Out of Breath and Mentally Drained

Posted on Thu Oct 13th, 2022 @ 12:37pm by Lieutenant Veznia MD PSyD & Lieutenant Commander Calvin Morgan

Veznia had left her meeting with the Captain and immediately set out to find Doctor Morgan. Spotting him form a ways away she half jogged towards where he stood. "Sir." She wheezed, waving to try to get his attention. She came to a stop a short distance away and clutched her stomach. "The Captain said I should come see you sir." She took a deep breath and tried too take control of her breathing.

Calvin looked concerned at first, his attention diverted from rounds in the yellow triage area. Critical, but stable patients surrounded them in this chamber, complete with what monitoring equipment was scrounged up. Obnoxious noise to some, pattern and almost music to Calvin's ears. "Catch your breath," He finally responded with a relaxed tone, "Give me a moment."

All she could do was nod.

Turning, the Doctor finished quickly with the group of Nurses, Doctors, and fellow Acehayan Providers. They moved on and Calvin turned once again to face Veznia. "What can I do for you?"

The Denobulan woman puffed her face as she tried to gain her composure. "The Captain*gasp* mentioned that you *gasp* had some concerns about the..." He voice trailed off and she took some deep breaths. "The Captain said you had concerns about the mental health of some of the crew."

"Ah, yes. I'm not sure if you've noticed or not," Calvin started, motioning to follow him over to his "office." They walked towards a section surrounded by crates with a makeshift work stations. "But the crew seems to be struggling more with this mission. We are definitely out of our element which isn't helping."

"I can relate."Veznia said with a loud inhale. "I did tell the Captain that I had taken the journey her to read some combat related mental health journals. So I have some ideas." The Denobulan looked up at her superior. "I was going to visit anyone who's been wounded, but if you had some specific suggestions for who is in most need, I can start a list."

"Information is always good. Did you not do much with the subject in school?" Calvin responded. He sat down at his desk after offering the fellow officer a chair next to the same desk. Neither were comfortable, but would be better than standing, especially for someone who just caught their breath.

“I took the required courses in combat psych, all Starfleet Counselors do. , but my focus was the deep space and it’s effects on crews .” She admitted. “A lot of the basic approaches are surprisingly similar.”

Calvin nodded. It wasn't the answer he was hoping for. However, he knew, the Counselor was good at her job. "The patients have been leaning on my staff, I'm not too worried about them right now. I am worried about Medical though. And everyone else out there," gesturing down the cave. "Some obviously will reach out. The ones I'm really worried about though, are the ones that don't realize they have a problem brewing inside them."

Veznia felt her pockets for a PADD. "Sir, if you have some concerns, I can prioritize those individuals."

"I have a few where names have come to me third party," Calvin replied. Opening a PADD on his desk, he turned it for the fellow officer to see. "However this may be a needle in haystack hunt for everyone. We may want to consider setting up programs after the mission for debriefings. I'm happy to assist you with that however possible. I have some experience in post traumatic trauma and dealing with it."

“While we’re here, I’ll make a point to check in on those wounded and anyone on your list.” She nodded to herself. “Once we’re back on the ship I was thinking about setting up a support group, for anyone who wants to come, I think it would certainly help normalize the feelings alot of the crew are having.” Veznia spoke with sincerity.

Calvin nodded. "Support groups would be great. Allow more people to assist each other, which will have a better impact for many." He sighed, the thought momentarily overwhelming. "Sometimes the hardest part for someone is recognizing that it's okay to not feel okay. First though, we need to get out of here."

"We're on the same page about that one." Veznia spoke as a look of exhaustion fell across her face. "I miss my bed, and my squeaky door panel."

"Impressive how sometimes even a regular annoyance can be a source of comfort?" Calvin replied with a half-hearted smile. Commotion could be heard down one of the halls. "Well, I think since we have a plan, we can get rolling with that." He stood, stretching his back. "I will go see what is going on. Once rolling we can smooth out problems?"

"Yes Sir." Vez said with a nod. After my shift in triage, I'll make a point to visit with the wounded." Her plan sounded like a plan to her. For a moment she considered running back to her post, but decided against it and decided instead to walk with purpose. She was no good to anyone gasping for air.