Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek & Lieutenant Ishkabela Journs: Past Meets Present
Lael Rosek
((CMO’s Office, Sickbay Complex, Deck 5, USS Atlantis, In orbit of Ilara Prime, Par’tha Expanse))
{{Time Index: Day 7 of Shoreleave, Late evening}}
Ishka sighed as she laid the PADD down on the desk, massaging her temples. It had been another long day and she was looking forward to the end of it. She was due to go off shift any minute and would likely shower and go straight to bed. Her exhaustion was overriding any desire for food at the moment. Toryn could operate a replicator just fine. Usually, they ate together, but tonight would have to be an exception. He’d climb into bed with her when he got back, unintentionally waking her, which would lead to intimacy. It seemed no matter how tired either one of them was, they were never too tired for that.
A smirk crossed Ishka’s lips, looking forward to their upcoming date night. She’d been after him since climbing that mountain to teach her how to use the wingsuit he’d designed for her. It would be a much more handy way down the next time they scaled a mountain together. She glanced at the chronometer, getting ready to conclude her shift when the doors to Sickbay parted. Her brow furrowed and she rose, stepping out into the main area, confusion becoming an unreadable expression as she realized who was standing in front of her.
Lael entered, looking around for whoever was still on shift. Though she wasn’t particularly fond of the neural inhibitors, they did help her sleep and kept her mind from catching the dreams of others nearby while she rested. They were a necessary evil, one she tolerated for the sake of her sanity. As she moved deeper into Sickbay, she caught sight of a petite redhead wearing a teal collar.
Closing the distance between them with a smile, Lael realized that the woman was a good four or five inches shorter than her. But the height difference didn’t mean she was about to underestimate the woman. A fire burned behind emerald green eyes that would have made most take a step or two back.
Rosek: Ah. Doctor?
Journs: ::nods stiffly:: Lieutenant Ishkabela Journs, ma’am.
Lael noted the tone, her eyebrows arching. As tempted as she was to throw a semi-sarcastic comment the woman’s way, she resisted. The redhead clearly meant business, making Lael wonder what she’d done to get the woman’s back up when the two of them hadn’t met before this moment.
Then she remembered Esa Kiax’s comments when making arrangements for her quarters: “It’s across the hall from our Second Officer and Mission Specialist. Next door to our Assistant Chief Medical Officer.” “They’re in a rather… physical relationship.”
Rosek: oO So this is Toryn’s new someone. Well, she certainly seems his type. Oo ::smiles and offers a hand:: A pleasure to meet you. ::pauses:: Do you prefer your rank or your title?
Somehow, Ishka managed to keep her tongue civil. She wasn’t the jealous type and wasn’t overly concerned with the woman’s sudden appearance except insofar as it caused Toryn pain and discomfort. While she couldn’t say she knew the woman enough to dislike her, she certainly didn’t like seeing Toryn hurt.
Journs: ::reluctantly reaches for her hand:: Either is fine.
The moment their hands touched, Ishka stiffened, the realization hitting her like a heavy branch. Rosek was telepathic. And empathic. It wasn’t that she hadn’t known. She’d simply forgotten for a moment. Clearing her throat to cover her sudden nervousness, she released Rosek’s hand slowly and forced a smile. Branch, but it was hard to look this woman in the eye knowing how upset Toryn had been. He hadn’t told her, of course. But she’d seen through their telepathic connection. She didn’t need to be an expert to understand him.
Rosek: ::smiles and inclines her head:: Of course, Doctor.
Journs: ::motions to an empty biobed:: Please.
As Rosek moved toward the biobed and lifted herself onto it, Ishka went to a nearby tray to retrieve a tricorder as well as a PADD to pull up the woman’s medical record. She arched an eyebrow as she noted the sheer size of the file. Well, the woman and Toryn had that much in common it seemed. Both had a reckless disregard for their own lives.
Crossing Sickbay, she laid the PADD down and began the routine scans to get Rosek’s vitals. After a moment, she laid the tricorder down beside the PADD, syncing the two so that the results of the scans were uploaded to the woman’s medical file. With this in progress, she returned her attention to Rosek.
Journs: What can I do for you this evening, ma’am?
Rosek: ::grins:: Just my usual pre-bedtime neural inhibitor.
With a nod, Ishka waited until the PADD chirped to confirm that the upload was finished before grabbing it to check the prescribed dosage. Turning, she signaled to the on-duty nurse to bring the hypo.
Journs: It looks like Commander G’Renn recently updated the dosage.
Rosek: ::nods:: I’ve been supplementing with meditation so I don’t need quite as high of a dosage.
Ishka accepted the hypo from the nurse with a murmured thank you and pressed it against Rosek's neck, the familiar hiss confirming that the medicine had been properly injected. She set the hypo aside and made a note on the PADD.
Lael rubbed her neck where the needle had just barely punctured the skin, eyeing the other woman. Everything about the young doctor’s demeanor suggested professionalism and impartiality, but she hadn’t been blind to the look in the woman’s eyes when she’d first come in. She relaxed, a soft smile crossing her lips, one of approval.
Toryn deserved someone as loyal as this woman seemed to be. Though things hadn’t worked out between them, she’d always prayed that Toryn would meet someone who could give him all of the things that she herself couldn’t. She cared about him and wanted to see him happy. His comment in the Poseidon Lounge several days ago had stung, but at the same time, she’d been glad to hear that he wasn’t alone.
Journs: ::looks up from the PADD:: Is there anything else?
If she didn’t know any better, she would have sworn she detected a slight note of cold aloofness in the woman’s tone. But that was likely her insecurity and discomfort talking. Doctor Journs had been nothing but professional since the moment they'd met.
Rosek: ::shakes her head:: That should do it. It’s been a bit of a long day and I can hear my bed calling my name.
Another curious Human metaphor. If Ishka hadn’t spent so much time observing them, she’d have been utterly confused. It was a secret she’d kept from nearly everyone...except Toryn. She was paranoid that word of her fascination with Human culture would reach home and it would drive the Council to look at her with that much more scrutiny. The last thing she needed was to give them more ammunition.
Journs: ::inclines her head and smiles:: In that case, ma’am, have a good night.
Lael slid from the biobed, eyeing the doctor one last time.
Rosek: ::grins:: You, too, Doctor. See you around.
Ishka watched as Rosek turned on her heel and strode toward the doors. They opened the moment they detected her presence and remained so until Rosek had stepped into the hallway. Ishka shook her head, carrying the PADD into the CMO’s office. Given the amount of trouble it seemed the hybrid got into, she had a feeling that being intimately familiar with the woman’s medical history would prove to be a necessity.