Posted by Shara Calloway (Intel Liason) in Auxiliary Briefing Room

Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Auxiliary Briefing Room

Posted by Shara Calloway (Intel Liason) in Auxiliary Briefing Room
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Cochrane thought about it for a moment and then said “Well, to hold off the ship being overrun by animals… and to make sure Faye isn’t receiving special treatment… I want you to talk to the Counselor or the CMO… maybe both… and get the documentation together showing this future cat is classified as a Service Animal before it is brought aboard. Once that is done; Faye, the Counselor, and I will sit down and go over the rules for having it on board.” and he smiled slightly. “I know, I know… this all sounds very formal and regimented. If it was just up to me, I’d say go for it. But I don’t want every Junior officer on this ship having a small furry things in the quarters.”

Cochrane

Shara nodded thoughtfully. “Understood. There’s plenty of research that shows the benefit of emotional support animals for conditions like Faye’s. I don’t think it would be a huge stretch. But once I talk to Faye about the idea, we can go through the necessary steps.”

“And I guess in the meantime we just be observant. She’s flying so high right now that a crash is inevitable. The only question is how bad is it and how quickly can she find level ground.” There were just certain cycles a person had to go through in order to reach equilibrium after a traumatic event and while she knew she couldn’t protect Faye from it, she at least wanted to make sure it didn’t stunt the progress she had already made.

~Shara Calloway

Alex nodded and looked down at the coffee mug in his hand. “Indeed…” he said , and his face showed concern and worry. “I am worried that the crash may be accelerated by others, as well.” and he looked at Shara. “I hope those that care about her… her friends… don’t take her new found ‘high’ as the norm going forward. That could end up hurting more than just Faye in the long run.” and he shook his head as he thought about those who had now invested themselves into Faye. Not just Wyatt, but the rest of her friends.

Cochrane

Shara found herself nodding again slowly. “That’s my concern as well.” She exhaled abruptly and her expression shifted, becoming etched with the worry that had been churning inside her the last few days. Bracing her arms on the table she clasped her hands together and tapping her joint fist on her mouth a few times before shaking her head. “I love my daughter so much, but right now it’s like watching an incoming tsunami and screaming at someone to move out of the way, but they can’t see that tsunami because it looks different than the last one. I want to say that seeing Leroy sooner rather than later would be a good thing for her but I’m no longer sure she can handle it. If what you say is true, if that crash is going to happen faster, she’s going to have to do a lot more than catch her breath before she deals with the next big thing. Because it’s not going to end anytime soon. And I think she knows that too.”

~Shara Calloway

“I hope so. I think she does, too. Especially after our talk the other night. She is at least focused on her recovery, and not too pushy about getting back to work which is a good sign. I gave her clearance to check on things, but no more than a few hours a day. And I think she really wants to do this the right way. But as with anything, I’m sure mistakes will be made… if they haven’t already.” he replied, the last part coming out slightly more accusatory than he intended.

Cochrane

“Probably have,” Shara muttered before blowing air out the side of her mouth.

“Okay, knowing something will happen, let’s plan contingencies. In this, mental health crises are not so different than say an emergency on the bridge. We have procedures in place. Obviously, Counsellor Rollo is our go-to. She will always be first on deck in that sort of situation. But let’s break it down we’re on the same page about what we’re looking for. What’s the worst case scenario in your mind?”

~Shara Calloway

Alex stared at her for a moment, thinking hard… even though he knew the answer already. “My worst-case scenario is she tries to star t a relationship with someone… someone larger than a cat… and that person reciprocates. That would be a recipe for a disaster that could end multiple careers, let alone the heartache and pain. That is a distraction she just doesn’t need right now. What is yours?”

Cochrane

Shara took more time with her answer, mostly because there were a couple vying for her top mark. And while hers was different than Alex’s it did play off that same notion to a degree. “That when the next thing does hit, Faye’s not far enough along in her recovery to cope the way she needs to and she withdraws.” Shara sighed. “The way it appears to me is that Faye doesn’t necessarily know the difference between taking responsibility for her actions and taking the blame. She’s exceptionally good at taking her anger and turning it inwards if it’s not being unleashed on others. And then we’re back to repeating cycles and I worry that at some point she will truly give up. And the consequences of that would be terrible for a lot of people.” She had to pause for a moment to push through the hitch in her voice. “And I can’t lose her. Not like that.”

~Shara Calloway

Alex looked at Shara and smiled softly. “Shara… between you, me, Zef, Ms. Naim, Mr. Darach, and Mr. Creed… I don’t think you will lose her. We have her back. And we have yours, too. Okay?”

Cochrane

When she had taken that step of calling Rollo when Faye was in the brig, it had been no less intense for her, but then everything felt more concretely life and death. Here it was too, but of a different kind. And there was just so much of her that was still trying to understand how to be a mother to a grown daughter who clearly needed far more support than she might have had their lives gone so vastly differently. There was a part of her too that resisted showing her emotions to people she didn’t know very well- after all, in her line of work, emotions could very well get you killed. There was a time and place for them. Clearly now though was a time for them. And so as she gazed at Alex and saw the certainty in his eyes, and heard it in his tone, she felt she could trust it. She could share the burden of this fear so that it would never come true. “Okay,” she said finally.

~Shara Calloway

Cochrane simply nodded once in acknowledgement of her acceptance, and then he leaned back and said “So. How do we prevent the crash from being catastrophic? What is our plan to deal with it. And I think it would be naïve of us to assume we can prevent it.”

Cochrane