Posted by Lieutenant Lauren Shan (Doctor) in CMO Office - Sign my leave and don’t ask questions

Posted by Commander Heathcliff Rinker (Chief Medical Officer/ Psychiatrist) in CMO Office - Sign my leave and don’t ask questions

Posted by Lieutenant Lauren Shan (Doctor) in CMO Office - Sign my leave and don’t ask questions
Looking at her watch, Lauren continued her one woman mission to get approval for her leave. It probably would have been easier to hit up Rinker first however it was 0400 hours when she started this. After meeting with the XO and the unnecessarily long comm call with Lt. Allison Scott on the Saracen, Lauren had one loose end to tie up. She needed an alibi of sorts if things went south so it was always better to set it up before than after. As she walked to her impromptu meeting with Rinker, Lauren let her mind wander about this Commander Balfor Kolar. Bringing up his medical records, she looked at the image on the file. Kolar looked like an easy going enough guy from his picture. Lauren could not figure out why Ally was so hesitant about asking for leave from him. Scanning further down in the file, Lauren made a mental note about the facts in the man’s file. The Saracen was not Kolar’s first rodeo as an XO. He was previously on the Olinski. A ship full of hot shot fighter pilots was always a positive for her. Maybe one day his connections to that ship might benefit her. Tucking these facts away, Lauren stepped out of the turbo and continued on her path. Closing the PaDD, Lauren mused about how if Lieutenant Scott wasn’t so good at her job and fit the role in the operation so perfectly, Lauren would have replaced her by now; however, Ally was two days closer than Lauren to the target was so time was of the essence.

She had a fifty-fifty shot of locating Rinker in either his quarters or the mess hall so she picked the closest one. Entering the mess hall, she scored. Off in the corner her boss was sitting and eating alone. This was another boon for her. Moving with the pace of someone on a mission, Lauren approached Rinker. Sitting down across from him, Lauren did not waste time or words.

“Morning Heathcliff I need a favor. I need you to sign off on my leave,” she handed the PaDD across the table. Unlike most women, Lauren found the less words you used at times got you exactly what you needed. Her request was out of the blue but that was not an uncommon pattern. One thing that was common was her inability to take a no in a situation like this.

Lauren Shan

“Morning Lauren,” Rinker met his colleague with the same tone. Lauren was a slight enigma. She was a damn good doctor and was not afraid to challenge Rinker in debates about the care of those that came into sickbay. She also knew when her assessment was wrong and to defer to his judgement. They made an excellent triage team during rounds. Her bedside manner was on point giving tough love or maternal attention in the right dose and to the right person. This ability to switch between rub some dirt in it to the patient in bed one and holding the patients hand for hours in bed two was what every doctor strived for. Putting that in practice was much harder. People were people with the ability to not always stay in character when it ventured outside their own personality norms. When someone was able to do this so easily the psychological condition of people pleasing might be applied.

Lauren was in no way a people pleasure. She did not care about Rinker’s feelings or others when her opinion differed from theirs and yet his background as a therapist caused a nagging voice in the back of his head that there might be something more to Dr. Lauren Shan than it seemed.

Taking the Padd, Rinker glanced at it as he drank his coffee and picked at his breakfast with the other hand. “What am I looking at here?” It was clear it was a request for leave but oddly enough the section that needed his signature enlarged enough to get his attention but not so large it was obvious that she was looking for him to sign the document. The majority of the document was filled out: Her name, the dates, but no location. This also was not the first time she presented a PaDD for a signature and blindly expected him to sign it for leave. Rinker stayed out of people’s business but Lauren seemed to either need leave or go for months upon months of not using hers. In fact most of the time when the Atlantis was dry docked or circled a place for the crew to have leave, she opted out. This was why he and probably the other CMO’s before him just blindly signed it. That did not mean Rinker blindly signed anything.

Rinker

“A request for leave,” she said in a neutral tone. Her morning tete e tete with the XO had her in a less than talkative state. Jen had asked questions which only complicated the matter. Normally one did not head to the 2IC for such matters but with the location in question, it saved a step. Even if Rinker approved it, the request would float up to the XO as all things did in the chain of command. If Rinker didn’t approve it, Lauren could go over Rinker’s head. This could change the working dynamic in Sickbay and that was something Lauren didn’t want. Rinker was a fair and easy going superior. He didn’t micro-manage which meant she was free to follow her own pursuits. Glancing down at her wrist, Lauren’s mouth dipped into a small frown noting the time. She had planned this morning down to the minute only time was not on her side. Rinker was a punctual fella and his knack for showing up ten minutes early could be problematic if operations arrived the same time he did in sickbay.

Lauren Shan

Rinker slowed down his chewing and took a slow sip of his coffee. All his years as a therapist let him look at his colleague in a different light. She was clearly agitated and tense even though she was attempting to play it casual. “Obviously,” he countered, setting his cup down. The china clinked softly in the dead silence between them. “Feeling okay? You look exhausted.” The comment was a fact neither of them could deny. Lauren had covered two doubles for the past three days. While most professions did not allow one to sleep on the job, doctors were different. Injuries and illnesses did not respect duty hours. It was not uncommon for doctors to catch a nap on a shift when things were slow or as they monitored patients. The comment also was a backdoor way for Rinker to get a better read on what was going on with her. He and Shan were not long time buddies, but he knew her well enough that her demeanor seemed out of sorts.

Rinker