"Obstructions: Medical"

Posted on 02 Sep 2025 @ 12:29am by Lieutenant Commander Riah Amberlyn XMD & Ensign Ryan Collingway

992 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Fractured Accord
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Before nav buoy detonation

--Sickbay---

The doors opened, and Arawyn's newest crew member stepped through. Ensign Collingway looked at the sickbay with curiosity, his gaze looking at every corner of the room and taking in every detail. "I'm here to see the doctor," he said to the nurse. "Regular check-in for new arrivals."

"In-coming exams are being performed in the secondary clinic on Deck 16," began the Department Yeoman Lucy Engerman.

"I'm right here. I'll do it right here," interrupted Dr Amberlyn, entering right behind the Ensign.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Doctor. I didn't know," said Lucy.

"No worries. You have nothing to apologize for," Amberlyn gave the yeoman a thumbs-up and turned to the young man before her. "Hi. I'm Dr Amberlyn. And you are ...?"

"Ensign Ryan Collingway," he responded, watching her movements closely.

The Yeoman made quick work of bringing up Collingway's file and assigning it to an exam room. "You can use exam room one. Nurse Barton will join you shortly."

"Thank you. Come this way, Ensign. They made their way around the curved hallway to the first exam room and a nurse entered behind them.

Amberlyn opened the halo-field which presented them with a succinct and well-ordered display of Collingway's file. "Ensign Collingway, this is Nurse Barton. She'll be assisting as needed. Says you are coming from a medical Leave of Absence after serving on the USS Thysia." She read on quickly. "Can you tell me a little about what prompted that? PTSD treatment. There are details here, but I'd just like a quick recap in your own words. Nothing real deep."

It wasn't unexpected this came up so soon. Best to have it out now and try to move on. "Our ship was under attack from an invading force. The Lieutenant I was assigned to made a bad call. In the confusion, I shot him," Ryan replied, looking firmly at a spot on the wall "That was my first assignment. This would be my second."

She noticed his coping mechanism of focused attention, and watched his breathing, which was deep and controlled. "Good, I'm glad you're here. I'm sorry you had to encounter the Borg. That's pretty intense. Do you have any underlying medical issues you feel I should know about?" she asked, triggering the scanner mounted in the ceiling to do its full scan. "You can stay seated. What it reads doesn't require you to lay down," she explained as the low hum began.

Ryan shook his head, but he was able to relax a little as the scans went underway. "I am in good health, otherwise."

"Ensign, you are in good health, period. Not otherwise. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with you. You had a perfectly normal reaction to a perfectly aberrant trauma. You are recovering admirably, it says here. How do you feel about that, can you agree with that assessment?" asked Riah. Before he could reply, she held up her hand. "Would you prefer to talk about this privately in my office? I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I'm sure you will be talking to Dr Denari, the Counselor, as well, probably in much greater detail than with me, but I want you to feel safe."

But Ryan shook his head stubbornly. "That won't be needed. I agree with that assessment and I can function fully at my station going forwards." He kept his answers short and to the point, almost to the point of being impolite but not actually crossing that line. That seemed to work with his previous counselors.

Riah could read the signs that he was definitely not willing to talk about it. That was okay for the time being. "What's your favorite part of your job, Ensign?" asked Riah, continuing to read his file.

Ryan relaxed at the easier question, and his blood pressure definitely went down as a result. "Engines. I do enjoy the disassembly and reassembly. The more unfamiliar the better. It's like a complex puzzle that needs to be solved." It wasn't what his family wanted, and being here was a significant act of rebellion. But like most of his personal details, the people in this room here did not need to know that.

"What do you do for pleasure, besides take things apart and put them together?" asked Riah with a warm smile.

Instantly the walls went up again. The doctor was being too friendly. He couldn't have that. He kept the response polite but neutral. "The same thing as everyone else, I suppose." He paused. "You said I was in good health. Was there anything else you needed, or should I return to my duties?" Quickly he added, "I have a few other people who are expecting me to check in."

"I'm sorry you feel I'm prying, but it's important to know what you do for recreation, Ensign. Are you a rock climber, likely to come in with head trauma, or are you chess player, who chews his fingernails? Living on a starship has its challenges which you know better than many and on a starship, recreation keeps you sharp and is more than just a fancy word for having fun. Now, go take something apart and have fun doing it."

Ryan nodded, his face neutral. "Aye, ma'am. I can assure you that my recreational activities won't land me here at all."

"Nurse Barton will show you out, so you don't get lost in the maze. Getting out is harder than getting in," Riah smiled. She watched them leave, frowned and went back to read more on his file before closing it.

Ryan released a slow breath as the doors closed behind him. His last counselor had been close to retirement and seemed keen to shuffle him along. This was a bit harder, but so far he had kept it together. As long as he kept his head down, he should be fine.

~~~
LtCmdr Riah Amberlyn, XMD
Chief Medical Officer
USS Arawyn
&
Ensign Ryan Collingway
Engineering Officer
USS Arawyn

 

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