Captain Ishida Hisashi began examining Alexis. The usual palpitations and proddings. He checked her pulse, her blood pressure, her ocular reflexes, placed a stethoscope to her chest and back. Shining a torchlight down her throat. Checking her hair for lices. Weighing her and measuring her height. Asking questions. Had it been a pre-apocalypse check-up, it would have been more complex. It would have included blood-tests, exercises, x-rays. But they didn't have equipment for that.
"We are low on medical supplies. Low for weeks. We resupply by sending out convoys, but no, there is never enough." The medical officer said as he was checking through Alexis, this time looking closely at her skin with his flashlight shining all over her. With some difficulty, he got Alexis to remove her shirt. He sighed at what he saw before dressing her up again, "If only you Americans stop drinking and hurting each other..."
"Tanya-Kun. It may not look like it, but your sister is in poor health." The medical officer said gravely, "Alexis-Chan is slightly malnourished. She is displaying early symptoms of Scurvy. I could hear phlegm building up in her, which indicate the beginnings of a flu-like illness and therefore weak immunity system."
"This is common problem." Captain Ishida said as he swivelled his chair once again to face the boxes behind his desk. " Let's see..." For a moment, he had returned to using native Japanese.
"Here." He produced two packets of vitamin-infused gummy candy. This time, a packet contained Doraemon-shaped gummies, manufactured post-infection, as indicated by how the factory had to get creative with what little ink they had. It had an outline of Doraemon flying with his head-copter gadget and shooting a cartoon zombie with his air-cannon. The other packet had Kenshin on it, with appropriately shaped gummy candies. After that, he instructed Sergeant Maiko, his impromptu pharmacist, to put together a package of anti-biotics and flu symptom suppressants (cough syrup, mint, paracetamol, etc). After the medicine was placed on his desk, which was neat with several notepads and pen at a corner and his family picture in another (wife and 9-year-old daughter in kimonos), he laid out instructions on dosage and usage, "And Tanya-Kun, Alexis is not to exert herself. Take the right medicine as symptoms emerge. I will instruct ration distribution centre to pack the fresh berries we found into Alexis' portions."
"And speaking of exertion, you look pale, Tanya-Kun. It is your turn." And Captain Ishida went through the same procedure with her, and although he found her nutrition to be sound (in comparison to the deficient)... "I believe I have found the cause of your headache. You have been dehydrated. Stressed. You've lost some weight, and some of that lost weight is due to lack of water." Wiping sweat away and scratching his scalp, looking rather dismayed at bad news coming in with every patient, he swivelled his office chair as usual and started rummaging through another cardboard box. He had Sergeant Maiko fetch drugs again.
The prescription: 4 bottles of unopened distilled water and... a tube of wafers meant to be thrown into the water to produce quick isotonic drinks with the necessary salt and ions. The tube was decorated with colourful depictions of Hamtaro and friends. "Sorry, no more adult versions." Sergeant Maiko brought even more paracetamol for the headache. "You should rest more just like Alexis. Keep within the shade. Do not worry, just relax."
"If symptoms persist, return to me, and I will check you again. This is why you do not miss medical check-ups."
