[sickbay - wait, what? : open]

[rn_chapel]

Tina had been having a weird week. Judging by the calls that were coming into sickbay, it was not actually going to get less weird. She'd barely arrived for her shift, and already she was hearing something about Leonard Nimoy being intoxicated on bananas (what?) and Pasha Chekov having fallen into an inexplicable, coma-like sleep

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[cso_spock]

These recent habits that had formed out of his control had become...troublesome. He had not precisely over-slept into alpha shift (though it had been close), but the fatigue had encroached into his evenings, pushing them further and further back into his free time and personal activities.

It was, in short, unacceptable.

After some internal debate (first over breakfast and a bowl of milk and sugary cereal, then over a lunch of cherry pie), he had finally decided to seek some alternate solution in the face of his own failure to resolve it. Perhaps it involved human physiology, what little he had of it. At first he did not see Leonard, though this wasn't so private a matter as to require him. There were many other qualified individuals here.

"...Miss Chapel."

[rn_chapel]

Tina looked up, startled to hear Commander Spock's voice. She was pretty sure she hadn't seen him face-to-face since her borderline insubordination in the transporter room months ago. She bit back the urge to correct him with a pert "It's Lieutenant Chapel" or "Nurse Chapel." If he meant to be rude, reacting to it was pointless. And if he didn't mean it as a slight, then snapping at him right at the outset of their very first conversation in ages would be... Well, stupid, as well as rude.

He was her best friend's fiance-or-whatever, after all.

"Commander Spock," she said, after she'd processed all of that. "What can I do for you?"

[cso_spock]

In a rare moment of unpreparedness, Spock found a slight flaw in his projected time line. It had been: go to sickbay, procure some medication, and leave. It now occurred to him that he needed to request it from personnel that actually had clearance for said medication.

Not that it was the first instance he had ever needed to smooth over; he just kept his hands behind his back and his Vulcan calm. "I was curious as to whether there is medication available that may decrease the body's minimum sleep requirements. Or, in the absence of that, something that may delay the onset of physical fatigue."

And, on a quick second thought, he also added, "The ability to suppress migraines would also be...appreciated."

[rn_chapel]

Tina took the two steps toward the nearest biobed and patted the surface in a "sit down" gesture as Spock finished speaking.

"Migraine treatment we can definitely do," she said. "Stimulants are going to require some pretty good evidence that you really need them, though. I'm sure you can understand why we have protocols for that. Abuse of that type of medication can be pretty extreme."

She started pulling up his patient file. "Are you sleeping more than you usually do? What kind of fatigue are we talking, here?"

[cso_spock]

There was a distinct feeling as he knew, from deduction rather than anything he saw, that she was pulling up his file. A feeling akin to anxiety, as if there was something there that he didn't want her to see. (Not the first of baseless feelings in the past few days, and yet another worrying trend.)

He sat down on the bed, glancing up to see the readings jump to life as he did. 265bpm, though he felt calm enough. Spock slowly dragged it down as he talked to her.

"It often manifests as a desire to enter a deep rest period after only fifteen hours of complete consciousness, and is completely independent of any activities completed while active. The rest period, too, has been increasing incrementally."

[rn_chapel]

"So definitely a deviation from your norm, then. Are you feeling physically fatigued? Mentally? Both? Are you feeling sleepy or drowsy, or just going to bed in response to a perceived need?"

Tina was making note of his vitals as displayed by the bed in his chart, and comparing them to what was in his file. She could rule out a few possibilities right away. No thyroid issues, no parasitic takeover by hostile aliens. She paused, waiting for Spock's answers.

[cso_spock]

Spock spent a considerable amount of time thinking over how fortunate he was to not be inhabited by any parasitic alien organisms.

"At first, I slept immediately. Since it has persisted, however, I have attempted to resist its effects, which is...difficult, as my concentration is affected. Usually it occurs as an onset of sudden exhaustion, with no previous warning."

[rn_chapel]

Hmm. That sounded like something that would have a purely physical cause. And Spock was half-Vulcan. But Tina thought she'd better ask, just to be sure...

"Have you been feeling unusually anxious, lately? Or sad? Are you having difficulty concentrating all the time, or just when you're tired?"

[cso_spock]

Spock gave her a slightly skeptical look. "Nurse, if I found myself experiencing sadness to a noticeable degree, I would be seeking more intensive treatment in a different manner. Anxiety is also an illogical state to entertain, especially given my job description."

His arms folded over his chest. "...I have experienced some minor difficulties in concentrating on work-related tasks, outside of my fatigue."

[rn_chapel]

"There are those who would say it's totally logical to be anxious, given your job description," Tina pointed out. "But regardless, are you experiencing anxiety? Worry, or a sense of helplessness?"

She could tell from the look on his face already that this was not going to go well, but a major change to sleeping behavior was such a classic symptom of depression that it would be irresponsible of her not to go down the list.

"Have you had any changes in appetite? Are you eating the same amount you usually do, at similar intervals?"

[cso_spock]

Similar scenarios from human literature began springing up at the forefront to his mind, trying to telling him where this was probably headed. The possibility did not seem too promising. Spock remained still where he sat, blinking at her.

"I have not experienced any sense of helplessness. As for dietary changes, you have lawful access to my meal plans." A glance to the padd she was holding.

[rn_chapel]

He kept dodging the anxiety question. Tina thought that was probably as good as a yes, especially combined with the way he was almost daring her to look up his meals

[cso_spock]

Clinical depression.

Spock stared at her, one hand curling slowly into a fist.

"...A psychological consultation will be unnecessary." A waste of his time.

[rn_chapel]

"I certainly hope so," Tina said, trying to keep her voice calm. She had noticed his tensing, and her oft-ignored sense of self-preservation was ringing an alarm in the back of her mind. "But unless you get another evaluation that countermands mine within the next couple of days, you're obligated by Starfleet regulations to comply with my recommendation. It's my opinion that we should rule out the possibility of a mental disorder before considering invasive testing or sleep studies."

[cso_spock]

"I refuse." The last thing on his record that he needed was any note about sessions with a psychiatrist, benign or not. He knew his mind well enough (or he supposed he did) to know that this was not depression. In fact, he had come just to receive some assistance that would halt the progress of whatever was happening to his body. Something to stave off the exhaustion until things righted themselves.

"And I have no mental disorder." Spock said as he unfolded his arms and slipped off the edge of the biobed to his feet again. "Where is Doctor McCoy?"

[rn_chapel]

"Refusal to comply with medical recommendations is a lot more damning on a profile than notations about routine testing, Commander," Tina said, guessing at part of his reasoning. "I don't know where McCoy is right now. I can check to see if he's on call if you'd like."

She was fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Of course he'd want to go to McCoy right away. Whether it was an indication of his lack of faith in her skills, or a demonstration of his hope that someone he had more personal pull with would let him off easier, it was annoying.