Training Open The Doctor's In! (And... very inexperienced.)

[FinnianBrightfur]

"You're not really in a position to be giving lectures, Miss Seabeast..." came the brusque reply from the suregon as he stood. "You'll have plenty to explain to your superior officers as to why you're unable to walk for the next two weeks... Finny, talk some sense into her, will you?" he said, washing his hands of the matter.

Finn drew up his chair alongside Morgan, and slumped over the back of it as he looked helplessly at her. "Y'gave me a real scare Morgan..." he grumbled after a short while, ears flattening out in annoyance. "How'd you feel if you had to bring me in'n watch me get my leg cut off, or somethin'?"

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan winced at Finn's point. That mental image felt more painful than her sprained ankle by far. "Sorry Finn," she apologized, carefully kneeling to hug him. "I didn't mean to scare you. To be honest, I really wasn't thinking. I'll do better at that, or try, at least." As she pulled back from the hug, she smiled and added, "My ankle should be mostly good by the time we get back into port, though! I'll have to take you to meet my folks. Mum'll stuff ya full of sweets, I'm sure. She'll wanna adopt you right up, I'm sure. She's got a soft spot for, well, kits like us. Mother'll take a little longer to come around, but I'm sure she'll like you well enough."

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn had more hugs this year than in the past few combined, and was absorbing the affection like a dry sponge. (The good doctor, on the other hand, was thankful to offload all the mushy sentiment on someone that didn't seem to mind it as much.)

Finn tucked his head into Morgan's shoulder, and let out a soft huff. Upset as he was, forgiveness wasn't out of the question. The kit fetch more bandages, and returned to his chair. "Can I practice on yer other foot?" he asked.

(But of course, she'd say yes. And there would be an invisible beam of pride that would radiate from the surgeon's office.)

Finn worked quietly for several moments. Maybe the first wrap was beginners luck? This one came off much more sloppily, and to his dismay, Finn had to start again from scratch. "What's she like?" he asked curiously as he worked.

 

[Morgan Liu]

Of course Morgan was going to let Finn practice on her other footpaw. 'Gates, if he'd wanted to put her in full-body traction, she'd probably have said yes. Plus, it gave her a reason to stay and chat with him a bit longer. It was astonishing how quickly she'd taken to the kit. She wondered if this was how her Mum had felt when she'd found a young Morgan on Backbone Isle, shivering and cold, sheltered in a crate against the rain.

She blinked as Finn's question brought her back. "Who, Mum, or Mother?" Realizing how that might sound, she hastened to recall their family's cover story. "Sorry, I should explain. My Mum, Eirene, and my Mother, Bezine," she pronounced the latter as bet-Zee-nay, "are both war widows and old friends who've stuck together over the years. I was orphaned real young, younger than you are now, and since neither ever had kits of their own, they took me in.

"Mum is, well, really nice," she reflected. "She's had it hard - I know she was orphaned young too, but she grew up in a village that took care of her, and she's still got that mentality. She likes to look after beasts, protect them. Last couple of places we've lived, she's taken up guard work. I think she wants to join the guard here as well. She takes to orphans in a minute flat - you should've seen how quickly she took Vim under her wing. Heck, I think I'm the second favorite child now," she chuckled.

"As for Mother, she's a lot more of a tough cookie. She was orphaned a bit older than you were, but she was already kinda isolated, never really built up a trust for beasts, from what I can tell. Everyone she's ever trusted has let her down bad, except for Mum. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure she'll come around to you," she added. "If you tell her you like Varangian food, pastah and pizzah and the like, that'll warm her right up. Just don't be hurt if she seems a bit cold and distant at first."

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn worked quietly as he listened to the jill tell her tale. He always had an ear for stories, and seemed quite engrossed in it. But goddess, he had a very long bandage, and the splint he chose was long enough that he might as well practice splitting her knee too. Limbs were much more straight forward! You just had to go around in circles. The only catch was you had to prop the leg up on something to go under -- a pillow sufficed.

Fetching another long board, Finn started to work on her arm. Remembering the surgeons instruction on "padding the voids", he put a rag in her paw, and tucked more rags under her wrist as he wrapped. "Vim? Oh, the weasel? You guys were adopted together?" he asked, just now realizing that. "Bet you two got in trouble a lot!" he said, a grin returning to his face.

Finishing the wrap on her arm, Finn fetched another long board, and gestured the jill to sit up so he could place the board along her spine and neck, to help splint her head.

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan was having so much fun talking to Finn, she barely even noticed when he bandaged up her arm. She laughed at his question, realizing how she'd given the wrong impression. "Oh, no, we actually only met a while ago in the Harbor," she clarified. "We just took to each other right quick, and Mum took her under her wing immediately. Within a few hours she was treating Vim like a daughter.

"Honestly, as much as I gripe about Mum giving her preference, I'm not actually jealous," she admitted. "I know I haven't been the easiest to raise. I think at first I gave them trouble because I was convinced that they were going to realize how much work raising a child was, and they'd get sick of me and abandon me too, so I tried to make it happen on my own terms. As for everything I did after I realized they weren't going to abandon me, well... That I don't really have an excuse for."

She straightened up as Finn placed a board along her back, suddenly aware that this seemed to be going a little far. "Uh, you think I mighta hurt my spine in the fall, Finn?" she asked, a touch apprehensive.

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn was having just as much fun listening as Morgan was having talking -- it made practicing his splinting skills much less tedious. He let out a good natured laugh at the misunderstanding, and shook his head. "Ooohhh... I see. I always wanted a brother, but never got one!"

"What the heck? Why'n earth would you do that?" he interjected, puzzled as to why Morgan would try to misbehave badly enough to... Be un-adopted. (Was that even a word?) And while Morgan continued to explain, her actions didn't make any more sense to him. Finn could see the bigger picture though. They cared for her, and didn't give up.

Finn sat down by Morgan's head, and peered over her with an upside down grin. "Oh, no... You're fine! Uh, I just gotta practice my skills... It'll just be a moment! Mr. Barrett will come out and check things, and then I'll take it off!" he said, not waiting for permission this time. [OOC: Though, due to the mechanism of injury, they probably should have checked her spine too, *COUGH COUGH*]

Presuming Morgan wouldn't protest too much, Finn'd position her head aboard the plank, tuck some comfortable padding behind her neck, and would start wrapping her head snuggly down to the board -- being careful, of course, to not wrap over her eyes or snout. "So what do they do? Do they work at the docks, or run a shop or something?" he asked, masking his mischievous intentions with good natured questions!

 

[Duchess Dusk Rainblade]

Morgan accepted Finn's direction, resigning herself to whatever it was he wanted to practice. If the doc would be cutting it off her later, all it really cost her was some time relaxing and hanging out with Finn, which was no cost at all. "Well, Mum's trying to get into the guard here," she recalled. "Don't know how that's gonna go, though. Last time she and Mother were here, they both caused a bit of a stir, wound up having to leave in a hurry. Hard to say if there's still anything on record that would cause issues for her to enlist.

"As for Mother, right now she's busking mostly. She's a good fiddle player, and knows how to do Erlani card dances, though she doesn't do those as much anymore; she's got a bit of a bad back now." She chuckled as she recalled, "She and Mum have been arguing a lot recently. Mother's been thinking about going back on one of her promises. See, she used to work for the Ministry of Misanthropy once - a full special agent, license to kill and all that. That was how she and Mum met. Anyway, Mother swore that she'd never work for the ministries again, but things have been hard enough that she's been talking about going by, maybe seeing if she still has any friends left who can get her a job."

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn's attention had started to wane, and he seemed to be somewhat distracted. There was something about her adoptive parents being traveling minstrels in the Ministry of Misanthropy... But all those interesting details got lost.

The foxkit had gone quiet for a suspiciously long time, and appeared moments later, upside down in Morgan's vision with a jar of honey.

"...feeling snug?" he asked, hovering a brush laden with sticky honey over her snout. "Cuz I could swear you've got a scratch on your snoot that needs tending to..."

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan's eyes widened as she saw the honey appear, and something connected in her brain. "Finn," she inquired, "you wouldn't take advantage of a beast's trust to play a practical joke, now would you?" She had to admit, as foolish as she felt, she could admire the scheme. He'd gotten her nice and relaxed, all tied up, and then gone for it. She almost felt proud of him for it.

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn's grin only widened, and he almost couldn't contain himself. "Practical joke!? Naaawww! This is payback for makin' me worry, thinking ya broke yer leg!" he said, pushing the brush across the bridge of her nose, and painting the sticky honey over her forehead.

But suddenly, there was a terrible sound from the surgeons office. The hulking pine martin ducked under the doorway, and menacingly lumbered toward the two of them. Was that intense look of disapproval situational -- or did he just always look like that?

Finn sat frozen at the scene of the crime, honey brush still in his paw!

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan couldn't very well look up, but she could tell by Finn's expression that some figure of authority had entered the room. Thinking fast, she quickly exclaimed, "You're right, Finn, this is doing wonders for my back! I should sleep like this every night. And the honey is gonna make my fur so shiny, I'm sure."

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Mr. Barrett loomed over Morgan, and looked at her -- then to Finny, then back at the sticky mess with a mildly bemused expression on his face. "Mr. Brightfur, I would find this much more amusing if you had not wasted good honey..." he said sternly.

Gently, he tested the bandages for snugness. "And while I must commend the quality of your work..."

"Bilge pumps?"

"For wasting medicinal resources. One hour. And you must clean the bandages AND mop the floors."

"And apologize to Morgan?"

Mr. Barrett looked down at the ferret to study her, and broke a wry grin across his muzzle. "I dare say, at the very least, young Finnian, you have a good friend, and should watch your back."

---

Subjective: Patient complained of ankle pain from being stupid a fall. Ankle was swollen, could not support weight, and tender to the touch.

Objective: Normal Vitals

Assessment: Contushions Contoozions It was bruised.

Plan: Turned patient into a mummy. Applied liberal honey to face. Minimum six days light duty.

 

[Greeneye]

It was around supper time, and Finnian might have been getting ready to dismiss himself for supper, when suddenly there was a stomping of paws rushing towards the infirmary. "OIY! OIY! WHERE IS THERE THE DOCTOR AT?" Greeneye yelled, barreling into the room. He was grasping Silvertongue in his arms, who was seemingly unconscious. "Silvie needs the doctor, right away! He was doin' his stupid flip-tricks an' he bumped his head real bad!"

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn bolted upright from his desk as he heard the commotion coming down the hallway. The urgency in Green's voice nearly drove him into a panic -- goodness, at this rate he'd be going gray by 14, and have male pattern baldness by 16!

"Mr. Barrett!" he cried out preemptively, summoning the doctor as he dashed over to help Green carry Silvie to the nearest table. His mind had turned to oatmeal, and he froze for an instant as he tried to recall what to do. Oh! Oh! Make sure Silvie was still alive!

Meanwhile, Mr. Barrett strode into the room. Compared to the quick movements of the kit, he seemed to move like molasses. But there was an experienced determination to his demeanor. His sharp eyes had already determined Silvie was still alive from various subtleties, and had already progressed to assess Silvie's head to get an idea of just how hard he hit his head, and where. "Gently now..."

Meanwhile, one of the benefits of not rushing was that even in emergencies, there was still time for instruction. "Well, Finn? Is he breathing? What's his pulse?" The information was almost redundant at this point -- but it was good for Finn to practice these things with higher stakes. Finn might have been a step behind him, but he was still learning the basics -- and the basics would never fail you.

Finn was already at Silvie's head, fumbling around by his neck as he searched for a pulse. He was able to find it in short order, and quickly glanced over to watch Silvie's chest for movement.

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Silvertongue's pulse was faster than expected, and his breathing quickened, though Greeneye had stated that he had just been doing his nightly performance. As Finn's fingers pressed against his chest, Silvertongue stirred, wincing and squinting. "Agh- my head..." He half raised an arm to shield his eyes from the light of the lamp. "Everythin' feels like.... it's spinnin' and poundin' at the same time."

He looked over at Finn in a daze. "Goodness, lad, you look like me after I've had a bad dream... sorry for the fright." He grimaced, putting his arm back down and closing his eyes. "I overdid it with the acrobatics, I think."

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn was about to describe the fox's vitals, when Silvie started to move. The kit jumped a little, and pulled his paws away to give his patient a little room to move. "Hey Silvie! Naw, you didn't scare me half as bad as Greeneye!" he said, a grin spreading from ear to ear.

"Easy now, Songfox..." said the surgeon, placing a restraining paw against the fox to keep him from moving too quickly, or sitting up. "You knocked the wits out of you. Just sit still for a moment while we look you over. Finn, the vitals if you please."

"Oh! His pulse was a little quick, I think, but it felt strong!"

The surgeon reached up dim the lamps a little, and looked over to Greeneye. While he was somewhat familiar with the officers, he didn't know the names of all the crew yet, and had to glean the information where he could. In any case, Mr. Barrett always found that tasking the patient's friends with small things helped ease their worries, and made them feel like part of the solution. "Seabeast Greeneye. Would you fetch a cold bucket of seawater, and some damp rags for Mr. Songfox?"

A strong, yet gentle paw eased under Silvie's head, and carefully felt along the back of the vulpine's neck for anything that felt out of place, painful, or crunchy. "Nothing along here hurts, does it?" he asked in a calm, gentle voice.

 

[Greeneye]

Greeneye hesitated. It seemed like he didn't want to leave Silvertongues side, but after a moment he relented and hurried out of the infirmary to grab what was needed.

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Silvertongue winced as the doctors paw discovered a small bump on the back of his head. "Yea, that smarts a bit." He tried not to jerk his head up. "I've never haven’t had an accident like this in a while... is everything going to be alright?"

He watched as Greeneye stormed out of the infirmary. "I don't want anyone to worry over me. Especially not Greeneye. He's already been worrying over me for years now."

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

The doctor carefully avoided the painful spot, and after checking each vertibrae, moved to gently hold Silvie's wrist. "Well Master Songfox, things aren't looking terrible. And you'll have to permit us a little worry -- any numbness?" he asked, squeezing the fox's fingertips.

"Finny, you're aware how your eyes react to light, yes?"

"Aye, the... black part! It gets smaller?"

"Very good. That is called the pupil. Would you look at Mr. Songfox's eyes, and tell me -- are the pupils the same size? And pull the lantern near, see if they both shrink with the light."

Finn hopped up on the bed's railing to get a better look, and peered down at Silvie curiously. For once, it was nice to be on the other end of all the questions -- given the interrogation he received in the ship's hull when he was discovered.

"Silvie, I gotta shine a little light in your eyes, ok?"

"Mr. Songfox, Finnian. You're caring for an officer."