A Visit with Dr. Garcia

Starfleet Headquarters - San Francisco, 2273.276, 1025 hours. "Are you nervous, Selas?"

"No."

He spoke the truth. Listening to the click-clack of his mother's boots against the floor and feeling his Sa-mekh's heat beside him how could he be afraid? They had told him three days ago that they would be taking him to visit a specialist at Starfleet Medical. He had visited Sickbay on board the ship many times and the only thing to be afraid of there were the hyposprays, and even they weren't that bad.

He was, however, curious about his new surroundings…but, on picking up on Mama's heightened state of anxiety he decided against borrowing her sight. Perhaps her apprehension stemmed from the fact that this environment was new to her as well; Sickbay and it's doctors and nurses were familiar, whereas the new medical center and it's inhabitants were not.

In order to distract himself from such thoughts Selas gave in to his other senses to determine the rough shape and outlay of the space. The large ceilings in the lobby made everyone's voices echo around him, momentarily disorienting him, until he felt the warmth of the sun on his cheek. It was a good 25 meters across, or so he gathered, as they finally stopped and entered a waiting turbo lift.

After riding up a few floors they exited and walked out onto a carpeted hallway, Mama clutching his hand just a little bit tighter. "Are you sure you're alright? If you're not comfortable we can always cancel…"

"Nyota."

It was the first time Sa-mekh had spoken since they arrived. Selas suspected a silent conversation was passing between them as they continued to walk forward. Eighteen seconds later they stopped and he reached out with his free hand, feeling the door set in the wall before them. The air around him shifted as his father pressed the chime and the door opened quickly.

"Good morning!" a woman cried as the pneumatics flew back. Mama slackened her grip almost infinitesimally. "It's nice to finally meet you Commander, Lieutenant Commander," here the air in front of him shifted again and the voice was much closer then before. "And you must be Selas! I've heard quite a bit about you, young man, from my friend Len. I'm Dr. Garcia, Rosalyn Garcia, but you can call me Rose. Now why don't you all come inside and make yourselves comfortable and we'll have a little chat before we begin."

They were no more then two steps into the room when Mama stopped. He felt her tense and then let go of his hand and step away. He was alone in the middle of the floor of a strange room whose layout he did not know.

"Mama?"

"It's alright, Selas." As Mama spoke he felt extra encouragement from Sa-mekh which all but cancelled out Mama's concern.

From what he could discover this was a test of some kind. Selas thought about that a moment and considered his next course of action carefully. He knew he was two steps in from the door. Judging by the direction the sun hit him in the lobby he knew that East was to his…left. Taking a tentative step forward with arms outstretched he walked forward, counting along in his head as he went.

Nine steps from the door and on his right he grazed a sharp right angle—most likely the edge of a coffee table. Three steps after that the ground beneath his feet changed and he stopped, rubbing his feet a little into the material. By his estimation it was a plush bit of carpet, not unlike what they had at home in their living room. Four more steps and his hands touched cool glass. He surmised that he had successfully crossed the room and set about exploring the western half in search of a chair.

2.51 minutes later he was seated on a large sofa with Dr. Rose sitting across from him—he could tell because her footsteps were heavier and a different pitch then Mama's and Mama and Sa-mekh were already seated, he heard the furniture creak as they chose their spots. "You did very well, Selas. I'm quite impressed."

He shrugged. "It was the most logical way to get around."

There was the sound of a pen scribbling on a PADD and then she asked, "But not the fastest way, I take it?"

"No, it was not."

Dr. Rose wrote something else down. "But you won't always have your mother or father around to guide you. Wouldn't you like to learn how to be able to get around on your own?"

Selas furrowed his brow. "That was not what I meant." He hopped down from the sofa and walked towards her without hesitation. Dr. Rose set her PADD aside and let him feel for her. When he touched her cheek he asked, "If you will let me…"

"Of course."

"Selas…"

"Sweetie, she doesn't…"

But before either one of his parents could stop him he conducted a light meld with Dr. Rose. She shook her head from side-to-side as she realized what he'd done and he got a better view of the room behind him. Mama sat on the other end of the large blue sofa, the wall of windows further behind her, and Sa-mekh sat in a stiff black armchair off to the right. He couldn't make out many more details other then that because Dr. Rose was starting to panic slightly.

Selas gently withdrew from the meld. "Thank you."

She sucked in a deep breath and he returned to his seat, climbing up and waiting patiently as she regained her composure. He had been told by those he melded with that the first time he borrowed someone's sight they found it very unnerving; it usually took them a minute or two to readjust. However, for Mama, Sa-mekh, T and Se'tak it was all very normal and they frequently let him borrow their eyes without any negative side effects afterwards.

"I'd heard about that but experiencing it…" her voice trailed off in awe. "Truly amazing." Here she turned her head and spoke directly to Mama. "Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, 'Walking a mile in another person's shoes', doesn't it?"

"Yes it does."

Dr. Rose shifted in her seat and picked the PADD up again. "Selas, I'd like to tell you a little bit more about what I do. I'm an optometrist—a doctor who concentrates on helping people with eye problems—and I specialize in xenobiological optometry. Do you know what that means?"

He nodded. "It means you work with humans as well as other species, and with people like me."

"That's right!" she exclaimed delightedly. "You know, your Uncle Len told me you were smart but he didn't tell me just how smart you were." Here Selas felt Mama's pride. "Now I've worked with other humans before and I've worked with other Vulcans, but never anyone as young or as unique as you. What I'd like to do today is run a few more tests—they won't hurt, I promise—just to see what you know now and how you're getting around. From there I'm going to get you set up with some special equipment made specifically with you in mind. How does that sound?"

"What types of equipment would you be referring to specifically, Dr. Garcia?" Sa-mekh asked.

"Well I'm glad you asked, Commander. Len told me he already has a braille PADD, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"How about a laser cane? Does he have one of those?"

Mama leaned forward on the sofa. "No, he doesn't, but we've heard about them. We thought he wouldn't be eligible for one until he was older, based on what we've read about them on the nets."

"Normally that's true," Dr. Rose replied, "It's an incredible piece of technology but children as young as Selas usually treat it like a toy and break it easily; we also like to teach kids like Selas how to get around without technology first, but your son's already proven to me he knows how to do that and I believe he'd benefit from starting with a cane early. There's also an aural component to the cane that he'd need to be tested and fitted for as well; and lastly I'd like to get him a pair of special sunglasses to protect his eyes from debris in the air…"