Who: Deanna Troi & Christopher Pike Where: Deanna's apartment What: Counselling session Rating: High Status: Incomplete started in gdocs
To say Pike wasn't looking forward to this was an understatement. He didn't see the point, especially given the number of therapists he'd gone through after the Narada. For him, it was difficult to open up and he tended to be abrasive and antagonistic. Hopefully this time would be different. Especially since he'd promised McCoy he'd at least give this a shot. Well, McCoy had said full cooperation and Pike, well, he'd do his best. He wasn't prepared to drag up everything again, especially given the nightmares he'd been having recently.
Part of him had wished he could have worn his Starfleet uniform for its familiarity. Instead he wore slacks and a button down shirt. Knocking on Counselor Troi's door, he steeled himself, shoulders drawing back and resuming the presence of a Starfleet officer, even without the uniform.
Deanna knew from the beginning that this would be a difficult case but she was willing to try. She never turned away someone that needed her help, no matter who it was or what they had gone through. Pike was like many of the people she had worked with though during the Dominion and Cardassian Wars though. She had plenty of experience with grumpy old captains and their problems. Pike was slightly more extreme than the others for the most part but that didn’t mean she couldn’t handle him and his problems.
She would help him no matter what.
She had been forewarned awhile ago that she would be using their rooms as a temporary office and he had been fine with it. So she was sitting at the table waiting for Captain Pike to arrive - even if he was technically an Admiral he did go by Captain. She would call him that as he preferred it and it made him comfortable which was what she was out to do in this first session.
Hearing the knock on the door she rose and opened it. “Captain,” she replied with a nod of greeting. She could sense his tension and nervousness about this, the fact that he didn’t want to be here was clear to her. “Come in and make yourself comfortable,” she told him standing back. “Would you like a cup of tea or something to eat?”
"Coffee if you have it," Christopher answered as he wheeled himself into the apartment and taking a place near the table. He appreciated that she called him Captain. He hated his recent promotion. He rested his hands on the table. "So, how do we do this Counselor? Do I tell you my feelings or something?" He knew he was being a bit crass and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Are you familiar with what happened to me?"
“Of course,” she replied moving towards the kitchen. “Decaf or normal also any sugar or anything in it?” she asked him.
“I am familiar with what happened included the how of why you gave up the information you did. We’ll do this at a rate that you are comfortable with, talk about what you want to talk about. Sometimes I will ask you questions and I might push you in a certain direction if I believe it is necessary but for the most part you will direct the sessions in how you want them to go especially at first,” she explained to her.
"Normal, black," he replied, answering the coffee question first since it was the easiest. It helped that she knew the details since he had no desire to rehash those. "Doctor McCoy has granted to you access to my medical files if it might be of help," he said, trying to keep the topic of conversation away from himself for as long as possible. He sighed. He had to say something. "The flashbacks have come back. Mostly at night, though not always. Sometimes something physical sets it off, other times something verbal or nothing at all. And the depression has worsened. Not quite to the suicidal level it was immediately after the accident, but to the point of using large quantities of alcohol to cope until recently when I received a stern lecture and a most unpleasant hangover due to the interaction of the medication with alcohol."
Deana nodded as she listened to him speak. “One coffee it is then,” she told him. Making it she allowed him to settle down before moving back into the room. “Do the flashbacks wake you up during the night? Or paralyze you during the day?” she asked. She assumed so, that was the most common side effect of things like that but everyone was different. “Yes, alcohol and medicine never do mix well. The best idea is to find another coping mechanism until the depression medication kicks in enough - what are you on?” she asked curiously.
"Nothing yet. McCoy wanted me to talk to someone with before starting something. Wasn't sure if you'd have any recommendations. On a few different medicines for the physical stuff," Pike said as he took a sip of his coffee, focusing on it instead of her. "Most of the time at night, they cause me to wake up in a cold sweat, can't go back to sleep for hours. During the day... I.. I can't function if it happens. I'm just there, back on the ship, with Nero and that damned slug," he said, his hand tightening around the mug.
Deanna nodded. She would have thought he'd already be on something given what he had gone through it was obvious that he'd need them. "Okay, we can look into that," she told him."I'd like to get you started soon. Usually I would see if people could cope without them at first and just with therapy but I think it might do you some good to get one them soon." Nodding she took a deep breathe. "It's alright, we will work through this," she reassured him.