiguration.  On second thought, he supposed he should curse B'Elanna, since it was her daring Sickbay escape that led to the whole situation.  Using the bulkhead to propel himself, he made his way into the briefing room, his dignity only slightly diminished.

[ask-the-emh-blog]

It’s odd….before it had a merely neutral structure that instantly mutated to accommodate whatever organism it latched onto, but now it seems to have configured itself to purely human pathology…almost as if it knows humans are almost the entirety of this crew….

[crackingbonesmccoy]

If this thing is intelligent, then we really do need to work quickly. Since I shouldn’t actually be handling the toxin, I’ll need all the information we can gather on it to be able to help you, Doc. This may actually be good news though (or as good as we’re going to get, short of getting rid of this thing). If it’s adapting to humans specifically, then we can focus our efforts on treating humans for the most part…any new information or ideas yet?

[ask-the-emh-blog]

If we can analyze the exact chemical composition, we may be able to synthesize an antidote….Q mentioned something about a transdimensional rift - perhaps we should discuss it with Captain Archer?  I’m not sure what kind of phenomena this crew has encountered or why a transdimensional rift would be relevant, but there’s only one way to find out.

[jonnyarcher-blog]

Jon, as if he heard his name, wonders into the infirmary where the three doctors are working.  ”Any chance for an update, Doctors?  I need to inform the Columbia of our findings in a few hours.”

[ask-the-emh-blog]

It’s a highly adaptable biotoxin, capable of mutating to attack the autonomic nervous system of almost any carbon based lifeform.  At the moment, it seems to be sticking with the composition that will do the most harm to humans - almost as if it knows that humans are the majority of this crew.  

Q mentioned something about a transdimensional rift - is there any light you could shed on that for us?

[jonnyarcher-blog]

Jon frowned.  ”We had some experience with transdimensional rifts, yes.  A species was using one to try and convert our space to be better fitting for their own species and move in so to speak.  They weren’t too happy with us, and misled another species into killing several million people back on Earth.

[ask-the-emh-blog]

Ah, yes, I've heard tell of the Xindi around this ship.  Quite secluded since then, if I remember correctly.  Perhaps this could be another plot to eliminate the human race?

[ask-the-emh-blog]

It’s odd….before it had a merely neutral structure that instantly mutated to accommodate whatever organism it latched onto, but now it seems to have configured itself to purely human pathology…almost as if it knows humans are almost the entirety of this crew….

[crackingbonesmccoy]

If this thing is intelligent, then we really do need to work quickly. Since I shouldn’t actually be handling the toxin, I’ll need all the information we can gather on it to be able to help you, Doc. This may actually be good news though (or as good as we’re going to get, short of getting rid of this thing). If it’s adapting to humans specifically, then we can focus our efforts on treating humans for the most part…any new information or ideas yet?

[ask-the-emh-blog]

If we can analyze the exact chemical composition, we may be able to synthesize an antidote….Q mentioned something about a transdimensional rift - perhaps we should discuss it with Captain Archer?  I’m not sure what kind of phenomena this crew has encountered or why a transdimensional rift would be relevant, but there’s only one way to find out.

[jonnyarcher-blog]

Jon, as if he heard his name, wonders into the infirmary where the three doctors are working.  ”Any chance for an update, Doctors?  I need to inform the Columbia of our findings in a few hours.”

[ask-the-emh-blog]

It's a highly adaptable biotoxin, capable of mutating to attack the autonomic nervous system of almost any carbon based lifeform.  At the moment, it seems to be sticking with the composition that will do the most harm to humans - almost as if it knows that humans are the majority of this crew.  

Q mentioned something about a transdimensional rift - is there any light you could shed on that for us?

[ask-the-emh-blog]

It’s odd….before it had a merely neutral structure that instantly mutated to accommodate whatever organism it latched onto, but now it seems to have configured itself to purely human pathology…almost as if it knows humans are almost the entirety of this crew….

[crackingbonesmccoy]

If this thing is intelligent, then we really do need to work quickly. Since I shouldn’t actually be handling the toxin, I’ll need all the information we can gather on it to be able to help you, Doc. This may actually be good news though (or as good as we’re going to get, short of getting rid of this thing). If it’s adapting to humans specifically, then we can focus our efforts on treating humans for the most part…any new information or ideas yet?

[ask-the-emh-blog]

If we can analyze the exact chemical composition, we may be able to synthesize an antidote....Q mentioned something about a transdimensional rift - perhaps we should discuss it with Captain Archer?  I'm not sure what kind of phenomena this crew has encountered or why a transdimensional rift would be relevant, but there's only one way to find out.

[ask-the-emh-blog]

It's odd....before it had a merely neutral structure that instantly mutated to accommodate whatever organism it latched onto, but now it seems to have configured itself to purely human pathology...almost as if it knows humans are almost the entirety of this crew....

[jonnyarcher-blog]

(Reposted due to reblogging purposes)

[ask-the-emh-blog]

The biotoxin is in a sealed vial, and sitting atop a lab station, it looks almost harmless.  It’s a dark amber color with a thin, watery looking consistency.  The Doctor paces around it, while Dr. McCoy peers at it suspiciously and Phlox hums showtunes while conducting his own analysis.  The Doctor makes a mental note to ask Phlox to duet with him when this is all over - he thinks they’d make a wonderful vocal duo.  Finally, after much waving of tricorders, the Doctor makes the announcement:

“Don’t be fooled by the watery look.  This is a highly dangerous biotoxin that acts as a biological chameleon - it reads the genetic pattern of an individual and configures itself to overload the autonomic nervous system of that particular species.  One drop of this could kill any carbon-based lifeform within seconds.  And if it was distributed in gaseous form…it could cause a massacre.” 

[colonelkiranerys]

Kira enters sickbay, at Odo’s urging, because she has a headache. She comes in just in time to hear the Doctor’s explanation of the biotoxin.

“You don’t know where it’s from, do you? And can you find a way to counteract the toxin?”

[crackingbonesmccoy]

I can’t say for sure where it’s coming from just yet. Maybe Doc can help me with some tests to figure out what the biological component is. When we DO figure out exactly what the base of the toxin is, maybe we can weaken it or kill it and create a vaccine?  Most pathogens don’t react well to heat or cold. We can try freezing a vial and see how that affects the toxin, but given that most species’ body temperatures are well above freezing, we may want to try heat? I suggest we try both if we can. If either of these tests slows the pathogen, it may be weak enough for immune systems to fight it. Doc, do you think this is worth a try?

[ask-the-emh-blog]

Freezing may slow the chemical reaction enough for at least some sort of medical intervention, if not intervention by the individual's own immune system.  But I think both tests are equally valid.  I suggest I handle the toxin, as my holographic matrix cannot be destroyed by a biotoxin.

Major Kira?  Did you need something?