[USS Juno] Tip Toe Entry

Posted on Fri Aug 3rd, 2018 @ 5:19am by Captain Harrold Anderson

1,804 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: [USS Shanghai] S1E2: Encounter in the Abyss
Location: Captain's Quarters/Sickbay
Timeline: 05/13/2394 @ 2200 Hours

Harry had just come back home, when he quietly walked into his quarters. He noticed the lights were off, he started to unzip his jacket, and start to walk towards his room, wondering what things Kimoni would be able to discover about the device, he would have to wait until the morning to find out.

"You're back finally." Kerja said, moving from where she was stretched out on the couch, a blanket over the top of her and a pillow propping up her head. She may have fallen asleep briefly. Kerja had never been much a night owl, her mother had always gotten up early leaving Kerja with not much of a chance to sleep in.

"I did not mean to wake you," he said in a soft voice. He felt like he was busted, like a kid sneaking in late, and his parents found out. That was a strange feeling. He was not use to being a father, it did not dawn on him to check in with her, and tell her not to wait up for him. But seeing her on the couch, was a reminder, that he failed to do that.

"I could have gone in my room if I didn't want to be woken up. I wanted to make sure you got back okay." She grinned at him. "Why do you look so guilty?"

Harry walked over to the couch and sat down on the other end. He shifted his body in her direction as he sat down. "Typically parents on Earth, stay up late at home if their kid is sneaking into the house after curfew, I feel like you laying here on the couch, is me sneaking in past bedtime." He suggested to her, not sure if she understood.

She smiled. "Well you are an hour later than you'd said you'd be." She crossed her arms. "Do you have an explanation young man?" Kerja winked at him.

"The first officer brought a new device to the ship, needed to go down to science lab and check it out, hopefully it will point us in the direction, they took your mother." He said, sounding a little hopeful, and worried how she would take the news. For the most part, Harry avoided the topic of her mother, he had a lot of questions, but he knew she was hurting.

Kerja had expected her father to tell her it was none of her business, or to tease her back about her adult persona. She wasn't expecting the truth. Her smile faltered and fell from her lips.

"you okay?" He asked, realizing that was a dumb question to ask, but it was really the only question, that was on his mind. He wanted to make sure she was doing okay. It had been a long day for her today, and this could put her over the top, force in seclusion or simply depress her. He hoped she would be willing to talk, or at least be willing to attempt to stay positive. It had to be hard on her, he thought. Knowing her mother was a prisoner of war. It was hard on Harry to think about.

Kerja looked at him, determined not to let her emotions get the better of her. So far she'd managed to bottle nearly everything up, lock it away. "No," when she answered her voice didn't shake, but she couldn't hold his gaze and looked away.

He could tell she was hurting, it was a very sensitive subject. "What can I do for you?" He asked, hoping to make her feel a little more comfortable? She was a lone, feeling down, and grieving. He could only imagine what she was going through. It was very hard for him to relate to her. But it was not hard for him to feel compassion for her.

"I don't want. . ." she started to say but suddenly there was a rush of adrenaline and she had thrown the blanket off of her. Her hands were shaking. The more she tried to calm herself down the worse it got. She tried to breath now but it felt as if her lungs weren't working. Kerja got dizzy and had started to get up before falling back down on the couch, her eyes wild with panic.

Harry jumped off the couch, "Kerja, can you hear me?" He asked. He with a sense of urgency, he was not sure what was happening. What was she doing, wondered Harry, does he the call the doctor yet?

She put her hands over her throat. She couldn't breathe, she was going to lose consciousness soon. "Help," She managed to rasp out.

Harry tapped on his combadge. "Captain Anderson to sickbay, medical emergency two to transport from captain's quarters to sickbay, please notify Lieutenant T'San of our arrival. Something " Called out Harry in a state of panic. Luckily his training allowed him to be focused. He was no stranger to emergency situations. They beamed from his quarters into sickbay.

***

Harry helped Kerja onto the bio bed, a medical nurse started to scan Kerja. He could see that Kerja was struggling to breath, a little more clearly. The quarters were dark, but sickbay was lit up.

T'San walked in to sickbay, she barely had her uniform on as she was awoken from her bed. She walked over to the bio bed and pulled the nurse away. She took out a respirator and put it over Kerja's mouth and nose. Calmly she said to Kerja, "Easy short breaths, Kerja." She looked down on her. "Look at me, it's alright, just short breaths." She took her hand for a second as she held the respirator over her mouth and nose. "Just look at me," said T'San.

Kerja tried to do what the woman told her, she took short gasping breaths. But the thing that helped the most was looking at T'San. Her dark eyes were concerned but rather deep and pool-like. It gave her something to focus on other than the fact that she felt she couldn't breathe.

When T'San saw she was focusing, she nodded, "If you can, keep looking at me and breathe in and out slowly, in trough you nose, out trough you mouth."

It was working, she was able to breathe more. Taking slow short breaths was helping. The panic inside her was dying down. Now she just felt tired, or had T'San given her something to make her relax? Kerja wasn't sure. All she knew was that she was feeling better. "Thank you," she mumbled.

T'San took the respirator from her face. "It's alright, just go to sleep, we will talk tomorrow." She turned around and walked to a closet. She took out a blanket and put it over her. She then pointed to her office motioning the captain to follow her.

Harry followed her into her office. "Sorry to call you in so late, is she okay?" Asked Harry, feeling very concerned for her safety. It was a strange feeling for him to be concerned for anyone in this fashion. The feeling was awkward and uncomfortable for him. He was not use to be close to anyone outside of his family. But now Kerja was his family, and it took him by surprise, as well.

"She had a panic attack, which in itself is rarely life threatening. But the cause is obvious. The girl obviously held back lots of emotions, mostly fear and anxiety, it is only natural at some point that must come out. Humans and Bajorns alike aren't able to control their emotions like Vulcans, and I don't even mean to brag about it. If you try to hold it back, it will just keep pushing till it comes out. Sometimes all it needs is a trigger." T'San sat down as she asked, " We're you talking about anything specific or did she have some kind of nightmare?"

"I mentioned that the device we found will help us find her mother, thinking back, probably not the best course of action. I was just trying to give her hope." He said, not fully remembering what he said, only what he meant to say to his daughter. He felt awful for being the reason for the panic attack.

"Well, Captain, it would have happen eventually. She will need to rest for now. Panic attacks are exhausting. But eventually she is going to have to deal with her emotions. Talk about them or have an outlet or it will happen again." She leaned back in her chair as she continued, "Normally I would recommend a counselor, but I think as her father, you should help her. Talk to her, she lost a mother and gained a father all in one day. She is still young, so that is hard on her. She needs to feel that she is not alone in this."

"I kinda know the feeling she is going through. Loosing someone and being surprised. She lost a mother, I lost 14 years. I am struggling myself, Doctor, are you sure I am the best person to talk to her?" He asked, questioning himself. He was full of doubt, and he was worried he would make it worse for her, not better. He did not have the necessary skills, to be father. But he was trying.

T'San nodded and said, "You are the only one. You are her father. And just because you weren't there for 14 years, you are here now and she needs you."

"Right," he sighed, trying to allow the moment to sink in. "When will she be ready to head home?" He asked, feeling a little tired and a little defeated.

"I let her sleep for now, I will give another check up in the morning and you can pick her up after that." Said T'San.

"Your keeping her overnight?" He asked, feeling really concerned, this was a strange feeling, to feel for someone you really do not know.

"Well yea, unless you want to wake her up now and drag her home?" Asked T'San hearing the worry in his voice. "She is fine, she just needs a bit of sleep."

"I trust you Doctor," he said feeling a little defeated, causing his little girl to have a panic attack. He was not sure if he should stay the night too or go home, he walked over to the chair and gently picked it up and took a seat.

"Captain." She walked over to the captain. "You should go to sleep as well. I think you need some rest as well. Make sure you get some sleep. Take a biobed if you want." She then walked to the entrance of sickbay and disappeared trough the doors.

Harry took her advise and slept on the biobed, he was not going to leave Kerja alone in sickbay.

 

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