From: Coast2C@aol.com Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 21:21:44 -0400 Message-ID: <960430211712_387212690@emout12.mail.aol.com> Subject: Convergence: Part 7 of 25 Convergence by Dana Anderson Part 7 of 25 (Author's Notes and Disclaimer found in Part 1) * * * * Al fought the hook and squirmed for a while, but it was a losing battle from the first. "Al" Dr. Beeks reasoned at one point. "You're the perfect person for this job. The fact that the two of you have so much in common will help immeasurably." "What do we have in common?" Al scoffed. "Come on, Al" Dr. Beeks said. She began to tick off a list on her fingers. "You're both orphans, you have military service in common and you both have a distrust of psychiatrists. I could go on, but you know it isn't necessary." Al agreed silently. They had both lost the loves of their lives, too. That was what Beeks was alluding to, he was sure. Al never liked to talk about Beth with anyone. It hurt just to think about her. Maybe that was why the doctor hadn't touched on the death of Jenna's husband more than she had, so as not to remind Al needlessly what the loss of a spouse could do to a person. "But she's a genius" Al objected. "How am I supposed to fool her long enough to deliver this help you say she needs?" "You're not exactly a blithering idiot, Al" Dr. Beeks replied. "And you've had a lot of experience in dealing with a genius, too. Besides, you aren't supposed to 'fool' her about anything. We're just not going to hit her all at once with my complete diagnosis of her. Hopefully, neither of us will ever have to confront her with that. If we're lucky all we'll need to do is coax her into a more normal pattern of sleeping, eating and interacting with others. If I'm right and there is a resilient psyche underlying her current behavior she may do the rest on her own." Of course, Dr. Beeks thought to herself, she'll probably never be the complete picture of mental health. Colonel Tyler would most likely always be resistant to seeking or accepting psychological help in dealing with the traumas that had caused her current neurosis. In this she was also like Al Calavicci, who would rather have a root canal without an anesthetic than talk to Verbena Beeks about his 'feelings'. Dr. Beeks sighed inwardly. There certainly wasn't any point in mentioning that to the Admiral. If they could 'only' bring this woman back to a state approximating Al's mental health she would count it a job well done. Dr. Beeks planned a two pronged attack to help Colonel Tyler recover from the stressed condition caused by her prolonged leaping. First was prompting her to relive, in a manner of speaking, those years; but in a safe environment. The psychiatrist explained the necessity of this step to Al. "She never had a chance to talk to anyone about what she was experiencing while it was happening, Al" the doctor consciously avoided the word 'feelings'. "She was confused, disoriented, afraid, questioning her sanity and God knows what else for a long, long time. She needs to communicate all that somehow or she hasn't a chance of getting over the experience" Dr. Beeks concluded. "Okay, you sold me" Al agreed. "But I haven't got ten years to sit and listen to a blow by blow description of every leap. She might get a little tired of watching my eyes glaze over after a couple of years, too. Most of my wives did." Verbena Beeks laughed. "That wasn't exactly what I had in mind" she said. "Have Ziggy prepare an outline of the leaps in an on-line file. Colonel Tyler can sort them any way she likes and fill in a brief description of who she was, a list of the people with whom she interacted and what happened. She'll mentally relive everything in much greater detail than whatever she writes down and you and Ziggy will have a huge addition to your data on time travel." "I thought you said she had to 'communicate' all this stuff to someone" Al challenged. "She will be communicating it, to herself" answered Dr. Beeks. Al sighed and looked skyward, as if for help. "And to you and Ziggy, of course" Dr. Beeks went on. "She is the one who needs to revisit all this, but it's important she knows that it's data for the project and you will be reviewing the input." "Well" Al said. "I guess I have time for that and you're right about the value of the additional data on time travel. Okay, what else?" "We can't risk pushing her" Dr. Beeks cautioned. "The only other thing I would suggest for now is to try and get her working, sleeping and eating habits modified to something approaching normal. This should get easier as she works her way through the first part of the plan." Al was aghast. "What do you want me to do? Have her punch a clock? Bring her meals to her? Tuck her in at night, maybe?" "Not a bad idea, Admiral" she replied, then laughed at Al's expression. "No, I don't think that's necessary" the doctor continued. "Stop by her office or lab around the end of a normal day and ask her why she's still working. Invite her to join you for a meal at lunch time. You'll think of other ways to make it seem natural. You know her better than I do." "That's not saying much" Al snapped. Finally, he agreed to give it a try. But he didn't try it right away. Al had been placed in a very uncomfortable position. He always hated the feeling he got when he discovered someone was trying to subtly manipulate him. He saw it as an insult to his intelligence and didn't much like the thought of trying this tactic on someone else, either. Dr. Beeks had insisted that he and Colonel Tyler had a great deal in common, and he had to agree it was true. If someone were going to try and get him to moderate his behavior, what would he consider to be the least offensive approach? Al thought about it that evening after his discussion with the psychiatrist. He thought about it the next morning over breakfast and was still thinking about it when he arrived at his office. Al sat down at his desk and glared at his coffee mug. He wanted another cup, but wasn't sure he could handle one more milligram of caffeine. Al knew he wouldn't be able to get anything else done until he found a way to deal with this situation. He picked up the coffee mug and put it down again. He tapped his fingers on the desk blotter, then looked back at the coffee mug. The coffee mug. Al picked the mug up and looked at it carefully. It was white with a full color US Navy insignia on one side and the inscription 'To RADM Albert Calavicci, In appreciation of your dedicated service' on the other. He stared at it for another moment. "Of course" he said aloud. "Why didn't I think of it before?" Ziggy informed Al, in response to his inquiry, that Colonel Tyler was in her lab. This was established as fact well before Al could visually confirm her presence. The Rolling Stones' 'Jumping Jack Flash' was audible a good ten yards down the hallway from the closed door. *I should get hazard pay for this,* he thought, as he mentally prepared himself for the onslaught. He entered the lab and shouted at the top of his lungs "Ziggy, can it!" The music cut off abruptly and the lone occupant of the lab started and looked up. Al rubbed his offended ears. "How can you stand that racket?" he asked. "Rock and roll and opera were designed to be played loud" Colonel Tyler responded. "Well" he observed "I guess it's a good thing you weren't listening to Wagner or I'd probably be on my way to sick bay by now." Al stiffened his spine, squared his shoulders and assumed a countenance that had put the fear of God into many an Ensign JG over the years. "Colonel, I have been informed that you are working too many hours and maintaining a sleep schedule and diet that are incompatible with continued health. This will cease immediately. You will begin work no earlier than 0800 hours. You will cease working no later than 1730 hours. You will be in your quarters by 2230 hours with lights out at 2300 hours. Between 2300 hours and 0600 hours you will sleep. If you cannot sleep you will rest. If you cannot rest you will meditate or count sheep or stare at the ceiling or whatever you find relaxing but you will not perform any activity not designed to encourage sleep. You will report to sick bay immediately following this meeting for a full physical. You will review your exercise regimen with the doctor and make any changes that are recommended. The doctor will provide you with a written diet which you will follow, within the limits of what is available in the cafeteria. You will report back to the doctor for any follow up care that is recommended. From now on, you will not dine alone. You will report to the cafeteria for breakfast at 0715 hours, for lunch at 1200 hours and for dinner not later than 1930 hours. You will sit at a table with at least one other diner for the entire duration of your meal. You will follow these orders until I, and I alone, countermand them. Is this understood?" "Aye, aye sir" she replied. Colonel Tyler had responded to the emergence of his Admiral persona by immediately assuming and maintaining a position of attention. Al congratulated himself silently. This was absolutely the best way to handle the situation. She understood he meant exactly what he said, no nonsense. "Good" he said. "At ease, Colonel. Take a seat." She relaxed and resumed her chair near a low work bench. Al grabbed another chair and rolled it over to a spot at a conversational distance from her and sat down. "I have an assignment for you" he said. "And when I'm not barking orders you can call me Al, all right?" "All right" she responded. "What's the assignment?" "Ziggy has prepared an outline of the leaps that she can verify you took. Review the outline and add any leaps that are missing. Then I want you to enter information like the name of the person you leaped into, the people you interacted with and a description of what happened during the leap." Dr. Beeks had warned Al about the likelihood that she might substitute one compulsive behavior for another, or avoid the task completely, so he continued his instructions. "Please complete no less than ten entries per day but don't work on it for more than four hours a day. I'll review the data as my schedule permits and make notations on entries if I want more information." Al could see a look of uneasiness creep into her eyes while he was delivering this last set of instructions. "Is there are problem?" he asked. "Isn't there something more useful I could be doing?" she questioned. "More useful than increasing our data, by a factor of ten I might add, on the effects of a person leaping into the past? I doubt it" Al responded. "Look, Jenna" he continued. "I figure that since the communications upgrade is almost finished and the rest of the work is in the hands of contractors at the other end you are probably working on another brilliant proposal." She started to interrupt so he held up a hand and she subsided. " But there's nothing more critical than your completion of the leap data. Besides" he added "if you completely redesign the project within six months you'll work yourself right out of a job." She couldn't argue with that. "Okay, Al" she said. Al rose from his chair and walked to the door. He turned and looked at her again. "Welcome to Project Quantum Leap" he said, and left. * * * * Jenna gave Al time to reach the elevator, then left her lab to report to the infirmary. She was glad he had apparently decided that she was not public enemy number one of Project Quantum Leap. He had also defined their relationship in a manner that was familiar, if not all she could wish for. *Well,* she thought, *superior officer and subordinate is better than defender of the faith and suspected heretic.* At least he had said she could stay. * * * * Al did not receive the reaction he expected when he stopped by Dr. Beeks office an hour later to inform the psychiatrist of his encounter with Colonel Tyler. He detailed his tactics and gave her the gist of their conversation. "You did _what_?" Dr. Beeks was livid. "I ordered her to straighten up and fly right" Al synopsized his earlier statement, somewhat defensively. Verbena Beeks shook her head, then covered her face with her hands for a count of ten. When she spoke again Al could tell she was forcing herself to be calm. "Al" she said. "You can't _order_ someone to get healthy and make friends." Al could sense the Admiral part of himself taking over again. "Oh yes I can" he replied firmly. When she started to get a 'you must be out of your mind' look on her face he smacked a nearby table with one fist to cut her off and get her complete attention. "Damn it, Verbena" he roared. "Hear me out, will you?" "Go ahead, Admiral" she said. "I'm listening." She still looked as though she might only be humoring him while she prepared a proper dressing down in her mind, but at least it appeared she wouldn't interrupt him again. "You said I was the perfect person for this job because Jenna and I have so much in common. Okay, I found I had to agree with you. You left it up to me to find the most effective way to implement the therapy you wanted administered. That is exactly what I did. A well trained soldier can be ordered to do almost anything and they will obey. I don't care if she's been leaping in time for the past ten years. If you had a military background and had seen her reaction you'd understand, as I did, that she has an extremely disciplined, military-oriented personality." Al moderated his tone somewhat and continued. "Trust me, Verbena" he requested. "Give it two or three weeks. If you think she's not improving, I'll try it your way." Dr. Beeks was nothing if not fair. After all, she had been counting on what she believed to be his unique insight into and empathy with Colonel Tyler's past to produce an effective solution to the problem. She had to admit that she couldn't truly relate to the common ground they shared. In any case, to discount his attempt without proof that his approach was inappropriate was counterproductive. Verbena Beeks sighed and acquiesced. "All right, Al" she said. "If I'm going to be completely fair I think we'll have to give you a month, though. But" she warned him "if she has some kind of crisis I reserve the right to intervene immediately." "Fair enough" Al said, with evident relief. "I have one more question, though" Dr. Beeks said. "How on earth did you pull off the 'Scourge of the Seven Seas' act in that outfit?" she exclaimed. Al looked down at his chartreuse, forest green and canary yellow paisley shirt, orange tie and yellow pants. When he raised his eyes again to meet hers she could see he was completely serious when he answered. "Because it's not the uniform that makes the Admiral, it's the man." * * * * A week later, Dr. Beeks was beginning to think she owed Al an apology. After another week she was sure. She arranged to meet him for coffee the next day. She looked him straight in the eye. "Get your tape recorder ready" she said. "You were right and I was wrong." "Rats" Al said, slapping his pockets. "I'm not wired for sound. Hey, Ziggy; did you record that?" "Yes, Admiral" the computer responded. "I'll file an audio loop in your personal directory and you can replay it to your hearts' content." "Great" Al chuckled. "So you're satisfied with Jenna's progress?" "On the whole, yes" the doctor replied. "Have you talked to her lately?" "No" Al said. "Ziggy's calculations still suggest that she's avoiding me, but how she's doing it without Ziggy's help I don't know. I've only caught a glimpse of her a few times in the last two weeks." "She reported for the physical you ordered her to take less than five minutes after you left her lab" Dr. Beeks told him. "Dr. Ambrose said she was about ten pounds under her ideal weight and had a vitamin deficiency. Neither of those conditions is serious and she has already shown some improvement from following the diet Dr. Ambrose prescribed. He was alarmed, however, by the extensive evidence he found of the physical abuse she sustained as a child. The documentation on that part of the exam consumes almost seven pages of his report." Al shifted uneasily in his chair. "Do you really have to tell me about this?" he asked. "I'll keep it brief for now" Dr. Beeks answered, suppressing a shudder. "I don't want to revisit the details any more than you want to hear about them. A few of the fractures apparently weren't treated professionally and, according to Dr. Ambrose, must cause her constant pain. There are also some scars from stab wounds and burns that are clearly visible." Al looked positively ill. Verbena couldn't blame him. "I'm sorry, Al" she apologized. "But I want you to understand that although these injuries were inflicted over thirty years ago, Colonel Tyler is still reminded of them every day. It has to affect her emotionally and we can't ignore the information just because it's unpleasant to think about." "Unpleasant!" Al snapped. "It's revolting." "I agree" Dr. Beeks said. "But you and I are going to arrange a series of appointments to discuss this between ourselves, at length, until we have diffused our outrage." Al was speechless. He simply stared at her. "It's necessary, Al" the psychiatrist insisted. "If Colonel Tyler recovers to the extent we both hope, she may actually reach a point where she will be ready to face what happened to her as a child. When that happens we have to be prepared to help her and we can't as long as we have such strong feelings about it ourselves." "No way" Al said. "If I ever stop being 'outraged' about something like child abuse I hope somebody cuts my throat for me. End of discussion." Dr. Beeks accepted the defeat silently. She had hoped she could convince him of how crucial this was but was not surprised that he wouldn't budge on the issue. She would just have to hope that if Colonel Tyler was ready for the help she would also be able to come to a psychiatrist to get it. "All right, Admiral" she agreed. "Message received. What kind of progress has she made on the leap data?" Al was vastly relieved at the opportunity to change the subject. "She's really cranking it out. I've reviewed three hundred and twenty seven entries so far and I only had to ask for additional detail on three or four. You asked me to look for a pattern in how she entered the data. She started with the first leap and I thought she was going to go straight through from beginning to end, but when she got to leap thirty six she skipped over it." "Ziggy, has she entered the data for that leap since then?" Dr. Beeks asked. "No, doctor" the computer confirmed. "Colonel Tyler has been following the order of the leaps as she experienced them and is now working on leap four hundred fifty three. To date, she has skipped over eleven leaps in the sequence without entering any data." Dr. Beeks nodded. "Those are the ones that really bother her for one reason or another. Well, at this rate she'll get to the last leap in less than two weeks. Then she'll have to make those entries along with any others she skips between now and then or ignore your order." "She'll make the entries" Al stated. "I hope you're right, Al" the doctor said. "That would be evidence of real progress." "I've been right in the past" Al said, smugly. "Just ask Ziggy." Verbena Beeks groaned, then laughed. "I guess I'm going to be hearing about that for some time to come." "Damn right" Al agreed. "How about the rest of the plan? I know she hasn't been talking to me, has she been interacting with anyone else?" Dr. Beeks heard the hint of exasperation, and possibly jealousy, in his tone but did not confront him with her perception. She was fairly sure she knew why Jenna was avoiding Al, and why she was so successful at it, too, but she had already decided that when he was ready to find out the reasons for himself he would. "Ziggy" the doctor inquired "how are Colonel Tyler's behavior patterns for the past two weeks shaping up?" "In the last fifteen days" the computer responded. "Colonel Tyler has followed the orders given to her by Admiral Calavicci to the letter. Her personal interactions with others now averages eight conversations in excess of five minutes per day with at least two conversations per day involving more than one other individual." "Wow" Al exclaimed. "She's turning into a regular chatterbox. I hope I haven't created a monster." "If she's following your orders her eating habits must be within normal range" Dr. Beeks said. "Is that right, Ziggy? And how about her sleep routine?" "During the same time period, Colonel Tyler has reported for every meal on time and has followed the diet prescribed by Dr. Ambrose" Ziggy reported. "Her sleep routine, however, continues to deviate further from the norm. She is now sleeping less than two point seven five hours per day." "What does she do between 11 p.m. and six a.m. when she isn't sleeping?" the doctor asked. "She listens to music, primarily Debussy, Copeland and Brahms, or sits on the balcony of her quarters and looks at the sky" the computer responded. "Why isn't she sleeping better?" Al asked Dr. Beeks. There had been a time in his life when he had slept no better than she was now. He hoped it wasn't for the same reason. Al wouldn't have wished those nightmares on his worst enemy. "I can think of several reasons" she replied. "But I imagine reliving the leaps is the most distressing thing she's facing at the moment. I warned you she would mentally revisit the experience in much greater detail than she would record it in the computer files." "What about sleeping pills?" Al suggested. "Dr. Ambrose tells me he offered her a mild sedative to help her sleep when she reported for her last follow up exam. She told him that if it were up to her she wouldn't take it and he didn't want to force her" Dr. Beeks replied. "He and I agree that it's best just to monitor her for the time being and hope that she starts sleeping better when she has finished reliving the years of leaping." Al just nodded. It must be nightmares. He knew from experience that one thing that was worse than having your sleep interrupted by bad dreams was not being able to escape them because you were doped up. "Okay" was all he said aloud. He looked up as he became aware of some noise near the entrance to the cafeteria and saw that the lunch crowd had begun to appear. "Join me for lunch, Verbena?" he asked. "Yes, I'd like that" she said. They rose and joined the crowd near the kitchen to retrieve their food. When they sat down again, Al glanced at his watch. It was eleven fifty eight. "She'll be here, Al" Dr. Beeks assured him. "Ziggy says she has accepted your word as law." A moment later, Jenna entered the cafeteria and queued up with the people who had preceded her into the room to go through the line at the kitchen. She was deep in what appeared to be an involved conversation with, of all people, Tina O'Farrell-Martinez. "She's talking to Tina" Al gasped. "What could the two of them possibly have in common?" "I admit Tina was not one of the people I expected Colonel Tyler to form more than a cursory professional relationship with, but I've seen them having lunch together a few times lately and they seem to have plenty to discuss" the doctor said. "Incredible" Al observed. "Well, if Jenna starts interjecting the word 'like' into every sentence and snapping gum I'm going to refuse to get involved in this mental health business ever again." * * * * End Part 7 of 25