The Non-Soberish Doctor

Posted on Mon May 9th, 2022 @ 9:18pm by Lieutenant Kennedy Ryan Walsh & Lieutenant Miriam Lal
Edited on on Mon May 9th, 2022 @ 9:18pm

Mission: In the Aftermath
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Mission Day 2 at 2048

Doctor Kennedy Ryan Walsh had sought out Sickbay following his new jenze Lieutenant Timmoz’s recommendation to administer himself an alcohol inhibitor. He hadn’t seen Lieutenant Miriam Lal when he stepped across the room towards the medication dispenser.

“Computer,” Kennedy drunkenly slurred the command out.

The computer chirped a negative response, “The Computer hasn’t registered your verbal prompt.”

Lal's head had come up from what she was working on when Dr. Ryan Walsh entered Sickbay. "Doctor?" She asked, concern in her tone at the clear inebriation in his voice. She had noticed the emotional distress of the young man both before their arrival and after their return from Talbeethia Prime, but until now she had kept her own counsel. Now, though, it seemed as though perhaps the issue had escalated and she quickly set down her PADD and made her way over to him.

“Gobshite,” Kennedy swore at the computer with displeasure at his current predicament. He heard the calming voice of Nurse Lal. He stumbled around to face her, “Miriam… Nurse Lal…” He held a finger up, “Could you please tell the computer for me to provide me an alcohol inhibitor? I am about to have a conversation that I should probably do sober.”

Miriam's eyebrows crept up, but she ordered the inhibitor, snagging it from the replicator before Kennedy could when it materialized. With a quick swipe she pressed it to his neck, discharging the medication with a practiced hand.

"What kind of conversation," she began, "are you about to have? If you don't mind me asking."

“Hey!” Kennedy exclaimed when his hand came to the injection site. He rubbed it lightly, “A little… uh… warning next time…” The medication hadn’t taken quite effect until he stumbled onto his feet to face her. “Irynya and I… have had… some complications… it's… all my fault… and I’m gonna go… get her back…”

The Trill nurses eyes widened knowingly. "Oh… I see…" she said, the knowing look creeping into the tone of her voice. That fit the moods he'd been in, certainly. "Does Lieutenant Irynya know you are coming?"

“I was going to ask the computer what her location is… and then I was going to march over there… and then now I realize that’s a very… very…. bad idea.” Kennedy found himself hopping backward onto a bio-bed. “Definitely a bad idea. I should probably call her first?”

Lal frowned, thoughtful. "No, not necessarily. Sometimes showing up can be a good thing, but… if you've had… complications…" She pursed her lips. "What are you hoping will happen when she opens the door?"

Kennedy looked at her. He realized that he had more friends onboard the Sojo then he had recalled earlier when Timmoz and him were talking. He felt awful that he hadn’t included the nurses on that list. They were the reason that brought him to talk about his feelings with Irynya. Without her introducing him to Singapore Slings, he and Irynya wouldn’t have had that discussion. He wouldn’t have had that discussion with Timmoz just an hour and a half or so before. He gave her a pained look.

His eyes fell to his boots, “I’ve got a lot of growing up to do, Miriam. That’s the plan. I need to apologize for storming out on Irynya like I did. I feel so childish. Then again, I’m human. We’re a messy bunch, more guided reactions and emotions then any other without seeing the clearer picture. Timmoz helped me with that today. In fact. Glum and you helped me with that when we went for celebratory drinks.”

“I don’t know how Irynya will ever forgive me. I miss holding her in my arms, kissing her and well,” Kennedy blushed, realizing that his revelations here were too much information between co-workers. He shook his head, “Sorry for rambling there, Miriam.”

Lal's expression softened slightly, but still looked troubled. "It's fine, Doctor," she said calmly. "But… in the spirit of helping… be prepared that Irynya may not be ready to return to how things were yet. She may be hesitant. Or even angry. I don't know her well enough to guess how she will react. But I know that in her shoes… if someone I cared for stormed out on me… I would be hesitant and hurt."

Kennedy brought his hands up to wipe away the tears that started to linger down his cheek. He nodded his head, “I made an assumption without knowing the full truth. I felt so hurt and betrayed, but after talking to Timmoz… I blew this entirely out of proportion. But he set me straight. And on that straight and narrow path I’ve got to make this right by Irynya.”

He rubbed his temples, “I’ve got a headache.”

Miriam chuckled, reaching over to the replicator to key in a quick sequence and then snagging a second hypo that she pressed to his neck just as quickly. "Analgesic," she told him. "Should help with the headache."

“Thank you, Miriam.” Kennedy looked down at his feet. “Should I… should I call ahead of time? What if she doesn’t want to see me? What if I interrupt whatever she has planned.”

"She picked you, didn't she?" Miriam asked with a motherly sort of chiding. "Has she ever given you any indication that she wouldn't want to see you? Just go. Don't call. She will want to see you and if she can't for some reason she will tell you."

“She did pick me,” Kennedy nodded his head. “She hasn’t given me any indication. She keeps telling me when I’m ready we’ll have this conversation. A conversation I’ve been avoiding for nearly a week.”

The Trill nodded. "Then sounds like you ought to get a move on. You've got time to make up for."

The young doctor shifted himself off of the bio-bed and straightened out his trousers and duty jacket. He offered the older woman a smile, “I know it's not often that we are on a first-name basis… Miriam. But I want to thank you for being a friend.”

Lal's answering smile was warm and bright. "Oh course," she said kindly. 'And Kennedy… good luck."

He nodded his head and exited Sickbay, “Computer. Locate Lieutenant junior grade Irynya, Assistant Chief Helmsman.”

”Lieutenant Junior Grade Irynya is in her quarters,” the computer advised.

=/\= Hijinks by =/\=

Lieutenant Kennedy Ryan Walsh
Chief Medical Officer

Lieutenant Miram Lal
Nurse