YAP-Time

Posted on Tue Apr 1st, 2025 @ 9:29am by Lieutenant Erin Cussen & Lieutenant Commander Ridge Maguire

2,333 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Sole Survivor
Location: Sickbay

As part of onboarding to a new ship, personnel were required to do several things. Literally report in, for one, but beyond that, was getting the room assignment squared away and checking in with the ship's medical personnel. Not that one expected anything to have changed between leaving one ship and boarding another but then again, things did happen. Ridge had no problem with physicals though he'd often had problems with doctors and counselors. He entered sickbay and looked around, his light blue gaze landing on the ship's Chief Medical Officer. He walked up and nodded politely. "Lieutenant," he said, "I'm Commander Maguire, the ship's First Officer. I thought I'd come down and introduce myself and .. get the physical out of the way ... if you have time, that is."

Erin's eyes sparkled as she discussed the new equipment arriving for the rehab gym. She turned to face Commander Maguire, a wide smile spreading across her face, tinged with a hint of guilt. "Commander, I'm so sorry - you were on my to-do list to check in with today, but I got completely absorbed in getting familiar with this," she said, throwing her arms open in a gesture of mock overwhelm. "To be honest, I haven't even had a chance to explore all the rooms yet. This is like a small hospital. Please follow me," she invited.

"No problem," Ridge said smoothly. I'm more than familiar with feeling overwhelmed myself." He fell in beside her. "We shall explore together, shall we?"

They left the reception, turned into the passage in between the surgical suites on their left and turned right to enter her office. With a near imperceptible nod, she cleared the room and led him to the examination area which consisted of two chairs she had brought in, close to the replicator, as well as a biobed and a display behind it. "Please take a seat," she indicating a chair as she seated herself in the other one.

Ridge took the offered seat and relaxed into it, taking in the room as he settled into place. "Hospitals always have a distinct aroma," he said, "though this one ... doesn't. Must be the newness of it all. On my last ship, I asked the doctor if they ever thought about lighting scented candles." His light blue eyes sparkled mischievously. "Didn't go well, I'm afraid."

"I am all for it," Erin smiled. " I am still going to bring in another examination chair I helped design, some plants, actually quite a lot of them and well... scented candles," she grinned. Just as they were going to be seated, maintenance crew came in, pushing a chair and carrying several plants. They came in from the bottom. Erin jumped up now smiling broadly. "Oh here it is, " she said to the XO. "Just out it down there, I will move them in place," she said to the crewmen carriying the plants, "but bring the chair here," she said indicated a space near the biobed. "You can remove this chair," she said. the took the cover off the examination chair to reveal a swivel chair with a rounded back and a single column for it's support foot. "If you give me a moment, let me just connect it," she said half to Ridge and half to herself, while she took a tablet from a sleeve at the back of the chair, and enter her credentials. "Computer, connect device LS01A to the medical database and use display..." she leaned slightly forward to read the display designation from the large screen against the wall, "Med B4," and also to my desk.

Once the computer confirmed that it was set up, she indicated to Ridge to take a seat in the chair. "Commander, if you take a seat here, you will be the first person to sit in it," she said, clearly excited.

"And what's the chair supposed to do exactly," Ridge asked as he gave it a curious look.

"As you sit comfortably in it, your whole body is being scanned, and the results are being displayed there," she said pointing to the display next to them.

"Sort of a vertical biobed then," Ridge said as he moved to sit down in the chair. He paused part way down, grinning slightly, "don't electrocute me now, alright?"

"But why not?" Erin asked like an impetuous child. "I wannit to, you take all the fun out of it," the CMO continued as the chair whirred into action. "Oh no," she said as she viewed his scans. She pinched the display with her fingers and manipulated into a three-dimensional representation in the space between them. "Really? Come on... Nothing?" she said disappointed as she wiped one display after the other away. She turned to the XO. "Nothing," she shrugged. "Nothing wrong with you, so I couldn't even test the accuracy of the diagnostic chair..." she said with mock disappointment. "You are completely healthy. Yay. "

"I'm sorry to disappoint," Ridge said mildly as he rose from the seat. "I"ll be sure to breathe deeply the next time I'm around someone even mildly infectious. Would that help at all?"

"Yes," Erin said with mock excitement. "Just make sure it is a nasty bacteria, preferable unknown," she mused. "A virus... well, that will be worse for you than for me. You probably just have to suffer through it. I may have to keep you in here if it is contagious, and if it is too serious, you will just lie there and that is no fun for me. If it is not too serious, at least you can keep me company. Or I can try different remedies on you. That could be fun," she said as if it was the most natural thing for a doctor to say.

"I should probably be taking notes," Ridge said, his mouth quirking upwards slightly at one corner, "or at least take a course on recognizing this stuff. Wouldn't want to waste your time on what would turn out to be a common cold."

"Good call, Commander," Erin said straight faced. "Is there anything you would like to draw my attention to for future reference? Do you participate in any hazardous activities in your off time or regularly consume questionable meals or beverages? Oh wait, Vulcan.... Not so much of the consuming part that, I suppose," she mused. "You are sensible right? I don't have to worry too much about you?"

"Half Vulcan," Ridge said, his expression flattening somewhat. "As for the rest, not sure I'd know what sensible is, truth be told. I like to have fun in my off time, what little of that there is. And I do prefer my fun to be on the adventurous side. But then, most everyone does, don't they?"

Erin answered him, carrying on with checking the results from the chair and making notes, but the subtle change in his expression did not escape her. "You are quite right, myself included. I guess it is because we can pursue almost limitless possibilities on the holodeck." Her response had a slight edge to her voice, indicating that she was not entirely convinced that it was a good thing. "I have met a few hybrid Vulcans. I must confess, you are the most human like one I have come across. I hope I am not insulting you," she said with a question in her voice.

"I have found that subject," Ridge said, "to be one that many feel free to discuss and not just on this ship. I don't consider it an insult, doctor, I just think its personal and not something I discuss easily or with anyone who asks." He sighed quietly. "To me, its as bad as walking up to someone you don't know and asking them about the state of their marriage or how often they change their socks. I am, in some respects, a private person."

"I fully understand that," Erin said. "I tend to ask very direct questions to my patients in our private consultations. It can come across as blunt. My apologies, please forgive me. My motivation is to get to know the crew, but as for my method....," she said with an apologetic smile, "I am working on it. But as you know, I treat every aspect of our conversation, as with medical information, as confidential, accept for the usual exceptions; a court order or if you reveal that you intend to harm yourself or others. I will try to do better," she added.

"Most appreciated," Ridge said, visibly relaxing. "If you want to know me better, we can trade information. You tell me something about yourself and I'll do the same though it'll be some time before I start talking about anything related to ... that."

"Understood," Erin said, nodding her head slowly. "So... the real reason that I wanted to change from my previous posting, which I haven't shared with anyone, is that I felt suffocated," Erin said breathing out. "Wow, that actually feels good to say. You see, after the death of my husband and child, the crew really supported me. Which really helped me work through that loss. And I started to feel better, but somehow, I was never treated the same again. It felt as if I was not allowed to start to feel better. I am sure they didn't mean it at all, but I felt guilty if I laughed too loud, or tried to live again, let alone love again. Here, I feel I can let go, because no one is holding me in the past. Sorry for all that, I think I needed to say it..." Erin said feeling a little foolish dumping that on the XO.

"I do understand," Ridge said, "or I maybe I do anyway." He raised his hands, as though searching for an answer just outside his grasp. "I think of it as neat little boxes. You were placed in the 'grieving widow' box, and no disrespect intended, and they knew what to do. When the box grew too small, when you were ready to move on, they weren't. That meant ... ummm ... figuring you out again? Finding a new box for you? Anyway, that's how it was for me. There were people who decided what I was supposed to be and when I didn't meet those expectations, when I all but refused to step into the box they'd prepared for me, they didn't know what to do. I felt all the pressure of trying to be someone I wasn't. It became a weight that was dragging me down. Stifling who I really am."

"You are so right. Your 'boxes' analogy hits the mark," Erin agreed. "I experienced it for only a relatively short time and I could do something about it by changing my environment. But for you," Erin said softly shaking her head in empathy, "you have experienced being boxed your whole life. But it looks like you found a way to deal with it, and be who you are. I respect that," she said quietly. "You know, it seems that every race and the various subcultures within that race has expectations and categorise others into the set of bahavioural expectations they have. However, it remains challenging to deal with anything outside that norm, regardless how technologically advanced we are, or how many peoples we meet who are different to us. We are trying and growing, but at least for humans, our brains still look for the categorising "shortcut" to deal with new information."

"And more often than not," Ridge said, "even in Starfleet, it starts with rude questions along the lines of ...'hi, let me pry deep into your mind and feelings, because well, I just want to know.' " He shook his head. "I may use that boxes analogy the next time I get hit with that. Your need to slot me into a box does not necessarily mean that I have to help you in that endeavor."

Erin laughed lightly, feeling very at ease. It was refreshing for her to talk and simply be herself after so long having to walk on eggshells around her well-meaning crew mates. "I like that," she said. "I don't think the word "box" would ever have the same meaning for me again.." she chuckled, making a box sign with her fingers. "You only need to show me that I am will know that I am trying to "box" you again," she grinned.

"I grew up on a ranch," Ridge said, "and most days, the horses had more to say than either me or my grandfather. He held much the same opinions about boxes and folks who pried. Believe what you want but don't expect answers when you start trying to dig around. Whatever happened to polite conversation? Or is that a dying art?"

"I think it is perspective," Erin said thoughtfully. "People simply see personal boundaries differently. In some cultures it is rude to ask even marginally personal questions, in others it is rude not to. Important, like you do now, is to communicate those boundaries," she said.

"And for beings from different worlds," Ridge said, "not to automatically expect every other world to think the same as they do. Maybe ask or ... heaven forbid, do a little research on their own."

"Exactly," Erin agreed smiling. "And just get to know each other, communicate and be open minded," she said. "Oh no, look at the time," she said as her PaDD beeped. "I really learned a lot today from you, so I thank you Commander. My chair didn't break, you didn't either, so that is good," she smiled. "Is there anything else I can assist you with or the crew in general?"

"Nothing comes to mind," Ridge said. "It's been a pleasure, Doctor. Now, if you'll excuse me, I should get moving as well."

"Anytime," Commander, "it's been a pleasure."

Lt. Commander Ridge Maguire
First Officer
USS Valkyrie

Lt Erin Cusson
CMO
USS Valkyrie

 

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