Posted by Lieutenant Commander Collin Harding (Chief Medical Officer) in Main Sim - Sickbay
<snip>

Starting to understand how Collin thought, security dropped Dr Meinok off at the sickbay door. As happens with Romulans, it was difficult to guess his age, but looking at him placed him in early middle age. Carrying a PaDD with him, he walked into sickbay comfortably, almost as though he knew it already. He approached Collin. “Doctor. I hope all went well. Or as well as it could.” He held up his PaDD. “I have the young man’s birth certificate ready. If you’ll just give me the time of birth and his name.”

“As well as it could would be an apt way to describe the birth, Doctor. The baby is healthy and the mother is stable. She has named him Ecurai and his time of birth is noted on the chart,” Harding passed a padd to Meinok with additional information.

“I hadn’t worked in a practical medical setting in some time when Rhaelara asked for my help. But what was I to do? Turn her away?”

Collin smile was more wan than his usual toothy grin, “Of course not, just as we wouldn’t turn her away aboard the Olympic, or consent to letting her baby be born in the Cargo Bay.”

“Oh of course not. I wouldn’t expect any different from the Federation.”

He noticed Lena. “Ah! A qualified practitioner of the medical sciences.”

-Matrix

Collin watched the two greet each other, “Lena was instrumental in making sure mother and baby came out of the delivery in good health. I can check with Rhaelara and see if she is ready to see you?”

Harding, CMO

“That would be fantastic. Thank you.” He stepped over to Lena, who seemed vaguely uncomfortable in his presence. The two started talking about how the birth had gone as Dr Meinok filled in the birth certificate.

-Matrix

Collin was no empath and he didn’t know Lena well enough to gauge her more subtle inflections. Even if he were more perceptive, he knew many doctors who made nurses uncomfortable due to their demanding or arrogant style. He didn’t count himself among that lot, but he’d worked alongside more than one.

He pulled back the curtain quietly and peaked in to see if Rhaelara was awake.

“Dr. Meinok is here. He’s filled out the birth certificate as you wanted. Would you like to see him?”

Harding, CMO

Still somewhat entranced by the very existence of her son she softly replied “Yes. Please.”

Outside the curtain, Collin would find someone waiting for him as well as the two Romulans waiting to see the new mother. He would recognise the young scientist as the eager Dr Spencer Reid. He looked deeply concerned.

-Matrix

Collin nodded at Rhaelara, closing the curtain again, “Go ahead, Dr. Meinok.”

“Thank you.” Meinok said with a broad smile.

As the Romulan went to see the newborn, Collin looked at the new arrival to Sickbay, “Hello, Dr. Reid. What brings you to Sickbay?”

Harding, CMO

Secure in the knowledge that they were alone, Reid showed Collin a PaDD. On it was detailed a chemical analysis. “Doctor. Some time ago, base chemicals were replicated in the cargo bay. After running assorted simulations and checking for compounds comprised of these chemicals, we discovered only one exact match.” On the screen of the PaDD was the chemical analysis of a bioweapon known as phosgene. “The science department wants your input on countermeasures in case there’s any of this onboard the Olympic.”

-Matrix

“Phosgene?” It took Collin a moment to rack his brain. “A chemical weapon deployed centuries ago, yes? It’s rudimentary as a weapon, indiscriminate in its application and treatable for those infected. If I recall correctly, exposure can be fatal, but there’s a twenty-four hour window where treatment is feasible and effective. Let’s conduct a shipwide scan to detect the chemical. We can release an ammonia-based dispersal to counteract it if caught quickly that should neutralize its effects. Let security know that anyone experiencing respiratory difficulty should report to Sickbay immediately.”

Any further instructions were cut off by the comm.

At that moment a call from the XO came over the comm.

=^=Odinson to Dr. Harding. I’m transporting to Sickbay the body of the ship’s first officer. He appears to have died due to the loss of life support. Run an autopsy on him to confirm that and that his death wasn’t due to something more sinister.=^=

Soon the body of the Romulan first officer appeared on a biobed in the Olympic’s Sickbay.

Odinson (XO)

“Acknowledged, Commander. Receiving now.”

The Romulan had clearly died only hours ago. Just before they met the Olympic. In better light than aboard the freighter, green stains on his shirt revealed a decent guess at his cause of death. Dr Reid, not being a medical doctor, was unnerved to see the corpse.

Collin moved to the side of the biobed containing his new “patient”. His lips pursed as he looked at the corpse before him.

=/\=There’s extensive bleeding unlikely to be a result of loss of life support. I can’t draw any conclusions without conducting an autopsy.=/\=

Soon thereafter, Captains Jasar and Reval arrived in sickbay, full of joy and eagerness to see the baby. Seeing his First Mate, Reval stopped in his tracks. He went over to the body and whispered a prayer. “Elements accept the soul of this man, Neikos, taken too young. Let his soul be free and unburdened to walk among his ancestors.”

-Matrix

“Captains,” Collin nodded toward Rebal and Jasar. “I’m afraid I’ll have to ask for everyone to step back from the body until I’ve completed the autopsy. Dr. Meinok is in with Rhaelara and her son, Ecurai. I can’t say anything about your First Mate’s death yet, but I doubt a lack of life support was the primary cause.”

Harding, CMO

Reval nodded solemnly and stepped back. After a moment, he woke from his trance. “Meinok?” His brow furrowed and his eyes flirted back and forth. “She insisted that he do her prenatal care. I was hoping it ended there.”

Dr Meinok soon emerged from behind the curtain. “A perfect baby boy. Captain Reval! I imagine you’re here to see young Ecurai. Not even an hour old and already the most popular boy on the ship.”
“Did you deliver him?”
“No, no. Rhaelara wanted me to meet the young man. Lena and Dr… Harding handled the birth.”
“Good. Captain Jasar, commanding officer of this ship, and I came to meet Ecurai.” As Reval spoke, Meinok peered over his shoulder to the deceased First Mate. “Neikos. A good man. Died to save us all.”
“Indeed. A sacrifice that will never be forgotten.” It was clear trust was thin between the two. Reval turned to Collin. “Doctor, if we may be permitted behind the curtain to meet mother and child?”

-Matrix