Medical check-in

Posted on Sun Nov 22nd, 2020 @ 10:46pm by Lieutenant Anna S. Thesia M.D. & Lieutenant Aurora Vali
Edited on on Mon Nov 23rd, 2020 @ 10:24pm

Mission: Healing of Minds
Location: Sickbay

{ON}

As promised Aurora made her way to Sickbay to see Anna for a check up. She had to admit that her bonding with Savar had affected her in ways she hadn’t been prepared for. As she reached Sickbay she walked inside and looked around for Anna.

Anna was in her office, still in the process of setting everything up the way she liked it. But the most important stuff was already in place, and that meant she was in business. Seeing who had entered, Anna left her office, carrying a mug of green tea for Aurora. The cup had the word 'Tranquili-tea' written on it. She held it out to her. "Here you are, fresh and relaxing tea."

Aurora smiled warmly as she took the cup. “Thank you.” She sipped the tea before cradling the cup in her hands. “Are you settling in alright?”

"Yes. Lots of shiny new toys here", Anna grinned. "Needs a bit more green, if you ask me, but green tea is a start, I suppose." She led the way into the examination room, behind closed doors as she found most people were more comfortable having their physical done with some privacy. "I find it a bit ironic to have a Sovereign class of all things called the Liberty, but I'm not complaining about the state of the art medical facilities."

Aurora nodded. “Well you should have everything you could ever wish for here, I haven’t been aboard long myself so I haven’t really had a proper chance to get used to the ship yet.”

"And it looks like you've had some more important things to deal with anyway", Anna added, patting the biobed as a suggestion for Aurora to hop onto it. "Let me begin with a neurological scan, just to make sure your headaches really are a sign of exhaustion, and nothing worse. You can remain seated. Easier to drink your tea that way."

Aurora nodded and carefully got up onto the biobed. “Savar did say the headaches were normal, I’ve never really been an a-typical Vulcan.” She offered a smile. “I do tend to find adjusting to new places a little stressful but I’ve been made welcome here.” She sipped her tea.

"I've only determined your biological heritage with my first scan. Do you make an effort to hide it, or is that just a byproduct of your general fashion choice?" Anna wondered. "I'm of mixed descent myself, though there's no way I could show my Minaran half on the outside."

“I used to hide my ears when I was younger and amongst others but growing up I’ve come to treasure both sides of my heritage. I like who I am now and my parents are proud of my decision to finally bond with Savar.” She sipped her tea. “We were chosen for each other a long time ago. Back then I wasn’t ready to bond, having found Savar here when I arrived I realised what a mistake that was.”

"It's always best to make up your own mind", Anna said. "Parents might have your best interest in mind, emphasis on might, but even trying their hardest, they can't see into your heart." She activated the scanner and looked at the neural activity on the screen. "See here, this is your paracortex. It's the centre of telepathy in the brain. It's slightly more active than it would usually be at the moment, I'm sure the bonding is an intense experience, and your brain will need some time to calm down afterwards."

Aurora nodded. “The Bonding was ...” she shrugged her shoulders. “Beyond words! I’ve never felt anything like it before. I’ve melded before but this was like nothing I’ve ever experienced or will ever experience again.”

"Yes, I can believe that." Those things tended to be once-in-a-lifetime events, and events had to turn south a lot for that to change, not something she'd wish on anyone. "You're in luck, in that the skipper authorised your leave. That way, I won't have to put this into your medical files and put you on medical leave. Plus, you get to enjoy this feeling, savour it now that it is fresh."

Aurora nodded. “I will. I just need to learn to control the input I’m getting from Savar. I learned to control my Betazoid abilities when I was a teenager but this is totally different.” She offered a smile and drank more of her tea.

"I'm lucky, in a sense, that my body doesn't produce the pheromones of my Orion side. Things are a lot easier that way, even if that means that I cannot draw on those abilities when they might be useful", Anna said. "My healing abilities, sadly, only work on myself. If I want to help others, I'll have to resort to these conventional means." She made a general, encompassing gesture of her surroundings.

Aurora nodded. “May I ask ... When Savar and I were under the influence of pon’farr, I didn’t think about anything else but being with Savar, that includes ... my birth control.” She paused. “We don’t want a family yet, and I need to know whether or not ...” she let the end of the sentence linger, worried incase there was the possibility of her having conceived.

Anna shifted the scan and shook her head. "No, your mixed heritage has prevented that from happening, it seems. Most hybrids are infertile, and if you consider the genetic disparity between sentient species, it's a surprise anyone is compatible at all, you see? You won't conceive naturally. You needn't worry about birth control to begin with, though it will still help regulate your hormone levels."

Aurora looked at Anna in surprise, “I’m infertile!? So I’ll never be able to have children!?” Her heart sank at the thought of not being able to give Savar children in the future.

"No, there are different ways to have children, not just the natural process", Anna said. "But as hybrids, the natural process is usually barred to us. Even most single-species individuals aren't compatible with one another without medical intervention. If you decide you want children, you can have an embryo created in a lab and implanted into your body. A few hormonal injections and you'll be good to go. It's not a barrier at all these days." She was surprised that Aurora seemed to be this concerned over it.

“I’m sorry” Aurora gave Anna an apologetic look. “I didn’t mean to sound like a drama queen. You’re the first doctor whose ever mentioned this. I do want to have children in the future, I guess it’s just a case of taking an alternative route.”

"I think this might be because it's such a common thing, most people just take it for granted", Anna mused. "I'd consider it worth mentioning much more if indeed you were fertile despite being a hybrid. And look on the bright side, no unwanted pregnancies for you, and planned parenthood is always available."

Aurora nodded. “That’s true. I just hope I don’t let Savar down. For Vulcans family is all important, to have those who will carry on the family line. I want to do my part as a dutiful wife.”

"You're looking at an exclusive relationship?" Anna asked. "If not, there are other options available as well. Do a bonding group of four, like the Andorians, maybe?"

Aurora shook her head. “No, that’s definitely not an option. When the time comes I’ll let you know and we can discuss it properly then. In the meantime I need to talk to Savar about this, that’s if I’m cleared to go?”

"I've got my baseline scan for you, yes", Anna said. "You're cleared to take the next three days off and enjoy yourself." She held her hand out for Aurora's empty mug.

“Oh ..” Aurora smiled as she handed over the mug. “That was lovely tea, thank you. I appreciate your help and advice.”

"Could you do me a favour, though?" Anna asked. "Tell people that coming in here to have scans taken isn't all bad, and that there's tea? Maybe I won't have to chase quite as many people down like that."

Aurora grinned. “I’ll recommend you next time I do appointments, that’s a promise.”

"And you're welcome to come in any time you'd like to have tea", Anna added.

“I may just take you up on that!” Aurora grinned. “After all we Medical professionals need to stick together.”

"Nah, it's good. As a surgeon, I can stick anything back together", Anna joked.

Aurora couldn’t help but giggle. “I’ve no doubt of that!” With that she headed on her way.