Helping each other

Posted on Thu Nov 25th, 2021 @ 12:11pm by Lieutenant Commander Callie Raven-Grayson & Commander Samantha Howard & Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T’ghann-Travis Dr

Mission: Breen in Paradise
Location: Dex’s quarters

{ON}

The morning had come all too soon, Callie had been woken two or three times during the night by Harry, but after a lot of reassurance and cuddles he’d finally gotten a good length of sleep. Dropping him off at the ship’s school she hoped he’d enjoy the company of other children while she was working.

Making her way to see Dex, Callie hoped that Dex had managed to get some sleep.

Dex was in sickbay finishing off the removal of the radioactive element Celebium from Evella’s cells. There was only a trace element left which she could not eradicate. What effect this might have on her development and life expectancy Dex did not know. She had not left sickbay during the night and was again holding her in her arms. She saw Callie enter.

“Counsellor how did your night go, not too bad I trust?”

Callie offered a smile. “It was...okay. Harry woke up a few times but he eventually managed to get a good sleep.” Callie motioned to the girl Dex was holding. “How is she?”

“I called her Evella, she is so beautiful Callie, I can only say she is holding her own. I removed the radioactive Celebium in her blood but I am not sure if it will have any long term effects. She sleeps a lot when I hold her and I think she may be telepathic. I seem to be drawn to her.”

Callie nodded. “She is telepathic, I can feel it. She’s considerably strong too, she appears to be quite attached to you. I took Harry to the school, dropped him off with the other kids, I hope he’s enjoying it.”

I think anything that is in any way normal will be beneficial to him. Surak knows what he has seen. At least Evella has forgone any mental stress. As for attachment then yes, I think it is to do with my Vulcan side. It invades my thoughts constantly. I am at a loss what to do. As a Vulcan I can exist without sleep with the help of meditation but I am unable to meditate, nor have I slept since returning from the mission. Callie I am falling apart and I need help.”

Callie nodded. “Have you thought about the temporary use of an inhibitor? At least until we can teach Evella how to control her abilities better? She may just be reaching out to you for comfort but it’s causing problems for you.”

“Callie I am not sure that Evella is the problem. Sitting with her and listening to her seems to calm me. It is the scenes and the smell and the sheer horror of that place that haunts every minute day and night. I cannot understand why a doctor sworn to saving lives could do this. I close my eyes and I see the flames and rock rolling towards us as we transported back home every time I close my eyes.” She rocked Evella close to her.

Callie nodded. “It sounds to me like you could be suffering with PTSD, post traumatic stress is something to be expected in cases like this. Have you spoken to Sam about it? Between us we could prescribe you something to help you rest, sleep aids will help, and I can teach you how to control your nightmares.”

I should be the one helping you, after all I am the ACMO, both yourself and Sam have suffered along with me over the Pon Farr. I know you still have some way to go with what happened to you and I feel responsible for awakening you to it.” Evella turned towards Dex and her hand gripped her uniform. “Yes, little one I hear you” Dex said and stroked Evella’s face. Dex’s body seemed to go slack for a moment. “I have not been able to speak to Sam yet but I will take any help I can get Callie. I have thought about resigning my commission and taking Evella to Vulcan, “ she shuddered , “Callie I do not think I can practice medicine any more, I am ashamed.”

“There is nothing to be ashamed of Dex” Callie offered a gentle smile. “I wouldn’t go so far as to resign your position though, maybe take some time off. The Captain won’t blame you. Don’t make rash decisions.”

“I do not usually but my Vulcan side seems to be at odds with my Risan side. I have always been able to control and integrate them if not in complete harmony then at least in blend together. I have not been able to mediate for days now even with Puss beside me. I have cold sweats and I feel violent towards the Breen, I want to kill them all, Callie I am frightened. The only time I feel peace is when Evella is in communication with me.”

Callie nodded. “She’s picking up on your emotional state, she’s trying to help you. For someone so young she’s very strong.” She smiled as she looked towards Evella. “We’ll get you sorted don’t worry. Actually I...was going to ask for your help but I’m not sure a meld between us would help you any.”

“I am not sure melding with me like this would help you? It would certainly bring strong emotions buried inside you to the fore.”

Callie nodded. “I’m not sure what’s right at present to be honest, I spoke to Lieutenant Jortho she helped bring out some memories using hypnosis. They weren’t pleasant!”

“What you suffered was not pleasant Callie, your mind was invaded against your will. The memories will be deep and your mind will not want to realise them. Unless you are able to release these memories your mind will be impacted by it.”

Callie nodded. “I know. I’ve started having disturbing nightmares about it, sounds and flashes of memory mostly, but it’s all jumbled up.”

“This is your mind trying to make sense of what it knows and to release you from it. What does your husband say about all of this?”

“Jon is being wonderfully supportive” Callie smiled. “He wants to help me anyway he can, and right now he’s my strength. Without him I don’t think I could face this half as well as I am.”

“I am so glad for you Callie I……I ….. “ she gripped Callie’s arm so tightly her nails drew blood, Dex looked terrified…she whispered in Callie’s ear “See, if you look closely over there you can see them. The child is crying out for us to help it, they are cutting it, we must stop them where is your phaser?”

Callie winced as Dex’s nails dug into her arm. “Dex...listen to me, there’s nothing there. It’s the lack of sleep you’re hallucinating, trust me...there’s nothing there.”

Dex grabbed Callie by her hair and pulled her back onto the floor. “It was you all along, I will kill you for what you did to those children” she put her hands round Callie’s throat.

“Dex...” Callie was struggling to breathe as Dex’s grip tightened around her neck. Her Vulcan strength was more than Callie could fight. As her head started to spin from the lack of oxygen she had no choice but to raise her knees and kick Dex hard in an attempt to push her off.

Dex was unbalanced and Callie’s push sent her on to the floor. She curled up on the floor in the foetal position and moaned, “they are all dead and I am a Doctor!” She began to cry, huge racking sobs, “How many died, how many died?”

Callie lay coughing, and gasping for breath. If Dex had held on any longer she would have deprived her of oxygen altogether. “Dex...” her voice was somewhat hoarse. She tapped her comm badge. “Callie...to Sam, Dex and I need you...”

Dex lay unmoving on the floor, her Vulcan mind shut in on itself no longer able to process the emotions she had been feeling. Her eyes were open and staring. In her makeshift cradle Evella began to moan sounding like the wind far distant floating through trees, a calming pleasurable sound.

Sam looked up as the com call came through, she'd been working through the injuries from the latest Breen attack, mostly minor and easy to deal with but crewman Hanson had suffered a broken leg and a concussion in the attack and was currently awaiting surgery.

" Callie? What's wrong? where are you both?" There was an urgency in her voice.

Neither of them answered her.

The silence concerned Sam and she grabbed her nearby medkit " Transporter room, beam me to Dr Dex's location immediately" She ordered, nodding towards Dr Perrim who understood that he was 'it' until she got back.

Dex lay unmoving eyes wide and unseeing on the floor her brain no longer processing any information. Her limbs had gradually begun to curl up and her jaw was fixed shut. Her breathing was beginning to be affected.

Sam dropped to her knees beside Dex and pulled out her tricorder. The neural readings were all over the place but in a different way to the Pon Farr she had experienced earlier.

" Dex... can you hear me?" She placed a hand on Dex's shoulder to ascertain her level of consciousness. " Dex!"

Dex could not hear Sam calling her, all she could see, feel and hear were rocks and flame roiling towards her. Her Vulcan senses gone leaving her mind open to the terrors contained on the Breen planet her mind shut down. As this happened her heart went into overdrive trying to keep her circulation moving. She managed to say one word “Callie”.

Callie was still catching her breath lying back where Dex had left her lying after trying to strangle her. She coughed as she moved to sit up. “I...I’m still here.” Her voice was pretty hoarse.

Sam looked between her two patients, scampering over to Callie and running a tricorder over the counsellor. Contusions to the throat but she would live without immediate intervention. Dex on the other hand would not.

"You'll be fine Callie... I need to treat Dex then I'll come back and treat you further" She explained as she administered an analgesic to assist with the swelling and discomfort. Returning to Dex she dialed up the hypo for a mild tranquilizer, something that would relax both her body and mind hopefully enough for Sam to work out exactly what was going on.

Evella’s strange crying became louder and she flailed her arms and legs. Dex began to convulse as her body could no longer compete with no brain activity. Evella suddenly became silent.

" Ah ah no you don't" Sam grumbled as she worked trying to stablise Dex, who appeared to be struggling to maintain her own body and mind. " Howard to Perrim, prepare to receive to more patients, one critical. Clear biobed 1"Sam ordered through the commlink, prepping Dex and Callie for transport " Transporter room, beam everyone in this room directly to sickbay"

They materialised in a blue shimmer, Dr Perrim ready to assist in whatever way he could. Together they hoisted Dex ontonthe biobed and engaged the life support system, buying some time until Sam could figure out what was going on and why. Perrim tended to Callie, healing her throat and ordering her to stay close and rest on the next biobed.

"Callie, I need you to tell me exactly what happened" Sam started as she ran a barrage of tests.

Callie looked towards Sam. “I’ll do...” She paused to clear her throat, her voice pretty croaky. “My best..Dex said that she hasn’t...been able to meditate, sleep, or anything since she came back...from the mission. She was...struggling with keeping herself together.” She paused to sip a drink of water brought over by a nurse. “She thought she saw a child in distress. I don’t think she meant to hurt me.”

Sam nodded and thought carefully, observing Perrim treating Callie and trying to formulate a treatment for Dex. The readings had her baffled and she felt as though she were at an impasse. "I'm just not entirely sure what's going on here" she scratched her chin. For now Dex was stable, the biobed keeping her systems for going any further off kilter. How do you treat someone with. Neurological condition whilst they were unconscious?

"Any suggestions from a neurological point of view?" She asked Callie.

“A Vulcan healer?” Callie looked at Sam. “Who knows a Vulcan better than another Vulcan?”

" I have another theory...." Sam paused as she reviewed the data again " If there is conflict in her mind, the logical part vs the emotional part...if could cause something similar to these readings I'm getting from her brain scan"

Callie nodded. “Question is how do we cure the problem? Plus we need to let the Captain know what’s happened here. I just hope it doesn’t cause problems for Dex.”

" He needs to know, in the meantime I'll start working on a possible medical solution, I have a feeling it's going to be just as tricky as the Pon Farr serum" Sam replied sagely, feeling the pressure build behind her eyes. So much was riding on the next few hours.

{OFF}