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Side Sim - Just a headache (tag Vock)

Posted June 5, 2019, 11:59 a.m. by Lieutenant Seddk Vock (Chief Medical Officer) (James Sinclair)

Posted by Lieutenant Persephone Milestone (Chief Science Officer) in Side Sim - Just a headache (tag Vock)

Posted by Lieutenant Seddk Vock (Chief Medical Officer) in Side Sim - Just a headache (tag Vock)

Posted by Lieutenant Persephone Milestone (Chief Science Officer) in Side Sim - Just a headache (tag Vock)
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

SNIP

“Indeed. Thank you for your concern.” he said. “At this moment, however, my concern is you Lieutenant. Tell me. How long have you had trouble sleeping? And do you have any idea what may be the cause of the issue? There is nothing in your scans to indicate a purely medical issue.”

Vock, CMO

She looked at him for a rather long minute before giving a surrender sigh. “Nightmares… That’s all. Just an over active imagination.” Once more trying to cover it up with a smile and shrug. Seph shifted slightly in her seat. She had so much time this way she wasn’t sure how long it had been. “A few weeks, that’s all.”

A simple task of his console would reveal the ‘remedy’ had been given out of and on for a few months. “It’s no big deal. I’ll be exhausted in a few days and catch up on the last sleep. No problem.” She once more fidgeted in her seat and shrugged like they were discussing a dinner menu.

Seph

Vock said flatly “Your statement is in conflict with your medical record, Lieutenant. Would you care to reassess the time-frame of your issues with sleep? I understand that fatigue can sometimes cause difficulties in remembering timelines accurately.” There was no emotion or condemnation in his voice, but there was a look in his eye that seemed, for some reason, to convey that he knew something was amiss; and that he was giving her a reason to justify the ‘error in recollection’ rather than outright saying she was withholding something.

Vock, CMO

Seph gave up on trying not to fidget and stood up. The small space afforded for pacing left her as frustrated as sitting. “Ok… Maybe a few months.” Unable to walk away without passing him, the Science Chief gave up and leaned against the wall, her arms crossed defensively.

“There was an… incident. An away mission.” She knew better than to blurt out details, but some things needed to be revealed if she was too be honest. “Myself and the team got trapped in a room and we were nearly killed.” Her heart was racing as she remembered, the nails of her hand leaving small crescents in her palms as she stiffened. “I was given no information about the mission prior to departure, kept in the dark during most of it, and even now I only know we got data from the computer systems to find some guy that was missing.”

Now that she was talking, her anger flared and released itself. “I’ve been in tight spots before, sure. But blind, ignorant, trapped!? They… They weren’t supposed to be there… aliens.” The final word elicited a small squeak of hysterical laughter. She bit her lip and sat back down. This time she sat straight up, feet together, hands in lap, though white knuckled from tension. She took a deep breath and exhaled before looking at him. Once more she was under control, but the physical signs of the strain were more than evident.

“So now I have nightmares. Different places… Different situations.. never any warning. Just like then. So I stay busy and get help to sleep.” If he did any digging later, he’d see she had been cleared by psych, but there was a warning that she wasn’t coping to a satisfactory level and should be seen again. The change of councilors since then made it appear that she’d fallen through the proverbial cracks.

Seph

Vock watched her movements and body language, the stiffness, the clenched fists. “One moment, Lieutenant. I apologize but I need to confirm something in your record.” and he tapped a few commands into the desk interface. A few long moments later he spoke.

“You were cleared for duty after the incident, but you were supposed to have some follow up counseling that does not appear to have either happened or was not documented. Tell me, Lieutenant. Have you seen the Counselor about this?”

Vock, CMO

Seph shook her head. “And say what? That I’m having trouble sleeping? I believe I just told ‘you’ that and you gave me these.” She held up the bottle.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she cocked her head. “Have YOU followed up with the Councilor or your second since your shuttle incident?” If he was going to question her, v he should telling bucking advice the day he arrived and he jumped right back into work against recommendations

Seph
CSO

Vock looked at her flatly and said “I have not. But I am scheduled for such. And my circumstances are not yours, so I fail to see the corollary Lieutenant.” and he arched an eyebrow. “Is there some reason you are hesitant to go to the Counselor?”

Vock, CMO

“I do not see a reason to bother the Counselor when simple orders as you have given will also be given again as they have in the past. ‘Sleep more, do not allow past circumstances to dictate your future, take a sleeping pill if need be, find a hobby to occupy your mind..’.” Seph gave the list like a litany she had heard over and over on more than one occasion. “I appreciate your concern and promise to inform the Counselor that I have come tonight for sleeping assistance. Will that make you feel better?” It was not condescending, more like a child promising one parent to tell the other she was doing as she was told.

In all honesty, she really had no reason in her mind to see the Chief Head Shrinker who would merely ask for details of the dreams and try and walk thru them a step at a time. She had done it plenty and gotten no where. No one else was going to do any better.

Pretha

Vock replied “My ‘feelings’ are irrelevant, Lieutenant. I am merely asking if you are taking all necessary steps to ensure your physical and mental health. As a Department Head on this vessel, you are responsible for not only yourself; but all of those who serve under you. It would be doing your staff a great disservice if you were to not look after yourself.” And he looked at her without blinking for several moments. Finally he spoke, his voice slightly softer than before. “Let us use my current status as an example, as you are familiar with it. My arrival on board was problematic, to say the least. Those circumstances, coupled with a potentially crippling conflict with one of my staff, set my department up for a statistically higher probability of failure than I deemed acceptable. Therefore it fell to me, as the Department Head, to rectify the situation in which I found myself as the center focal point. Not ideal, but it had to be dealt with. Therefore I addressed my arrival with Captain, thank you for your assistance in that. And I engaged in multiple opportunities to communicate in a more appropriate fashion with my staff member… meeting them on their terms, not holding them to mine. And I have made appointments with the Counselor to discuss any lingering emotional or mental issues that may be present from the incident surrounding my trip to this ship.” and his head tilted slightly to the side and his gaze intensified.

“What I am not doing is eschewing advice from the professionals surrounding me in order to bypass what may be a difficult conversation. All that does is postpone the inevitable, and make the interim time more uncomfortable than is necessary.”

Vock, CMO

A simple exhale of a breath was all the Science Chief did, but the affect, if Vock caught it, was the same as if she had collapsed under a professional reprimand. A moment ago, Persephone had been keeping good eye contact and taking the conversation in as if she knew she was fine and nothing was amiss. But Vock had put the in her place as surely as any grounding from a parent could have done.

When she finally spoke, the borderline indignation in her voice was completely gone. “You are right.” Somehow nothing else seemed appropriate. Excuses were just that… excuses. Her crossed arms dropped and she nodded once more. “I’ll see the Counselor. I’m fine, at least, in my opinion. But you’re right that i need to consider my Department and the ship as a whole.”

She wasn’t one to easily admit a weakness. But there was no way around it this time. And continuing to try and do so would potentially hurt more than just herself. “If i can have a mold sleeping aide for this evening, I’ll see the counselor at my soonest…” she paused to clarify, not wanting him to think she was simply stalling again. “I’ll go right after shift change debriefs are done.”

Seph

Vock replied with a slight softening of tone that was barely noticeable. “Lieutenant, this is not a matter of right or wrong. I am simply trying to provide you the best medical and professional support that I am able. I am pleased to hear that you will see the Counselor. And if I may be of any help, you are free to contact me at any time.” and he pointed to the small bottle he had handed her before. “Diphenhydramine. 10 milligram tablets. There are 5 of them. It will assist with your sleep. One pill thirty minutes before you want to sleep.” and he looked at her directly again. “Is there anything I can do for you, Lieutenant?”

Vock, CMO


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