Part Two
“So we’re supposed to troop into the captain’s quarters and do exactly what?” Torres asked the next morning.
“You don’t have troop in anywhere,” the EMH said. Thanks to the mobile emitter he was present in the conference room. “Just try and engage the captain in conversation.”
“She’s in a coma. She’s not going to be conversing.”
“It will be a one-sided conversation,” Chakotay said. “But that could aid her in regaining consciousness. I think it’s a good idea.”
“Careful, B’Elanna. Engineering status reports might just put the captain deeper into her coma,” Paris joked.
“That is not amusing,” Seven said. “Jokes about the captain’s comatose state are unacceptable.
“Sorry. You know what I meant.”
“The captain’s condition should be a priority of this crew,” Seven said, gazing around the table.“ So far none other than those of us present here know about it. That must change.”
“I have been getting some questions in the mess hall,” Neelix said. The Talaxian’s whiskers twitched as he spoke. “People are beginning to speculate about her mental well being.”
“It would be wise to stop the rumors,” Tuvok said.
Chakotay scowled. “And if I issue an announcement that the captain has lapsed into a coma, do you think that will boost morale?”
“The captain has not lapsed into a coma. She has been in a coma,” Seven corrected. “Her condition has not deteriorated.”
“No, as a matter of fact there was a slight improvement,” the EMH said.
“Really? Enlighten us,” Chakotay said.
“I have been monitoring her brain function and respiration and last night’s readings indicated that for a period of an hour she did have a higher rate of neurological activity than before. Respiration and circulatory systems also were speeded up. It was only temporary, but it seemed to coincide with the visit Seven made to her quarters.”
“What did you do to the captain?” Kim asked.
Seven felt a guilty pang, not wanting to admit she had touched Kathryn. She would never have dared do such a thing if the captain were herself. “I spoke to the captain. I reminded her of when I first came aboard Voyager.”
“A Borg drone,” Paris said. “That would sure get my respiration going.”
“Whatever Seven talked to the captain about is irrelevant,” the Doctor said. “The main thing is that Captain Janeway responded. If more of you did the same thing she could respond even more. Seven is right. The rest of the crew should be encouraged to talk to her and visit her.”
“They may not want to go to her quarters,” Tuvok pointed out.
“We can transport her back to sickbay,” the EMH said. “I can set up an area for her.”
“Very well, Doctor,” Chakotay said. “I’ll make a ship wide announcement.”
The news that the captain was in a coma of unknown origin was broadcast an hour later. A small figure darted down the corridors, making immediately for the astrometrics lab where Seven was working at a console.
“Did you know about the captain’s coma?” Naomi asked.
The ex-Borg glanced down at her friend. “Yes.”
“You broke your promise.”
“I was ordered by Commander Chakotay not to discuss the captain’s condition with anyone except senior staff. I am sorry.”
“I forgive you,” Naomi said readily. She couldn’t stay mad at Seven for long. “So how is the captain? Have you seen her?”
“She is improving slightly.” It was gratifying to know that her visit had sparked some physical changes in the captain.
“Can I see her?”
“Yes. She is in sickbay. I believe the Doctor encourages visitors.”
“Should I bring her something? Flowers?”
Remembering that it was flowers that may have caused the captain’s coma, Seven shook her head. “Mr. Neelix can advise you about that. Probably the best thing you can do is talk to her.”
“What should I say?”
“Tell her about your wish to be her bridge assistant.”
“Okay. Can I tell her about the time I beat you in kodiskot?”
“No, but you can tell her about the time I beat you,” Seven said and was rewarded with a smile from the child.
Naomi was not the only one to pay a visit to the captain. As the Doctor had predicted a stream of visitors made their way to sickbay.
As though this was the promenade of Deep Space Nine, Kathryn thought. She ran a tight ship, and was known as a stickler for protocol, so she was surprised to see the different members of the crew who stopped by. Mortimer Harran came by to tell her that she still hadn’t helped him with that Theory of his. Tal Celes had dissolved in tears and Kathryn was rather relieved when Billy Telfer took her away.
By and large the junior members of the crew would tell her to be strong and get well. The senior staff, however, indulged in more personal visits. Even Tuvok who usually just meditated found it necessary to talk about their long friendship.
“I have not told you before how I appreciated your coming after me when I was taken aboard the Maquis ship.”
Of course if I hadn’t we wouldn’t be stuck here in the Delta Quadrant.
“You must get better.” He touched his finger tips lightly to her temple.
For a moment she thought that he was going to do a mind meld. Well, he’d done it once before with her, but back then her mind and body had been together.
On the heels of Tuvok came Ensign Kim with his clarinet.
Kathryn supposed she should be grateful it wasn’t a tuba. The Ops Officer played a rather plaintive concerto that he had composed when they were crossing the Void. She would have preferred something more lively. She had always had a special spot in her heart for Harry who had been fresh from Starfleet Academy when he came aboard Voyager, but her interest didn’t extend to his clarinet playing.
About this time the EMH became busy when an EPS conduit blew out and injured crew members came into sick bay. Kathryn watched intently as the Doctor treated them. The hologram was quick and efficient, as Seven would say. None of the injuries were severe. But the damage to the EPS conduit meant that Lt. Torres would be working late on the repair. Would she call on Seven to help out?
Apparently she did because Seven did not appear at her usual time that evening in sickbay. Kathryn was disappointed. Despite the torrent of visitors she had always looked forward to Seven’s visit. She had grown accustomed to it.
Usually Seven came late at night, when the ship was quiet. Kathryn enjoyed hearing Seven reminisce about their previous skirmishes and hoped that Seven would hold her hand again if only to see what would happened. So far however Seven refrained from touching her. Once when Seven leaned over to say good night, Janeway was almost convinced that the blonde was going to kiss her cheek. The captain was rather disappointed when Seven simply whispered, “Good night.”
“Seven of Nine to the Doctor.”
“The Doctor here. What is it, Seven?”
“I am helping Lt. Torres repair the damage to the EPS conduit.”
Knew it!
“I will stop by and visit the captain very late.”
“Seven, you haven’t regenerated in several days,” the EMH chided. “You should regenerate soon or you will be in sickbay on a biobed.”
“I plan to regenerate after I visit the captain.”
“Why don’t you do it first? I don’t think the captain will mind waiting an hour or two.”
That’s what he thinks!
“Agreed. I will visit the captain after I regenerate.”
Well, at least she would be visiting.
The rest of the evening passed slowly for Kathryn until Chakotay stopped by.
“Any change in our patient?” he asked the Doctor.
“Yes. Her neurological activity has improved. There have been responses to certain visitors. Tal Celes for example and Harry Kim. But the most activity is sparked by Seven’s visits.”
Chakotay frowned. The two women shared a special bond, one that he was sometimes envious of. So it was no wonder that Kathryn responded to the Borg. And yet at one time in their lives he and Kathryn had shared something special too on New Earth. Perhaps a reminder of that might help her to regain consciousness.
“Doctor, I wonder if you would deactivate your program for a few minutes.”
Why on earth would he do that?
“Oh?” the Doctor asked.
“I’d just like some privacy when I talk with the captain.”
“Of course. Computer, deactivate EMH.”
Privacy? Just what did Chakotay have in mind? One would think he was about to whisper sweet nothings in her ear. She watched as the dark haired First Officer walked over to the biobed and gazed down at her, a softness in the dark brown eyes.
Chakotay picked up her hand and held it gently.
“Hi, Kathryn. Alpha shift’s over and I just came by for a visit. I was thinking, remembering actually that time you and I were stranded on New Earth together. Nobody there, just us, and oh yeah, that little monkey you were trying to catch. Do you remember?”
I remember. Almost made a fool out of myself chasing the damn thing.
He laughed. “I built you a bath tub, do you remember?”
One thing about Chakotay he was good with his hands. The bathtub had been fabulous. She had enjoyed the long soaks in it out in the wooded area.
“I knew you loved to soak in it. A couple of times I happened to catch sight of you through the trees.”
What the hell?! He was watching her?
“I know we haven’t been as close since then.”
“But I know we’re meant to share more. Wake up, please.”
He brought her hand to his cheek.
If Kathryn had control over her body she would have snatched her hand away and slapped Chakotay across the face. As it was she had to endure having him hold her fingers against him. She hoped he wasn’t going to kiss them.
Suddenly the doors to sickbay hissed open. It was Seven.
Upon entering, Seven of Nine noticed Chakotay bent over the captain’s bio bed, talking to her. Except he wasn’t just talking. He was holding her hand to his face and allowing the fingers to stroke his face as if the captain were caressing him. Unacceptable!
“Commander?” Seven stalked over, azure eyes flashing lightning bolts. “What are you doing to the captain?”
You tell him, Seven.
Alarmed by the look on the Borg’s face, Chakotay dropped Janeway’s hand onto the sheet. “Nothing,” he murmured.
Seven was about to contradict him by pointing out that he had been holding the captain’s hand to his face, making it appear as though the captain was touching him in an affectionate manner when Chakotay spoke again.
“I was just following your lead, Seven.”
“My lead?” she asked, uncertainty filling her chest. Had the commander somehow discerned that she had taken the liberty of holding the captain’s hand in hers.
“I was having a private visit with the captain.”
“Where is the doctor?”
“He deactivated himself.”
“Is his matrix malfunctioning?”
“No, I asked him for a moment alone with Kathryn.”
Kathryn. Of course the captain allowed Chakotay to call her Kathryn when she was off duty. Seven had heard that familiarity a few times before on the ship. But hearing it now made her burn with an unfamiliar emotion.
“I shall wait in the corridor until you have finished,” she said.
Too late, the blonde had exited the room.
“Well, it seems that Seven wants to see you too, Kathryn,” Chakotay said, smiling down at the captain.
For a moment Kathryn was afraid that he would kiss her. But all he did was activate the EMH.
“Please state the nature of the medical emergency. Ah, Commander. Is your visit over?”
“Yes. Seven’s outside. I think she’ll be coming in next.”
“Fine.”
Seven paced back and forth in the corridor. She had left the sickbay before she gave in to her desire to throttle the First Officer. And exactly why was she so annoyed with him? Painstakingly she explored the new emotion assailing her, eventually identifying it as jealousy. She did not like the intimate way Chakotay touched the captain’s cheek. She did not like him calling her Kathryn.
Never mind what you like or don’t like. If he succeeds in reviving the captain, that is all that matters.
She tried to calm herself by reminding herself that it was of paramount importance to revive the captain. It was common knowledge that at one time in Voyager’s history the captain and the First Officer had been close. So close that some of the crew thought their relationship had been consummated on New Earth.
Seven knew what consummation meant. The captain and Chakotay had probably engaged in physical intimacy. She did not enjoy dwelling on such images. That had been all in the past. The captain had told Seven only that Chakotay was a good First Officer and a dear friend who could tolerate her bad cooking.
Now the captain’s dear friend emerged from sick bay.
“Have a good visit with the captain. But I should warn you the Doctor is back.”
Without replying, Seven entered sickbay to find the EMH examining his tricorder readings.
“Has there been any improvement?”
“As a matter of fact, Seven, yes. See…” He smiled and pointed to the console. “The captain has shown much more neurological activity. And look here, just minutes ago her brain waves were quite active. According to the time log it appears to have coincided with Commander Chakotay’s visit. Whatever he did, it seemed to have gotten the captain’s attention, even if she were in a coma.”
“Her reaction was even greater than during that visit you paid her in her quarters,” the EMH babbled happily.
“That is good news,” Seven said, feeling envious that the Commander’s visit should have provided more stimulation for the captain. He had been caressing himself with her hand, Seven recalled. Perhaps if she took the captain’s hand and allowed it to touch her face.
“We need to build on this, Seven. Go and talk to the captain now.”
Approving of the EMH’s words but wishing that he would deactivate himself, Kathryn waited for Seven to come closer to the bio bed.
Seven gazed down at the slumbering woman, tempted to once again touch the captain’s hair. Such beautiful auburn hair. She yearned to stroke it and wished that they were alone. The EMH would not look kindly at being asked to go away.
“Doctor, is it permitted for me to hold the captain’s hand?” she asked.
“Permission granted, Seven.”
“Tactile sensation can be very powerful,” the Doctor went on. “I was telling Naomi that the other day when she wanted to give the captain a hug.”
Lightly Seven stroked the captain’s fingers with hers.
She would never dare trace her fingers along the delicate bones of the captain’s hand if she were awake. Janeway often touched Seven, occasionally pressing a warm hand to Seven’s shoulder or back but that was the captain’s privilege. Seven had never reciprocated until the coma.
Entranced, Seven linked her fingers with the captain’s. The sight of their clasped hands sent a warm tingle spreading through her body.
The captain, more experienced in these matters, had moved beyond the tingle stage.
“There’s a reaction,” the Doctor said, eyes riveted on the console. “Say something to her.”
Feeling self-conscious, Seven tried to think of something of a personal nature that she would not mind sharing with the EMH.
“Maybe what you were talking about the last time in her quarters.”
She had been talking about their first meeting in the brig. But they had been in the brig together on another occasion.
“Do you remember when we were on Arturis’s ship, Captain?” she whispered softly. “We were in the brig again. The ship was headed into Borg space and I didn’t wish to be re-assimilated. You said you couldn’t always be my friend since you were my captain.” Seven felt her throat muscles convulse at the memory. “I need my friend and my captain, Kathryn. Please wake up.”
Oh, Seven…Kathryn was touched by the heart felt declaration.
But there was more. Forgetting momentarily about the EMH’s presence, Seven once again pressed the captain’s hand to her heart.
“Yes!” the Doctor exclaimed. “That got a reaction.”
He turned to Seven, beaming. His smile faltered just a fraction when he saw the way Seven tucked the captain’s hand against her.
The captain is comatose, not dead, he reminded himself. Anyone still breathing would react to the touch of those round firm breasts.
**********
Long after the EMH had deactivated himself, someone continued to prowl the sickbay. The captain, the non-corporeal part of Kathryn Janeway, was trying to make sense out of what had happened between herself and Seven of Nine a few hours ago. On the one hand it was all very well to say that she had simply reacted to the sensation of Seven’s touch, while on the other hand she had never reacted so strongly to anyone, not even the two men she had been engaged to. And this was just from having Seven hold her hand against her chest.
And what a chest it is, an inner voice chortled.
Stop that!
Kathryn had observed the shock on the EMH’s face. The hologram’s expression was a clear give away. She had also noticed the read outs showing heightened adrenaline and estrogen levels in her body. All signs of sexual arousal. She hoped that the Doctor would keep that particular finding to himself and not share it with someone like Chakotay or Seven. Especially not Seven.
The young woman was acting only with the most altruistic of motives, trying to get her captain out of a coma. Seven had never indicated that she entertained romantic feelings for Kathryn. If Seven’s defensive, reserved nature had mellowed a bit recently Kathryn thought that due to her adjustment to life on Voyager.
So what was going on? Why was her body reacting to the ex-Borg so strongly? Was there something about Seven’s cybernetic implants perhaps that made that electric spark fly whenever Seven touched her.
Of course Seven hadn’t held her with the Borg hand. Nope, it was her good old human hand that she had used to first clasp Kathryn’s hand and then cradle it between her breasts.
Idly Kathryn wondered how it would feel to have that hand cradled in some other region of Seven’s body.
No! No! No!
She was a starship captain. She wasn’t supposed to entertain such prurient thoughts about a member of her crew. If Kathryn only had control of her body none of this would have taken place. Seven would never have touched her. This was only because of Janeway’s stupid mind-body problem at the moment.
Well, nothing like a silver lining.
It’s not a silver lining, she argued back. It’s sheer torture.
Torture, yeah right?
I am the captain.
Except at the moment you’re not sitting in the captain’s chair. You’re lying in the biobed and reacting like an iron filing to a magnet whenever that beautiful blonde lays a finger on you.
She would resist. Yes, that’s it. The next time Seven touched her she would not react.
Like you have a snowball’s chance on Vulcan of doing that. Things are not normal here, Katie. Your body is down there and your mind is way up here.
I need to wake up. That would put an end to this problem. She gazed down at herself on the bed. Wake up, stupid! Wake up, you fool! You stupid, lucky fool!
Damn it, was her body smiling as she lay there in a coma?
********
Janeway was not the only one to review the interaction in the sickbay. Blessed with an eidetic memory, Seven could relive her conversation with the captain in minute detail during her duty shift in astrometrics. The one-sided conversation she dismissed as irrelevant. What she found most alluring was the way Kathryn’s skin seemed to react under her fingers. The small hairs on the captain’s arm seemed to skitter softly and Seven’s implants had picked up a definite increase in the captain’s temperature.
The Doctor had been right. Tactile sensation was very powerful. Seven would never have suspected she could enjoy holding the captain’s hand so much. It made her whole body tingle, as though the nerve endings were on fire, but not in a painful way. She had never experienced anything like it before in her life.
Kathryn had looked so beautiful and when Seven had at last released her hand in order to leave, she had thought she saw a smile on the captain’s lips. She basked happily in that memory for several minutes until another thought struck. Chakotay. Had the captain smiled at Chakotay too when he held her hand? Perhaps the captain’s smile was just an autonomic nervous reaction, nothing specific to Seven herself.
******
Usually the computer activated the Doctor automatically at 0600 hours. This gave him enough time to prepare for the day’s activities. When he became activated on this particular morning however, he faced a quandary.
If he did what was medically appropriate and share his findings with the senior staff, the captain and Seven would be embarrassed. The EMH understood embarrassment. On one occasion his programming had malfunctioned because of a day dreaming subroutine he had installed. His fantasies about Seven, and B’Elanna, not to mention the captain herself, had been opened up for them to see.
Ordinarily mere embarrassment would not be enough to deter him when a medical condition was at stake, but in this instance he did hesitate. Seven of Nine was more to the EMH than just a fellow crew member. He was in love with her.
He had come to that realization some time ago while helping her with a dating lesson. Seven didn’t suspect anything and he had never talked about his feelings for her. He had actually grown accustomed to the real platonic friendship they enjoyed. Taking all that into consideration, he was hardly objective about her effect on Voyager’s comatose captain.
He ran his tricorder over Janeway.
“Your hormonal levels have subsided.”
Good.
“Probably because Seven’s not around to arouse you.”
“There’s no denying that the treatment that Seven is administering, the hand to chest therapy, if you will, is working. Your synaptic pattern was bursting with activity during the time Seven was with you.”
The EMH remembered how innocently she had complied with his suggestion that she let go of the captain’s hand and say good night. She had no idea of the kind of reaction she was enkindling in the captain’s body.
He shut the tricorder. Wasn’t that the point? They wanted the captain to regain consciousness. And her signs of arousal were good, even if they weren’t the type of arousal that he had in mind. For now he would leave them out of the medical logs. The captain really couldn’t stop her body from reacting since she was unconscious. This wasn’t in any way a deliberate reaction. Kathryn Janeway was not about to have a same gender relationship with a woman young enough to be her daughter. Her body was simply reacting to certain stimuli.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” he muttered.
What doesn’t mean anything? Kathryn wondered, wishing that the hologram had been programmed with intuition and psychic ability. The Doctor had activated himself in a rather dour mood, judging by the way he was roaming around the sick bay. Even the way he was examining her seemed less than his usual. He was glaring at her as though somehow she was at fault for something or other.
“If you were awake you’d be ashamed of yourself, Captain,” he continued.
How dare he speak to her in that way. She was in a coma for goodness sake. And it was his idea for Seven to hold her hand.
The door to the sickbay opened. Ensign Hickman came in with a stomach complaint.
“Have you been eating in the mess hall?” the EMH asked.
“I had breakfast there.”
“That explains your upset stomach.”
He injected a hypospray in Hickman’s neck. “That better?”
“Yeah, thanks, Doc. How’s the captain?”
“You can say hello. Just don’t touch her.”
Hickman looked amazed. “Why would I touch her?”
“No reason. Forget I said anything.”
“Yeah, well…” He came over to the captain’s biobed. “Hi, Captain…get better you hear?”
Thanks, Ensign. I intend to.
Hickman left the sickbay and went back to his duty station, wondering if he should tell Torres that the Doc’s holoprogram might be destabilizing.
Left alone again in the sickbay, the Doctor returned to his patient. Her respiratory pattern had improved and her pupils were reactive to the light he shown in her eyes.
“So should I let Seven continue her personal therapy, Captain?” he mused aloud. “I don’t want you to feel taken advantage of.”
Good heavens, he was talking as though Seven was molesting her.
“You do seem responsive and that might lead to your regaining consciousness. However, if you do regain yourself and learn what has taken place you may not approve. If I institute a hands off the captain policy you may never regain consciousness again.”
If he wanted to institute a hands off the captain policy he ought to ban Chakotay not Seven.
The EMH began a series of computations, factoring in the progress the captain had made in the past few days. The answer was clear. Let Seven continue. The captain was responding to her. If Janeway wanted to be angry with him later he’d just have to bear it.
Part Three
“Kodiskot!” Naomi squealed and clapped her hands.
The blonde woman across the mess hall table stared at the orange and green disks on the grid.
“You have won again.”
“You’re distracted. It’s probably because of the captain,” the girl said matter-of-factly.
Around them the after dinner crowd bustled. Neelix was still trying to entice reluctant diners to try the special leola root stew.
“I’ve added a special ingredient.”
“No, thanks, Neelix,” Hickman, still feeling the effects of breakfast, passed on the stew.
Seven had chosen a nutritional supplement, while Naomi had tried the macaroni and cheese. They had shared a slice of pecan pie.
“Don’t worry, Seven. Captain Janeway will get better. I saw her this morning with my mom and Neelix. She was smiling.”
The ex-Borg glanced across the kodiskot grid, feeling unexpectedly cheered by the girl’s words. “I’m sure you are right, Naomi. The captain will get better.”
“She’s just fallen asleep like Sleeping Beauty,” Naomi said, stacking the kodiskot markers by color.
“Sleeping Beauty?” Seven accessed her memory files and came up with the bedtime story told to children. “You mean the fairy tale?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Your comparison is flawed. There was a princess in the story. Captain Janeway is not a princess.”
“No. She’s more like the queen of the ship, I mean. And I know she didn’t prick her finger on a spinning wheel whatever that is…but she is sleeping and nobody seems to wake her up.”
Seven frowned in concentration as more details about Sleeping Beauty came to mind. “Sleeping Beauty was awakened, was she not?”
Naomi nodded. “By a traveling prince. Prince Charming saw her and kissed her on the lips and she just woke up. And they lived happily ever after. Maybe that could happen here on Voyager.”
Seven’s ocular implant shot up. “No man on this starship would be considered a prince and no one would dare to kiss the captain without her permission.”
“Even if it might get her to wake up? Maybe Commander Chakotay would. He might be the nearest thing to a prince on board.”
The thought of Chakotay kissing the captain in any fashion brought a flush to the young woman’s alabaster cheeks.
“You must not speak of such a thing to the commander,” she said to her friend.
“Okay, okay,” Naomi said, wondering why Seven looked so stern. She never got mad at Naomi. “It was just an idea. Sorry.”
Unnoticed by the kodiskot players, the EMH had entered the messhall. After thinking long and hard, the Doctor had decided that Seven was the best remedy for the captain’s coma. He had a plan of treatment in mind and it involved Seven. He strolled up to her table now.
“Seven, here you are. May I interrupt for a moment?”
“We’re finished. It’s almost my bedtime,” Naomi said. She hugged Seven. “Good night, Seven.”
“Good night, Naomi.”
After the child left with the kodiskot set, Seven directed her full attention to the Doctor. “Is it the captain?” she asked softly.
At a nearby table Tom Paris was entertaining a group of friends with tales of the New Zealand prison camp he’d been in. The EMH didn’t want anyone eavesdropping on what he was about to suggest to Seven. “Let’s go somewhere quieter for our conversation.”
The captain had worsened, Seven thought bleakly. “Cargo bay two,” she suggested as she followed the EMH out into the corridor. At this time in the evening no one would be around.
The EMH hummed a little tune softly as they walked toward the turbo lift. “You know I sometimes think having music in this lift would be a pleasant thing. What do you think?”
“The ride in the turbo lift would be too short to sustain enjoyment of such music,” she said, annoyed at his small talk.
“Depends on how promptly the turbo lift arrives,” he said as they got in. There were others present so Seven could not ask about the captain but neither was the EMH able to continue his small talk.
As soon as they strode into the empty cargo bay and she had determined that they were alone, Seven whirled to face him, demanding: “Has the captain’s condition worsened?”
“No, nothing of the sort,” he assured her quickly. Relief filled the azure blue eyes. “In fact the captain is responding nicely to the crew’s visits. The one she responds to most is you.”
Seven felt a surge of satisfaction at the Doctor’s words. The captain was getting better. She would recover and be herself again.
“I am glad to be of assistance.”
“That’s why I believe you should spend the night in sickbay with me, I mean with the captain,” he amended quickly. Talk about Freudian slips.
“You wish me to spend the night with the captain.” The phrase ‘spend the night with the captain’ sent a little tingle up the Borg’s spine. “Explain.”
“ I believe the captain would benefit by your company for a sustained length of time, instead of just a ten or fifteen minute visit. You have the time since you don’t need sleep the way most of the crew do. You require only one hour of regeneration daily, which sometimes you skip.” He wagged a finger at her.
“Do you fear for the captain’s safety, Doctor?” Seven asked, leaning an elbow on a cargo bin marked Vegetables. “Is that why you wish me to stay with her?”
“It’s not a question of safety. If that were the case I’d be talking to Tuvok.” He paused, knowing that he was setting in motion something that might come back to haunt him. The captain and Seven pairing up instead of the EMH and Seven.
“Unless you’re busy between 2200 hours and 0600?” he asked, acidly.
“I do not believe I am busy,” she replied. “Although I am attempting to find an explanation for the captain’s coma. I am researching the Lubali.”
“How? I thought the Borg didn’t consider them worthy of assimilation,” the EMH asked.
“Correct. However, I am accessing the memories of those the Borg did assimilate. They may have encountered the Lubali.”
“Cross referencing? Intriguing approach, Seven. Have you come up with anything?”
She shook her head. “There are thousands of species in my memory files. It is a laborious process. Fortunately my mind is arranged so it is able to work on this problem while at the same time doing other things such as play kodiskot with Naomi.”
“Yes, the Borg are nothing if not organized when it comes to a drone’s body parts,” he said dryly. “Will you come to sickbay then? If you’re up to the task of being with the captain, that is. If you get tired…”
“I will not get tired.”
“You could lie down on a biobed. You might even fall asleep.”
“I do not sleep.”
“You could just rest your head on the pillow.”
Seven hesitated, picturing her head next to the captain’s on her pillow. “I will consider that. Will you be in sickbay as well, Doctor?”
“I will come and go. I plan to deactivate my matrix and reactivate it every two hours or so.” That should give Janeway and Seven plenty of alone time. “Perhaps you can bring a few personal items with you when you come to sick bay to help pass the time.”
“I will comply.”
Humming again, the Doctor left the cargo bay. Seven walked to her personal living area in the cargo bay and pulled out a backpack that she used on away missions. Inside were a few necessary items, toothbrush, hairbrush, and two padds. After much thought, she added a sketch pad, pencils and deck of playing cards. Recently she and Naomi had been learning Terran card games as a prelude to their eventually reaching the Alpha Quadrant.
She put the backpack on, adjusting the straps on her shoulders. She was about to leave the cargo bay when she suddenly remembered the EMH had mentioned sleeping. It was foreign to her, however if she did make an attempt, she needed to be properly attired.
From what she had observed of Naomi Wildman, a sleeping outfit was required called pajamas. Seven entered her measurements in the replicator and minutes later a set of sky blue cotton pajamas appeared, neatly folded. She carried them with her out of the cargo bay.
***
Slumber party! Kathryn hadn’t had a friend sleep over since she was a teenager. Janeway had always enjoyed letting her hair down and staying up all night with friends talking and eating. She felt a giddy excitement as she watched Seven unload her backpack.
“What do you make of this, Seven?” the EMH asked as he erected a shimmering blue shield around the captain’s biobed. This would allow the pair the privacy they needed. He thought of replicating a Do Not Disturb sign and hanging it on the curtain but decided against it. This wasn’t a hotel suite.
“It seems sufficient.”
“High praise from a Borg.” He brought a chair and small table over to the captain’s biobed. Seven could sit there next to Janeway.
Hey. Why not another biobed!
“What do you have there?” the Doctor asked.
“Pajamas,” came the reply as Seven shook out the top half of the sleeping ensemble and held it against her chest. “In the event I attempt sleeping with the captain as you suggested.”
Oh my God!
“Good idea,” the Doctor said, not surprised to see a spike in the captain’s readings on the console at that precise moment. With any luck this could be the breakthrough they were looking for. “I’m going to deactivate my program now.”
Good bye!
“Wait!”
“Is there a problem, Seven?” She was fiddling with the playing cards.
Seven had never spent hours with the captain unrelated to work. Even playing Velocity took at most an hour. To have the captain to herself for most of the night was disconcerting. Pleasing, but disconcerting.
“I am uncertain as to what to do here.”
“Just do whatever you want with the captain.”
She could start by holding my hand, stroking my hair.
“You could have one of those philosophical discussions the two of you are famous for,” the EMH went on.
“At the moment the captain cannot participate in such a discussion.”
“You’d be surprised. Sometimes if you discuss something with someone she doesn’t really have to say anything at all to bring enlightenment. And you could always just sit and hold her hand.”
Good idea, Doctor!
“That would be acceptable,” Seven said, swallowing hard.
“Don’t think too hard. Just enjoy your night with the captain. Do what comes naturally.”
Oh God!
“Computer, deactivate EMH.”
***
After unpacking her backpack, Seven sat down on the chair next to the biobed. Kathryn was lying under a blue sheet, her bare arms resting over the sheet.
“Good evening, Captain.”
So formal tonight. It’s Kathryn. Call me Kathryn.
“The Doctor has suggested I spend the night with you. I hope that is acceptable to you.”
Very acceptable.
“Shall I relate my day’s activities to you?”
By all means.
“I worked my duty shift in astrometrics, continuing to chart our progress to Sector Zero Zero One. Commander Chakotay asked me to recalibrate the deflector array to compensate for the graviton surge Ensign Kim had detected nearby. At the end of my shift I went to the mess hall and consumed Nutritional Supplement Number Three instead of the Daily Special. It was leola root stew.”
I’d go for the Nutritional Supplement too.
“After dinner Naomi and I played kodiskot. She defeated me,” Seven admitted bashfully.
“I do not like being defeated, even by Naomi.”
Kathryn know that only too well. At the end of a Velocity match Seven was always a picture of frustration, hair spilling down out of that bun, lips narrowed, blue eyes stormy. And sexy as hell.
“I am not a good sport.”
Kathryn laughed. No, you’re not.
“Although I was a good sport with Naomi.”
Good.
“She calls you Sleeping Beauty after the fairy tale.”
She’s wrong. You’re the real Beauty.
“She claims you are the queen of the ship.”
Queen? That’s a bit much.
“That made me think of the Borg Queen.”
Her? Was Seven missing that creature after all this time?
“Remember how she came after me and threatened Voyager if I did not return to the Collective?”
That bitch was up to her old tricks.
“She wanted me back with the Collective.”
She wanted you period, my dear. Kathryn could tell, just from the way the Borg Queen looked at Seven. As though the young woman belonged to her. And not in any damn maternal way.
“It wasn’t home anymore. I felt different.”
More human than Borg.
“Because of you and what you’d taught me about humanity. I didn’t belong to the Queen any more. I belong to you, Captain.”
Kathryn.
“Kathryn.” Seven smiled as she said the captain’s name. It gave her such pleasure to say the name.
That’s it.
“Thank you for coming after me and rescuing me.”
You’re welcome.
Gently, Seven picked up Kathryn’s hand and held it against her cheek.
Oh yes.
Kathryn sighed, feeling the softness under her fingers. If she stretched her fingers she might be able to touch Seven’s starburst implant. Kathryn concentrated all her attention on her fingers, willing them to move. Warmth suddenly registered against her skin. The metal wasn’t cold and hard the way she would have expected. It felt warm like Seven herself.
***
“Please state the nature of the medical emergency.” The EMH materialized in his office. Ah…it must be 0100 hours. The automatic activation sequence he had programmed was working. He walked to the console and blinked at the new recordings. Janeway’s respiratory, circulatory and neurological systems were showing increased activity. There was even an increase in muscular activity. This midnight visit from Seven was going better than he’d expected.
He cleared his throat. Time to check out what was going on behind that blue curtain. “Knock, knock,” he called out loudly.
Drat, what did he want?
The Doctor walked around the blue shield to find Seven, dealing out a hand of blackjack on the table. One for her and one for the captain.
“Looks like the two of you are having fun, Seven.”
“Yes. We are playing blackjack, also known as twenty one or vingt et un.”
“So I see. Who’s winning?”
“I am. As the dealer I have what is called the house advantage.”
And she’s also extraordinarily lucky.
The Doctor ran a tricorder over Janeway.
“Has the captain improved?” Seven asked.
“Yes. There even appears to be some muscular activity in her left hand.”
“Indeed? I thought so.”
“When was this?” He looked at her quickly.
“Earlier, when I held the captain’s hand. I felt the fingers move slightly.”
“It could just have been an involuntary muscle twitch.”
It was not a twitch! She sweated bullets to move those fingers.
“By the way, if you’re playing card games you might try poker. All Starfleet captains play poker.”
“Poker would not be advised. I would need to see the captain’s cards and since I know my own cards I could not be bluffed.”
“No one would try and bluff you, Seven.” He put the tricorder away. “Everything’s fine here. I’ll be de-activating myself. Since things are going so well, I’ll keep my matrix off line until 0600 hours.”
“That would be acceptable.”
Nice seeing you, Doctor.
“Computer, deactivate EMH.”
Now where were we? Kathryn watched indulgently as Seven continued shuffling and dealing the cards. Thanks to her Borg implant she could do it one-handed.
“It was not a twitch,” Seven said.
She opened her mouth wide, and took in a loud breath. What was that?
Kathryn stared in utter delight. Seven was yawning. Was she tired?
Unused to such things, Seven ran a self-diagnostic and her cortical node confirmed that she was indeed yawning, which indicated the need for sleep.
“I don’t know how to sleep,” she fretted.
You just lie down and close your eyes, Seven.
Frowning, Seven put the cards away in her backpack. If she did fall asleep, she would need to wear her pajamas. Standing, she stretched her back muscles that ached after the long hours sitting in the chair. She draped the pajamas on the table and unfastened her plum biosuit.
Oh God!
Seven was stepping out of the plum biosuit, her nude body turned slightly away from Kathryn. Even so, the captain could see the long smooth back that tapered to a tiny waist and then flared into round glutes adorned by implants that extended down to the back of Seven’s leg.
Seven kicked off the high heels and pulled on the pajama bottom, cinching the waist tightly before tying it. Then she thrust her arms through the sleeves of the pajama top. There were disks attached to one side of the pajama top. Buttons. Concentrating so intently a furrow formed in her brow, Seven attempted to pull the buttons through the holes on the opposite side. She had never encountered buttons before and she struggled with them.
Kathryn watched intently as Seven’s body disappeared from view. She sighed, wishing buttons had not been invented.
“Buttons are not efficient,” Seven grumbled.
She moved closer to the captain’s biobed. Was she going to climb in with her? Kathryn’s heart hammered in her chest.
“The doctor suggested that I rest my head on your pillow,” Seven said.
Oh. By all means, share the pillow.
Seven hesitated. Her hair was still up and the hair pins might hurt the captain inadvertently.
What was she doing?
Carefully Seven pulled two pins out of her French twist and allowed her blonde hair to fall to her shoulders. She shook her head slowly.
Back and forth, just like that, oh yeah. Mesmerized, Kathryn watched, feeling light-headed. She would have fainted if she weren’t already unconscious.