A typical Doctor Who companion injury [open, post-rebellion]

[splendid_roman]

Of all things, Ian hadn't been expected to be bested by a tree. That it was a tree that moved without the wind should have given him a clue, but, well, it was a tree. He'd got too close, it got a good hit in, he'd landed awkwardly and now he couldn't walk.

It was only his ankle and, feeling embarrassed about the whole thing, he'd intended to just hobble home. Except that it did really hurt. So halfway there he found the nearest teleport and ended up in the medbay.

Comments

Re: For John Watson

[nerves_of_steel]

"Ah, then natural consequences have done part of my job for me," John said, tapping the wall so that he could get at the medical records. "It's possible to walk on some broken ankles, for the record, but doing so risks permanent nerve damage." His mouth twisted into a wry smile. "And a limp is a hell of a thing to develop in what's effectively a war zone. Name please?"

Re: For John Watson

[splendid_roman]

He turned pale at the idea of having done some permanent damage. "Ian Chesterton. Do you think I'm likely to have done anything that bad to it?"

Re: For John Watson

[nerves_of_steel]

John pulled up the appropriate record and shrugged his shoulders, grabbing a stool and moving it over so that he could get a look at the damage. "Hard to say, Mr. Chesterton. I'll know more once I look it over and you answer a few questions." Though he was now likely looking at a man who wouldn't walk on a potentially-broken ankle unless it was an emergency.

"When you injured it, did you hear any kind of noise? Cracking, tearing, popping?"

Re: For John Watson

[splendid_roman]

"Nothing," he said. "But I've broken my collarbone before and didn't hear it crack either."

Re: For John Watson

[nerves_of_steel]

"All right," John said, removing the shoe from the injured foot and pulling off the sock beneath. The ankle didn't look crooked or oddly lumpy, which was a good sign.

"Are you experiencing any numbness in the area?" he asked, reaching up for one of the many strange pieces of equipment around the Medbay. This particular one operated as an more portable and less potentially-harmful X-ray. "And can you move it at all?"

Re: For John Watson

[splendid_roman]

He shook his head at the first question and rotated his foot to show he could move it. "It hurts when I move it or walk on it. It got worse the further I walked on it," he admitted, looking a little sheepish about it.

Re: For John Watson

[nerves_of_steel]

"Of course it did," John said, raising his eyebrows and somehow resisting the urge to smile. "Hold still while I x-ray it. It doesn't seem to be broken, but better safe than sorry."

He ran the device over Ian's ankle, hm'ing to himself and looking at the attached screen. "No, I'm not seeing any breaks. You may have just sprained it. Which doesn't make walking on it a good idea, but much less likely to cause permanent damage."

Re: For John Watson

[splendid_roman]

Ian gave a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness for that." Despite the news, he felt a little embarrassed about coming here just for a sprain. "So what do I do if I shouldn't walk on it but can't have it in a cast?"

Re: For John Watson

[nerves_of_steel]

"I misspoke," John said. "Walking on it wasn't a good idea. With a bandage on it for extra support, walking on it is just fine as long as you're not planning on being on it for hours. We'll put some ice on it first, until the swelling subsides. Then bandage, and I'm sure we could get you a cane or something if you do have to walk on it a lot."

Re: For John Watson

[splendid_roman]

"That's all right then." Once he was out of here and it wasn't hurting so much he'd be able to do as much walking as he wanted. "I'm sure I can find some things to do that don't require much walking. Or standing up."

Re: For John Watson

[nerves_of_steel]

"I'll get you a cool pack, of some sort," John said, rising to his feet. "And I'll look and see if there's anything here that can speed the healing up even more. I've heard the medical facilities here can do some remarkable things, they might have something for your sprain."

Re: For John Watson

[splendid_roman]

"Thank you." Ian smiled at him and hoped the medical facilities would have something useful. "As long as it's safe for humans."