Long Overdue... (backpost)

Posted on 03 Feb 2014 @ 4:08pm by Commodore Harvey Geisler & Lieutenant Commander Landon Milo MD
Edited on on 22 Mar 2014 @ 8:50am

1,497 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Echoes
Location: USS Black Hawk, Sickbay
Timeline: December 29, 2387 || 1500 hours

For more than a day now, the USS Black Hawk had been flying through the Gamma Quadrant at Warp Eight. The ship was relatively calm, knowing they were already prepared for a mission four days away from starting.

Harvey found it quite boring. Even on the Delaware, patrolling a border in its dullest moments keep some anxiety brewing amongst the crew. There was always some sort of refugee or Ferengi merchant traffic looking for a safe or uncontested part of the border to cross. For now, there was little to do.

Instead of sitting in his office, staring once more out the window or doing the same in his command chair, Petty Officer Carter had reminded the captain that he was overdue for his boarding physical. Harvey had been purposely avoiding sickbay for a reason unknown to everyone except maybe Doctor Milo; he hadn't had a physical in years. Yes, he had been injured on board the Delaware a few months back, but other than physicians healing the wounds, the rest of the body had been overlooked.

Harvey knew this checkup would be anything short of routine. Alas, this was the best time to get this done and out of the way before the Black Hawk arrived at her destination.

The doors to sickbay parted, permitting the captain's entrance to the quiet room. It was nearly empty, save one Cardassian woman nearby. "Afternoon," he told her. "Where can I find Doctor Milo?"

Nurse Zeyela Gelvark had been recalibrating some Tricorders that were in need of a few tweaks when the Commanding Officer walked in. His presence startled her at first. She was rather nervous speaking with Captain, but did her best to remain calm.

"Good afternoon, Captain" she said exchanging pleasantries. She smiled ever so slightly and spoke softly. "Doctor Milo should be in his office, Captain. I believe he mentioned something about reviewing an article in the latest edition of the Starfleet Journal of Medicine. Should I go and let him know that you are here?" asked the young Cardassian woman.

Two options were before him now. One, he could wait in the empty bay and ask the ensign to inform the doctor of his arrival. Or, two, he could swallow his pride and get the doctor himself. He could use the extra little bit of exercise, walking across the sickbay to the office.

But it was too much pride to swallow so early on. "If you wouldn't mind, Ensign," Harvey asked diplomatically. He would be kind to the doctor at least by taking the biobed in the center of the room under the big sensor array. He was going to wind up there anyway, so it was best to save everyone the trouble.

The Nurse was kind enough to inform Landon that the Captain was waiting for him in main Sickbay before Landon dismissed her from Sickbay. It was not something that he normally would have done but Landon preferred to keep the health of the Commanding Officer of any starship under a bit of lock and key.

Landon walked out of his office soon after the nurse had left Sickbay. He carried a medical tricorder in his hand, opening it and slowly circling the bio bed with a rather fascinated look in his eyes. "So..." began Landon.

"You showed up. I was starting to worry that I may have to call security to bring you in here, that or I was going to have to put a bounty out on your head" joked Landon as he approached the bio bed with his scanning device.

"If you stay still for a few moments, I'll just take a few quick scans. I promise that it won't hurt as much as it should. You've been avoiding this for far too long" added Landon with a smirk.

"Indeed," Harvey said, laying down on the biobed. He was thankful that the doctor would make it quick. Hopefully, there wouldn't be much to find and Harvey could leave quickly and not come back until there was some official captaincy business to summon him back.

Landon started examining the results of a neural and physical scans. All was looking fine, but Landon had matters to attend to. "There's some benefits to being Chief of Medicine as I am sure you are fully aware of" commented the doctor.

"I have been doing some interesting research but I won't dull you with the details" said Landon as he hit a few commands into the bio bed. "Remain still. I am taking a skeletal scan" announced Landon. "It will take but only a a few minutes to complete." Then, Landon began to ease his way around the bio bed and watched the Captain astutely.

"Captain, if I may...do you have any experiences with Starfleet counselors?" asked Landon.

Harvey took in a deep breath, considering how to answer the question. If the doctor had read his medical file, then surely he already knew the answer to that question. There was no point in lying, but he didn't have to answer directly. "I doubt there was anyone who fought in a war who hasn't."

He exhaled, trying to relax as the doctor ran his skeletal scan. He had his share of boarding physicals, and just as he suspected, this was now a full-blown physical. Hopefully he wouldn't be attached to diodes and asked to run a treadmill.

"Oh certainly. I lost family during that war... such a terrible crippling feeling to experience" commented Landon. He then proceeded "Scans all done. I think that I am going to have to give you a clean bill of health, Captain. I would, however like your advice on something."

"Oh?" Harvey asked, carefully returning to a sitting position and thankful the physical was complete. It had been a long time since anyone asked for his advice. Somehow, the very notion made him more uncomfortable than he already was. However, he knew as the captain there would be many opportunities for advice as time passed, so it would be better for all parties if he acquiesced now. "What's on your mind, doctor?"

"I was thinking of getting a pet. Like an actual pet, not a service animal like Julian. I was thinking perhaps a lizard or fish" said Landon with a crafty smile. He would execute this with medical precision like a laser scalpel cutting into a patient.

"What do you think of the name Alison?" asked Landon, lowering his mental shielding to fully tap into his abilities.

Harvey frowned, instantly regretting coming to sickbay. He was surprised that he didn't feel rage flowing through his veins at the very question. He had been angrier a couple nights before when Finchley reported for duty while drunk. Instead, at the very mention of his deceased wife's name, his mind replayed his last memory of her once more.

For a brief moment, Harvey wasn't sitting on a biobed, but standing instead the large shuttlebay at Starbase 211. He looked across the bay to Alison's fleeting smile...

And Doctor Landon Milo standing near her.

The shuttlebay quickly morphed back into the Akira-class sickbay. Harvey narrowed his eyes and looked at the doctor. "That was a dirty trick, doctor. My advice is to leave psychoanalysis to the counselors and shrinks."

"It would have been if I was trying to be your Chief Medical Officer" added Landon with a sympathetic gaze. "I may not be a Psychiatrist or a Counselor, Captain. But I am someone who cares about people, especially people that I have begun to respect. Sometimes, it helps to let people in."

Harvey stood up from the bed, considering the doctor's words. "Doctor," he began, "I have spent the last fourteen years dealing with my pain. I just came off a forced medical leave partly because a Counselor thought I needed to deal with my feelings. She was right, and it has taken a lot for me to close that chapter of my life. It's not one I can just open at will."

"I know" Landon replied politely. "I read the files, Captain. I have no intention on trying to force you into further medical leave. In fact, I am here to stand by you and will give my expert opinion that you are in no need for any sort of leave, and that you are more than qualified and fit for duty."

Harvey crossed his arms and looked away. He was thankful for the good report and understood what the doctor was trying to do. "One day, doctor," he said without looking at the man. "One day. Just..." Harvey looked back at Landon, studying the man's face for a moment. "Just not today."

Landon smiled. "It's going to be a good voyage, Captain. When you are ready, you know how to find me."

Harvey nodded. "Thank you," he mustered, though his voice was indeed low. Eager to restore his comfort levels, the captain left sickbay, bound for an inspection tour of the ship.

RSS Feed