The Face in the Mirror

Posted on Sun 1st Oct, 2017 @ 4:26am by Lieutenant Commander Lanis Dhuro MD
Edited on on Thu 9th Nov, 2017 @ 5:14am

652 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Unity Week
Location: Chief Surgeon's Office
Timeline: MD-5
Tags: dhurolanis

Lanis sat in his office, looking across his desk at the young Trill male facing him.

"I need for you to explain to me what exactly is the surgical issue you're having, Lieutenant," he said.

Lt. Amil Torva sighed. "The surgical issue I'm having is that I can't get anyone to operate on me! I'm sure my plastic surgeon has already written to you, hasn't she? My chin is too long. I need to have surgery to correct it. But I can't get anyone to understand how awful this is. I don't understand why there is a problem. My chin is unsightly! I hate going to work because of it. Don't you people want to earn your salary?"

Lanis looked at the young man's chin. it was, possibly, a millimeter or two longer than would be perfectly aesthetically pleasing, but it was by no means hideous, and it was well within the average/normal range.

"Lieutenant, it would be a severe breach of medical ethics for me to allow one of my surgeons to perform an unnecessary surgical procedure on you. What if something went wrong during surgery? You could end up nerve damaged, disfigured, or even dead. Your chin length is normal, and your face is proportional within normal limits. There is no need for you to have any sort of corrective surgery because it needs no correction. Only a dishonest or unscrupulous surgeon would agree to operate on you."

"No! I can't bear this!" Torva pressed his hands against his face and shuddered.

This is an extreme reaction, Lanis thought. There is no way this man would have been permitted into Starfleet, much less received a symbiont, suffering from a mental disorder this pronounced.

"Lieutenant, how long have you been feeling this way about your chin?" Lanis asked.

The lieutenant looked confused for a moment. "All my life. It's been almost a year since I first noticed."

Lanis' eyebrows went up. Two answers. That's not what I expected. And he seems completely unaware that he gave a dual answer. "Did anything unusual happen to you a year ago?"

The lieutenant smiled, which made his face light up with momentary, startling joy. "My joining with Torva."

Lanis' eyes widened. "I knew you were joined, but I didn't realize it was that recent. Congratulations to you." He sat back in his chair. "Lieutenant, I need to think about this." He glanced back at the engineering officer. "Usually, the Symbiosis Commission monitors for post-joining disturbances. They should have noticed your altered mental condition."

Torva lowered his gaze, looked away. "It hasn't been altered. I...ah...I didn't tell them. I wasn't as bothered by it back then, and I was afraid they would remove Torva if I mentioned it. I couldn't bear that. Being with Torva is the most wondrous and beautiful thing!"

He said it with the same bone-deep reverence with which Lanis would have described an Orb experience--so profound a thing that words were entirely inadequate tools for describing it.

Again, two answers, Lanis noted, troubled.

"I can well imagine it would be," the doctor said quietly. He fixed the Trill with a look. "I don't think surgery is the answer for you, but I need to do some research first. Until I do, your appeal of Dr. M'Gaerta's decision is denied. It's possible that Counseling might help you--in fact, I think that's the only thing that can help you--but your case is a bit different than the usual, and I'm not as familiar with it as I am with purely surgical issues. I need to consult with a couple of people, and then I'd like to meet with you again, the day after tomorrow. I expect to discuss a medical plan with you then."

Lt. Dhuro Lanis, MD
Chief of Surgery

Lt(jg) Amil Torva (NPC)
Engineering Officer

 

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