Posted by Ensign Jazzin Lauren (Medical Officer) in Lounge - Burying the Scalpel (Tag Lauren)

Posted by Lieutenant Seddk Vock (Chief Medical Officer) in Lounge - Burying the Scalpel (Tag Lauren)

Posted by Ensign Jazzin Lauren (Medical Officer) in Lounge - Burying the Scalpel (Tag Lauren)
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Vock arrived at the Lounge thirty minutes prior to his agreed to meeting with his new Medical officer Ensign Lauren. Looking around, he found a table towards the back and near a window that was empty and took a seat. Looking out the window as the stars streaked past, Vock stilled his mind and calmed himself. It had been a very long day… the shuttle, the burns, the conflict and argument with his new coworker… it had indeed been a trying period. It was unexpected, the manner of his arrival. And the circumstances surrounding it still weighed heavily on his mind. Taking a deep breath, he focused on the streaks of light outside the window and recited a meditation mantra while he waited for Jazz’s arrival.

Vock, CMO

“Dearest one; you will be fine. You are a good person. You are my sweetest boy and I am sure that this Lieutenant will come to see that in time.”

Jazzin smiled to his mother, whose kind face smiled right back at him over the monitor. “He’s a Vulcan, mother. I don’t think ‘being sweet’ is going to get me very far.”

His father was sat beside his mother; being half Trill, the markings around his scalp were darker than Jazzin’s own, which looked more like old, faded tattoos. “Then you do your job and you do it well, son. Your a doctor in Starfleet! You’re there for a reason; because you earned it. No one handed it to you, so just keep that in your mind.”

“I think my pride might be the very reason I’m in this situation in the first place.” Jazz complained. He glanced at the time on the monitor. “I have to go. I just want to get this over with.”

“Just be yourself,” his mother said.

“And be professional,” his father added, ever the pragmatist.

“Yes sirs!” He said, earning a chuckle from both his parents. “I love you.”

“We love you too, son.”

When the monitor went dark, Jazzin sighed. It wasn’t the same. For Betazoids, even those who weren’t full Betazoids, words were spoken with a whole host of emotion attached to them, and hearing those words through a monitor, meant that they felt hollow to him. Not that he didn’t believe that his parents did love him, it was just when said face-to-face, that feeling would wash over him. He missed it, terribly.

“Okay,” he said, to his empty room. “Let’s go treat this wound.”

*

It was nice to be out of uniform and into some casual clothes. He had toyed with the idea of wearing his uniform, but he was not on shift, and this wasn’t an official meeting, so he had stubbornly decided to stick on a loose pair of green trousers and a grey shirt, and a silver sash that was common for young men to wear in the region he had grown up in on Betazed (it had led to some light teasing at the Academy, but it had never fazed him). The sash was to show he was unmarried; which most Betazoids considered out-dated and old fashioned, but his town had maintained the tradition, just had he.

The lounge was fairly busy, but Jazzin had more than his eyes to look for his Chief with. So as his black eyes searched the room, his mind went this way and that, coming across a familiar feeling when he located Vock. He took a nervous breath and made his way over to the table.

“Good evening, sir.” He said, formally. He had no idea how this was going to play out, so would err on the side of caution.

Ens. Lauren
Doctor

Vock took his gaze from the stars and looked at Lauren, his face as blank and emotionless as ever. Without a word, he gestured, palm outward, to the chair opposite his own, inviting the doctor to sit. Vock was in uniform, but it was not the one seen earlier. This was clean and sharp, each facet regulation and precise. A PaDD sat in front of him, currently blank.

The Betazoid inwardly groaned at the sight of Vock in his uniform. ‘Of course he’d come to a dinner in uniform; I wonder if he’s trying to make a point?’

“Greetings, Doctor. I trust the evening finds you well?” he inquired.

Vock, CMO

Taking a seat, Jazzin tried to arrange himself comfortably and casually, almost like he was trying to make a point that this was an off-duty meeting and that he would treat it as such. “I’m a little tired, after my shift. It was rather slow, so time seemed to drag. I did manage a quick call back home to my parents on Betazed, which was pleasant.” He could have answered ‘yes, sir’, but had decided to be more laid back. “What about yourself, sir? Feel better now your scrubbed and clean?” He asked, with a cautious smile.

Ens. Lauren
Med

“Indeed. All though I will feel more centered once I am actually able to unpack. Security is still combing through the shuttle, so I have yet to retrieve my personal belongings.” Vock answered calmly. “And I trust our patients are resting as comfortably as they can?” he inquired. The question was not judgmental; it came across as simply a question for clarification.

Vock, CMO

“Everyone’s fine, sir.” Jazzin answered. “We both arrived within days of each other, so we know how fast things can turn around, but,” he shrugged. “It’s a well run Sickbay. As always, the nursing staff keep everything going without any complaint.” He smiled briefly as he thought back to the Academy. “I remember one of our tutors telling us: ‘If you have a happy nursing staff, you will have a happy Sickbay. Cross them, and your professional life will be a nightmare’. I think it’s a good philosophy. I actually considered being a nurse myself; even volunteered as an assistant back on Betazed. Doctors seem to get all the flashy roles, but the nurses are the ones the patient’s want with them, holding their hands, whenever they want a comforting presence.” He glanced up. “I hope to be thought of the same way; that people know that I’m not going to just order treatment, but that people can talk to me, and know I’ll listen.”
Vock nodded in quiet agreement. “If a doctor fails to listen, then they fail in their duty. Scans and test results, while important tools, only tell part of the complete situation.”

He gave a small chuckle. “Maybe bigots are correct; ‘Betazoids are too soft for hard work’. We don’t come across as a particularly tough species. But it has its perks.”

Vock cocked an eyebrow at the statement and said “I have worked with several of your species. While I agree that the term ‘tough’ is not necessarily applicable in the most rudimentary sense, I did find them quite competent and professional.”

The Betazoid realised this was probably the closest a Vulcan would be to giving a compliment, so nodded and smiled. “Thank you, sir.”

Lauren realised he hadn’t asked a single question yet, and ran the risk of sounding self-involved. “Do you mind me asking what brought you to the Asimov, sir? Was it a desired destination or a promotional opportunity?”

Ens Lauren
Doctor

“Promotional opportunity? No. I was the Chief Medical Officer on the USS Dresden prior to my assignment here. I was reassigned to the Academy after my time on that vessel to attend the Advanced Medical Officer Course. I was then sent to Star Fleet Command Officer training prior to being assigned to the Asimov.” Vock responded. His voice lacked a bit of the abruptness that it had upon their first meeting. While it was far from friendly or jovial, it was at least less… terse.

Jazzin was an attentive listener. He wondered though; if Vock had gone through Command Training, why was he still only a Lieutenant? Why hadn’t he been given a ‘command’ title? Had he failed? He was hardly about to ask that of his superior officer!

Looking at the young doctor, Vock asked “And what about yourself, Ensign? Did you specifically request the Asimov? Or were you simply assigned the post?”

Vock, CMO

“Oh well, originally I envisaged a life working on medical stations, as I had no real interest in joining the military. Even my family were not pleased when I had requested I come to the Asimov. The reason I did was because the head of our Starfleet Medical Training had been a doctor on this very ship. Commander Luke Santiago …” His eyes grew distant for a moment as he recalled his old tutor and mentor. The Human had taken a shine to him and perhaps if they hadn’t been teacher and student, things might have gone a bit differently. But professionalism had snuffed out any potential romance. “His tales of being out in Deep Space, working under extreme conditions and such … well I had always intended to work in emergency medicine, and it all sounded so exciting!”

He looked up. “I don’t know if you feel excitement, or perhaps not on a scale like my species. But …” He cleared his throat, awkwardly. “Shall we have something to drink?” He said, hoping he hadn’t offended Vock.

Ens Lauren
Doctor

Vock inclined his head slightly and said “Of course. What would you like, Ensign? I will retrieve the beverages.” and he stood up.

Making is way to the replicator, Vock ordered Lauren’s drink and his own. Returning to the table, he sat the drinks down and took a seat. He took a sip of his tea and set the clear glass cup down in front of him. “Doctor, I believe I must address something that is concerning me. You have made inquiries or comments on several occasions… indeed, I believe that some of our difficulties may stem from this as well… as to the emotional capabilities of Vulcans. I believe that what you currently know about my species may be somewhat inaccurate. May I ask what you know of Vulcan culture and custom? And please… I do not mean this as an argument or for you to perceive this as me being… how did you put in Sickbay… holding the rest of you in little to no regard. I am simply inferring from statements or questions you have made. It is well within the realm of possibility that I may be mistaken in my inference.”

Vock, CMO