AWD #269: How are you feeling today?
How are you feeling today?
Summary: Walker meets his latest patient. Things don't go terribly.
Date: 02/Oct/2013
Related Logs: Patching Up
Toby Walker 
Battlestar Orion — Deck 3 — Recovery Ward
About half the size of the Medical Center, the Recovery Ward has fewer beds to allow space for those who are going through recovery. Rather than the drab gray of most of the center, the walls in here have been done in a neutral creme color. The beds are a little thicker and the blankets are actually present. There are a few clocks and the only other decoration are a couple of flatscreens that show muted movies from the ship's library. A couple stacks of old magazines are available near the door for nurses to pass around, too.
AWD #269

It's been two nights now that Toby's had to spend in medical and now the second morning is starting to stretch in it's slow an dull progress towards the next set of doctor's rounds and then lunch. It's fair to say he wants out, all the nurses know it, and all the guys in the beds around him know it too. He's restless, frustrated, bored, in pain and itching to get back to doing something of use. Even if, given the state of his hand, it's likely to be the most menial of menial tasks. Having just been told off by a nurse for distrubing other patients by pacing up and down he's now sat on the end of his bed, doing his very best to wait patiently.

And doctors making their rounds, that's something happening at the moment. Talking quietly with one of the marines that's recovering from some part of the fighting, Walker nods a little at something the man says, offering a smile as well. As he makes his way around from the man's bed, he marks off something on a clipboard, before he makes his way towards the next patient(or maybe it's im-patient?), which would be Toby.

It's almost like Toby's been watching Walker or something, for as soon as the Doc turns his way he's up on his feet. "Doc," he greets quickly, eyes flicking between the medic and his chart a couple of times and biting his tongue to let the guy have a read and catch-up first before he begs for release.

Nodding a little, Walker's eyes goes down to his charts again, especially to the part with Toby's name on it. "Good morning, Tobias, isn't it?" The greeting given with a smile, before he adds, "How are you feeling today?"

Nods once to confrim that Walker has the right guy, then notes, "Toby," given just about everyone uses the shortened version. "I'm feeling fine Doc," he answers, then glances down to his hand where he's holding it against his chest, "hurts like frak sometimes but I hear thats to be expected." Looking up to the lieutenant again he raises an eyebrow slightly, silently asing if he's wanting to poke and prod at it or not.

Walker nods a bit as he hears that, looking to the hand in question for a few moments. "That's to be expected, yes. It would be far worse if you couldn't feel the pain in it." A brief pause, before he adds, "Okay, let's have a look at it, then."

Toby holds out his hand so that Walker can take a look, tightening his jaw a little in preperation. "Doctor Nadir was talking about PT," he states, slipping his left hand behind his back so he can ball it into a fist and dig his nails into his palm just in case, "any idea how long it'll take, or until I can be back on full duty?"

"She probably knows more about the surgical part of the recovery and such than me, but I'm not really sure about the full duty." Walker keeps on examining the hand, including turing it around and similar things, to see how it's healing up. "And there's less pain when you move your fingers now?" he asks.

Toby seems to be doing okay for now, turning and such he's fine with, it's when poking occurs that he starts to struggle. There's a nodded response to the question posed and he wiggles his fingers slowly to demonstrate. He's also starts to carefully clench his fist but that does hurt, rather a lot, so he aborts that one quickly and finger wiggles once more. "Less yeah," he then states, not verbally admiting that that ust means he can do it without it feeling like someone is applying red hot pokers.

There's a brief pause as he hears the words, and Walker's gaze moves towards Toby's eyes now. Then, with no warning he pokes at the wounded hand, somewhere near the wound, but nowhere it could risk interfering with the healing, waiting to see the man's reaction.

There's a reaction alright, a grimace and a brief tensioning in Toby's muscles. His jaw fully clenches briefly but he doesn't cry out, and after a few moments of controlled, steady breathing he relaxes again, eyeing Walker carefully to see what he might do next.

Walker nods as he sees that reaction. "Sorry. But I must say the hand seems to be healing well, all in all. I think the wound itself will be done with in a day or two. But you will need some of that PT you mentioned to strengthen the muscles again, of course."

"Does that mean I can go?" Toby asks immediately, "if it's healing well." He resists the temptaion to glance towards the hatch in favour of keeping his eyes on the Doc infront of him, but it's a close run thing. "Whatever you need me to do Doc." He sounds sincere in that, although possibly not surprising giving he has such a vested interest in it.

"As long as you come back twice a day for us to make sure the hand continues to heal well, I can't see any reason why you can't go. Although I fear there's not much work you can do at the moment, given the nature of your duties and how that might worsen the hand's condition." Walker offers a smile, before he adds, "But at least you can get out of here, and spends some time doing other things than just disturbing the other patients, yes?" He heard the nurse's words to the patient earlier on, it would seem. "Additionally, if you feel anything is out of the ordinary with it, I want you to come here. None of that 'bravery' some people put on, okay?"

Toby looks relieved, mightily relieved at that news and gives a short, swift nod in both understanding and agreement. "Got it Doc, twice a day, or if something goes to shit," he can do that, not a problem. "I'm sure someone, somewhere will find something for me to do," he offers, given the state of play at the moment it might just be making coffee but if he's doing that then the guy who normally does it can be freed up for the war effort right? There's then a slightly awkward pause, as having never been as far as the recovery ward he isn't sure if he has to sign anything, or wait for a nurse with a load of painkillers for him to take with him, so he takes a quick look at the hatch then asks, "is that it?"

Walker nods, "True. Just make sure it's something rather easy. And like I said, it's better to come in too often than too few times." Nodding a bit as he hears that last part, "That's it for now, yes."

Toby nods once, "easy, I got it, thanks Doc," and then he's turning to grab the few things he's managed to have sumggled in with his good hand before setting off for the hatch. He's not looking back either, just incase Walker decides to change his mind.

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