| PHD #266: Intraocular |
| Summary: | Dr. Adair meets with Rose to discuss her upcoming eye surgery. |
| Date: | 19 Nov 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | Hope In Sight |
| Players: |
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| Sickbay - Deck 10 - Battlestar Cerberus |
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| Being able to accommodate combat casualties requires room, and the Sickbay has it. Beds line each side of the room with privacy curtains strung up and readily available. Large vaulted lockers hold access to the supplies at the far end of the area. Nearer the front, a Petty Officer sits ready to dispense simple items like ibuprofen and aspirin. Further to the rear is an area prepped twenty-four hours a day for emergency surgery. To the side are a set of double doors that lead to the Recovery Ward where patients can recuperate. |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #266 |
The Sickbay, for awhile there a crazed hubbub of activity due to the attack at Aerilon, has finally calmed down and returned to its usual level of patients. There are still a few civilians and crew resting in the recovery room from their injuries, but many have been released on the strictures of working light duty only. Cameron, ironically enough, is one of those currently on light duty. With his right arm in a sling, the doctor is currently seeing less critical patients or treating recovering ones. The sling is clearly more a resting place for his arm when not in use, for he often slips free of it in the performance of his duties. Perhaps more than he is supposed to, for whenever the CMO is in sight, he always makes sure to hastily return the wounded limb to its resting place. Stepping into the waiting room, he picks up the next chart in his left hand, his lips curling at the familiar name listed there as he lifts his head to look for Rose.
And, on time, an MP Private arrives escorting the woman of the hour - or, at the very least, the next few minutes in Cameron's busy schedule. Rose is quick to follow him as he steps aside, her whitestick harmlessly banging around the hatch entrance as she finds her way. Once in room, however, she's quick to fold it up. "Thank you, Private, I'll be fine here. Shouldn't be too long," she says to the MP, who politely waits outside in the hall. Rose finds her way to the waiting area, where she probes a chair on the end of the row out with her foot, into which she slips, and crosses her legs, smoothing out her skirts. Seems she made out with some new clothes after the Colchis raid, and she more resembles a professional and less a refugee.
Walking over to where Rose has taken a seat, Cameron greets, "Lovely to see you again, Ms. Ibbhanas, and hopefully, very soon, you'll be able to say the same and mean it literally." A hand is offered to her to assist her rising, and with his left he supports the woman in question noting, "If you'll just come this way?" As they walk down the short hall to one of the exam rooms, Cameron notes, "After my chat with Ms. Averies, I would have thought that you would have unrestricted access, being the new representative for the civilian population now. But of course you need an escort for physical reasons, rather than security reasons now. How are you adjusting to all this new-found responsibility?"
Having Dr. Adair nearby seems second nature to her already, Rose is glad to give him her hand, and the two of them walk at a reasonable, conversational pace. "You'd think that I would be overwhelmed by it all, but I'm not," she confesses. "Some folk come to me and I help coordinate their discussions. It's really as simple as that. I find more of a challenge teaching adolescents basic math and biology and chemistry." That last bit said with a bit of a humorous, and perhaps embarassed, chuckle. Rumor would have it the blind young woman is helping Astra Koios teach the assorted surviging children in the hangar bay. Apparently it's true. "You'd be surprised how many of them can't pronounce my last name. It's either 'Miss I' or, as one of the younger girls says, 'Miss Ibbhabibble.' It's very cute."
Chuckling softly, Cameron tilts his head to study the young woman's profile as he notes, "I'm sure they find it difficult to focus in an environment like this. But if you're teaching classes, and it isn't too much bother, perhaps you could take on an additional student? Elpis, the little girl that I brought with me from Aerilon, is terribly smart and, alas, I can't spend as much time with her now as I used to. I'm sure she would love to sit in on your classes, though I should warn you that she doesn't talk. But she does listen and learn, so I think it would be a good thing for her. Something… normalizing." A door is opened and swung in before Cameron escorts Rose into the room and to a chair before closing the door again. "I like Miss Ibbahbibble. Sounds like a storybook name. Miss Ibbahbibble and the Terrible Conundrum," he offers, for example.
Rose laughs softly at the doctor's joke, shaking her head in denial. "No, no,' she laughs. "Don't even suggest it. Because I know several onboard this battlestar who would likely try to make it happen. All it would take is for Andreas… er, Chief Damon, to mention it to any of his co-deck-worker-people," apparently merging 'co-workers' and 'deck people', "And the immaturity would font up like the Periene Fountain." Hmm, random Lords trivia, too. Turning to face Dr. Adair, she nods. "I'd be glad to take another student, although I'd like you to introduce Elpis to Mrs. Koios. If I'm a teacher at the 'school', she's it's 'headmistress', if you understand."
"Of course," Cameron returns with a nod that Rose cannot see. Nor can she see the delight gleaming in his eyes at the thought of perhaps writing a little story to fit that title. In his dubious free time, no doubt. "Well, it was just a thought. Perhaps it could be a challenge for the children. To write a short story perhaps?" But now that they are seated, it's time to get to the purpose of her visit here. "So. I checked all around but it appears that we do not have an ocular specialist on board the Cerberus, so you'll have to settle for me. On the good side, I am a skilled surgeon used to working with sensitive things like brain tissue and nerves, so an eye does not particularly worry me even if I haven't performed this surgery in particular myself. Additionally, I have found highly detailed instructions as to how the surgery is performed, so that won't be a problem either. It's really quite simple and doesn't take long at all. Fifteen to thirty minutes generally. You'll be given a mild sedative to help you relax during the process and some eye drops to numb the cornea. All we do is make a small slit on the side of the cornea, break up the cataract film using high frequency sound waves, and then draw the fractured pieces out with a probe. After that, we slide in a replacement intraocular lens. Alas, however, we can only put in a clear lens, so we can't improve your vision at the same time that we remove the cataracts. So whatever your vision was before them, it will be no better than that. But, you will be able to see again, so that's a definite improvement," he notes with a pleased note in his voice. "Naturally your eyes will be a little tender and sore at first, so you should make sure you get lots of rest and don't overstrain them. But I don't forsee any problems or complications. Do you have any questions?"
Rose listens intently and quietly, folding her hands together in front of her with her whitestick between. Occasionally she turns her head to the side a little, with her sightless eyes focusing on a space near Cameron's center mass, as if paying extra attention to everything he relays. "So you were able to find intraocular lenses, then," she says at the end, her voice quiet but confident, indicating she is more thoughtful than anxious. She shakes her head. "No, actually, I'm feeling rather confident about the procedure. At the very worst, my eyesight won't return. That's in the case of complications, which I wholly and fully accept could happen. But at best?" She beams a wide smile, bouncing a little on the balls of her feet. This is the, 'Rose is excited and happy' quirk. "Will I need to keep my eyes closed so they can heal, or is it more or less a complete procedure with minimal healing? Daily eye drops? Anything else I should be aware of?"
"Not exactly," Cameron offers in return. "We have some lens bases, normally used for contact lenses, that have a very similar composition to traditional intraocular lenses. I propose we use these in the meanwhile, till such time as they prove to be less effective and/or we are able to find of produce proper intraocular lenses." Shaking his head before realizing that she cannot see the gesture, Cameron assures, "You will most definitely be able to see again. At the worst? Your vision will not be as good as it once was and you may develop some complications, but nothing that would end up with you losing your eyesight." He smiles as she bounces a little and she can likely hear the smile in his voice as he notes, "You can have your eyes open, but it might be good to wear dark glasses if you're in a room with bright lights and I recommend you give your eyes plenty of rest. for the first few days. I'll need to put in a few stitches, which I know sounds a bit alarming, but you won't even notice them. I'll give you eyedrops to keep any swelling and irritation down, but they should heal up quite nicely within just a few days." His head tilts to one side as he asks, "Would you like me to explain the possible complications, or would you prefer to simply cross that bridge only if we get to it?"
Rose doesn't respond immediately. She lifts a hand, holding in front of her face. Her eyes squint a bit, as she no doubt tries to see her fingers wriggling slightly before her. The smile fades briefly, but once she drops her hand back down to thread fingers with her other hand, it returns, albeit diminished. "No, that's fine. When do you think we could, well, do this?"
"Can you wait three more days?" Cameron asks. "Ordinarily I would say right now, but I got shot in the arm during the raid on Aerilon and, because of the delicate nature of the procedure and the fact that I've never done it before, I would prefer to be in tiptop shape before doing the surgery. Just to be safe." Reaching out, Cameron's warm and callused hand comes to rest over her threaded ones, squeezing gently. "I don't want you to be concerned. The chances of any complications is rather unlikely considering your age. They're more common for the elderly, and in all cases they are not irrepairable, merely inconvenient and uncomfortable." His hand is steady, his voice calm and reassuring as he repeats, "I honestly do not forsee any problems. In three days time, you should be able to see again."
"I can wait. As long as it takes for you to get better, Doctor. I've been living with the assumption that I'd never see again," Rose explains. Then, her hands come apart under his; one travels up the length of his arm quickly to find his shoulder, because she steps up on her tip toes and gives him a peck on the cheek, if she'll let him. "You've given me hope, just like you bring hope to all of your patients. We're blessed to have you with us, Dr. Adair. I mean that."
He blushes as her lips grace his cheek, allowing the gesture and touched by it after the last few days of callous treatment he's been getting at the hands of some of the less than grateful Marines. Granted, one of them was pissed at him for something entirely unrelated to her injuries, but still, the treatment has rankled him some. "You're too kind," he murmurs back appreciatively. "I'm just doing my job. Same as the rest of us here. More than ever, we need each other to get by. I'm just glad that I can be of service."
Rose rests back on the flats of her feet, being considerable shorter than Cameron, and looks up at him with large, cloudy eyes. "I only have one request, Doctor… that Chief Damon be available throughout the procedure? He doesn't have to be underfoot, just… nearby. It would likely help me relax. And I want him there when I come out of my sedation. Is… is that all right?" There's a hint in her facial expression and in her voice that betrays the mixture of emotions running through her: anxiety of the procedure, and the countdown until she'll be able to actually see the people she's come to rely on as peers, protectors, and friends since arriving aboard Cerberus.
It's a little eerie, those cloudy eyes, gazing up at him sightlessly. Cameron looks foward to see what the true color of Rose's eyes are. But Cameron nods regardless of the fact that she cannot see it and replies, "Of course Chief Damon can be here if you like. I don't have a problem with that. But just so you know, you won't actively be sedated, as in put under. You'll just be given something to keep you calm during the procedure. It's completely painless, but there's no point in putting you under for it." His hand catches one of hers again, since she cannot see his expressions, squeezing it reassuringly as he notes, "If you like, Chief Damon can be right at your side, holding your hand through the procedure."
"I'd… I'd like that, very much," says Rose, matching the squeeze. "Thank you, Doctor. You'll let me know when your arm is better? You can find me down in the hangar any time. You know where to find me: I'm the one at the center of attention." Smiling prettily, she sighs, rolling her cloudy eyes as she does so. "I never thought my life would be the way it is today. Blind, community leader, hydroponics 'expert'" - she even does air quotes with her other hand - "and through all of it, finding someone like Andreas, and Mrs. Koios, and Major Cavanaugh and Lieutenant Raine, and… well, you." Bigger smile, although her lip starts to tremble a little. "This is a bit overwhelming. I think I'd like to leave, before I give your next patient the wrong impression," she says, lifting a hand to her face.
"You are most welcome," he offers sincerely, a firm believer in allowing patients such indulgences if it will put their minds at ease. "I'll come and let you know when we can make an appointment and we'll schedule it such that the Chief can attend without missing his duties." He smile at her overflowing emotions and reactions, noting in agreement, "These are turbulent times but in turn we cannot help but take on greater responsibility and notice everything around us more intently. Everything has, quite frankly become that more precious for the losses we have suffered and the risks that we face." The door is opened once more and Cameron's left arm given to her as he notes, "I'll see you out then. Tears are commonplace here. Tears of joy are less so, and all the more welcome."