Event Horizon
0200 hours
(Song Sandford has on repeat: This Guy's In Love With You - YouTube )
“Okay John-boy, I’m going to bed now. Just leave the bottle on the counter and I’ll get it in the morning” Swifty called at the ramp. “And please, turn off the music when you’re done, okay? I don’t want security waking me up!”
Sandford, who was quite inebriated and slow dancing with a bottle of Aldeberaan whiskey, put his thumbs up to Swifty in acknowledgement. Swifty sighed. “Doctors…” He muttered as he walked down the ramp, noticing Jena walking towards the ramp.
“Hey!” Swifty called to her. “Do me a favour and make sure that music gets turned off!”
Jena nodded as Swifty left, she curiously ascended the ramp and stood, watching Sandford slow dance with himself while swigging the whisky from the bottle. He then started to sing raspily along with the song.
Tell me now, is it so?
Don’t let me be the last to know
My hands are shaking…
Sanford threw out his hand, shaking it, his eyes closed.
Don’t let… my heart keep breaking, 'cause…
I need your love.
I want your love
Say you’re in love
In love with this guy…
Sandford did the percussive orchestral hits, opening his eyes. Jena noticed a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the bar and headed towards them, she took one, sniffed it, shrugged, then had a bite.
If not, I’ll just die…
Jena turned back to Sandford and started clapping as the instrumental interlude started. Sandford turned around, noticing Jena. He smiled and bowed to his one woman audience.
The clapping abruptly stopped as Sandford raised from his bow, trying to focus on who it was. As the fog cleared, Sandford’s mouth dropped open. Jena was sinking to her knees, her face turning dark green with lack of oxygen.
“Help…help me, human!” She struggled to say, a hand reaching for Sandford.
Sandford dropped the bottle of whisky, before it smashed on the floor, his legs started running towards her to catch her as she fell backwards.
His training cut through his stupor like a hot knife through butter. He was clear-headed for the first time in weeks. He slapped his commbadge.
“Sandford to Sickbay, Medical emergency in Event Horizon! I need a team up here right away!”
“On our way” came the short reply as Sandford ran to grab the medkit and realised it hadn’t been replaced since the Klingon incident a few nights before.
His eyes frantically searched for another close by, that couldn’t be the only one. He leaped over the bar and ran around it, relieved that there was indeed another on the other side. He returned just as the medical team were arriving. Sandford looked at them, they were just crew medics who’d started the same day as him.
Sandford knelt beside the convulsing Jena, scanning her with the tricorder.
“She’s having a severe allergic reaction to a chocolate chip cookie, which is stuck in her throat, her tongue is swelling, airway is obstructed, give me 10ccs of Silosiline!”
The medics looked at each other. “John, we need to get her to sickbay.” One said. “You’re not a Doctor! You can’t treat her! You’re also very drunk!”
“I’m off duty! If Jarnefelt or Rahn were here, I’d concur and leave this to them, but she needs to be treated now. So get me Silosiline!”
One of the medics reluctantly loaded a hypo, handing it to Sandford. Time seemed to slow as Sandford checked to make sure the hypo was right. It was. He pressed it against Jena’s neck. Then scanned her again.
“What?! The Silosiline should have alleviated the swelling! It’s getting worse!” Sandford yelled as the medics looked at each other.
“We need a site to site…” One of them said.
“No! Too risky! We can treat her here! Just give me a hand!”
His tricorder emitted a critical beep as Jena’s lifesigns faded.
“You can report me to the CMO later. We have a patient to save.”
“Sir, we can get a Doctor up here…”
“One is already here. You, keep her head steady. Her heart’s about to stop. I need 20cc’s of Cordrazine.”
The other medic frowned. “Don’t you mean Tricordrazine?”
“No, patient is Romulan. Romulans and Klingons do not respond to Tricordrazine, they do respond to Cordrazine.”
The medic loaded the hypo, handing it to Sandford, who again checked it.
“It is correct, sir.” The medic said, a little frustrated.
“Nothing personal crewman, just habit these days.” He readied the hypo against Jena’s heart as the critical beep . The medics looked at her, then at Sandford.
“Sir?” One of the medics queried worriedly.
“Not yet…Hold her down…” Sandford said, waiting a second more. “Now.” He depressed the hypo and Jena’s body convulsed, her eyes opened and she shot up. Sandford pushed her back down into a laying position. “I said hold her! Stop worrying about your careers and help me, for f— sake!”
That focused the medics as he scanned.
“Okay, I think I can remove the piece of cookie. Get me two tongue depressants and some pincers from the medkit…”
The medics did as he asked and, gingerly, Sandford depressed Jena’s swollen tongue as much as he could. Jena’s eyes were closed again as the Cordrazine shot began to wear off.
“Hold this, keep it down. Keep monitoring her heart-rate.”
“It’s slowing sir. Should I prepare another shot of Cordrazine?”
“No. Too much and it will kill her.” He replied.
Sandford looked up. “Computer, spotlight directly above my location.”
A bright light shone down, Jena didn’t wince. Sandford nodded. “Hold her head steady. I think the swelling on the tongue is going down…”
The medic nodded. “That Cordrazine seemed to have helped.”
“Good. Makes this a lot easier…” Sandford delicately eased the pincers down her throat, spotting the offending cookie piece, he grabbed it and gently pulled it out. Jena sucked in a wheezy breath.
“Holy Shat!” exclaimed the medic holding her head. “You got it!”
Sandford nodded. “Bin, please.”
The other medic pulled his medkit over and Sandford dropped the cookie in.
The next song in Sandford’s playlist started playing. (I'm Alive - YouTube )
“I’m Alive?” Jena said weakly. Sandford nodded, smiling.
“You are, and you’re going to be okay. These two will get you to sickbay…”
The two gently moved her to an anti-grav sled. As they moved off, one of the medics turned around.
“Sir, you…uh… realise we’ll have to report everything about tonight, right?”
Sandford took a rag, wiping his hands.
“I’ll save a seat for you at my Court Martial.” He grinned as they headed down the ramp.
Sandford looked at the smashed whiskey bottle glass on the floor.
“My career, I suppose.” He said softly, before heading to get a broom.