Posted by Civilian Revna Freya McKenzie (Diplomatic Attache) in “You want trauma? I’ve got trauma” (Tag Rollo)

Posted by Commander Zef Rollo (Counselor) in “You want trauma? I’ve got trauma” (Tag Rollo)

Posted by Civilian Revna Freya McKenzie (Diplomatic Attache) in “You want trauma? I’ve got trauma” (Tag Rollo)
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

Revna wasn’t technically required to submit for a counseling eval, and for it wouldn’t be. But she’d promised she’d continue the sessions and she, being a trauma specialist, or had been, she knew it was important to continue with the sessions. She had a chip with her records from Kuno Virol on Centurion. Revna knew that healing like this took time, and she’d just thrust herself into a high stress job, and though she knew it was unrealistic to be ‘healed’ and didn’t expect it, she did expect that she would face it and deal with it. She took a very deep breath, revealing in the feel of the air moving through her lungs, a sensation she’d not take for granted ever again, and rang the chime on the door for the ship’s counselor.
Revna, Diplomatic Attaché

The Yeoman who manned the outer office activated the door to allow entry. He sat behind a desk on the left side of the room. “Hello, how may I help you?” Dave looked at the woman who entered and noted the lack of uniform. Civilian clothing wasn’t a dead giveaway that a person wasn’t an officer, but he didn’t recognize her and he had seen all the files.

—Yeoman Dave Brooks

Revna smiled and moved smoothly and quietly into the outer office. Anyone trained to notice such things would take note of a significant but subtle relaxing of body tension. She was comfortable in this space. She walked up to Brooks and his desk. “Yes, Yeoman,” recognizing the position, “I’m Revna McKenzie,” she held out her hand, “The new diplomatic attaché attached to Manhattan.” She produced the iso chip out of the pocket of her ankle length sleeveless duster. Attached to the tip right shoulder was the patch identifying her as part of the Federation Diplomatic Corp. As close to a uniform as she was going to get. “I needed to drop this file off for the counselor and make an appointment.”
McKenzie, Diplomatic Attaché

Dave took the chip, set it to the side on his desk, then activated the appointment screen on his monitor. “Cmdr Rollo is out of the office for most of today, but I do see there is an opening tomorrow at 1100 hours. Would you like to take that slot?” He looked up at the attractive woman, hands ready to type in her name if she agreed.

—Brooks

“Yes thank you. However, if it would be easier I can wait until after we disembark again. I know leave time is precocious and I have no desire to cut into anyone’s down time or time with loved ones.”
McKenzie, DA

Dave smiled. This woman was very accommodating. “That won’t be necessary. The Cmdr is still maintaining some office hours while we are docked. So, would you like the appointment?”

—Yeoman Dave Brooks

“In that case, yes I’ll take the appointment. Thank you, Yeoman....” he hadn’t said his name, and though his position/rank was enough to be polite, Revna preferred, if one was comfortable with it, to use someone’s name. To treat them as an individual and not just another uniform.

---

The next day, Revna arrived roughly 5 minutes early and pressed the chime for entry into the suite.
Revna

The door swished open to reveal Brooks once more seated behind his desk. “Ahhh, Ms McKenzie, perfect timing.” He rose from the chair and gestured for her to follow him. The inner office door opened when it sensed his presence. “Cmdr Rollo, your 11 o’clock is here—Ms McKenzie.”

Revna just shook her head rather than correct him. There was time for that later. “I do try to be punctual whenever possible.”

“Thank you, Dave.” Came the voice of a woman from the interior.

When Revna moved past him and entered Zef’s office she would be greeted with many shades of blue and white, comfortable furniture and a smiling woman who surprisingly, matched the office’s decor.

Revna walked in and took in the change from standard fleet offices and smiled approvingly. Not the color scheme she used in her own office, but she liked it. It was soothing and cool. Best of all it was different from how she set up her office, and that reminded her firmly she was there as a patient and not as the counselor.

“Hello, I’m Zef Rollo, please have a seat and tell me a little about yourself.” She had already loaded the data chip information into a file she’d labeled with Revna’s name and position.

—Rollo, CNS

Revna took a seat on a very comfortable deep chair and made herself quite at home in it. “Thank you counselor. Do you prefer Zef or Rollo? Or perhaps your rank?” Revna regarded the woman across from her quietly. “Hmmm Let’s see perhaps we start on a personal level and move through to a professional one. I recently got married, less than a week ago actually. And we just found out he’ll be staying on Even Horizon and I’m over the moon happy about it. In the last three months I resigned my commission from Star Fleet and have joined the Federation Diplomatic Corp. I’m excited and apprehensive about the change. Three months before that I underwent lung transplant surgery. And that brings us, in a very truncated way to why I’m here. A year and half ago I was injured in the line of duty, which is directly related to my surgery and I am still working through the psychological effects of all of the above.”
McKenzie, DA

“First of all, congratulations on the marriage. It’s unfortunate that your husband won’t be here on the Manhattan with you, but Event Horizon is the second best location. As far as how to address me, any of those will be fine since you are a civilian and wow—you’ve had quite a lot of changes to deal with in the last 18 months.”

Revna smiled, “Yes it has been.” She chuckled warmly, “And being able to do that, laugh, is amazing. Something I won’t take for granted, ever again.”

Zef looked briefly at McKenzie’s file and then back at the woman. “Have there been any problems with your transplant?”

—Rollo, CNS

Her face grew serious, “Into the second week I started showing signs of rejection. It never happened, thank the gods, but the doctors were concerned. I still have biweekly check-ups as I wean off the immunosuppressants, and probably for awhile after just to be sure. I saw Dr. Winter yesterday and she assured me I’m in good hands.”
McKenzie, DA

“So, your physical body has gotten the okay from our medical team, which is excellent. How is your mental self doing? Are you alright with the idea of the transplant?” Not everyone would be and this was her opportunity to find out. McKenzie was the first major organ transplant she was aware of meeting. Zef had known others who had mechanical parts and tissue grafts—but she had questions about this.

“Hmmm now that’s the question. I function fairly well day to day. I still suffer from night terrors, but not as frequently, and it’s....strange. But one thing at a time…Yes I am okay with that idea of the transplant. I put it off for a long time. I never should have, but I couldn’t be forced to undergo the procedure. I was doing better, at first, after the initial injury and surgery. Jameson, my doctor, he told me it wouldn’t last, but I saw improvement, and the idea of being…” a deep breath, “being cut open again was something I wasn’t willing to face at the time.” There was a long pause, “One of the problems with being one of the top people in your field, people believe you can treat yourself, and sometimes you believe it too. And even when that’s not the case, we all face such things differently. But yes I am happy with the transplant.” Revna leaned back further, folding her hands in her lap. “I spent the year following my injury living less than a half life. Imagine being forced to a walking pace that a new toddler can out run by miles, never sure if your feet will misstep from numbness due to lack of oxygen, dropping a warm cup of coffee because the heat doesn’t warm your finger tips. Unable to laugh because your lungs simply can’t give you enough air to do so, and to attempt leaves you locked in sickbay behind a force field of highly oxygen saturated atmosphere. Falling in love with someone and that first kiss that should take your breath away, and it does, but it’s deadly and not earth moving. Or coming moments from literally dying of a broken heart because your heart and lungs simply can’t cope with the body’s physical reaction to such intense grief. Yeah, Zef, I’m really happy with the transplant.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, was there a donor or were the lungs cloned for you?”

—Rollo, CNS

“Not at all, ask all you like. I’m happy to answer. And neither. They are both artificial.”
McKenzie, DA

Her descriptions sounded intense but also poetic to a degree. So these were things the woman had thought about a lot. But was she trying to impress the counselor with the drama of it all or was that the way the new member of the diplomatic corps normally thought?

Zef had thought the lungs were real and had to adjust her thinking when McKenzie said the word ‘artificial’. “So, what is it you are having trouble dealing with, since the doctors have given you a clean bill of health?”

—Rollo, CNS