Group Therapy, Part 2
Posted on Fri Mar 22nd, 2024 @ 7:26pm by Captain Remy Johansen & Lieutenant Commander Maxun Spello & Lieutenant JG Thivi
Edited on on Fri Mar 29th, 2024 @ 2:40pm
1,600 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Artifact or Artifiction
Location: USS Astrea, Deck 12
Timeline: MD 5
In the other room were security officers, and intelligence officers just about anyone without a medical degree except Joey. This wasn't his speciality, children, so he listened making notes on Dr Drylo's operation. He stood up from the group and announced. "I'm going in." As he walked towards the door, somebody must have heard him mumble "Someone must make progress."
The doors swooshed open, Joey strolled in, "Hello," He said with his best smile as the doors closed behind him, "I'm Joey." Brugel had isolated himself, some type of Autistic play maybe? Jheva, a mother protecting the heard in fight or flight mode and Muriel the curious cat. These were his observations, the notes he was writing down on the PADD he brought into the room with him. "I'm your friend, just like Freeva. Please sit with me," He said motioning to a green bean bag chair. Sitting down in a reddish-pink-coloured one. "Tell me a story Jheva. Please?" He asked treating her like an adult with anger issues, ready to pick her story apart and place happy thoughts in the adventure of imagination play.
Feeva smiled. "Joey, I am going to step into my office and give Jacques some water," she said. She was also going to relay to Command team to avoid anything within Romulan airspace-even though, as she said, the Romulan star had gone supernova, she didn't want to risk it. "I'll return in a few minutes." She said. He would be fine on his own for a bit.
After Feeva left, Jheva retorted to Joey's statement. "The kind of story that unfolds when you talk to me like I'm nine cycles old instead of nineteen?" Did this girl have some kind of issue with counsellors or therapy, perhaps, or did she just have a problem with the way these people were talking to her? It really, really wasn't clear which it was. She definitely seemed suitably pissed off as she turned to face him - Brugel could handle on his own for a bit, she thought.
Joey's plan to deal with Jheve kept changing as more aggressive she became. "...Nobody will hurt you. Ever" He stated firmly looking at her. "Now. Please take a seat, I want you to close your eyes and tell me your happiest moment." Therapy took time but time was running short, if she complied then they had a building block on the road to recovery.
===Meanwhile, in Feeva's office===
She stepped into her office and settled Jacques down so he could drink and eat, and rest, and she made the calls she wanted. After a few minutes, she picked the dog back up and returned to the larger play therapy room.
"You wanna say that again?" The red-haired girl rose to her feet and advanced towards Joey. Her fists were tightly balled. "How ignorant can you be!? At least bump-face over there understands what it's like to live through hardship." Jheva stabbed a thumb back at Fee. "'No one will hurt you, ever?' Sounds like someone's had it good all his life, so good he's out of touch." Jheva growled. "People like you who don't know suffering or do and simply pretend that it doesn't exist make me sick."
"What happened here?" The air in the room had changed-one didn't need to be an empath to understand. She took a seat in one of the chairs, and set Jacques back down. "Lieutenant, it may be best for me to lead, and you to...arrange a communique. I sent you a note on your PADD about what I think would be best. I think this may need to go to the Command team, too," she said.
Muriel had returned to her seat after the female had taken the dog away, and watched awkwardly as the oddly shaped man talked to Jheva and Jheva became angry. "Are we free to leave?" Muriel asked. "How long do we have to do this?"
During the exchange, Brunel had continued to draw furiously. There were scenes of death and destruction, much more graphic than children their age should ever have been exposed to. It was truly a heartbreaking thing to witness, these poor children having experienced their homes being attacked and destroyed, their friends and loved ones murdered in front of them. No child should ever have to experience that level of trauma.
Feeva spoke up louder. "Lt. Joey, why don't you let me diffuse things here, and you can go step out for a moment?" She had had it handled; it was slower than she'd have liked but she knew that things like this took time. They weren't adults, or employees. They were traumatized children who needed kid gloves.
"We're almost done, Ms. Muriel," she said. "I would just like you to wait a moment, if you don't mind," she said. She turned away from Joey then. "We'll do this again later this week. I appreciate you all sharing with me," she said. "Brugel, would you like to come into my office by yourself and see the dog?" She asked him. "I will be there. Jheva can come, too." It would be quieter and less imposing for the young man. "Muriel, would you like to spend some time with the other kids from the school here? There's a few your age," she said. "We can set you up on the Holodeck and you can do...whatever it is that the young people do these days," she said.
Feeva was right, he kept pushing and it seemed the wall fell. Joey stood up, adjusting his shirt and turned around to face and he spoke every so softly. "I don't know suffering?" Quoting her own words. "I was in charge of a Refugee camp. My government abandoned it and I was left to run it alone... I had to choose who got food, who got to starve, who got medication and who had to be in consistent agony. I knew so many children who lost everything such as yourself. Mark my words, no one will ever harm you again."
Hearing Feeva ask him into her office at first put Brunel on edge. Then, when she also asked Jheva to join them, he relaxed noticeably. Looking over at his friend, he signed, Please come too, Jheva. I don't want to be alone.
"That's not true, and you know it. Buzz off." Jheva seethed for a moment before storming away to join Brugal and Fee in the latter's office. She was absolutely pissed with this weird dude who looked maybe eighteen cycles max, yes, but keeping Brugal safe was a far larger priority - for the moment, at least.
"Thanks for the save, bumpface. He was absolutely asking for it." Jheva scowled and stabbed a thumb back at Joey outside, visible through the window. "Please tell me all you helping people don't treat kids and young adults this way."
Once in her office, Feeva shook her head. "No. He means well, he's just not trained with kids," Fee said. "Nor does he have any," she said. "I have both. My daughter is just a little kid, only four, but I do understand a bit about what not to say," she said. "None of us really know exactly what you've been through, but we've all been through our own traumas. We've just all chosen to deal with it differently. I try to help. Some others try to push it down. Others still may cope badly by drinking too much or eating too much. None of those things are necessarily wrong, just different. Why don't you two spend some time with Jacques and I'll go let Muriel leave? Did you want to see a movie or play a game with the other children?" She asked. Maybe a few days in the school before they found their new homes would help.
"No, thank you. I think I'm fine as is." Jheva sat down on the floor, cross-legged, watching the interactions between Brunel and the strange furry creature like a protective mother hen.
Fee nodded. "Alright," she said. "If you change your mind, let me know. You are free to go when you're ready, but please leave Jacques out," she said.
Muriel lingered as she was told. She looked up and spoke to the strange looking man. "Sir, you shouldn't make promises that you can't keep. You have no idea what will happen to us. We may be young, but we aren't children."
Fee returned to the play room. "Lt. Joey, it may be time to let them go, and we'll try some more tomorrow. What do you think about asking some of the school kids to come by and we can arrange a holovid or something?" She asked. There was a portable holoplayer for the school somewhere, and Feeva was certain she could finagle borrowing it if she explained what it was for.
"What you think is best," Joey said, he only stepped in so he could get the results quicker, he quite clearly made them worse. "I have to be elsewhere now, please keep me updated. Nice meeting you," He said to the children remaining in the room and quickly departed, yes he had to be elsewhere but the note sent to him took more of his curiosity.
Feeva nodded. "Alright. I'll check in with you at the end of the day," she said.
[END]
Commander Remy Johansen
Commanding Officer
USS Astrea
&
Jheva
Orphan
&
Lieutenant (jg) Maxun Spello
Intelligence Chief
USS Astrea
&
Brunel
Orphan
(Npc of Spellow)
&
Lieutenant J.G. Joey #640
Chief Counselor
USS Astrea
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