The One with No One Looking...

Posted on Wed Dec 7th, 2022 @ 4:43pm by Lieutenant Commander Diane Doctrine

Mission: Evacuation
Location: Sickbay

On top of eight-hundred-thousand other things going on, she had to take care of one private little thing...

Diane walked into Sickbay knowing Rutherford was off duty. He was not the doctor she wanted to see at the moment even though she trusted Rutherford implicitly. While she knew he could be trusted with private, personal matters, this particular matter she wanted some other doctor to deal with for the moment.

Some things a lady may keep to herself, she imitated Rutherford in her thoughts.

Seeing the ward empty she cleared her throat lightly, “Hello?”

"I'm in room 3, come on in." Ishir called out with a smile as he paused the inventory count he was doing in the storage closet and closed the door with a click.

Diane walked in with a touch of apprehension, “You are the physician on duty.” It was hard to tell if she was asking or telling.

"I am. Ishir Sothay." He bowed slightly to her with his hand over his heart in a courtly fashion.

"I'm Diane Doctrine," she introduced herself in a not-so-courtly, but polite and friendly fashion, "I uhh, was wondering if you had a moment?" Diane was not usually nervous around doctors but there was a hint of anxiety in her tone. “I just… I need… it’s time to have my birth control implant renewed. That’s all.”

She had gotten the first implant shortly after Toby was born. Her first pregnancy was a surprise, but not an unwelcome one, Diane and Rick didn’t want any more surprises though. The implants worked reliably for five years but Toby was almost six now and with her recent consummating of her relationship with Rutherford, well, it was definitely time to do something about it.

He pulled up the specs on her implant and noted the dates. Nodding to the bed, he got out a tricorder and smiled, "Certainly we can do that for you. Let's start with a basic scan, to make sure your expired implant didn't fail, then we'll switch them.”

Diane sat on the biobed and let the doctor work. The mention of her implant possibly failing caused her to internally jump. Sure, it was a possibility but not one she wanted to think about. She anxiously awaited the results of the scan hoping it was negative. She couldn’t see the tricorder display from where she lay on the bed but attempted to the Doctor Sothay’s facial expression.

His eyes crinkled at the edges as he scanned her slowly. Her nerves were so strong that it was making him tense. "Take a deep breath Diane." He instructed quietly, his hand resting on her forearm for a moment.

Diane realized Sothay was a Betazoid. The black irises were the giveaway. She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Bit of stress, you know?" She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly hoping her heart rate would settle down.

"So you're not pregnant." He stated after a moment of looking, "But you are about to ovulate, you have 2 mature follicles. You and your partner need to avoid sex for a few days unless you want to get pregnant."

"Right, okay, it's easy to lose track with the implant. Keeping a watch really isn't necessary." she sounded relieved. A great bit of anxiety Diane was feeling dissipated rapidly. She inhaled and exhaled slowly again. "I have one son already. I'm not ready for another child now."

He chuckled and nodded slowly, her release of anxiety easing the pressure on his mental barriers. That was good. "It's not an easy feat to raise children. Nor is it to be undertaken lightly."

Diane smiled easily, "Don't I know it. As I said, when Toby came along, it was a surprise... but then, his father was still with me so it wasn't bad... after he was killed, well, things got harder as you can imagine."

"I can. We can always remove it when you're ready, and we don't even have to tell RJ so that you can surprise him with it." Ishir's eyes twinkled at her, a tiny smirk on his lips.

Diane felt herself relax a little more and it showed as the corners or her mouth turned upward a degree. “It’ll be in my file so I’m sure he’ll find out eventually but thank you for your discretion.” Then her brow furrowed, “I don’t recall telling you I was dating RJ. Did you pick that up?” She pointed from her forehead to his. “I didn’t realize I was thinking that loud.”

"The thought of a pregnancy brought his face to your thoughts in a very strong fashion. I was not intruding on your thoughts." He chuckled tapping his forehead lightly. "I would like to see the man a father, honestly. I think he'd be a good one, but not if you're not ready."

Diane smiled easily now, "He is something. Toby likes him a lot and he's really trying to spoil me." She folded her arms across her chest and smirked, "...and it's working."

Those thoughts were warm and... he stepped back from her "Down girl. Rings and Chalices! I have other patients after you to see."

Diane chuckled with her face reddening a touch, “Marriage is not even in the sensor sweep yet. We’ve just started dating seriously.” She hopped off the biobed, “Thank you for your help today Doctor.”

He snorted and then chuckled "An expletive from the north of Betazed, not a suggestion you marry the good doctor. But you're welcome."

Diane nodded in understanding, "Ohh," she chuckled a bit too, "I see now."

Ishir laughed outright and spoke as a dismissal, "Come back when you change your mind on that implant and I'll keep it quiet."

She thanked Doctor Sothay once more and made her way out.