Subject: Grail: "Unexplored Spaces"- 'Repairing the Captain'

--Sickbay--

Ramius looked up from his microscope as the doors parted. The captain walked in, blood dripping off his chin, onto his black uniform, where it had a slightly diminished presence. William acted immediately, stepping towards the Captain as he reached out his arm to one of his nurses. "Molari, over here," he called. The young lady joined the Doctor, and the pair intercepted the Captain before he was ten paces into the room.

"Captain," stated Ramius in greeting. "I'll take him to the examination room attached to the surgical suite. Meet us there with your equipment, Lisa." William led the Captain to the examination room by an elbow. William bid Epic to sit on the exam bed, then pulled out his tricorder as the nurse arrived with some other instruments.

"Want to explain what happened, Captain?" asked William, looking over the rim of his reading glasses into Epic's eyes.

"I fell.", Epic replied with a look of stone cold apathy.

"I see," replied William flatly. "Open your mouth, please," he instructed the Captain. Epic obeyed, and William shined a small penlight about in the Captain's mouth. "Hmmmm," he said, as he held out his hand towards the nurse. "Apertizine." The hypo passed into his hand, and William placed it to Epic's neck. The Captain's expression softened ever so slightly as the pain began to drain away from his body. "Captain, where are your teeth?"

"Somewhere in Holodeck 4, I'd wager," he replied in the same flat tone.

"Mister Tatum?" called William out into the Sickbay. A fair-haired youth stepped in briefly.

"Yes sir?"

"Go to Holodeck four and look for the captain's teeth. You'll be looking for his left upper incisor and lower bicuspid."

"Yes. . .sir," replied the young man, obviously not used to getting orders like that.

William peered through his glasses at the tricorder he held. "Hmmm," came the sound again. He picked up the dermal regenerator and began to work on the numerous cuts and scrapes on the Captain's face, neck, and hands. "Remove your shirt for me, captain," said William, pulling the tool away long enough for him to comply. A brief look of pain was tuned down to discomfort as Epic sat there bare-chested. William began knitting the small cuts and contusions that were here and there.

"Commander Ramius?" came a voice from the door. It was Tatum, two white teeth with bloody edges in his outstretched hand.

William turned briefly. "Very good, Mister Tatum. Set them there. Return to your normal duties." With a nod, Tatum was gone.

The doctor finished mending the small cuts, and soon was working on the Captain's teeth. With the pain-killing drug still in his system, Epic felt little more than a slight tugging sensation.

William wielded the small regenerator like a conductor with a baton. Very soon, the teeth were back in place, and the nerves where they should be.

William withdrew the tool, then leaned back slightly to look at Epic. "Well. I've stopped the bleeding and sealed all of your cuts and contusions. The teeth are firmly back in place, although I'd avoid anything hard or extreme in temperature for the next few days. Now, the ache that you feel in your back is due to a strained muscle in your lower back, so I'd take it easy on lifting heavy things or getting mixed up in any more," the corners of William's mouth tugged upwards a little as he spoke the next word, "disagreements with anyone for a while. The pain will subside in a couple of days, but theirs nothing to worry about. You'll probably have a few more assorted aches and pains over the next week or so, but these should help." William took Epic's hand and dropped eight small blue capsules into his palm. "Take one of these each morning after your first meal. They should keep the pain from becoming too severe." Ramius paused only long enough to take his glasses from his nose and let thme hand loosely around his neck. He crossed his arms. "Now, captain, I've found multiple traces of DNA that isn't yours on various parts of your body. You don't get these by 'falling'. I am only here to help you, Captain Terrakian," said Ramius, looking at the Captain in a way that was eerily fatherlike and more than tinged with honest concern. Epic could feel that as it radiated from the man before him.

Epics enforced coolness softened at the Doctors genuine concern. He put a hand on the mans shoulder and squeezed gently as he stood. "And I appreciate your help, William."

Epic faced him, his gentle grip on the man maintained.

"And I appreciate your discretion in this matter. The circumstances that brought me here are not yet at a resolution. "

Then, Epics face became hard and cold again.

"But, it soon will be."

With one last pat on the doctors back, his face a grimacing smile of gratitude, Epic left Sickbay.

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A joint post by Aaron ( Dr. Ramius) and John (Captain Terrakian)