Familiarity breeds contempt? Part 1

Posted on Sat Nov 28, 2015 @ 7:17am by Lieutenant JG Noelle Bennett M.D. & Lieutenant Liam Reynolds

2,168 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: Dr. Noelle Bennett's Office, Counseling Department, Deep Space 5
Timeline: MD7 13:00

This was the one member of senior staff, Liam was really not looking forward to interacting with.

She would do her job, which meant he would have to confront some demons. He might be able to keep some back away from Cade but this lady she would possibly suck it out of him like drinking milk.

Which he knew he had to do as he had managed to not deal with it solo. He knew the emotional blocks and telepathic band aid's he had worked so hard to put in place would need always have been temporary. Yet he had done it anyway. He also knew he would likely know and spot some of her tricks as he likely had them in his own arsenal.

"Counselor," he said. The words somewhat foreign in his mouth. They shouldn't be. Maybe that would go back to normal one day.

"Hello. I'm Doctor Noelle Bennett," Noelle greeted warmly. Bennett didn't have any psionic skills, but she didn't need to be telepathic or empathic to know the man before her was uncomfortable with this meeting, but making an effort to be polite. "Sit anywhere you like," she added, gesturing to the variety of chairs in her reception area. "May I get you something from the replicator?"

"Thank you for seeing me," he nodded taking a seat as offered. "Water please?" he said to the request of a drink. It definitely felt odd being on the other side of counselling.

"Sure," Noelle offered with a smile. She retrieved the water easily enough after a few moments and handed it to him.

Liam took the cold glass and took a sip. Then he asked .... "So what do you want to tackle first? The heartbrokenness from the half Russian, half Japanese, goddess of chaos ex? The betrayal from my telepathically and empathically bonded for all eternity twin? The overbearing mother intent on marrying me off and now being in ridiculous mourning for me or torture and terror in a mirror universe? We might need more than one session," the half Betazoid quipped.

Noelle quirked a brow and offered a small smile. "Spoken like someone who's been on this side of the desk before, or someone who may be dreading this interaction and has decided to take the ripping off the Band-Aid approach, perhaps?" Of course, Noelle knew Liam had been on her side of the desk so to speak.

"A little of column A and a little of column B," Liam agreed. "I'm not sure the band aid is the best decision but ... I guess we'll see."

Bennett nodded. "In truth, I'm sure you know, a proper evaluation requires establishment of rapport before anything else. Frankly, I'm not here to push you to talk about anything you're not ready to talk about with a virtual stranger, even a stranger who once wore the uniform you're familiar with," she added teasingly. She paused, then offered, "Besides, I get the feeling that you brought up those particular events from your past precisely because you're used to discussing them at this point. That leads me to wonder whether any of those events actually bother you now as much as any counselor thinks they might after reviewing your record. Am I wrong?"

Liam blinked rapidly a few times as he sized those statements up. Confidence emanated off her. And it was nice now he was getting used to being assaulted again by thousands of emotions to be able to sense a positive one. She was teasing him, possibly not the way he would have gone in a first session with a new client but perhaps this was her way of trying to establish rapport? When he was being serious with a "virtual stranger", one he had had to really talk himself into coming to see her he didn't welcome it that much.

And that made him annoyed. When had he become "that" man. Upset at women teasing him??? Liam wanted to be back to being his happy, confident, laughing self ......... And she was pretty. That much couldn't escape him. Perhaps in another time, another state that would have been the first thing he had noticed but right now he was more worried about the fact she had verbalised "she wondered if anything actually did bother him." If she was trying to build rapport with him, why was she insinuating she or any other couselor didn't take him seriously?

"About building rapport no," he finally spoke after running through all those thoughts. "About thinking I am used to discussing them yes. I have spent so many years being used to discussing other people's issues that it's quite alien to me being here on the other side of the fence. I feel a loss of faith in my abilities to do that, so took a side step careerwise so to speak," He wondered for a moment if that was an issue on her side. Was she concerned he was sizing her up? Angling for her job.

"I have actually only just started talking about things and I have really only shared stuff with a couple of my close friends here on the station. I went back to Betazed, everyone knew as all Betazoids do, but we didn't talk about it. They just "rabeem" you know. And I put some blocks in to stop having to think about things. It bothers me as I started getting nightmares, that I still feel the need to do a double take to check nothing in the shadows is going to jump out at me. I wouldn't be here wasting your time if I felt I had a proper handle on things. Oh and for the record I know you know I used to do your job at one time, but at present you wear "that" uniform better," Liam told her.

Noelle wondered if he was teasing her in return by commenting on how she looked in her uniform or if he was trying to knock her off balance to some degree by making what could be deemed a mildly flirtatious comment. As she listened, she admired his candor about his struggles and was sorry that in her efforts to show him some warm, light teasing to break the ice, she appeared to have wounded him. "I appreciate your forthrightness and I apologize if I gave you the impression I thought you were wasting my time. I do not think that at all and in fact, I appreciate asking for help isn't easy. After just a little you've shared, it makes sense you'd be having some difficulties. I assure you, I'll do whatever I can to help."

"How would you suggest we build rapport then?" Liam challenged.

"Well," Noelle offered, "why don't we start wherever you feel comfortable? As I said, I appreciate your candor concerning your struggles. If you want to tell me more about those, feel free."

"I'd feel more comfortable if you called me Liam," Liam admitted. Part of him was actually wondering now if she had something. Was he deliberately making the others bits more complicated so he had a distraction, something else to fixate on from what had actually happened in the mirror universe.

"Broken hearts heal and mothers forgive over time," he muttered. "We know this. You put in the work and it diminishes over time. I'm still likely to punch my brothers lights out if he catches up with me though,"

"Perhaps you have a bit of a point," he conceded annoyed both at himself for not seeing that and her for ... well just being right.

"Oh?" Bennett asked, not quite sure where he was going and certain she didn't want to risk hurting him.

The way she moved her head suddenly made her look really endearing and that confused Liam. And scared him. He immediately blocked out reading any more of her emotions. Also it dawned on him, having said what he just said, there was only ONE more thing to talk about. And perhaps he wasn't ready for that yet.

"Do you know who I need to speak to get a piano moved into my quarters?" he asked suddenly changing the subject and bringing his mind back to the only woman he wanted to think about right now. "Betsy".

Thrown by the change of subject but nevertheless recognizing the resistance, she asked, "Assuming you have your own piano already and your quarters are big enough for it, I imagine you could talk to Ops about having it moved there." Not missing a beat, she asked, "What do you like about the piano?"

Liam knew she was going through the motions there and knew exactly what he had just done. It was pretty dire of him if he was honest. The cowardly way out. But alas he had done it, he decided to humour her.

“I’m an empath,” Liam said. Like she wouldn’t have clocked his Betazoid eyes the second they had both looked each other in the face, and she didn’t seem the type NOT to read someone’s file before they sat down in front of her either. “It’s a gift. A beautiful one but it can be exhausting constantly being assaulted by both negative and positive emotions. And you can be so sensitive sometimes from it. You have to always be holding up mental and emotional shields. It takes a lot of discipline and well… it knackers you out.”

“Playing piano is both a creative outlet and escapism. I first started learning when I was a young boy still living on Earth. My grandma had an old human style piano that had been in the family for … well a very long time. Baby grand, beautiful mahogany wood, Betsy we called her.” he smiled wispily at the memories. “When we were moved to Betazed it fizzed out until I was at the academy and started again. I realised pretty quickly not only did I have a little talent, its escapism from,” he waved his hands round his chest … not that that helped her understand you felt peoples emotions all over, ….. “from this.”

Noelle simply nodded, encouraging him to say more if he felt up to it. He seemed quite comfortable with the subject at hand, and yet, Bennett didn't get the impression necessarily that he was trying to stall her.

His passion for his other craft was taking over and he was far more comfortable speaking about this. “It’s like …. Well music, melodies. It’s similar to emotions – good notes, bad notes, dramatic ones, beautiful ones. Music can be calm, it can be chaotic, except this time I am in control. I am the creator shaping it. Not the emotions flying around me. And if you concentrate hard enough, practice over and over not only can I play or create something wonderful but I can naturally tune out for a while. For a small amount of time some peace – just me feeling feelings.”

"And in control," Noelle added with a nod. "I can appreciate how important that is for you, not just because you're an empath but because of everything you've been through."

"She's in the cargo bay," Liam told her excitedly completely ignoring the last part of her comment. "The only person in my family I still seem to be talking to - my sister organised Betsy to be transported from Betazed. I guess there's a lot of stuff in the cargo bay. I'll have to go down and see if I can sweet talk someone."

"I suppose you will," Noelle replied simply, letting silence fall between them for several moments. Liam had completely deflected her and he knew exactly what he had done and she also knew he knew he wasn't about to get away with it. So she waited.

"Okay, okay," Liam held his hands up in defeat as she nailed him totally on his attempt to change the subject and ignore the problem. "I'm avoiding the subject. I'm not comfortable yet, maybe we do need to work more on that rapport. I .... I kind of hid some memories. I don't know if that was just because I was struggling with them or there's more to that. I'm scared to find out," he admitted honestly. He put the water glass down after a second staring at it and realising his hand was shaking suddenly.

"Maybe we need to try some hypnosis," he mused. "Sorry," he then added quickly. "Old ways. Diagnosing myself. That was rude. What would you suggest Doctor?"

"It's not rude to be reluctant to give up control," Noelle replied sincerely, "but if I'm going to help you, you're going to have to get comfortable with the idea that in this professional relationship, you don't have to do both our jobs at the same time."

"Okay I can give that a shot," Liam said honestly. "I have enough on with my job anyway."

TBC

Lieutenant Liam Reynolds
CDO

Lieutenant (JG) Noelle Bennett, M.D.
Chief Counselor

 

RSS Feed