Medical Mental

Posted on Thursday July 14th, 2022 @ 8:16pm by Lieutenant Commander Niali Deval Dr & Lieutenant Steven Edgeware

Mission: New Worlds
Location: Counselors Office
Timeline: Pre mission

[ON]

-Chief counsellors office-


Nails sat in her office with her morning coffee waiting for the CMO Dr Steven Edgeware. It had taken her a while to teach down the busy medical chief but he was one of the last people she needed to see.

Steven knew how it looked. With the new mission up and coming he had been very busy , getting sickbay ready. So when Niali had contacted him he was rushing around like a headless chicken. It looked like he was trying to avoid her when in truth he really wanted to see her.

He pressed her door chime waiting for her to let him in.

“Come in please” she said.

Steven walked in.

“ Sorry for the delay. I was not trying to avoid you. it’s be so busy in sickbay what with the new mission and all. I feel like a headless chicken.” He said shaking her hand

“No problem,” she smiled, “I know the pressures you are under and if you are too busy to see me today we can reschedule?”

“ No. We need to do this. It kind of hit me for some reason yesterday. Survivors guilt. When DS3 vanished I should of been there. Not chasing after some Borg zombies miles away.” Steven said.

“Please sit down Doctor, or can I call you Steven, would you like a drink?”

“I think as this is in private ,Steven would be best. A nice cup of sweet tea would be just the ticket. If you please.” Steven said

She made the tea in a China cup and handed it to him. “Please call me Niali Steven.” She sat down again and smiled. “Can you tell me a little bit of what happened to you back then….unless it is too painful for you?”

Steven took a sip and nodded.

“ This is good tea. Ok. It all started when we brought in this derelict freighter, to DS3.We found four cryogenic chambers. Three were still intact but the fourth was destroyed. During the transfer the chambers power supply got interrupted and the bodies came to life. Even the one we thought was dead…..” Steven stopped and took a sip of his tea.

Niali let him pause, it was better if he told his story at his own pace then said evenly and quietly “I take it the chambers contained Borg?”

“ Yes and no. They were not full Borg drones. For some reason the cryogenic chambers. Seemed to slow down the assimilation process. One of the reasons we set off to capture them. Anyway in the end we caught up with them. Sadly we had to destroy the vessel they had stolen. Killing them along with it. Little did we know there was more horror to come…” Steven said giving a shudder.

Niali gave him a minute then continued. “Carry on if you can Steven,” she gently encouraged him.

Steven took another shaking sip of his drink.

“ We began to head home……. To DS3…. The communication officer could not reach them… so the Captain of the Pathfinder increased speed and…… it was gone. No debris…….no background radiation except the usual…….nothing…. Empty space….. gone….oh my…” Steven gave a shudder.

“How often do you think about it Steven?” Again she asked gently

“ Sometimes days, weeks….. but then it hits me. If anything I feel guilty.” Steven replied

Naili stood and turned away to give him time for composure and a break in his narrative. She returned with a full cup of coffee and sat, she smiled. “ How are you sleeping Steven, and dreams?”

“ That’s the strange thing. I sleep quite well despite the weird dreams.” Steven reported.

“Dreams are a good sign that the brain is beginning to process, however slowly, the things that explain our waking thoughts and behaviours. What do you mean by weirded dreams?” Niali asked getting up and pouring herself a coffee.

“ Well. The latest is I am back in Ballybrack. My hometown in Ireland back on Earth. It’s early in the morning and I am out walking. There’s a light mist just above the ground. I am standing by a gate looking into a field. I think it’s peas growing because the leaves are very green. There’s a sound like a trumpet being played but backwards. Then a herd of small tiny pink elephants come racing towards me. I try to run but my shoes are stuck solid in the mud.” Steven said.” Then everything vanishes and I am falling through space..”

Naili thought for a moment. “Vivid dreams and nightmares are a strong part of post traumatic stress disorder Steven. It might be a good idea for us to work on something called Imagery rehearsal therapy, it is a cognitive-behavioral treatment for reducing the number and intensity of nightmares. What I would like you to do is write down your dreams as vividly as you can remember them.” She smiled “however silly or traumatic as they seem. Then we work on them and change them and, in a way you relearn them so when you have that dream next time you can change it into what you wanted the change to be.” She took another drink of coffee and made a face, “I must drink less of this.” She said. “It may sound strange but it works by putting you in charge of what you dream. What do you think?”

“ Yes. I would like to try that. The thing is I can understand the later part of my dream. DS3 vanished and that’s manifested in my dream. But why the pink elephants?” Steven asked

Naili smiled. “I cannot tell you that but it may come to light during our therapy sessions. So, keep a dream diary, write down everything even if it is difficult for you to recall. Try to include your feelings as well if you can. The other treatment to discuss is through medications but, as you know they all have other effects and, as a member of the Command team I am loath to do that. What are your views on that?”

“ Well personaly and as Chief Medical Officer I agree. Medications for this kind of problem take time and can lead to addiction. So I agree they should not be used. Could the pink elephants be a metaphor for something deeper? My mother would never let me have any pets. I always wanted a dog but she was adamant about it. Almost to the point of hysteria. Some of our loudest arguments until I joined Starfleet were about pets.” Steven replied

“I suppose it could be Steven but it is far more likely that they represented your fears regarding the contents of the cryogenic chambers. Obviously this was a shock to you and your mind turned them into harmless ‘pink elephants’. The study of dreams is a difficult one as they are so subjective.” She finished her coffee. Have you had a diagnosis of ptsd? I am unable to find one in your records and, would you like some more coffee?

“ Could I have some decaf? It was felt I was too borderline to be diagnosed with PTSD. To be honest all this did not start until I came onboard the Oberon. I was fine on Earth. Mind you I was to busy arguing with my mother about my return to Starfleet.” Steven replied

Niali made some fresh decaf and handed Steven a China cup and saucer. Pouring herself some she sat down again. “I take it your mother was against you returning ?” She queried.

Steven took a sip.

“ This is good coffee. Oh yes. Mind you she was never really best pleased with my joining up in the first place. Once I graduated as a doctor she assumed I would follow in my late fathers footsteps. Become Ballybrack’s GP and all that. But instead in her words. I would rather treat men and women with green blood. Then look after the good people of my home town.” He replied

Niali nodded and smiled. “Do you keep in touch with your mother Steven?” She asked.

Steven was just about to answer when his comm. Badge chirped.

=/\= Sickbay to Edgeware. You asked us to let you know when Ensign Pale awoke.=/\=

“ Yes. Sorry Niali duty calls. Perhaps we can reschedule for another time?” Steven said.

Niali nodded, she would have preferred to carry on but they had made progress. “I suggest you write down your dreams as we discussed and we meet again in a few weeks. I will sign you as fit for duty but if you need to talk about anything night or day then please do.”

Steven stood.m“ Thanks. I will.” He said as he left the room.

[OFF]

Lieutenant Niali Korial
Chief Counsellor
USS Oberon

&

Lieutenant Dr Steven Edgeware
Chief Medical Officer
USS Oberon