House Calls
Posted on 06 Sep 2022 @ 11:17pm by Commander Calliope Zahn & Lieutenant JG Hannah Wagner
Mission:
M3 - Into the Deep
Location: Pathfinder, XO's Office
Timeline: MD 06 afternoon
1051 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure
Calliope had finally hit her stride for the day. The morning had been rough, waking in her crumpled uniform from falling asleep unintentionally on her office sofa. But she seemed to be making up for it now, checking off some progress reports from Science and consolidating the results to send to DeHavilland.
As she was returning to her office, she noticed the Chief Medical Officer joining her in the same direction, the two of them converging in the corridor outside of her door.
"Good morning Doctor Wagner," Calliope said. "Or... I guess it's actually afternoon now."
Eyes flickered to the watch on her wrist and she nodded in agreement "Definitely afternoon. Have you been busy this morning?"
Calliope tilted her head back and forth as she keyed open her office door. "Fairly." It seemed the Doctor paused in her progress instead of continuing by to the Bridge or the Captain's ready room. "Is there something you needed?"
"I was looking to find you actually. It's lovely that you made it so easy for me, and I didn't have to search."
"Sorry I have been mostly involved with Science, Engineering, Operations, and Security... I didn't think you much needed me for Medical preparations." Calliope smiled. "What can I help you with?"
Hannah raised her hand which had a portable scanner in the palm, and she looked pointedly at the Orion woman. "I don't really. Do you have a private spot we can go?"
"Oh." Calliope found herself staring down the business end of the tricorder. Her expression fell as she realized Dr. Wagner wasn't coming around for departmental help. "Uh, yeah, my office here is fine, I guess." Calliope led them both inside, making sure the door didn't stand open as she often left it for the ease of others dropping by in passing. She generally preferred the open door approach to management. Looking around, Calliope was uncertain if she should sit or stand or if she should keep her duty jacket on or take it off. "Do you need me to like, sit on the desk or something?"
"No, just standing is fine. The scanner doesn't care about your positioning too much." That was true for the most part, your blood pressure could be affected by your positioning, but mostly it didn't matter. In this moment, it mattered not at all.
Calliope opened her arms a little as if she were going to let a tailor reach around her waist, even though it really didn't make a difference, it just seemed like the thing to do to present herself for exam. There was a lengthy pause as she watched the Doctor watching the scanner.
"Do you set an alarm for your daily trip to sickbay or do you just do so when you remember?"
"I didn't realize you would still be expecting daily check ins under these conditions. Being away from base, I mean. My whole routine is blown, so I guess I didn't think to ask." She admitted, a little ruffled at being tracked down. "Did Dr. Mazur make this a line item or something?"
"It's the perfect conditions to see if you're going to have issues. Your body is under stress, and this situation is far from ideal. You still need your daily checks, especially now." Her eyebrows raised slightly as she looked at the Orion woman.
Calliope exhaled a puff through her lips in a deflated resignation. You never argued with the CMO about your health. That was the quickest way off the job that Calliope knew, and she was already skating thin enough ice. "That's fair, I guess."
"You think otherwise?" she asked, inviting her thoughts on the matter while she scanned her closely.
"Not really. I know I'm still struggling with some things. It's just I feel this pressure for something I'm not entirely in control of." Calliope said candidly. "No matter how I manage and what I do with my diet and work out, I still have to deal. I guess I just wish I could move on. Like I'm dragging everyone down with my problems and it would be easier to just not keep having them. But that's not how this works."
"Life doesn't work that way sadly. Some days I wish it did too." A sympathetic smile was shared from one woman to the other " However, I will say this, I think you are managing things with this issue as well as you are able. "
"Thanks," Calliope rubbed her forehead and then let her arm fall. "I appreciate it. I have been trying."
"I can see your efforts, and I appreciate them. You will get to a point where your control doesn't require so much conscious effort. You're just not there yet." Smiling, she concluded her scan and and tucked the scanner back into her pocket.
"I can carry on another day, then?"
"Your stress hormones are a little high, but nothing I can't overlook at this moment. But yes carry on another day."
"I guess this means I'll see you again tomorrow. Would you mind meeting me here again? It feels.... a little less humiliating than checking into sickbay." Calliope decided that maybe doing something on her terms, even if as a token, would help shift the feeling of being at the mercy of medical opinion.
"I don't have a problem with that, provided there are no emergencies that I need to deal with. Would you like to schedule a time or should I just come by when I'm free?"
"That should be fine, any time I'm in my office I could take a moment." Calliope exhaled, "In the mean time I'll try to fit in some meditation and bring those stress hormones down."
"I'll inquire of the computer then, and if you're in the office I'll pop in."
"It's a plan." Calliope agreed, seeing her back to the door.
Once she was alone, Calliope looked around the office and exhaled. "What the hell," she said to herself, snatching a throw pillow off the end of the guest sofa to wedge under her butt, and propping herself into a lotus position in the middle of the office floor. "Might as well not put it off." She closed her eyes, put her hands on her knees and began to rock and hum softly.