Ready for Duty

Posted on Sun Apr 5th, 2020 @ 12:44pm by

Mission: Cruel Meridian
Location: Sickbay
1305 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Shoreleave was finally over, but Sekat didn't really feel any better. He was looking forward to the distraction of having to deal with patients, the less he could dwell on the past several days.

Tugging down his tunic, he approached the CMO's office and knocked on the door. Since he'd been off duty, he wasn't sure if he needed to be cleared again.

Natasha was thumbing through some studies that had just been published and working out some ideas for a few experiments she might want to run (one based on a pandemic from centuries ago- they never did figure out what happened exactly and she was curious to see if she could), when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!" she called out, pushing some papers off of a nearby chair.

Sekat stepped into the office, waiting for the door to close behind him. "I was wondering if you have a moment for me ma'am," he started slowly, "I have been through some...traumatic event, and I wonder if I need to be cleared for duty."

"Oh, please, sit," she said, extending an arm towards the chair. "That would be prudent, given all that you've been through." She leaned against the desk. "How have you been feeling, though? Any symptoms or anything weird since then?"

"I have not seen my wife since the implant was removed," Sekat answered honestly, "however it has affected my relationship with Doctor Anderson such that I felt it necessary to create some distance. I need time to adjust, and I cannot deal with it when I am in a relationship. It would not be fair to her. Even so, I do not believe I am incapable of performing my duties."

Natasha said nothing, merely nodded and looked over at the pile of papers on her desk that recounted the ordeal in horrifying detail. She looked back at Sekat. "I mean, that's totally understandable, given the circumstances. How about your head? Are you having any pain, headaches, etc?"

"Not since the implant was removed," the Vulcan answered, setting his cane aside to sit down at last. "Just a terrible pain in my leg, it is chronic and cannot be fully treated. The nerves are too damaged, but recently I have been unable to relax or apply proper pain management." He paused. "I have undergone multiple surgery after severe injury, and I have been told and I have confirmed it myself, that I will never be able to properly walk again. But seeing my wife again...that pain was unbearable."

"Sekat...I'm so sorry, that sounds horrific," she shook her head, reached for a scanner, and started plugging in some of his responses. "Do you still see her? Are you still hallucinating?"

"No, I am no longer hallucinating, but the memory of seeing her is still fresh. It was very confusing to see her, it was almost as if she was actually there," Sekat recounted, "she died two years ago, but to me the memory of seeing her die is still fresh. I could not be near her when she did, she was extremely contagious." He sat very still, fully expecting his boss to perform a few scans.

She hit the scanner against her hand a couple of times (note to self, see if someone from engineering or something can find out what's up) and started on his leg. "That's awful, Sekat, truly. I don't think I would have handled it half as well as you have, given what you were faced with. I know it's still fresh, but you have done amazing." She stopped scanning for a minute to look at the readings. "So far so good. Any symptoms like stomach pain, shortness of breath, trouble swallowing?"

Again he shook his head. "I am not experiencing any symptoms of illness, beyond a lack of ability to rest. Doctor Anderson thought a beach environment might help but all I wanted, was to be left alone. It is not on her doctor, it is completely on me. I broke off the relationship because I am unable to cope. She took it quite hard, she left the holodeck on me."

The scan moved up to his head, Natasha logging as she scanned. She stayed quiet for a minute, unsure what to say. He'd basically been tortured, along with a large portion of the crew, and it was horrifying. Nat had never really known anyone in this situation; witnessing the aftereffects firsthand was as upsetting as it was strange.

Finally, she set the scanner back on the desk after punching in a few numbers and logging his final readings.

"Well, you seem to be in good health, all things considered. The nerve damage is about the same, as expected, no change there, unfortunately, so we'll continue to keep an eye on it. But as far as your more recent injuries, I think you're good to go back to work, I see nothing physically keeping you from it. That being said, there is something I would like to suggest to you, if you are open to it."

Sekat nodded slowly, wondering what her scans had revealed. "I expected no changes," he offered, "though I am keeping up my exercises where possible." He paused studying her. "What would your suggestion be?"

"I'd like to suggest, strongly, that you try to confide in someone you trust," she said. "Based on my observations, you are, essentially, heartbroken. It's entirely up to you, of course, this isn't a prescription or an official order or anything like that, but I would like for you to at least give it some thought."

"Heartbroken?" That was something he hadn't considered. "But caused by which female? Sandra walked out on me when I asked her for time, my wife was killed two years ago. Which heartbreak would you refer to?"

"In my opinion, both of them. It's understandable, these were deep wounds that I don't think are just going away like that-" she snapped her fingers and continued, "You'll need support and I think if you share with someone you trust, you'll find the burden is a lot less heavy." She smiled at him. "Take some time and at least think it over. If it's not something you're comfortable with, that's okay, but try to think of someone you could talk to about this."

She stood up and walked to a shelf where a few trinkets were piled haphazardly and pulled out a PADD, typing in some quick exam notes. Handing it to Sekat, she said, "I've officially cleared you, regardless of your decision. I don't anticipate this affecting your work, but if it does, just let me know, we'll figure something out."

Sekat nodded. "I do not know who to talk to about this, there is no-one I feel comfortable enough with, to be honest." He accepted the PADD and quickly scanned the notes. "I do not expect my condition to affect my judgement ma'am. But if it becomes too much I will let you know."

"Thank you," she said. "That's all I ask." She stood up and extended her hand. "Welcome back, Lieutenant. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No ma'am, I do not believe so. I will go and get some rest now, I will report back for duty in the morning, is that alright?" Sekat looked up at her.

She nodded. "Of course, that sounds like a good idea. If there's anything more you need, please don't hesitate to reach out, any of us here are happy to help." She sat back down in her chair, and picked up her PADD, ready to pick up where she left off.

"I know." With a final nod, the Vulcan left the office.


Lt. Natasha Stark
Chief Medical Officer

Lt j.g Sekat
Medical Officer
pnpc Lhaes