Taking Stock & Reporting on a Patient

 

Taking Stock

Month 14 Day 26

1855 Hours

Drake McGregor

 Bugalu tossed his whiskey down his throat and put the glass on the coffee table before his sofa. "So there's no doubt he believed she was pregnant."

"No doubt," Drake confirmed, and sipped his own whiskey. "The only thing to wonder is whether or not he still believes it."

Bugalu gave him a funny look. "How could he still believe it? It should have been obvious when they had sex."

"Not necessarily. The heat of the moment. He wouldn't have been expecting any obstacle, and when it comes right down to it, the hymen isn't much of one, so he probably didn't even notice."

Bugalu looked about to object, paused to think about it and frowned. "You're right. The heat of the moment being as... strong as it is." Drake was able to take another sip of whiskey before Bugalu went on. "I haven't been able to talk to her; I still don't know what happened that she's called it off."

"Apparently, because Smitty thought she was pregnant."

"That wasn't a problem for her a week ago."

"Well, she's done some research on Oakhurst's computer. Statistical probabilities or something, and they convinced her she would be better off being truthful with Smitty. So she went to him last night, to tell him the truth. She was nervous and upset, and managed to give herself several bruises trying to get it said. Before she could, he said he already knew, and it didn't matter."

"He must have thought she was trying to admit being pregnant."

"That would be my guess. But she took it to mean that he knew she wasn't pregnant. Then later, when he started telling her the plans he'd made for their life once she had to leave the Fireball because of her pregnancy, it was quite a shock to her. One, that he still believed she was pregnant. Two, that he'd planned out what they'd do without discussing it with her. Three, he hadn't given her any choice in the matter. And four, that any future babies had better be his."

"Wow, the first 3 would set her off," Bugalu agreed. "But I don't know how calling off the wedding is going to get her any closer to what she wants."

"She plans to leave things the way they are for a few months, until it becomes obvious she can't be pregnant. I think she's convinced it will show him, somehow, that she can be trusted not to cheat on him."

Bugalu sighed, his shoulders slumped. "Yeah, that sounds like the kind of reasoning she would grasp at. She doesn't always think clearly when she wants something bad enough."

"How long do you think it will take before she realizes that plan isn't going to work?"

Bugalu shook his head, unwilling to hazard a guess. He picked up his glass and stared at it for a long moment before he put it down on the coffee table with a dull thud.

 

 

Reporting on a Patient

Month 14 Day 26

2015 Hours

Dr Margaret Davis

Margaret was making notes in a patient's file when someone cleared his throat. She changed the screen on her computer and turned to find Mr Smythe standing in her office doorway. "How can I help you, Mr Smythe?"

"I understand Lt MacDowell has some injuries that may or may not interfere with her duties on Monday."

She considered how much she could say. He was, after all, MacDowell's commanding officer, and he had a right to know if she could not perform her duties. "Come in and close the door, please," she invited him. "Have a seat."

He did, but he seemed uncomfortable. "I didn't think this would be a long discussion."

"Probably not," she agreed. "Most of her injuries are temporary, and won't cause any problems with her work on Monday. However, the bruise on her thigh was severe enough to cause that muscle to give out when she walked last evening. She spent the day in bed today, so I don't know if it is still a problem. I would expect it to recover enough by Monday to not be a problem. I certainly hope that's the case. She has a torn ligament in her shoulder that shouldn't be used for a few more days. In fact, from the way it stiffened up today, I was about to suggest 3 days off duty, starting Monday. But she'll need physical therapy twice a day for about a week while that ligament heals."

Smythe nodded gently as he considered what she had said. "If she returns to duty, or when she does, I could have her report to physical therapy immediately after lunch. I assume she would come the 2nd time after supper."

"That sounds acceptable," she told him. "It's a delicate balance, to get the shoulder moving without doing any more damage while it's healing."

"So, if she returns to work on Monday, she may or may not have difficulty standing or walking, and she'll only have the use of one hand. If I understand you correctly."

"Not exactly," Margaret told him. "The leg thing is iffy, that's true. But the hands are healing nicely, and she would have the use of both of those. But only one arm that she could use, and that would be her left one. I don't know how much use she would be to you in that situation."

"What about a desk job?" he suggested. "It would keep her off her feet; she'd be working on a computer."

"That certainly sounds like a possibility, if you're ready to have her try her hand at paperwork. I didn't think she'd been in engineering that long."

Smythe smiled. "Now that she's not afraid to show me what she can do, she keeps surprising me. She may already know how to do all my paperwork. Although maybe not. I'm not aware of any manual that explains it in detail, and that's how she usually learns, it seems. So why don't I have her try a desk job on Monday and see how it goes?"

"In that case, I will make my suggestion that she be assigned to light duty for at least 3 days, such as a desk assignment," Margaret agreed.

"Good. That's settled, then," he decided, and prepared to stand up. "Unless... are there any other injuries that I need to know about?"

Like what? Since she was engaged to him, I assumed the 'consensual sex' was with him, and therefore, he would know about her various injuries. Maybe I was wrong about that. "No, nothing else that might interfere with her work."

He nodded again. "Well, let's consider any conditions that might not be called an injury. Are you aware of any of those?"

What is he asking about? And why? There's only so much I can discuss with him, superior officer or not. She gave him a professionally reassuring smile. "I think you'll find her completely back to normal in a few days."

"Good. Good." He stood up and shook her hand. "Thank you, doctor. You've helped me plan my work schedule for the week." But when he turned to leave her office, she saw a shadow of uncertainty in his eyes.