A big setback

Posted on Wed Jan 22nd, 2020 @ 4:47am by Lieutenant JG Heather De La Rosa {Kelea-Salik}

Mission: Casperia Prime - A lesson in relaxation
Location: Sickbay
1620 words - 3.2 OF Standard Post Measure

{ON}

Heather had been resting quietly for most of the evening before a sudden and unexpected change of mood set in. She'd managed to get herself out of bed and over to the drugs cabinet, she scowered the cabinet grabbing the closest thing she could find to the drugs she was on before she was spotted by the nurse. She backed herself into a corner her hands shaking violently.

"Doctor! We need you!!" The nurse called for Tallia hoping she could talk Heather down, knowing that she'd grabbed a quite potent a drug out of the cabinet. "It's Heather! She's grabbed a hypo of drugs out of the cabinet!!"

"Damn it!" Tallia hissed, she had sworn an oath to preserve life, but if she ever met the sons of bitches who did this to poor Heather she would consider wiping with it.

Heather looked at Tallia as she approached. "Stay away!! Please!" She looked at Tallia with tears in her eyes. "It hurts Tallia! Everything hurts!!"

"I know it does, honey." Tallia reassured her in her sweetest, most soothing tone of voice, "But this will pass soon, I promise. I just need you to trust me, okay?" She held her hand out for the hypo, "Please, let me have the hypo?

Just as it was looking like Heather was going to give up the hypo she snatched it back and rapidly injected herself with the entire contents. She sank down onto the floor as the effects of the immediate high set in before she started fitting from the sheer dose she'd taken.

"Shit!" Tallia swore, motioning for nurses, techs, anybody, "We got to get her on the table, put the alpha inducer on her head and get countermeasures onboard."

"Doctor, are you sure..." Ens. Pulver began, this woman seemed to be in a lot worse condition than the doctor realized and should probably go into stasis until they reached a starbase.

"Yes, I'm sure, Pulver." Tallia groaned, Pulver was a med student, always questioning and kibbutzing...

"Yes, Doctor." Pulver replied tersely as she got the alpha wave inducer placed onto the patient's forehead, "Here's the list of what she just shot herself full of."

"Sonofabitch..." Tallia whistled, Heather had just pumped a whole drug store into her neck, "She's lucky it didn't stop her heart on the spot. Okay, at least we know what countermeasures to use." Tallia began to replicate the drugs she needed, her mind setting to the task of how to keep Heather from doing this again. She placed a hypo against Heather's neck, counting to ten for it to take effect before removing the alpha wave inducer to bring Heather around, placing a force field around Heather's bed area until she had a better idea...

Heather slowly regained consciousness, her head was still spinning from the high of the drugs. "Tallia?" She groaned as she raised her hand and brushed her hair away from her forehead. "I...I'm sorry!!! I just...wanted to feel...better!!"

"I think it's time we discuss ultra rapid detox again." Tallia suggested, "Otherwise you might screw up and actually kill yourself."

Heather had said no once before because she didn't want to risk Tallia's career, but it was making more sense now. "I'll do it!" She looked at Tallia. "But you didn't suggest this okay?! This was my idea and my idea alone!"

"Wrap that around a sharp stick and it'll get me a poke in the eye." Tallia laughed, "But we're doing this either way."

Heather looked at Tallia. "Do it...before I change my mind!!"

"Nurse Pulver, I'm sending over a list of medications I need replicated." Tallia ordered, "And before you even ask, yes, the quantities are correct."

"Ma'am, that could kill her." Pulver stated.

"And if we don't break these drugs' hold on her, she's going to die for sure." Tallia replied, "If you can't in good conscience be a party to this, leave after you replicate the medications for plausible deniability. Otherwise, get ready for the procedure. You too, Heather."

Heather nodded. "Just what am I walking myself into Tallia?" She should have asked sooner before she agreed to the process.

"We're going to use powerful countermeasures to expel all the drugs from your system." Tallia explained, "It's not going to be comfortable and for the next several hours you're going to feel worse than you've felt in years. If it's successful though you're up and walking this time tomorrow and out of sickbay the next day."

Heather nodded. "Very well, I want through this!" She took a deep breath. "Do what you have to do."

"Right." Tallia nodded, "Pulver, how are we coming on those meds?"

"Right here, Doctor." Pulver replied, placing eighteen hypos in storage racks, not on trays, down beside her, "I'm sure you'll see that these get put away properly."

"Right." Tallia said, Pulver had given herself plausible deniability by the simple act of putting the meds in the rack for storage instead of a tray for usage; Tallia knew she was on her own, "Thanks, Pulver, I'll see you later."

"Computer!" Heather called out. "Please note that I Heather Raines, accept full responsibility for the rapid detox procedure I am about to undergo. It is my responsibility and mine alone." She nodded to Talia. "Do it."

"Right." Tallia nodded, placing the first hypo, full of vitamin b-16 in it's gaseous form, against Heather's neck and getting it onboard, ~Poor thing doesn't know her disclaimer there won't do me a bit of good if something happens.~ The next hypo was a synthetic called Tarizaine 3, it was a powerful detoxicant with a diuretic effect, it would help Heather, but she was going to piss like a race horse for hours.

Heather looked at Tallia. "I know it's a bit late to ask now but what side effects should I expect?"

"If all goes well a few days of tiredness and frequent urination." Tallia replied, "If it goes badly, anything up to and including death."

“Ohh...that good huh?” Heather offered a brief grin. “Fingers crossed it won’t go that far!”

"With that information considered do you wish to continue?" Tallia queried, there wouldn't be any harm if she quit now, but it wouldn't do much good, either. "As your Doctor I recommend we continue, but it is still solely your choice."

"I want to" Heather nodded. "Let's get this washed out of me once and for all Tallia. I want to be me again!"

"Right." Tallia nodded, "Buckle up, this is going to be a rough ride."

~ Some time later ~

Heather was feeling washed out, she felt like she'd been living in the bathroom as the diuretics Tallia had given her did their work with a vengeance. Returning to her bed she hadn't been there long when things took a drastic turn for the worse, the biobed monitors rang out with every alarm they could ring before Heather's bio signs flattened out completely.

Tallia dashed back to Heather's biobed, immediately going to work to bring the patient back, "Hold on, Heather." She plead as she began CPR, "Activate EMH!"

"How may I assist you?" The EMH asked, though he didn't wait for an answer, he didn't have to, and took over CPR from Tallia.

"Computer, scan for defibulation." Tallia barked.

=Scanning, clear patient.= The computer replied, =Administering shock.=

The flatline remained as Heather’s heart stubbornly refused to function.

=Scanning.= The computer intoned, delivering another shock immediately after.

For a moment there was a inkling of a beat before the monitor flatlined again.

Walton, fresh from Dr. Sthilg's office, walked in on the Raines woman flatlined and Lt. Strode no doubt responsible, "You just had to do it!" Walton snapped, "Are you happy now, you irresponsible fool? You've killed her!"

"Shut up, Walton." Tallia ordered, straddling Heather and beginning to beat her fists against her chest at a rate of 120 beats per minute, "Get up, Heather! Get up!"

Walton sped to the equipment closet to get a breather for the Marine, if she could keep blood flow and oxygen to the brain they might could save her life; she could report this latest debacle to Dr. Sthilg after.

Just as all hope seemed gone, the monitor leapt into life as Heather took a sharp, deep breath. She slowly came round, disoriented but alive.

"Heather, talk to me." Tallia ordered, waiting for Heather's response.

"I'll go get a doctor for you, Sgt. Raines." Walton offered, turning to go get Sthilg or Dr. Voight, or anyone other than this woman...

"She's under a doctor's care, Nurse." Tallia snarled, "Thank you." She glared at Walton until the other woman left the room, no doubt running to complain about her some more, "Okay, come on, Heather, talk to me."

Heather stirred, “Would...ouch count?!” She slowly opened her eyes and offered Tallia a weak smile. “Sorry! I...didn’t mean...to give you a scare!”

"Good work for somebody who wasn't trying." Tallia laughed, collecting a blood sample and running a complete blood chemistry on the Marine. That was normally a nursing duty, but she had decided she'd rather be tossed around my Man'Darr than spend another second with Walton, "Got some good news though."

“Good news?” Heather lay looking at Tallia. “Did it...work?”

"You're clean." Tallia smiled, "No sign of drugs in your system."

“I’m sorry? Did...did you say...clean?!” Tears came to Heather’s eyes as she heard the words.

"Clean." Tallia replied happily, "As in you've got your life back."

Heather lay her head back on the biobed with a big smile on her face. There were no words for how it felt to hear those words.

{OFF}