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Counselor's Office - Cadet Parker-Cawlyns Check In

Posted Feb. 8, 2021, 1:41 p.m. by Cadet Carmen Luisa Parker-Cawlyns (Doctor) (Anna Ricks)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Vanessa Lofton (Counselor) in Counselor’s Office - Cadet Parker-Cawlyns Check In
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Carmen looked over the room with a glance, before perching herself carefully on the blue sofa, her ankles crossed in a perfect Duchess slant, her hands folded in her lap. “Just water, please.”

-Cadet Parker-Cawlyns

Vanessa nodded. “One water and one hot chocolate, on a tray,” she requested, lifting the items once the whine of the system wound down. She carried it across the room and handed the glass of water to Carmen, lifting her own mug and setting the tray beneath the end table.

“First of all, this is an informal session,” she began. “This isn’t some sort of ‘test’; you wouldn’t be here if Starfleet didn’t think you were ready. So congratulations; you’re about to complete your doctorate and be commissioned as an officer in Starfleet. It’s one of the most difficult tracts in the fleet.” She sipped her cocoa, folding her legs to one side beneath her on the couch, turning her body to face the young cadet.

“What do you want to see yourself accomplish in the fleet?”

Vanessa liked this question. It wasn’t a ‘gotcha’ as some people thought; how people interpreted the questions was often as important as what the actual answer was.

Lt. Cmdr. Lofton - CNS

Carmen already was starting to like Vanessa. Her room was comfortable, and there was a sort of calming aura around her. She briefly wondered whether she was trained to project comfortable feelings, or if she was just naturally like this.

Carmen thought for a moment about Vanessa’s question. “I would like to accomplish…” she started, before trailing off, one hand going to her ear to fidget with one of her hearing aids. She took a breath, and started again. “I want to help people. That’s why I want to be a doctor. Starfleet is where I think that I could help the best. As long as I’m helping people, healing people, saving lives–that’s where I want to be. I guess that’s not really an accomplishment, per se, but I think you understand.”

-Cadet Parker-Cawlyns

Vanessa smiled, thinking back on her own reasons for becoming a psychologist, and nodded. “I do,” she responded. “It’s a noble calling, and, sadly, one you’ll get called on to use too often in the fleet.”

She sipped her hot chocolate and sighed at the warmth and flavor. “I love hot chocolate. It’s my vice. Are you specializing in any field, or going the general medicine route?”

Lt. Cmdr. Lofton - CNS

“I’ve never had hot chocolate, thanks to a life-threatening caffeine allergy.” Carmen had wished to try chocolate when she was younger, but by now she was used to the fact she’d never have it. She gave a little shrug before responding to Vanessa’s question. “I’m trained to do just about everything, but if I were to choose just one practice, I’d be a physical therapist. I spent a month as an intern as one years ago, it was what really cemented my desire to be a doctor.” It hadn’t been an official internship, she had lost half of her left foot in a shuttle accident when she was fifteen. She was sent to a clinic to help her adapt to the bio-synthetic prosthetic, and had pestered the doctors and nurses with enough questions that they gave in and let her follow their internship program. She was good at it, too. She had spent a some time working with a Caitian who had lost both their entire right leg and their tail. They had practically given up, but Carmen was able to help them practice and gain strength with their new limbs, and help them to want to continue on and heal, and even get back to running races.

-Cadet Parker-Cawlyns


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