Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek: Diffusing A Tense Situation
Lael Rosek
((Sickbay, USS Montreal))
::Lael grimaced as the weight she placed on her right leg caused it to throb. She’d injured it more than a few times over the years, but never had something as simple as putting weight on it caused her pain when she’d done nothing to re-injure it. At least she didn’t think she’d done anything. After having to hobble around on that forearm crutch for two days after the incident in the Havley’s Hope mines, she wasn’t looking forward to a repeat.::
::A loud clatter drew her abruptly out of her thoughts as she entered Sickbay and she automatically dropped into a fight stance, fully prepared to defend herself. It took a moment or two for her to realize she was in Sickbay, not a combat zone. Her heart was still racing and she had to force herself to draw in deep, calming breaths as she assessed her surroundings. In one corner of the room laid a medical tricorder, still active.::
::Her gaze searched the remainder of the room, her brow furrowing when she saw Shin with the new ensign nurse in front of him. The hairs on the back of Lael’s neck prickled and she stiffened. Something didn’t feel right. She searched the ensign’s features, noting what appeared to be anxiety there.::
Shin: You alright? :: He asked as he stepped around to the foot of the bed.::
Grog: ::She wanted to say no but instead she walked over to the fallen tricorder, stepped on it, smashing it to pieces.:: I'm scared.
Shin: What do you mean?
::Lael’s brow furrowed as she noted the ensign’s behaviors. The hair pulling, the way she crossed her arms, placed her hands on her shoulders and seemed to apply pressure. Lael was no psychologist nor was she a doctor, but all of these seemed to be intended as self-comfort measures. This made sense with the woman’s assertion that she was scared. But what was she so afraid of? That puzzled Lael more than anything.::
Rosek: ::softly:: Ensign Grog...are you all right?
Grog: No ::She spoke after several minutes shaking her head.:: I want my blanket. ::Tears started to fall as she flopped on the floor to sit cross-legged.::
Shin: :: Holding his hands up by his head.:: Ma'am I swear I didn't do anything to'er. :: He said to Lael.::
::She shook her head at Shin. That thought had never crossed her mind. Based on the fluid nature of the woman’s self-soothing gestures, it was clear that this wasn’t the first such occurrence and that things of this nature happened to Grog fairly often. The exact reason for them still eluded her, however.::
::Her gaze flickered to the woman’s Trill spots and her brow furrowed as a thought occurred to her. While Lael was by no means an expert on joined Trill physiology or psychology, but she’d heard of cases where a joining went awry and led to temporary psychosis. But from what she understood, Trill hosts were very carefully screened for any indicators that a joining would lead to such things.::
Rosek: If you don’t mind me asking, Ensign, when were you joined?
Grog: 235806.01
::Her brow furrowed. 2358. That was 38 years ago. That didn’t make any sense. Grog couldn’t be older than her mid-20s. Lael slowly reached for a nearby PADD and entered a series of commands, glancing up frequently to ensure Ensign Grog didn’t begin doing anything to hurt herself.::
::As the information popped up, she studied it and nodded slowly. Five years ago. So any side effects of the joining would presumably have shown up in the psych evals that were required as part of signing one’s contract with Starfleet. She set the PADD aside gently and took a couple of cautious steps toward the ensign until she stood beside Shin, her gaze never leaving Grog’s.::
Rosek: Focus on me, Ensign. ::pauses:: You’re safe, but you need to calm down.
Grog: ::She didn't know what to say. She knew she had to calm down but how? Instead she just blinked, staring up at the two other officers.:: I...
Rosek: ::glances at Shin:: Lieutenant Kawakame and I want to help you, but first you need to tell us what’s going on.
Grog: Meltdown. Stim. Blanket.
::Lael’s brow furrowed. Meltdown she understood well enough. She’d had a few of those in the privacy of her own quarters over the years: one after she’d been freed and returned to the Victory following her torture by Sicarius at Temlai and the others at points during her time in the other universe. However, she’d always managed to calm herself through an anti-anxiety hypo and, in later instances, through meditation. Blanket was also obvious. The woman likely had a comfort object that helped her focus her mind in times of panic. Stim was another story. Was the woman referring to a medication?::
Rosek: ::murmurs:: I don’t understand. Stim? Is that a medication you take when you have these episodes?
Grog: Response
Kawakame: Response
Rosek: ::nods slowly:: I take an anti-anxiety hypo when I experience mine. Do you have any allergies or are there medications that adversely affect your physiology?
::It was a shot in the dark trying to get Grog to reason out the problem. Quite often, having an intellectual challenge in front of her to focus on also helped Lael get past the anxiety. The information that Grog provided would also be beneficial in helping a nursing aid or other medical professional present to administer the correct medication in case Grog wasn’t in the right frame of mind to do so.::
Rosek: o0 Keep her talking. 0o Why don’t we move this to the CMO’s office while we wait for someone to find a medication that fits your needs and physiology? You’ll be better able to relax there.
Grog: Response
Rosek: ::slowly lays a gentle hand on Grog’s shoulder and smiles, speaking softly:: I’m sure Doctor Skyfire won’t mind. We can sit down and have a warm, soothing cup of tea while you gather yourself. ::pauses:: We don’t have your blanket, but I can have one of the nursing aides bring a gown for you. The strings would give you something to do with your hands and you could cover yourself with it if you needed to.
Grog: Response
Kawakame: Response
Rosek: ::nods and smiles warmly:: Take your time, Ensign. Lieutenant Kawakame and I aren’t going anywhere.
Grog: Response
Kawakame: Response