Can we talk?

Posted on 11 Dec 2014 @ 11:48am by Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen M.D.

1,344 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: USS Galileo, Deck 3, Sickbay
Timeline: MD -02, 1500 hours

Weeks after his surgery, and weeks of having had a chance to do this, Tyrion finally worked up the nerve and headed for sickbay. At least, this is where the latest reports had his targed working. Target, how wrong that sounded...

Tyrion quickly spotted the doctor in the wheelchair and approached her. "Doctor Voutilainen..?"

"Yes?" asked Tuula, looking up from the charts she was reviewing. "Ah, Ensign Faye, it's a pleasure to see you again." She pushed herself away from her desk and turned to face him. "How are you doing?" she asked, her concern audible in her tone and visible in her eyes, beneath her dark eyeshadow.

Tyrion shook his head. "Chief Petty Officer now ma'am," he murmured, "I was stripped of my commission as punishment. I feel better, a little. It's still a lot to process, but I'm trying to cope." He hesitated. "Do you have a moment?"

"I'm sorry to hear that," replied Tuula. It didn't feel right to her, that Tyrion was being punished for something he didn't even remember until now, something he likely didn't even have control over. "Come into the office," she said, turning towards her destination. "There's more privacy there."

Tyrion followed her then let himself drop down in the nearest chair, shoving it aside so the doctor had more room to maneuver. "I wanted to thank you," he started, "though I'm not really sure how to do that...I've never done this before."

"You don't have to thank me," replied Tuula, taking up a position beside the desk, what with Allyndra's chair in her way. "I'm a doctor. Healing people is what we do."

"I think no-one ever thanks a doctor," Tyrion responded, looking up at her. "But I want to. You gave me my life back, the missing memories so I can move on and give it all a place. I couldn't before and it got me in a lot of trouble I could have otherwise maybe avoided... But thanks to you and the risk you took with the surgery, I can. So...thank you." Out of nowhere, he produced a small bouquet of black and blue roses. The black roses had an odd purplish pattern to the edge of the petals.

Seeing the flowers in front of her, Tuula's eyes lit up. "My favourite colour!" she exclaimed, carefully taking the bouquet into her hands. "How did you know?!"

"They're the colours you seem to favour and.." He had the grace to blush at the admission. "I caught a stray thought by accident."

"I love them! They're dark and beautiful, and with the right vase they could brighten up this whole office!" Tuula paused for a moment; she was so excited about the flowers that it took her a moment to comprehend what Tyrion was saying. "A thought?" she asked.

Tyrion nodded, looking away. "A few days ago, you passed me in the corridor, and you were thinking about roses...it was quite vivid. I'm sorry..."

"It's all right," replied Tuula, placing her other hand on his knee. She closed her eyes and smelled the flowers. "This was a beautiful gift."

"It's well deserved," the Betazoid murmured, "you changed my life. For the better, I hope to be a better man." He didn't shy away from her touch, though he did flinch slightly. He wasn't used to women touching him in an affectionate manner.

"That's good to hear," replied Tuula. "You seem to be doing fairly well, all things considered." She paused for a moment, not sure if it would be a good idea to talk about the situation. But, Tyrion seemed to be handling whatever emotional trauma he was dealing with fairly well. "For what it's worth, I don't think you were in control when you blacked out. If you would like to appeal your loss of commission, I can write a letter stating my medical opinion."

"I don't think so either, because I have no motive other than my love for him." The Betazoid shook his head. "No that's alright, they wouldn't give it back to me anyway. I did kill someone, whether I was in control or not, they couldn't let that go without consequences. I have to start all over again, gain people's trust, rebuild friendships. I'm not going to lie about it."

"It's not right," said Tuula, shaking her head. "You're a victim in this whole thing as well; you don't deserve to be punished like that."

"It was my hand that killed him, whether I wanted it to or not. It's okay, I can live with the demotion, and re-earn my commission in due time. It's better than a dishonourable discharge, because without Starfleet, I have nothing. No home, nowhere to go."

"Home is where you make it," replied Tuula. "You always have somewhere to go."

"I never really had a home after leaving Betazed. I wandered around a lot, taking the odd job until I was of age to join Starfleet. Four years in a dorm is hardly home. Pretending to be Human, because I didn't want to be what I am. And I really still don't. I hate who I am."

"Don't say that!" exclaimed Tuula, shocked at how casually Tyrion said those words. I hate who I am. Those were horrible words to hear anyone say. "How could you hate who you are? You're charming, thoughtful, kind... the sort of person who would give such a thoughtful and wonderful gift. That's... that's horrible how you could think that!"

"Because I don't want to be a telepath," Tyrion replied, "I don't want to be dominated by one gender just because my culture says it's right to do so. I left home, because of my sisters bossing me around telling me what I could and couldn't do. They bossed even my dad around but he was okay with it, and I'm not. I don't want to be married off to some girl because culture demands it." He looked miserable. "I don't want a wife....I want a man who loves me for who I am. A man....but they don't seem to accept it. I wrote my sister but she hasn't yet replied. I haven't seen my family since I was seventeen."

"Well, I think you're wonderful, and any man would be lucky to have you," retorted Tuula. She rubbed his knee affectionately, in an effort to emphasize her point, but her mind was stuck on the fact that Tyrion hadn't seen his family in so long. "Tyrion, only you can decide what path you take in life. You have do do what's right for you, and you shouldn't hate yourself for that."

"If only I can, then why are others trying to decide my path for me? I've been trying to take my own and look where it got me. I appreciate your compliment, I really do.." Truth to be told he'd never heard a woman say this to him in the first place, not in this fashion. "What did you do, when you were told there were things you couldn't do, but you really wanted to?" He nodded towards her chair. Surely, she was being pushed in a certain direction too? Not that it was really comparable, his issue was culture directed, a culture he had come to resent and stayed away from as much as possible.

"I've never been very good at listening to people telling me what I can't do," admitted Tuula. "And I'd say that that quality has served me well over the years. Now," said Tuula, pausing to offer Tyrion a smile as she changed the subject, "if you want a quality man, we'll just have to find you one. I'm sure there's a gay bar on the station; I'll be your wingman."

To that, Tyrion smiled. "I'd like that," he answered. "Thank you." And now, he believed he might've just made another friend.

[OFF]

Lieutenant J.G. Tuula Voutilainen, M.D.
Medical Officer
USS Galileo

CPO Tyrion Faye
Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo
[PNPC T'Vanna]

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