"A Cat-astrophe, and a Promise"

Posted on 09 Aug 2026 @ 4:48pm by Lieutenant Ryan Collingway & Lieutenant Commander Riah Amberlyn XMD
Edited on on 09 Aug 2026 @ 4:51pm

1,008 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: The Doldrums
Location: Medical on Arawyn

///Medical////

Ryan had requested an appointment to see Doctor Amberlyn. Though he stressed it wasn't terribly important, him offering to visit medical was by itself unusual.

“Certainly, Lieutenant. Would 1600 hours work? She’s had a cancellation and I can get you in that quick,” the yeoman informed him.

"Sure, sounds great," Ryan said.

“See you soon.”

// Exam Room 1 //

Riah Amberlyn walked into Exam Room 1. “Good afternoon, Lieutenant. What can I do for you today?”

Ryan hesitated, his expression carrying a bit of a scowl. "Thanks for seeing me doctor. My cat allergy...I want to get rid of it. Or supress it somehow."

"I thought it would be fine, since cats are generally restricted to quarters or certain play areas on the ship. But I started sneezing in the turbolift. And then again on deck seven, later that day. I suspect that crew members are letting their felines into the hallways at times. And if the cats are starting to take over the ship, so to speak, then I should take care of this allergy before it starts to hinder my job," he explained.

“Okay. Is sneezing the only symptom?” asked Amberlyn.

"Yes," Ryan said. "Though if I have to start working on a compartment that a cat has rubbed itself against earlier that day, I suspect I can add watery eyes and plugged up nose to the list as well."

"It's not life-threatening, just annoying," he assured her. "But I can't exactly do my job as CEO if I can't work in certain areas.”

“That does pose a problem. We can definitely handle that. The scanner does indicate some nasal and ear irritation. Any feelings of itching in the back of your throat, on the sides by your ears?”

Ryan thought about it, but shook his head.

“Have you seen evidence of cats or other animals outside their people’s quarters? That’s against the rules unless they are on leash or in a carrier. Unless we have another litter of kittens free roaming the ship. Let’s hope not,” she said.

"No, but I would imagine some of the crew would still do that," Ryan's eyes lowered slightly. "Spencer is always happy to be out of his cage, so I get why they would want to." He sighed. "Look, I don't really want to be the guy responsible for enforcing pet regulations on the ship. This is about solving my own problems. That's all."

Amberlyn stopped and looked at Ryan for a moment. His reaction seemed out of sync with the issue somehow. In the end smiled. “Okay. We will fix your problem.” She studied his chart again and nodded. Yes, they had already completed the allergy test to determine exactly what initiated his symptoms and any complicating factors. She entered the coding for a hypospray and sent the order to the script nurse. “I’ve ordered a hypo of, essentially a specialized long term antihistamine. It will last about 4-6 months and afterwards many people find the allergic reaction is greatly reduced or even gone. Amy will be here in a minute.”

“How is everything else going since our adventure in California? Sleep, eating? You’ve lost a little weight; about 1.5 kilograms,” asked Amberlyn.

"I'm fine," Ryan said, and hesitated. "Just...trying to make sure I can do the best job on this ship. That's all. It's taking a lot of my focus."

There might have been more to that. His expression seemed to indicate that. But at the same time he didn't seem to want to talk about it.

“You do seem a little stressed or maybe very tired. Irritable or impatient? We are on the same team. I’m here to make sure you can do your best. Helps a lot if we have good communication between us. You don’t have to talk to me now, of course, but when you are ready, I’m here for you.”

The dark haired nurse arrived with the hypospray on a tray. “Thanks Amy.”

“Anything else?” asked WarmSun.

“Not at the moment.” Riah applied the pen sized device to Ryan’s neck and released the drug. “You should get relief within the hour.”

"Thank you," Ryan said, and realized reluctantly she was right. The walls around him were so tempting to go back up right now. "You're right," he added. "I am just working through some stuff."

"Alura is leaving," Ryan added. "She told me a little while ago."

Riah took a deep breath and held it for a moment. “Oh Ryan. That’s hard stuff.” She paused and Ryan just nodded. “The memory of her helped pull you out of a nightmare. Now you’re at another. You just found out?”

Ryan shrugged. "She told me yesterday. She wants to move back to Risa for her family at a resort they made. I handled it well, when she told me," he said. "I want her to be happy, no matter what."

He looked down. "I promised her that I would try not to have any walls around me. But at the same time, I think it's best if I just focus on work right now."

Riah was relaxed, in no hurry to end this exam. “I’m not a counselor, but this is a very personal issue and that, sometimes, has to override everything. Feelings don’t really go away when you bury them behind work. They will surface somewhere in your life. Often inconveniently. And you have a friendship to honor. And a promise made. Honoring that promise, you may find, is the most important thing of all.”

Ryan considered, but shook his head. "I'll try. But right now, this is the best I can do."

He rubbed his neck. "Thanks for the shot. I'm glad I could take care of that at least."

“Let me know if there is anything else I can do, Ryan.”

Ryan nodded and went back to work.

~~~~
LtCmdr Riah Amberlyn, XMD
Chief Medical Officer

Acting Lieutenant Ryan Collingway
Acting Chief Engineer Ryan Collingway
USS Arawyn

 

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