Misunderstanding

Posted on Wed Mar 3rd, 2010 @ 10:07am by Commander Michael Evans M.D. & Vice Admiral Iluvar

Mission: Episode 1.2 - "A House Divided"
Location: Main Sickbay, USS Pandora
Timeline: MD01, 0600hrs

ON: [[Main Sickbay, USS Pandora, MD01, 0600hrs]]

Doctor Evans checked the contents a final time and snapped the small grey box shut. He placed it and a medical tricorder on an equipment tray along with a PADD. He then made himself busy at a nearby display panel, checking which patients were due for rounds that morning. There weren't many, but it would be enough. Before they went any further with the command internship, there was something Michael needed to know about this cadet.

The doors to sickbay hissed open and Jesse (NPC) entered the room. He looked around briefly, wondering what he was doing in sickbay in the first place. This was a place for medical cadets, not command cadets. Granted, he'd been assigned to the second officer, who also happened to be the chief medical officer, but it was difficult to imagine that being in sickbay would help him learn anything about command.

Evans uploaded the patient listing to the PADD on the tray and turned the display panel to its default. He didn't hear the sickbay's quiet doors open and close, but when he looked up it was to see the cadet standing just inside and looking around. Evans cleared his throat pointedly to get Eckles' attention.

Jesse turned at the sound and noticed Evans working nearby. Slowly, the cadet made his way over. "Sir," he said, waiting to see what it was that the commander had wanted him for.

Evans blinked, unsure of the cadet's intent for his seeming indifference. "Is that how you report for duty on your first day of internship, Cadet? If so, maybe you should go back to the academy for a few more lessons," he said sternly. If they were going to do this thing, he intended it to be done right regardless of each others' feelings about it. He could tell that Mr. Eckles wasn't too thrilled about being assigned to him, and this was going to be difficult for Evans too; but that didn't mean that either should shirk in their efforts.

"Cadet Jesse Eckles, reporting for duty, sir," Jesse said, snapping to attention. He wasn't sure what the man was expecting from him, but like it or not, he was going to have to wait and see.

"That's more like it," Evans said. "Listen, this may be tough for both of us, Cadet, but I expect your best, and you'll get mine. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Jesse replied stiffly.

"Good," Michael said. "Now 'at ease' and come over here," he continued in a more relaxed tone.

Michael led him to the tray-table with the equipment on it. He handed a medical tricorder to Jesse. "When you're on-duty with me, you'll have this on you at all times. Understood?" He picked up the box and proffered it to the cadet. "This is a standard First Response medical kit. You should have had first aid at the academy, so I expect you to be familiar with its contents and what to do with it. This kit is yours while you're in my charge."

For a moment, Jesse just stared at the tricorder and medical kit in his hands. Was there some mistake? A confusion perhaps? He was a command cadet, not a medical student. What did any of this have to do with command?

Evans continued, "Now, we've got morning rounds to do. You're going to accompany me and scan the patients with your tricorder for upload into their files. You will verbalize their vital signs as you obtain them; you should have been taught that in your first aid course, too. Any questions?"

"Sir, I think there's been some mistake," Jesse said, looking from the equipment to Evans, "I've been assigned here as a command cadet...this is medical."

"Correct," Evans said, unperturbed. "But what do you think those who command do? They don't just fly around in big ships and bark orders. They lead. Those under him may have a variety of skills; from engineering, to security, to counseling, to intelligence, to medical... specialties in which he may have no expertise." He looked Eckles in the eye and spoke, not as a commanding officer, but as a mentor, "Command is about leadership, about using the skills and resources available creatively and appropriately, and about people, Cadet. And those can be found here."

The commander's words caused Jesse to pause. If the admiral had seen fit to make the man his second officer, then there must be something that Jesse could learn from him. Perhaps he had been a little too quick to judge. He'd been looking forward to this field assignment for months and so far, it hadn't been shaping up to what he thought it would be. The last thing he wanted to do, though, was end up on a transport back to the Academy.

"Now, I know it's boring, but doing rounds teaches you something important: patience and bedside manner when you're feeling impatient. These things are invaluable when interacting with your team..." Michael continued to talk as they walked towards their first patient. It had been a rough start with this 'Cadet Eckles'. Time would tell how things would progress.


OFF

A joint post by:

Lt. Cmdr. Michael Evans, M.D.
CMO / 2XO
USS Pandora

and

Cadet Jesse Eckles (NPC)
Command Cadet
USS Pandora
Played by: Rear Adm. Iluvar