(Not So) Emergency Session

Posted on Sun Mar 31st, 2024 @ 11:38pm by Ensign Dani Harper

1,721 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Side Plots
Location: Counselor Drylo's Office
Timeline: MD 4, 0900 hours

Dani sat in the waiting area bouncing her heels up and down, the extra nervous energy not having anywhere else to go. She'd never done one of these outside of the mandatory Starfleet check-ins. She was probably blowing things out of proportion, but she couldn't really go to her friends with this.

Feeva stepped out into the waiting area when the computer alerted her that they had a waiting person. She smiled warmly. "Hello, Dani Harper? I can see you, if you'd like, or you're welcome to wait for Dr. Joey," she said. Some people preferred to speak to the chief, others didn't care, and still others preferred same-gender counselors. She didn't mind. "If you'd like to see me, I can take you now," she said. She smiled warmly, and stepped to the side, indicating her office was open. "I haven't had a chance yet to fully decorate it as I'd like," she said, "But I hope it's comfortable anyway," she said. She planned to paint the walls later, but for now, they remained the ugly whitish color that Starfleet liked for medical type units, and her couch was an old, lumpy, orange jalopy of a thing. It was "antique", purchased on Sol for the express reason that Feeva had once read that old Sol therapists used couches and she'd fancied the idea. Across from it was an overstuffed armchair, in lime green wool. She'd special-ordered covers for them, but they hadn't arrived yet. She'd done her best to pretty them up with throw pillows and a blanket, and had hung some of Leena's "art" on the walls. It would do for now. Near the door, Jacques snoozed on a large blue dog bed, a bowl of water next to him. In a corner was a live tree, a dwarf Vissian larch. Fake flowers were spread around. It was a bit hodgepodge, but they had only been underway for less than a month, and she was stills settling in. "Can I get you something to drink?" She asked, before grabbing her PADD. "What brings you in today?"

"No, I signed up to see you, specifically. Water might be nice. My mouth is feeling a little dry," Dani admitted. "I'm kind of nervous being here."

Feeva nodded. "I see," she said. She crossed to the replicator and got her a glass of water. She handed it to the young woman. "It's not necessary to be nervous, but I do understand," she said. "How can I help?" She asked, settling into her chair.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm blowing this way out of proportion. But I kind of hooked up with a guy after the launch party. Well not right after. We had dinner the next night. But then he blurted out he loved me in the turbolift a couple of days ago, and it just seems like no way, we just met, right?" Dani barely took a breath before she kept going. "I've never had the Orion pheromones that everyone talks about. Not every female does, and I'm only half Orion anyway, My last physical was onboarding here and they didn't say anything. But I'm afraid to check. I don't think I'd suddenly start developing them at age 24 do you? And it gets even more complicated..." Dani trailed off.

Feeva hid a smile. The young ones were always mixed up about love, weren't they? She was once, too. "At first blush, it DOES seem a little sudden, but some people know right away. The humans call it "love at first sight," she said. "It's rare but it happens," she said. "I can check your hormones just before you leave, if you'd like," she said. "I have a tricorder," she clarified. "But I have heard that. At my last posting was an Orion woman who had some kind of allergy to the horomone blockers," she said "And medical had a hard time finding something that worked. They seemed to have developed out of the blue, and she was very distraught. It was OK, though, everyone understood. And I imagine it will be much the same, IF something is wrong," she said, reassuringly. "In the meantime...why is it complicated? Is he married or something?" She asked.

Dani looked down at the floor. "No, he's not married." Her eyes got wide. "At least I hope not. This is how little we know about one another. He's older than me too. Not a lot, but enough. Enough that I thought I'd be the puppet, and he'd be pulling the strings. Not the other way around." Dani sighed. She didn't want to tell the counselor the rest of the story. She was worried she'd have to report it.

Feeva nodded. "So what's the problem?" She asked. "If you're both consenting adults with not-too-large of an age gap, and both single, I don't see anything wrong. Is this person a senior officer?" She asked. That was the only other thing she could think of, and as far as she knew, the most senior males were married. She checked.

Dani froze at the question, not wanting to look up at first, but she eventually did, the answer written all over Dani's face. "We honestly didn't think we'd work together at all, but this mission has had us side by side in some mean twist of fate," she confessed.

Feeva nodded again. “If he’s not technically your supervisor, the rules don’t expressly forbid it,” she said. “Though, for practical reasons, it’s not a great idea,” she said. “However. If you can maintain a professional level of interaction, I think… it’s ok. Especially given how chaotic things are right now. Without an official Capitan, I think that we’re all floundering a bit.” She paused. “Besides. It’s early days still, in spite of his declaration,” she said. “It may not even work out. No need to panic,” Fee said.

"What makes a person use the L-word after hanging out a couple of times?" Dani said. "I thought this was going to be one of those dumb things I look back on when I'm in my thirties and laugh about. But now it's turned into this whole thing. I was willing to see him again, but I don't want to lead him on. And what if it's... you know ... like that person you know and not even really him. Ugh, that would be even more embarrassing," she whined.

Feeva chuckled a little. "Well. As I said, some people know right away. What you have to decide is if it's too soon for you to feel the same," she said. "There's no right answer," she said. "It's just a personal decision. And being hesitant or unsure is normal," she said. "I was well into my first year of marriage before the realization that I truly loved my husband really hit me," she said. "I knew before, but it took me that long to admit it to myself out loud," she said. "Tell me. Have you thought of him in your off time since your date? Is he on your mind at all? Someone we love should cross our minds at least once or twice a day," she said. "It's not necessarily always butterflies and rainbows, like in Holomovies," she said. "Sometimes, it's just..."I hope that so-and-so is happy right now," she said.

Dani thought back and smiled. "I have... thought of him. It was butterflies. I was trying hard to play it cool so he wouldn't think I was clingy actually."

Feeva smiled. "Then it's probably something more than just a one-time thing. I would say to continue to see him, set some boundaries about what you feel comfortable with while on the job, and even off, and go from there. If it becomes necessary to take your relationship "public" so to speak...I can help you cross that bridge when it's time," she said.

Dani sighed. "Why did he have to make things so complicated. And the fact that he IS a department head just has me that much more worried about what if it doesn't work out, and know he's said he loves me. Can you just check and make sure I'm not giving off pheromones. This really would be easier if I was unnaturally seducing him."

Feeva laughed, but nodded. "Of course," she said. She stood up a moment, and got the tricorder from her pocket. After a moment, Fee ran it over Dani's body, and waited a moment. She paused. "Well. You're not emitting any abnormally high readings," she said. "I would've known anyway, Vissians are especially receptive-or at least, I am, and you're only half," she said. "You're fine, men are just weird," she said. She put the tricorder back on her desk, and then sighed. She sat back down.

"Listen. Sometimes people get ahead of themselves," she said. "I think it'll be ok," she said.

"Abnormally high? So I am emitting some?" Dani asked seriously wanting clarification. She was a scientist.

Feeva chuckled. "None at all," she said. "Sorry, I'll be more careful with my language," she said. In an effort to be less formal, as her people were, Fee had honed some more informal slang terms. "See?" She showed Dani the readout on the tricorder. "I am confident that it's just a case of "men being dumb," she said. "That is a formal diagnosis, yes," she said.

Dani let out a sigh of relief. "They really are dumb aren't they? I should have known better and just dated a girl."

Feeva laughed heartily. "My late husband had his moments, and he was an engineer!" She said. "At any rate, I think it'll be ok. Consider what I said-set your boundaries, keep communicating, and if anything ever makes you feel uncomfortable, tell him. Keep it professional, and it should be just fine!" Feeva said.

She turned to her desk and put the tricorder away. "You can come see me anytime," she said. "If you need to talk again." Feeva settled back in her chair.

"Anything else?" She asked Dani.

"I'm good for now I guess..." Dani shrugged. "Thanks," she said as she walked out of the counselor's office.

Guess I'm figuring this out on my own, she thought as she made her way down the corridor.

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