Conspiracy for a Cause

Posted on Thu Jan 4th, 2018 @ 12:29am by Major Hailey Weston & Lieutenant JG Siobahn Fallon

Mission: https://wellington.pegasusfleet.site/index.php/sim/missions/id/4
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Current

Siobahn moved with ease around sickbay. There was nothing that was outright unfamiliar and the setup was pretty similar to everything she had encountered through her practicals, yet there was just a hint of difference, the single pip on her collar and the uniform she wore. Her first assignment. So fresh from the Academy that she still had ink from her diploma marking her hands, figuratively speaking, and here she was, the USS Wellington.

She ran her fingers across one of the bio beds, unable to help but smile. She still had a long ways to go, already signed up to complete her post doctorate while on active duty, Siobahn new it was going to be a difficult slog, but she had gotten this far and she was nothing if not determined.

The sound of the doors opening behind her startled her from her thoughts and she cursed under her breath. 'Jaysus...' before spinning around to face the visitor. "Hi, how can I help?"

Hailey's eyes searched the doctor in front of her, it was what she had to be, the single VERY shiny pip on each collar, the caduceus of medical next to it and young. She was, of course, in her marine uniform with the Captain's bars and her own medical insignia on her shoulders instead of on the collar, "Yes... Is nurse Capillon here? She was supposed to help me with something and didn't show up..."

With a quick shake of her head, Siobahn smiled apologetically. She raked her eyes across Hailey's uniform, taking in the rank and the medical insignia. Interesting that a Captain with her own medical expertise would be seeking assistance of nurse, but there was no way she would speak out of turn and question it. "Sorry Ma'am, I don't know where she is. Is there something that I can help you with? Or would you rather come back later and see if she's available?"

"Actually." Hailey appraised the doctor again, then nodded, "I've got a friend I'm trying to get detoxed from alcoholism, but also keeping her career intact, hence this being off the books per say. Come with me." It was more a request than a command, but she didn't move, "Sorry, Captain Hailey Weston, Marine CO of the detachment here on the Wellington as well as a doc here in sickbay." She smiled warmly, "Didn't mean to be snappy."

"You weren't," Siobahn replied quickly as she grabbed a medical kit. She opened it, double checking the contents before moving to a storage cupboard and grabbing a few extra items and dropping in to the open medical kit. Snapping it closed, she picked it up and looked back at Hailey. "Ensign Siobahn Fallon, new medical officer. Lead the way Captain," She said with a smile.

"Hailey." The Marine waved away the formality. She was a stickler for it going upwards, but from others towards her? "I'm not one of the snobs that it seems most Fleet doctors have turned into, hell, most of them wouldn't consider me being a real doctor, at least if I wasn't able to prove it by my diploma from the Academy. So... Siobahn, how ARE you doing today?" They had already left sickbay and were heading for the officers quarters.

Siobahn almost hesitated, clearly not expecting, nor used to, such laid back treatment from such a senior officer. "I can't complain all too much," she replied with an easy grin. "Apparently I'm having a much better day than your friend. How long has she been drinking and how heavily?" She figured she may as well ask the truth now, before they got to this 'friend'. In her experience, most people dealing with any kind of addictive behaviors was rarely honest about basic questions, and the truth could make a big difference in the treatment.

"A lot and for quite a while, since she and I met to be honest." Hailey sighed, "I started to detox her a couple days ago, so she's doing a lot better, but I'm keeping a close eye on her bloodwork, especially so since she's Betazoid and has some differences in alcohol metabolism. Hard liquor, particularly high test whiskey and just about anything high proof that she could get her hands on, including some Klingon moonshine that I don't know where she got."

"Damnú air!" Siobahn muttered quietly shaking her head. "How has she handled the detox so far? Headaches? Sweats? Shakes? Any anger or behavioural issues?"

"Yes on all accounts." Hailey recognized the language as Gaelic, just didn't recognize it, "I might have made a mistake and accelerated the initial with a Zilanitate injection to strip most of the dulling effects of the alcohol and to go straight to hangover... Overall, however, she's pretty civilized about it."

Siobahn nodded slightly. "Aye, wouldn' have been my first choice, but still a means to an end." She cast a sideways glance at Hailey as they stopped in front of the door way to the quarters. "Anythin' else I should know about before I go in?" she asked.

"Not really much to tell, she's a pilot, mostly starships now, but used to be a shuttle pilot for the Marines, sometimes for my unit even." Hailey shrugged, "Not sure what state of mind she's in right now, but earlier she was trying to get out to the new bar."

Stepping back, Siobahn followed Hailey into the room and immediately cast her gaze toward Cally, taking a moment to take in as much as she could. "Hi there," she said with a smile, stepping forward and holding out her hand toward Cally. "I'm Siobahn, one of the medical officers. You must be Cally, Aye?"

Calypso looked at the hand, then up and down the new woman, then over to Hailey, "Am I now a sideshow, Hales? Just bringing in people to see the new exhibit in the zoo?" She didn't take Siobahn's hand, instead turning and pacing two steps away, then back, then away again, "Jesus, I don't have a problem!"

"Your... uhhh.... 'friend' here," there was a subtle emphasis on the use of the word friend as she spoke 'just asked me to come in and make sure all is good. Wanna sit and have a chat with me for a bit?"

"If I do, will you all just go away and let me do what I want to do?" Cally snapped at her, "Seriously? I don't have a drinking problem and I AM an adult, if you couldn't tell." The shorter woman sat down hard, "But sure, why not, can't lose anything, can I?" Hailey stood by the door, just in case Cally tried something, "What did you want to talk about, Chickadee?"

Sitting on the edge the single chair, Siobahn set her medical kit down behind her back and reached up, pulling her long red hair to one side and securing it with an elastic before tossing it back over her shoulder. Reaching back, she grabbed the medical kit and opened it up, taking out a hypospray and quickly loading a canister. "Okay, Cally, I'm gonna give you this ok? You won't feel it, but it'll help take the edge off. It won't take but a moment to work."

Before Cally could respond, Siobahn had pressed the hypospray to her neck, the soft hiss indicating that the dose had been delivered. "Your mouth may feel a little dry, you may feel rather thirsty, I suggest room temperature water."

"What the hell?" Cally flinched back, glaring first at Siobahn, then at Hailey, "What was that? Why?" Then she just sat back as something started to feel different.

Siobahn waited a few moments in silence, watching Cally carefully. Once she was sure that the drug would have started working, she tipped her head to one side slightly and smiled gently. "Are you feeling a little better now?" she finally asked.

"Oh..." Calypso said softly, "You aren't so bad.. She's not so bad, Hales." She glanced up to Hailey, then back down to the new girl, "Caaan I have another shot of that?"

"I'm not here to lecture you, I'm not here to give you a hard time, I'm sure you've gotten enough of that already, I'm just here to help, okay?" She smiled at Hailey who was still standing guard at the door. Reaching behind her, Siobahn slipped her hand into the medical kit and grabbed a tricorder, holding it up and flipping it open. "I'm just going to make a few quick checks, okay Cally? I can explain to you what I'm doing if you like, otherwise, why don't you just tell me something about yourself while I work. Your friend there tells me you're a pilot, yeah?"

Hailey gave a smile back to Siobahn as she looked, and Cally just looked off and started speaking, "Yup, I can fly anything and I mean anything,wings, no wings, engines, prefer the ones with them, but even when shot away I can fly it. I flew assault shuttles for the Marines, I don't even know how many drops, but lots of combat drops. Hales over there, she was a Raider, you know, their special operations troops, I've gotten her into and out of a few spots myself, there was this one time..." She droned on and on.

Scanning carefully with the tricorder, Siobahn's face remained impassive as she watched the readings that were flashing across the screen as she listened to the other woman talking.

"...And I've been shot down twice, once was pretty sane, was more just a rough landing behind our own lines, no harm, no foul outside of a few bruised egos and bones. The other time was really hairy, just lost it, cockpit was torn apart, Jerry was all over the place, literally, so I was bringing it down by myself, didn't realize the troop compartment had been gutted by another shot. Was behind the lines, by myself, well, for a little bit at least. Got picked up by some of the good guys after a day and a half..." She trailed off.

Siobahn snapped the medical tricorder closed and dropped it back into her medical kit, everything she needed to know for the right here and now had been made clear. "Sounds like the two of you have had a great many adventures, you've obviously been together a very long time," she said gently.

"Only on and off." Cally said, then paused, "Oh... You mean TOGETHER together." She shook her head, "Gods no, friends, yeah,but that's it. Sorry Hales, but I don't swing that way, even for you." She winked at Siobahn, lowering her voice, "So you if you wanna make a move on her, she's available. No one else has succeeded." The last was a whisper.

Siobahn raised one eyebrow slightly and leaned toward Cally, winking in a somewhat conspiratorial way. "I'll let you know," she whispered back, grabbing her medical kid and standing up. She patted Cally on the shoulder gently. "If you need anything, give me a shout, okay? I'm happy to come back. If you find you have trouble sleeping, again let me know, I can give you something to help with that, but just try and stick it out, okay? You're doing good."

She walked across the room to the door, turning to offer a wave and a cheerful "Bye Cally" before silently motioned for Hailey to step outside with her for a moment.

Hailey gave a smile to Cally before leaving the room, following Siobahn out the door, "Well, obviously you're better at this sort of thing than I am. Give me a good combat wound any day of the week, I can handle those far better. This sort of thing, well... How is she doing overall?"

Siobahn nodded. "She's actually doing surprisin'ly well, I think the stress is probably the primary reason she has resorted to alcohol, I'm not a counsellor or anything but I wouldn't mind bettin' she has some kind of post traumatic stress disorder. As soon as she started talkin' about pilotin' her cortisol levels were almost immediately on the rise. Alcohol acts as a massive dopamine booster, so when she starts drinkin' it makes her feel good and it makes her feel like she can cope, but then the more she drinks the effects begin to become adverse so instead of makin' her feel better it makes her feel worse and then she drinks more to try and cope. It becomes cyclic. Feel bad and drink. Drink and feel bad. Feel bad and drink."

"Ouch..." Hailey remarked, "I can see how that would work. What she did was difficult and eventually it gets to the best. How bad is it going to be?"

"She has a long road ahead, but the first three weeks are going to be the hardest but she's off to a grand start. Keep her hydrated, keep her busy, maybe get her into some yoga or martial arts or somethin' to give her a way to help channel some of the frustration she's feelin'? I'm happy to keep poppin' in to check on her if that helps?" Siobahn smiled warmly. "You're doin' a great thin for your friend."

"Thanks. And yes, I would love it if you'd check in on her, because I've not been able to handle it that well. I think a hand to hand combat style might be the best, or at least that would be it for me.. I honestly don't know what the best thing for her would be, I'll have to talk about it with her." Hailey's smile was slight, "Thank you, Siobahn, I definitely owe you one, probably more."

Siobahn shook her head slightly. "No, not at all, honestly, it's fine. If you think she needs it, I can give her somethin' to help her sleep, some real sleep, no dreams, nothin', just good old body healin' deep sleep. I'll take the medical kit back to my quarters so I have it all with me, just give me a call if she needs anythin', any time, day or night. My quarters are just a little ways away and I don't sleep much anyway so you wouldn't at all be disturbin' me." She paused for a moment before continuing to say "That goes for you too, okay? Anythin' you need as well just let me know." She rested her hand lightly on Hailey's arm and squeezed gently.

"Unless you think it better, if she can't sleep well after a couple more days, then give her something." Hailey thought for a moment, "But same goes for me. Anything I can help you with, just let me know. I've got a decent exec for the troops and I'm on call for sickbay for any trauma that comes in, so I'm usually able to be at loose ends if I need to be." Her smile broadened a bit, "Even just to talk if you ever wanted. I know it can be tough to be new to a unit or ship, so if you ever need a shoulder or anything, I'm here."

With a grin, Siobahn flicked her long pony tail back over her shoulder. "Thanks," she replied easily. "You know what they say, it isn't easy bein' green!" She laughed at herself.

Hailey barked a laugh and shook her head, "If you ever want to know hard it is, just come by and we'll have a bite and I'll tell you some of my war stories. It'll blow your socks off and make you quite happy to be blue instead of green!"

“It’s a date,” Siobhan shot back with an easy grin. “How about tonight? Say twenty hundred hours?”

"Tonight?" Hailey asked. Well, she didn't have anything else to do that she knew of, "Why not? Mine or yours?"

Siobahn stopped for a moment and reflected on the status of her quarters. She was pretty sure her replicator was in use as a book shelf, and there was at least a dozen cargo crates that were stacked up precariously through her quarters waiting to be emptied. Not only that, a large part of the contents of the crates she had already opened had basically just been up ended onto the floor where ever they were when she opened them. "How proficient are you at mountaineering?" she finally asked with a grin. "Because honestly, I wouldn't enter mine unless you have a 10 day pack of rations, a safety line and a hard hat!"

Hailey laughed, "Oh, I'm good in bad terrain, and what I can't climb over, that's what explosives are for." She grinned right back "But until I can do a recon for the best path, perhaps my quarters would be better, then. You'll get to see... Well, not much, I don't really have much in there."

“Now, you know, you could be onto somethin’ with that explosives schtick... it would most definitely make unpackin’ easier now wouldn’t it?” Siobhan laughed. “If you’re feeling brave you’re welcome to attempt recon, I don’t mind much either which way.”

"Perhaps for next time?" Hailey raised an eyebrow, "Twenty Hours, then, my quarters. You think you can find your way to where the Marines live?"

“Hey, I may not have a map and compass, but this girl has still got some skills!” She shot back with a grin. “I know how to call for a site to site transport!” She laughed at herself and flicked her hair back over her shoulder again. “See you tonight,” she finished with a wink and a wave before turning on her heel and walking back down the corridor.

"See you tonight." Hailey said softly, watching the younger woman go. Such... Life in her. Something lacking in a lot of people she knew. It intrigued her, "I definitely need to get to know her better. And such potential."

OFF:
Marine Captain Hailey Weston
Marine CO
USS Wellington

Ensign Siobahn Fallon
Medical Officer
USS Wellington

Lieutenant Calypso Skyie
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Wellington