<SNIP>

James offered his right hand in greeting as he responded, “One and the same. Pleased to meet you, Doctor Janvier. Would it be too forward to call you Doc?” A hint of levity in his voice.

The handshake was firm and easy, the sort born from experience rather than formality. Rowe fell into step beside Elaine as she turned toward the examination area, his eyes briefly tracking the activity around Sickbay before returning forward again.

“Before we get too far into things,” he said evenly, “previous intakes have taught me that my file brings certain questions.” His tone was matter-of-fact, no hint of any real concern. “Nothing too dramatic. Some chronic pain management… My old boss would simply call it a side effect of living too long.” Rowe cracked a genuine smile, “Then again, that old man treated cynicism like a professional obligation…”

As he moved, there was a faint hitch in his stride that appeared more connected to stiffness than weakness. Subtle enough that most people likely would have missed it without already knowing to look.

“It’s not a big deal,” Rowe added simply. “More of a quality-of-life annoyance than a functional impairment.”

• Rowe

Elaine hadn’t gotten to a CMO position so young without having a good eye, and although it was faint she noticed the hitch in his stride but chose not to comment. Instead, she remained quiet and simply listened to him as he talked. As chance would have had it, his file had been one of the more recent files she had read before the hustle and bustle of Sickbay had called her away from her reviewing and out to join her staff in treating patients and examinations. It meant it was still fresh in her brain, and she felt he was dismissing things a little bit too easily; ‘Catastrophic trauma’ wasn’t something she wanted to take lightly.

Not after what had happened to junior Lieutenant Bailey.

“Still pain is pain,” she said softly, then gestured to the bed in the examination area, “Sit, please.”

“What have been doing to manage that pain?” she asked, followed by the question, “And when was the last time you did?”

Lt. Janvier, CMO

Rowe complied without complaint, taking a seat on the biobed. He shifted his weight a time or two to find a more comfortable position before responding to her query.

“A lot of the management deals with routine. I get up at 0430 to stretch and roll out with a lacrosse ball. I’m in the gym or holodeck by 0530, pretty standard strength routine and a walk. I had a coach one time who said ‘movement is medicine’ so I try to do what I can. Breakfast and a shower by 0700. I don’t work first shift, so that usually leaves me some time to read or entertain myself in other ways. I grab a quick bite before my duty rotation and go to work. I try not to sit or stand too long while I’m in the lab. When my shift ends, I grab dinner and go back to my quarters where I have a low stress yoga routine.” He shrugs.

Elaine nodded, routine was good and his was certainly a lot more stringent than hers which involved a lot of coffee, late nights and falling asleep at her desk. Enj was really the only part that sure she had at least a little routine as she’d take him for his routine walks and mealtimes. She had frequently had an on/off relationship with the running schedule she always intended to stick to.

“As far as more direct treatments go, I have weekly EMDR Pain Protocol sessions. It’ll bump to twice weekly on tough weeks. Previous docs have prescribed anti-inflammatories and nerve blockers, but I honestly don’t take those unless it gets bad or I can’t sleep. A good Old Fashioned or two have also been self prescribed from time to time.” He says casually.

Rowe

Elaine quirked an eyebrow at the last sentence but said nothing. She added it to her notes, but she wasn’t going to worry about it if it wasn’t frequent. The scans she’d do next would verify all the information he had just told her. Instead, she simply asked, “Do you know your shift schedule yet? I can book a regular appointment for your sessions, if you do. If you don’t that is fine, I’ll get your schedule off Lieutenant Commander Madison and have a nurse send through some appointment slots for you to choose from.”

Lt. Janvier, CMO

“My current duty rotation has me on second shift. No need to get the boss involved.” He said casually as a wry grin crossed his face, leaving the implication open as to whether he was referring to the CSO or the nurse as the boss.

At the suggestion of regular appointments, it was his turn to quirk an eyebrow. “Regular sessions of what, Doc?” He asked, his tone suggesting genuine curiosity as opposed to any kind of concern.

• Rowe