Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Leah Hart (Nurse Practitioner/Counseling) in Temp Quarters- Assessing the Situation

Posted by Commander Roman Alden (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) in Temp Quarters- Assessing the Situation

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Leah Hart (Nurse Practitioner/Counseling) in Temp Quarters- Assessing the Situation
Posted by… suppressed (11) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Roman gave her a look as if she’d said something so mind numbingly obvious he didn’t think it needed saying. “Of course I’m a part of this ship. I have been on it longer than almost anyone. Kept it running through two inept Captains and during the time between Captains. I keep this crew going and I keep it together. Obviously, Captain Asam is the Captain but this crew trusts, respects, and are all familiar with, me. Why in all the space between here and Earth do you think I’m trying so hard to stay here? Do you honestly think I would agree to therapy if that threat weren’t on the table?”

~ Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

“I don’t know,” Hart said honestly. “I know you don’t want to lose your role here, but you could do that anywhere. I don’t know yet what the Sentinel and the people here mean to *you.”

~Leah Hart, NP

“You think this is about being first officer!” Scoffed the Commander, shaking his head. “No. Of course my role is important to me. But of all the places I could do it, like, oh perhaps a Science vessel? I choose to stay here. Does that convince you, Lieutenant?”

~ Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

She shook her head, remaining utterly calm despite his raised voice. “It’s not about convincing me. I’m trying to understand where you’re coming from, your perspective. We don’t know each other, Commander, which makes this situation more complicated. I don’t want to rush an evaluation and miss something important. So yes, I am perhaps going to make comments or ask questions that feel frustrating to you because I don’t know what I don’t know.”

His voice wasn’t raised, it was said more sarcastically. The commander’s style wasn’t one of raised voices and anger. “I see.”

“You said you choose to stay here. Why? Tell me about the Sentinel and what this specific place means to you?”

~Leah Hart, NP

“I don’t think I quite understand the question, Lieutenant.” Roman said. “I told you, I’ve been here, I kept her going, I took care of her crew. This is my ship.” He shrugged then and went on, “Sentinel is a smaller crew compliment, which makes them more tight knit. There isn’t an officer who’s name I don’t know. If they’re assigned my ship they are my responsibility and I ought to know who they are. I may not be overly personal or make small talk but every officer on this ship knows they can come to me with anything they need.”

~ Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

It was always tricky navigating that space between hearing and listening. Communication relied on the person receiving the message the sender intended. More often than not something would be off in some way. It wasn’t a bad thing, it just… was and it was something that Leah had to navigate in every conversation she had with patients. Sometimes her questions might seem to have obvious answers, but she was always looking to see what was underneath. Because if she could understand what motivated a person, she could help them with more ease and clarity. “I believe I understand,” Hart said honestly with a nod.

“What about what you need? Who do you go to and under what circumstances?”

~Leah Hart, NP

Roman considered the question for a moment. “What sorts of things are we talking about needing?”

~ Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

“It could be all sorts of things. And maybe let’s focus on before Captain Asam arrived,” she said. “There are two areas we can look at: professional and personal. When you were running things between captains, who did you turn to for advice or help with tasks that weren’t your usual? And on the personal, who did you lean on on the harder days?”

~Leah Hart, NP

“I didn’t, I read the protocols and followed those. They are quite clear.” Roman said with a shrug. “Rand. She’s the only person I ever do.”

~ Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Her deep brown eyes took him in and for a few moments Leah gathered her thoughts. “That’s a lot of pressure on one person, both you and her. What happens if Rand isn’t able to provide that support for some reason?”

~Leah Hart, NP

“Then I manage on my own, same as before I knew Rand.” He replied with a shrug. “I’m quite capable of managing alone, Rand simply doesn’t like it when I do that.”

~ Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO

Leah nodded. “What does managing look like for you?”

~Leah Hart, NP

“I do martial arts,” Roman replied. Sometimes too much, his heart could only handle so much activity the way it was, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. “Or I focus on work.”

~ Cmdr Alden, XO/CSOa

She nodded slowly. Avoidance activities, but the martial arts were active and good for the body in balance. It was always interesting to her what he chose to say and leave out and especially now she was careful not to expect a lot of disclosure. They would have to work up to that.

Leah picked up her padd and the stylus attached and pulled up the file that was in progress. It contained the beginnings of her evaluation that she had started fro that first call and had been filled in with observations and details from his record. The idea was to get a very solid picture of where he was right now*, which had clearly changed from before. She looked up at him. “We’re going to have to sooner or later, and since it’s the event that prompted your being here, can we talk about the letter?” She could put it off a bit longer, but she knew he wanted to be anywhere other than here, and so they really needed to address this main issue if he was to move forward in any way.

~Leah Hart, NP

Roman’s body language changed: he tensed, grew defensive, his arms crossed. “What about the letter? Is there more that needs saying about it?” It was private, it hadn’t meant to be found, it should’ve stayed where it belonged, and he certainly did not want to discuss it.

~ Cmdr Alden, XO/CSO