by Avery Breaux and Keiran O'Sullivan
80621.13
Concurrent with Breaking Point
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-=Sickbay, USS Serendipity=-
80621.13
Concurrent with Breaking Point
------------------------------
-=Sickbay, USS Serendipity=-
Keiran's eyes snapped open. He wanted to sit up, but his body felt heavy; weighed down by a force much more powerful than gravity.
Where was he?
He'd been in his quarters. With Tryst. Then, she'd come by.
She.
"Liis?" Keiran's lips were parched, and the name he'd meant to speak with definite volume was merely a whisper.
Avery Breaux cussed and looked up from the PADD where he was noting O'Sullivan's last dose of medication and nodded. "Well this has been exciting hasn't it? Welcome back." One of the nurses, a Vulcan named T'Dara approached Keiran's bed and offered him a sip of water. He accepted it gratefully and after swallowing found his voice more cooperative now, even though he still felt winded and was hard pressed to form full sentences.
"Captain."
"Please don't overstep your bounds as usual, this is certainly no time. I sent her to rest," Breaux explained. His thoughts carried over into speech as he mumbled. "She didn't want to go. I don't mean to be curt, but it's been a bit hectic. I'd like to continue to serve with all of you and I don't have the luxury of time or allowing people to slow down the med staff."
"Is she,"
"You can gather from my tone that she's not well, Chief. But you need to rest. You're not a well man yourself at the moment. I will not have you or anyone else in my charge..." Breaux did not finish the sentiment.
"Why am I-" Keiran wondered what had put him back in the medical bay.
"You had a heart attack. In fact you're lucky that Dengar's team stayed up all night working to get one transporter room's worth of equipment back on line or we wouldn't be having this conversation now. Gods know we've all done what we could...bear with us..." Avery said, setting the PADD aside and turning his full attention to O'Sullivan. "I'm working out just why this happened to you." Breaux hesitated to bring up the next subject, but felt he had no choice.
"Tryst tells me that before your collapse they had put you on suicide watch," He knew a man with O'Sullivan's background would know of many potential methods for bringing about his own demise, not the least of which was poisoning himself with something that would be difficult, if not impossible to trace. Breaux was not pleased at having to broach this subject...it seemed his own emotions were running close to the surface-he maintained a clinical approach.
"Did you take anything tonight besides the alcohol we discussed when you were here earlier?" Breaux would use instinct before treatment to discern if he was being truthful with him.
"I did not." Keiran replied. "Believe me, Doctor, if I had made an intentional attempt, I would be dead."
Breaux simply nodded.
"The Counselor was reluctant to discuss your visit with me, for obvious reasons," Breaux continued. "I need to ask you a few questions."
Keiran reached up and rubbed his aching eyes. "Very well."
"Have you been experiencing any visual or auditory hallucinations? Anything out of the ordinary?"
Keiran's eyes widened. Avery took that as a 'yes' and continued. "What about particularly intense dreams? Flashbacks? It is imperative that you are truthful with me."
"You know if you've read my file that I have PTSD," Keiran said, evading the question.
"Yes, I know. Half of Starfleet suffers from that..."
Keiran looked up at the ceiling. "Half of Starfleet hasn't worked for Temporal Investigations, though have they now?" Breaux wondered if there was a connection to anyone who had...he pushed the thought from his mind.
Breaux considered that this may add another dimension to O'Sullivan's struggles with post-traumatic stress. "I meant new and different ones recently."
"Is there a specific reason why you're askin'?"
"Well, we had a handful of people in here earlier that have reported hearing voices, seeing people and places long gone. There are rumors that the ship is haunted, if I elaborate it will alter the validity of what we are trying to determine..."
*Some of us may well be haunted, but not Sera.* Keiran thought. Finally he realized that he should answer the question. Maybe whatever Liis was going through and what he was suffering was related somehow to the incidents among the others.
Breaux considered the 'voices' and said nothing.
"I'd recommend a sensor sweep of the entire ship, as soon as possible," Keiran began thinking as Chief of Security again the moment he had gotten his bearings. "Tell Commander Salvek to start with,"
"TC Blane is handling your department for you, O'Sullivan. Your only concern is answering my questions and getting better."
"Aye," Keiran relented. "One request, Doctor," he paused, feeling weak and dizzy again. He knew enough to understand his condition was critical, and he knew that though he couldn't ask for an official prayer and blessing from a man of his own church as there were none aboard, he could do the right thing if this night was to be his last. He needed to speak to Jariel.
"Yes, of course Keiran."
"It's urgent I speak to the Vedek, as soon as possible."
Breaux didn't like the tone, but nodded and would make the request. "You're not thinking of going another round are you?...although entertaining...it's injurious."
"On the contrary, I have an apology to make, and I don't want to waste any time in making it."
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Lt. Commander Avery Breaux
Chief Medical Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
and
Lt. Commander Keiran O'Sullivan
Chief of Security
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Lt. Commander Avery Breaux
Chief Medical Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
and
Lt. Commander Keiran O'Sullivan
Chief of Security
USS Serendipity NCC-2012