Posted by Civilian Sharah Fayth (Director of Medical and Social Services) in PRSIM- Echoes from the Stars

Posted by Captain Jonathan McBride (CO, USS Centurion) in PRSIM- Echoes from the Stars

Posted by Civilian Sharah Fayth (Director of Medical and Social Services) in PRSIM- Echoes from the Stars
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Mary listened as the woman described her situation, “It sounds like things have been very hard” she responded. “What makes it unsafe, if your life is in danger you can claim exigent circumstances and these little crimes you have commited will go way.” she noted, if the woman was in danger it would change things a lot.

=^= “A335, status” =^= came the call of a dispatcher over her radio. =^=”335. clear scene, show me busy with suspect”=^= dispatch would leave her alone now for while.

~Constable Blackwood

The Klingon doctor and the nurse had been quiet through the exchange. However, Ok’jiv was not happy with Stellaris’ readings. “Constable Blackwood,” she said turning to fully face the woman. “More questions will have to wait. We need to see to her medical needs. You will wait outside.” It was an order, but a kindly given one. This was nothing new for a suspect needing medical help. “I will let you know when you may come back in.”

Dr. Fayth, DoMSS

Blackwood gave the woman’s arm softly and smiled. “Ofcourse doctor I’ll wait in the hall” she said, and then walked out into that hall grabbed a chair and sat outside the door. She was hoping the wood at least keep her overnight so she could figure out what was going on.

~Constable Blackwood

“My name is Ok’jiv,” the old Klingon woman said. “I am an obstetrician. And this is Nurse Elaine. Is it alright if I give you a full exam?”

Dr. Fayth, DoMSS

Stellaris gave a small nod. She really did want to know if her baby was okay, but at the same time she feared the worst and that made her anxious. Her eyes looked uncertain, but she let the Klingon do what she needed.

Still, her gaze flicked between the OB and the nurse frequently. She didn’t want to think badly of them, but at this point true trust was a luxury she could ill afford., adn they were strangers.

The exam would reveal some issues. The baby was small (weighing around 500 g- half the weight that would be expected for a Human baby at 28 weeks) but not quite as small as had appeared at first glance. However, there was definitely signs of intrauterine growth restriction and all parts were smaller than expected. The cause seemed to be placental insufficiency, though the maternal low weight could be a contributing factor, as well as Stellaris’ anemia.

The amniotic fluid was lower than it should be (likely due to the mother’s dehydration and the growth restriction) and the fetal movements were fewer than expected for this stage of pregnancy. The baby seemed to be otherwise healthy and had all the expected brain and structural develoment that they would be looking for at this stage, but the fetus was just very small.

~Stellaris

Ok’jiv didn’t smile. A Klingon smile could be unnerving, but her look was comforting. “Do you prefer to go by Stellaris?” Elaine worked about the room helping Ok’jiv with whatever she needed, and made sure Stellaris was as comfortable as possible.

Something didn’t look right. She checked for signs of malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies, and based on what Stellaris had said, Ok’jiv looked for signs of abuse in the last year.

Dr. Fayth, DoMSS

Prefer? Well that was a question, now wasn’t it? She’d been Stellaris for so long now that her brain could scarcely wrap itself around. “Stellaris is fine,” she taking deep breath and relaxing. Gods she felt tired. Now that she had stop moving and the initial adrenaline rush had worn off, she could barely keep her eyes open.

The woman was definitely malnourished (she had dry flaky skin, low body weight, lower than expected muscle mass and fat percentage). She was low in Vitamin B12, iron, and folate, while other nutrients were low but not as bad as the other. This wasn’t just not eating one particular kind of food, but based Stellaris’ body, she had been not taking in the needed nutrition for awhile.

There were signs of previous injuries, though most were much older. However there was a hairline fracture that was not properly healed in her left ulna. It was healed now, but there was a bit of scar tissue around said healing.

~Stellaris

“Well Stellaris,” Ok’jiv said sitting down so she wouldn’t tower over her, “you are severally malnourished and dehydrated. You are lacking vital nutrition that you need as well as your body. You are anemic, which can happen in pregnancy, but by 28 weeks this should have balanced out. You and your baby are under weight.” She held her gaze gently. “When was the last time you had a decent meal?”

Dr. Fayth, DoMSS

She dripped her gaze, focusing on her belly. Stellaris placed her hand on her bump and rubbed across it slowly. “Ummm, awhile,” she said softly. “I had something to eat four days ago, but it wasn’t a lot. I’ve been trying to so hard but…” Tears slipped down her face and it all just felt too much. An unbearable weight she could no longer hold up. Some days she just wanted to curl up in a ball and ignore the world.

Stellaris turned her gaze to the doctor. “Have I hurt my baby?” she whispered.

~Stellaris

She had been without food for a lot longer than that. Ok’jiv was certain of it. She wasn’t willing to push right now. She seemed to fragile now. “Your baby is a little under weight, but other than that it is perfectly healthy. Now, we’ve started fluids, and we will keep you on them for a bit. Nurse Elaine is going to start a vitamin supplement regimen for you. Then we are going to get you transferred to another room. Then you can have whatever you want to eat.”

“Okay,” Stellaris said.

Elaine walked over with a hypo. “This is a vitamin supplement. Is it alright if I give this to you in your arm?” Elaine was older and gave off a grandmotherly vibe.

“Would you like to see your baby, Stellaris?”

Dr. Fayth, DoMSS

The truth was, she was scared to see her baby. For her reality to really hit home. She couldn’t ignore any of it anymore, clearly. It wasn’t that she had tried so intentionally, but sometimes survival means focusing on just the few tiny things you could manage. And yet, hearing the heartbeat in the ambulance made her want more. “Yes. Yes I would.”

~Stellaris

Ok’jiv lifted her shirt just a bit and set an hand scanner over the small swell of her stomach. She moved it around a bit, the sound of the hart beat filled the room, and then she turned the screen toward Stellaris. On the screen was a perfectly formed baby. A small nose, little hands that were grasping at nothing, legs that were curled up with 10 perfect little toes. The mouth was moving like the baby was trying to nurse and the stomach was moving up and down. “See. These movements show the baby is practicing for life outside your womb. How to nurse and how to breath.”

Her mouth fell into a small o and Stellaris was transfixed by the sight of her beautiful child. They were so tiny, so impossible delicate, and yet they were also okay. They were strong. “It’s amazing,” she whispered.

“Would you like to know the gender?”

Dr. Fayth, DoMSS

She sucked in a breath nod nodded. “Yes, I think I’d like that.” In the beginning she had had so little choice anything and had been forced to accept what she was given. But now? At least in this small moment she could make better choices (even if they were tiny) that were good for the both of them.”

“I don’t know if it makes a difference at all, but I was really ill at the beginning. The nausea was terrible and for a couple weeks I threw up so much. But then it got better and it was fine. But I didn’t have access to a doctor after that. I couldn’t risk it.”

~Stellaris