Judgement – la Tour de Force
by Commander Chelsea Dunham & Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton
Post Details
ON:
Chelsea and Bridget moved out into the Main Sickbay and the CMO began to point out the features. "These main bays closest to the office are for the most dependent cases and over here...." she gesticulated widely to some sealed off units. "We have the Intensive Care suites. I'll show you Theatres when we get round that side, but first, the most important member of staff in here."
She moved towards the main stock cupboards and the nurses' station and revealed a replicator. "This is Rena, she'll be your second best friend, after me!" Chelsea grinned, pointing to the name badge attached to the replicator.
"Pleased to meet you, Rena," Bridget said with mock seriousness, and gave a short curtsy for added camp. She couldn't contain the grin any longer; she smiled widely and said to Chelsea, "You have a well-appointed Sickbay, Commander, from what I can see. I'm looking forward to making use of good tools, like Rena here."
"Knock yourself out, Doctor!" Chelsea laughed. "We have loads more toys in Intensive Care....Come, I'll show you"
Chelsea led Bridget to the suites full of arrays of equipment. Everything this century had to offer was here.
"Wow... talk about tool lust..." Bridget mumbled under her breath as she looked around the room. She was sincerely impressed.
Chelsea continued with the tour explaining everything and pointing out with pride all the advantages and improvements in the facility, hoping Bridget would be pleased with what was on offer and proud to be part of what went on in the department.
"I hope you're going to like it here with us" She said as they walked on round towards Theatres. "I want all the Medical staff to feel part of a family team and if that isn't happening for any reason, I'm always here for you to come and help me put that right."
"I hope so too," Bridget said; and then internally, she took a deep breath. ~Funny how things come full circle sometimes.~ "Sooo..." she began, and hesitated, stopping to face Chelsea. "It doesn't seem like Doctor Murdoch feels like he's part of a family team."
Chelsea winced visibly. "Hmmm... you noticed that. Not that he makes any secret of it." She sighed as if she was suddenly very tired. "More coffee?" She returned to Rena, fetched more drinks and returned with the cups, then leant heavily against the nearest biobed - the two of them alone in the ICU bay so no-one else could hear.
"I don't think I should say this but then again, it's not like I could keep it a secret. To be totally honest with you Bridget, I don't know how to deal with Lance. He's out of control. As his department head I should haul his arse in here and tear him a new one but I'm a doctor not a Marine drill sargeant. Whatever happened to the idea that a doctor promises during his Hippocratic Oath to 'first do no harm'." She took a sip of coffee and thought for a moment or two.
"But if you get any trouble from him, I'll wade in, I have no problem protecting my staff..... but just because I don't like his rudeness and deliberately provocative behaviour, I don't know if I can justify a full scale response if it's only me he's challenging. Besides that seems to be what he wants and part of me wants to rise above that. Am I making any sense?"
~Interesting~ Bridget mused, as she sipped her coffee and listened to Chelsea's thoughts on the Chief Surgeon. It sounded to her as if Chelsea was willing to put up with a lot, and the only reason Bridget could think of was that the CS was very, very good at what he did. Still, for Chelsea to allow him to insult not only herself but new recruits, like he'd done in her office... Bridget knew she'd never allow that, if she were in Chelsea's position.
Bridget decided to take a chance. She could either respond diplomatically, or honestly. Since Chelsea trusted her with a rather intimate look into the CMO-CS relationship, Bridget figured it would be a good idea to give Chelsea a heads' up on what might happen between herself and Lance.
Looking up from her cup, Bridget said, "I'm glad you shared that with me; it helps me to get an idea of what Doctor Murdoch is like. And I guess I would like to let you know how I would respond to it the next time I run into him. Basically, the way I see it is that he's going to insult me, and I'm going to throw it right back in his face. I won't allow him to treat me disrespectfully again, and get away with it."
Chelsea sighed. "I know you're right. I've been trying to make this easier but i've actually run out of options. I've tried all the disciplinary avenues up to serious warnings..... I just have to bite that bullet if he tries it again." she agreed.
Bridget nodded, appreciating the difficult position Chelsea was in. Given the freedom and comfort with which Lance had spread his bile in Chelsea's office, any disciplinary action the CMO gave him would probably be met with a series of infantile tantrums. She didn't envy Chelsea one bit. Sighing herself in shared commiseration, she then gave Chelsea a lopsided smile and shook her head, before taking a sip of coffee and changing the subject.
"My husband is getting our belongings settled into our quarters, so I'd be ready to start my first shift at your earliest convenience. When would you like me to report, and where, and... well, would it be possible for me to get introduced to who I'll be working with, before I leave today?"
She imagined the Commander didn't have a lot of time for this meet-and-greet, and so she didn't want to push that envelope. But at the same time, it never hurt to ask, because the task of getting Bridget's ducks in a row could be passed on to someone else in Chelsea's stead, if she were pressed for time.
Chelsea thought about this for a few seconds, taking a sip of tea to allow her to run through her schedule in her head. She liked this new doctor and the sensible things she said were like fresh air. "You're going to get on well with Ed McBain." she commented, likening Bridget to the steady, foundation rock that the Lead Nurse Practitioner represented in the Department.
"I'll set you up a shift with him the day after tomorrow but if you want to start work today, I'm very happy for you to shadow me. Ben is a remarkably good ACMO and he knows how i work from the past and I know he'd be another good one to take as a template, but frankly he has a lot going on personally at this time -not that I'm offering that as a criticism! We *both* have suddenly developed 'lives' - I don't know who gave permission for *that* sort of malarchy!" she grinned.
"In short, I need someone who can step up to the plate to help support us both. This is a big department and we have a huge station population to cover. There are even times, in emergencies, when we open the Auxiliary Sickbay and run both in tandem to cope with the numbers.
The staff here are good, excellent in fact, but I wouldn't ask you to just learn from the juniors, the Interns, the Nurses or the specialists alone. As competent as they *all* are at what they do, that doesn't spread itself widely enough for what i'm considering, so I'd like for you to stick with me for a few days if you're willing? If you get bored with me, you can always make an excuse to tag Ben for a while instead, I promise not to see through it too quickly." Again the good humoured grin.
"Up to now, Ed McBain has formed the third arm of a 'triad at the top'. My predecessor made that set up work well, including Ed and myself when I was ACMO. It would now make it easier for me to delegate, as well as get a competent full back-up on side, ideally to even cover shifts too, if you were prepared to train up to take on a place too.
I'm looking to place you in the rota to take charge whenever you find yourself the most senior doctor on duty - which, to be honest, I can arrange to happen as often as you are able, and would *wish*, to cope with." Chelsea looked at Bridget and took another sip of tea, waiting to see if she looked horrified or not.
Bridget's eyes widened with each sentence, as Chelsea sketched out her proposal. On the one hand, Bridget's ambitious side salivated at the opportunity presented before her. But the more cautious side reminded her that she actually had no idea what she'd be biting off, and whether it was a bigger mouthful than she could chew.
Looking up at the ceiling, Bridget blew a long gust of breath through pursed lips, thinking hard. If she shadowed Chelsea, and then gave a decision... that would err on the side of caution but hopefully give her a more informed state upon which to make a decision. She looked back and met Chelsea's eyes. "I'd like to shadow you, Commander, and I appreciate the offer immensely. If you don't mind a suggestion, we could set a term for the shadowing, and then when the term was up, we sit down and have a meeting about this, and we make a decision about stepping up my involvement then. How does that sound?"
"It sounds like a fine plan!" Chelsea exclaimed, holding up her mug as if in a toast. They chinked their mugs together as if they were glasses of champagne and smiled at each other. A bond had begun to form and it was a good feeling.
"It's going to be different for me from now on. In the old days I was happy to work all the hours there are. Thing is, I didn't have a life back then..." she explained candidly. "Well, I did, but Ryan Milarno, the previous CMO, was *it* so it was always here, where he was. Now I'm lucky enough to have Rick Dunham in my life and I plan to marry him as quickly as I can, preferably before he has a chance to escape!" Another wide grin. Chelsea was not afraid to make fun of herself.
"Ben has widening personal horizons too, with an increasingly serious relationship on the boil. I've never seen him so taken before. It's a lovely thing. Anyway, he's so proud and happy that I know he won't be shy about telling you... he's told everyone with alarming enthusiasm for someone who used to be so aloof where his women were concerned." Chelsea smiled fondly as Ben was discussed, a maternal kind of aura about her attitude to him.
"I hope that makes sense?" she asked, realising she had digressed. "I seem to be waffling". Her light Bajoran ridges creased together.
~and I seem to have lost my concentration since my *little trip*!~ she thought, struggling to rectify that without a lot of success.
Bridget had to grin; she couldn't help herself. She'd been happily married for seventeen years, and was a hopeless romantic. Hearing about Chelsea and Ben, and their respective relationships... Chelsea couldn't have touched a softer spot in Bridget's heart and mind.
"Oh yes, it makes perfect sense, and you have my congratulations!" Bridget effused. She resisted the urge to squeeze Chelsea's forearm in encouragement; the warmth she was feeling toward this woman was strong, and yet, it was so odd, since they had only just met. She didn't want to take anything for granted, but she had a feeling that the two of them were going to be friends.
"Thank you. I can't wait for you to meet him. You're gonna love him... he's just... well, GORGEOUS!" Chelsea blushed, bubbling over about Rick was her favourite past-time. "I'm sorry, I'm really boring about him, I can't talk about him enough....."
Bridget chuckled with a soft, knowing expression in her eyes as she listened. The laugh ebbed into a grin as Chelsea trailed off, and she nodded, saying, "I feel the same way about my husband, Ed. So it's not boring, at all. I would be glad to meet your Rick, sometime, and I'd like to introduce you to my Ed, of course. Once we get settled in, maybe we could talk our men into a double date?"
"Totally!! How about you join us for dinner.... soon?" Chelsea enthused as they got up and set off to begin the first rounds of the day.
OFF:
A JP Between:
Ensign Bridget Stapleton
Doctor (general practice) - DS5
and
Commander Chelsea Adams
CMO - DS5
by Commander Chelsea Dunham & Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton
Post Details
| Title | la Tour de Force | |
| Mission | Judgement | |
| Author(s) | Commander Chelsea Dunham & Lieutenant Bridget Stapleton | |
| Posted | Wed Nov 17, 2010 @ 10:55pm | |
| Location | Sickbay | |
| Timeline | SD 35 approx 9am |
Chelsea and Bridget moved out into the Main Sickbay and the CMO began to point out the features. "These main bays closest to the office are for the most dependent cases and over here...." she gesticulated widely to some sealed off units. "We have the Intensive Care suites. I'll show you Theatres when we get round that side, but first, the most important member of staff in here."
She moved towards the main stock cupboards and the nurses' station and revealed a replicator. "This is Rena, she'll be your second best friend, after me!" Chelsea grinned, pointing to the name badge attached to the replicator.
"Pleased to meet you, Rena," Bridget said with mock seriousness, and gave a short curtsy for added camp. She couldn't contain the grin any longer; she smiled widely and said to Chelsea, "You have a well-appointed Sickbay, Commander, from what I can see. I'm looking forward to making use of good tools, like Rena here."
"Knock yourself out, Doctor!" Chelsea laughed. "We have loads more toys in Intensive Care....Come, I'll show you"
Chelsea led Bridget to the suites full of arrays of equipment. Everything this century had to offer was here.
"Wow... talk about tool lust..." Bridget mumbled under her breath as she looked around the room. She was sincerely impressed.
Chelsea continued with the tour explaining everything and pointing out with pride all the advantages and improvements in the facility, hoping Bridget would be pleased with what was on offer and proud to be part of what went on in the department.
"I hope you're going to like it here with us" She said as they walked on round towards Theatres. "I want all the Medical staff to feel part of a family team and if that isn't happening for any reason, I'm always here for you to come and help me put that right."
"I hope so too," Bridget said; and then internally, she took a deep breath. ~Funny how things come full circle sometimes.~ "Sooo..." she began, and hesitated, stopping to face Chelsea. "It doesn't seem like Doctor Murdoch feels like he's part of a family team."
Chelsea winced visibly. "Hmmm... you noticed that. Not that he makes any secret of it." She sighed as if she was suddenly very tired. "More coffee?" She returned to Rena, fetched more drinks and returned with the cups, then leant heavily against the nearest biobed - the two of them alone in the ICU bay so no-one else could hear.
"I don't think I should say this but then again, it's not like I could keep it a secret. To be totally honest with you Bridget, I don't know how to deal with Lance. He's out of control. As his department head I should haul his arse in here and tear him a new one but I'm a doctor not a Marine drill sargeant. Whatever happened to the idea that a doctor promises during his Hippocratic Oath to 'first do no harm'." She took a sip of coffee and thought for a moment or two.
"But if you get any trouble from him, I'll wade in, I have no problem protecting my staff..... but just because I don't like his rudeness and deliberately provocative behaviour, I don't know if I can justify a full scale response if it's only me he's challenging. Besides that seems to be what he wants and part of me wants to rise above that. Am I making any sense?"
~Interesting~ Bridget mused, as she sipped her coffee and listened to Chelsea's thoughts on the Chief Surgeon. It sounded to her as if Chelsea was willing to put up with a lot, and the only reason Bridget could think of was that the CS was very, very good at what he did. Still, for Chelsea to allow him to insult not only herself but new recruits, like he'd done in her office... Bridget knew she'd never allow that, if she were in Chelsea's position.
Bridget decided to take a chance. She could either respond diplomatically, or honestly. Since Chelsea trusted her with a rather intimate look into the CMO-CS relationship, Bridget figured it would be a good idea to give Chelsea a heads' up on what might happen between herself and Lance.
Looking up from her cup, Bridget said, "I'm glad you shared that with me; it helps me to get an idea of what Doctor Murdoch is like. And I guess I would like to let you know how I would respond to it the next time I run into him. Basically, the way I see it is that he's going to insult me, and I'm going to throw it right back in his face. I won't allow him to treat me disrespectfully again, and get away with it."
Chelsea sighed. "I know you're right. I've been trying to make this easier but i've actually run out of options. I've tried all the disciplinary avenues up to serious warnings..... I just have to bite that bullet if he tries it again." she agreed.
Bridget nodded, appreciating the difficult position Chelsea was in. Given the freedom and comfort with which Lance had spread his bile in Chelsea's office, any disciplinary action the CMO gave him would probably be met with a series of infantile tantrums. She didn't envy Chelsea one bit. Sighing herself in shared commiseration, she then gave Chelsea a lopsided smile and shook her head, before taking a sip of coffee and changing the subject.
"My husband is getting our belongings settled into our quarters, so I'd be ready to start my first shift at your earliest convenience. When would you like me to report, and where, and... well, would it be possible for me to get introduced to who I'll be working with, before I leave today?"
She imagined the Commander didn't have a lot of time for this meet-and-greet, and so she didn't want to push that envelope. But at the same time, it never hurt to ask, because the task of getting Bridget's ducks in a row could be passed on to someone else in Chelsea's stead, if she were pressed for time.
Chelsea thought about this for a few seconds, taking a sip of tea to allow her to run through her schedule in her head. She liked this new doctor and the sensible things she said were like fresh air. "You're going to get on well with Ed McBain." she commented, likening Bridget to the steady, foundation rock that the Lead Nurse Practitioner represented in the Department.
"I'll set you up a shift with him the day after tomorrow but if you want to start work today, I'm very happy for you to shadow me. Ben is a remarkably good ACMO and he knows how i work from the past and I know he'd be another good one to take as a template, but frankly he has a lot going on personally at this time -not that I'm offering that as a criticism! We *both* have suddenly developed 'lives' - I don't know who gave permission for *that* sort of malarchy!" she grinned.
"In short, I need someone who can step up to the plate to help support us both. This is a big department and we have a huge station population to cover. There are even times, in emergencies, when we open the Auxiliary Sickbay and run both in tandem to cope with the numbers.
The staff here are good, excellent in fact, but I wouldn't ask you to just learn from the juniors, the Interns, the Nurses or the specialists alone. As competent as they *all* are at what they do, that doesn't spread itself widely enough for what i'm considering, so I'd like for you to stick with me for a few days if you're willing? If you get bored with me, you can always make an excuse to tag Ben for a while instead, I promise not to see through it too quickly." Again the good humoured grin.
"Up to now, Ed McBain has formed the third arm of a 'triad at the top'. My predecessor made that set up work well, including Ed and myself when I was ACMO. It would now make it easier for me to delegate, as well as get a competent full back-up on side, ideally to even cover shifts too, if you were prepared to train up to take on a place too.
I'm looking to place you in the rota to take charge whenever you find yourself the most senior doctor on duty - which, to be honest, I can arrange to happen as often as you are able, and would *wish*, to cope with." Chelsea looked at Bridget and took another sip of tea, waiting to see if she looked horrified or not.
Bridget's eyes widened with each sentence, as Chelsea sketched out her proposal. On the one hand, Bridget's ambitious side salivated at the opportunity presented before her. But the more cautious side reminded her that she actually had no idea what she'd be biting off, and whether it was a bigger mouthful than she could chew.
Looking up at the ceiling, Bridget blew a long gust of breath through pursed lips, thinking hard. If she shadowed Chelsea, and then gave a decision... that would err on the side of caution but hopefully give her a more informed state upon which to make a decision. She looked back and met Chelsea's eyes. "I'd like to shadow you, Commander, and I appreciate the offer immensely. If you don't mind a suggestion, we could set a term for the shadowing, and then when the term was up, we sit down and have a meeting about this, and we make a decision about stepping up my involvement then. How does that sound?"
"It sounds like a fine plan!" Chelsea exclaimed, holding up her mug as if in a toast. They chinked their mugs together as if they were glasses of champagne and smiled at each other. A bond had begun to form and it was a good feeling.
"It's going to be different for me from now on. In the old days I was happy to work all the hours there are. Thing is, I didn't have a life back then..." she explained candidly. "Well, I did, but Ryan Milarno, the previous CMO, was *it* so it was always here, where he was. Now I'm lucky enough to have Rick Dunham in my life and I plan to marry him as quickly as I can, preferably before he has a chance to escape!" Another wide grin. Chelsea was not afraid to make fun of herself.
"Ben has widening personal horizons too, with an increasingly serious relationship on the boil. I've never seen him so taken before. It's a lovely thing. Anyway, he's so proud and happy that I know he won't be shy about telling you... he's told everyone with alarming enthusiasm for someone who used to be so aloof where his women were concerned." Chelsea smiled fondly as Ben was discussed, a maternal kind of aura about her attitude to him.
"I hope that makes sense?" she asked, realising she had digressed. "I seem to be waffling". Her light Bajoran ridges creased together.
~and I seem to have lost my concentration since my *little trip*!~ she thought, struggling to rectify that without a lot of success.
Bridget had to grin; she couldn't help herself. She'd been happily married for seventeen years, and was a hopeless romantic. Hearing about Chelsea and Ben, and their respective relationships... Chelsea couldn't have touched a softer spot in Bridget's heart and mind.
"Oh yes, it makes perfect sense, and you have my congratulations!" Bridget effused. She resisted the urge to squeeze Chelsea's forearm in encouragement; the warmth she was feeling toward this woman was strong, and yet, it was so odd, since they had only just met. She didn't want to take anything for granted, but she had a feeling that the two of them were going to be friends.
"Thank you. I can't wait for you to meet him. You're gonna love him... he's just... well, GORGEOUS!" Chelsea blushed, bubbling over about Rick was her favourite past-time. "I'm sorry, I'm really boring about him, I can't talk about him enough....."
Bridget chuckled with a soft, knowing expression in her eyes as she listened. The laugh ebbed into a grin as Chelsea trailed off, and she nodded, saying, "I feel the same way about my husband, Ed. So it's not boring, at all. I would be glad to meet your Rick, sometime, and I'd like to introduce you to my Ed, of course. Once we get settled in, maybe we could talk our men into a double date?"
"Totally!! How about you join us for dinner.... soon?" Chelsea enthused as they got up and set off to begin the first rounds of the day.
OFF:
A JP Between:
Ensign Bridget Stapleton
Doctor (general practice) - DS5
and
Commander Chelsea Adams
CMO - DS5