Lt. Commander John Carter," Busy Therapy."

[LtCmdr. Hannibal Parker]

(( Carters' Office- Amity Outpost ))

There was so much going on, and this was supposed to be shore leave. Such was the life of a Starfleet officer. Broken starships and broken people seemed to be the rule of the day, and John would do his best to fix them both. His door chimed once again...

Carter: COME!!!

In walked Ensign Richards, the man he wanted to see. He'd lost an arm during the last mission, and that sort of trauma, despite the fact that prosthetic limbs these days were better than the real thing as far as functionality was concerned. However, it was artificial, and John wanted the Ensign to come in on his own terms when he was ready. Nathan spoke...

Richards: Hey, Doc. Sorry to just drop by. I know you said that your door is always open, but…

Carter: It always is. Always will be.:: smiling:: Have a seat...want something to drink?

Everyone who does this sort of work had to accept the fact that there were times when people needed you that were occasionally inconvenient personally. Your duty was to get your shipmate through whatever might be troubling them...that was your job, all watches, all ranks, all the time...

Richards: Um…coffee. Coffee would be nice.

John nodded as he got up, broke out one of his nice big white china mugs( one of the few wedding presents he actually kept), and poured the ensign a cup of the hot liquid. Crossing the room and handing it to him, John spoke...

Carter: How are you doing?

Richards: I don’t…honestly know how to answer that question, Commander.

John sat down at his desk and nodded and took a sip of his own coffee while Nathan looked into the black gulf in his cup.

Carter: It was a difficult mission, one which presented itself out of nowhere. We're all adjusting still, I think...

Richards: We all experienced something inside that gravity well. This might not make sense, but I feel like…at times…part of me is still back there. Like something is missing.

Nathan took a drink of his coffee before holding his prosthetic up. It gave John a cold chill down his spine...things like that always did...

Richards: I mean, something other than the obvious.

Carter:  It was, unique. Time was not our friend in there, and because of that, it affected us all differently. Some more than others...

Richards: I feel different. I feel like…It took something from me. Mentally. Emotionally. I’m not sure. I just feel…off.

John nodded. That would make sense. The Temporal distortion, losing a limb, the trauma of all that had to have had some effects, some of which were not easily seen but more felt. John spoke...

Carter: You've been through a lot, Nathan, and experienced a great deal of trauma. It makes sense that you don't quite feel up to snuff yet. Not a great deal of time has passed so the after effects are still lingering physically and mentally. But tell me what are you feeling, along with being out of sorts.

Richards: I feel alone. Even with everyone around, the crew, the civilians…I feel like I’m in my own little gravity well, just coasting through the days. I’ve been given assignments, and even found my own ways of distraction, but they are only temporary.

That was not good, but not unexpected. Nathan had all the signs of PTSD, which would not have surprised John in the least. What he didn't want to do, was to diagnose the Ensign with that just yet, although he clearly was exhibiting signs of it...

Carter: Has there been anything you have enjoyed doing the past few days?

Richards: Doing the work in the SRC with Kivik was a blast. It gave me some one-on-one time with a crewmember that I hadn’t met before. I feel like we came out of that as friends. I have my shuttle project down in The Cellar that I have been slowly making progress on, but when I go back to my quarters, its just me.

Taking a sip of his coffee, John listened closely to Nathan. More often than not, a patient held the key to their own treatment, but a counselor had to look for it, exploit it, and explain it. John spoke...

 

Carter: Tell me about your work in the SRC and your shuttle project. They both sound interesting.

Richards: response

John sat back and listened with interest. That shuttle was the key. It allowed Nathan to focus, to think...and those were good things, and John was going to exploit that...

Carter: That shuttle...how long before you think it will be spaceworthy?

Richards: response

Carter: Good. I want you working on that shuttle full time until she flies again.

Richards: response

Carter: Recruit Kivik or any others you want to assist you. Hell, I might even be tempted to turn a wrench or two...

Richards: response

Carter: I want you to concentrate on making that bird fly, Ensign...

Richards: response

TAG/TBC

Lt. Commander John Marcus Carter

 Second Officer/ Chief Counselor

 Amity Outpost

 C238703HP0