Day 1 Late Evening - Ribs, Ribbing, and Redemption

Riley: she shoulder checked past him to the corridor. *"I'll discuss your pay scale with the captain."*

“As shall I,” replied Lunar Veil’s newest “Doc in a box.” With care, he laid the syringe upon a tool tray, his back to the patient. “Kindly remove yah shirt and hop up on tha table.” Dorian moved to the sink, rolling up his bloody sleeves to begin the diligent scrubbing of hands and forearms. “Ah’ll just be anothah moment,”

Henry: *"So you and the mechanic... interesting. Couldn't have gone over well with your folks you choosing the path you did... and I don't mean dentistry. By your accent, I have to assume a classic, southern styled raising so I'd favor a religious one to boot. I recall my brethren at the Abbey didn't look to keen on those who chose a non-procreating means of intercourse."*

Dorian listened as he scrubbed, his grin widening. “Ah’d love nothing more,” he laughed quietly, “than fah yah to repeat that tah our mechanic…with a capture recording his face.” He laughed a bit further, then remembered there’d been more to Henry’s observation. “As tah religion, tha Almighty an’ Ah have a longstanding détente. So long as we don’t interfere in one anothah’s business, we’re both the…well,” he exclaimed mildly. “Respectable bruise. Judging by the corresponding marks on yah face, Ah’m guessing this wasn’t just some accident?”

Dorian listened as the passenger told his tale of assault, robbery, and eventual rescue by Lt. Riley. After cleansing the young whore’s blood from his hands, he retrieved a stethoscope. “Violent place, Santo,” the medic observed quietly as he turned. “Mah house call involved anothah such victim. First thing’s first.” He pressed the stethoscope to Henry’s back. “Take a deep breath. Ah know it hurts. We’ll make yah more comfortable shortly.” This exercise was repeated five more times, each of which had Dorian listening to the unaffected lung first, then moving to the one nearest the injury. “Good news is yah’ve got clear, healthy lung sounds on both sides,” he proclaimed. “Now, Ah need tah probe a bit. Tell me about yah pain as Ah move.”

In the end, that proved unnecessary. The autonomic flinches he received as his fingers probed closer to the bruise’s center communicated perfectly the level of pain, and the exact fracture locations. “Two cracked ribs,” Dorian announced. “Fortunately, minor, but uncomfortable. We’re not gonna wrap you. That only constricts breathing. Listen tah me now,” he said as his eyes met Henry’s. “Ah know tha impulse is tah breathe shallow, but in tha long term that could bring on pneumonia. Yah need tah make yahself breathe deep an’ even. You and Ah will manage yah pain ovah tha next few days,” he drawled. “Ah’m gonna give yah that injection, but it’s normally more potent than we’d want fah the beginning.”

He pulled a cold pack from the medbay’s freezer. “Take this one tonight. Yah’ll find more in the galley, or come swap it out here with me.” Dorian filled a cup with water, and popped open a bottle from the medical cabinet. “Anti-inflammatories,” he continued. “Should drive down the swelling in both areas by morning.” After a quick brush with a cotton swab and antiseptic, he gently laid the needle beneath the skin of Henry’s right bicep. “Like Ah hinted earlier,” he said as the drug flowed through the syringe, “this is fast acting. Yah want tah be off yah feet in about five minutes. And…done.” A moment later, the injection site was covered in a piece of cotton wadding and a bandage.

“You can putcha shirt back on,” Dorian said as he started cleanup. “Now, yah got a room? Good. Head straight there and go tah bed. Yah should be able tah sleep comfortably. Come see me in tha mornin’ and we’ll begin yah long term pain management.” He pitched the syringe into the biowaste bin. “Unless yah got questions,” Dorian concluded, “go get some rest.”