Medical Meeting

Posted on Sun Jul 17th, 2016 @ 4:37pm by Lieutenant Ryan Rose

Mission: Zero Week
Location: Chief Counselor's Office

Ryan was glad that the medical staff had mostly arrived. Things were shaping up nicely, and so far Ryan was very pleased with the staff. The only area that concerned him slightly was the Counseling Department. He'd been away from his Therapist for two months now, if he didn't sign on with another soon, no doubt she would start sending up red flags to Starfleet. But he wasn't quite sure how he was going to juggle his personal need for a Counselor, and his need to work collaboratively with the department. It was probably something to bring up with said Counselor Ryan realized. He made the short trip to the man's office and sounded the chime.


Cameron had been standing on his desk in the process of hanging a photo- his Creighton University class on the day they received their psychology degrees, when he heard the chime. Bumping his head, he turned to the door. "Come in!" he yelled as he jumped down from the desk and brushed himself off. He was slightly confused as he wasn't supposed to be seeing patients at this point and no one was supposed to know he was here yet. Taking a seat on the forward edge of the desk, he waited for his guest to enter.


Ryan took a quick glance around and saw that the Counselor was decorating. "Hi. I'm Doctor Rose." He introduced himself. "Want some help?" He then offered with a smile.

Cam looked the man over slightly. "I'm Doctor Thorne, but my friends call my Cameron.If you'd like, you can grab a picture out of that box by your foot and let me know where you think it should go. " Pausing for a moment with a finger on his lips, he contemplated the layout. This was his first shipboard office and it had much more space than his cramped one during his residency on Earth, so he didn't have nearly enough photos or shadowboxes to adorn his walls. Picking up a photo, he held it up and turned in a circle to determine where it needed to be.

Ryan went to the box and started perusing.

"Can I get you anything, Lieutenant? I like to keep a few cases of non replicated drinks and things from Earth as a part of my private stash if you're ever interested." Cameron said slyly.

"Ryan please." He responded automatically, his attention still on the box of pictures. He pulled one out. "Water would be great, thanks. And I think this one would look good across from wherever you sit your client, it's very calming."

Cameron looked over to the portrait- a constantly shifting portrait of assorted colors that swirled and vanished. He had picked it up from a traveling trader who had said it brought him luck. Walking over to the bulkhead behind his chair, Cameron affixed a magnet to the back and connected it to the bulkhead. Straightening it, he stepped back and examined his handiwork. Smiling, he dropped down to one knee and opened a container that appeared that was exuding a cold fog. Opening it, Cameron reached in and grabbed two bottles of water. Taking one in his free hand, he tossed one towards Ryan.

"So I know you probably didn't come to help me with my interior design skills, what can I do for you?" Cameron asked, taking a sip of the water.

Cameron had telegraphed his intent clearly enough. Ryan was able to catch the water bottle easily, without feeling something was being thrown 'at' him.
Ryan opened his water as well, and took a long sip before answering. "Actually I just wanted to introduce myself." Ryan had changed his mind sometime between deciding to meet the Counselor and standing here in his office. He no longer felt like bringing up his own need for a Counselor. He had some time hopefully before he needed to worry about his PTSD flaring up. "There's a few cases I'd like to consult on with you, but a couple of them aren't even here yet, and none of them are urgent, it can wait until you've settled in."

Cameron leaned on his desk as he peered at Ryan. "Bring them by and we can sit down and compare notes sometime. Maybe over lunch?" he inquired, trying to probe the walls he sensed were coming up the longer they stood there. "You don't have to decide right now. I'll be here for the foreseeable future and I'd like to be of as much help as I can." he said earnestly.

"That's sounds good." Ryan replied. He then turned back to the box of pictures and pulled one out. "Hide that one, it's like Rorschach and Van Gogh had a bastard love child." He grinned.

Turning his head slightly to the left and closing his right eye, he stared long and hard at the picture. "You know what? You're right, that IS hideous. Toss it back in the box, I'll keep it someplace dark where it can't cause any trouble." he said before he chuckled slightly. That particular photo was a graduation gift when he was commissioned in Starfleet and he had never had the courage to tell his mother- a fearsome woman, that he probably would never be caught dead with that picture on his wall. He had hung it up for special occasions but always took it down and stashed it somewhere until he needed it for yet another family visit. "So Ryan, I know very little about you besides your name. How long have you been in the fleet?" Cameron asked, taking another long swig of his water.

"Five years, since I graduated from the academy. But then there was medical school and a surgical fellowship. This is actually my first off Earth assignment." Ryan answered. "Yourself?" He asked in return. It was pretty standard small talk, but a good place to start.

Cameron thought for a moment as he tallied up the years. "It's been about eight years for me. I graduated with Doctorate and joined Starfleet right out of college. I've been to the Gamma Quadrant aboard the Stennis and out on patrols aboard the Coriolis with a tour at Motaran Sector Command." Letting out a smile, he thought back to his first tour aboard the Stennis, when he had gotten lost aboard ship, and the thing's he'd learned from a veteran Vulcan counselor aboard who had been in the field for over 10 years.

"That's some good experience." Ryan commented, a bit impressed.

Cameron shrugged. "It's not much. I just go where I'm sent and don't question it. Something I will say is that I can tell some great stories and there's more than one prominent Admiral with an interesting fetish out there." he said, letting out a belly laugh.

Ryan joined in the laughter. "Oh god, I don't think I want to know. That's some blackmail worth having though." He smiled, then realized he was taking up the Counselor's time. "I'll let you get back to settling in. It was nice to meet you."

Cameron walked over to Ryan. "It was good meeting you, Ryan. Before you go, take a piece of art with you. Maybe it can brighten your office a little bit?" he suggested. A feeling was nagging at the back of his mind. He knew this man wanted his help but he was hesitating and putting up walls, almost he was unsure of whether he wanted his help. Maybe this little interaction would help him open up a little and take advantage of a safe space.

"That's very kind, but I'm afraid I don't have room for anything else on my walls." Ryan politely declined. He'd seen what was in the box, and frankly it wasn't to his taste, even if he did have space on his walls. "I'm sure I'll see you soon." Ryan waved as he left.