Posted by Civilian Jessa Novar (Child) in The Art of Psycho-therapy…Sickbay after meeting with Rogan....When the past doesn’t match the present… or the future

Posted by Commander Heathcliff Rinker (Chief of Psychiatry) in The Art of Psycho-therapy…Sickbay after meeting with Rogan....When the past doesn’t match the present… or the future

Posted by Civilian Jessa Novar (Child) in The Art of Psycho-therapy…Sickbay after meeting with Rogan....When the past doesn’t match the present… or the future
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
“What happened,” Lauren said seeing the entourage enter sickbay. “Bed three,” she motioned with her hand to Ian carrying the Ensign from operations in his arms as she grabbed a PaDD. The image of Rinker in sickbay following them stopped her from reacting immediately. The psychiatry chief was not unknown in the medical units but sightings of him were rare. Unless it was one of his patients or a red alert tirage situation, he tended to stick to the counseling suites.

“Possible slip and fall.” Rinker offered half heatedly. He didn’t think it was that in the slightest.

“On a moving laser saw,” she looked at the injury wide-eyed. A compound fracture wasn’t necessarily an uncommon injury. It happened now and again but almost exclusively in the security or marine forces where things like broken bones from terrain or impacts were common. It did not tend to be in the operations division of food services. Looking at the clock and the prior message, it did not take Lauren long to jump to a conclusion.

“Is she from the brig? I got your call about cortical scanners. I was on my way to install them in the cells as requested.” Moving to the edge of the biobed area Lauren waited glancing back over her shoulder once at Jessa’s space with the two guards posted at her door. “Do you need me here or installing the scanners,” she asked Rinker. It was a rhetorical question. Rinker could easily treat the woman as well as any doctor in sickbay. The question was if he wanted to be a doctor or not.

“I’m fine, you take care of the install.” Rinker shook her off. “I’ll take care of it.” He was better suited dealing with Jessa if something went awry anyways. He waved a medical tricorder over the leg. He shook his head, it was a far worse fracture than any mis-step would have caused. An outside doctor might have missed it, what other explanation could it be. A person’s first guess wouldn’t be a malicious telepathy punched at a security officer’s foot.

Lauren tapped the device on her hand a few times contemplating what was happening. It had been a busy day in medical. While Ian and Rinker would not have been informed yet, the Marines had limped back after taking the shuttle. A few were lost, most had some form of injury that needed treatment, and one was in critical. If Rinker was calling for cortical scanners the man was working on a theory.

Putting down the PaDD, Jessa moved from her bedto the edge of her door. Ian had left about an hour ago to meet Rinker and talk to Rogan. Since then, she had had a hard time concentrating. Everything was riding on the meeting and how it went. Hearing the commotion meant he was back. Stepping out of the door, she watched Ian, Lauren, and Rinker talking around a biobed. They seemed to be tense but every adult was tense on this ship about one thing or another. Although this was a sickbay, since she had arrived, there were virtually no people in it except her, Kelly, the three doctors, and her goon squad. Jessa opened her mouth to call out for Ian but was interrupted by a scream.

“Ahhh,” the Ensign groaned hitting her head against the pillow a few times and squinting her eyes trying to deal with the pain. “God this hurts worse than any sprain I have ever had from rolling my ankle.” Everything happened so fast, the last thing she remembered before the blinding pain was the sensation of tripping. The floor had been completely clear so it was a logical, albeit the wrong assumption on the Ensign’s part. Looking up at Rinker, she clenched her teeth hard talking through them. “Commander I don’t know how I did this but I feel so stupid.”

Ian Bordeaux

“I’ll take care of the pain.” He placed a neuroblock at the calf so no pain messages would travel. But as an added bonus, he gave her a little hit of Hydromorphone, she wouldn’t feel any pain.

The grimace melted from tension to relaxed and smiling. “Wow you are were not kidding,” she sighed deeply completely relaxed.

“Yeah, I know how to treat my patients. Who’s your Doctor?” Rinker chuckled a little.

“You as soon as open enrollment starts or sooner if you are accepting new patients,” Megan replied. She knew him by name only. While Heathcliff Rinker was on some level just like any other counselor, his rank kept him busier than other officers with endless meetings and such.

“You know the more I think about it, maybe it was the invisible block.” She adjusted the sleeve on her shirt as she talked. “My mom used to call it that. You know when you seemed to trip on something and there was nothing there but you still fall flat on your butt or in my case ankle.”

“It wasn’t your fault. I think there was an outside factor. I’ll watch the video.” He was certain he would see the sudden shift of forces on the leg that certainly couldn’t be explained by a mis-step. “And don’t get too excited, I’ll get this fixed right up. I’ll give you a couple of days off cause I’m a nice doctor, but no lollygagging. You probably could do cartwheels on this tomorrow.”

She let out a laugh. “You are a nice doctor and mum is the word on the days,” she made a gesture as if locking her mouth and throwing the key away.

Rinker worked efficiently. It wasn’t a complex injury or difficult medicine. He did take care to be certain he didn’t miss anything and checked three times to be certain he did everything right. He couldn’t remember when he had to fix a broken ankle and some torn ligaments. Nasty injury 300 years ago, now it was a half an hour under a bone re-generator a few minutes of a tissue knitter and a day of rest.

Rinker

Something was going on and Jessa had a funny feeling in her tummy that it was not good. Jessa had thought hearing both their voices meant both men were coming to talk to her. Instead, they seemed to be focusing on something else. Ian hadn’t popped his head in to her room yet devoting all his attention to Lauren, Rinker, and the person on the bed. As much as she was on edge around Ian, he was becoming a stable person in her day to day. Rinker had said he was a doctor but she had never seen him in sickbay even after she had gotten hurt. Chewing on her nail she let her stare drift from Rinker and followed Ian and Lauren who were across the room talking. As nice as O’Neill, the doctors, and Ian were to her, they also were very clear that she was not to roam the room and to remain in the space designated for her. With O’Neill talking to someone on his comm in the corner, Reese getting coffee, and everyone’s attention elsewhere Jessa had a small opportunity to move about unnoticed. Moving slowly, she came up behind Ian and Lauren who had moved a few steps away from Rinker and the patient so the man could work but still within conversation range.

“Hey be careful when you go down there. We are pretty sure he hurt her. Rogan is a sociopath. I would suggest anesthetizing them if you need to get into the cell. I think O’Neill is setting that up,” Ian spoke in a low tone rubbing his jaw feeling a thin layer of stubble under his fingers. The past few days were starting to take a toll on him. He hadn’t slept in his bed in almost half a week opting to sleep in chairs alternating the hours between Kelly and Jessa. Every move Kelly made, caused Ian to fly awake eager to make sure she was still fine. Sitting with Jessa caused him to nod off since the kid did her best to avoid him causing them to often sit in silence. Making a mental note to shave during his next five minute shower, he let out a deep exhausted breath through his nose. Woman sighed. Men tended to just deeply exhale.

“Yeah,” Rinker agreed. “That’s what I saw… or more honestly what I didn’t see.”

Hearing Ian’s words felt like a gut punch to Jessa. The meeting definitely had not gone the way she prayed it had. Both Ian and Rinker had expressed concerns about her seeing the Elders. If something had happened to back up those fears, she would never get a chance to see them. Fear and frustration began to bubble over in her body. Triffing hell Rogan. What did you do, she thought angrily to herself. She had just been winning over their trust and now Jessa was going to have to force them to let her see the Elders. Since asking hadn’t worked, there was only one other way Jessa knew how to make it happen. “So that is how you are objective,” Jessa snapped from behind him. “You said you were going to talk to him. Really talk and listen but as usual you are just close-minded and forcing your preconceptions on us!”

“We did talk to him,” Rinker didn’t turn, he was working, plus he wanted her to see that he trusted her to the point where he would leave himself fully exposed to her.

“More like you provoked him into giving you the exact response you wanted,” Jessa spoke with a hint of a whine to her voice. Her posture and wild hand gestures showed she was throwing the equivalent of a tantrum yet without the aggression displayed earlier in the week. The stomping of her foot replaced the punches she had been throwing to provoke the crew. The whine had replaced the yelling as she spoke. “I told you that you needed me but you all were too stupid,” she continued to rant looking between Ian and Rinker making sure to chastise them both equally. Right now she wasn’t sure who she was angrier with Rogan or Ian and Rinker.

Hearing Jessa’s voice made Ian move from his spot talking to Lauren. He closed the gap between him and Jessa in two long, purposeful strides. Anger, frustration, and exhaustion were taking its toll on him like everyone else. “This,” he leveled a finger at Jessa, “is not your business.” Flicking his finger to the right, he pointed back at her area in sickbay. “Go. Don’t make me ask twice.”

“Ian,” Rinker said quietly. Trying not to contradict him obviously.

If he had not been so furious with Jessa right now, Ian might have backed off but his temper was red-lining. No matter what the crew did, these Elders continued to hurt them and Jessa staunchly refused to see it. Ignoring his friend completely, Ian turned his full ire on the small girl continuing to try and play a game of chess with real people. It was going to end now. His spine was ramrod straight and his steps purposeful which made him an imposing presence as he stepped forward.

Jessa took a step back as Ian approached her. She was not exactly scared of Ian but his posture and tone indicated the man was not in a good mood. Finding her balance, Jessa straightened her shoulders and pressed the point. “Not my business,” she snapped. “How is being held hostage here not my business. What did you do to him?” She had to push Ian to the point of no return like she had with the large green alien. Everyone had a breaking point. When Ian reached his, he would drag her back to the brig like Mardusk did. As much as she didn’t want to sit in that cell again, it was her duty to be with the Elders.

“Jessa,” Ian’s voice barked out with the full authority years of being in command had taught the. “I told you not to make me ask twice. If you don’t get your ass back in that room you are not going to like me in the next sixty seconds so move or you will not sit down when you get there.” Somewhere deep inside, Ian knew this was not the right approach but Jessa was not a junior officer and did not have to comply with his request. She was his kid and he had had enough talking and cajoling for one day.

“Ian.” Rinker said a little louder.

Absently she looked over at Rinker before looking back at Ian. The sharp tone to his voice and the unwavering, penetrating stare Ian was giving her made every instinct in Jessa want to comply with his order. While she profusely denied that she was just a child, Jessa was intelligent enough to understand Ian was the adult. This was also not the first time she had been in trouble with an adult. She did not think Ian would hit her but she had to keep pushing. That was the only way he was going to snap and take her down to the brig. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her chin a bit higher. “Make me,” she said tensing her body.

“Not now Heathcliff,” Ian barked back instantly regretting it. Somewhere deep in his subconscious, he knew Rinker was seeing things clearer than himself. Ian knew the sharp semi-command, from Rinker was to get him to think about what he was about to do. Without it, Ian probably would have set back the minuscule trust Rinker had been surreptitiously creating. As much as Ian didn’t want to admit it, maybe he would see if Rinker wanted to get a drink later. If they talked over burgers and beer, it wouldn’t feel so much like he was seeking help but more hanging out with a fellow officer.

Grabbing her arm, Ian clamped down on her bicep and began to walk Jessa back to her room. “I told you to not make me ask twice.”

Jessa felt her feet leave the ground and her stomach twist into a knot as Ian jerked her off her feet and back towards the small area they had designated for her. It took only a second for her to realize they were going in the wrong direction. Instinct took over as she tried to plant her feet forcing Ian to half drag her. “We are Elders. We would not hurt any…one,” she yelled as Ian whipped her around to look at the woman with the broken ankle.

“Then how do you explain this,” Ian replied in a firm tone.

Ian Bordeaux and Jessa Novar

As Jessa’s eyes fell on the patient on the bed, she tried to take a step back. Instead, she was stopped in place by Ian’s body preventing her from retreating. The woman’s leg looked horrific. Blood had turned the area around Megan’s leg a dark ruby red staining the white bedding and gluing part of the woman’s pants to her leg. Thick globs of coagulated blood dotted the torn skin around the injury. In the center of it a portion of the fibula was poking out. While most children Jessa’s age would have covered their eyes or broken out in tears, Jessa wore an expression of just shock. It was not the visuals of the injury she was trying to escape from but the reality of it. Jessa had seen things far worse than this, especially recently. The re-education of Mischwald and the obliteration of Halston showed her things that still were haunting her dreams six weeks later. What Jessa was trying to escape from was accepting the truth about what had happened down in the brig.

“I don’t know,” Jessa yelled feeling guilt beginning to replace the anger.

“You have no idea,” Ian’s voice still held the razor edge of authority, yet decreased marginally in its volume as he asked his question. “Take a guess.” Ian was completely out of his league here in trying to get Jessa to admit the truth. This was as far from making a kid admit to a store clerk they stole a candy bar as one could get but in principal it was similar.

“I…I I I don’t know,” Jessa stuttered starting to fidget uncomfortably next to the bed. “She musta…fell…and broke her ankle.” The words coming from Jessa’s mouth made her feel ill. Her voice sounded weak and feeble as it echoed back to her ears. It wasn’t fair that this had happened to the woman however Jessa did not take her eyes off the injury. Looking at either Ian or Rinker might break her. So far she had withheld stuff out of necessity yet now, Jessa was outright lying. She took a deep breath mentally convincing herself that since they were not in Rinker’s office a little lie would be okay. It would not change what happened. It was clear Rinker was fixing the injury. Soon the woman would be back to normal and Jessa could just apologize and make amends. After that everyone would just move on and forget it had occurred.

Rinker looked at her speaking with a much calmer and gentler tone than what Ian was capable of at this moment. “With your permission, Megan.” She might not even fully understand what he was asking permission for, but he was about to discuss her medical condition to a third party who didn’t have a need to know.

“Sure,” Megan replied with a slight smile. “I trust you. Do whatever you need to.” Laying back she felt so relaxed.

“This is a compound fracture. It is a break where the bone is forced through the skin causing severe damage, bleeding, pain and frequently shock and infection often leading to death if there is not significant competent medical treatment. Young Officer Megan received this when giving Elder Rogan a steak that he requested and that he probably didn’t deserve.”

Jessa watched as Rinker spoke slowly making the bone slide back in place and the wound close as he waved one of his devices over it. She avoided looking at him by pulling down the sleeves of her shirt over her hands and fidgeting with them. Jessa missed the longer sleeves of her ceremonial robes. They hid her nervous habit of cracking her knuckles when she was in an uncomfortable situation. Subconsciously it was a way for her to mentally separate from the guilt she felt. Almost as if covering her hands were a way to keep them clean.

Ian nudged her back gently with his palm. I am so sorry kiddo. I don’t know how to fix this but Rinker does. Give us just an inch. Please, he thought before saying softly. “Jessa, Mr. Rinker is talking to you.” The calmness of his voice made her look up.

He paused in her treatment and looked Jessa in the eye. “I don’t have to know anything about the situation to tell you there is almost no chance that a normal step could break a leg of a women as healthy as her. There is absolutely no chance that an accidental mis-step would lead to a break with so much force to cause a compound fracture… So you tell me how a person gets a compound fracture handing Elder Rogan a steak?”

Rinker

Jessa shrugged and averted her eyes. The reply of ‘I don’t know’ felt like a hollow and empty response even to her. Why did Rogan have to do this? It was only going to make it harder to convince them to do what she wanted and needed for the mission. Pellan always said there was a solution to every problem. One just needed to find it. She opened her mouth a few times giving Rinker fleeting glances before she decided each time not to say what was on her mind. Turning to look over her shoulder, Jessa cast Ian a pleading look to step in and help her. It did not take her long to realize Ian was not going to help her.

Long seconds passed before suddenly, Jessa’s mood altered abruptly. It was as if a weight had been lifted allowing the tension and guilt to be replaced with a new emotion. “I can heal her faster for you,” she said rapidly shoving her hands out from beneath her sleeves. “Maybe you left before Rogan was trying to show you something.” There was a hopeful but hesitant quality to her voice. “I need something sharp? If you do I can fix her up. Good as new.”

Jessa Novar

Rinker raised an eyebrow. “I think at this moment he showed us exactly what the wanted to.” Rinker adjusted the leg and the bone disappeared under the skin. “He wanted to show us that he’s dangerous. That he is a predator and we are prey. You know him, you know me - and you know that I am right. He also showed he’s sadisdic, rageful, and manipulative. ”

“What he didn’t know, was how we were going to respond. He is used to being in control surrounded by those who fear him. We are not intimidated or afraid of him. We are a kind and generous people and kindness begets kindness, but we have learned through many lifetimes that there are people that mistake that kindness for weakness and will seek to take advantage.” He looked at her, “We’ve been here for half a millennia. Over five hundred years, a dozen generations, the wolves have not eaten this lamb in all that time…” Rinker left it unspoken that Rogan and the Galactic Union would not be the first.

He smiled at Jessa. “I’m sorry, she’s a patient under my care. In the Federation you need to have years of training, a license and frequent renewals of that license to practice medicine.” He reached over to his tool tray. Lifted a laser scalpel and bent over towards her.

“If you need to show your healing skill, practice on me. And if all goes smoothly perhaps I can let you work on her.” He stood before her and handed her the very sharp… incredibly dangerous cutting device. “Be careful. Its much sharper than you think.”

Rinker