Lieutenant N’Vea approached Lieutenant Commander Cassidy and nodded, “I was wondering if I could present my findings. As directed, I have made a list of patients that I feel suitable to being moved to the long-term care facility on Mellstoxx III and those that I believe need more care before being moved.” The Vulcan handed over a PADD, “This list is comprehensive, though limited to those that were under my care. I do not wish to overstep my bounds and advise on patients other doctors have been the primary care physician.”

N’Vea believed she would be perfectly capable of accomplishing such a task, but she understood the delicate balance in a large Sick Bay such as this. Unless you were the Chief Medical Officer, you stuck to the patients you were assigned. This limited conflicts between doctors and potential treatments that could clash and produce unexpected results.  She gestured to a name on the list, the Vulcan saying, “Ensign Depont is a curious case. He has a staph infection that he acquired from a place where his skin was punctured by a broken rib. However, it seems to be resisting the regimen of antibiotics that I’ve assigned.”

Cassidy chuckled darkly, “No need to ask permission to present this late at night, Doc N’Vea.  We’ve all been working long hours to get us here.”  She took the PADD in hand and worked through the list, sipping at her coffee.  “Truth is, I’ll take today rather than back where this madness started.  Anything but that.”  She drained her coffee and stalked to the replicator, ordering another fresh cup.  She turned to the Vulcan, “I envy you, Doc.  With all the hours, your physiology and endurance keep you going.”  Cassidy took a sip of the fresh cup and sat roughly back in the chair.  “Coffee is the great equalizer, I suppose.  As for Ensign Depont – that’s one I’m worried about.  That infection isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do.  My concern is that if that infection spreads somehow, we will have bigger problems.  She tapped at the PADD, “He needs higher-level care than we can give – transfer him.  Get a culture of the infection and send it to our labs – if we can identify it deeper, we can fight it down the road.”  She took another draw from her coffee, “How are you doing with all this?  And don’t say ‘fine’.  Vulcans have emotions, even if they’re tightly and strongly controlled.”

“Fine is a measurement of coffee grounds, not of a person’s experience,” N’Vea noted, “I am continuing to exist. It is useful to have a purpose which this recent situation has given me. I will ensure that the ensign is properly prepared for transfer.”

N’Vea paused and added, “And I believe it is in the spirit of camaraderie if I also inquire how you are doing. So how are you doing?”

Montgomery chuckled dryly, “Having run through hell—and the Devil certainly knew I was there—I’m a little tired.” She let her confession hang in the air for a minute before pressing forward. “If I were younger, I’d be burnt out and regretting my decision to post at Bravo.”  Another dry chuckle crossed her lips.  “We don’t choose to be doctors because of the leisure cruises.  We choose it because we know our hands will need to be put to work in chaos and calm.”  Cassidy scrolled through the list again, “It just happens to be the latter end of our chaos cycle here on Bravo.  There is one case here – Ensign Lurkia.  He seems to be finding ways to stay in our care.”  She turned her eyes back to N’Vea, asking, “Thoughts?”

Looking at the PADD and the ensign’s file Doctor N’Vea read through the details briefly, “I would suggest that we send him for a psychological consult. Though his symptoms are physical they could be caused by something psychosomatic. The frequency he is in the medical bay and the issues he’s dealt with may suggest that he is simply not suited to deep space deployment, and would be better on a planetary posting.”

Space was not for everyone. While obviously Starfleet officers tended to be drawn to space, and highly functioning in it some were not as suited to it as others. It was not unheard of that a crew member on deep space assignment might get unknown illnesses basically amounting to a function of high stress and low happiness. It did not make them weak, it was just not for everyone. Better to discover it serving aboard a station than on a long term assignment on a Luna-class ship or something where return was not an option.

Montgomery agreed with N’Vea.  “Counseling can help uncover what we can’t see.”  She tapped at the PADD, completing the orders.  “That should finish up the list.”  She tossed the PADD back on the table.  “When was the last time you had a rotation off?”

The two medical officers stared at each other, but Cassidy was the one to smile, “I’ll put the order in for both of us to get some rack time.  It’s the only way we keep our wits about us – human or Vulcan.”