PHD #388: Lab Work
Lab Work
Summary: Circe meets with Cameron to see about possibly helping in do lab work.
Date: 21 March 2042 AE
Related Logs: None
Players:
Cameron Circe 
Biochem Lab
Not nearly as large as it probably should be, the Navy seems to have added this area almost as an afterthought. Various machines and testing equipment line the rooms exterior, their complex functions in various states of use throughout the day and night. In the center of the room are two islands that have broad work areas and microscopes sitting at the ready. Clean testing materials, vials, and tools stand on end in metal grates in the middle. At the rear of the room is a huge fridge, its double doors locked most of the time. Beside it is another locked steel cabinet containing a variety of chemicals and compounds used for testing and comparison.
Post-Holocaust Day: #388

The BioChem lab has in the past month or so become more Cameron's personal research center these days, with his work taking over most of the space and facilities, the doors set to a higher security code as well. But those who know and work with the doctor can tell that he's burning the candle at both ends these days and he's coming shortly to a middle. Both his work as a physician and a scientist could be full time in and of themselves. Trying to make room for both of them? It's stretching Cameron thin. He needs help. Assistants. Hence why he's currently waiting for Circe to drop by the lab, her file in front of him and to one side, a microscope with a slide on it before him. After all, time is of the essence and he might as well be productive while he's waiting.

The attack on the basestar had afforded the medic her first war wound and she carries it well. Minor to say the least considering all the others. Circe enters the lab, dressed in clean blue camos. Curls are restrained from her face and she carries her own clipboard with the ability to take notes on what he needs her help with.

"Hey Doc." She says warmly, her smile lighting her featurse as it spreads to show some white teeth.

As the door opens and a voice calls out to him, Cameron pauses in what he's doing to glance up and offer the young woman a small smile and a nod. A professional response, even though he calls her by her name. "Hello Circe. Please, have a seat, make yourself comfortable." He peers back down into the microscope, jotting down a few notes before sitting upright again and pulling her file closer. His hand taps upon the manilla cover as he asks politely, "How are you doing?" One's first war wound is always a bit startling, even if it's a minor one. Cameron's had a few of those by now and, quite honestly, they're all a bit startling.

She does just that. Circe moves over to perch atop one of the stools as she watches him work. "Well..its just itching right now and hurts just a little. My armor saved me. Bent my armor inward. That is what did the cutting of my chest." She explains. "Ryder didn't like me working injured so despite my pleas I had bedrest after." She smirks and then lifts her chin to his work in indication. "So what do you have there?" She asks, curiousity biting her hard as she shifts to look closer.

"Cylon brain tissue," Cameron answers both frankly and bluntly, "from one of the Raiders we captured. This is my second job now, as it were. Studying all of the biomechanical mysteries of the Cylon ships and biologics that we have been capturing whenever possible. For awhile it wasn't much and I could handle it all, more or less. But recently there's been a large influx of captured biologicals that need to be processed and studied and quite frankly I'm reaching my wits end." Time for the doctor to ask a question. Flipping her file open, Cameron notes, "I know that you were starting to study medicine, and you have a decent knowledge of first aid, but I'm wondering if, in your studies, if you've done any lab work, perchance?"

"Ohhh…that is right. Did the tech give you the bone samples I got off the ancient ship from some of the skeletons?" She asks him suddenly. Circe shifts and then blinks, his question of lab work answered with a faint nod at first, "Yeah, sorta…I mean barely." She admits and then rises, curiousity filling her gaze at her file he holds. "I mean its become almost a need now..blood tests mostly. What do you need?" She asks him, her hazel eyes meeting his gaze as she cautions a step closer to the table he is near.

"Don't get too excited," Cameron warns as Circe slips closer. "The work is going to be dull and repetitious. Slicing brain tissue into paper thin sections, preparing slides, recording data and making sure that every sample is clearly marked and identified with a project number, date of aquisition, so on and so forth. It's all work that needs doing, and it's all rather time consuming which is, quite frankly, why I need help. But the time I'm done with all of that I don't have the time to do any actual tests or experimental work, and that's the important part of all of this…" His head tilts to one side, eyes narrowing as he counters, "Bone samples? No one has given me any bone samples, let alone mentioned any skeletons. But, if they were human remains, I suppose there would be no point really."

"It's not much different from duty rounds." She says lightly at his comment about boring and repetitious. Circe falls silent and listens. But as she mentions he doesn't have the bone samples, she frowns slightly. "Well I had gotten them really…brought them back." She shakes it off. "Anyways, I will find out about those. Tell me what you need me to do. Shift work I take it?" She asks then, eyeing the layout of the lab a moment. "Its a little daunting I have to say…." She wets her lips and then leans against the table a little, placing her hands at the edge.

"Well, that's what this is all about, actually. I'm interviewing you for the position. I'm interviewing others as well. Ideally I want someone with lab work experience, but we seem to be short on lab technicians on board. So the next best thing is someone with lab experience who can learn quickly, doesn't make mistakes, and feels confident they can do the work." His head tilts to one side again as he gives Circe a gentle smile and points out, "You don't seem very confident… it's alright if you don't feel that you're up for the task. This is why I want to talk to a number of different people. In the end I may bring in a number of different people to help. Many hands make for light work, and if everyone has their own biological to be responsible for, there's less likelihood of them getting accidentally crisss-crossed and mixed up."

"Well, I learn fast, at least I feel like its fast." She smirks. Circe then nods, agreeing with him. "But more mistakes to make in different ways." She intones lightly. She lets out a long breath and Cameron is given a look. "I can learn if you want to teach me. I mean, honestly you are already doing a fairly good job with just basic medicine." She admits. Her hazel eyes warm at that, "Thanks by the way..for your help. I really appreciate it." That said, she looks to the table and lightly taps with her hands. "Alright, what else do you need to know other than I am a little bit daunted?"

"How so?" he asks, perhaps knowing the answer already himself but curious to see what her perception on the matter is. "What mistakes might occur with more individual assisting in the process?" Glancing back down at her file, Cameron notes, "I would like you to write up for me a detailed as possible listing of your lab experience, including not only tests that you've run, or slides that you've prepared, but any and all equipment that you're experienced with using. Once I have that I'll take all the factors into consideration and make my decision."

Frak. Circe mutters and hears the need for a list and merely nods. The corpsman then adds, "Well the more hands you get handling the same thing more than once, the more likely it will be broken or messed up. Just a small difference in the use of a microscope and its exposure alone can give a dozen or more different understandings. Perceptions are another thing. More hands means more confusion and misunderstandings. My suggestion is picking with two people you feel confident in and sticking with them. Two at most. Sorry if its an overload, but this means you aren't left doing the work over." She makes a motion of her hand. "Its why only ONE doctor does the surgery while others oversee."

"But that was my whole point," Cameron corrects. "Each person would have their own biological materals to prepare. No cross-over. And they wouldn't be doing any of the diagnostic or research work, just the preparation and documentation." Rising up, he crosses over to a corner of the room where a coffee pot has been set up and pours himself a mug, giving Circe a questioning look in case she would like one too. "On the other hand, I want to keep security high and the number of people working in here manageable." Taking a sip from his mug, Cameron decides, "It will all depend, really, on who is capable of managing the work and what their schedules are like." He eyes her over the edge of the mug noting a bit frostily, "Yes, being a surgeon I'm well aware of the reasons for the various procedures… but this is quite a different set of circumstances."

She shakes her head to his unstated question and then turns her back to the table, resting against it as she crosses her arms before her. Circe's gaze narrows as well at his words and she gives a shake of her head, "Like you said.." She lifts her hands, palm out as if to fend him off at his last commetns. "You wanted me to tell you why. There may not be cross over..but honestly. There are not enough technicians. I mean, gods you are asking me. I have some lab experience..I will admit but I don't do this daily like you. I am willing to learn." She recrosses her arms and shifts to get comfortable before pushing away and moving over towards him. "I think you might find you want to keep your head into everything here. More people will give you even worse of a headache."

Explaining her reasons is one thing. Telling him things that he knows better than she is quite something else. Which is perhaps what Cameron finds just a little bit worrisome about Circe. He hasn't always been in agreement with her judgment. But she was a candidate and as such he owed her, and himself, a shot. "I try not to be a control freak, but yes in the end the credit stops here. I'm responsible for the research and the data and the materials." He watches her quietly as she draws closer, taking another sip as he rumbles, "My head is already splitting. I need a solution." His eyes are shadowed with dark circles beneath them and, though he tries to hide it, his every move and gesture seems to bespeak of simple exhaustion.

"Look, Doc. I am a medic, first and foremost. I may not work the same as you, but I am trying to learn." She lets out a long breath. Circe smiles faintly and pauses, rubbing a hand to her cheek. "You overwork yourself, and I think I remember you telling me I needed to balance. Sometimes we can't but honestly, I don't think you try. If you are too tired and spread thing, obviously you need at least a day away. There is nothing wrong with taking one. Mistakes are made when tired and no one wants you running soley on that black ink." She motions to his coffee for a second and rubs a hand over her face before she tucks soem curls behind her ear. "I can learn." She finally says decisively. "I know you know that..and that i am willing."

"Do as I say, not as I do, eh?" Cameron returns with a wan smile. Ocean eyes drop to the black liquid in his hands. This is nothing. She didn't see him popping stims like candies the other day. "I'm working on it," he assures her. "I'm interviewing you and others, aren't I? It's a start. And maybe we'll get a bit of a break in Sickbay, if we've managed to solve the whole swarm attacks thing. That will help free up some time." His eyes lift to meet her and Cameron nods. "I know that you can learn and that you are willing. That's a good starting point. Write up that report for me and we'll see how things progress from there, yes?"

Her smile warms upon him before Circe nods. "Alright." She says, "It may take me a bit to remember.." She pauses and adds, "Not very inspiring is it to hear that." So long ago. Blood tests were something else entirely. She steps back to where she had been sitting and snatches up her clipboard. "I will get that to you tomorrow." She adds and turns to face him, hooking it beneath her arm. "I am hoping for that break though…marines are pooling in and not what I like to see." She saw it. She cares to forget. "See you tomorrow, get some rest, okay?" She asks him gently.

Nodding, Cameron agrees, "Likewise." To the break, to the rest, to all of the above. "Thanks for dropping by. We'll talk more later." He ponders for a moment just stopping now and taking a break, but the coffee in his hands tells him that he should keep going for a bit longer, till this latest caffiene dose runs out and then he can stop and rest. Yes, that's reasonable. Waving to Circe as she heads for the door, Cameron drops his gaze once more to the microscope before him, switching slides and making more notes, already absorbed once again in his work… or by it.

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