"Doctor, Doctor"

Posted on 06 Oct 2014 @ 1:20am by Lieutenant JG Delainey Carlisle & Jonah Chaparral M.D.

1,556 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo Deck 3, Dr. Delainey Carlisle's Office
Timeline: MD 6: 1400 hrs.

ON:

Jonah Chaparral was a pretty normal guy, given the fact of who his parents were and how he was raised. He didn't hear voices inside his head, didn't wash his hands 72 times an hour, or a day for that matter, didn't have any other personalities and didn't copulate with every Tom, Dick and Harry. For that matter he barely copulated at all and never with a Tom, Dick or Harry. He could at times be a bit of a smart ass, but there was no known cure for such a malady and he wasn't sure he would want one if there were.

Technically, since he was a civilian he didn't have to submit to an annual psych evaluation, but he thought it prudent to do so anyway.

So, dressed in his favorite pair of teal scrubs, he found himself at the counselor's office pressing the chime.

Delainey double checked her schedule and was surprised to find the name she saw there was in fact the person she thought she'd read was there. She knew Jonah to be a new civilian addition to their medical staff, but she had yet to meet him. She hadn't encountered many civilians who requested psych evals, and that made her wonder if there was a specific concern to be addressed.

"Come in," Carlisle called out.

Jonah, brushing a hand through his hair, stepped into the room. "Thanks for seeing me," he said.

"Not a problem," Carlisle offered evenly. She offered her hand and an introduction. "Dr. Delainey Carlisle. Feel free to call me Delainey if you like."
She gestured to her seating area. "Please make yourself at home. May I get you something to drink?"

Jonah took her hand and gave it a firm shake. "Some herbal tea would be great, if you don't mind."

"Coming right up," she replied, and in short order, she'd handed him a cup of tea. As she seated herself across from him, she said, "I must say, I see a lot of civilians, but normally, I go to them to see how they are. I'm curious about what brings you to me."

"Well, I don't hear voices in my head, or have an imaginary friend if that's what you're asking. My parents are both retired from Starfleet, so it just seems natural for me to check in." He paused making air quotes with his hand, "To the right thing.

I guess the only reason that I can think of that you can help me with is adjusting to a situation where I'm at least partially subject to rules and regulations that I wouldn't be if I were on a civilian ship."

Delainey nodded, smiling wryly at the reference to the classic symptoms of mental illness that people assumed were some of the few that required therapy. "Do you anticipate adjusting to that reality will be difficult for you?" Carlisle was curious why he'd chosen to work as a civilian when he was raised by Starfleet parents and seemed compelled to undergo an exam that was not required of him, just because it felt right.

"Somewhat," he admitted, "my parents are somewhat unconventional, they always gave us a lot of autonomy. They let us make our own decisions for the most part. Learn from out mistakes and all of that. So I've been used to making my own decisions. It will be a change."

She appreciated his self-reflection. "What do you think will be the hardest regulations for you to follow?"

"I don't know if it is any particular regulation that bothers me, or that will be hard to follow. I'm not the most celibate of guys, but I don't think Star Fleet cares much about that. I think its more a matter of keeping my mouth shut and not saying things that I want to say. "

"Like what?" Delainey asked. She found the celibacy comment interesting in itself, but she'd address that in a moment.

"Well I generally tend to speak my mind. I'm not a trouble maker, but if I think an idea is a stupid one, I'll let it be known. I'm working on doing so... judiciously, but I am going to have to be more careful now."


"Has your inability to be judicious with your opinions ever gotten you into trouble professionally or personally?" His remarks seemed to allude to as much.

"Oh, I pissed off a few professors, I knew more than some of them did. I had real practical experience, many of them didn't or forgot what it was like. I was quick to point it out to them. Too quick. I've leaned my lesson there and matured some. It cost me a residency at the Mars colony though, I allowed myself to fall into the old pattern with the director.

Personally, no so much. I really don't do relationships."

Setting aside his comment about relationships for the moment, Delainey said, "So if I'm understanding you, your mistake wasn't letting your professors know you were smarter than they were, it was letting them know it too soon?'

"Not exactly. I shouldn't have done it at all. I came to realize that with the exception of a couple of them, I may have had more practical experience, I may have had more knowledge about certain things, but I wasn't smarter.

Regardless though I kind of made an ass out of myself. I opened my mouth without engaging my brain."

Delainey wondered if he was back-tracking because he realized he'd been a bit too honest for a psych eval. "Is that why you don't do relationships?"

"No, I don't do relationships, because of Enrique, the only one I've ever loved. The first one I've ever loved."

"Will you tell me about him and what happened?"

"Sure," came the reply after a brief pause. "We met while he was at the Academy. He was a scientist and I was taking classes in Alien Infectious Diseases from the Academy. We were in the same class together. We had some things in common, so we started dating and then became friends, or maybe it was the other way around I don't really remember. but things were going along pretty well and we became a couple.

Then he let an uncle talk him into switching tracks and he became an Infiltration Specialist. I guess the thought had always intrigued him. I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen.

My mother is in Intel, I didn't want to have to wonder if he were going to come home at night. Yes, I know being a Star Fleet officer is dangerous, but not like that. Anyway he was stubborn and bound and determined to switch career paths and become the best damned Infiltration Specialist in Star Fleet.

His decision caused a fight, several of them and finally we just called it quits. Six months later he went MIA and he's presumed dead."

"I'm sorry," Delainey offered sincerely. "So, how has this event affected your attitude about relationships?" She could guess of course, but she didn't want to presume.

"That they suck. I mean I know they shouldn't, but they do. You let yourself get emotionally attached to someone, grow to love them and they leave you. One way or the other they leave you.

Relationships are complicated, sex is simple."

"Is it? I wonder if your potential partners view sex with you the same way."

"I don't know, I would assume most do. Not all certainly, but I don't see any of them bringing a wedding planner to the bedroom."

"I was actually thinking about the emotional intimacy that many men and women associate with sex. Have you or any of your partners expressed feeling a deeper commitment after your relationship has become sexual?"

"Most of my relationships have been casual, hook ups, one nighters, whatever you want to call it. No real emotional involvement."

"Have you ever asked your partners how they felt?" Delainey understood he wasn't interested in anything more, but more than that, he was assuming what other people felt, which wasn't the best thing for all sorts of relationships, not just the romantic kind.

"No, not really," he admitted, "but to be fair they didn't bring it up either."

"That's a reasonable point," Delainey acknowledged with a nod. "How, if at all, do you think your approach to personal relationships affects your ability to relate to patients?"

"Well I don't want to fu, make out with patients. I compartmentalize. Patients are patients and partners are partners."

"You might find compartmentalizing a bit more difficult here," Carlisle offered honestly. "We're a relatively small crew and the rumor mill works fast. As a medical provider, people need to trust you, so be mindful that tonight's partner could be tomorrow's disgruntled patient."

"I'll keep that in mind. It is good advice and I will try to be at least somewhat discrete."

"That's good to hear," Carlisle answered, though deep down she wondered how hard he would really try. "Welcome aboard, Doctor. If you have no other questions or concerns, I'm satisfied you'll fit in perfectly here."

"Thank you, Doctor. I will certainly give it my best shot."

OFF:

Dr. Jonah Chaparral
Civilian Doctor
USS Galileo

Lt. Delainey Carlisle, M.D., Ph.D.
Counselor/Medical Officer
USS Galileo

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