Anti Litigation Protocols: I don't own 'em. All recognizable characters belong to the respective creators. I am just playing in the universe. No profit was made from this except my own enjoyment.
Chapter 1: An Assignment
"Captain, I must insist that you find someone to get rid of this stress you are carrying." The doctor's voice filled the room, disapproval ringing in every note.
"What exactly do you want me to do Doctor?" the sarcasm was thick on his title. "I already see you twice a week for these 'stress massages' that you insist on. I have attempted to reduce the amount of caffeine that I intake daily. I attend the mandatory holodeck time at least once every six days. You have the entire Senior staff convinced that I am one shock away from cardiac arrest. What more do you want me to do?" Kathryn Janeway bit each word off, praying that the scheduled hour long session was close to being over.
Every three days she was scheduled by order of the CMO to attend some sort of stress relief activity. The doctor was under the impression that she worked too hard.
Yeah as if that isn't the most obvious diagnosis in the entire quadrant.
And to make matters worse, the cretin had managed to get every single member of the senior staff on board with at least one of his hair brained methods. She could not walk down the hall without one of her 'friends' showing up to make sure she wasn't over doing it.
Her attention was brought back to the hologram standing beside her as he began tapping his fingers on the console cover in front of them. She jumped visibly when the doctor suddenly jumped to face her, snapping his fingers in front of her.
"I've got it."
Sweet Stars, if he were a puppy his tail would be wagging. She thought irritably to herself. Taking a deep breath she prepared herself for the next round of 'Torture the Captain', starring The Doctor.
"You've got what, Doctor?"
"Well, Captain, since this ship does not have a counsellor with the questionable exemption of Mr Neelix, you could write a journal."
Kathryn paused, brows furrowed as she tried to make sense of what the doctor was suggesting.
"Doctor, try that again in basic English because I am not sure I heard you correctly."
"I said, you could write a journal Captain. You know a private book that contains whatever happens to come to mind. Problems, interests, random things that…."
Kathryn held up her left hand to cut him off before he got into full lecture mode.
"I know what a journal is Doctor. I already record logs daily and sometimes several times daily. What exactly is different about this?"
The doctor looked crest fallen for a moment before the sparkle popped back into his eyes.
"The act of writing it out, seeing the words actually formed on the paper before you rather than a projected recording of the thoughts can be more therapeutic. It is more than just giving voice to your thoughts. It is allowing your inner thoughts to take over for a few moments. Thoughts that will not be reviewed by a superior officer or panel of officers. A page by page personal memory bank where you can be honest with yourself since no one else would see it. It has been found that some people can write things down that they would never have been able to say aloud. There was a study once done on Earth in 2254…"
Kathryn's eyes began to glaze over as the doctor went into one of his many 'expertise' monologues.
Dear God how can a hologram like the sound of his own voice so much?
"Doctor." She tried to get his attention, failing miserably. Trying again, she took a breath and barked out his name in her best command voice.
"DOCTOR!"
This pulled the man from his recitation and stopped all movement on his part.
"Yes Captain?"
"Are you making this an order?" She asked defeatedly, knowing that the doctor could make her life even more miserable than he already was. Judging from the look in the holographic eyes, he knew it too.
"Do I need to ma'am?" his voice was smug, moving to the replicator and pressing the buttons to issue his request, knowing he had won.
Kathryn sighed deeply, wishing once again that they had never tampered with the original programming that made up the ship's physician.
"What exactly do I need to do Doctor?"
The doctor returned to her side handing over the bound paper and pen he had just ordered.
"You simply have to take a few minutes each day to write. It can be in the morning, afternoon, evening. It doesn't matter."
Kathryn looked at the offered items, debating on whether to accept them or not.
"They won't bite Captain."
She reached out and took the materials carefully, as if they would explode.
They just might do that. She thought irritably
"How long do I have to do this?"
"We will try for two weeks and see how effective it is."
She turned all possible outcomes over in her mind and decided that it just was not worth arguing with him over. A thought then occurred to her.
"If I am writing all my personal innermost thoughts in this…" She let the question trail off openly.
The doctor huffed out a breath and shook his head at her.
"Captain, while doctor/patient confidentiality would apply here, I will give you the courtesy of not reading what you write. I will simply ask to glance at the book and make sure that you are actually making entries, nothing prolonged and I will not read the actual entries. Your secrets will remain yours. Does that make this easier?"
Kathryn nodded her head.
"Fine Doctor. I will write in this journal at least once a day for the next two weeks."
She turned to walk out of Sick Bay. She was almost to the door when the doctor called to her.
"And Captain, please don't make that book into a hand written officers log. Personal ONLY!"
She waved her hand dismissively, striding through the sliding doors to the turbo lift. Looking down at the book in her hand, she shook her head.
I don't think this was covered in command school.