Posted by Lieutenant Mykl Najjar (Psychiatrist/DRO) in Drake’s Psych Visit

Posted by Lieutenant Drake Marshall (Doctor, Surgery and Emergency Medicine) in Drake’s Psych Visit

Posted by Lieutenant Mykl Najjar (Psychiatrist/DRO) in Drake’s Psych Visit Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻 : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “We both seem to be at the very least frustrated. Possibly offended. So, how about we take this from the top?” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : -Dr Drake Marshall : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : He offered her an olive branch and she intended to accept it. She nodded and sighed, relaxing fully back into her chair. She hadn’t realized it, but she’d actually been leaning in Drake’s direction during her last comment. “I apologize, Lt. It’s been a very trying day and I let my personal concerns interfere with my work.” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Keeping her left arm immobile, Mykl lifted a luke warm coffee cup to her lips and took a swallow, wishing it was something much stronger. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : —Najjar, CNS : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : He noticed how careful she was to keep her left arm from moving. “If you need to take something for your arm, go ahead.” He said before remembering that he probably, technically, shouldn’t have known anything about her arm. “I should confess, when I was given access to the Ogawa crew medical files, I ran a quick search for chronic conditions and rare blood types. Things I need to know in case of emergency surgery. You came up. We don’t need to discuss it any further than that, the point is; if you need to take medication, go for it.” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : -Dr Drake Marshall : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Although there was always pain in her arm at this stage of the disease, Mykl was careful about when she took medication for it. She didn’t like to take it while on duty and hadn’t yet reached a point in the day when it was necessary. “It isn’t my arm. I received word this morning that my oldest brother is missing.” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : —Najjar, CNS, DRO : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Drake’s brain switched gears. He turned into the Emergency Response doctor who had told hundreds of people that their loved ones were still trapped or unlocated on a disaster site. “I wish I had more to offer than an ‘I’m sorry.’ I’m sure everything that can be done is being done to find him.” He looked as comforting as someone like him could. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : -Dr Drake Marshall : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Mykl looked down at her desk for a moment. “Yes, I’m sure it is. But its been difficult for me to concentrate on much today other than where he might be.” Her mother and farther were beside themselves with worry. Mykl hadn’t known before his disappearance, but there had been recent threats to the Najjar family. She’d only found out when they told her that Eshaq was nowhere to be found. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Now, aiming her dark gaze at Marshall, “Perhaps we should attempt this meeting tomorrow? I agree we got off on the wrong foot, but I don’t believe that starting over right now would guarantee a different outcome.” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : —Najjar, CNS, DRO : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : Drake nodded. “Sure. I’ve scheduled my first shift for tomorrow. 08:00 to 18:00. But the arrangement I have with Lt. Cmdr. Onuru should allow me to be out for a little while. Any time that’s convenient.” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : -Dr Drake Marshall : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “Thank you for understanding, Dr. I’ll contact you in the morning.” Hopefully, she’d be able to represent herself better then. Because even though she was the one doing the evaluation, Mykl had the feeling that Drake was conducting one on her at the same time. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : —Najjar, CNS, DRO : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : “Ok then.” He stood up. “Until tomorrow. When hopefully things will go a little more smoothly.” He walked to the door. “Lieutenant? Best of luck with your brother.” : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : -Dr Drake Marshall : : : : : : : : : : : : : : The next morning, Mykl left her quarters and headed for the small lounge on deck 6. =/\=Lt Najjar to Lt Marshall. I’m headed for coffee and a bite in the lounge. Why don’t we pick up our appointment there if you can spare the time?=/\= : : : : : : : : : : : : : : —Najjar, CNS, DRO : : : : : : : : : : : : =/\=On my way.=/\= Drake hadn’t been in sickbay long, but he was just reading over notes from his last simulated surgery, he wasn’t crucially busy. He put down his PaDD. He headed for the door, not exactly keen on this visit, given how the previous one had gone. : : : : : : : : : : : : A few minutes later, he entered the lounge. He went to a replicator. “Coffee. Black.” A mug of coffee appeared. He claimed it and turned to look for Lt. Najjar. : : : : : : : : : : : : -Dr Drake Marshall : : : : : : : : : : Mykl spotted him and waived him over. “Good morning, Dr Marshall. How are you this a.m.?” : : : : : : : : : : She looked much more relaxed at this hour than she would as the day progressed and the pain in her arm wore her down. Left arm in the sling, she managed her coffee and fruit with her right hand. : : : : : : : : : : —Najjar, CNS, DRO : : : : : : : : “I’m doing pretty well. Appendectomy came in last night. Went perfectly. Working always makes me feel better. And yourself?” He took a sip from his coffee, awaiting her answer. : : : : : : : : -Dr Drake Marshall : : : : : : “I am more rested. There still hasn’t been any word about my brother, but I am hopeful that he’ll turn up safe.” She popped a grape into her mouth and then gestured to the chair opposite her. “I wanted to apologize once again for yesterday. Between the news about Eshaq and the constant pain in my arm, I was past my limits and should have been in my quarters.” She sampled the creamy coffee in her cup. “I’m afraid it wouldn’t have mattered who I saw at that point. The meeting was destined to be a disaster.” Mykl smiled with some embarrassment. : : : : : : —Najjar, CNS, DRO : : : : “Not a problem.” Drake said. “Everyone has stressful days.” He tried to smile reassuringly. “Consider it forgotten” : : : : -Dr Drake Marshall : : Mykl smiled and nodded her head. “Thank you. From the part of our discussion yesterday that wasn’t aggressive, I was struck by your dedication to medicine. I have no doubt that you keep up on all the new technologies and medicines–would you say that’s accurate?” : : —Najjar, CNS, DRO OOC: Just keeping it alive.

“It’s part of my job. Even if what’s presented isn’t relevant to my practice, it might show up on a patient’s medical record. I need to know exactly what other doctors are up to. And I’m always on the lookout for something useful for my work.”

-Dr Drake Marshall

Since Mykl read up on psychiatric news, she completely understood and agreed it was part of the job. “So…I’ve always wanted to ask someone this question. What does it feel like to carry out such invasive procedures on a person? I mean, I can’t imagine what goes through your mind when you’re about to cut a body open, much less the mental discipline of staying calm while you put your hands inside of them.”

—Najjar, CNS, DRO

Drake paused for a moment, searching for the right words. “Surgery is like nothing else. It’s responsibility like no other I’ve ever seen. From a distant view, it seems grotesque, invasive, awful. But when you’re actually there, doing it, you see just how fragile the body is. Looking at it from the inside, even a Klingon is vulnerable. And it’s that sense that keeps the calm. It’s not a grotesque, invasive procedure. It’s seeing something fragile that’s been broken, and putting it back together. And while there’s a tremendous responsibility there, it’s also just a wonderful thing to be a part of.” He drank a little coffee. “You have to be confident. A nervous surgeon makes mistakes. Walk into this delicate work with the confidence of an athlete, certain they’re going to win the gold medal.”

-Dr Drake Marshall

Mykl nodded as she envisioned the situation he described. Perhaps his inflated ego had reason to be that way. There were tens of thousands of doctors in Star Fleet, but less than half of them were actual surgeons. “I can see now how confidence would be essential, when you talk about the actuality of surgery.” Marshall still might be a little too full of himself, but it wasn’t all unwarranted.

“Do you ever allow an observer in your surgical theater? I admit a curiosity I have never pursued until this moment.”

—Najjar, CNS, DRO

“As long as the OR stays sterile and you don’t disrupt the procedure, you can observe.” He paused, clearly contemplating what to say next. “I know you think I’m something of a madman, for the way I work. But your wanting to get in the OR makes me want to mention something. After the appendectomy last night, I was in a good mood, thinking about surgery, and your CIDP popped into my head. I had a thought. Well, several. We know from the creation of Cmdr Data from the Enterprise, that it is possible to create an artificial nervous system. While his brain and CNS are positronic, something more compatible for humans wouldn’t be all that difficult to construct. All you need is something that can transfer the same signals natural nerves can. And the thing is, these artificial nerves won’t have myelin sheaths. Nothing to react to the excess immunoglobulin. No more pain, no more pain pills, no more sling. Full utility of your arm. I can do it. Map the damaged area, create a graft, put it in place. I know you have your reservations about my work, but my record isn’t locked away. I come off like an arrogant ass. And I am. But I’ve earned it. Think it over.” He paused. “Anyway, you were checking to see if I’m crazy?”

-Dr Drake Marshall

Mykl sat across from Marshall, not sure what to say. The thought of being pain free for the rest of her life and having full use of her left arm was enough to leave her groping for words. “You really think you could do it?”

“I know I can. It’d be a long day with the scans and then a lengthy surgery. But I can do it.”

But what about the line of succession? She could not have artificial parts if she ever wanted to rule Egypt. Then again, she had three older brothers so the chances of her ever rising far enough to be tested were just on this side of none and slim. “This is the first real hope I’ve ever been offered, so thank you for that. And I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I’ll have to really give it some thought.” There was no reason for Marshall to know the rule about being 100% human in order to rule, but it was something Mykl would have to consider. She’d talk to Pic about it when she got back to their quarters that evening. He always had her best interests at heart.

“I understand. Any elective surgery always takes some thinking over.”

Just as she thought about him, her silent companion appeared. She waited to catch his eye and then waived him over. If they were going to talk about surgery later on, it would be good for him to have met the doctor who would perform it.

The handsome, bearded man appeared beside their table and she and Pic engaged in a short conversation with sign language. After a moment, she turned back to Drake. “Lt, this is Pic, he is my companion—more like a big brother, but its actually an official duty.” For some reason she was eager to explain that the two of them were not in a private relationship.

The exotic looking man held out a hand to to Drake.

—Najjar, CNS

Drake shook the silent man’s hand. “Nice to meet you Pic. I’m Doctor Drake Marshall.”

-Dr Drake Marshall

Pic shook hands with the surgeon and gave him a nod, then he looked at Mykl and began speaking with his fingers.

“There was a reason, but we can talk about it tonight, okay?” She replied. The exotic looking man nodded and gave the slightest of bows to the duo seated, before he went to the replicators for breakfast and found a seat alone a good distance from them.

Mykl looked back at Drake. “I don’t usually introduce him to people I’m evaluating, so he wanted to know if everything was alright. Because I’ll be talking the surgery over with him later on, I wanted him to meet you since the opportunity presented itself.”

“I hope you don’t mind?”

—Najjar, CNS, DRO

“Not at all. You described him earlier as something of an older brother. Makes sense you would want him to meet a potential surgeon. I don’t know what reservations, cultural or personal, you may have. But medically, this is the right thing to do.” He glanced at Pic then turned back to Mykl. “And if it helps Pic, same rules apply to him as apply to any observer. Scrub up, keep the room sterile, stay out of my way, and he can be in the room. I know it may seem like I’m pushing this on you, but that’s because I’m a doctor. It comes with the job. We have a pesky impulse to get people better. The decision is still yours to make, but you have my medical advice. And Lt. Najjar, I’ve done everything. From plastic surgery to trauma work. I know what I’m doing.”

-Dr Drake Marshall