Iatrophobia: The Obdurate Patient.

 At zero six thirty hours the following morning, after a subdued but enjoyable christening ceremony for Lotus Fleet's newest flag ship USS Horizon, David rose and quickly showered and dressed. Although he hated the task in front of him, captain Syntron had explicitly ordered him to sick bay for this physical. Fixing his hair in front of the mirror, David suddenly stopped the impulse, realizing that his grooming was in no way connected with this check up, but just a delaying tactic. Turning away from his dour reflection, David tapped his comm badge and queried the central computer.

"Computer, location of Doctor Nasaro-Myth?"

'Doctor Nasaro-Myth is in the medical bay, CMO's office'

'Of course he is,' David thought to himself. 'Probably waiting for the guinea pig to show up.'

 Stepping out of his quarter's, David entered the lift nearby and ordered it to deck thirteen. The short journey merely heightened Rogers' apprehension, as if the universe was perversely endeavoring to hasten this encounter. The lift settled to a halt and the doors swished apart to reveal the entrances to the main medical bay and, connected off of that, the doctor's office. With an attempt at nonchalance, David approached Nasaro-Myths' door and let the automatic chime announce his presence to the Deltan visible inside the open doorway.

"Please do come in, Commander Rogers. I am all yours. "

The Deltan did not even raise his eyes from his terminal as he invited the chief engineer in with a warm voice. His hand politely gestured for him to sit down before him and, once he complied, Elliago looked up to him with a charming smile.

"Don't be surprised, Commander. You are the last one left on the entire ship I have to see. I commend you nevetheless for your sense of duty and for finding the courage to face this ordeal. "

There was of course irony in his words but also genuine respect and a sizeable feeling of undersanding from his part. His left hand was still tapping on his terminal from time to time as he spoke and his eyes returned to the small screen.

"Now, we can proceed in many different ways to conduct your examination; through ship instrumentality if you are not technophobiac, through traditional testing if you desire to fight off that medical aversion of yours, or even with Deltan touch techniques if you crave novelty. I am also knowledgeable in Romulan accupressure treatment if you would prefer something closer to home. But regarding that, watever you choose, rest assured that i will not bill you for it. "

 David entered and took the offered seat rather quickly. Sitting tensely he heard the Deltan out and responded matter-of-factly, noting the continued divided attention the doctor directed to his terminal.

"Bill me? Oh ... an old earth term I believe. As to technophobia, I would hardly be the engineer I am if I were. I believe traditional will be adequate Doctor."

 David leaned back a bit, studying the man a little. The smile directed at him as he had sat down recalled one of the acquisition rule's he had learned in his youth. Although in the past few years they rarely came to mind much, thinking of it now David could appreciate it's value; 'The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife.'

"You sure?" asked the Deltan almost laughing now. "A traditional exam is, as you know, a series of sample extractions along with physical and sensory tests that can take up to half an hour depending on the clinical condition of the patient. You seem rather... eager to get this over with. And, as a engineer, I thought you would rather prefer to experience for yourself one of our new biobeds' advanced scanning... quite spectacular you know... and over in but a few minutes. "

 This was taking up time that Rogers needed to assist Lieutenant Decatur. But David also knew that he could not continue with his duties aboard the Phoenix without the chief medical officers consent. A trivial check off to be sure, to David's way of thinking. But perhaps that was his Ferengii upbringing. Regardless, he had, in the course of his routine engineering checks, read the specifications regarding these new bio-beds, and their function had piqued his curiosity. Responding with what he hoped was a genuinely reciprocal smile to the Deltan's, David assented to the temptation to see the bed in action.

 "Well Doc. Being as I cannot continue my job aboard without your consent, archaic as that may be, I am curious as to these new beds' holographic functions. I recall that you can remove any organ you want to examine holographically? That would be interesting."

 'And will speed up this farcical routine in any case,' David thought to himself. Standing up, David walked toward one of the nearer beds, assuming it was the desired location. On the way, he talked over his shoulder.

"I was wondering doc ... have you seen my transport scans when I beamed aboard?"

"Yes; and the system automatically is putting them into your medical file, which of course I also read, with all past examinations, testings and treatments and will make comparative analysis with the present examination so that any discrepancy or change will be immediately pointed out and ready for further examination. "

Once the hybrid chief engineer was stretched onto the biobed, Elliago activated it as he continued answering him.

"And... behold, chief!"

A complete and complex readout of biometrics appeared at the head of the biobed, like spectral lines suspended above it. The Doctor,s hands went directly to manipulate the data as it floated there, stretching, moving, detailing, expanding or changing some of them while various beeps and chirps gave further audio information he alone seemed to be able to decipher as records of Rogers bodily functions and working organs. Then, just above the prone form of the engineer appeared a duplicate of it that Elliago peeled off to reveal the details of the muscle structure, the circulatory system, the working organs and the entire skeleton. From time to time, the Deltan,s hands plucked out an organ so that he could better looke at it, peel it further to examin better it's inner workings and look at the ther data coming out on the floating, ghostly panel as he did so.

In a few minutes, it was all over and the eerie images disappeared.

" Well Commander, you are in perfect health and fit for duty. Your biometrics are as best as can be from the classic humanoid/vulcanoid hybrid norm."

He then smiled at him and winked.

"There is however a noticeable level of neuromuscular tension and slightly elevated blood pressure since you came in. I suggest you go look for an appointment with the ship's counselor for that iatrophobia of yours. And beleive it or not, she is even prettier than I am. "

 Slightly puzzled, David sat up on the bed and swung his legs over the side Nasaro-Myth was on.

"Iatro what? I'll have to look that one up Doc. However, I really have no time to see the counselor now. As you are aware, we have to assist with Lieutenant Decatur's nanite installation."

 Hoping down to the floor, David paused a moment to look back at his projected holographic form, a study he found slightly disturbing. Seeing himself in this fashion almost felt like looking back at one's own death from a dis-embodied spirit. Turning away from the almost gruesome sight, David continued to query the doctor.

 "Speaking of nanite's, have you talked to the EMH? If he needs anything from engineering to aid in an isolation matrix of some sort, I would be happy to assist in setting something up."

"Why don't you discuss this with him? " The Deltan said with a wider smile and a nod, looking over Rogers right shoulder.

Just behind the chief engineer stood the EMH, materialized as soon as the voiced request had been processed through internal ship channels to reach his sentient program and autotactivate it.

"Greetings, Commander Rogers. I'm Doctor Gray. You need to see me? "

 The voice behind him slightly startled David as he quickly turned to face the EMH. There stood a slightly greying human male, about Davids height. Brown hair with touches of grey at the temples topped piercing blue eyes and greying mustache and sideburns reaching to stop at either side of his lightly dimpled bare chin. The Lieutenant-Commander pips on his medical uniform gleamed spotlessly.  David stepped forward and greeted the doctor with an extended hand.

"Uh, hello Doctor Grey. Yes. I was wondering if Doctor Nasar-Myth had brought you up to speed on this new nanite technology being introduced into the Phoenix's systems."

Self-consciously, David felt a little put off by this sentient hologram. He had never dealt with one before, and the awareness of it's sentience only heightened David's slight nervousness. However, the safety of it's ...'No, HIS,' David corrected himself. Of his safety, was paramount in this endeavor.

"Indeed he did, Commander, " the living EMH answered. "Since I have full access to computer memory, being in fact part of the overall computer and sensor system of the ship, I am now quite aware of the Decatur Project in all it's details. As far as I can analyse the data, there is no danger involved regarding myself with the procedure; at worse, nothing more than what would black coffee do to a Human. That being said, proper scientific and security protocols do call for installation in controled increments on specific systems to monitor and correct any unforeseen condition and effect. I am very grateful to you, Commander, and to your professionalism and care regarding changes that could afect me... as much as to Doctor Nasaro-Myth for his concern and respect. You would be surprised how many time I have been treated as a mere ship system in the past... and I do know how... overly eager and self-assured someone like officer Decatur may be when one's own pet project is involved."

The holographic doctor smiled and bowed slightly.

"I am at your disposal and ready to... get my cup of coffee. "

 David listened politely as the doctor spoke, thinking, as an aside, that this could get a bit confusing unless a different protocol could be established.

'If I yell out Doctor, will they both show up,' David thought nonchalantly.

Regardless, Rogers took the humor at the end in stride.

"Nice to hear you'll be okay Doc. If I may suggest, we should probably go find this eager-beaver Lieutenant and put her mind at ease regarding your awareness of all this. That is," David said, looking at Doctor Nasaro-Myth, "providing you can spare Doctor Gray?"

"Aside from a few very specific assignments, Doctor Gray still has only emergency duties as his primary responsibilities. So, unless I or any of my two colleagues are incapacitated or otherwise unavailabe, you are free to go as you please, Theodor," Elliago said, starting with Rogers then finishing up with the EMH. "Enjoy your coffee."

( Tag -  ChEng )