A New Form Of Therapy

Posted on Thu 5th Dec, 2019 @ 12:58am by Elizabeth Anderson M.D. & Commander Mikaela Locke

753 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Resolution
Location: Deck 15 - XO’s Office & Dr. Anderson's Office
Timeline: MD:01 - Mid-morning

The doors slid shut as Paul Graves and Andrus Grax left the room. Mikaela Locke sat back in her chair and breathed out a huge sigh. In the course of the last few minutes it had occurred to her that not only had she been told that morning that she would be acting-CO of the station, but that also her two closest professional advisors were one of her oldest friends and her lover - the latter of whom, under normal circumstances, should also have been her counselor. Realising that this caused a fairly major accountability problem, she turned in her desk terminal and began searching the database for other station residents who would be detached enough from the day-to-day management of the base to be impartial and yet have enough knowledge of Starfleet’s general procedures to actually be able to understand what she might be going through at any given time. After a brief search, one name stood out.

“Computer,” she said firmly, “Locate Elizabeth Anderson.”

Starting off with a full schedule, the morning had been brisk, but not rushed. Then, two calls in a row had been to cancel appointments, so Elizabeth found herself with extra time to catch up on case notes. That was always a plus. She leaned back in her chair and took a look around the office, always appreciative of where she found herself these days. Who would ever have imagined a self-aware EMH independent of Starfleet Medical?

Her thoughts were interrupted by her computer's smooth masculine voice. =^=Dr. Anderson, the station's Executive Officer, Commander Mikaela Locke, has put in a request for your location.=^=

"Thank you, M-5. I'm available, so contact her office for me. By the way, have you chosen a name yet?" the counselor asked. "I'm still in favor of Rocky, or if you want something that starts with an M, what about Malachi. It sounds strong and manly."

=^=M-5 is an appropriate designation,=^= the computer responded. She sighed. Some day she'd get him to come out of his shell, but it didn't appear that today would be that day.

In moments, Anderson was connected with Commander Locke's office.

The computer didn’t immediately respond with a location, which Mikaela thought was a little odd. Instead, a secure channel was made available. Since, in the long run, what Mikaela wanted was an opportunity to talk to the doctor, she didn’t question how or why this particular series of events had occurred. Instead, she simply initiated the conversation.

“Doctor Anderson, this is Commander Locke, thank you for taking my call. I was wondering, do you have capacity to take on a new patient?”

"I do," Elizabeth responded. "I'm spending Tuesday and Thursday afternoons counseling in the Brown Sector, but I can fit someone in most other days, and definitely with a week's notice. I'm curious why you've called me, though. Is there someone in your command whom you feel would benefit from a civilian counselor, more than Dr. Graves?"

The counselor asked the question carefully. It was a possible landmine for her, as a civilian no longer employed by Starfleet, to take clients who were Starfleet. She had done it a few times when someone didn't want it on his military record, but she was careful.

"Yes," Mikaela said, flatly. "Me."

For a moment, Anderson said nothing. Then, "I see. Yes, I think I understand how that might be necessary. How soon would you like to come down, and morning or afternoon?"

“If you could squeeze me in at some point this afternoon, that would be helpful,” Locke replied. “I suspect that my diary is about to fill up fast - I’d like to get this inked in before something else demands my attention.”

"Why don't you come for lunch, then," Elizabeth said. "You have to take one, and we'll do it together while we chat about your concerns. I'm free from 11:45 until 1:30. You tell me a time, and I'll have something healthy ready. Are you allergic to anything, or do you have specific dislikes? I guarantee there will be no fish or related products."

"Noon would be perfect," Mikaela responded. "And I'm vegan - replicated animal produce is acceptable, but I've found the longer I've been vegan, the less I'm bothered by the taste."

Elizabeth laughed, "I'm actually the one who doesn't care for fish, but we'll have something healthy that doesn't involve meats, even soy replications. We can talk about being vegan while you're here, too, if there's time."

 

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