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O'Keefe Quarters - Dinner

Posted Oct. 12, 2018, 11:27 a.m. by Lieutenant Commander Pilar O'Keefe (Head Nurse) (Tyra Schroll)

Posted by Lieutenant Allison Scott (Pediatrics/Assistant Chief Medical Officer) in O’Keefe Quarters - Dinner

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Pilar O’Keefe (Head Nurse) in O’Keefe Quarters - Dinner

Posted by Lieutenant Allison Scott (Pediatrics/Assistant Chief Medical Officer) in O’Keefe Quarters - Dinner Posted by… suppressed (14) by the Post Ghost! 👻 : : : : : Pilar had finished her shift in Sickbay and returned to their quarters. Otana and Derick were reading one of Otana’s favorite books. Pilar smiled softly at the two, she was worried about Otana, she knew that there was something going on, she had seen the preliminary scans and saw the area on her brain that was concerning. Otana slid off the couch and ran to Pilar and jumped in her arms. Pilar held her daughter and kissed her forehead. : : : : : : : : : : Pilar looked over at her husband “Allison and Jon are going to stop by for a bit. They want to discuss the situation with Otana.” She said setting Otana down on the floor “Go wash up, please” She asked her daughter. Pilar sat down next to Derick “We have to be careful with this.” She said “We have the possibility of a brain injury and that in and of itself could be problematic.” Pilar said quietly “We will have to get her used to Allison and Jon so that they can help her.” Pilar said as Otana came out with water stains on her shirt but her hands and face were clean. : : : : : : : : : : Pilar got up and went to the small kitchen area and began preparing dinner for the family and guests. Otana sat back down with Derick to continue reading. As they worked on the book, Otana started to get frustrated and was becoming upset that she couldn’t read some of the words. Pilar watched as the situation deteriorated, she sighed and hoped that there was something that could be done for her. It was getting hard to deal with the melt downs. : : : : : : : : : : Head Nurse : : : : : : : : Ally stood outside Pilar’s door and glanced down the hall. She shifted the two bags in her hand as she balanced a large plate of brownies in the other. Ally had spoken to Jon earlier about arriving at 1800 hours at Pilar’s quarters. He promised to be there but he had children of his own and sometimes kids did not want to cooperate. She had hoped that they could walk in together but he would be here when he could. Wiggling her fingers, Ally freed one of the bags and set it by the door. Hopefully, Jon would see it before he walked in. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Ally palmed the door controls and waited. : : : : : : : : Lt. Ally Scott, Medical : : : : : : Jonathan came up behind her just shortly after she arrived. “Aren’t you looking cute. Don’t be nervous hon, you’ll be fine trust me. We are helping them.” he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder giving her a small squeeze. Jonathan couldn’t lie he had come to rely heavily on Ally. She was one of his closest friends on this ship, and he looked forward to any chance he could work close with her. : : : : : : Reez, CoP : : : : “Jon,” Ally said with a huge smile before it turned a bit disapproving. “You’re late but that’s okay. Here hold this,” she swung the plate piled high with brownies at him. “Oh and this,” she picked up the bag next to the door which she slipped on his other hand. Ally then swung the bag she was holding around between her and Jon. “Okay so to break the ice with kids I have a treasure chest. You know they get to pick something out if they at good type of thing,” Ally slid the second bag on jon’s Hand , pulled the tissue paper out of the bag, and pulled the toy from the bag. : : : : “Since we are not at the office I brought a toy with me. You said Otana seemed to like turtles so I got her a super squishy plush turtle.” Ally pulled it from the bag and made it do a small dance In Front of Jonathan. : : : : “Now you got her this,” Ally began to root around in the substantially bigger bag also on Jonathan’s wrist. From the bag she pulled what looked like a huge ball of green cloth. “It’s a Snuggie,” she said happily shaking it out so Jon could see two rather large orbs staring at him. Not wasting any more time, Ally shoved the two gifts back int the bags attached to Jon’s arm. : : : : “Ready,” Ally said turning back to the door and shaking her hair out with a smile on her face as Jonathan stood now balancing everything she had brought. : : : : Lt. Ally Scott. Medical : : From inside one could hear the laughter of a child and the scolding of a mother as the door slid open and Pilar was standing there with Otana under one arm like a football and Otana laughing uncontrollably until she saw Ally and Jon and she fell quiet. Pilar sat the child down on her own to feet “Welcome to our craziness?” She said as Otana hid behind Pilar. Derik poked his head out of the kitchen “Ahh, just in time. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.” He said coming out and extending his hand to Jon. : Jonathan shook his hand as he then nodded at Pilar. “Thank you for having us, we are happy to come help anytime.”

: Pilar stepped aside “Otana say hi to Jon and Ally. They’re going to have supper with us. Remember I told you about that when I got home from work.” The little girl barely nodded and tried to step back behind Pilar but was curious about the colorful, festive bags that Jon was holding. Pilar eyed the two of them suspiciously “What are you two up to? And let me take that pan before you drop it.” She said taking the pan of brownies from Jon and into the kitchen area.

“Does anyone ever really need a reason to get a present,” Ally smiled at Pilar and then Otana but made no move to address her directly. Why people always thought kids would instantly take to a smiling adult astounded her. People needed to treat kids just like they treated adults. One did not rush into a room and bear hug its occupants. Lucky for Ally and Jon, Pilar knew all of this. She would not read hesitancy in Ally or Jon giving Otana a bit of space to adjust to them as a sign of being uncomfortable. “However, the reason for the gifts is because Otana left without visiting my prize box or Jon’s,” Ally said mainly for the benefit of Otana. Pilar would know this was just an ice breaker but it was as good as explanation as any for someone Otana’s age. “Jon,” Ally said nudging him with her elbow. “Jon give her the gift,” Ally said out of the side of her mouth through her smile. : “Yes, we thought of everything, didn’t we honey?” Jon said with a sharp eyebrow as he looked at Ally. He wasn’t complaining at her familiarity but he never seen her act like this with him.

: The quarters smelled like a mix of Mediterranian and Spanish cuisine. On the table was a set of hand crafted dinner ware that Pilar had brought from Bajor on one of her return trips. It had caught her eye because of the design on the plates. A bird sitting on a branch over looking a stream.

:

: “How are both of you this evening?” She asked as she set the pan down and turned back to their guests. Otana had moved over to play with some of her toys. She occasionally glanced at the adults in the room but kept to herself for the moment.

:

: Head Nurse

“I am fabulous,” Ally said happily. “Sorry we were a few minutes late but Jon got tied up with....wait…why were you late. You don’t seem the type to be late even with that laid-back rocker persona you got going on,” Ally said with a smirk moving towards the table. Any other time she would have sat on the couch or such but the purpose tonight was not entirely social. She didn’t want to crowd Otana but have her see that she and Jon were friends of her parents first and maybe not such a threat. Lt. Ally Scott, medical

“I had to get some files on everything hon, you said you would do this.” he said as he gestured at all she brought. “And I had to do the real work and science, like always.” he said with a small wink and nudge on her as he began to take in the place and it’s surroundings.

Reez, CoP

Pilar looked at the pair “You two are priceless.” She said “Have a seat. Derick will have dinner ready in a few minutes. I hope you don’t mind some Moroccan Chicken and saffron rice.” She said “Its one of our favorites.” She added “Coffee or tea or something else?” She asked gesturing to the replicator as she got Otana a glass of her favorite juice for dinner. “Otana, go wash up for dinner please.” She said to her daughter before sitting down.

“Coffee would be perfect,” Ally said, “and anything I dont have to replicate myself is wonderful. I don’t care what I do or how many times I try to program something in the darn machines, it never comes out right if I stray from the standard programming. Except for desserts. Well okay, two desserts. I make a mean chocolate date night cake and brownies.” Ally looked up slightly to the right as if thinking. “Yep that’s it,” she looked back at them with a smile. “I’m still young though and seriously considering marrying a chef.”

Lt. Allison Scott, pediatrics

Derrik was dishing up food as Otana did as her mother asked “Dinner’s ready.” He announced.

Head Nurse.

Pilar nodded “I think I did a good job. Derick is a wonderful chef and he is willing to work with anyone and he can cook anything.” She said as she led the way to the dinner table and Otana returned from the bathroom and washing her hands. She quietly took her spot and waited for food to be put in front of her. She warily eyed Jon and Ally but said nothing.

Head Nurse

“Well you are one lucky girl,” Ally said looking at Otana with a smile. “I bet you and your daddy get to make all kinds of yummy things. My Daddy can’t cook so all my mom ever got for breakfast in bed was cold cereal that spilled all over the tray I carried. Oh and toast. I can manage not to burn toast,” she gave a small laugh. “Your Mommy is so lucky to have two professional chefs making her meals,” Ally winked at Otana before turning her attention back to her parents.

“Derrick this smells amazing. Where did you learn to cook like this,” Ally asked.

Lt. (j.g.) Ally Scott, pediatrics

Otana smiled briefly and continued eating her dinner. Derrick smiled “Well, I trained with some of the best chefs at the Culinary Academy in San Francisco and I actually started cooking when I was a young boy. My grandmother started teaching me to cook when I was five and it has just grown from there.” He said “I’m considering giving some cooking lessons on the ship once we finally get settled into a routine.” He said.

Pilar watched Otana for a moment wondering what her daughter was thinking, but continued to focus on their guests.

Head Nurse

“Oh heck I’m in. I mean what guy doesn’t want a girl who can cook and I am still in the market to be the Future Mrs. Someone,” she joked. Even though men outnumber women about 75% in Starfleet it is not the easiest to always find a connection. It’s not like I wore Oud to ham and cat hair,” Ally laughed. “Men just seem to want it all. The perfect wife that has an amazing career, two kids, and doesn’t burn the muffins. I am more the I want a job I like, a passel of kids, and probably spending more time nursing them back to health than a crew. Kinda puts a damper on the first date when you look at them and say you know that my goal is to be a wife amd mom first even though I spent six years in medical school. Makes me sound crazy or desperate,” Ally shurgged then kinda turned red.

“But I am dedicated to the job…for now. Just don’t tell the CMO this,” she winked at Pilar.

Lt. Ally Scott, medical

Pilar laughed “I promise I won’t tell the CMO.” She said as she took another bite of her dinner “Otana how is your food.” She asked the little girl who barely looked up “It’s good mama.” She bent her head back over her plate. PIlar sighed and looked back at the others “So what do you think is going on with her?” Pilar asked getting to the other reason for their visit this evening.

Head Nurse

Jonathan choked a bit as he looked at Ally. He had never had someone ask them this question in front of the patient like this. Children often required more tender care and he had to admit he found this approach a little odd.

Reez, CoP

Out of instinct, Ally patted Jonathan several times firmly on his back then uttered, “hands up,” she said raising her arms. As soon as she said and did that a rush of red came to her cheeks. “Sorry,” she laughed avoiding looking at Jonathan. The guy had to think she was crazy. Every time they were together it was never a normal experience. The memory of her check in brought a half smirk to her face every time she thought about it. Maybe by explaining the situation could be saved. “First thing they teach you in medical school about choking is to pound the back and raise your hands with kids. Isn’t it Pilar,” Ally looked for back up. “I mean why make them any more nervous. They are already choking so putting them into a Heimlich is more invasive.”

Lt. Ally Scott, medical

Pilar nodded and watched closely to make sure nothing else was needed.

“Thank you Doctor.” Jon said, shaking his head as he brushed off what she did. “I’m fine.” he said as he stared a bit at Ally. She was nothing if not interesting in her behavior.

Reez, CoP

Once Jon was breathing normally again “I apologize for my straightforwardness. It’s a hazard of the job. ” She smiled at Otana and stroked her hair “Otana also knows that we don’t hide things from her. It causes distrust and I don’t want to start by lying to her. We can explain it to her later in easier terms.” She said “However, we’ll wait until after the meal to discuss this further.” Pilar said.

Derick looked apologetic “Honey, remember, we need to be patient and take this one step at a time.” He said taking Pilar’s hand and squeezing it gently. Otana just looked at the two adults in her life and smiled cleaning off the rest of her plate “Papa, can I go?” She asked politely.

Head Nurse

As Ally watched Otana go off to play, she took a deep breath and lowered her voice a bit. She and Jonathan had not discussed how they were going to handle presenting the news. One approach was to have psych explain the situation and the doctor explains the mechanics. The other was to diagnose and psych followed up with the good news-bad news comments to put it in real life understanding. Knowing how nervous Pilar must be, Ally decided to go with approach B. While Jonathan could be arrogant, overconfident, and bold, Ally had seen the softer side of him a few times in SIckbay with kids. The two dimensions were like a ying and yang of his personality.

“So I ran some tests and it appears that Otana had a frontal lobe head injury. While most people associate brain injury with paralysis, loss of speech, and other autonomic functions, as you know the frontal lobe affects personality, fine motor planning, and higher level cognitive functions.” Ally chose her words very carefully. She would in any situation but she had a personal stake in this compared to a nameless face that walked into her clinic. “The lesion is in the right anterior portion of the frontal lobe which explains so many things Her erratic behavior, difficulty with problem-solving and memory. It also explains why her IQ tests are showing normal intelligence.” Ally took a breath and et the information sink in.

Lt. Ally Scott medical

Bump
Pilar nodded and looked between her two coworkers “How do we proceed to treat this or can it be treated?” She asked without showing that she was upset at the diagnosis, it simply marked her resolve to find the Cardassians that had taken Otana and make them pay.

Head Nurse

“Well it can’t really be treated,” Ally tried to break the news gently. “As you know we can do amazing things in the field of medicine but we can’t fix this, unfortunately. Otana has permanent brain damage but with some medication to help with her concentration and focus coupled with behavorial therapy,” Ally tried to hide the obvious disbelief that the latter would do a lot of good, “we can make a lot of gains. Otana has a bright future but it will take some time and patience from all of us.” Ally reached across the table and put her hand over Pilar’s.

Lt. Ally Scott, medical

Pilar gave Ally a simple nod and looked at her daughter playing on the other side of the room, her medical mind knew what Ally was saying was true, her mother’s brain was telling her that it could be fixed and the two were at war with each other. What Ally and Jon would see was a mother who was angry and what had happened to her daughter and a spark of fire that would not be easily extinguished until the source of the ire was found.

Head Nurse


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