Posted by Lieutenant Séan Iven (Counselor) in Visiting the Exhausted

Posted by Lieutenant Tandra Mika (Chief Mental Health Officer) in Visiting the Exhausted

Posted by Lieutenant Séan Iven (Counselor) in Visiting the Exhausted
Posted by… suppressed (16) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Séan returned to the hospital on the second day of Mika’s stay. He couldn’t take the time off to stay with her twenty-four seven as they were short-staffed as it was, so he was on his way to visit after doing his shift with a quick stop to tend to Thyr. He quickly arrived at Mika’s door, after waved in greeting to the nursing staff, then softly knocked. After not hearing a response he quietly opened the door enough to peek inside and saw that she was still sleeping. So he slipped inside as quiet as he could and took a seat next to her bed to wait until she awoke.

Counselor Iven

She was asleep for maybe another half an hour. When she woke, she seemed to wake with a start and grabbed the bed coverings, clenching her fists into them and starting to sit up. Then she saw Séan and relaxed a little, reaching for his hand. “Hey.”

~ Mika, CMHO

Séan was startled by Mika’s sudden awakening but took her hand in his as he smiled and said softly. “Hey. You okay?”

Counselor Iven

“Mm-hmm.” She said, squeezing his hand gently. She looked up at him sleepily, “How long was I asleep?”

~ Mika, CMHO

“I’m not sure exactly but you were out for a good while.” Séan said with a grin as he enjoyed the warmth of Mika’s hand. “I stopped by the office for a half shift to clear up some things and see a couple of critical patients. Stopped off to visit Thyr briefly to check on him then came back to you. You’d only been asleep for a bit longer after I got here but I didn’t want to wake you up.”

Counselor Iven

Mika smiled. “And Sharah and Hannah, they stayed with me while you were out?” She asked. She asked tiredly and softly, but there was an edge of fear, paranoia, in her voice.

~ Mika, CMHO

“Oh of course they did.” Séan agreed quickly. “Someone has been here in case you woke up. Luckily they already work here so it’s not far from where you’re resting.” He squeezed her hand softly again as a reassuring gesture.

Counselor Iven

“I can’t be alone,” She muttered softly, shaking her head. “Especially not when I’m asleep.” She looked up at him with a sad, lost, and scared expression. “I know you can’t stay all the time, you have work, but… I wish.”

~ Mika, CMHO

‘You can move in with me.’ Was Séan’s thought upon seeing Mika’s look towards him. He kept the words from leaving his heart and escaping from his mouth however. That would be a bad idea at this early stage of their relationship. Instead he gave her a gentle look. “I wish I could stay with you too. We chose a profession where people need us and I also need to sleep. I’m not sure if they would appreciate me camping out in your hospital room.”

Counselor Iven

“Oh, Sharah wouldn’t mind. But you need your sleep, so you can work.” Mika squeezed his hand gently, then winced slightly and readjusted. “I’m so tired.”

~ Mika, CMHO

Séan reached over and gently pushed some hair out of Mika’s face. “If you fall asleep again I’ll be here for a few hours. You can rest easy that I’ll be here to guard your dreams.”

Counselor Iven

His touch was pleasant but a shiver ran through her body at his words. “I think I’d rather be awake for now.” She commented softly.

~ Mika, CMHO

Séan recognized the look Mika had for a brief moment. Of course she was traumatized by what she went through and sleep was unlikely to come easy. He’d have to mention this to Sharah, if she wasn’t already aware, and see what a viable medical treatment might be. On the other side of things he could not become her therapist and remain objective, but he could support her as a friend as best he could. “Of course.” He replied gently. “I can give you some gossip I heard at the food trucks if you like.”

Counselor Iven

“Ooh, can you bring me some next time you go?” She asked, and then added, “Yeah, I want to hear it please.”

~ Mika, CMHO

“I’ll check if it’s okay to bring you something but if I get the okay then I absolutely will.” Séan nodded at the request. He then proceeded to fill Mika in on the various goings on, who was dating who, what sort of preparations were being made still for the diplomatic event, etc.

Counselor Iven

“It should be fine. The drugs should be clear of my system by now and my injuries don’t involve the digestive tract.” She shrugged though. Then she listened to him talk about everything going on until she looked like she was having trouble staying awake.

~ Mika, CMHO

Séan saw Mika getting the sleepies but didn’t know what to do. Encouraging her to sleep would likely just have her fight it and offering to get her caffeine would probably get him scolded by Sharah. So in the end he didn’t let on that he noticed her struggle to stay away but instead kept telling her all of the gossip he heard even if it was trivial.

Counselor Iven

Eventually she did fall asleep. At first it was peaceful, but after a few hours, she seemed upset, her fists clenched, her heart rate climbed. She began to mutter in her sleep.

~ Mika, CMHO

Séan was still at her bedside and was reading a case file from a PaDD. When Mika began to get restless in her sleep, he quickly set it down and moved to her side. He grasped one of her tiny hands lightly in his big hand while he whispered as calmingly as he could, “You’re okay Tandra, I’m here with you. You’re fine. You’re safe.”

Counselor Iven

The moment his hand touched hers she jolted awake and began to cry. “Sharah help,” she cried briefly before she awakened fully and felt Séan’s hand. “…Séan?”

~ Mika, CMHO