[snip]

As Hunter entered the office, Captain Glen could see straight away that Hunter was uneasy about the reason for this meeting, however he wasn’t sure what to say to make him at ease.

“Hello Doctor Hunter, I wanted to have a chat with you about several things. Is that okay? Take a seat please? The first thing is that Doctor Cross thinks that you’re unhappy about a few things and given that the reports I get back from Sickbay tell me that you are an outstanding Doctor, I wanted to try and put those right for you.”

Hunter raised his hand next to his forehead ‘’Captain’’ then sat down ‘’Yes Captain, Cross is right I am not just unhappy but furious and its due to Cross refusing the treatment she needs’’ still with the soft tone he went on ‘’I may have finally convinced her to co operate, she’s afraid that if her health goes back to how it once was she would return to her old ways ,I told her there are medications that can mellow down those urges for stimulation…at least I do hope there are ‘’.

“I fully agree with you there,” Glen replied, “I’ve just told her that I’d be happy to pull some strings, and get her to see a Genomics specialist, but she seemed very lukewarm to that idea.”

He felt the urge to scratch his head and after some thought went on ‘’Might as well say all, a certain Thomas keeps coming in sickbay with one ailment after another, having been on the ship for three years I did realize that he’ll do anything to get time of work ‘’ Hunter took a deep breath ‘’One day he came in with a broken nose resulting from a fight, I gave him some painkillers and told him to come back in an hour for the simple reason that doctor Kim a plastic surgeon would come in to star his shift and do a better job then me ‘’ Hunter communicated in a verbal manner as things had transpired, never giving the Captain any idea or come to a conclusion that he was right or wrong ‘’The new Cmdr happened to be there and he was not pleased with the way I handled the patient and told Cross exactly how he felt. ‘’She told me to leave sickbay and go work in the science dept for some days plus the CMO wrote everything down in my file’’ he stopped to think before continuing ‘’ A few days ago this crewman come in this time with an inflamed appendix, obviously I got him into the OR as soon as possible ..........he is in sickbay recuperating’‘.

“I see!” said Glen, rather puzzled. “These weren’t the kind of concerns that I expected to hear from you! I was told that you felt unhappy that you weren’t being told about ship visitors and Bridge operational decisions, but not that it was about the attitude of the XO and CMO. I don’t really want to interfere directly in the operation of Sickbay, but I will certainly ask the Commander for his side of that incident. I’ll also ask Doctor Cross why you were sent to Science as I’ve been told that your work as a Doctor is exemplary, and I can quite understand people getting a little snappy under the pressure of work from time to time. However, you do need to be both a team member and to be able to take orders without an argument. Leave that with me then, it doesn’t seem to be an error that can’t be sorted out. If what you say is true then you are owed an apology.”

‘’No, no Captain what’s done is done I’m not expecting an apology from anyone and don’t want the incident to go any further ‘’.

A small smile formed at the corner of his mouth ‘’Got punished for being naughty cause the Cmdr saw it that I as a doctor, should have kept the patient in sickbay and not send him away with a handful of painkillers only to come again an hour later ,still there are no ill feelings towards each other… let bygones be bygones ‘’.

“I really wanted the XO to deal with these human resources matters, but as you also have a problem with him, then I also received a complaint about you from a junior Bridge officer, Lt. Kahuna,” Glen added. “I’ve been mentoring Kahuna through his Bridge officer exams. He is young and lacks confidence, and he said you went up there and started throwing your seniority about. He also made the bizarre claim that you ran a network of redshirts as spies from Sickbay. Doctor Cross has assured me that you are not another Doctor Kim evil doppelganger. However, when I checked, it did appear that Security officers were coming to you in Sickbay after their duty had finished. Can you account for that at all?”

‘’It has been blown out of proportion, all I said to Kahuna was that he should have told the depts that a ship was heading towards us, even if it was two days away ‘’ the doctor thought about what Glen had just said ‘’It is indeed bizarre that I have security as spies, I don’t know what to make of it maybe Kahuna needs some extra mentoring and to bring an end to his paranoid ‘’ Hunter replied while still staying calm despite all the accusations fired at him.

“So, you don’t deny that security officers have been coming to Sickbay after shifts, and reporting to you, but you think that anyone who questions that is paranoid?” Glen asked rhetorically. “Listen! Let me be very clear here. If I thought there really was anything untoward going on, or any chance that some misdemeanour had taken place, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation, you’d already be in the Brig! However, I’ll telling you that whatever was actually going on, it is to stop immediately, forthwith, okay? Now, was there anything else you wanted to ask?”

‘’Last but not least its the psychiatrist Mr Wong and though many consider him a jerk, in my opinion he is not. Guess the only thing that bothers me is that he has no experience working with the crew on a ship ‘’.

“Well, actually, Doctor Wong was one of the other things I wanted to ask your help with. I really want him off my ship, just as much as everyone else.”

This time Hunter smiled ‘’Your cat was in sickbay and Stanley went berserk as he has a phobia of germs’’ thinking about the incident the doctor chuckled ‘’You should have seen his face’‘.

Glen smiled. “I’m sorry, this is most unprofessional of me, but I would have liked to have seen it too!”

“Doctor Wong is far from being a stupid man,” Glen said. “I often find that very intelligent people are a little eccentric in their manners. While he doesn’t have much experience with working on a Starship, he does have experience of being embedded with United Earth Defence military units. He also means well. He wants to treat Doctor Cross and Commander Milligan just as much as you do, and he is at the top of his game in Psychiatry. The problem, and I think you are aware of this already… the problem is that following some of our previous missions, the whole crew were sworn to secrecy about what took place. It is more important to keep those secrets than the health, or even the life, of any individual. So, the burden we all carry is that none of us can talk about anything that happened. However, things that we experienced are the very same things that are causing the mental anguish and post traumatic stress. I’ve attempted to explain this to Doctor Wong but he either didn’t understand or thinks he can treat people without opening up that Pandora’s Box. I can’t see how he can treat the symptoms without knowing the cause. I have no idea who sent him here, and neither does he, but he is causing chaos on the ship. He is stirring up old memories, best kept buried. He is involving himself in matters in which he has no concern, just like the cleaning and sanitisation that you mentioned. I think it’s time for him to go, but I can’t order him to leave as he has orders from above me. Doctor Cross said that you have spent the most time with him, and that I needed to speak to you?”

Hunter waited until the Captain finished speaking ‘’I did forget to mention the incident on the bridge, the security who was there ended his shift and was talking to the security we had here. I heard him saying that they picked up a ship coming our way, wondering why the rest of depts had not been informed… yes it was stupid of me to act while I was angry and high in tension..my bad’‘.

The doctor stood up pacing and thinking about that incident ‘’I went to the bridge myself asking why sickbay was not informed? Captain my line of thinking is that at least we would be informed and not all of a sudden the ship will go on high alert and the crew is unprepared. You might understand more then I do that things can change in a blink of an eye ,I did not go to flex my muscles but with hindsight my attitude and judgment at the time was inappropriate I could just have contacted Bridge ‘’.

Glen nodded. “Well, that would be the point of going to a Yellow or Red Alert… to inform the whole ship that there was danger, but at the time you went to the Bridge, the Sybyl ship was three days away. It sounds like you might need some anger management? And then I heard that Doctor Wong appeared on the Bridge too. It must have been a real circus up there. I’m glad I wasn’t around to see it! …but it sounds like you understand it was ill-judged and that it won’t happen again.”

‘’As what happened before I joined the Merrimack ,all I know is that its classified and its none of my business to find out .You are right to be concerned especially since we have no idea what Mr Wong knows and if he does who might have told him?I know Cross was with child its in her medical file but only up until the second trimester, what happened after wards I have no idea . Its worrying now to think that the psychiatrist may know and shall bring it up with her ‘’ and indeed Hunter was troubled and concerned.

“I spoke with Doctor Wong when I came back from the Habitat. Wong has told me that he won’t ask any questions about those secret missions, and I don’t believe that it is his intention to do so, but I do have some concerns that he can’t do his job otherwise. And yes, that might result in serious problems for us, which I don’t want to go into. But, that isn’t my main concern here, and I’d ask you not to bother Doctor Cross with questions either, because my main problem is with the effect on her, and on others, of simply asking those questions, and causing them all to have to relive their experiences.”

“So, Miriam… I mean Doctor Cross… told me that you knew Doctor Wong better than anyone else aboard. She suggested I talk to you about getting Wong to leave, but she didn’t say why. I was rather hoping that you knew? You do know that I have no control over where Ginger gets to, don’t you?”.

‘’Captain I did my best to tell the psychiatrist that the cat did not pose a problem, neither to the staff nor the patients but as I said he’s afraid of germs. The nursing officer even gave him a piece of her mind, telling Wong that sickbay was a sterile place and the cat does help the patients. Jane went as far as to tell him to do some research on the subject!’‘.

‘’Captain with all due respect either you or Cross misunderstood what really transpired. I really do not know much about Wong or his intentions but as of now he has not shown anything or done some thing that made me wary, skeptical or suspicious .Cross might have joked about me knowing how to get rid of him and it all comes down to the cat and his phobia of germs ‘’Hunter stopped for a moment ‘’He also mentioned he hate looking out at the darkness of space realizing how vulnerable he is…guess our psychiatrist has he’s own demons to fight ‘’.

“Ah! I thought you might have more for me to go on than that. That’s disappointing!” Glen sighed. “The hating ‘the darkness of space’ isn’t much use to me, and as I said already, Ginger ‘s whereabouts isn’t something that I can control. Oh well! Never mind!”

‘’The way the second session with Cross, was in my opinion the strangest evaluation I have ever encountered .He gave her a beaker of water and glasses with words on them like ‘FEEL LOVE’ ‘LOVED’ ‘ANGRY’ ‘GUILTY’,my God that would be for someone who has just committed murder and was being assessed , not for Cross no wonder she smashed the glasses against the wall!’‘.

“Yes, I already heard about that,” Glen replied. “That particular piece of gossip went around the ship twice before Cross was even back to work. I’m not sure of the ethicalness of such a test either.”

He shook his head in a sadly manner ‘’Captain rest assured I do not have any angry issues.”

“You said yourself just now that you ‘do that things can change in a blink of an eye,’ and storming up to the Bridge, raising your voice, not following the chain of Command,,, these show a lack of control. I suggest that in future, you practise to count to ten first before acting on impulse. If not, and I say this only for your own good, you are going to find yourself up against, at the very least, an insubordination charge, at worst, something that could end your promising career.”

‘’Surely being a Captain for many years you know that its true, change in the blink of an eye is not about me but rather at things that may happen and catch us off guard, back then no one knew it was a trade ship, it was Dol who provided the information from the Habitat and yes Captain I do understand that you have my best interest at heart ‘’.

“Really! Don’t patronise me. I was a Bridge officer when you were still in diapers. Whether a ship is a trade ship or a hostile force is absolutely none of your business. Conversations that I have with dignitaries, are similarly, none of your damn business! Your job is to have Sickbay ready for casualties at a moments notice, and running at peak efficiently, and that’s all! I don’t want to see you on the Bridge again, and I don’t want you pulling rank with Bridge officers that I have personally left in charge.” Glen was beginning to get annoyed with this man. “Is that clearly understood?”

“What does bother me is will Stanley bring up Cross’s pregnancy with her?’’ on the other hand he thought Cross is finally on her way too getting better and if that psychiatrist interfere or ruin her progress then I would certainly have anger problems

“Don’t concern yourself so much with what questions Doctor Wong will ask, leave that to me,” Glen told Hunter. “And unless Doctor Cross has come to you with a gynaecological problem, then her previous pregnancy is no business of yours either.”

The doctor nodded, he already came to the conclusion that it was non of his business.

“Right then, I don’t have anything else to say,” Glen summarised, “I am satisfied with your account of what happened on the Bridge, and I will speak to the Commander and Doctor Cross about the way you were dealt with regarding the patient with the broken nose. I won’t get accused of micromanagement of Sickbay though. If you have a problem again, use the proper channels to make a complaint, and at all times remain calm and professional. I will actively work to get Wong removed from the ship. Maybe I’ve been thinking about this from the wrong way around anyway. Maybe a complaint made to the Admiral, detailing how his activities have disrupted the entire ship might be a better way forward.”

‘’Please for everyone’s sake forget about it, why bring what happened weeks ago, what’s there to gain?’’ Hunter asked ‘’Yes Sir I’ll make sure to do that and won’t repeat the same mistake’‘.

“Okay! I’ve heard enough! I don’t need to hear anymore from you,” Glen replied, getting really annoyed that this man always wanted to have the last word. “I’ve made my decisions now.”

Hunter felt a headache coming on What the heck! Why does he think I want to have the last word he thought deciding he had more then enough *Maybe something was wrong with Glen either psychological or physical? Cross must have been joking when she told the Captain that he knew how to get rid of the psychiatrist. He had explained everything, even going as far as to admit he was wrong to go and barge on the bridge. I don’t even want an apology and to think that he had security spies! It was both appalling and sickening * .
‘’Captain may I now be permitted to leave?’’ Hunter still maintained his composure by being calm and his soft spoken tone.

“Certainly,” Glen replied. “I have heard quite enough! You’re dismissed!”

Glen wasn’t sure now why he had been asked to speak with Hunter by Cross. Had had given him no further insight into Doctor Wong. Hunter’s problems seemed to be with Cross herself. This was something that Cross and Milligan should have dealt with themselves. Hunter did have an attitude though, and when Glen would speek to Milligan about him, he had no doubt that Joe’s side of the story would underline that fact, and of the necessity to get some strong discipline back on the Merri. It was one of Joe’s goals since he came back aboard to improve the lax discipline. While Hunter seemed to understand that his behaviour on the Bridge had been wrong, he still seemed to want to blame others like Kahuna. Glen would also ask Lance to get his Security Officers back in line. They should report to him only, and not mouth off or gossip about things they had overheard. They should finish their shifts in the Security office and then go back to their Quarters, or to a designated Lounge area.

With that business out of the way, Glen made his way out of Sickbay and to back to the Bridge. After he had been brought up to speed with the Habitat and Sybyl situation, he intended to call the Admiral about Doctor Wong.

-Glen, CO