Kassia walked through the corridors of the station to Sickbay where she was actually becoming a regular since she was also used a lot as a medic. She knew that this conversation about Kitty Mallory was going to happen. Now she just had to figure out how to get him to understand what Kitty was all about and how to truly help her. As the doors slid open she walked in. She saw Mikarsh finishing up with a patient and smiled. As he turned their eyes met and he walked to her.
"I'm here," she said, her green eyes bright. "As requested."
Mikarsh turned and watched Kassia walk through the door. "Ahhh, Kass, I'm glad you could come at such short notice," he said. "Do you have a moment to talk?"
"Of course!" she replied. "I sensed the urgency in your voice. I figured it was important. Shall we talk in your office?"
"No that won't be necessary, my patient should be unconscious for the next few hours since he just came out of surgery." He sat and walked behind his desk in the main infirmary. "I wanted to talk to you about Kitara. Did you know she has a problem with alcohol?" He asked.
"As a matter of fact, I did," Kassia replied. "I read her file front to back and I met with her in person . . . I didn't see her drink, but I suspected from her file that it was a possibility."
"Yes, when she was in for her medical I detected a rather large amount of damage from alcohol," He sighs. "I know that she has had problems in the past. I've read her files, I know about her children's tragic deaths. And I also know that her previous commanders have let her drink due to her problems. But I know from experience that you can never bury your troubles." He smiled slightly as he told her, "I've lived three lifetimes, I should know. They always catch up with you."
"Mikarsh, the problem is the only thing that is keeping her going right now is her job. The alcohol numbs her pain when she doesn't have her job to think about . . ." Kassia explained with a sad sigh. She still remembered the glimpse of pain she had felt issue from Kitara Mallory. She could never imagine losing a child, let alone two.
"Well, Kass, I'm gonna be blunt," he explained, again sighing. "I can certainly repair the physical damage, but the mental problems are your expertise." He glanced at the PADD in his hand. "I believe together we may be able to help her. I have put together a schedule of medical and counseling sessions that I feel will work with all of our duty schedules." He handed her the PADD for her perusal.
"This could work, but I'm trying a different tact than my predecessors have. They haven't been able to help her and I think that's because they were all clinicians that stayed clinicians, so to say . . . I think what she needs is a friend and that's what I'm planning on doing . . . My hope is that maybe she'll let me in and maybe I can affect some changes in her in time . . . She has to see me anyway . . . " Kassia replied. "It's part of her requirement for duty - She has to see a counselor once a week . . . But I can't help her until she wants it . . . However I do have hopes for the future . . ." She smiled. Kassia was usually right when she had feelings and she had seen a bit of what the woman's future held.
"Understood. I could make up a daily injection that would harmlessly give her the same affect as a few glasses of whiskey," he explained. "It could be a gentle start to losing the alcohol."
"We can only suggest it at this point," Kassia said gently, "But in time, she's going to find something to live for. Right now, her job is it . . . Take that away and she'd have nothing . . . She would not even bother with alcohol I don't think . . . I think that would just be the end of her."
"Well I'm not planning on relieving her of duty. Not yet anyway." The edges of his eyes wrinkled as he was lost in thought. "I have lost too many friends due to bad decisions under the influence of alcohol. Therefore if I see the slightest chance that the same is happening to Kitty I will have her contained in sickbay. It would be for her own good, of course." He said. "It is pointless everyone looking the other way all the time. If we keep doing that her problems will never go away. However, I'm willing to let you try your counseling techniques for a few weeks."
"Thank you, and I would expect nothing less than you doing your job," she smiled. "But I can guarantee that she won't let her drinking affect her duty. It's too important to her to risk. That much you can be sure of. It's off duty we need to worry about . . ." Kassia said, "And that I don't know what to do anything about just yet . . . Maybe as a friend I can have some influence, but we'll see . . . It will definitely take me a few weeks . . . Could even take me a couple of months. This isn't something I can change easily . . ." She explained.
"I understand, Kassia." The patient on the bed groaned slightly as he woke up. "If you will excuse me, it appears my patient has come out of the anesthetic a little faster than I had anticipated. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me."
"Maybe we can get together later for dinner. Tarik is working late and it would be nice to have company," she said.
"I would enjoy that immensely," said Mikarsh as he walked to the bed drawing his tricorder from his belt.
With a bright smile and a nod, she left, thinking of places they could go eat in the Commerce Section.