=/\= Sickbay =/\=
As they entered sickbay Ensign Sheppards looked at Nikolai, "Place him on the biobed, gently. And congratulations you are now a nurse," she told him without any room for him to argue. "You got him in this mess, you're going to help get him out of it. Is that understood?" She asked glaring at him, "If you try to pull rank on me I will have you quarantined either in the Brig or your Quarters for attempted murder."
Nikolai moved over toward the Bio bed and placed the boy down on it. "Your insubordination is unbecoming. At the most I would get reckless conduct and negligence in the line of duty. And no matter what I did I earned these bars so you will speak to me with respect, Is THAT understood?" he said angrily. "Now if you are finished blowing steam tell me what you need me to do" he said to the Ensign coldly.
She ignored him as she began running a medical tricorder across his body, "Grab that hypospray and press it against his neck. It should stabilize his vital signs, though his paracortex is highly stimulated," shrugging she gently turned the boys head and began running a dermal regenerator over the back of his head. "Why did you have the safeties off? It's ignorance like that that causes shit like this Captain." She asked him "Lucky for you the boy will survive, and will even be able to be returned to his cell within the next thirty minutes as soon as we have him stabilized."
The tall marine pressed the hypospray to Andrus's neck and depressed the trigger. He placed it back on the rack and looked to the mouthy doctor. "There is no point in battle if there are no risks. The boy needed to release his pent up anger and I let it out." he said to her. "And I would say he is equally as lucky, though I am sure he wont feel that way." he said and looked down at the boy. "He needs serious psychological help."
She eyed him for a moment, "Takes one to know one Captain. Apparently from what I saw in the holodeck this only infuriated him more. When you let a wild animal out of its cage to release 'pent up' energy then antagonize it some more. What do you think happens? Not to mention the boy shows signs of hypothermia!" She said aghast. "Captain, without proper gear in cold climates..." she stopped for a moment, "The boy is Betazoid, they have tropical climates. The idiocy of today's marines. Screw logic, lets go and attempt to kill someone by any and all means necessary," she tossed the marine a vial, "Put that in the hypospray, I am sure you can do the rest."
Nikolai let her words slide for now and put the vial in the hypospray, he pressed the medicine to his flesh and injected it. "My training programs are in my home land, I didn't get hypothermia...Thanks for asking by the way. I guess we are both guilty of not doing our jobs." he said to her and placed the vial down once more. "What else needs to be done?" he said to her casually.
"Nothing for now Captain. From your accent, Russia. You were raised there correct?" She asked him. "Look at it this was Captain, your home land is cold practically barren if I remember my geography correctly. If I were to say stick you in a sauna with full winter gear on, you would suffer from heat exhaustion. This boy wouldn't as he is used to that type of climate. You aren't. You put him in a climate that is dangerous for those without proper gear. Plus you have more muscle on you and a way to stay warm. He is, well look at him. Your are at least five times his mass." She stated calming down.
"Perhaps you are right, It was foolish of me and for that I apologize." he said to the doctor. "He antagonized me and I reacted poorly. It will not happen again." he said to the doctor now that she had calmed down and started showing some respect to his rank. "And yes I am from Russia...an astute guess." he said and looked down at the scraggly boy then back up at the doctor. "The wound on his chest...It looks self inflicted, would you agree?"
She looked at him, "You don't owe me the apology Captain. You're an officer, you are supposed to set the example. You have failed in doing such to this Crewman." She ran the medical tricorder over the boy again. "Your accent gave it away Captain," she lifted Andrus shirt up to take a look at the scar, she followed its path from the right shoulder down to the left hip. "Well, if you notice there really isn't any hesitation marks, but it isn't a perfect angle either. There are a few marks here and here," she pointed, "that would be considered hesitation marks. It appears as though the Crewman had done this to himself before. So yes, I would concur it is self mutilation." She responded.
Nikolai nodded examining the wounds as well. "A pity in one so young. How is it he could have joined Starfleet with such...personality problems. He is a danger to himself. I would recommend you call the Councilor to the boy's cell when I return him there Doctor." he said to her knowing that the request would be better coming from a fellow doctor then a Marine. "I think he does not consider himself worthy of anything other then being 'dirt under our feet'." he said to her.
"Captain, why are you so quick to judge? Perhaps it was that very scar that got him into Starfleet, perhaps it was something else. Has he shown any attempt at trying to kill himself?" she asked, "How can you be so certain that the counselor isn't already talking to him about his past, his present, and his potential. Why does the boy frighten you Captain? hmmm," she asked him.
"I am not frightened by him doctor. I just don't want him to make the same mistakes I have made in my life. Though I am back on the crew I still despise Romulans, and I only marginally don't wish to slay the Captain of this vessel anymore. Hatred will always kindle in my heart, but he is young enough to change." he said to her folding his arms. "As to if the counselor is already seeing him...I do not know one way or the other." he finished.
"What do you know about this boy Captain?" she asked him, "You are frightened by him, I see it in your eyes. He reminds you of yourself, and you don't like that. You can't force someone to change just because you want them to. You have to give them a reason to change. Just because he is as I have heard a 'punk' doesn't mean he should change because everyone wants him to. Do you know anything about his past? Especially as to why he considers himself to be dirt under peoples feet?" She asked him attempting to help the marine see the bigger picture.
"I do not doctor and once again I say I am not frightened by him, I simply wanted to help him. These questions are far above my pay grade. I am a Marine not a guidance counselor after all. When I brought him from the cell I wanted to teach him some manners but now I see he is much more damaged. I doubt there is much I can do for him personally." he said to her with a sigh and rubbed his haggard face.
"On the contrary Captain, they are not above your pay grade. You can help those who want help. Perhaps instead of attempting to teach him manners, you should have talked with him. He is damaged, but he is young," she sighed, "Captain, there is more that can be taught him. You have to go about it in the right way. Please sit down, it will be a bit longer before he wakes up. Let's talk some more. I believe you may be able to help him out more than you know, and before you say I am not a counselor, Captain I hold a minor in psychology more precisely xenopsychology and behavioral psychology," She pulled out a chair for him and sat down.
Nikolai raised a graying eyebrow at the Ensign and took a seat wondering what this was all about. "What more do you wish to say Doctor? Have we not covered nearly everything there is to say?" he asked her curiously. He hadn't expected to get a counselor session when he brought the boy into sickbay, sure the lecture earlier from the irate doctor but not a talking to. He looked over at the woman and waited for her to say what she wished.
"Your intentions were good, tell me...what was the first thing you did when you encountered the boy? Did you introduce yourself? If so how did you introduce yourself or did you automatically treat him badly because of everything you had heard?" She inquired, she knew the Marine could help Andrus out at least on some type of Fatherly Figure role.
"I did not introduce myself to him. I believe I accused him of trying to entice the guards to lower the force field so that he could escape." he said to her. So much had happened since then that it was difficult to remember the details. "I know I treated him as he has treated most of the Crew that has encountered him. Perhaps not the best for first impressions but at that time I didn't truly care one way or the other what his problem was." he explained.
She nodded and glanced over at Andrus, "I see. So you assumed he was attempting something, without first getting the facts. I thought Marines didn't react until they had the facts. I know you guys are shot and ask questions later, but still do you not have facts first?" She asked him, "Why would you treat him as he treats others. Perhaps he does it as a way of gaining attention, if that is the case, he may not know that there is a productive way to get attention," she looked at him, "You are an Officer. In naval ranks I believe you would be a Lieutenant. You should lead by example, and not on here say," she wasn't lecturing him, but was trying to show him another point of view.
"Again doctor I went there to give him some lumps to teach him some respect for people. I wasn't really interested in his story at the time. My plan was to simply knock him around for his bullying and badgering then sit him back in his Cell room. I didn't get to know about his issues until I found out he was trying to get himself killed by me." he said to her quite truthfully. "I know now that it was the wrong track but I didn't know at the time." he said to her.
She nodded "You didn't know because you didn't take the time. Tell me how did your attempting to bully a troubled boy turn out? Did it make you feel stronger? Better than he was? Like a god? Putting aside the fact that he is currently laying on a biobed recovering," she asked him.
