Losing Mary

Chapter 2

When Chekov made it back to his room, the first thing he did was fall on his bed, the effects of the pain medicine still clinging to his mind. Making him sleepy.

Not even bothering to change his bloody shirt, he began to doze off, thinking about that doctor. She seemed so young. He'd heard that someone had broke his record at the academy, but wasn't quite sure if she was on the Enterprise.

~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~°•~

The next morning when Pavel woke up, he felt better. His head still hurt a bit, and his nose was really sore, but at least he wasn't in that bad a shape.

He reached up, and took the tape off his nose, wincing when it pulled at his face skin.

He got up, and took a quick shower, enjoying the way the steamy air made it easier to breathe.

Grabbing a clean shirt, he put it on, and began walking to the mess hall. To deep in thoughts to comprehend where he was walking, until suddenly, he was in the mess hall.

Smiling at his thoughtfulness, Chekov got in line, and got a plate of toast and scrambled eggs.

He noticed that most of the tables were full, and sighed, searching for a place to sit. Eventually he found am empty table, or, well...a mostly empty table. The only person sitting there, was none other, than the doctor herself.

He eagerly walked over to her, and sat down across from her at the table. She looked up from her PADD , her reddish brown curls bouncing around her shoulders. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"I see you're feeling better, Mr.Chekov. I don't think we were fully acquainted. I'm Mary Stern." She held out her hand, and Pavel shook it from across the table.

"Hello. I would have preferred for us to meet in a different way, but it seems that fate has a sense of humor."

"How so?" Mary asked, looking back up from her PADD.

"You're the girl who beat my record at the academy, right?" Chekov asked, shoveling a spoonful of eggs into his mouth. She blushed slightly, and nodded her head.

Mary opened her mouth to say something, when suddenly an alert sounded on her PADD, she looked down, and frowned slightly. "I'm so sorry, but I have to go. It was nice meeting you!" She collected her stuff, and ran from the room.

Chekov watched, amazed at how pretty she was. When she went out the doors, he sighed, and looked for Sulu.

Finding him sitting by Spock and Uhura, he moved to sit by them. He couldn't bring himself to join their conversation, all he could think about was Mary. And how her golden colored eyes sparkled, just so, in the mess halls' florescent lighting.

~~~^~~~^~~~^~~~^~~~^~~~^~~~

When Mary got to the Med Bay, the first thing she heard was the screams. The screams of someone in agony. The sound sent a shiver down her spine, and gave her the desire to help the one in pain.

She turned the corner, and stopped. Taking in the scene. There was a man in a red shirt, laying on one of the medical beds,with deep lacerations across his face and chest. Doctor McCoy and nurse Chapel were hurriedly trying to stop the blood coming from a big gash on his side.

Mary took a deep breath, and grabed a pair of gloves. She could do this. She pulled out a rubber band, and put her hair up in one swift motion.

Dr. McCoy looked up as she started getting her supplies ready. "He was attacked on an away mission. Only one injured."

"Is there internal bleeding?"

"Looks like it." He replied, and she injected the moaning man with a hypo. "He needs surgery."

"Take him to OR three, I'll be there in a minute." She says, putting her hands up as another nurse puts an operating gown on her front. McCoy nods, and discontents the bed from the wall, taking him to the OR.

Mary put on a pair of magnifying glasses, and walked into the operating room. Nurse Chapel already had the man fully sedated, and a breathing tube down his throat.

She sighed, and slowly began putting the man back together again. This was her specialty. When it came to serious injuries, to the need for surgery, she was the one to perform it.

When she operates, in a way she becomes a different person. She gets calm, reciting the necessary procedures in her mind. She, in a way, becomes a seasoned doctor, in seconds. Even though she was only sixteen.

"Hand me the scalpel." Mary said, holding out her hand, her voice was emotionless. McCoy put the tool in her hand, and watched, amazed by the difference in the young girl in front of him.

She carefully cut away on some dead flesh, and found the spot where the man was bleeding. Extending her hand, Mary grabbed the small, rod shaped tool.

She pressed it against the bleeding vein, and a small amount of smoke rose up. When she was sure the flow had stopped, she lifted the rod, and took a stitching needle from the nurse to her left.

Mary's hands didn't shake. The were steady, and well practiced. Slowly, she stitched up the wound, being extra careful to tie it off with the correct knot.

The rest of his injuries could be bandaged for now, they weren't deep. Mary clipped off the excess stitch string, and placed the needle down on the metal tray.

"He's done." She said, her voice slightly muffled by the face mask over her nose and mouth.

One nurse gasped slightly. A surgery that would have taken at least two hours, was finished in just under fifty minuets.

The man was taken to the recovery wing of the Med bay, and Mary went to dispose of her gloves and smock.

McCoy joined her, a new respect for the young girl in his eyes. He'd heard that she was good, but had never seen her in action until today. He was astounded.

"You did a good job." He said, taking off his face mask. Mary looked at him, and smiled. Her golden eyes glittering in the bright lights.

"Thanks. I don't want to sound boisterous, but it was kind of easy." She said, her Irish accent sounding thicker with out the mask.

McCoy smiled at that, and together they walked back to the main area of the Med bay. Mary sat down in a chair and picked up a medical PADD. She scanned the list of patients that needed tending to, and stood back up.

Handing the PADD to McCoy, she said, "I'll take the engineer with the broken arm. You can have Scotty."

"What did Scotty do know?" He groaned, scanning the info.

"Burned his leg. Have fun." Mary laughed slightly, and walked to the room the engineer was in.

McCoy sighed, and looked at Mary as she walked away. Not even exhausted, no one could tell she just performed a life saving surgery just fifteen minutes ago. Any one would be tired after that, and yet, she looked as if today were just another normal day.

He wished he had that much energy. Stretching his arms above his head, McCoy went to Scotty's patient room, burn cream in hand.

Meanwhile, under Mary's blue sleeve, the mark that looked like a burn on her wrist, was glowing with golden symbols, the same color as her eyes.