Mac barely had time to read anything about the first patient when Isa suggested they should start moving toward the hangar. She felt a certain apprehension and nervousness at that moment, since she did not feel completely prepared to face that moment.
It was true that it was not her first "therapy" session with a patient, since at Faith Haven she used to have informal talks outside of her work hours with some people who needed psychological help, but she had always felt calm to a certain extent precisely because of that, because she wasn't a real psychologist. Not being a true certified professional in that field, no one really expected anything from her and, although she was always very demanding of herself, she knew that she was doing everything that her limited knowledge allowed her.
However, now everything was changing, and things were now expected of her. She was no longer a neurologist studying Psychology on her own, and doing an altruistic and voluntary service in her spare time, to provide a service to the colonists that didn't exist in the Faith Haven medical system. She was now a real Psychology student, aspiring to a degree, and a minimum level of professionalism and efficiency would be required of her. She was going to be provided with all the knowledge needed to become a real psychologist, and she would be awarded a certification, so she had no excuse not to do her best. And Mac was clear now that she didn't feel at all prepared to give her best, just with a quick reading of the first ten chapters of 'Introduction to Human Psychology', and a brief look at the patients' history.
"Oh, yes..." Wilson answered Isa, quickly turning off the tablet screen, and starting to get up from the table. She was feeling rather insecure now that the time to confront the patients was approaching, and she wasn't at all used to feeling professionally insecure. "I think I'll have to use the time during the trip back to the planet to dig a little deeper into the patients' medical history. The truth is that I've barely been able to read anything..."
Fortunately, Isa seemed to be fully aware of Mac's worries and anxieties, and was able to reassure her with a calm expression. "Please dont think that you have to be Perfect on your First day. You will make mistakes and you are fine to Check your Notes as often as you want to. Even I sometimes need to Check my Notes of Previous Sessions when I have a Therapy Meeting."
It was obvious that Saito was very good at combining her skills as a psychologist with those of a teacher, since she knew how to read a student's mood and say the exact words that were needed at each moment to support him and give him security. Mackenzie, a little bit calmer, mentally repeated to herself that, although she was already a doctor, she was not qualified in this medical field, but was just a mere beginner on her first day. Nobody really expected anything from her at such an early stage, except that she didn't screw up terribly, and a good way to screw things up was to think that she should do more than her share as a student. Okay, she wanted to impress Saito, but she would have time to do that later, throughout her studies, when she were more advanced and had more experience. Going so early beyond what she was supposed to do as a apprentice would probably not please the psychologist. Mac's duty was to learn from Isabella, that was what she had been sent here for.
Wilson smiled at Isabella, somewhat embarrassed. "Yes, I'm sorry. I'm used to functioning as a senior doctor, not as a trainee. It's been many years since I was a student, and I've forgotten how to do it." Since Isa didn't seem to want to ask for the tablet back, Mac put it in her backpack while they both headed towards the hangar. "To be honest, has been a long time since I felt so nervous about a situation related to the practice of medicine."
As they made their way through the ramps of the Atrium, the two women encountered Harlen, the elderly chaplain of the Chapel of All Faiths, heading in the opposite direction. He offered them one of his friendly smiles as he informed Mac that the books and other paraphernalia sent by the Church had arrived in time before the Healing Heart had left the MFE General Academy in Theta. According to him, Greta had even sent a photograph of some of the small chapels that were scattered around the underground area of the colony, so that Harlen could get an idea of the usual arrangement of religious objects and symbols. Apparently, the little corner dedicated to Deux in the Chapel of All Faiths would be available when Mackenzie returned from Curacao.
Mac said goodbye to Harlen with a big hug, and as she walked back to the hangar, she noticed that suddenly felt lighter and less worried. The neurologist was a very religious person, who not only believed in Deux's existence, but deep down believed that He constantly made little signs so that those who had faith would know that He was with them. As Mac felt it, that unexpected encounter with Harlen and his good news was one of those signs, and Mackenzie knew that Deux was watching her from the vastness of the universe, showing His support and giving her strength to continue the work. It was as if Deux was telling her that He wanted her to be there, at that moment, doing what she was doing. The path she was about to travel was in accordance with the Sacred Mandate of Deux, and therefore, everything was fine and it made sense.
"I honestly adore that man." Wilson shook her head while smiling. "He has just heard about my religious creed, and he's already trying to get to know it as much as possible. Even he was already carrying a copy of the Sacred Codex Machina in his hand right now!" She looked at Isa. "You can't imagine how grateful I am to have found this welcome at the Healing Heart, as far as my religious beliefs are concerned."
When the group of two women and the cat finally arrived at the hangar, they passed through security and entered the launch pad on which the three Dorado-class ships were landed. Mac had never seen any ships of this model before, but they looked rather pretty to her with their curved, rounded shapes and small side fins. They reminded her of some type of marine mammal of Earthly origin, such as a dolphin or a whale. The Dorados were the typical small-medium passenger boat, what was commonly known as a ferry, but they looked fairly new and well built. Mac remembered that Saito had said that they were a donation from OS&C, so they had probably been some kind of luxury transport in the past, or at least more luxurious than the two old Democritus yachts that the Church owned in Faith Haven to transport people.
Isabella headed straight for the ship in the center, followed by Wilson and Niki, passing near the ship's engines where some technicians and ground personnel were making final checks. The group ascended a side ramp into the passenger area, and Mac was able to see the interior of the ship, which was indeed as she had imagined, much more luxurious and modern than the NCC's Democritus. The passenger area, which was the one they were currently in, was not very large, and consisted mainly of several groupings of sofas. A wall with a double door separated the passenger area from the rest of the ship, which extended to the cockpit.
Isa walked over to one of the groups of sofas where several women were sitting, dressed in ordinary clothes and with MFE credentials identifying them as patients. Mac also advanced towards them, while the psychologist made the necessary presentations, and recognized two of them from the day before when Saito had taken her to visit the Refuge. The women stood up and welcomed Mackenzie with hugs and encouraging smiles, which made her feel much more confident. These people didn't know her, but they seemed to be happy to have her there. They clearly trusted Isabella a lot, and if Mac had the psychologist's approval, then they approved her too. That attitude had little to do with the looks of fear and distrust that she had received from many women at the Refuge, but she had to take into account that, as Isa had already warned her, these were patients in an advanced stage of their therapeutic process. In fact, it was the perfect situation for Wilson to experience her first therapy session without too many risks, both for herself and for the patients.
The Dorado's engines began to start, and the sound of the turbines entered through the side access door, still open and with the ramp extended. At Isabella's indication, everyone sat down on the sofas and fastened their attached seat belts, preparing for the ship to begin its takeoff. Wilson glanced at the access gate when it began to retract the ramp, and could see how suddenly a purple flash entered right through the gap when the gate leaf closed. The purple flash didn't stop and jumped straight onto Mackenzie's lap on the couch, scaring her. Her eyes widened as she realized that standing on her legs, staring at her with malicious eyes, was Lucille.
"Blessed Deux!" The neurologist rolled her eyes and threw her head back, recovering from the shock. She then looked directly at the vixen. "Damn you Lucille! What the hell are you doing here?" She looked around where Isabella and the patients were watching the fox in both surprise and amusement. "She followed us here! It's... incredible!"
Wilson looked back at the access gate, which was closed, and immediately noticed how the ship lifted off the ground and rose inside the hangar. She sighed and looked at Lucille again. The vixen looked back at her, and Mac thought she saw a glint somewhere between mocking and proud. "You've gotten away with it, right? You waited until the last moment to get on, so that we could take off and I couldn't get rid of you." Lucille comically tilted her head to the side as if she didn't understand what Mac was saying, causing her to laugh a while. Then she shook her head and caressed the fox's back. "Well... I guess you've won the game, and you'll have to accompany me to Curacao." Wilson raised a warning finger to Lucille's snout. "But you better behave yourself. I'm working and this is a very serious matter, I won't be able to spend too much time with you, at least not for the first few hours."
Once the three ships left the Healing Heart hangar and stood in formation on the way to Planet Curacao, the passengers unfastened their seat belts and were able to walk freely around the cabin. There was still some way to go at cruise speed before arriving to the Curacao docking rings, so those present fell into informal conversation. Mac stood next to Isabella for a few minutes, and after allowing enough time to pass so that this could not be considered rude, she apologized, got up from the couch and sat on a further away one, followed by Lucille, who lay down on the ground in front of her.
Isabella's friendly words, Harlen's news from the Chapel, and the warm welcome from the patients had helped Mac a lot to calm down, and she was no longer so nervous. However, the neurologist couldn't stop being herself. She knew, and she repeated mentally every few minutes, that no one expected anything from her. She knew that she was a student on her first day and that she had the right to not do everything perfectly. But she also knew herself and was aware that she could not function properly if she did not maintain control of the situation, so she needed to study her patients' medical history thoroughly. And she needed some peace of mind to do so.
Dr. Wilson pulled the tablet out of her backpack and turned the screen back on. She gave a slight gesture for Lucille to come closer, and when the vixen climbed onto the couch and settled down next to her, sighed. "Okay, here we go."
