Got Issues? (Judah Dashiell)

[Doctor Zendu]

Doctor Zendu took his usual seat opposite his patient with his familiar black notebook in hand. He smiled at Judah and said, "Nice socks." He glanced down at his notes as Judah answered his question. The doctor saw so many patients, he generally had to consult his notes often to remind himself of who was who. Ah, yes, the patient was suffering from nightmares related to a nanite attack in which the young man became homicidal. He also saw a note to himself that said that the patient didn't want to take any experimental drugs. At that the doctor frowned, but made sure it was erased from his face when he raised his eyes to his patient.

Once his patient was finished, Zendu adjusted his glasses and appraised his patient with a relaxed, neutral expression. He made a quick note that Judah was more reticent than during their last session. Then he launched into a barrage of questions in order to get his patient talking.

"So how are those nightmares then Judah? Are you still feeling anxious and emotionally aroused as you stated last time? Have you been feeling a hypervigilance? Paranoia? Have the bad days outweighed the good? And lastly did you find the paperweight useful at all?"

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Doctor Zendu"]


"Thanks, I like them myself." Judah looked amused as the Doctor wrote some notes down. Psycho-sexual issues due to half-naked lady mermaid socks? He could only imagine what was scribbled on down. A glint of amusement still graced his features as the barrage of questions was thrown at him. What, no asking if he had killed any baby ropos and cooked them with eggs?


"Only one nightmare, pretty run of the mill. Nothing exciting to report on that front. Anxious? Not in a negative way, no. Hypervigilance? Yes. Our son just started to crawl, that boy is faster than I expected. Tempted to put some duster strips on him and let Makai start pulling his weight around the house. The bad days haven't outweighed the good in a long while. Well before I even saw you that first time I had many more good than bad."


"As for the paperweight, its been useful. I've used it for more than my nanite...issues. Kind of clearing the mind during the stressful times"


Running Salacia Consolidated wasn't all fun and games, any owner/CEO would have the same issues.

 

[Doctor Zendu]

"Interesting," Doctor Zendu said, scribbling furiously. "I'd like to hear exactly just what you did with that paperweight," he added with a raised eyebrow, imagining it crashing through a window. The doctor then gave his patient a toothy grin. "I'm glad to hear that your nightmares have mostly subsided for now. That's a sign that you are indeed starting to heal from the trauma of the nanite attack. Just keep an eye on your sleeping habits. Make sure that you're getting a full eight hours if you can, with a new baby and all."

He leaned in closer to his patient, his elbows on his knees, scratching his chin as if he were observing a rare specimen under glass. "I imagine that fatherhood has brought a whole new host of stressors along with it. Along with your job which is..." He glanced down at his notes. "What is it that you do again, Judah?"

The doctor knew the man was a suit, but he didn't remember actually discussing in detail just what his business was.

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Doctor Zendu"]


"Paperweight is sitting on my desk at home. I find the galactic model to be fascinating." Judah shifted on the couch and raised an eyebrow at eight hours a night. Eight hours was a vacation. Such a thing might as well been a mirage in the distance. He wasn't quite sure if he ever got regular eight-hour nights of sleep, even before his son was born. Farming and then the Republic Navy were not exactly sleep-in friendly places.


As for fatherhood, Judah actually enjoyed it. No need to rain on the Doctors parade of stressors though. Next thing he knew it may be too stressful to make breakfast in the morning or put laundry into the machine. A small quirk of amusement shone across his features as the next question came his way. Did he not tell the Doctor last time? No. Probably not.


"Owner and CEO of a business. We're growing. Its a blue-collar based operation really. Salvage, mining, droid manufacturing. If it gets your hands dirty or the average sentient out there needs it, we're trying to provide it to them. Working on an energy line right now, mainly for those less-developed planets. Hard to get infrastructure in some spots."

 

[Doctor Zendu]

"Ah a CEO," said the doctor. By the way he carried himself, he had a feeling the other man had a position of power or prestige. He tilted his head at Judah with tight-lipped concern. "You may not know this but instances of suicide by the CEO's of major companies are on the rise. Are you absolutely sure I can't prescribe you anything? An anti-depressant perhaps?"

Adjusting his glasses, the doctor tapped his pen impatiently on his notebook. "I feel like there's something you're holding back from me during this session. In other words, I find it hard to believe that you're miraculously better of all sudden."

He leaned in a bit closer and in a lower-pitched voice asked his patient another question. "How is your relationship with your wife been lately? Any bedroom issues? Or other hitches in the marriage?"

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Doctor Zendu"]


"I actually was not aware of the suicide rate. I'll have to share that tidbit next charity gala or South Systems auction. Quite sure it will be the hit of the party." Judah smiled before quirking an eyebrow. Anti-depressants? He wasn't even depressed in the slightest. What did he have to be depressed about? Judah had the smoking-hot wife, a great son, a lovely home on the beach and more credits then he could have ever thought to have made in his life time. Head tilted to the side a little as he thought. Didn't the pharmaceutical companies send around sales representatives? The Doctor must be getting a bonus per prescription or something similar.


"I'm not depressed. I'm actually in a good mood today. As for my nanite issues, yes, they are still there. Do I let them control my life? No. Its something that happens occasionally and I would prefer it to stop. Last time I didn't hold anything back because it was the first appointment. Seems like you'd have to lay it all out on the table in order to get a direction to steer towards, you know?"


Judah could't help but to laugh though when the Doctor lowered his voice to speak about his love life. Was it that terrible? Did one have to whisper about such activities now?


"I wondered when you were going to get to this. My relationship with Thessa has never been better. I love coming home to her. She's my best friend, sounding board, lover, drill sergeant, and more all wrapped up into one little scale-speckled package. Our sex life is great. Got to get a little creative with the kid around now but it certainly hasn't stopped us in the slightest."

 

[Doctor Zendu]

At Judah's first quip, Doctor Zendu sneered almost imperceptibly and muttered, "Somebody flunked anger management." Then he scribbled down a few more notes and smiled once again at his patient. If he were honest with himself, his patient almost sounded like he didn't need therapy at all. Doctor Zendu was happy to take the man's credits regardless, but the question begged to be asked.

"Judah, do you think that you really need therapy?" He placed his hand carefully on his chest. "I happen to think you need it since your nanite attack is no doubt causing you some underlying issues, but ultimately this is your time. I'm merely here to be a sounding board."

The psychiatrist furrowed his brow and lightly wrung his hands together. "Or is it just that I'm not a good therapist? Am I doing a bad job? Am I boring you?"

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Doctor Zendu"]


Judah arced an eyebrow. It seemed the Doctor needed psychotherapy of his own to be perfectly honest. Crossing his arms a little, Judah was about to speak in a harsher manner. It would probably make the situation more than a little awkward but he wasn't here to prop up the ego of another man.


"Do I think I need therapy? Yes and no. Do I need therapy from a Doctor who wants to continue to shove experimental treatments down my throat? No. One that needs some ego stroking? Not at all. I'd rather continue on as I had than turn myself into a completely different human being. In fact, I think I will do exactly that. I wouldn't consider this wasted credits at all though. I've realized that I quite enjoy who I am and my situation in life, even with the lingering nanite issues."

 

[Doctor Zendu]

After Judah finished with his little speech, Doctor Zendu paused, almost relishing the way the silence hung awkwardly in the air around the two men. Then he hunched over his black book and scribbled about three pages of notes until his hand cramped up. Finally, he raised his eyes to his patient's with his usual knitted brows and concerned smirk.

"Judah." Here he sighed, twirling his pen in his lithe fingers. "While anger is a normal, usually healthy, human and near-human emotion, I think you might need to learn how to control this unpredictable and powerful emotion a little bit better. Before it controls you. You seem to have a very short fuse, and I'm afraid that right now I'm seeing a beast that needs to be tamed." Quite a good-looking beast, the doctor thought to himself, but his patient didn't need those details.

"Why don't you talk a little bit more about your anger, Judah. What other kinds of things make you angry? Besides the notion of treatments that you're unqualified as a medical professional to fully understand?" As the doctor's last statement, he raised his eyebrows in a challenging expression.

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Doctor Zendu"]


Anger management issues? A laugh stifled in this throat. If only [member="Thessa Kai"] could hear this now. Judah liked to think himself a fairly laid-back and relaxed person. There wasn't too much that upset him in a great deal. Normally the violent outbursts were regulated to his wife. Arms were still crossed as he watched the psychotherapist write down notes as if they were some lifeline. The challenge in his face was annoying. Childish. Goading.


It took a moment for Judah to realize he was quickly being led into a trap. He may be stupid, but he was no fool.


"What makes me angry? Slavery...thats a big one. Child abuse. Wife abuse. Stubbing my toe in the dark. I could go on and on, but I don't remember signing up for anger management therapy."