Mental Physical

Posted on Thu Feb 26th, 2009 @ 10:11pm by Lieutenant JG Lucy Carter

1,899 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Citadel Prime
Location: Counselors Office
Timeline: Current

Mabren had been busy today. Meeting members of the senior staff, conducting physicals and reviewing records but now, he needed a break. The office walls had started to seem like they were getting closer. Getting out of his office, Mabren wandered the small explorer vessel. As he wandered around deck four, Mabren decided that he should go meet one of his subordinates, the Chief Counselor.

Reaching the nearest turbolift, Mabren called out, "Deck three, Counselor's office."

After the doors opened on the new deck, Mabren headed to the office, and then he wondered if he would be interrupting anything. Stepping into the reception area, Mabren pressed the call button and waited.

Carter was with her back to the door. She was sitting cross legged, facing the wall, staring at its blank outlook and trying to rid her mind of the mental block she had had to surround herself with earlier. It had made her eyes hurt and she was not happy with the outcome of the previous meeting.

At the sound of the door she scrambled to her feet and smoothed down her hair. "Enter" she called out and hoped it wasn't anyone important. Her legs were aching again from the holodeck skiing and she wasn't sure if they would hold out if she had to stand up for long.

Her heart sank, therefore, when her boss walked in. She had heard Lieutenant Mabren had come aboard but hadn't realized he had wanted to meet her this quickly. She smiled at him and said "hello. I am Ensign Carter. It's nice to meet you."

Stepping into the office, Mabren suspected he had interrupted the Counselor's relaxation. "Hello, Ensign," he greeted, taking a seat as an invitation for her to have a seat.

Gratefully, she sat in her chair and waited for the Lieutenant to continue.

"As I'm sure your aware," he continued after a moment, "I'm the new CMO and I just wanted to meet my chief counselor." After another brief pause, he continued, "I also heard that you made some changes to the EMH. What was that all regarding?" Before the counselor could answer, Mabren explained, "I haven't exactly had a chance to review it yet, I don't like the program myself; but I understand why it was developed." Laughing at himself, he realized that he had started rambling.

Carter smiled at the doctor and said "I haven't changed the programme per se... I activated him initially to get to know him, really. I suppose that by interacting with him his programme does get slightly rewired so to speak. I found him brusque and with an appalling bedside manner, actually. Do you know he pulled out some of my hair without asking and then told me I wasn't completely human? Mind you, that is not to say I don't want to get to know him better. It's always good to have him as a friend in case of emergency!" She wondered how the EMH would react if she asked him to join her on a ski slope.

Mabren wasn't sure he heard correctly, "He pulled your hair out? Why did he do that?" He was also at a loss over why she would want to befriend the EMH. "Why would you want to befriend a hologram? A program?"

~Maybe she needs to see a counselor,~ Mabren thought to himself, ~She has to be nuts to want to be friends with a computer.~

Carter chuckled at this. "He said he wanted to get a DNA sample from me and said that removing two of my hairs was far easier for him than asking me to lie on a biobed. He was churlish but just because he is a computer programme it does not mean he should be ignored, surely? Anyway, in my line of work, having a logical mind to relate to makes a change from all the humanoid problems I deal with on a daily basis.

"What worries me though" she continued "is that his programme is flawed. He said my DNA was not 100% human and I am sure I am. Well, I am pretty sure.... you see I don't know anything about my life before the age of 2".

She thought about how she had been abandoned at the children's home and about who her real family could be and why they had left her there.

"Well, with regards to the program, we could send a message to Jupiter station and have them look into the programming, maybe they could fix him," Mabren said, trying to remember the counselors records. Which were.... Sparse. "Well, if you'd like, we could do a genetic sequencing. It would take a few minutes to run, but you could find out your heritage. And, by extension whether or not if the EMH is flawed."

"Thank you, that would be useful - I think" replied Carter, not knowing what the sequencing would show up. "Can I drop by sickbay later on?" She was now sure, however, that she wanted to find out where she had come from.

"Of course," Mabren said, "Stop by any time and we'll kill to birds with one stone. Complete your physical and find out about your past."

Dreading what he was about to say, Mabren took a deep breath before he asked, "So, should we also complete your little requirement?"

Carter cleared her throat, took a deep breath and told her boss the usual narrative about confidentiality and the compulsory nature of the questions she had to ask. She felt a bit embarrassed having to ask him but remained professional and focused as she began.

"Question 1. Do you ever feel very down or deliriously happy for no real reason?"

Mabren took a moment to actually think about the question, before he answered, "Not more so than the next person."

"2. Have you ever had thoughts to harm another sentient being?"

Barely able to hold back a smile, he answered, "Well, if I did then I am in the wrong profession, aren't I?" As soon as he finished, Mabren couldn't stop smiling nor could he actually take this as serious as he needed.

"3. Have you ever been convicted of a serious crime?"

"None," he answered truthfully, before saying with a snicker, "Well, at least I haven't got caught."

Carter raised an eyebrow at that one.

"4. Have you ever taken illegal mood enhancing substances?"

"See, that the good thing about being a doctor," he couldn't stop now, "You can just write a prescription."

Carter made a note of that on her PADD.

"5. Have you ever lost your temper so badly that you lost control of your actions?"

With the final question, Mabren's joviality waned noticeably. Taking a breath he answered, "Once. A long time ago."

"Perhaps you had better tell me about that" said Carter, gravely. "I should also warn you that writing out prescriptions for mood enhancing substances is a serious offence and I shall have to include that in my report to Starfleet."

Laughing at the Counselor, Mabren decided to clear up the situation before he was fired from his new position, "Counselor, you do know that I was joking, right?"

Carter looked up at him with a poker face. "Do I, doctor?" she asked. She made some more notes on her PADD before looking up again at him. A smile played at the corner of her mouth and she said, quietly "so was I". She smiled broadly at him now and put down her PADD. "Tell me about when you lost your temper" she said, more seriously.

Getting up from his chair, Mabren walked around and stared at the door for a second. Turning around, he rested his hands on the back of the chair he had just been sitting in before he explained.

"It was back after Bajor was liberated from the Cardassians," he began, slowly, "I had convinced my father to move to the planet, to learn about my heritage and to help the planet rebuild. We had only been there a short time, probably a few months, when the Global Unity rose to power." Taking a breath, he held back the tears that he felt. Even after all those years, remembering that time was still difficult.

Mabren turned to present his profile to the Counselor and he zoned out staring at the wall and continued, "They were xenophobic. They hated aliens. Anyways, one day, I was heading home from school and I ended up being attacked by some youths that believed I was a threat. A... A 'half-breed.' When I finally went home, my father was petrified. He didn't want to stay on a planet that was dangerous to those that were different. So, we left." Turning back to face the counselor, the young doctor's eyes glistened with contained tears, his anger coming forward, he nearly yelled, "I was furious with him! He took me away before anything could be done. One incident and he was off and running!"

Pausing, Mabren clenched his jaw shut, taking several deep breaths he continued, "While we were on the transport, I never spoke to him. And I ensured that we never saw each other. And when we made it to New France, things didn't improve. I continued to be a jerk. Eventually, between me and what was happening with Cardassia at the time, I drove my own father away."

Taking another long, deep breath, Mabren finished, "I have tried to fix things. The closest we got was at my graduation. It was short lived, of course."

Carter looked at Mabren with sadness. "That must have been hard for you to tell me" she said. "Do you think you will mend the rift again? Time can be a great healer, you know."

Smiling softly and sadly, Mabren wiped at the tears that had started flowing from the rush of emotions. Taking a seat, he answered, "Incredibly. I've told only a few about this. Close friends, grandparents. And no." Clearing his throat, mainly as a delaying tactic, Mabren explained, "No, it won't happen. He hates the fact that I'm in Starfleet. 'Too dangerous,' he said." Pausing, he stared at the floor before blurting out, "My mother died giving birth to me. He doesn't want to lose me."

Carter nodded, understanding his pain and handed him a tissue. "Hey, it's OK" she said. We all get emotional at times. It helps to make you feel better, you know. She paused for a second. "Do you have any family of your own?"

"No, I don't," Mabren answered simply.

"I know how that feels" she said, quietly and staring off into the middle distance. "I often wonder what family of my own would be like..." She stopped abruptly and brought herself back. "Are you feeling any better, doctor?" she asked more brightly.

Mabren looked up at the counselor and answered truthfully, "No, not really. But it'll take time to deal with all of these buried emotions."

"Well any time you want to talk, sir, I am always here. I think, maybe, you have had enough for one day?" Carter didn't want her boss becoming too upset right at the start of a mission.

Mabren stood and tugged down on his uniform jacket, straightening it. "Well, thank you, Counselor. Until next time. And of course, sickbay is at your disposal as well, stop by anytime." Turning, the young doctor left the counselors office.

 

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