sickbay chats

Posted on Sun Oct 8th, 2023 @ 1:53pm by Lieutenant Commander Rutherford (RJ) Milton & Commander Antonia 'Tony" Stoffels

Mission: Shoreleave
Location: sickbay

Tony walked into sickbay hoping Pix would be there as well. She still went for regular checkups with the doc to see if her body kept behaving itself after it had been atttacked by poison.

She felt pretty much like her old self again, shoreleave had done her a lot of good and spending some time with her family and the London clan. but now with the news of Ren missing stress had kicked in full time again and she was feeling the effects a bit.

A light trail followed Pix as she came out from the Doctor's Office the low glow brightened the closer that she came towards Tony; taking some illumination from her BFF presence as she came to hover in front of Tony, doing her spin/ pirouette greeting. Her smile reached her eyes just before Pix charged to embrace Tony around the neck.

Tony very gently returned the embrace. "Pix I am so glad to see you." She whispered in her ear. "How are you and Rutherford holding up?" They were also dealing with the absence of a loved one.

Pix gained a sad look to her face; her glow dimmed a bit and she did not make eye contact with Tony at first, Hovering she finally did look at her BFF and a thumb over her shoulder towards the medical Chief's office she shook her head.

She sighed, maybe this would not become a meeting about her. "Come Pix, let's go and see if we can cheer him up a little." With Pix still in her arms she walked towards Milton's door and paused in the door opening. "How are you doing, doc?"

Looking up from the reports he was doing at the source of the voice, his Doctor's smile came on his face at the sight.

"Hallo Tony, how are you holding up?" Milton asked. "Feeling more yourself I hope."

"Yes thank you. Just a bit tired still at times. But shoreleave helped." She said. "And how about you? How are you holding up?"

Milton kept the forced smile on his face. Looked Tony in the eye as he spoke.

"What makes you think I..." He spotted a glaring Pix, her glow taking a red tinge to it. "You sometimes talk too much Pix." He said with a sigh. "I don't know what she told you but I am fine." He assured.

The red low brightened.

"I am able to do my job, not like I am ... " He did not know what words to say. "It is not as bad as she makes it out."

"Remember that I am in the same boat, doc." Tony said softly. "With Ren. And I know that I am not ok."

Milton's smile faded, he noted that Pix was reddish in tinge but her face had concern, the feeling in his gut told him that Pix was not happy with the situation.

"I think it was harder with Toby being close to Pix." Milton spoke slowly. "It seemed like we would both be actually happy for the first time. I do not ..." He shook his head. "Well that is why I am not one to get... involved."

"Don't say that." she moved forward to give him a hug and made sure to include Pixie as well. "Ren was my first boyfriend..." She had to swallow. "But I refuse to give up on love. Meantime I am here for both of you. I hate to see either of you so unhappy."

Milton accepted the support from Tony, his genuine smirk that he wears more than anything came back, returning the embrace he noted also that Pix's red hue was gone. Tony is a good friend to both of them.

"I know that." Milton said as Pix looked up. "I am just more used to being the aiding in healing... the whole Doctor heal thy self is not my best mantra.

Tony snorted. "You know I am the same. I am much rather the therapist than the patient. The last half year was very hard." She had lost family members while others were still recovering from severe injuries and now Ren. Tony knew she had to talk to Sky soon. But after having been her therapist for months the switch would be hard. "Maybe we three can support each other in the coming months."

"I can use all the help I can get." Milton said. "But I think you are getting the short end of the stick."

"What do you mean?" Tony asked surprised.

"Doctors are the worst patients,." He chuckled. "You will have your hands full."

"Well that would only be fair I think. You had to look after me as well." She winked at him. "And you know what an awful patient I am. So it is true I'm afraid." As a psychiatrist she was an MD as well.

"Pix is the easy one." He mused."She is really hard to get under the weather in that way."

Pix grinned and brightened slightly.

"we are going to reinstate our movie nights beginning this week." Tony told Pix. She had missed spending time with her friend as well.

Pix brightened and clapped her hands in excitement while nodding her head.

"Good." Tony grinned. "That is settled. Now we maybe had better get my check up out of the way, doc."
time per shift until further notice."
"There is an opening on your favorite Biobed." Milton saisd as he rose to his feet. "Anything out of the ordinary since last time yo were examined that I do not know about?"

Still a bit tired. She admitted. I did not get as much shoreleave as most of the crew.

" I can remedy that." Milton started. "I will put medical notes that next shoreleave you have full Port side liberty." He made notes, and I will put in no more than 2 hours over

Tony had to laugh at that. "You do know I am the first officer, the officer who is usually the most busy of all the crew during shoreleave making sure that everyone else has time to relax and keep the ship running in the meantime?"

"Then I will have to ground you again." He gave a wry smile. "I think one time of recovery and getting you to your best level of health is my responsibility. Captain can just rely upon the 2nd officer or find some Officer to take up the slack. That is what Captains do?" Milton chuckled. "Most officers worth anything with an eye to command something more than a department have gone through Bridge Training. Een I completed that raining just to get it over with in prep for one day commanding a Medical facility."

Tony suddenly burst out laughing. "You know what is funny, doc? I just spent half an hour having this chat with Sky and telling her to work less. It is so easy to tell someone else. I know you are the same." She shook her head and sighed. "I will try ok? But Xavier is going to be a father soon and last shoreleave their family needed the downtime more than I did. And there was no second officer on hand to take up the slack."

That is the Captain's job to assign some officer to share the workload." Milton had a serious tone. "I have the authority to do it yet I hope to avoid it going that far. For the time you need; I seem to be a bachelor with no interests outside my hobbies, I can help cover for time you need off. Anything to get you on full potential again."

"Do you mean that?" Tony was touched. "During shoreleave it really is babysitting the ship and taking care of a few routine things that keep going on. That doesn't take command training. But if you wanted to go that track I would be more than willing to recommend you and help you. With my family being this close it would be nice to be able to spend more time with them during shoreleaves. My brother still needs a lot of support."

"Anything for a friend." Milton said. "Maybe take Pix if only a couple of days, she is a wonder with recovery efforts you know." He grinned. "I am just going to be in the lab as I really have nothing better on the plate at this time."

"That would be wonderful. And if Pix does not object I would love her to have a sleepover in my quarters for a few nights." Tony smiled at her little friend.

"I think that is very good idea." Milton said.

Pix nod a few times as she hover/ spin in glee.

"I think she is ready to go now." He chuckled.

"I think this is a conspiracy to have me slow down." Tony mock grumbled. "But I am game. Come on Pix, let's go have our movie night."

"I won't be waiting up." Milton teased. "Have a good time."

Pix nodded as the joy of going to her BFF's made her glow brighten slightly.

OFF