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Counselling Suite- Doctors Make the Worst Patients

Posted Dec. 17, 2021, 10:12 p.m. by Lieutenant Séan Iven (Chief of Psychiatry) (Matt Evans)

Posted by Commander Dira Myqian (Executive Officer) in Counselling Suite- Doctors Make the Worst Patients

Posted by Lieutenant Séan Iven (Chief of Psychiatry) in Counselling Suite- Doctors Make the Worst Patients

Posted by Commander Dira Myqian (Executive Officer) in Counselling Suite- Doctors Make the Worst Patients
The trained psychiatrist and medical doctor in her understood perfectly well that self-help went only so far. Even the most skilled mental health professional still needed perspective and someone equally skilled to help them work through crunch moments.

This was not a crunch moment.

No. If Dira were to describe it, would be more like a shuttle crash or something equally loud and explosive. And even implosive. Which way was she going, anyway? For the crew to see her in this moment was possibly rather jarring. Myqian was the epitome of cool. She was put together, took things in stride, and responded with measured actions. That Dira was Commander Myqian.

The woman moving through the corridors was not the same person. She was lost. Had she always been? Was this just repressed grief? Or just triggered grief that needed to have its say and then to be gently put aside as she had initially assumed. Hadn’t she told Kane much the same thing. It seemed that way with Zoi as well. An eruption of unexpected emotion.

The emotion didn’t bother her. It was the numbness that had settled in right after, that she couldn’t shake. She could go back on duty and take care of her responsibilities, but her heart wasn’t in it. Had anyone else noticed. She hoped not, but that was unfortunately rather unlikely. They just would never tell her to her face, no. What most often happened in these situations was that the junior crew would just ask each other quietly when she was out of ear shot of not around ‘Is Commander Myqian, Okay?’ or ‘What’s up with her lately’. Oh, they knew.

She was a telepath, after all.

Stepping into the portion of the Psychiatry Deck that housed the crew counselling area, she stepped in and promptly took a seat in the waiting area. One of the receptionists (one Ensign Saira Ghasabyan) was busy with someone else, so the holographic receptionist, HARLEEN stepped in.

“Commander, how may we assist you? Do you have an appointment?”

Dira didn’t even look up. “Nope.”

HARLEEN was smart (as her programmed necessitated) and was also not put off by the XO’s unexpected gruffness. “Would you like us to schedule one with someone?”

“Scheduling one isn’t necessary.”

HARLEEN was a bit perplexed as what to do next. The Commander wasn’t in any obvious distress and she was programmed to be able to deal with emergencies. This didn’t appear to be one.

Dira sighed. “I’ll wait for when ever Dr. Iven is available.”

The hologram frowned. “He’s currently busy and it could be awhile..”

“I can wait.” Dira crossed one knee over the other and leaned back in her chair, slumping a bit so she could rest the back of her head on the top of the chair. They were not the most comfortable chairs, but then again, most people didn’t expect to wait all that long.

HARLEEN shrugged and returned to talk to Ghasabyan who was now free. In a hushed tone, she told her about Myqian wanting to wait to the COP. Both looked at Dira who seemed to ignore their obvious glances. Quietly they agreed to wait for Séan to appear and take it from there.

Commander Myqian, XO

It was perhaps another fifteen minutes before Séan stepped into the reception area with a crewmember. He patted the other man on the shoulder and smiled in a way to reassure that things would be alright. After they said their goodbyes, Séan walked over to the reception desk where he was informed that the XO was just waiting for him.

This was an interesting development and he wondered if it had to do with his not having checked-in with her since coming aboard. A lapse in protocol certainly, but the work had quickly consumed his time. Either way standing around wondering wasn’t going to clear up his curiosity, so he walked towards the woman as he lifted a hand in greeting.

“Welcome Commander Myqian. It’s good to see you again. I really can’t thank you enough for the help when I was on the Athena.” Séan rumbled out his greeting with a small smile.

CoP Iven

Dira hadn’t moved at all since she had found her rather not so comfortable position. Lifting her head up slightly and lifted it off the edge of the chair back, gazing up at him. It took a moment longer for her to focus her vision on him and his proffered hand. With slow movements, she took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Of course,” she said softly, releasing his hand.

Rising to her feet, she blinked as if to bring everything into focus better. It didn’t help. Dira let her gaze meet his again, her deep dark eyes pools of uncertainty, grief and a touch of despair. It took far too much energy for her lips to move again and form the necessary words, “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Commander Myqian, XO

Séan tilted his head slightly as that was not a statement he was expecting. Even if he wasn’t an empath however, he could clearly read her emotional state it was that raw. Her posture in the chair previously was a curious bit of information that now clicked into place given what he was observing from her now. He began to breathe in a steady rhythm and brought calmness to his own mind as he easily slipped into the role of a counselor.

“Let’s talk in my office.” He said softly before he turned and walked first to the reception desk. “Push my next appointment back about an hour. I’ll let you know if I need any more time when it gets close to that.” Having gotten an affirmative response to his directive, he then led the way to his office.

CoP Iven


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