Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Rand Farquharson (Yeoman First Class) in Why are There Never any GOOD Side-effects?

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in Why are There Never any GOOD Side-effects?

Posted by Lieutenant Kreed (Chief Medical Officer) in Why are There Never any GOOD Side-effects?
Posted by… suppressed (12) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)
She shook her head no. She was almost hyperventilating and she was shaking.

Rand

The bubbly Ensign stopped a little ways away from Rand, looking worried. “Do you want me to take you somewhere? What about Commander Alden? He’s in his lab.”

~ Scott

Rand shook her head and made a distressed sound. She didn’t know. Her chest was starting to hurt and she couldn’t catch her breath. She thought she might start crying, and that made her more upset.

Rand

“Okay, let’s go,” Scott said, deciding for her. She guided her towards the lab and stopped in the doorway. “Uhm, Commander Alden? Can you come here for a minute?” She asked, having Rand stand out of sight of the lab techs on duty.

The wall was holding her up. She just wanted to hide before anyone saw her like this. She tried to breathe deeply but couldn’t.

Roman looked up, nodded once, and stood, walking around his desk and out of the lab. As soon as he saw Rand he rushed to her and hugged her. “Rand? What happened?”

~ Roman

She pressed her face into his chest, her hands bunching in his shirt. She was trembling, breathing rapidly. “R…rec roo…m. Do n’t know.”

Rand

Roman quickly thanked Scott and then brought Rand to his CSO office. He made her sit in a chair and then pulled the other chair close and hugged her. He took her hand and started squeezing it with his own deep breaths, the way she always did for him. He’d… He’d have to take her to sickbay after this. But he wanted to try and calm her first.

~ Roman

Rand sat hugging herself until he took her hand. She tried to breathe with him. She really did. She could manage a few slower breaths before her racing heart made her breathe more rapidly. She was embarrassed and frustrated. She hadn’t had an attack like this in over a year (she didn’t count after her concussion). Nothing specific had happened. She thought she was doing better with it all.

She would squeeze his hand tightly trying to hold her breath for a count and make herself breath slower. She didn’t want to cry.

Rand

Roman sat with her for another minute or two before deciding she needed to go now. He stood, still holding her hand. “Okay, Miranda. Let’s go see Doctor Kreed. He’s going to help you.” He grinned, playfully, hoping it might help a little, “Do you want to walk or do you want me to carry you?”

~ Roman

Oh he hated sickbay. She could go alone. She turned red as she stood. “W…walk.” she did manage to smile a little though. She knew Roman liked to carry her, and she liked it. She didn’t like others to see though. She let him support her, she was still light headed and dizzy.

Rand

He hated it so much he really, really didn’t want to go. But he couldn’t make her go alone, not like this. So he walked with her, supporting her, all the way to sickbay, pausing briefly at the doorway before walking uncomfortably in with her.

~ Roman

A Vulcan nurse looked up and said “How ma-, one moment.” and they pressed a button. Inside the CMO’s Office, the computer chirped a series of tones. Kreed, the Saurian Chief Medical Officer, stood and walked briskly out the door. A moment later, he came around to the front desk. He looked at Alden first, then Rand. “Biobed 2, Yeoman.” and he turned and walked over to the bed in question.

Kreed. CMO

Rand moved toward the biobed and took a moment before she got up on the biobed. Getting up made her head swim. She knew it was the panic response, buy that didn’t make her feel better. She was starting to feel clammy, or maybe she was just that upset.

Rand

Roman helped her to the biobed and then pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed but out of the way. He took her hand again and squeezed gently, for both their benefit.

~ Roman

Rand squeezed his hand. She would tell him he could leave, but she’d sound more out of breath than she already did. She needed to be still and focus on being calm.

“Lay back.” Kreed said. He looked at the display as the scans ran over her. “Elevated pulse, respirations, diaphoresis, and elevated adrenal activity.” He looked down at her and locked her eyes with his. “Yeoman, you are having a panic attack. I know it may be difficult to remember at this time, but I told you to expect these until your new medication takes full effect. As your old prescription wears off, your body will not have the support it has had previously, so your anxiety will spike as if you are no longer medicated. I know it doesn’t feel good, but it is quite normal and nothing to be concerned over. I can give you something to help ease the symptoms temporarily; but that will work against your new medication and make it take longer to build up to effective levels in your body. Alternatively, I can give you permission to take a few days to yourself, in your quarters. You can stay there until your medication takes full effect. I’m sure the vast majority of your work can be done remotely temporarily; and that is my recommendation, but I will leave the choice up to you… once you have processed this episode, of course.”

Kreed, CMO

Rand laid back and holding her breath and then letting it out and closed her eyes while the biobed did its thing. She opened her eyes to look at him as he started talking. She knew it was a panic attack. She’d had more than she could count in her life. She also remembered what he had said about the medicine. She had talked to Cmdr Alden about it earlier. She’d found things to do because that had always helped her before. It kept her focused on what she had to do and not worry so much about all the ‘other stuff’. She nodded that she understood what he was saying. There was nothing really to do than wait if he wasn’t going to give her anything. She couldn’t be out of work; she had responsibilities; she had to prove her usefulness. Faintly she was aware of the panicked and unfounded thoughts, and that Kreed was absolutely correct she could work remotely. She just couldn’t seem to stop circling back to it.

Yeoman Rand

“I reminded her earlier of both of these facts and offered her the ability to step away and collect herself if she needed to.” Roman said, still squeezing her hand. He looked down at Rand, “That’s a good idea. You can work from our quarters like you did before and it’ll be easier for you. What would you want me to do?” He knew the answer to that, she’d want him to do whatever was best for him to do. To follow doctor recommendations. And it was best for her to work remotely rather than have so much anxiety trying to work during the time her meds were taking effect.

~ Roman

No, no she wanted to work. She hated feeling helpless. He dare he tell her to follow doctor’s orders when he hid from them all the time? It didn’t matter, she would want him to listen and orders were orders.

Kreed looked at the XO and said “Commander, please wait outside. And then you and I will have a word.” It wasn’t stated like a request.

Roman looked quite surprised and stood. “I’m her medical contact. She wants me here, I have a right to be here.”

Rand’s eyes went wide, she didn’t want him to leave. She squeezed his hand tighter for a moment and let go. They both outrank her and for matters of medicine and health Kreed even outranked Cpt. Asam. She couldn’t argue.

Kreed looked at the displays and said to Rand “The human mind is quite fascinating, you know. And capable of many, many amazing things.” He looked down at her. “Do you know how many neurons in your brain have to fire in order for you to process what I am saying to you, Yeoman?”

Kreed

Despite wanting to argue further, he didn’t want to stress Rand out so he began to walk away. “I don’t think she cares, Lieutenant, make her feel better, don’t waste her time with trivia!” He said as he exited to wait.

~ Roman

Kreed shot the man a look that said he had just unequivocally stepped over a line.

She didn’t care. Not at all. She just wanted them not to make a scene because of her. She clasped her hands tightly over her stomach and shook her head, “No.” Neuribiology was not part of any of her studies.

Yeoman Rand

“It’s really quite fascinating.” Kreed said, his voice even… flat… and wholly boring. He droned on for several long moments, not caring if Rand listened or not. Monotonous noise had an interesting effect on many species; especially ones whose auditory senses were tied closely to their body’s autonomous systems… like humans. Low frequency, monotone sound worked almost like a auditory stress blocker. Indeed, in some human cultures it had been and continued to be a long-standing practice for a ‘possessed’ person to be surrounded by their elders who chanted low, deep, repetitive sounds in the forms of chants until the ‘spirits were expelled’… or, in Rand’s case, her internal neurological functions compensated for the lack of stimulus around her and began concentrating on the only sound she had close… Kreed’s voice.

Kreed, CMO