"Hi," said a soft voice as she entered the room. "My name is Cristina- just here to do some post op tests."
She seemed nice enough, she came foreword and shone a light into my eyes.
"How are you feeling?" She asked politely.
"A little groggy - and my head hurts a lot. What happened to me again?"
"You were in an explosion in engineering and you needed surgery to repair the damage, you seem to be recovering well."
She looked into my ears, listened to my heart, tested some reflexes, and then she was gone.
- - -
"We need to get her in to surgery again - right now," Cristina advised Dr. McCoy. "Her brain is bleeding into her ears, pupils are reactive but uneven, a scan showed she has a tumour - this could be causing the memory deficits."
Doctor McCoy was sat at his desk, files opened.
"The investigation has not shown any conclusive evidence as to the radiation being carcinogenic or not. Prep the patient, call the OR. We need to proceed as if it were."
"That means anyone on that deck could have cancer."
"Just let me take care of that part. Also, start her on Diphdesomine to stop the cancerous growths."
She left the room, faster than a walk, but slower than a jog.
He pressed a button, and immediately, Scotty, chief engineering officer appeared in hologram.
"Scotty, I need a list - of every person on the engineering deck when it exploded. This is urgent."
"Bones? What's going on?"
"There's no time to explain. for the health of everyone on board - I need that list. I'll be in surgery."
- - -
The tumour was visible. Cristina had opened her up on McCoy's orders.
"How should we approach?" He asked her.
"Laterally?" she said unknowingly.
Suddenly, the monitors showed that he heart had stopped beating.
"Beginning CPR," McCoy yelled as he moved away from the open brain to where her body was.
There was no improvement.
"She's fibrillating," Cristina yelled.
"Paddles - charge to 200." McCoy yelled
"Clear." He said as people moved away.
No response
He was the only one in the whole room who was talking.
"Charge to 300."
"Clear."
He started CPR again.
The minutes added up until half an hour went past with no improvement. Doctor McCoy was still doing chest compressions.
Cristina checked the pupils quietly.
"Sir," she finally said. "She's gone. You have to call it."
He stopped but did not look at Cristina.
"Time of death 23:46."
He ripped off his gloves, and pushed back his scrub cap to reveal his dark brown hair.
He left the OR first, then the rest of the team followed.
Cristina tried to follow McCoy into his office, but he closed and locked the door.
He sunk his head into his hands.
After a few minutes, he readjusted his position, and sat back in his chair.
He pressed a button.
"Jim, she's dead."
