“If I ignore it, eventually it will go away"

Posted on 28 Oct 2025 @ 7:36pm by Ensign Mira Quinn & Crewman Clara Barton
Edited on on 28 Oct 2025 @ 7:43pm

857 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Fractured Accord
Location: Sickbay

=/\= Sickbay =/\=

The doors to Sickbay opened and Mira Quinn walked in. She looked about uncertainly. The place seemed to be empty. A few bio-beds were occupied, but their residents were sleeping.

Taking another few steps she finally noticed somebody moving in the next room. Taking a deep breath, she moved over there.

"Hello?" She asked.

Almost immediately, a female human figure appeared from behind a patient's privacy curtain. "And hello to you, too," that person smiled pleasantly. "I'm Nurse Barton, but you can call me Clara. Please excuse my ignorance, but I haven't managed to put names to everyone's face yet. Why don't you tell me yours and why you've paid us a visit here in sickbay?"

"Mira Quinn. I got a message that I should do my medical evaluation."

"Well, that can certainly be taken care of, and it's a welcome change from dealing with sick and compromised crew members. It's been a little hectic recently, as I'm sure you can imagine."

Mira looked about again. It didn't look hectic. Sickbay was actually looking very calm and collected. "You're sure now a good time for this? If you're busy, I can come some other time."

"This is the perfect time," the nurse assured her with a kind smile.

Mira sat down, waiting for Clara to pull up her reports. "I haven't had any serious medical issues. Maybe a broken arm, when I was a kid."

Clara glanced at the young women who seemed ill at ease. The nurse knew that all crew members were mandated to undergo periodic physical exams during their tours of duty, so this was just routine for everybody. However, this science office seemed uptight, and it made Clara wonder if something was possibly hiding behind a stoic façade. Of course, there was such a thing as “White Coat Syndrome.” That was a very real phenomenon which made patients anxious when confronted by medical personnel. Clara wasn’t discounting something like that just yet because this was her first encounter with Mira Quinn.

As the testing progressed with additional scans as well as more personal hands-on procedures, Clara commented softly, “Your blood pressure is a little elevated as is your pulse rate, Mira. I hope I don’t seem intimidating to you and that I’m the cause. Your past physical showed that you are a healthy 23-year-old, so let’s assume today’s examination will follow suit.”

When the patient on the table didn’t answer and was avoiding eye contact, Clara continued what was a solo dialogue. “In my experience, there are two types of people in the world. Some souls worry about every little ache and pain and run to the doctor because they’re sure it’s the harbinger of something awful that’s about to lay them low. Then there are those people who avoid the doctor like the plague because they don’t want to know if something could be wrong with them. Their motto is “If I ignore it, eventually it will go away.” I suppose my question is where do you think you fall on the spectrum, Mira?”

"I suppose I'm on the ignoring side," Mira finally answered, catching Clara's eye. Then a small smile. "I don't really have a problem with doctors, and I know there's really no reason to be tense. Unless you find something."

The nurse was just passing a tricorder over her which was beeping incessantly.

"Did you find something?" Mira asked, worried.

Clara held up a calming hand. “The tricorder reacts when it detects anything outside of normal human parameters, and it was simply picking up slightly elevated cortisol readings. That can happen when a person is anxious, or it can be the result of not getting enough healthy sleep. But I can find no evidence of illness, disease, or any anatomical anomalies.”

Mira sat back up and let out a breath. "So, I'm cleared for duty?"

"Yes, of course. You're good to go," Clara said slowly.

Mira got off the bio-bed. "It's strange, really... I've been waiting half my life for that sentence. But then you're finally posted aboard ship, and it's not what you expected."
Clara shrugged. "Maybe nothing is ever as we expect it to be and that can be disconcerting."

When the young woman didn't respond, Clara pushed on. “Mira, never underestimate the very real mind-body connection. You appear to be a physically healthy individual, but that could change in time if you don’t address other things which could impact your body in a negative way. Have you made any friends aboard the ship? Your tour of duty shouldn't be all work and no play."

Had she made any friends? Mira wasn't sure. There were her fellow science officers, but she hadn't seen them much out of the Science Lab - which made sense, given that they'd spent so many time there over the past few days. And then there was her roommate, which she barely saw either, since they had different shifts. "I'll keep that in mind," she finally said.

=/\=

Cwm Clara Barton
Nurse
USS Arawyn

&

Ens Mira Quinn
Science Officer
USS Arawyn

 

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