Restless Nights
Posted on Mon Jan 27th, 2014 @ 4:34am by Lieutenant Colonel Jillian "Phoenix" Sullivan & Commander Tressa Brislan
1,013 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Mission 84 - Blockade
Location: Phoenix's Hospital Room
PTSD was one untreated illness that generally acted up during highly stressful times, for Phoenix. It generally started with horrific nightmares. Some of them about memories so dark and graphic, she usually woke up in cold sweats. Other nightmares, were just horrors Jillian worried about, but never happened yet.
On this night, Jillian jackknifed in a massive sweat from an occasional nightmare that had all of Raxus trying to stone her. Panic was all over her face as she looked around the hospital room. It was hard to get her bearings in a room when painkillers kept her from seeing straight.
"Major Sullivan, please remain calm," the computer said smoothly. "Lieutenant Velara is on her way."
Ah. Right. She was in the hospital part of the station. While that calmed her, in so far as her bearings went, Phoenix could not shake the dream entirely. It bothered her greatly, being one of the few out of jail. But she did not want to think too much of it at the moment.
The nurse on her way, Jillian tried to slow her breathing. As she did this, Phoenix also began to rub her face as if trying to wake up properly. It was a dream, she knew, but it nagged her all the same.
Velara swept into the room; the Bolian was always graceful even when doing something mundane.
"Good evening, Major. Are you in pain?" she asked.
"It's Phoenix," Jillian corrected for what felt like the twelfth time with these people. "But, no. I aint in pain, Kid. Where's your boss?"
"Doctor Laskey is on duty now, I can send for him if you like," Velara said as she straightened the blanket around Phoenix.
"I aint need'n a doctor," Phoenix in exasperation. "Just curious, is all."
"Curious? There is always a doctor on duty in Sickbay. Is there anything I can get for you?"
"Something to help me sleep, I guess," Phoenix shrugged after a long, thoughtful moment. What she really wanted, was a stiff drink, to numb her emotional pain.
The tall nurse nodded. "I'll let Doctor Laskey know, he's your attending," she said, sweeping out of the room.
Phoenix waited anxiously, her legs shaking and her hands knotted in each other. And now another doctor was going to look after her. It was honestly more stressful now, than inside the cockpit, trying to fight off three Jem'Hadar fighters.
"Major?" Doctor Laskey asked softly as he walked into the room. "Velara said you would like some help getting back to sleep."
"Something to stop dreams, preferably," Phoenix spoke cautiously.
"I have a deep sleep aid that helps to keep you out of REM sleep, will that do?" he asked politely.
"Yeah," Phoenix nodded very weakly. "Who do I need to talk to to get a temporary prescription, for the next few weeks?" The pilot usually went through such horrific dreams about that long.
"I can take care of that for you, the dispensary will give you what you need when you are discharged," the man said, typing into the terminal. "There we go. Would you like the sleep aid now or do you want to eat? I see from your chart you haven't eaten in six hours."
"More liquids?" Phoenix asked with a grimace.
He checked the padd next to the bed. "Hmmm, chelation therapy, urinary tract rebuild, I think we can try some solid food now," he said softly. "Doctor Brislan didn't leave any notes concerning foods but we can certainly try something more than broth at this point."
"I'll take anything ya got," Phoenix agreed, only because that meant a welcome distraction from mulling over her nightmare.
"Certainly, we'll have a tray for you in just a moment," the doctor said. He left quickly, as though he couldn't wait to leave.
Phoenix could only shake her head in irony. His boss stuck with her no matter what, while he appeared not to have anything to do with her.
A moment later Velara returned and the aroma of a well-seasoned stew soon filled the room.
"I have corn and crab chowder for you, and rye bread," she said with a smile as she placed the tray over the bed. She held up a small cup which rattled with pills. "This is the sleep aid prescribed by Doctor Laskey, you should take it with food."
"That one doesn't like being around me much, does he?" Phoenix asked as she downed the pills with a gulp of tea, then started working on her chowder with gusto.
"Doctor Laskey? He just has a lot going on right now. Things are a bit... unsettled right now but we'll soon have everything back to right," the Bolian said. "If you need him the computer will page him for you."
"This have anything to do with your boss not being around? It being early morning for Alpha shift, I'd assume she'd be about," Phoenix asked with a shrug. "Or do you guys have a 24-On, 24-Off schedule?"
"Doctor Brislan? She has taken a brief leave for personal reasons, we don't know exactly when she'll be back but I assure you Doctor Laskey is an excellent physician," she said as she tidied up. "Would you like to listen to some relaxing music while you eat?"
"I prefer watching a holovid boxing match, but I wont complain," Phoenix shrugged as she continued to eat her chowder. Though she began to break apart her bread and dunk it in the stew.
The nurse turned the biobed so that Phoenix faced the terminal. "The computer will play whatever you like, I'll be back to check on you shortly."
Phoenix was soon watching the holovid and eating, though halfway through the match she was watching, she began to feel drowsy. It was about time, really, because she could not stomach a lot of her nightmares.
She didn't see when Velara entered the room; the nurse carefully removed the empty tray and tucked the covers around her.
Major Jillian Sullivan
Commander, Air Group
Starbase 400
Lieutenant Commander Tressa Brislan
Chief Medical Officer
Starbase 400
RSS Feed