[JP] Lieutenant JGs Renaie Shortrith & Wyla Avae - Check Up Connection
Renaie Shortrith
((Counsellor’s Office, Deck 10, USS Ronin))
Renaie glanced out to Deck 10’s corridors, watching the buzz of life drifting in and out of sickbay. Things had relatively calmed down, at least. All that remained was the PADDwork from before Doctor Beck came back. The remaining inflammation of their arm, however, told another story. Despite trying to avoid Wyla and her potential concern, Renaie knew they had to talk to her at some point.
Did they want to concern her with their own issues? No.
Did they know they probably had to, because it would be better for someone else to treat their injury? Yes.
Exhaling slowly, Renaie left the office to enter sickbay and go find her.
Shortrith: Wyla? Have you got a second?
Tholians. She was starting to hate Tholians almost as much as spiderbots. She’d treated far too many wounds because of ‘mandible’ bites or broken bones from being crushed by either being stepped on by one of those suits or first, second and third degree burns from someone being too close to one when they exploded.
It was never easy to treat her shipmates but more so when it was her best friend. At least Jenta would recover. Few managed to go hand to hand with Tholians once, much less several times.
Wyla’d distracted herself by running diagnostics on all of the biobeds and equipment that had to be repaired from that power surge. So she jumped a little when she heard Renaie’s voice.
Avae: Oh! Renaie, are you alright? If I didn’t know any better I’d think you were avoiding me.
Renaie sighed, finally admitting defeat. oO I was, a little bit. Oo This was the first time they'd properly let their guard down since the haunting transmission.
Shortrith: Yeah… I thought I'd get you to take a look at my arm.
The Antosian’s face brightened immediately, sincere compassion in her expression rather than admonition or comments about how doctors are the worst patients.
Avae: Sure! Have a seat.
Taking a seat on the nearest free biobed, Renaie gingerly rolled up their uniform sleeve.
Shortrith: I briefly treated it initially to avoid significant blood loss, but ::exhales:: I've barely touched it since.
Wyla took a moment to inspect their arm visually as well as with the medical tricorder she palmed from one of the pockets of the white medical coat she always favored when working.
Avae: Mhm. I see. And aside from the blood loss have you had any other injuries, or experienced any other side effects?
Shortrith: Only light-headedness and possible side-effects of the radiation through my compromised EV suit. Apart from obvious reasons, why do you ask?
Avae: Well, since you didn’t come to me or anyone else immediately after everything calmed down I assumed that maybe the wound caused anxiety or perhaps memory loss?
The smirk she gave them was a hint she was teasing while she completed her scans.
Renaie paused, eyes widening slightly similar to a deer in the headlights. oO Does she know what I'm doing? Oo
Shortrith: ::slightly caught off-guard:: Not that I'm aware of.
Avae: Oh, so why wait this long to take care of yourself?
Shortrith: It's mainly just putting the treatment of others before the treatment of myself.
Avae: That’s the easy answer. ::she offered them a warm, if concerned smile:: Just don’t let it be anything more than that. You’re the acting CMO and it won’t do any good to have two of us intentionally hurting ourselves instead of facing our problems.
Nodding slowly, Renaie sighed. oO You have a point, but just treat my damn arm. Oo
They paused for a second as they processed the last bit of what she said, but made a mental note to bring it up later.
Shortrith: ::light-heartedly:: Are you going to treat my arm or not?
This time a soft giggle escaped the Antosian as she retrieved a dermal regenerator, an osteotractor and an anabolic protoplaser.
Avae: Sure thing. Just relax.
Shortrith: Will do.
While she was setting everything up she glanced at Renaie.
Avae: So, any ideas for what you’re going to do this leave? I checked the FNS travel articles on it and this place looks so beautiful. I’m definitely looking forward to some swimming.
Shortrith: Honestly? Not sure. Probably lots of paddwork and counselling sessions, as one does. You?
Avae: Oh sure, all the most popular shore leave activities. You’re supposed to relax, Doc.
oO I’ll be fine. Oo Renaie took a deep breath for a moment before looking Wyla in the eyes. What she had mentioned earlier had concerned them, and they wanted to ask her about it. They were the counsellor, after all.
There was a bit of a shift in the air about then and she ended up on the receiving end of Renaie’s stare.
Shortrith: Also, what you mentioned when you made the point about hurting yourself… are you okay?
She mentally chided herself. She didn’t realize she’d offhandedly said anything and painfully obviously tried to brush it off with a giggle and wave of her hand.
Avae: Oh, of course! Slip of the tongue.
Shortrith: ::bluntly:: Offhanded comments like that are signs that you're not fine. What's going on?
The Antosian tensed a bit which inadvertently made her loom a bit with her full 6’1” posture.
Avae: Nothing’s going on, Doc. I promise like I said, it was a slip of the tongue. I haven’t actually hurt myself. ::she mumbled:: Other people did that.
Renaie’s frown deepened as they shuffled over on the biobed and offered Wyla a seat next to them.
Shortrith: ::voice full of concern:: Has anyone been hurting you? oO If so, I want names. Oo
She recalled the tense conversation she’d had with Alyndra when trying to cheer her up and ended up spilling the beans about something even Jenta didn’t fully know about.
Avae: No! Nothing like that. ::she sighed:: I’ve just been known to do some unofficial sparring sometimes when we’re in places that have such a thing available.
Renaie’s eyes widened significantly. oO What? Oo
Shortrith: ::quietly, trying to be compassionate:: If I may ask, what kind of sparring…?
The Antosian tried to make herself as small as possible whilst giving Renaie a somewhat sheepish glance.
Avae: Tsunkatse.
The Klingon’s heart sunk to their gut. oO Oh… Oo
Shortrith: Wyla… c’mere.
Renaie pulled her into a tight hug, placing their head comfortably on her shoulder.
Shortrith: Come talk to me next time you’re feeling like that, okay? I’m a counsellor, after all. I wanna help you.
Before she could help herself she let out a squeak at the sudden hug but, being a hugger herself the Antosian immediately reciprocated it.
Avae: I know, but I can’t help when I feel that way and sometimes it seems like it happens all the time.
Gently, Renaie brushed Wyla’s lavender hair behind her ears.
Shortrith: Is there any way I can help how you’re feeling?
Heat flushed her cheeks slightly at the gesture but she shrugged and let out a litter whimper.
Avae: I don’t know. Make me stronger?
They let out a slow exhale.
Shortrith: … Please? I know I’m not perfect at this either, but as the old saying goes, a problem shared is a problem halved.
Avae: I know that. And I know it’s sort of your job as a counselor but I feel, ashamed I guess? And I know I probably shouldn’t but ever since I was paralyzed, even after I got my new spine I just….freeze up sometimes when we’re in battle or someone’s trying to hurt us and it makes me feel so weak and helpless.
Slowly, Renaie's hug got looser until they were sitting next to Wyla once again.
Shortrith: May I ask what caused this?
Avae: Having to patch people up from all the fighting. If I never see another wound from a Tholian limb or spiderbot leg it’ll be too soon. I’m scared all the time and I figured if I let myself get beat up it’ll make me stop being scared? I mean, I do try to fight back but I’m not very good, which I guess makes me feel worse. But the pain blocks out the fear.
Considering all the scoldings she’d issued over the years for crew doing habitually bad things that caused them to keep coming into sickbay she couldn’t help but wallow in feeling like a hypocrite. Sadly, her time on the Atlantis, Chin’toka and Astaeus had seen her in a lot of battles and most of the time without a counselling department available to help with the coping afterwards.
Shortrith: That'll only do you more harm than good, you know. Please look after yourself, okay?
Avae: I promise. The next time I feel like that I will call you before I go and get myself hurt.
She murmured but was sincere in her statement.
Shortrith: ::smiling softly:: That's all I ask.
The Antosian brushed a strand of purple hair over an ear and she looked down at the tricorder she was still holding.
Avae: Well, looking at this you seem to be fine. Your cortisol levels are a few points higher than your baseline but nothing to be concerned about.
Renaie let out a loose, dry chuckle.
Shortrith: After the mission we had, I'm not surprised that I'm stressed.
Avae: Soooo, that means that you can spend time relaxing down on the planet. At least try to spend a day or two doing something that’s not work related.
Shortrith: Easier said than done. As the Counsellor, I'm pretty much always on duty wherever I go.
Avae: That’s not healthy either.
Renaie sighed softly. Wyla had a point.
Shortrith: I know, but it's a balancing act. If I spend too much time off duty, well… the wellbeing of the crew will suffer.
oO The wellbeing of the crew is pretty much in my hands. Dekas isn't here anymore. I haven't met any of the other counselling staff, if memory serves. Oo
Avae: If you were the only counselor on board, which has happened before, then I’d agree but you have several colleagues you can lean on. And by colleagues I mean those on this crew. Why people go to the Ferengi I’ll never know.
Shortrith: What do you mean?
Avae: Gott. He’s a Ferengi psychiatrist that’s sometimes showing up to try and extort the crew for latinum in exchange for counseling services. At least until the Captain’s mom conned him out of his own ship.
Shortrith: ::Sarcastically:: He sounds lovely.
=================================
Lieutenant JG Renaie Shortrith, MD
Counsellor/Medical Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
They/Them (Player and character)
A240204RS3
&
Lieutenant JG Wyla Avae
Chief Nurse
as boisterously simmed by
Commander Toryn Raga
First Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
Writer ID: A239410TR0
https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Toryn_Raga