Analyze That!

Posted on 17 Apr 2023 @ 6:40pm by Lieutenant Cassandra Higgins-Stevens & Lieutenant JG Roger Harrison Jr

Mission: R&R - Styx Outpost 2
Location: Styx Outpost
1247 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Roger was the fixer. It was his whole schtick, his reason for being, his modus operandi. He was ALSO a broken man, a man of dubious internal mettle, if he were honest with himself, a thing that he wasn't that good at. Still, it had gotten to a point where he could no longer pretend to manage, so here he was, a pre-shift meeting with the counselor. It was silly, really-that he was so nervous. He rang the chime, and waited for Cassie's voice allowing him in.
"Thank you for agreeing to see me. I am sure you had a whole vacation planned." They were meant to be on R&R, but he couldn't get away. And that's why he was here, really, innit?

Cassie was still feeling the after effects of her meeting with Iola the previous evening. The Orion women had been so lost and wading through her own emotions but Cassie honestly felt that the Counselling session with her had been more than beneficial, even if the pair had managed to finish in total three bottle of wine. Cassies eyes felt heavy and her head was beyond fuzzy as she glanced up to greet the Doctor.
"Doctor Harrison" she greeted "I have to much work to catch up on. Ollie and I might try and fit in some leave in a few weeks, if we can get away!"

Cassie turned the desktop console off, pressing the central button to deactivate the screen as she indicated for Roger to take the seat across from her.
"How can I help you Doctor?"

Roger settled in. "I can see you, if you'd like. I minored in psychology, but my heart is in trauma medicine, as you probably know. I don't know how you can help, I just...feel like I am having trouble getting my footing here. I came aboard literally as the proverbial shit hit the fan, you know, and I realize that's not an optimal time to judge, I just thought it would be...different now." He sipped at some water he'd brought.

"I've not been here so long myself but it certainly takes to the crown for initiation by fire!" she joked, forcing herself to appear cheerful and the acceptable Counsellor that would be expected. "I was lucky mostly because of my position on the crew. I made friends quickly... Do you take any time to just be you and not the Doctor?"

He sighed. And there it was, the million dollar question. "I don't. Unfortunately. I know I need to. I am not the husband or father I want to be. But I don't know how. And lately, I've been having recurrent nightmares about my time at the Betazed colonies. A certain person-situation-in particular." He sighed. He'd been dreaming about Fiona, the lovely redhead nurse from Betazed he'd had a fling-and a few tense moments-with before she'd gone and gotten killed.

"Well we have time coming up at Deep Space 21... Perhaps take some personal leave and spend it exploring the station of charter a flight to Ba'ku and have a small vacation. If there was a time to do it then it would be now!" the Counsellor gently nudged the Doctor knowing that everyone needed to take some time to themselves, hell, one of her own failings was exactly the same. Ollie had been trying to talk her into a holodeck program and tackling the four fiends with him. She had no idea what that meant but perhaps she needed to take him up on it.

He nodded. "Yes, I know. My family is looking forward to it, our daughter in particular. My wife and daughter are both very social women-well, Minnie is five-but I am quite the opposite." He sighed again. "I really just need to get the Fiona situation dealt with, I suppose. She was a...nurse. Betazoid. Beautiful, a little-lot-younger than me. 25. She was very dedicated to the cause-fighting off the Dominion. She was a nurse but also ran side missions as they needed her to because she did trauma medicine-which is how we met. We had a...fling, I guess. This was before I met Lucy-She was killed in action on the day I was going to ask her to return to Earth with me and start a life together."
He hadn't meant for it to spill out in one long sentence but there it was....

"Have you taken any personal time since this happened?" it was a simple question, almost understated in its simplicity but the answer could send ripples, like a stone dropped in a pond, they would fan out in all directions with nothing to stop them. If he hadn't had time to process then how could he allow the water to move and start to correct itself as nature had intended.

Roger shrugged. "No, I couldn't-we were in the middle of the Dominion war. When it was settled and I was reassigned, I just jumped back into trauma medicine...then I met Lucy at a party. She's perfect. But..." He sighed. She wasn't Fee, she wasn't...it was a different type of romance they had. Of course, he loved her fiercely, and would die for her and his daughter, but it wasn't the same thing. "I did a bit of counseling, but...Probably not as much as I should have. The weird thing is that before I joined Starfleet, I was actually a civilian doctor, working in psychology unit at a hospital on Earth." He chuckled. Isn't that how it always went? The medical professionals were the worst patients.

"Well, its time you found the time. The Dominion War ended over twenty years ago!"
She had run the numbers quickly in her mind. The year now 2397 and the Dominion war had ended in 2375. No one, not even a Vulcan could keep that up. "In fact I may even make it Medical Orders!"

Roger chuckled. "There's been other things in-between! I did take a week off for my honeymoon!" He said, with a chuckle, "And a week off when Minnie was born." His honeymoon had been back on Earth-not much of a break-and the time off for Minnie's birth had still been on ship, just in their quarters and in the auxiliary medical unit. "I will go, this time, and try to forget, deal?"

"Deal. Finding a suitable balance between work and private life are key in this line of work and given the close quarters we find ourselves in!" perhaps she should have said it was vital but it was already said. "I would suggest taking the time, escape the ship for a time and then see how things are going after that. If you are still... Of kilter" picking her words carefully, Then you can always come back and we can speak again!"

"I will take you up on that. And consider my offer, as well. If you need someone to talk to, my office is just around the corner." He stood up. "Thank you, I appreciate your time, Counselor." He smiled, the age and wear showing in the wrinkles of his face. Still, he DID feel better-as he usually did, and as he often did, too, wondered why he waited so long to see someone.

He showed himself out, heading back for his quarters, feeling maybe a little less like he needed to bathe with an electrical appliance.

OFF

LtJG Roger Harrison
ACMO
USS Andromeda

Lieutenant Cassandra Higgins
Ships Counsellor
USS Andromeda