Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in side-sim: The Study of Kelmao

(snip)

Despite the heaviness of the information, Roman appreciated Randy’s forwardness. Getting it cold was better than listening to some doctor trying to sugar coat, make it sound better. “It’s hurt on and off all these years. You understand why I wouldn’t except something like this, surely.” The possibilities were anything from rest and treatment to amputation, the idea of which would be terrifying to anyone. But if it came to that… What if he was medically discharged? Dismissed from Starfleet? He’d have no idea what to do with himself. Starfleet was all he’d ever wanted. Even if it only needed surgery, the recovery would be long. How long would he be off duty? What exactly would the surgery be? If the extreme end of the scale was amputation, would surgery mean a full recovery? Or would there be problems either way? He could hope it just needed time to heal, but the way Randy talked about it, he wasn’t sure how likely Randy though that was. He seemed unwilling to make the necessary decision. He looked away. As he began to accept what was happening, it made sense. This would cause the weakness that caused his leg to give out at the sink hole. He’d wondered what could’ve been wrong to cause that.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

The bathroom door opened suddenly, and Rand just stood there a moment staring at them through the lattice work. Randy pinched the bridge of his nose. “Rand I didn’t send you in there to ease drop.” Rand didn’t look at him at all, she just looked at Roman. Then, very slowly, she started making her way across the room. Randy got up and helped her, and it was obvious she was angry and didn’t want help. But she kept her mouth shut. Until she sat down next to Roman and grabbed his hand. “That’s not true. You said the pain comes and goes, a few hours, a day at the most. You told me it was two weeks and nothing helped. You had to know something was different.” Her voice was tight, strained, but quiet. She didn’t really look at either of them. One because she might lose her temper if she thought they weren’t taking this seriously. Two, and most importantly, she didn’t want them to know she’d been crying. “So which treatment is it Randy?”

Roman looked up as the bathroom door opened. “You were supposed to be having a shower.” He said. He’d been planning on telling her, but in his words, not in the very, very matter-of-fact way Randy had delivered the news. She looked upset. Angry. But of course she was angry, after what they’d talked about on Kelmao. Rand took his hand and he squeezed hers lightly. With all the attention on the pain in his leg, it felt more apparent than it had before and he found himself rubbing it with his free hand again. “It’s like I told you yesterday, I thought it just needed rest. I was trying too hard not to see it.” He had known something was different, but he’d been pushing the idea away, clinging to the hope it would resolve itself. “It’ll be fine, if it were too advanced I’m sure I wouldn’t be walking.” He was not nearly as sure as he hoped he sounded.

“I did.” She was so quiet, but clipped as well. Then she shook her head. “It is not fine, and it’s won’t be. Not on its own.”

Randy knew how much Star Fleet meant to Alden, and from years of experience was able to deduce at least one concern Alden had. “First, none of these treatments would qualify you for medical discharge. I can’t say for sure. We need detailed imaging to see how bad the damage is first. I can say, that right now, as the leg is now, amputation is not likely. If it was, Cmdr, you would already be in a coma from the Rhabdomyolysis.”

Rand and Randy

Randy’s correct deduction of one of the big worries on Roman’s mind seemed to relax him somewhat. But he still looked stiff as a board. “Then what is the most likely?” Roman didn’t want to go down to sickbay with this. The moment he did, it was ‘official’ in a way, everyone would know about it and there’d be no way out of it. But of course there was no way out of it. Neither Rand nor Randy would let him get away without doing anything. It surprised him just a little, that with such serious consequences on the table his mind was still searching for any way to get out of it. Or for it to be wrong somehow. Another question occurred to him, and though he wasn’t sure it could be answered without more information in sickbay, it made it out anyway: “You said the chemical process of the muscle death releases a substance toxic to the kidneys. Could there already be damage?”

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

“Based on the scans…” Randy looked back at the readings, “Understand I can’t make the final call, and we need imaging. But given the previous issue, the additional injury” he looked from their interlaced hands to each of their faces, “Don’t think I’ve forgotten you have told me what happened yet. But given everything, probably microscopic surgery to directly treat the area and stimulate new tissue growth. Then physical therapy to make the new tissue as strong as the rest of your leg.” It wasn’t the answer Alden would want but it was truthful. Randy considered his last question. He picked up the tricorder and probe and moved around Roman’s back and scanned directly over the kidneys.

Rand and Randy

Last time the recovery from his injury and physical therapy had taken two months before he was back to full duty. And that was after the ship had been recovered and the crew rescued. Roman hoped it wouldn’t be so long this time. He shook his head. His palm was sweaty in Rand’s. Trying to distract himself, as well as making sure there wasn’t anything relevant in the story, Roman told the story of the sink hole and everything while Randy was scanning him. Everything looked okay, but myoglobin levels were critically high. Any longer and there would be problems.

~ Lt Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

When Roman finished the tale Randy scrubbed a a hand over his face, and looked down at Rand. He wouldn’t say she gave him a heart attack, that was too sensitive a subject for Rand. And would be an unkind comment. “You…you like to scare me don’t you baby sister?” Rand looked up at him. “Randy we’re twins. I am not your baby sister.”

“Not true, I’m 7 minutes older,” came the sassy retort. Then very unashamedly Randy hugged her tight, even while she still held Alden’s hand. Then he sat back down across from them. “Your kidney function is normal, but the myoglobin levels are critically high. Your kidneys should be able to naturally filter out the myoglobin once your leg is healed and your body has stopped producing it. But if something isn’t done soon your kidneys will start struggling.”

Rand held his hand, she didn’t care it was sweaty. “Randy, can you take the images? So we know exactly what is going on?” Knowledge was good. Randy met Alden’s gaze. “I can but in sickbay. I can’t bring the equipment here. It’s too big and integrated into the power systems in sickbay.”

Rand and Randy