Jayme had spent the two weeks on light duty working in the infirmary and in sickbay getting her clinical hours and administrative projects out of the way before the Hawkes arrived and she'd start training as a back up pilot and help training and set up the protocols her other medics would use on their missions.
It was 6am and she had an appointment with Dr. Cherrin to take her boards. Jayme arrived in Sickbay, studied and memorized various protocols. She'd been walking three to five miles a day and was back in the gym. She'd met with the Colonel several times in her two weeks off, and he was still refusing to give her any assignments, until he'd heard from Dr. Fletcher that she was off light duty. Jayme entered through the back entrance into the lounge, wearing her scrubs. She pulled a cup of coffee from the replicator, and waited. She watched Doctor Cherrin enter; she smiled and watched as he got a cup of herbal tea. "Let's move to my office and figure out where to begin." Jayme with her splint followed and took a seat across from the desk.
Dr. Cherrin pulled up Jayme's education record and studied it, and then said, "Okay. Looks like you are ready to take your second level boards. He noted the results, from when she took the same boards seven years ago at Starfleet Medical. He looked at her and said, " you need 1500 hrs and eight more courses to finish the third year." He took a sip of his tea and watched her.
Jayme cleared her throat. "I think, I am ready to take the boards. I know that I have a lot of clinical hours to make up. My next assignment won't begin for another two weeks. I would like to use that time to get checked off on procedures."
"Hmmm, Okay. Has Doctor Fletcher released you to duty?"
Jayme looked at her knee brace and shook her head and said, "I'm okay for light duty-up to twelve hours with no prolonged standing, no working out, and I must wear the brace."
"Okay. Then lets start with the boards. I'll have it set up at the terminal behind you. There is a six hour time limit. Jayme stood and went to the restroom and grabbed another cup of coffee, several sheets of blank paper and a pen. Jayme took a couple of acetaminophen out of her pocket and took it with the coffee. She saw that Dr. Cherrin was watching her. "Having much pain with the knee?"
"Most of the pain is the irritation of the brace." Dr. Cherrin stood and with a tricorder in hand walked to stand in front of Jayme. He scanned her. He saw that she'd gained back three of the kilo's that she'd lost on her last assignment. Her vital signs were normal and she appeared for the most part well rested. "Okay. The computer is ready. When you answer the first question the timer will begin. I will be on duty."
Nathan stood outside of Jayme's quarters and waved his hand at the sensor and the door opened and he stepped inside to find it quite and dark. She'd arrived home at three in the morning after the 'night-fire' exercises—he'd left her here after checking her knee. He checked the bedroom and found it empty and the bed made. He dropped his overnight bag, and asked, "Computer, locate Captain Jayme Alcon?"
"Captain Jayme Alcon is in Sickbay." The computer announced. Nathan touched his combadge, Dr. Fletcher to Captain Alcon?"
[Jayme here.] She continued to read and answer the questions.
"Where are you?" Fletcher asked.
[I am taking my second year boards. Here in Dr. Cherrin's office.] Jayme paused and rubbed her face and looked at the question again. [I just started and the soonest I can be done is in six hours... .well actually four and a half hours.]
He checked the time on her computer and said, [received.] The night before he'd been paged by the Major that she'd run the night-fire exercise and today she was pushing on with her medical exams. He had the day off and thought they would spend time together at a concert. He returned to his quarters to read a few journal articles from Starfleet medical and cleaned up. When he'd finished he still had several hours to wait. "Dr. Fletcher to Lt. Kassia?"
[Lt. Kassia, here.] She smiled from her shop, Kassia's Cave of Curiosities, having some free time on her hands.
"Do you have time to join me for a cup of Raktajino?" Nathan asked.
[I could meet you at Harry's, in say fifteen minutes.]
He pulled on his jacket and said, "that would be great." He arrived early and found a table outside with an umbrella. He spotted her and held a seat out and then took his. "I hope this is okay?"
"Great." She noted that he was alone and tense. "I enjoy being out here, but if you'd rather be inside?"
"No, I'm fine out here. Thought it would be a good time for us to talk and get to know one another." He sat back in the chair and smiled. A hostess came out and took their orders and returned a few minutes later. They sat for about half an hour talking about the station, the Marines Corps and a friend they shared in common. It wasn't long after that they separated, she headed back to her office. Nathan feeling a little better, swapped his tickets for the concert for a later time, and walked to medical to find Jayme just finishing up. He noted the dark circles around her eyes, and paleness, and the empty cups of coffee. "So, are you finished?" He asked.
"Yes." She said leaning back in the chair.
Dr. Cherrin saw Nathan, and walked into the office and said, "the results won't be ready until tomorrow. I want you and your basic/advanced corpsmen to spend eight hours working with Nathan in the morning to do the practical applications so that you are able to do the procedures without modern technology. I expect you here pulling at least five—eight our shift to get some of the clinical hours out of the way for the next six months."
Jayme stood stretched, rubbed her temples-as she walked past both men to the restroom. She returned and saw both of them watching her and talking. "Stop looking at me like that I'm fine!" She brushed past and picked up the cups and tossed them into the nearest recycler and then walked back and took Nathan's hand and said, "the rest of the day is yours as promised."
Outside of medical she released his hand and they walked in silence to her quarters, where she excused herself to shower and change. He was sitting on the bed when she came out trying to decide when she could work in a haircut. "Hi." She smiled.
"How's your headache?" He asked resting his elbows on his knee, looking up into her face.
She walked over and sat down beside him, and said, "I still have it, but the lack of sleep and coffee made it worse on top of the testing." She watched him shake his head. "I don't want you to cancel our plans. When's the concert?"
He stood, crossed his arms over his chest, and looked down at her, "twenty hundred hours." He went into the bathroom and got a glass of cold water and handed it to her. He then gave her two fast dissolving tablets, which she took without a fuss. She finished off the water and handed the glass back. He pulled off his jacket and toed off his boots. She was still in shorts and a tee. "Lets set the alarm for eighteen hundred and take a nap." He lay there and listened to her breathing and noted that she was asleep immediately. When the alarm sounded they got up and dressed and went out for dinner and the concert.
They'd returned to her quarters at 2300 and she'd just sat down with a micro brew that she'd pulled from the replicator when her commlink beeped, [Dr. Fletcher. Captain Alcon. Please respond to medical emergency in sickbay.] Jayme set the bottle aside. "Received," and rushed out of the room with Nathan right behind her.
At 0600, both medical staff were cleared to leave. While working she'd been taken aside by Kassia and reminded, she was due in the counselors office at 0700. At 0800, Jayme arrived and found her 10 advanced corpsmen and 15 basic's already in the classroom off the side. Jayme slipped inside and moved to the front of the room where Dr. Fletcher had already started the emergency procedures and techniques class. Both had been up all night and would be a long day. He smiled as she sat.