Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in Three Days. You Don’t Call, You Don’t Write (Tag XO)

Posted by Lieutenant Kreed (Chief Medical Officer) in Three Days. You Don’t Call, You Don’t Write (Tag XO)

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in Three Days. You Don’t Call, You Don’t Write (Tag XO)
Posted by… suppressed (29) by the Post Ghost! 👻
It had been three days since Kreed had arrived on board the Sentinel. In that time, he had met with the Captain, the Senior Staff, and most of the crew. He had been doing or reviewing physicals almost non-stop; and the medical department was actually starting to look like it was supposed to. But there was one very outstanding task remaining…

The XO needed his physical.

Kreed had sent multiple requests. Asked in person after a meeting. Even sent a nurse to find him and remind him.

Nothing.

So, having no other choice, Kreed went into his office and took a seat. Activating the computer terminal, he pulled up the file of Commander Alden and marked him ‘Medically Unfit’. The computer requested verification… twice. Both times, he approved the change. The computer beeped and Kreed went back to work.

Somewhere deep within the relays and power conduit and chip stacks and processors, a file was modified. That modification caused a change in an associated file, which in turn changed another and then another… cascading through the computer system of the ship until it reached it’s crescendo…

And locked the XO out of all systems until cleared for duty by the Chief Medical Officer.

Kreed, CMO

About ten minutes later, the commander attempted to log in to finish his afternoon reports. The system denied his credentials. He frowned and tried again. Denied again. Why? The message did not give a reason. He called Rand over. “Rand? My log in isn’t working.”

~ Alden, XO/CSO

Rand had a feeling she knew what it was. They had discussed this, but Roman was stubborn. She had scheduled her appointment for the very last one available, and that was tomorrow.

She walked over and looked. She sat down and inserted her control key into the system and typed away at the console for several minutes. Finally the screen flashed on his personnel file. At the top in large red letters: “Medically Unfit for Duty.” She cringed internally and didn’t look at him. He was going to be furious.

Rand

Roman’s face became very, very calm. A sure sign he was indeed furious. “Rand. Do I look medically unfit to you?” He asked. He wasn’t angry with her, which she would know, but someone else. “Does our new Lieutenant know how much work I have to get done?” He said, voice carefully controlled. He knew what he had to do, he just really, really didn’t want to.

~ Roman

People in the lab were going to look. They knew that utter calm. Being busy was no excuse. He had orders to get it done. She did not agree with him, but she couldn’t disagree with the XO in front of the entire lab. Why did he have to ask her that here? “Yes, Sir. I am sure Lt. Kreed is aware of how busy you are.” She wanted to ask him if he knew how busy Kreed was and the deadline Asam had given him? “Would you like me to find out when the next open appointment is?”

Rand

Roman paused and considered it. He couldn’t not do it with his credentials pulled. But he really didn’t want to do it. Finally he said, “…Fine.”

~ Roman

Rand removed her key, grabbed her PaDD, and hurried out of the lab and down the corridor to sickbay. When she entered she looked around for the scheduling nurse and walked over. “Cmdr Alden would like Dr Kreed’s first available appt.” Rand knew how stubborn Alden was about medical, and the number of times he missed and rescheduled was notes by the observant.

Yeoman Rand

“One moment.” the nurse said, obviously expecting the request. She went to the back of Sickbay and spoke to a reptilian looking figure standing next to a biobed. The figure nodded once and the nurse came back. “Dr. Kreed will be with you in a moment.”

A few minutes later, Kreed came over and looked at Rand. “Pleas inform the Executive Officer that I will be more than willing to assist him in getting his physical done. All he needs to do is come down and take a seat. I will fit him in when I can. If he would prefer to wait for an appointment, despite the numerous reminders and requests he has been sent, I have an opening in three days. We can see him then.”

Kreed. CMO

He was irritated, Rand could tell that much. At least he wasn’t yelling at her. Though she still felt like a very naughty child in the headmaster’s office. She was just the messenger, a very unwilling one at this point. “Thank you, Lt. I will inform him.” She didn’t make excuses for the XO. She hated them. She could explain why Alden avoided it, but that wasn’t really her place and she had been told in confidence. She turned on her heel and left.

She found Roman and with a lot of dread, hands tucked behind her back and staring somewhere past his shoulder, “Lt Kreed said he has an open appointment in three days, or if you come and wait he will fit you in as soon as he can.” Training, years of training stopped her from flinching as she provided the options given to her to relay.

Rand

“I can’t wait three days!” Roman’s voice did that high pitched thing it did sometimes. “And I am not waiting there, that’s a waste of my time.” He glanced at Rand and sighed. “It’s okay, Rand.” He patted her shoulder gently. “You don’t have to run back and forth, you have other things to do.” But what would he do?

~ Roman

Rand would offer to sit and wait for him, but she just had this feeling that the new CMO wouldn’t make time until he saw Alden sitting there himself. She glanced around, and no one was within ear shot. They had scattered when they saw the mood Roman was in. “You only have time to waste, Cmdr. You are locked out of everything. The only way to correct this and stop wasting time is to go wait. They are busy too.” Then she pulled the only card she had left. She peeked up at him, wondering if she would be spending the night with her brother for this. “You’re making excuses,” and he LOATHED them.

Rand

“I am not,” Roman argued, keeping his voice down but shaking his head. He looked cornered and trapped to her, but he was hiding it with a layer of offended frustration and his usual difficultness. “I’m not. I just need more time. Without being locked out of everything.”

~ Roman

She sighed, “I understand, you know. And you’ll get all the time you need, but you won’t get your access back. Not until you have been declared medically fit. Have you read his file? When it comes to stubbornness and adherence to protocol he is more than match for both of us.” She sighed, he didn’t know it but she already had Franks working on the reports. Franks was discrete and wouldn’t say anything. “I can work from my PaDD and sit and wait for you.”

Rand

Roman nodded slowly, already feeling nervous. “Alright.” It was short, a sure sign to her he was nervous. To anyone else he’d just seem annoyed and short.

~ Roman

Rand didn’t wait for him to change his mind. She tucked her hand into his elbow and walked out of the lab with him and straight down to sickbay. She had him sit and went and told the nurse. “Lt. Kreed said Cmdr Alden could come and wait and he would fit him in when he could. We’re in the waiting area. Thank you.”

She rejoined him and sat down next to him. He couldn’t work on the reports, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t muse and think out loud and get a more experienced officer’s opinion about things. And it kept Alden’s mind off of where he was.

Rand

He worked with her while he waited. The more questions she asked him, the more he was focused on reports and not his surroundings. But that wouldn’t last long.

~ Roman

Two and a half hours later…

The reptilian CMO walked to the front of sickbay and looked directly at the. XO. “Commander. This way, please.”

He led the Commander further into sickbay and pointed at one of the few empty beds. “Please. Lay back and relax. I need to get baseline vitals and then we can begin.” He offered no apology, no explanation… nothing.

Kreed, CMO

Roman stood, stiffly if politely, shot Rand one last look, and followed him back. He sat on the edge of the biobed and stayed there. Two and a half hours was a ridiculous wait time. Was the new CMO getting Sickbay in order, or making it worse? Of course, it was Roman’s fear talking, coming out as aggravation and frustration, but his disdain was clear on his face.

~ Roman

As the biobed did it’s initial read, the Saurian scowled. “Your blood pressure is very high. As is your pulse and respirations.” He peered intently at the Commander for a few long moments and then said “Hmm. Please follow me, Commander.” and he turned and began walking away… towards his office. The door slid open and he gestured inside.

“I’m fine,” He insisted stubbornly. “I just want to-” and he was gone, turned and walked away towards the CMO office.

As the door slid closed, leaving the two of them in the cluttered and utterly disorganized space, the CMO said “Sit, Commander. And tell me how you are feeling right now.” and he took a seat behind the desk.

Kreed, CMO

Roman followed him, hiding an intense discomfort with a scowl and angrily crossed arms. “I’m fine. I just need my access returned to me.” He said, glancing at the messy and cluttered space as if thoroughly unimpressed. The commander liked things neat. This was not that.

~ Roman

Kreed didn’t move, but stared intently at the Commander. “The office is not my doing, sir. It was left in a state of chaos… much like the Medical department itself. Now then, you are not fine. Your vitals are indicative of someone under a great deal of stress. What is the issue?”

Kreed, CMO

His lack of knowledge of that was a sign of his reluctance to be here… only when he had to be. Which was not recently. He huffed at the doctor’s insistence he “wasn’t fine” and shook his head. “I’m the first officer and chief science officer. There’s stress involved. I’m fine.”

~ Roman

“No. You are not.” Kreed said flatly. “Or, if this is your typical state of health, then you simply cannot continue. The toll it would take on you physically would be… significant.” Vertical eyelids blinked, then horizontal ones. “You may either talk to me, or to the CMO of the station. Because that is where you will be staying, sir, if I cannot help you.”

Kreed

“It isn’t, and it won’t. I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong with me, there’s no reason to discuss removing me from my own ship. I don’t need help.” His voice was level but tight. He’d served on this ship as its first officer, for two years, under three captains. Rand was here, too. He was not leaving this ship.

His breathing was getting shallower and faster, and he didn’t understand why. He forced deeper, slower breaths. His heart was pounding and it reminded him of the incident a year and a half ago. It’s not that. Not this long after. he just needed this doctor to let him be. Why was he reacting like this? He used to have no problem hiding his fear.

~ Roman

Kreed’s vertical eyelids closed and he said “Your temperature is spiking, Commander.” and the lids opened. His head cocked to the side and he peered at the man with his large, black, reptilian eyes. He stood up and went to a cabinet and took a tricorder off a shelf. He pulled the scanner free and ran it over Alden’s head. “As I thought.” He said more to himself than to the XO. He went back to the shelf, set the tricorder down, picked up a hypo and dialed in a dosage. He then, without word or warning, walked to the XO, set the hypo against his neck and there was a soft pop followed by a low hiss. Kreed then set the hypo on the desk and sat down.

“Now, then… better?”

Kreed, CMO

Roman watched the doctor with something akin to suspicion. He pulled his head away from the scanner, but not before Kreed’s scan completed. “As you thought what? I. Am. Fine.” the Commander insisted. He peered at the doctor, trying to see what he was doing, then shook his head when he saw the hypo. “I don’t need anything. I don’t want that.”

Kreed managed to stick him with it, despite the way he nearly fell out of the chair attempting to avoid it, and the medication started to work. He felt the familiar lull of a mild sedative forcing his heart rate down. His breathing slowed down. His heart rate started to slow. The tunnel vision he hadn’t noticed began to relax. “What did you give me? I didn’t need a sedative. I need to work. Which you’re not letting me do.”

~ Roman

The Doctor was nonplussed at the man’s attitude. “No, sir… you are not letting you work. Your current state of health, both physical as well as mental and emotional, precludes you having access to the ship outside of here and your quarters. And it is within my authority to confine you to your quarters only unless we… as in you and I both… can get you in a state of calm that will allow you to pass a simple physical. My job is not to keep you from working, Commander. It is to ensure you are physically fit and capable of doing that work to the best of your ability. Right now, you cannot. The previous CMO’s of this ship did you a severe disservice. I am not them. I take my job as seriously as you do yours. And I will not allow you to be a hindrance- or worse, a risk- to this ship. You can work with me, sir… or you can keep making poor and transparent excuses for your state and I will simply confine you to the station pending a full psychological and physical assessment. I do not wish to do that, Commander. But I absolutely will. So, I will give you one last chance to help me help you. If you do not take it, you will be escorted off this ship and placed on medical hold until Fleet Medical Command can determine your fitness to remain in Star Fleet. It is entirely up to you.” Kreed was normally not as verbose, but he was trying to keep the XO’s attention long enough for the anti-anxiety meds to kick in.

Kreed, CMO

“I am neither a hindrance nor a risk to this ship.” Roman insisted stubbornly. “I am perfectly capable of doing my work.” He couldn’t go to the station and he definitely wasn’t having a full psych or medical eval. The calmness of his voice said the anti anxiety meds were kicking in. Instead of on edge and stressed he was starting to look tired. Anxiety on that level was exhausting. He couldn’t risk being removed from Starfleet. He’d have nothing left for himself. It was all he cared about. He let out a long, annoyed sigh. “Fine. What do you want me to do?”

~ Roman

“First and foremost, I expect your full cooperation.” Kreed said flatly. I do not have the time nor the inclination to chase you down for such rudimentary tasks. Second, I need you to explain why you have such an aversion to doctors. It has not always been the case. So something changed in the past few years, and other Medical Officers were either too oblivious, too lazy or too stupid to address it. That is their failing, not yours. But I am none of those things. So, together, we will address the issue, find a solution, and implement it. That way our future interactions will be more efficient and less stressful… for us both. Agreed?”

Kreed, CMO

An older, smaller sickbay, dimmed due to lack of power. The smell of arcing, overheating, burning electronics. A redheaded man lying on a biobed next to him, the man’s eyes closed. Roman physically flinched at the images in his mind. He blinked back tears he didn’t dare show here. “I-I can’t tell you that, sir.” He swallowed and shook his head. “I can’t.” The words came out as a harsh whisper.

He took a deeper breath and tried to reset himself. “That’s… it’s my concern.” There was that we again, like Rand always said. Roman frowned. “I will try. Try to do the rest of it.”

~ Roman

The Saurian shook his head. “No. No half-measures. I sincerely doubt you would accept that from your crew, Commander; so I will not accept that of you. I would never deign to disrespect you or this crew by offering a half-hearted attempt to help them when they need it… and I do not appreciate you disrespecting me in that fashion.” Kreed tapped something into the terminal on his desk and then spun it around so Alden could see it. It was an order remanding him into the care of the station’s medical department. It was signed and completely official. “I said one chance, Commander. I do not make threats and I do not play games. So tell me if you will help me help you… right now… or I press send and the matter is out of both of our hands.”

Kreed, CMO who doesn’t play

If it weren’t for the anti anxiety meds Roman would be in a full panic. Not that he would accept that, he refused to understand it. “No! Don’t do that!” Even on the meds there was a sense of extreme urgency, he was back on edge. “Don’t send that.” He was cornered and uneasy and he didn’t like this one bit.

~ Roman

Kreed was calm and even as he spoke. “You have given me no reason not to, Commander. Despite numerous opportunities. Despite repeated requests and offers of assistance. Every. Single. Time. You refuse, and you leave me no choice.” Kreed paused for a moment and then said “Hypothetical situation, Commander. You have a crew member. They are in a position of leadership. That crew member willfully disobeys orders given directly to them. Numerous times. They are adamant in their refusal to comply with your directives. When you finally get them where they need to be; they refuse to participate in mandatory obligations despite you offering them multiple opportunities. Tell me, sir… what would you do with that individual?”

Kreed, CMO