Working Harder

[DrDMatthews 0]

A Joint Log by Debbie Matthews & Brian Smith      

 

       Debbie shook her head and chuckled as she watched the Captain stroll down the corridor toward the turbolift. In spite of his headache, he probably felt much better than Brian Smith.

 

      The CMO stepped back into Sickbay and looked around for her young associate. Brian was leaning against one of the biobeds, his arms folded across his chest. He looked a bit pale but other than that, he seemed to have survived his first one on one encounter with Captain Fred Michaels in fairly good condition. As she walked toward her office, she caught Brian's attention and motioned for him to join her.

 

      Debbie settled into her chair just as Dr. Smith walked in. She nodded to one of the chairs on the other side of her desk and Brian sat down quietly. Matthews could only imagine what was running through his mind.

 

      "Well, I see you met the Captain....up close and personal?" asked Debbie, smiling slightly.

      "Am I in trouble?"

      She shook her head. "No. You're not in trouble."

      Brian sighed and fell back in the chair. "Oh good. I thought I'd blown it."

      Debbie nearly choked. "And how did you nearly blow it?"

 

      "Well, when he came in, Gracie called me over. I asked if he was sick. He said he didn't feel himself. I told him that he was probably in need of counsellor." Brian shook his head, "Thats when it all went bad."

      "What happened next?"

      "He asked me if I had skipped some classes in the academy. I told him no. He told me that it appeared that I had missed some classes in diagnostics and talking to people. He made me feel really bad."

      "Tough few minutes."

      "Your right. Then he made a speech about telling him that he needs counselling. So I told him that he needed sleep to relieve his stress. That's when I got through to him. He started to listen. I told him to go read a holonovel or to head to the lounge. You know very well, that everyone needs a break sometimes, even Starfleet's finest."

     

      Debbie hesitated a long moment before saying anything. The Captain's remarks in the corridor led her to believe Dr. Smith had, for some reason, mentioned counseling. Brian was still a bit unnerved and the CMO didn't want to make matters worse so she carefully considered her next words.

 

      "Brian," began Debbie quietly, "Why did you assume the Captain needed counseling?"

 

      "Well, he said that he didn't feel himself," replied Dr. Smith. "And with all the nervousness of dealing with the Captain for the first time, I immediately connected it with a mental problem to be dealt with by a counselor. I guess I jumped the gun."

 

      The CMO smiled and nodded slowly. "I thought that might have been what happened. Captains can be a little....intimidating at times. So can First Officers. But in many ways, they're a lot like the rest of us mere mortals. From time to time, they develop headaches, indigestion and what have you. No need to panic when you see one of them coming your way. Just treat them like any other patient."

 

      Debbie stood and moved around the desk to sit in the chair next to Brian's. "I think the Captain understood you were a bit nervous. And I'm pretty sure he realizes all of us have been under a lot of stress lately. He seemed to be in a pretty good mood when he left here so I don't think you did any permanent damage to your reputation."

 

      Brian turned and looked at Debbie."You're probably right. He was in a good mood when he left."

 

      "One more thing," said Debbie. "Command officers are a little different. They have to be in order to deal with the responsibilities heaped on their shoulders. Some are better at it than others. From what I've seen, we're pretty lucky. Our guys are very good at what they do and they seem to know how far to push themselves."

 

      She paused for a moment, searching for the correct words. "At the same time, it's our job to quietly observe this crew and that includes the Command Officers. If we notice something a bit peculiar, we're obligated to bring it to their attention. We have to force the issue if necessary. Now I don't think Captain Michael's needs a counselor right now. But we can't be afraid to confront him or anyone else should the necessity arise."

 

       "I agree. They're doing the best that they can, and they're doing pretty well. You know...There's an animal on Animal Farm, Boxer, who has a motto, 'I will work harder.' Anytime something went wrong that was what kept him going. That's partially why I reccomended the book to him."

 

      Debbie stood and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a Tootsie Pop and handed it to Brian. "You did okay, Dr. Smith," said the CMO with a bright smile. "You've earned yourself a lollipop!

 

      "And don't worry about what you may have done wrong today," she added as she escorted him to the door. "It's never a mistake if you learn from it."