milliways_bar | (no subject)

The sense of timing Milliways has is something Sam has yet to figure out. While it has yet to appear in awkward times for him, it never quite equates to good times for what is occurring for him back home, yet somehow he always seems to be here when something is prudent for him to notice or engage in. Or maybe it's all just coincidence.

Regardless, when he walks in and looks for either Jay or Rikki, not to mention Steve, he spots the Free Walk-In sign and Dr. Sandhu. And since he's been thinking of speaking with the doctor, he heads that way.

"Evening, Doctor. It is evening right?"

"It is." Guppy smiles. "Can I help?"

"Actually, I was thinking I might be able to help," Sam replies with a gesture to a chair. "Mind if I sit?"

"Go ahead." Guppy nods.

Always good to get more help around here.

"Back home, I do a lot of work with combat veterans, helping them adjust to civilian life and dealing with PTSD. I've ended up talking with a couple of folks here, helping them like I do vets back home and well, I figured if there was a need here, I could help out."

"Wait, did I ever give you my name?" His focus had been on RIkki's panic attack, so it's possible he didn't. "Sam Wilson, and you're Dr. Sandhu right?"

Guppy offers him a handshake.

"That's right. We could definitely use you on board with that skill."

Which Sam accepts.

"I'm certified for group or one-on-one counseling, but I don't have a degree. Just to be clear."

"I'm also EMT certified. First trained by the United States Air Force and now I just keep it up out of habit, though my field surgery is very out of date." This last is said with a bit of a smile, suggesting a joke.

Edited 2015-02-24 23:15 (UTC)

"Not a problem as long as you're open with your patients. Oh, and if you can keep your psychiatry work in the interview room or the day room in the infirmary that would be good... we had some issues earlier in the year."

"Of course. I was going to ask if there was already space set aside."

"Anything I should know about?"

"Dr Lecter is banned." Guppy says, which sums it up fairly well.

"Dr. Sandhu?" Alana says as she approaches, her walk slow, but confident. She's donned a black dress that cuts off at mid-thigh and a white jacket with balsam leaves outlined in red. "Hi, I'm Alana Bloom. You look just like your son, if you don't mind my saying so."

"Oh hi, nice to meet you." Guppy smiles and offers her a hand. "And I don't mind at all, assuming you're meaning the older one, the younger one's still a little bald."

Alana takes his hand and shakes it firmly. "I've only ever met Fry; I didn't know you had other little ones as well," she says with a smile. "I'm very impressed with Fry; he's whip smart."

She lays her hand on the back of a chair. "May I?"

"Please do." Guppy smiles. "Thanks, he is, isn't he? I have two daughters and a baby son too. Busy house. What can I do for you?"

"He really is," Alana agrees congenially. "Oh, goodness, you really are busy. Congratulations."

She takes the chair, straightening her skirt. "Actually, I was wondering if I could help you in some manner. I am--well, was--a psychology professor at Georgetown in D.C., and I was wondering if I could offer my services as a counselor for bar patrons."

"Oh wow, two in one night." Guppy smiles. "I'm sure we could. Can you tell me a little more about what you do?"

He'd seen Sam in action, but after the whole Lecter thing it pays to at least ask a couple of questions about their psych team colleagues.

"Certainly," Alana says, facing forward. "I'm a guest lecturer at Quantico and a consultant for the FBI. I can't prescribe but I do have an interest in CBT therapy and a holistic approach to recovery. I'd prefer therapies be a catalyst for a successful life rather than a crutch, but if people need a crutch to heal for a while, that's fine, too."

"Sounds good. We don't screen people as such around here - it would be impossible to enforce - but due to recent events we would ask that you see patients in the interview room or day room down here rather than taking them off upstairs." Guppy says.

"Absolutely," Alana says emphatically. "All you have is my word, and I understand why you can't trust me yet. I want to assure you that the patients' safety is both my wish and responsibility, and I'd be loathe to put people in a position where I could bring them harm."

"It's nothing personal. I trusted Lecter." Guppy says. "I trusted him with Fry. That mistake was my fault, not yours."

Alana flinches. She had realized they were obliquely referencing Dr. Lecter, but she didn't think Dr. Sandhu would mention him outright. "I... I trusted him, too," she whispers. "With my whole being."

She shakes her head and forces a smile--which wavers. "But now we know, right? We can only move forward."

"We can." Guppy nods.

"I'm sorry." he adds, seeing the flinch. "Thought I better get the elephant in the room out of the way, for both of us."

He hails a waitrat. "Do you want some tea or coffee?"

"He's a rather big elephant," Alana mutters, and she's surprised st how bitter it is. "And that's all right. He has too big of a hold on me as it is."

She shakes her head, as if clearing it. "Oh, coffee would be wonderful, thank you. How should I let people know that I am offering my services here? Approach them individually? Posting a message on the bulletin board doesn't seem very discreet, and I'd like people to be comfortable with regard to their privacy."

"To be honest it's mostly word of mouth; medics refer people to you guys or they find you themselves." Guppy says.

"He still has a hold on you? I thought you guys busted him."

"Well, that makes sense," Alana says, nodding.

She winces again. "The hold is mostly psychological. But as far as I know, he hasn't been caught. He's from a time after mine."

Guppy nods.

"If you ever want to talk about that yourself, you're welcome to come chat to me, okay?"

He's not had a Lecter-related panic attack for a while.

Alana sighs softly. "Thank you. I probably should talk to someone about it. But it seems as if every conversation I have here involves him or my shooting him."

"Okay, then tell me something else about you." Guppy says, nodding with understanding.

"Oh, gosh, I didn't mean to complain," Alana says, ducking. "And now I have no idea what to say, naturally. I'm suppose I could tell you that I'm making Milliways my home for now. How old are your children?"

"Its a good place to be, plenty of people live here." Guppy says.

"Fry is the oldest, he's six. Coral is four, Brooke is two, and Gil is six months, but he was really early so he only looks about three months."

"And people from all manner of worlds, with all manner of challenges facing them," Alana murmurs. Then she blinks. "Oh, goodness, you are busier than I first thought. Gil being premature must have been harrowing. I assume he's out of danger regarding that?"

"Mm not really." Guppy admits. "He has a heart condition, and he may have to have a second operation soon."

"Oh, Dr. Sandhu, I'm sorry," Alana says, closing her eyes briefly. "Good luck, and I hope everything will work out well with that. Did Fry adjust well with the new arrival?"

"Thanks. It's Guppy by the way." Guppy says, nodding in appreciation.

"We didn't even know we were expecting Gil, but Fry took it better than he could have. Gil was in hospital a long time so he had time to get used to the idea."

"Guppy, then," Alana says, easing into a small smile. "You may call me Alana if you like."

Her eyes widen, however, at his next statements. "You didn't know you were expecting him? My goodness, that must have been quite the surprise for everyone. I'm glad Fry had time to adjust. Your life has been a whirlwind recently, I imagine."

"Bit of a shock all round I admit." Guppy says. "Three months premature with a heart condition? We didn't even have Fran sorted out for maternity leave."

"So many changes all at once must have cause a great deal of stress for you and your family," Alana points out quietly. "Are the kids anxious or have things died down?"

"We haven't told them about the second operation yet." Guppy says. "We will when we have a date. They're as calm as they get at the moment."

"I see," Alana says, nodding. "That's a wise plan. May your family always be blessed with calm in the face of adversity. And good luck with the second operation."

"Thanks Alana, I appreciate it. Welcome to the team."