A Berry a Day Keeps the Doctor At Bay

Posted on Sat Mar 16th, 2013 @ 3:10am by Berry & Morgo Le'Shaad
Edited on on Sat Mar 16th, 2013 @ 3:36am

3,711 words; about a 19 minute read

Chapter: Chapter III: Relics
Location: Medical Bay, Red Raptor
Timeline: Late, Day Eleven

The lab glassware gently clinked together as Morgo worked in the Med Bay.

Following the rather tense return to the ship, Morgo had made a beeline for the ‘fresher, because really, the amount of dirt, blood, sweat, and other things that didn’t bear imagining caked onto her skin was wholly…improper. She’d taken a long shower to wash the filth away, the steady stream of hot water beating out the stiffness of her muscles.

Now in clean clothes, her long hair for once unfastened and still slightly damp from her shower, Morgo was in the process of cleaning a used microscope slide when she heard footsteps in the hall behind her. Swiftly, Morgo removed the key she wore around her neck and locked the drawer at her hip. Once done, Morgo turned to face the doorway, wondering who it was coming to the Medical Bay at this late hour. Taking two locks of her blonde hair, Morgo quickly fashioned a simple bun. It would not do for her to be seen by any male with her hair down. Traditions, as they often were, were so tedious at times. Morgo resisted the urge to sigh.

As luck would have it, the most un-female and un-male person was arriving. Berry ambled through the medbay door, eyes wide as she looked around for the first time. "Whoooaaa, what is this place?" Her tunic fluttered with her bouncy stride, fresh as a piece of sun-dried seaweed.

At that, Morgo did sigh, rolling her eyes, "This is the Medical Bay and my laboratory, Berry, where people go when they need healing and where I go when I need something to kill. How can I hel—" She began before she caught sight of Berry's bare feet, and stopped abruptly.

Arching an eyebrow, Morgo's voice was stern, "Out."

Berry pouted, whining a bit. "But I just took a shooower and I'm clean—squeaky clean like a piece of sun-dried seaweed!" Her eyes espied funny things on the lab counter and started to make a move.

Morgo moved to block her, eyes skeptical even as the girl assured that she was clean, "There's a sign above the door and shoe covers beside it. So unless this is an absolute emergency and you're bleeding out or something equally grave, you will march right out that door and put them on." Morgo placed her hands on her hips and looked down at the girl, "That, or show me your feet, young lady."

As Morgo locked eyes with Berry, like a mother would a child trudging mud in all over the carpet, Morgo raised her eyebrows and spoke again.

"And really. Dried seaweed that's been laying in the sand like a beached whale all day, becoming host to a remnant colony of microscopic marine organisms is hardly a shining model of proper personal cleanliness or sanitation."

Berry paused, frowning a bit. "You're right. So maaaybe...super dried up fishbones, all clean and white." She nodded and smiled, lifting up one foot. "See? Clean!" There were a few strange particles picked up from the other side of the ship...including some weird fiber from the training room mat.

Morgo eyed the offending foot, taking a scoopula type tool from the lab counter and using it to scrape lightly at Berry's upturned foot. When it came away with no grime, Morgo made a noise that may or may not have been approval, and allowed Berry to set her foot back on the ground.

"Just don't break anything." Morgo warned seriously as she turned towards the counter to place the contaminated tool onto the tray of things that needed to be cleaned. Turning back to Berry, Morgo was considerably more welcoming to Berry, now that the cleanliness of her feet had been ascertained.

"Now, how can I help you, Berry?"

Berry's stared blankly back at Morgo. "I dunno. You're supposed to help me? What do you even do here?" She turned and started padding around the place, peeking and poking.

Morgo watched the green girl go from one end of the room to the other exploring to her heart's content, "Technically as the ship's physician I'm supposed to heal people. But since no one's been hurt thus far, I use this room to conduct my scientific experiments. And don't—no, Berry, don't stick your head in the disposal chute."

The part-Aquar chuckled as she straightened. "Trash," she said, greatly amused. She looked over at Shady Lady. "No actually I'm here 'cause...I don't know. You like fish?" She hopped up on the operating table, legs swinging. "I know you mentioned you had yummy shrimp on your planet. What other foods do they have?"

Morgo blinked, learning her weight into the lab counter as she crossed her arms, "Delicious food. Now focus, Berry. Surely you didn't come here to interrogate me on the cuisine of my home planet?"

Berry burst into laughter at that and then cringed. She smiled weakly at Morgo. "Yeah...interrogation..." she managed as she started to curl up as if it hurt to laugh. Actually it did, and Berry looked a bit confused. "Hey, my stomach hurts. And I didn't eat too much, I promise!"

Morgo's look was dubious at best as she looked down to Berry's stomach. Stepping forward, Morgo gestured at the girl's tunic with two fingers, "Off. I'll need to examine your stomach."

With one practiced sweep (after all that swimming you gotta be good at this) Berry pulled off her seagrass tunic to reveal just her seaweed strap. Her blue necklace twinkled a bit under the harsh medbay lights.

Now, Morgo had seen much in her life, from disease riddles bodies to eviscerated corpses, but what she saw under Berry's bright tunic...surprised her. There were fresh wounds there, a row of four parallel slashes down the expanse of her flat stomach—claw like scratches that most likely came from a possessed statue in the dark of Tython's temple. From the look of them, they had bled when fresh, but now had clotted. Berry's movements in laughing and taking off her shirt had reopened the slashes at a few places however, and would need to be cleaned and bandaged.

But that was not what had surprised her.

What had taken Morgo an active effort not to raise an eyebrow, had been the scars .

Two scars stood out on otherwise smooth golden-green skin. One upon her abdomen, small and circular, looked much like a wound from an old fashioned bullet from the ancient artillery weapons. But as its width was about that of two thumbs, and did not exit on the other side of Berry's body (not to mention that kind of weaponry still in use was unheard of today), it was most like a stab wound. A thing that was small but horrid in the way it had healed, suggesting that Berry hadn't gotten proper medical attention following the injury.

Yet it was nothing compared to the monstrosity that ran from Berry's left breast and down the length of her abdomen. It was an ugly scar that marred Berry's skin, and was well enough along in its healing for Morgo to deduce that it was probably only a year old at most. For any other humanoid, the scar was well healed enough to be years on the mend. But Berry's part-Firrerreon biology had advanced her body's healing capacity, making a year old scar look years better than it would on a Human. So the scar had been recent. The puckered and uneven discoloration of the scar tissue suggested something had burned Berry, ruthlessly cutting downwards, slashing her flesh whilst it brutally burned through her flesh.

This wound had been no accident. It had been dealt with vicious and lethal intent, and would have been excruciating for Berry. The fact that the girl was still alive after such a wound had been dealt was a mystery.

What had done this to young Berry? Morgo narrowed her eyes as she stepped close to the girl sitting on her operating table. With a gloved hand, Morgo reached forward, the tip of her finger hovering over the terrible scar as she aerially traced its path down Berry's body.

"It cut you. Burned you. Sliced and seared your flesh open even as it closed you at the same time." Morgo muttered quietly, eyes trailing down the scar, "But it didn't cauterize everything evenly. This wasn't a sophisticated weapon like a lightsaber, with a stable power cell. The energy of the thing that did this to you would have leapt and licked from its source like lighting and fire all at once—evident from the uneven scarring. You would've bled and burned at the same time."

And as Morgo's fingertips reached the end of the scar's path on Berry's abdomen, they shifted to hover over the small but deep scar on her side, "And this. You were stabbed with something pointed at its tip, but not a blade, as evidenced from the way it healed nicely." Compared to your other scar, was left unsaid.

Leaning back, she took her hand back and crossed her arms, Morgo's pale, calculating gaze flicking up to meet Berry's large brown eyes.

"My my, Berry. You're full of surprises." Morgo spoke, a faint smile on her painted lips, "Have a habit of getting yourself hurt?"

Berry chuckled, grinning amusedly down at the Shady Doctor Lady. "Yeah, well, whaddya expect if you're always fighting?" She smiled grimly. "And they're all on the front, 'cause I never ran away." She looked down at her stomach scratches. "Sooo do I just get a kelp wrap around my stomach? That could keep stuff out..."

"Kelp?" Morgo said, not caring enough to keep the distaste from her face, "Dear Goddess, is that what they used to treat your other wounds? No wonder they healed so pitifully." And shaking her head to banish the image of such a... primitive and thing being used to wrap a wound, Morgo opened a drawer and removed a roll of bandages, bacta, and tweezers, "No, Berry, I'm going to use proper tools to treat you." She said, holding the bacta cream for Berry to see, "Now lay back. I've got to debride your wounds first before wrapping them."

Berry gaped, eyes widening. "Huuuuh? What's that mean??" She shrugged and laid back on the table. Doctors always said the weirdest things. Why, Pacha would say things like 'dehydrated' or 'anemia from hemorrhaging'. Berry chuckled. Doctors.

Raising her eyebrows Morgo splayed a gloved hand on Berry's abdomen, stretching the skin there so that the slashes were a bit wider, "It means that I'm going to have to open your wounds a little to get the bits and pieces of stone statue out so that you body can heal around it properly. Judging by the localized inflammation in some areas..." Morgo said, leaning closer to the wound to get a better look, "...You've definitely got things stuck in there. And the fresh scabs that have formed have trapped it in there."

Then, as if realizing the implications of what she'd just said, Morgo's expression being ill humoured, as she leaned back to look at Berry in the eye, "Speaking of which. Just how is it that these wounds have already scabbed over?" She asked, eyes narrowing, "Decided to come on board, play a bit of pazaak and make yourself a cup of tea, before coming to treat your wounds, did you? Since you know..." And Morgo shrugged, dry sarcasm dripping from every word, "Deep wounds and possible infection are soo not important."

Berry's eyes brightened as she grinned up at Morgogo. "I love tea! Especially the fruit flavored kind."

"Berry."

"Uhh..." She wracked her brain. "I dunno, I thought it was gonna heal like it always does, but I guess it got stuck?" She shrugged, looking as clueless as always.

Morgo sighed, wondering just how things went on in that head of Berry's, "Next time remember to come to me. Even if it is for just scrapes and bruises. We'll be visiting strange worlds with exotic bacteria and foreign diseases. Something may seem small or normal, but catching injuries, infections and sicknesses while they're still in the early stages is the difference between life and death, Berry— a bacta patch and an amputation." And Morgo gave Berry a poignant look as she paused in her work, "That means chopping off legs or arms."

Berry chuckled. "Yeah, that's not good." Her eyes widened. "But boy, I almost got my arms cut off at crazy temple. Those were crazy times, huh." She made it sound like it happened a while ago, as if she was reminiscing.

"Don't remind me." Morgo muttered darkly, remembering the absolute insanity that had transpired in a wondrous placed that had deserved more study. Not only had she been thrown like a rag doll by Thane, but she had also been completely verbally bulldozed by Sev Rezer. What was he, having his goddamned monthly? And all because Morgo was being an utter asshole. Nothing unusual there.

Morgo blinked, realizing she was internally ranting. Stifling another sigh, Morgo mentally noted yet another sign that her brain was shutting down and kriffing off to brain heaven for the night, or wherever brains went when their hosts were too tired to function. Under normal conditions, her mind would've never rattled off like that, on a useless frustrated tangent. Took too much time and energy away from the higher, more important tasks of the mind.

Turning to Berry as she carefully removed pieces of stone from her wounds with tweezers, Morgo spoke, "You sound like you had fun on Tython."

Berry twitched at the pangs from her stomach, but her trained mental discipline came back online and she ignored it. Her face still looked stern though as she frowned and shook her head. "No, I didn't have fun...I don't think anyone did." She looked off to the side at bay ceiling, eyes wide as she thought back. "Armor Guy was mad at everyone and then Thane fought with his best friend and then you got smacked into the wall..." She sighed, frowning.

"Yes, it all was rather unfortunate, wasn't it." Morgo said distantly, remembering her head hitting a wall because of Bomoor's Force Bellow (resulting in injury, even if it was an accident), being thrown by Thane's poor use of his Force powers, dragged in the dirt by Berry, and twice threatened by Sev. It seemed the only one who hadn't done anything to her was the enigmatic Kip.

Reminded of Sev's completely unnecessary threat to her in the ancient Temple, and the second one on the ship, Morgo's lips thinned as she fought the urge to openly scowl, just finishing in extracting the last stone bits lodged in Berry's wounds. The slashes had bled as Morgo had removed the debris, and so sliding her hand underneath the operation table, Morgo opened a drawer and removed a couple surgical sponges. Dabbing at the wound, Morgo soaked the excess blood and set the bloodied sponge aside.

She had plans for that blood sample.

Picking up the small jar of bacta salve, Morgo twisted off the lid and dipped two gloved fingers in, removing a generous amount of the translucent cream. And as Morgo spread the salve on Berry's abdominal injuries, she spoke, her eyes never leaving her work.

"May I ask you a question, Berry?"

"Uh huh, sure," Berry replied with a nod, face unflinching despite the burn from her abs leaking blood. Fancy that.

"From your perspective, why did Sev threaten me in the Temple?" She asked, curious as to what Berry though of on the matter, "I mean, it wasn't like I threatened him first, or pointed my staff at him. He wanted to destroy something. I thought it precious. I said no. And he blew up on me." She sighed.

Besides, the logic behind the Mandalorian's argument had been faulty. Holocrons by themselves did not corrupt or cause those around them to go insane. The only reason K'Errekh had gone insane was because he had activated it and used it...far too many times for his own health. And for non-Force sensitives, the dangers were practically non-existent.

Berry shrugged again. "I think he was mad at everyone, so....and he probably got haunted by ghosts too so he probably wasn't that happy to begin with." She paused. Then again, he was probably never happy....

Ah yes, the personal demons. Everyone had seen a hint of their own there in the Temple, and no doubt it had stirred some deep emotions in everybody. Morgo had felt hate, anger and fear upon seeing the cage she was in, and the taunting face of Castinnius. But emotions made you easy to steer. And so Morgo had let those emotions go.

Touching Berry's shoulder to help the girl sit up, Morgo began wrapping the bandages around her abdomen, behind her back, and then round again. Normally there were bacta patches that could just be adhered to the skin. But Morgo suspected that Berry was an active one, and when those slashes began to itch as they healed, Berry would probably scratch til kingdom come. The wrapping method was probably best in this case. It would help keep the bandages on as Berry danced, wiggled, and pranced her way through the day.

"Emotions are to blame, is it?" Morgo muttered, trying to sympathize with what Sev had probably gone through in the temple and failing utterly, "He should've discarded them the moment they began to interfere."

"I dunno," Berry began, frowning. "It's not that easy for everyone."

"Can't you?" Morgo asked looking at Berry, genuinely curious, "Well, I suppose that might just be me, then. How strange."

That drew a chuckle from the part-Aquar as she swung her feet off the edge of the table. "Heeeey, you got pretty freaked out back there, too. And you get annoyed all the time by everybody, especially when Armor Guy yelled at you for not protecting me since I was protecting you." She smiled a bit impishly. "Isn't that an emotion??"

"Yes it is an emotion." Morgo said, "But it never interfered nor commanded me, now did it? Letting them go as they come prevents that."

And smoothing over the bandages, Morgo expertly tucked and folded the last length of bandage into a flat knot that would not come free in a hurry. Trick of the trade.

"Besides," Morgo continued, gently flicking Berry's bandaged wound and watching the girl wince, "It doesn't seem like you need much protecting from me anyways. As your scars indicate, you're quite capable of taking care of yourself. If anything, you need to be protecting me." She said, smiling faintly.

The fact that Sev thought Berry an incapable child that still wore diapers that needed to be nursed at Morgo's breast and properly burped before being laid to rest in a crib, amused Morgo. It was as if he believed she couldn't make her own decisions and needed to be constantly guided. He couldn't be more mistaken.

She wasn't the wisest nor the most intelligent of people. But Berry could definitely hold her own and survive by herself. Even if it was by the skin of her teeth. Goddess knows Berry had been doing it for 19 years before she'd met them.

Berry burst into laughter, her stomach still stinging but not as much. She grinned at the doctor. "Yeah, maybe. We made a promise, remember?" She hopped off of the table. "Okay well thanks!" Then she walked out.

To suddenly walk back in to snatch up her tunic with a smile. "Whoops, can't forget this—I only have two shirts!" She paused to peer at the tunic, looking at the red smears of clotted blood on her orange tunic. She sniffed it, then shrugged, pulled it on, and waved at Morgo with a golden-green hand and bright smile. "See ya!"

The woman watched as Berry hopped away, so cheerful it made Morgo want to vomit. How the girl managed to upkeep such a sunny disposition in such a place was beyond Morgo. But...no matter, there were more important things to focus on.

Walking over to the disposal chute with a tray of the used and soiled things Morgo had used to treat Berry's wounds, she brushed them into the chute, snapping off her gloves and dropping them in as well. Making her way over to the sink, Morgo washed her hands thoroughly with soap, before putting on a new pair of gloves.

And picking up the swab she had set aside before, soaked with Berry's blood, Morgo carefully placed it inside a vial before stoppering the glass tube.

Berry's blood had been the final sample from the crew Morgo had needed to begin her... experiments—and now she had it. Sliding another vial containing a similar bloodied swab from her pocket, Morgo raised them both to the light, K'Errekh's blood held beside Berry's.

So similar in their shade of red , and yet Morgo knew they were different in a million ways. Taking the key from around her neck, Morgo stepped over to the lab counter and unlocked the drawer she'd so hurriedly secured before Berry had walked in. Opening it, Morgo laid K'Errekh and Berry's blood beside all the other glass vials containing various hairs or saliva samples from the rest of the crew.

And resting her fingers fondly on all the vials, like how someone might tenderly touch a beloved book containing beautiful memories...or recipes, Morgo allowed herself to smile, the kind of smile she only ever reserved for occasions when she truly felt that yes, this could truly be what the others call contentedness.

But it was a smile that had an edge of hunger to it as well. Because soon, Morgo would know all. And it could not be soon enough.

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