Intervention

Posted on Tue Aug 23rd, 2022 @ 5:58pm by Captain Bethsabée Leroux & Lieutenant Avira zh'Kenarh M.D. & Ensign Michael Sloan

Mission: Mission 6 - Memory
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: Day 301 08:15
1289 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Beth was running late for breakfast at the worst possible time when there were more things on her plate than she cared to admit. She was annoyed at Michael for not waking her when he had left especially as they had gone to sleep mad at each other but mostly at herself for not setting an alarm. She stepped into the messhall and saw Avira and Sloan still at breakfast and the rest of the room empty and frowned. Neither of them was someone she wanted to talk to when she had a banging headache and looked less than her best but she would have no choice but to join them. She quickly gathered what she wanted for breakfast and joined them. “I see I am not the only one having a later breakfast.” She offered as a greeting.

With his eyes giving Avira the it's time look, Michael replied to Beth, "I'm more of a brunch person." He took a bite of his bacon as Beth retrieved her own breakfast.

“Been a long time since I had brunch.” Beth admitted as she sat next to Michael and picked at the food on her plate. She did not really want it but she knew she had to eat something to try and settle her stomach.

Avira waited for Beth to be fully settled down and starting her food, knowing it would be more difficult to get up and walk away. "Commander, Michael has been telling me about some medical concerns you're dealing with."

Beth paused and chewed the piece of toast that she had started before putting it down and sighed. “Well I cannot say it is unique to just me but yes we privately discussed some concerns that I had.” Beth said looking at him looking betrayed before back at the doctor.

“Currently have,” Michael corrected. Had they not been lost in space or been within a few weeks of Earth, he would have let it go. However, this far from home the crew needed Beth to be alive. He did give her an apologetic look, but he did not regret coming to the doctor.

“Yes but either way it was a private conversation between us.” Beth said softly putting a loose strand of red hair behind her head and looked at Michael intently. “Whilst I know I need to share there is nothing that medical can do if it is anything more than… serious.” Beth chose her words carefully to contain the inner turmoil that was inside her.

"One of the roles of a Chief Medical Officer is to make sure the senior staff is healthy enough to perform their duties." Avira cocked her head to the side. "Had the Ensign not come forward with this information I would've not been able to make that assessment properly. So what I need to know is what ails you. At all times. You are the head of this crew, and when the decisions and thoughts get muddled by medical concerns it can have real, far-reaching, consequences."

“I am fully aware of your role Avira.” Beth said calmly as she settled on looking at her coffee between both of her hands. “I am still having nose bleeds.” Beth explained the first symptom. “But…” she said before either of them could speak. “So are several crew members.”

"I think the Ensign is more concerned with the thoughts and feelings that accompany those nosebleeds, Commander." Avira wasn't great at this part of the job. Give her a bleeding wound and she could suture it. Give her a bleeding heart and she was lost.

“Is he?” Beth challenged looking at the man intently waiting for him to speak up properly.

Moving his head in a non-committal motion somewhere between a shake and a nod, Michael hesitated to find the right words. “That is true to a degree,” he replied. Looking at Beth straight in her eyes, Sloan moved his hand to be near hers as if seeking permission to hold it. “If this we’re just nosebleeds, we wouldn’t be here. You try to ignore any symptom that presents itself because of a feeling that the ship cannot function without you going at full speed.” Glancing toward the doctor, then back at the Captain, he added, “You are a very important part of the ship, true. But killing yourself will not get us any closer to home.”

Beth sighed. Neither of them understood her feelings about it and why she was ignoring the severity of it all. "No. I am ignoring them because if it is anything more I am dead either way. There is no way to isolate anything that could help from the rest of the crew. I would be murdering every person onboard." Beth countered looking down at his hand and put hers over it.

Thinking about several counters to her point, Michael looked at Beth’s hand over his. He thought about reminding her that if she killed herself now, the leadership vacuum would tear apart the crew. There was no number one at the moment and he could count a few contenders. He then wanted to repeat how much she meant to him. But, he had said all of these things to her more times than he could count. Sloan’s eyes fell to the doctor as if to ask for a little help.

“But we do not know… it is just nose bleeds and a bit of exhaustion.” Beth said when the silence greeted her.

"There are definitely many things that could cause such symptoms, and the symptoms themselves might seem innocuous. But some of the underlying causes might be quite serious." Avira indicated. "It's clear you worry about this, as well as the virality of it, otherwise you wouldn't have raised it with Ensign Sloan." She really didn't want to stand on protocol and chain of command. "As the Chief Medical Officer on this vessel, I feel it's important to conduct some additional scans."

Of course, Beth was worried but if it was cancer there was nothing that could save her on the ship. Any help was back on earth 150 years away. It was an impossible situation and Beth almost just wanted to be left in the dark. “Then I will schedule some time later today to do those scans,” Beth said finally as she stared at Michael hoping it would elevate some of his worries.

"Good," Michael replied, visibly letting go of some of the pent-up stress he had been feeling. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze as he thought about what could have been. It was certainly easier than having Avira removed the Captain from active duty until she submitted to medical tests.

Beth let the silence reign for a moment before she spoke up and said anything. "Everyone happy now?" Beth wondered as she pulled back her hand to wrap it around her mug again feeling the warmth underneath her fingertips better than Michael's heat. Something was wrong with her for sure and scans would confirm it one way or another now, there was no hiding it seemed now.

"Happy, no," Michael replied, indicating that he knew something was wrong and he feared what that could mean. "But, at least now we can plan for this and whatever may come."

Beth had no comeback witty or biting for that comment, she could almost feel his fear where hers was behind the steel barrier she was keeping it in inside of her. She did not want to plan for anything because if it was anything she had limited time to set her life and the life of everyone onboard in some type of order. “Qui.” She said simply.