Taking Care of Business

Posted on 17 Sep 2025 @ 4:51pm by Crewman Clara Barton

952 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Fractured Accord
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Following a conversation with Dr. Amberlyn in the sickbay breakroom

Having been summoned to sickbay, Clara blew through the doors and went on auto pilot. This is what she was trained to do; what she was meant to do. She easily fell into her comfort zone because it was her vocation to take care of the sick, the injured, and anyone else who required her expertise.

Before she had even passed through the pneumatic doors, she’d been updated by Dr. Amberlyn who wanted her to attend to a group of personnel transported to the Arawyn from the Newton, another ship attached to their entourage. These newcomers were to be isolated and held in quarantine because they were victims of a nasty nanobot infestation. Clara had been made aware that nanobots are tiny entities that seek energy sources, and in this instance, they were using humans as vehicles to reach their target. Most likely, it was the Arawyn’s electronics that were vulnerable. She wondered if this hadn’t all begun after a buoy had mysteriously exploded. But the how didn’t matter now. What mattered were the patients under her care.

Even though the incoming group had been decontaminated before making the transfer, it didn’t necessarily mean they were out of the woods. Decontamination could be hard on the body, not to mention stressful for the mind. It was especially scary when the little buggers were in someone’s head scurrying around. Clara had made it a priority to become proficient with all the latest technological equipment that was at her disposal on a starship. So, she made the rounds of her new peeps that ran the gamut in age, race, sex, as well as rank. Nanobots didn’t care if you were an officer or a new crewman at the bottom of the pecking order. If you had a body, they were ready to be invasive and take up space.

Clara was relieved when everyone’s vitals were stable, and she could detect no residual evidence of the aggressive pests in their bodies when she scanned them from head to toe. Nonetheless, she wouldn’t have hesitated to use the special wand to deliver an electric charge to blast those nasty critters into kingdom come. Thankfully, it wasn’t necessary.

Crisis averted, Clara glanced around and watched Dr. Amberlyn move about sickbay with quiet focus. That’s what medical professionals did. It seemed as if it was imprinted on the strands of their DNA to remain calm and to lead by example even during the most challenging scenarios. Clara was glad that she had enjoyed getting the opportunity for some one-on-one time with the woman in the breakroom, and she found that she both liked and admired her superior on a personal level. It felt good to let her guard down, like a starship lowering its shields.

However, Clara suddenly intuited that her work here in sickbay was far from over. A good nurse didn’t stop with the basics. She provided total patient care, and right now that caused her to gravitate toward a patient named Daniel Clemens for a second look. It had never been documented, but Clara suspected she was a bit of an empath because she felt other people’s fear and pathos, and this young man was radiating it like an exploding nova.

“Hey there, Ensign Clemens,” Clara said as she nonchalantly pulled up a chair by his side.

“Hello, Ma’am,” he said quietly.

“May I call you Dan?” Clara asked politely.

“Of course,” he replied, wondering if she was singling him out because there was a problem.

Clara noticed the slight color change in his aura. A more discernable violet hue was trying to take over. That was a sign of stress, so she needed to attend to remedying that.

“Well, Dan, I’m sure it’s been a pretty rough day for you so far.”

“Um, I guess you could say that, but I’m fine now,” he answered slowly.

“Yes, you are fine,” Clara agreed, “and everyone looking after you is going to make sure you stay that way. But if you ever need to talk about what had to have been a nightmare for you, I’m a very good listener.”

A long silence lingered, and Clara was patient as she waited it out. Finally, the young man whispered under his breath, “They were in my head, and I really lost it. People had to hold me down so the nanobots could be neutralized, and I’m completely mortified because I certainly wasn’t very brave.”

Clara smiled and chose her words carefully. She didn’t want to sound condescending or preachy. “I think the words ‘bravery’ or ‘courage’ mean different things to different people. Perhaps you’re being too hard on yourself, being judgmental while others are not.”

“And I think you’re just being kind,” the young patient answered as he lowered his eyes.

“Let me try this another way,” Clara said gently. “Many years ago, back on Earth, there was an iconic old actor named John Wayne who starred in a lot of Westerns. I remember once reading a quote that was attributed to him. He was reported to have said, 'Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway.' So, personally, I think just signing up for this dangerous mission required a lot of courage, and somehow, I intuit that you’re going to keep saddling up day after day because you are braver than you think.”

Finally, Clara got the response she wanted. The worried man’s aura improved with a bit of silent relief as he smiled for the first time. “Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome,” Clara returned the smile.

 

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