An Empty Sickbay
Posted on Sun Sep 6th, 2026 @ 10:33am by Lieutenant JG Ryan Kellerman & Lieutenant Ayumu Tanaka
1,888 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Below Decks
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Prior to Kril'es
Ryan Kellerman strode through the doors of Sickbay and the silence swallowed him completely. The lights were dialed low, a soft amber glow instead of the annoying clinical glare he'd brace himself for. It was as if the place wanted to trick him into forgetting it was full of scanners, hyposprays, and cold biobeds. The air carried a hint of citrus-based antiseptic.
He paused just past the threshold, listening. There was no bustle, no voices, only the occasional beep of an idle monitor. For the first time since boarding, he wasn't surrounded by chatter or orders or the constant shuffle of other crewmembers.
Tugging at the cuff of his sleeve, Ryan was suddenly aware of how new he still felt here--two days aboard and already the bulkheads of the Valkyrie seemed to be watching, almost waiting to see what kind of officer he might be. He stepped further inside, his duty boots making soft sounds on the carpeted deck.
"Hello?" he called softly. He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck, his eyes adjusting to the dim. "I've, uh... got an appointment."
A door just off to his right suddenly opened and a tall, stone-faced Lieutenant with short, messy black hair and a muscular build emerged. the spots lining his face and running down his neck indicated that he was of Trill ancestry, much like the Captain, though the overall impassivity of his expression made for a... considerably more intimidating presence than Captain Baas had.
"Can I help you, Lieutenant?" he asked, carefully sizing up the newcomer.
Ryan straightened, aware of the other man's eyes on him. "Well--not exactly an appointment," he noted, his voice low. "I thought maybe I'd try my luck and see if there might be physician around. I'd rather get the physical out of the way as soon as possible."
The Trill furrowed his brow. "Well... unless you're looking for a specialized physician, I could certainly perform a physical, if you'd prefer?"
The human Intelligence Chief gave a short, polite laugh--it was more a reflex than true amusement. "Right," he said. "No, I just meant--yeah, that'd be great.'
He rubbed at his wrist uncomfortably. "My last few postings, the CMO had to chase me around for weeks to get it done. I honestly hadn't been avoiding the physical, I just got so damned busy once I had settled in." Ryan shrugged, and a small, self-conscious grin touched his face. "Now that I'm running a department, I decided I should probably start pretending I'm a responsible adult and make life easier for your staff before I'm put on some list."
"Right then... so I take it based on that information that your copy of Starfleet Form SF-2240 isn't up to date?" The Trill asked as he pulled out a tricorder and began to calculate it.
"My 2240?" Ryan said, trying to recall which form that was. "I don't know, doctor. I'm sorry." He exhaled through his nose slowly. "My last physical was approximately ten months ago aboard the Resistance."
The fact that Ryan had reportedly undergone his last physical no more than 10 months ago and yet couldn't account for his 2240 piqued the Lieutenant's interest.
"Did they have you fill out a form of any kind?" he inquired. "If so, there's a possibility it may be on file somewhere."
Ryan scratched at the side of his jaw, thinking. "They had me fill out something, yes," he said finally. "But this was at the tail-end of a mission--one of those situations where the ship's doctor had about twelve people to clear before departure. I might've simply given them my thumbprint and got out of her way."
The Trill scratched his chin. "Well, it's not ideal, buuuut... if the form was uploaded to the medical database in any capacity, perhaps I could use that to fill out an updated 2240?" he proposed as he set the tricorder down and reached for a nearby PADD. "Real quick-like, can I get your name so I can see if it's in the database?"
"Kellerman," Ryan said, stepping closer to the biobed. "Ryan Kellerman."
The CMO paused for a few seconds as he pulled up the Starfleet Medical Database and carefully scrolled through the list of records.
"Kellerman, Kellerman... Ah, here we are," he announced as he located Ryan's file. "Right, so it looks like most of what I need is here, but based on what you've stated, I'm not entirely sure how up-to-date some of this information is... for my peace of mind, do you suppose I could ask a couple of questions again, just verify that everything is current and we're not missing anything important?"
Ryan nodded, listening to the CMO carefully. "Sure thing. Fire away."
"Okay, so, first question: since the time of your last exam, have you had any procedures or major illnesses?"
The Intelligence officer's eyes flipped upward as though scanning the depths of his brain for the memory of his last visit to the doctor.
"I fractured the index finger on my right hand about seven months ago," he said, flexing the digit absently. "About three months ago, I picked up a strain of the Tarkalean flu."
"Have you experienced any new or worsening symptoms that you believe relate to the procedures or illnesses described?"
"Uh, no."
"Do you have any known allergies?"
Ryan scratched his chin. "Not that I know of."
"Do you have a family history of the illnesses and/or allergies as described above?"
"No."
"What prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and supplements do you take?"
"I use a Viperion injection daily," he explained, unsure if the doctor was aware of the formula. "Let me see if I remember the composition... B-complex, magnesium, D3, coenzyme Q10, zinc picolinate, selenium, L-theanine. Oh, and Menaquinone-7."
"Viperion... let's see..." The CMO carefully scrolled through the medical database for anything pertaining to Viperion, before eventually coming to the file he was looking for. "Okay, so according to the medical database, that does require me to administer a blood test so I can refill your prescription, so if you've got a moment, I can take a blood sample, send it off to the labs, and we'll get back to you in a week?"
"Sure thing, doctor." Ryan began to loosen his overshirt. "Anything you need."
"Right, then," the CMO nodded as he got up and retrieved his tricorder. "Now, I should be able to take a blood sample with one of these, so if you'll hold still for just a sec..."
Psssh!
"There we go," the CMO remarked as he set the tricorder back down and retrieved the PADD. "That'll be sent off to the labs for analysis, and if everything checks out, we'll go ahead and fill your prescription. But moving back to the questionnaire- have you taken any additional medications in the past?"
Ryan thought back several years to his assignments aboard the Resistance, Astera and the Galileo. He'd been prescribed a few injections for nagging issues. Nothing serious. He wasn't even sure they were worth mentioning, though, with how meticulous Tanaka seemed to be, he decided it best to inform him.
"Let's see," he said, thinking back. "Chronologically, I took monthly injections for space sickness. Vestibulin, I think. A few years ago, I went through a period after mine and my husband's separation where I had difficulty sleeping. I can't remember what the doc prescribed."
"Since your last exam, have you been caught in an active combat zone, wherein the belligerents engaged one another in physical conflict?"
"No, sir." Ryan hadn't found himself in any firefights or combat zones despite several tense encounters aboard the Resistance.
"Since your last exam, have you used any substances that are not officially categorized under Federation drug and alcohol guidelines?"
"That's a negative," Ryan, his expression dripping with incredulity at the question.
"Since your last exam, have you engaged in any sexual activities, be it planned or unplanned?"
An eyebrow shot up and while Ryan wasn't averse to sharing the details of his sex life with a doctor, he always found it a little embarrassing all the same.
"I would have to say... yes." He blinked a few times, his mind flashing back to one encounter he regretted and another he remembered fondly. Neither were Darius.
That seemed to catch the CMO's attention.
"Okay; so... I understand that's probably a touchy subject, so I'm going to try not to make you uncomfortable, but for my peace of mind, I should probably raise the question- Were you using the necessary protection in any of these encounters?"
Ryan averted his eyes instinctively before uttering, "No."
The CMO nodded in understanding before making a note of it on his PADD. "I won't push further on the details, and obviously what's discussed here is strictly confidential, But I would suggest, if you haven't done so already, getting screened for STIs. With your expressed permission, of course, but I'm obligated to offer because of the potential health risk it poses to you and any future partners. If you're not comfortable about it, I'll say nothing further on the matter, and we can always discuss it on another day."
"I'm not uncomfortable, Doctor." Ryan felt himself unable to make eye contact with the ship's physician simply because of the subject, but he knew Ayumu was correct.
Ryan thought back to his most recent sexual encounters. Both were human males and members of Starfleet with clean bills of health.
"If you want to screen me for any viruses, you have my consent."
Ayumu nodded and picked up the tricorder again. "I have a setting on this device that allows me to scan for STis in addition to normal medical anomalies," he explained as he continued calibrating the device. "I only ever use it with the patient's consent, because I understand that's uncomfortable subject matter. But even then, this is only going to take a few seconds, so if you'll just bear with me..."
The two of them fell silent as Ayumu carefully ran the device over Ryan.
Finding the silence--however brief--too uncomfortable, Ryan felt forced to make small talk.
"I've, uh, heard tell of some cross-species viruses that..." He fumbled over his words and considered that perhaps speaking during the scan just made the moment far more awkward than it needed to be. "... well, a Ferengi might carry that a Tellarite might not have a natural immunity to. You know, if they were to... you know..."
Ayumu glanced up. "Well... for the intents and purposes of getting my facts straight, what exactly brought about this concern?" he inquired in a calm, reassuring tone that emphasized that this matter would remain strictly between the two of them.
Ryan's demeanour suddenly changed when confronted with the question. He hopped off the bed and straightened his uniform.
"Look, doctor," he began, "I don't mean to come off as rude, but you've got all you need. I have some work to get to. Let me know if you discover anything."
Before the Chief Medical Officer could respond, Ryan was gone.
Lieutenant Junior Grade Ryan Kellerman
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Valkyrie
Lieutenant Ayumu Tanak
Chief Medical Officer
USS Valkyrie
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