Cleared for Duty?
Posted on Wed May 10th, 2023 @ 8:10pm by Lieutenant Vura & Lieutenant Junior Grade Mignon Mejia
Edited on on Wed May 10th, 2023 @ 9:25pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 14 - The Poseidon Adventure
Location: Sickbay - Deck 5 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD005 1300 hrs
Mignon was better than when she woke up, but she still had moments when she felt like there was something wrong with her foot. The drugs were working, but not as fast as she'd like. She really wanted to go back to her quarters--if the counselor cleared her. She wanted to read in own quarters and not feel like she was on display.
There was a new counselor on board--sickbay seemed to get all the news--and she hoped the new doctor would have time to see her so she could get her psychological evaluation out of the way.
Vura looked at her office and had been debating on how to better spruce it up. Starfleet had little sense of style and less understanding on how to make a counselor's office feel warm and welcoming. Well, she would get to that soon enough. There was a great deal of files that had to be sorted and people she would have to know. So where to start?
She never got an opportunity to decide as someone walked through the door. Vura looked toward the newcomer and said, "Hello? Can I help you?"
Mignon was a little nervous and just handed her a PADD. "I need to talk to you before I can be cleared to leave sickbay."
"Oh?" Vura asked curiously. "And why is that?" the Deltan counselor continued, taking the PADD but not looking at it, yet. It was always best to ask open-ended questions to get people to open up to you, she reflected.
So much for just handing the counselor a PADD. "I am recovering from chemically-induced BIID. I recently had surgery and I'm on medication. I need to be cleared by you before I can be released to my quarters." It was a succinct answer. Mignon wasn't sure how much information the counselor wanted--or how much detail she really wanted to give the other woman.
"Well, that certainly was a straightforward answer, Ensign," Vura answered simply. "But I cannot clear you just based on that answer, I'm sure that you understand. In fact, you have yet to introduce yourself to me. As you probably gathered, I'm the new Chief Counselor, Lieutenant Vura and you are...?"
A small smile curved one side of her mouth. "Sorry. Mignon Mejia. Alien archaeologist. I know it's not that simple, but I figured I should just tell you what's going on and leave the rest up to you."
"Please. Sit." Vura instructed and gracefully encouraged Mignon to a choice of a couch or chairs. "I apologize that this place is a bit sterile right now but I have only just arrived, as you know. Would you mind if I called you Mignon?"
"Not at all." The science officer sat in the corner of the couch and pulled one knee up to her chest as she watched the counselor.
Vura took a seat on the other end of the couch and turned her body toward Mignon. "Well, Mignon, why not tell me about yourself, hm?"
This was a safe subject to start with. "I'm an archaeologist and anthropologist. I have a university degree, but I wanted to explore, so I chose Starfleet over teaching. Alyssa and I have a lot in common. Since she came aboard, we've had opportunities to talk about our experiences. Science is such a diverse department that you don't find that often. I tend to hang out in the science department or read in my quarters, so it's nice to have someone I can relate to professionally." She looked at the counselor for a long moment and shrugged. "A lot of who I am is my work."
That is concerning. All work and no play.... And identifying as one's job means if that somehow is taken away, a person may be lost. "And what about the rest of you, then? You said that a lot of who you are is your work, but that is not all of you."
"No, but my work is also my hobby. Or one of them." A lot of scientists did what they loved and would study their subject when they were off-duty. "I like music. I play the cello and flute and I like musicals." She shrugged. "I read a lot." None of it sounded very exciting, but Mignon found it satisfying.
"I enjoy music, too," Vura confided. "Though, back home, I probably would not be considered very good at it. I promise, I won't torture you with my playing," she informed Mignon with a light giggle.
She then looked back at Mignon and noted her muted personality. The woman needed assistance; any counselor could see. "Is there a way that I can make you more comfortable Mignon?" Vura asked hopefully.
No, but she wasn't going to tell the counselor that. "I just need to get rid of these thoughts and feelings. I know it's the drug I was given, but..." She shook her head and tightened the arm around her knee. "I'm on medication, and it's making it easier, but it's a slow process." She wanted to do more by sheer will, but that wasn't working, either.
"Medication takes care of the symptoms, but not the root causes, Mignon," Vura informed Mignon sympathetically. "Do you want to tell me about what happened?"
She took a deep breath before she began. "The ship was notified that a number of body parts had washed up on shore. I think they were hands and feet. A team of six scientists went down to investigate. Four of us checked out the beach while the other two monitored in the shuttle. The four of us were drugged and captured. When we woke up, we were in a room and wore restraints. There was a table with instruments on it, scalpels, axes, etc. I don't know how long we were there. We were unconscious for a while. I think a woman encouraged us to use the blades."
She shook her head again. "None of us were interested at first. But slowly the feeling that my foot didn't belong to my body grew. Eventually, the guards took off the restraints and a Romulan woman told us that we needed to cut off our feet or hands. I couldn't stop myself." She closed her eyes, remembering. "I cut it off, then I passed out. When I came to again, I was in sickbay. My foot still feels odd, but I no longer want to amputate it."
Vura leaned forward to show her concern but subconsciously she wanted to lean back and try to process this information. Mignon replayed it all rather matter-of-fact, which told Vura she had not processed it yet. One might think she was even narrating it rather than reliving the event, another warning sign. "Do you know why you were captured and drugged? Do you know who did it?"
"A Romulan woman was in charge. We were told it was an experiment. If whatever drug they used worked on us, she was going to use it against someone else." Mignon paused. "I don't remember who. I don't remember much. I remember her telling us she'd let us go if we cut off a foot... And I remember how much I wanted to." The last was said on a whisper. Mignon shuddered and wrapped both arms around her knee.
"How much you wanted to leave or...?" Vura did not want to mention the self-amputation of the foot.
"Amputate. You know, pleasure and pain are two sides of the same coin. Especially when you truly believe the foot is an alien entity." It was a feeling that would be hard to forget, although she was going to try.
"And how do you feel, now, Mignon?"
"There are times when my foot still feels...off, but I don't feel the need to remove it. The doctor says that the feeling will go away as I continue to take my medication." It really was a lot better now, fortunately. "When I was in that facility, it felt like I'd go mad if I didn't cut it off. Now, it's just every once in a while that it feels odd. Not like I have to get rid of it, just...odd. Or off. Or not quite right. The others are doing better, but they didn't have it as bad. It might be because I'm a full Betazoid and Alyssa is only half."
"So, you believe that the drug took advantage of your empathic abilities?"
Mignon thought about that for a minute. "I don't know. Alyssa is empathic and telepathic, too, and she wasn't affected as strongly. It might be that Betazoids are more susceptible physiologically to the drug and that's why I reacted the way I did. That's something the doctors may figure out, or it's in the data the rescue team brought back."
Vura nodded her head slightly, acknowledging the thought. "Do you remember how you felt about yourself before going on this mission?"
"I felt...normal. i mean, I enjoy my job, I was happy." She shrugged. "I've always been a bit of an introvert, but I didn't think it was a problem. A lot of people are. I enjoyed a quiet evening reading or listening to music. I've never felt like I need someone else around, but I don't avoid people, either. I don't think that my emotional state led me to be more susceptible. You'd have to check on Shayla and Sha'Zen, too, to see if there's any commonality." She didn't think her attitude had anything to do with it, but it was a legitimate question.
“So, how do you feel now?” Vura asked, already knowing the answer. The previous response already foreshadowed it.
"I'm probably at 70% of what I was. I want to get out of sickbay. I'm hopeful I'll get to 100%."
Sympathetically Vura replied, "I don't know what 100% is for a 'normal' person is. We all have room for improvement, no matter how 'normal' we may seem to be." She pressed her lips together, considering the circumstances. "Why has the doctor kept you in sick bay?"
Mignon chuckled. "I'd never call myself normal. But I think it was because I slept a lot at first. Then, I think she wanted to be sure I was mentally okay before releasing me," she admitted. She knew she needed to stay as long as she did, but now she felt like she could go back to her quarters and be left alone, at least for much of the day.
For the first time, Vura started reviewing the PADD that Mignon had given her. She silently mused over the doctor's findings and considered everything that Mignon had told her. After a few more minutes of silence, Vura spoke softly. "I will not hide anything from you. I have my concerns, Mignon. Based on this meeting, everything that I have come to understand that has happened, and these records, it would be an understatement to say that you have been through a traumatic experience. It is something that we should continue to discuss. Ultimately, however, I have to determine whether or not you are a danger to yourself or the ship in whether to allow you to return to duty. I do not think that you are a danger to anyone else. It is a much closer question as to whether you are a danger to yourself."
The Deltan leaned back and continued to outline her logic, as if trying to convince herself more than Mignon. "I see no recent evidence of self harm in your file and you tell me that such thoughts are fading. Right now, the ship is on shoreleave. There's less people for you to encounter, meaning you would be more alone. There's a risk there, Mignon. You understand that, don't you?"
"There's a risk if I'm left alone in sickbay, too. But I'll feel more at peace in my own quarters," she countered. "That's not to say I think I'm going to hurt myself, or that I want to be alone in order to do something. I'm not."
"The risk in sickbay is more greatly reduced due to the safety protocols," Vura countered. She pressed her lips together and then released. "That being said, I think it will be better for you to be more active than sedentary. So, I will approve you for light duty, Mignon on the condition that you continue to meet with me or another counselor every day. What do you think of that?"
"I'm fine with that." Mignon expected to have regular counseling visits. she would need them until she was herself again.
"Good," Vura replied with a genuinely pleased smile. "Just promise that if you have any uncomfortable thoughts or feelings that you will immediately hit your commbadge and ask for me."
"Yes, ma'am. I will call you if I start to feel those urges again."
"Good," Vura replied conclusively. "Well, congratulations are in order then, ensign. Keep up the good work and we will see you tomorrow."
Mignon grinned. "Thank you. See you tomorrow."
A Joint Post By
Ensign Mignon Mejia
Alien Archaeologist/Anthropologist
Lieutenant Vura
Chief Counselor, USS Pioneer
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