Post Surgery Check In

Posted on Sunday, 5 September 2021 - 1:39pm by Lieutenant Ryan Rose MD & Lieutenant T'Lanna Vali

Mission: Operation: Lazarus
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD10 - After rescue from Engineering

Ryan had spent hours stabilizing T'Lanna. It could have, should have really, been much worse. They still had a long way to go, but he was confident that she would pull though. Now, they had some things to discuss. He pulled a stool up to the bio bed, and slowly lessened the sedative T'Lanna was on. He would let her come to as naturally as possible.

T’Lanna slowly started to regain consciousness her senses switching on first telling her that she wasn’t alone. Her eyes slowly started to open, she expected to see herself still in engineering staring at the lifeless bodies of her companions. As she opened her eyes she raised a hand to cover them finding the light bright for her eyes, it took a few moments before her brain registered who was sitting with her. “R... Ryan?” Her voice was croaky almost hoarse.

"Hey there." Ryan spoke back softly, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "How are you feeling?"

“I...” She looked around as though she didn’t really know where she was, or that she thought she might be dreaming. “I don’t know... is this a dream? Am I... dying?” She massaged her temples with her free hand. “I was dying! This... can’t be true!”

"T'Lanna." Ryan couldn't help but smile. "I'm sure the afterlife could provide a better guide than me. It was very touch and go for awhile though, and you have a long way to go."

T’Lanna looked directly at Ryan, something in his tone of voice had her worried. “What do you mean? A long way to go?”

Ryan would be as gentle as he could, but honest. "You've suffered significant radiation damage throughout most of your systems."

T’Lanna nodded. “Then why... why am I alive? Pickles and the others... they didn’t deserve to die!” She shook her head. “So how serious?” She coughed the talking making her chest feel tight and wheezy.

"They didn't deserve to die." Ryan agreed. "Medically I"m not sure why you did and they didn't. I haven't done autopsies yet." He said gravely. As far as your injuries, I'm already working on an artificial liver and lungs. They won't be ready until tomorrow though. You have way too many drugs running through your system right now, so I want to get you into surgery as soon as possible. Long term, you are at a far greater risk for cancer, stroke, epilepsy, and a number of others. You'll need to be closely monitored."

Lamia coughed again, clearing her throat before speaking again. “I knew... it was going to... be serious but...” She shook her head wiping away tears. “Can I... see Jayce and Raith?”

Ryan checked her lung function and frowned. "Five minutes. You've been on too many drugs, I want to get you rested before surgery, as well."

T’Lanna frowned as she gazed at Ryan, “I’m sorry... what was I... saying?” She looked very confused. “I don’t remember... why don’t... I remember?”

"Rest" Ryan left her no room for argument. Family reunions could wait until it didn't risk her health. He pushed a heavy sedative, then set up several in depth monitors. Those artificial organs couldn't finish soon enough. For now though, he needed to sleep as well. He didn't want to be too far away though, so headed to the couch in his office. He longed to call Scarlet, but didn't want to disturb her. Tomorrow was going to be a very long day.

~ The following morning ~

T’Lanna had woken early the sense of Raith and Jayce being nearby had helped immensely. Being able to see Raith and share in the love they had for one another, and briefly hold her son raised T’Lanna’s spirits and was helping with her mental recovery too. Not everything made sense to her right now but she enjoyed what did. The visit had been all too brief, with Ryan waiting to perform her surgery.

Ryan came up beside T'Lanna with a smile. "Ok, I'm just about ready to start. This is the part you don't have to worry about. It's a very straight forward surgery. Once the new liver and lungs have been transplanted, you'll be in recovery. I'll be right there, and we'll see where we are then. Ok?"

T’Lanna nodded. “Okay Ryan” The last she saw as she fell asleep was Ryan’s face.

As promised, Ryan was sitting next to T'Lanna's biobed, watching her vitals slowly start to rise. He grabbed a cup of water, and put a straw in it, ready for her when she awoke.

T’Lanna slowly awoke, as she opened her eyes she smiled a little as she set eyes on Ryan. “Hey...” She motioned to the cup in his hand, her throat was aridly dry. “Water... please.”

Ryan held the cup, raising the bio bed controls just enough for her to sit up enough to sip. "Sip, don't gulp." He warned.

T’Lanna did as she was told gently sipping the water, it was refreshing to say the least. “Thank you” She smiled as she rested her head back on the biobed. “How did it go?”

"Textbook surgery wise." He answered. "How are you feeling?" He started up the scanners, but still wanted her opinion on how she felt.

“A little tired, but no pain.” T’Lanna offered a smile. “I guess... better sums it up.”

"That's excellent." Ryan smiled. He placed the water down nearby in case she wanted more. "Now, more scans and test. I'm sorry. If you start feeling like a pinanta or a pin cushion, just yell at me to take a break."

“I never yell” T’Lanna offered a small smile. “Besides if it wasn’t for you, and the others I wouldn’t be here now.”

Ryan patted her shoulder. "Well just sit still for a few moments, and let me run these scans." Ryan spent a few minutes doing just that. He made some notations. "Well, your lung and liver functions are good. No rejection of the implants, that's excellent."

T’Lanna nodded. “Is there anything else I’m going to need to have done?”

"Not surgically." He looked her in the eye. "I'm not liking some of your neurological readings. But that could very well be the result of the shock your system just went through. It's something to keep an eye on, and once you've had a few weeks to recover, we'll take another set of scans and go from there. Right now, you just need to rest. Really rest."

T’Lanna nodded. “That probably explains why I’m having difficulty with my senses, it’s like... trying to tune into a crackling channel, it fades in and out.”

"That's a good analogy. For now, sleep is the best option. I want to monitor you for a few more hours, but then I'm sure you'll be more comfortable in your own bed."

T’Lanna nodded. “Definitely! I sleep better when I have Raith to cuddle up with.” She offered a smile. “Before you say it, I know... rest not fun and games.”

Ryan chuckled briefly. "You know the drill." He stifled a yawn. "I'll let you get some rest, I'm just in my office if you need me though."

T’Lanna smiled and nodded. “Thank you Ryan, you’re a wonderful friend and Doctor.”

"Thank you T'Lanna" He certainly wasn't feeling it at the moment, but he appreciated the sentiment. He left the water for her, then dimmed the lights for her.

Closing her eyes T’Lanna was soon asleep again, letting her body and mind get the rest that was so needed.