Posted by Lieutenant Séan Iven (Counselor) in Side sim: Unresolved Feelings

Posted by Lieutenant Tandra Mika (Chief Mental Health Officer) in Side sim: Unresolved Feelings

Posted by Lieutenant Séan Iven (Counselor) in Side sim: Unresolved Feelings
Posted by… suppressed (31) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Mika arrived to work that morning, heading straight to her office with a mug of tea. She got straight to work on her paperwork, various mundane things. Anything she could work on to get the morning moving and her mind off things.

~ Mika, CNS

It was shortly after that there was a knock on the door before it opened to Séan peeking his head in. “Hey Lieutenant Mika. Do you have a quick minute? It’s not work related but I had a question.”

Counselor Iven

Mika looked up. “Oh! Uhm. Yeah. But make it quick, please.” She smiled, as if nervous, and waited for his question, a PaDD open in front of her.

~ Mika, CNS

Séan nodded before entering and shutting the door behind him. He moved over to sit in one of the chairs in front of Mika’s desk. He wasn’t intending to go slowly as she wanted it to be quick but as he sat there he looked at her as he thought of the best way to phrase his question.

Counselor Iven

Mika watched him for a moment, fiddling with a stylus in her hands. “So.... Question?” She asked after a moment of silence. And then, “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to rush you. What’s it about, generally?”

~ Mika

“Oh, yeah, sorry!” Séan said with a little embarrassment. “Have you… been to any of the more shady parts of Oed?”

Counselor Iven

Mika’s brow furrowed and her nervousness was momentarily forgotten. “Uh, no. Why? Whatever you’re looking for I’m sure there’s one somewhere less shady. I’ve heard interesting things about the shady parts of Oed. Besides, Sharah says there’s tensions between Starfleet and some of the civilians here.”

~ Mika, CNS

Séan waved a hand and offered a smile to reassure Mika. “Oh no, I’m not really looking for anything in particular. I just was remembering the conversation I had with Captain McBride about where to go and where not to go. I may have stumbled upon somewhere not to go during my exploration.”

Counselor Iven

“Why? Did something happen?” Mika asked. She had no reason to go to a place like that, nor desire to.

~ Mika, CNS

Séan shook his head. “No, I was safe the entire time. I did however see a very short bar fight between two patrons. I was a little surprised but one of them was a very drunk Klingon so I wasn’t that surprised.”

Counselor Iven

Mika laughed, “Yes, drunk Klingons don’t usually make for good bar patrons.” She didn’t have a ton of experience regarding that, but she’d certainly heard stories. “So what’s the question?” She asked curiously, not trying to rush him out. Or maybe trying to seem like she wasn’t rushing him out. She wasn’t sure which.

~ Mika

“Right, so the question. If I find myself in a similar location and it doesn’t go as well for me, what’s the protocol for that? I mean it’s not like areas are clearly marked ‘Starfleet Stay Out’, so I’m likely going to find out I shouldn’t be there the hard way.” Séan asked earnestly.

Counselor Iven

“Well, to my knowledge you’re not going to get in trouble or anything,” Mika said, “Even if you get yourself hurt.” Though she’d prefer that not happen. “There’s not really protocol for that, I mean, Starfleet doesn’t control your personal time,” she said with a shrug. “For safety’s sake, I’d say don’t stick around there if you know it’s not a good area.” She thought for a moment, “Didn’t you grow up on freighters? Have you ever lived in a city?”

~ Mika, CNS

Séan shook his head. “Nope. My short time on the Alpha Eridani colony wasn’t what you would call a city. The Academy basically is a city but nothing like here. My only experience with something somewhat close would be how outposts, starbases, and deep space stations kind of form a city structure. I’ve dealt with shady places on those as a kid while my dad was off on a drinking binge.”

Counselor Iven

Mika smiled a little, faint smile. “Denver isn’t the worst city but it certainly has areas like Oed’s… You learn where to steer clear of, and then you do, unless you’re looking for trouble.”

~ Mika, CNS

“Ha, well I’m never looking for trouble and since I’ve grown up trouble usually stays away.” Séan commented with a grin. “But yeah, it’s kind of why I’ve been exploring. Learn the layout of the city and where not to go. I want to be a better guide on our next run. Which by the way, when are we going on our next one?”

Counselor Iven

“If everyone’s looking at you like you don’t belong there… It might be somewhere to stay away from,” Mika said. At his question she smiled and shrugged noncommittally. “I’m not sure… I’ve been really tired lately, so I haven’t felt up to jogging.”

~ Mika, CNS

“Oh.” Séan said with a hint of concern. “Do you need to swing by medical? I’m sure Doctor Fayth would say that getting checked out wouldn’t be an issue.”

Counselor Iven

Mika grinned, “Of course she would say that, I taught her that!” She said, laughing a little, but then shook her head. “It’s just the workload, I think. I’m not sick.”

~ Mika, CNS

Séan nodded. “Well I’m sure you’d tell me to not overdue it and that you need to take the time for self-care so… Doctor heal thyself.” He winked at Mika good naturedly then stood up from the chair. “I should get out of your hair so you can get your work done then.”

Counselor Iven

“Of course,” Mika smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll let Sharah know if it gets worse.” Then she nodded, “See you later Sé- I mean, Lieutenant Iven.”

For the rest of the morning, she worked, trying to finish all her administrative tasks before the afternoon. By lunch she was nearly done and she’d have to finish the rest between her scheduled appointments.

~ Mika, CNS

As lunch time rolled around Séan returned, knocked on Mika’s door, and peeked his head in again. “Hey it’s lunch time. You want to go with me to get a sandwich?”

Counselor Iven

Mika had made absolutely sure she’d look busy. She didn’t want him to think she didn’t want to spend time with him, she just… Well, she didn’t know what she wanted. Looking over her work at him she smiled sadly, “I can’t, I’m going to have to work through lunch today. Maybe tomorrow?”

~ Mika, CNS

Séan blinked in confusion for a second but then gave Mika a smile as he nodded. “Alright. I’ll leave you to your work then.” He gave a little wave as he turned to leave.

About ten minutes later he returned with two sandwiches in his hand. “Hey again, I know you’re busy but I thought you could have lunch and work.” He moved over to her desk and put her sandwich out of the way off to the side of the desk.

Counselor Iven

Mika looked up, surprised and clearly pleased, if a bit… Nervous, perhaps? She smiled and picked up the sandwich. He’d even remembered which one she liked. “Thanks. Really, that’s super nice of you.” She said and smiled again, “Uh, do you want to sit and eat?”

~ Mika, CNS

“If… you’re sure that’s alright?” Séan asked hesitantly. “I don’t want to distract you while you’re trying to work. I just wanted to make sure you’d having something in case you got hungry.”

Counselor Iven

She nodded. She really did enjoy his company. She just… She looked up at him and then promptly away, her face flushing slightly. “I am busy but… A few minutes can’t hurt, right?” She said face down toward her PaDD, trying to hide her blush with her hair.

~ Mika

Séan nodded and sat at the desk with a grin. “Shouldn’t hurt at all, I’d think.” He said as he unwrapped his sandwich and started eating. “Your case load been keeping you busy or is it admin stuff?” He asked between bites.

Counselor Iven

“Admin stuff,” Mika replied, unwrapping her own sandwich and starting to eat it. “There’s a lot and not all of our vacancies for fleet counselors are filled.” She shrugged, “It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with in medical. Just a lot more of it than on a ship.”

~ Mika

“Yeah…” Séan said while in thought. “I know that this is your job but if you need any help with paperwork I’ve done this before as well. I’d be happy to lend a hand.” He offered as he continued to eat. Part of the reason he offered was because he truly did want to help and the other was that he could spend more time with Mika.

Counselor Iven

“I’ll let you know if I need anything,” Mika said. On one hand, she could spend more time with Séan. On the other, she wasn’t sure she should spend more time with Séan, she still wasn’t even sure how she felt about him. And then there was that little voice in her head that said people might think she couldn’t do her job if she asked for help, which she knew was utterly ridiculous but the thought was there anyway. She took another bite of her sandwich. “I did paperwork for medical departments on ships. I’ve done all the departmental stuff, and the counselor specific stuff isn’t that different.”

~ Mika

Séan nodded. “Makes sense. Departments seem like they would be run very similarly, especially medical and counseling. Did you ever have to crack down on anyone violating patient confidentiality?”

Counselor Iven

“Hmm… I once had a doctor telling patients’ families privileged information without the patient’s permission. Why? Have you?” Mika asked, looking at him.

~ Mika

“There was a counselor who told privileged information about a department head to a junior officer in that department that she had a relationship with.” Séan replied with a grimace. “That was a mess and a half to clean up. The DH was very upset, as they should have been, so the XO decided with approval from the Captain to transfer the counselor off ship.”

Counselor Iven

Mika made an ‘oof’ face. “That’s a big breach. It’s lucky they found out about it and were able to transfer them. Therapy requires trust in the counselor.” She set her sandwich down to work a little on her administrative tasks. “I think confidentiality breaches are worse in mental health than in physical. That’s not to say a doctor breaking confidentiality isn’t a huge offence though.”

~ Mika