Medical Exam

Posted on Wed Jan 22nd, 2020 @ 1:17am by Kodria Mizu & Lieutenant JG Tovanna Mah & Lieutenant JG V'lera
Edited on on Fri Jan 24th, 2020 @ 12:05am

Mission: Neutral Zone Neutrality
Location: Sickbay, USS Hera
Timeline: 2397
Tags: CMO, USS Hera, V'lera, Tovanna

V'lera had just finished her lunch with Chief Science Officer. She had one official meeting to get out of the way before she was cleared for duty. As she made her way down to the sickbay she took her time. It was never her favourite of places.

The fear of hypos she had was very real and very strong. She'd almost been killed by the liquid in a hypo and since then she did not trust anyone with those. She knew that she'd have to get one. It was time for her usual vaccinations. She hadn't been so afraid of the Pheromone blocker because she gave it to herself. Steeling herself and calling on all her Vulcan reserve she paused outside of sickbay and then took a steading breath. Feeling somewhat bolstered she entered to find the CMO.

As the doors to Medical slid open there stood a regular looking woman with dark brown hair reading from a tablet. She was a normal height, wearing the standard doctor's coat. "How may I help you?" she asked as she looked up. Her eyes were warm and reassuring with a wisdom that spoke of an age beyond the youthful face they rested in.

"I am Lieutenant Junior Grade V'lera. I am the new counselor. I believe I must complete my in bound medical." She produced a PaDD that she'd been holding in her right hand. "My orders and medical questionnaire as well as a copy of previous records." She looked around her eyes naturally taking in the escape routes. Ever since her extended stay on Vulcan at one of its hospitals she hated medical procedures, even exams. She'd been a child when she was in the hospital but it had stayed with her.

Dr. Mah took the PaDD and reviewed the information needed, "It's very nice to meet you Counselor V'lera, my name is Dr. Tovanna Mah. Let me see if I can get this out of the way for you." Dr. Mah noted the search for escape without looking up from the PaDD, "It looks like you and I will be working together, I have a degree in Psychiatry as well as medical science should you ever need assistance or consultation." She set the PaDD down and quietly gathered her trichorder turning to a silent running setting for her patient. It wasn't the first time she had done this and had worked to get all the indicators to a minimal noise level for the comfort of someone she was working with. "I'm noting you have some reservations about your exam, is there anything I should know about before we begin Counselor?"

She settled on a bio bed to let the doctor do her exam. "I appreciate the offer and it is good to have a second consult. Thank you." She shifted a little. She was grateful that the medical exams the doctor had were only Starfleet. "I am not the most comfortable with doctors. In fact I dislike medical exams," she said truthfully.

Tovanna nodded, "Understood, we are not always the most popular on the ship. I think that is a title typically shared by the Mess Officer or the ship's Counselor," she smiled at V'lera. "Since this is a standard medical review you should be on your way in no time." Tovanna bega her scan as she spoke to V'lera not breaking eye contact with her as it proceeded. She could hear the tiny beeps and knew the time it would take to complete the exam by heart after so many years. "I take it you had a bad experience with a poor doctor in the past? Is there anything I should be particulary cautious of to help aleve your concerns?" She watched careully for V'lera's reactions to everything she was doing to detect where the Counselor's greatest concerns might lie.

"I will be fine." She said breaking eye contact. "It is a long story. But you are right it is illogical to judge every doctor the same." She looked at the doctor a moment. "What brought you into medicine?"

Tovanna nodded and dropped the issue. "Fear is not logical, but it can still be comforted by shipmates V'lera. Now as for what brought me to practice medicine, it was the hope of helping to increase my species' number since there are so few of us. By the time I was old enough to really delve into the issue as an adult I came to realize no matter what was done we were to far below our Minimum Viable Population threshold for our species to remain pure any longer." Dr. Mah passed no judgement and sought no pity in what she said, it was matter of life for her, nothing more. "A few might still have the chance to have a couple more generations of pure El-Aurians before we begin to our decent into extinction. I am between generations of available mates, I'm no longer needed to track so few family groups from intermarriage, thus I am free to explore the universe and hope to find one of us who might have been lost somehow. So how is it you have become a ship's Counselor?" She finished her scan and continued her work efficiently as she listened.

She resisted the urge to shrug. "I entered the academy and after my general first year I found that History and Psychology were two areas that I wished to focus on. I wished to assist those who were hurt but felt that actual medicine is not something I am suited for. I wanted to focus more on the wounds that were within the mind." Gods knew that she had enough of her own wounds. In a way she thought that if she could help others there was hope for her too.

"All pain needs treatment, what you are doing is a gift" she nodded in unstated understanding, "often it takes a level of empathy to understand pain in others." She looked V'lara directly in the eyes pausing in a silent moment of hope that the counselor understood what was not being said. Dr. Mah then smiled and the moment was over, "Now for the good news, one simple hypo and you are cleared for duty."

She tilted her head to the side in study of the good doctor. The woman was perceptive. She filed that away. "I see. What is the hypo for?" She wondered if it was the standard space sickness one. She also, now that she as here, remembered "I will also need a refill in my pheromone blockers." She pointed to the PaDD she'd given the doctor. "The dosage is there. I usually take enough for six months at a time since I have become adapt at giving those to myself." Each ship had its own rules. The doctor might prefer to administer them herself monthly. She'd see and comply with the rules here.

"I already have the pheremones ready to go directly to your quarters. As for the hypo, according to the records its time for your standard vaccinations, I saw no need for any other unless you request. If you are feeling any type of illness due to your time in space I can provide something for that as well," offered Dr. Mah.

"I believe I am alright for the moment. Thank you doctor. I very much look forward to getting to know you more." She thought a moment. "There is perhaps something that we can discuss if you have the time."

"Of course, I am available anytime you need. Ready for your vaccination?" She held up the hypo for V'lera "This will be the only one and if you do well I even have lollipops." She smiled and gave V'lera her vaccination quickly. She turned, placing the unit away for V'lera's comfort and upon turning back around had a boquet of lollipops in each hand of various flavors from different cultures. "Take your pick, I have a gespar one in here somewhere if you would like it or possibly a spice tea," she offered looking through them. "I created them with a friend of mine at Starfleet who was a budding chemist but should have been a chef. It took us years to perfect these but now I have the replicator formula for over 500 flavors of lollipops for my patients. Apparently in ancient Earth days when a doctor treated someone they would give them one of these as a tradional gift of appreciation for being cooperative. I find the tradition quite quaint and the candies quite delicious." Tovanna smiled at V'lera with a bright twinkle in her eyes. "I keep some on me at all time now out of habit. So want to try one?" She shrugged with a smile.

She raised an eyebrow. "That, if I remember correctly, was a tradition for children." She stayed silent a moment. "Is there a lemon one?"

Tovanna smiled knowingly and handed her a lemon lollipop. "My favorite is the butterscotch." She placed them in the large, apocothary style candy jar, "I keep them in here if you ever want one and I can make sure to have a small stash of lemon ones for you in your office if you like, they are strangely comforting."

"Perhaps." She took the candy and put it in her pocket feeling oddly, as the doctor put it, comforted. "During my time at my previous post I had bi-monthly meetings with the CMO by way of updates. I wish to know how you wish to set our professional interactions."

Tovanna nodded, "For a ship this size, bi-monthly meeting should be perfect unless we run into extenuating circumstances. I would also suggest a quarterly psychological check in with Dr. Power to ensure unbias feedback. Would that be acceptable?"

She gave a nod. "As you say, it shall be," as she finished speaking she inclined her head slightly.

"Very well, feel free to visit to visit anytime you need more lollipops, want to meet for dinner, whatever you might need. In the meantime you are cleared for duty." Tovanna smiled at V'Lera with hopes of a new friendship on the the Hera with the new Counselor.

V'lera inclined her head. "Thank you doctor."