SIM:Skyfire Rose:Cannot Be Separated 1

((Sickbay: USS Excalibur-A))

:: Folds and MacLaren were still downloading files, as was CD. He did glance toward the door as he heard footsteps, followed by Dany's voice. ::

ROSE: Doctor Skyfire, hello.

SKYFIRE: Oh, hello. What can we do for you?

ROSE: ::The words hurt her mouth as she said them.:: I was wondering if I could get something to help me sleep. Just for a couple of hours. It's been a while since I managed to get any.

SKYFIRE: Well, I can see what I can do...but can we talk first? Please? :: The young ensign's voice sounded like he needed to unload some additional things that weren't covered in his letter. He was silently hoping that she had gotten around to reading it. ::

:: Dany sighed inwardly. She didn't know that if her present state of mind she'd be the best person for Skyfire to talk to, but it wasn't like either of them really had a choice here. The counseling department had been downsized in the transfer so she was the permanent counselor on call.::

ROSE: Certainly. My office is, if I am not mistaken, just across the hall. Why don't we go there?

:: He followed her across the hall and they stepped into what Dany might call a god-send, if she were inclined to believe in divinity. There was not a smear of grime in sight. There was no fish tank. Like the rest of the ship everything was shiny and new and lovely. A bit on the standard issue counseling office side of things, but Dany could change that easy. She let herself smile.::

::Chythar took a seat in one of the comfy chairs along the left hand side of the room. Due to the fact he didn't spend much time on the starbase going to the counselor, he didn't really notice the changes that had been made. All he really knew was there was only one counselor now, as his absent-minded pal Ryoji must've missed the memo.::

ROSE: Make yourself comfortable. This is the first time I've been here... Ah, excellent. A replicator. ::She ran her hands over its surface.:: Could we please have two cups of tea, replicator?

Computer: Please state further parameters.

ROSE: Hot tea. Vulcan blend 70. ::Two cups appeared into being on the pad. The green liquid steaming.:: She handed one to Skyfire and sat in one of the other chairs. She blew on the tea to cool it.:: What's on your mind, Chythar?

oO Come on, CD. Deep breath. Oo ::Chythar took the cup of tea with a raised eyebrow as it was given to him, his prior counseling sessions all with Ryoji just all business, no refreshments. It seemed a bit weird to him at first, not that he could place a finger on it at the time as words just began to flow, in English at first.::

SKYFIRE: I can't really -- :: beat, as he tries to figure out how to say what he needs to. The first words out of his mouth are almost as though he's talking in another language that comes out as a flurry of words spoken at 15 miles a second :: I react badly to pressure, and this may have something to do with my past out in med school when I was attending UW, long before my days in Starfleet.

ROSE: Hmm. You said "long before." How long?

SKYFIRE: I don't remember how long it's been, exactly. We were in an autopsy room dealing with a cadaver who had been killed in a shuttle crash. I didn't have any simulation experience. Just book-smarts. And I froze when one of the students in my class suddenly had a fatal heart attack.

ROSE: That is a tough situation. You were already dealing with one body. People "freeze" from time to time, especially students.

SKYFIRE: I know, I know. And he suddenly dropped dead. And I didn't do anything. The pressure was on, and I didn't do anything.

ROSE: This will sound callous in regards to your classmate, but perfection isn't everything and people die. If that incident still brings up so much stress and anxiety in you, which I can see it does, why are you still involved with the medical department?

SKYFIRE: I love medicine. That's why I'm here. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing.

ROSE: Why do you love medicine?

SKYFIRE: It's like chemistry, in a way. Of biology, which fascinates me. And I'm good at it.

ROSE: ::Dany pursed her lips.:: That's not a real answer, but I'll let it slide since I can see you're burning to tell me what else is bothering you. ::She made a note on her padd.::

SKYFIRE: I don't react well to Code Blues either. I never dealt with them while in the Academy, but on 118...there was 1 I initiated, and there were 2 that I followed through on. On both the ones I didn't instigate, the CBs took time away from my days off.

oO And she's the only one who knows why I hate Code Blue now. Oo

ROSE: So it bothers you that your work sometimes cuts into your free time?

oO Now we get into it... Oo

SKYFIRE: Here's the thing: I get so absorbed in my work that I had to be ordered out of Sickbay. Twice. I like working, I'm good at it, but whenever I'm here I just long for time to myself to separate personal and the professional.

ROSE: ::He was going to keep talking but Dany interrupted.:: The Starbase has a great many doctors. You didn't have to take on those Code Blue's yourself, did you?

SKYFIRE: Not the last two times, no. The first time, I didn't really know how to handle it. That was during the bar brawl with the Astrolabe freighter crew. When Anscom got here, I warned him to stay on MacLaren's good side because during my first day, I angered Johanna and felt really guilty about it afterward. Let me explain... :: CD sipped his tea before he began talking, formulating the segment of story in his mind.::

:: He began the retelling of his story of his first day on the base, fresh out of the academy.::

::Dany sipped her now cool tea as she listened.::

((Flashback -- Sickbay of Starbase 118 prior to the Odyssey mission))

MacLaren:: closing her eyes momentarily :: Dr. Skyfire, there are neural passages in the brain that will need repair that are beyond our current surgical techniques. Eh ken this must all seem strange to you; Eh can only ask you to trust me at this time. This is all unorthodox but necessary. Commander Breeman and Eh have worked on programming nano technology for just this kind of brain injury. After we've helped him, Eh'll appreciate some assistance from you for myself. Eh'm not unaware of my limitations right now, but the captain has specifically requested my presence, and Eh have obligations as the CMO. Eh'll have time to rest on the journey.

:: The ensign listened as Lt. MacLaren spoke, forcing himself not to speak his true thoughts as his anger boiled within him. oOWish you'd told me that before I started working with his brain...Strange, heck yes -- I just met you and you want me to put blind trust in you. Why? Unorthodox?!? Yeah, I'd say so. Necessary...Gavin's words make sense for the moment, so I won't ask you to spill it all. You should let me treat you now, and you bloody well should be aware of your limitations. And if I don't have the power to pull an unfit for duty card on you, I should. Time to rest? I doubt it.Oo and instead responds calmly with no hint of emotion in his voice.::

SKYFIRE: I admit I hate baptisms by fire. I understand my orders concerning my place on this mission, but it doesn't mean I agree with them. My thoughts are that your brother can tend to Commander Walker while I tend to your injuries on the way down since he has more of a clue about the commander's condition than I do. ::and he shut up for a bit as conversation had to continue.::

(( End Flashback ))

SKYFIRE: And that, right there, is why I gave him the advice I did. I felt extremely guilty after that when she told me that she was part Betazoid.

ROSE: From my experience... oO And the reports of the crew I've read.Oo... Doctor MacLaren seems fair and easy going. Why warn Mister Folds to stay on her good side? I don't see any record here of her reporting you, or any disciplinary action. ::She made a show of scrolling through her padd.::

::CD took another sip of his tea before replying, formulating his words before he lapsed into Greek and began speaking.::

TBC

---

Ensign Chythar Skyfire
Medical Officer
USS Excalibur-A

&

Ensign Mandany Rose
Counselor
USS Excalibur-A

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