Posted by Lieutenant Elaine Janvier (Chief Medical Officer) in Counselors Office: Doctor meets Doctor

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Renveer (Counselor) in Counselors Office: Doctor meets Doctor

Posted by Lieutenant Elaine Janvier (Chief Medical Officer) in Counselors Office: Doctor meets Doctor
Elaine tucked a stray piece of hair away behind her ear as she stepped out of Sickbay Enj trotting at her heels. She was looking forward to going back to her own quarters and enjoying a nice long bath, or maybe to curl up on the sofa with Enj and a PADD and read the latest medical reports. Even though she was tired after her shift, there was a small bounce in her step in anticipation of a nice relaxing afternoon. That bounce stopped, however, as her PADD beeped. Initially worried that she had been called back to Sickbay for an emergency she had already changed direction by the time she had opened and read the notification.

=A= Reminder: Counselors appointment 15 min =A=

The doctor halted in her tracks completely, Enj nearly going face first into her heels she stopped so suddenly. She didn’t notice however, she had completely forgotten that she had organised a Counselors appointment after much procrastination. Now that reports were finally out of the way she knew she didn’t have an excuse anymore and had made herself book one. But it had been so long since she had last seen a Counselor she had forgotten all about the appointment. She sighed and rubbed her temple. 15 minutes didn’t give her an awful lot of time to get ready. She certainly wasn’t going to have enough time for the bath she was longing for, but if she moved fast enough she might be able to squeeze in a quick sonic shower, just to freshen up. Making up her mind she turned back around and with a much more brisk, almost running, pace she beelined for her quarters.

17 minutes later, washed, fresher and only slightly late, Doctor and Dog rang the chime outside the Counselors quarters. Janvier holding Enj in her arms as he kept attempting to wriggle after passing crew members.

Lt. Janvier, CMO

“It’s open!” came a slighty-raised, friendly voice from inside. As the door to the counselor’s office slid open, Renveer looked up from the PaDD in his lap and his face immediately broke into a smile. He rose from his high-backed chair with a light chuckle, walking up to Elaine and Enj with a hand outstretched to offer it to the dog for inspection. “So this is the famous Enj I’ve heard so much about!” He leaned down slightly to address the Shih Tzu. “You’re quite the local celebrity and your cuteness has not been exaggerated,” the trill said with a twinkle in his eye.

Standing back up, Renveer offered a playful smile to the Chief Medical Officer. “And of course I’ve heard only great things about you as well, Lieutenant Janvier. Welcome, please make yourself at home and feel free to let Enj explore if he’d like.” He motioned to the loveseat-style couch across from his chair as he retook his seat. The office was quaint and decorated in such a way to make it rather homey, with a rug of muted coloration on the floor, a wooden half-bookshelf with a potted white orchid perched atop it, and a couple pieces of abstract artwork mounted on the walls.

“Thank you Counselor,” Janvier smiled, grateful that the Renveer was happy to let Enj wander through the office. It wasn’t that Enj was badly behaved, if she called him to sit at her feet than he would do it. Enj would do it if she asked it, but he wouldn’t be happy. He was far happier wandering around the office and exploring all the scents he could find there, returning to her side at his own pace. The way his tail and bum wagged in time with his walk as he explored was a testament to that. Elaine watched the small dog move for a moment, her smile becoming softer, more fond, as she did so. When she was satisfied he was happy she straightened up and took a seat on the couch across from the Counselor.

“The way that the crew seems to have taken to Enj has had me seriously considering adopting a therapy dog of my own,” Renveer said half-jokingly. “I’m sure he’s been a great emotional support for you as well during your first couple years in Starfleet. You got him around the time of your graduation from the Academy right?”

(Lt. Comm. Renveer, Counselor)

“I would highly recommend it, Enj has been nothing short of a blessing.” Elaine responded instantly, her eyes tracking Enj, who was busy sniffing at the bottom of the Counselors bookshelf. For a moment she seemed almost lost in the movement of the black and white creature. Then her head jolted back around to face the Counselor. “Yes that’s right,” the doctor seemed somewhat surprised. Most people assumed that she had got Enj after graduation and not before. She’d forgotten that because her professors had taken to the young puppy, Enj had been allowed to graduate honourarily along with her and that it would be on her file. “He was a gift from my cousin May,”

“It wasn’t normal, but the Acadamy allowed me to bring him into my classes with me, it helped that he was so small and everyone was close to graduating. May only gave him to me a couple of weeks before graduation, but he quickly won over most of my classmates and professors. They even let him graduate with me as an honorary student and presented him with a special uniform and collar.” She glanced at Enj, a small proud smile on her face. “Even as a pup he had a natural talent for winning people over. He always seems to know what someone needs and he gives it to them. He’s never had any formal training, but he knows how to make himself indispensible.”

“My first posting was on a medical triage ship. It’s one of the toughest postings a Star-Fleet medical officer could undertake and I was a recent Acadamy graduate. I requested the posting, I thought I had been prepared,” she laughed at her folly humoursly, “well as prepared as I could be for death, destruction and war. Most of the work I did there was dealing with refugees and trauma victims. I don’t regret the posting but it was sobering work. Enj was my strength on the ship, and when my CMO realised how beneficial Enj was to me, he asked if I could take Enj around all the patients who weren’t getting better. We decided to trial it on the children first and within days even the ones who previously hadn’t been willing or able to move, were getting out of bed and playing with Enj.”

As they were talking, Enj eventually exhausted all the scent trails in the room, and trotted back where Renveer and Janvier were sitting. He flopped down in between the two of them his head pointing towards the Counselors feet. Elaine reached down and gave him a quick pat, before straightening up again. “I’ve never been more proud of him than I have been this last year, however. I’m sure you’ve already heard about it all. It’s been… rough.” a brief look of pain crossed her face. Like the rest of the ship the medical department hadn’t been left unscathed. Janvier herself had lost a couple of young officers under her command. “Before you arrived, Enj was the closest thing we had to a counselor. He hasn’t just been a source of comfort for me, but for half the ship. I can’t go into Sickbay without someone asking after him” she chuckled.”I don’t know how May managed it, but she picked the perfect dog for emotional support.”

She had never really vocalised Enj’s role like she had just done, but as Elaine looked at the Shih Tzu lying in front of her she knew that it was true. Enj had had a lot thrown at him in his short lifetime. The two of them had been through a lot together, Elaine realised. May had given Enj to Elaine in one of the most terbulant times of her life and it hadn’t ever ceased to stop being a whirlwind after that. Enj had been there beside her through all of it. Elaine didn’t even want to think about where she would be without him.

Lt. Janvier CMO & Enj

Renveer nodded and smiled along as Elaine spoke of her relationship with Enj, though his eyes saddened at her mention of the events of the last year and Enj’s role as impromptu ship’s counselor. “He’s done quite a service for this ship and its crew. I’d be surprised if another honorary commendation wasn’t coming his way,” Renveer lightly joked.

“I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m discounting his skill,” Renveer said still with a hint of good humor, “but just as I can’t provide the unabashed affection that Enj can, he might not be able to help you process the events of the last year in the way that I can. How have you been managing? Events like that effect everyone differently, and if there’s anything you need or any support I can give, I’d be happy to.”

(Lt. Comm. Renveer, Counselor)