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Part III
By: AW Disclaimer: I don't own the people or the episodes but the story is mine. The surroundings seemed familiar. Like a dream that should have lasted forever. The water, the sun, the house. It looked like New Earth, it felt like home. here was home? Her thoughts moved to Voyager, she saw Voyager, what could have been, what was, what will be? Then it all went foggy and all of a sudden she saw the wolf, then the lizard. The sun was gone and the warmth disappeared. She was in a cold, cold place. It felt wrong, yet it felt familiar. Life as it was, as it should be and as it will be. *~*~*~*~* Chakotay looked horrified as Kathryn's body appeared to go limp and the life seemed to drain out of her. Oh my god, not Kathryn. Chakotay screamed out to anyone who would listen. "I need some help here. She just collapsed." No one was listening, why was no one doing anything. "I need some help. Can someone please contact Starfleet Medical, Admiral Janeway just collapsed." All of a sudden people sprang to life. The mere mention of the 'Delta Darling' made people move just a little faster. A voice from behind him made him jump,"I've contacted Starfleet Medical, someone will be here as soon as possible. They've already dispatched emergency rescue teams." Chakotay approached Kathryn and lifted her lifeless body into his arms. He had to do something. But all he could do was wait. Wait and pray for the best possible outcome: A life with Kathryn Janeway at his side. *~*~*~*~* Beverly Crusher was told to be ready for a medical emergency that should reach Starfleet medical and her temporary post in less than ten minutes. Emergency crews had been dispatched and she had no idea what the problem was. Just that one of the Voyager crew was in trouble and had been immediately dispatched to her. She had just checked out the whole Voyager crew though, and barring Captain, no Admiral Janeway's condition nothing out of the ordinary had come up. She just hoped she hasn't missed something serious in the examinations. They had after all been subjected to many Delta Quadrant diseases and parasites and so on, and some of them of course were not even probably detectable by Alpha Quadrant standards. Alpha Quadrant, Delta Quadrant, Gamma Quadrant, it all made medical science quite confusing. There was just too much to remember, too many things to know. She turned away from the postulations of what it could be and set up for the new patient, whoever that might be. And so Beverly waited. *~*~*~*~* At the coffee house Chakotay watched the medics from Starfleet medical make an examination of Kathryn Janeway. Her heartbeat, her breathing everything seemed okay. But her blood pressure was low...why he didn't know. "Sir we need to bring her back to Starfleet Medical. We'll contact you as soon as we know what's going on." Chakotay got angry, "The hell you will. I want to come." The medics looked at each other, with looks that said 'this guy has it bad' and finally agreed. "Fine, but you have to stay out of the way." And in an instant the coffee house was gone and Starfleet medical had appeared in its place. Beverly Crusher, now a commander, appeared from behind the door and looked at the unconscious body of Kathryn Janeway. She approached the patient and ordered her taken to a room behind the door. The magical door, where all medical personnel took their patients. The door where miracles happened and tragedies unfolded and situations become better or worse in the blink of an eye. So he sat and waited, the story of his life: Sitting and waiting. Beverly looked at this woman. She had been checked over earlier that day and there had been no problems. But it was common among human pregnancies to cause light-headedness and even fainting. She studied Kathryn's blood pressure. Definitely too low, but here there was something else interesting. Apparently, the pregnancy had re-activated the nanoprobes in Kathryn's blood. Oh god, this was going to be trouble. Beverly immediately started shouting out instructions. "I need a containment field around her. I need to know who she's been in contact with and I need to have them all checked out. If the Borg have altered the nanoprobes to act like a virus, in theory they could be transmitted like a virus; I need to know!" She paused and looked at all of her colleagues. "All of you have been subjected to this woman. I need you all to get yourselves checked." One of the ensigns turned to look at Beverly. "Dr. Crusher. Isn't this the same Kathryn Janeway that just returned from the Delta Quadrant?" He watched Beverly nod her head, "In that case don't we have to alert everyone who was at the banquet? Her family. The people she was in contact with, her former crew." Beverly felt a headache coming on. The ensign opened his mouth again, "And didn't a gentleman bring her in?" Beverly bowed her head, how much did this man know? Did she have a right to tell him if Kathryn had not had the chance? Could she afford not to tell him? Beverly had some thinking to do. "First of all get him into isolation, don't tell him anything I'll speak to him in a couple of minutes. Stabilize the Admiral pronto. We'll worry about the possibility of spreading this virus. If it is a virus after that." Beverly Crusher watched the people around her begin to work. These were the best Starfleet had to offer and she still wasn't sure they could fix this problem. Perhaps the Borg had finally managed to do what they had wanted to do for years, assimilate species 001. Beverly looked at the books behind her and spread them out before her. She opened up the first book she'd need to consult to begin this process of hopefully creating a vaccine to combat this threat to Earth. She had to get in touch with Starfleet command, at the highest levels; this had to be fixed. Beverly entered the room where Admiral Janeway lay. "Okay people, what have you found? What's going on?" One of her Lieutenants came forward. "She appears to be in no danger, but the rate at which the nanoprobes are spreading is incredible." She paused for a second, "I think though the most interesting thing is, she is not being completely assimilated." Beverly thought, "Theories people?" The Lieutenant piped up again, "I think maybe it would be prudent to get the doctor on Voyager involved. He has had the most experience with the Borg, completely and incompletely assimilated. He created the vaccine that made them immune to joining the hive mind, but still let them get 'assimilated' to a point." Beverly got comfortable with the idea, "That's actually a great idea. Who else would know more about this, or about Kathryn Janeway's health for the past seven years for that matter…" "Commander, I think she's waking up." Beverly turned around to the frightened eyes of Kathryn Janeway. "What happened? Why am I back at Starfleet medical?" Beverly walked up to Kathryn Janeway, "Don't worry. We have it all under control. The nanoprobes are spreading at an astronomical rate throughout your body. The child you're carrying apparently triggered a response in the previously dormant nanoprobes." She paused, "but that's not the most amazing thing." Janeway was shaking her head confused, "Just cut to the chase doctor. What's going on?" "We're not entirely sure Admiral. The nanoprobes are attacking your body, as a virus invades an infected person's bloodstream. The problem is...we don't have a vaccine for this virus and we're not even sure if it can be spread by you." Kathryn was horrified by the fact that she had possibly infected all the people she loved, the people she had spent the last seven years with as well as the people who had waited seven years for her. "Doctor, what are the chances that others were infected?" "I'm not sure admiral, but I suggest that if you haven't told that man who came in with you and who is now sitting in isolation, that you explain to him why he has been forced into decontamination." Oh god, Chakotay. She looked at Beverly Crusher. "May I go and visit his holding area? I need to speak to him before he hears this second hand." Beverly looked at Kathryn. "Of course, but make it quick, I want to try and get this cure and vaccine hunt underway as soon as possible." Kathryn looked at her, "Understood doctor. I'll make it as brief as possible." The doctor looked over to one of her assistants. "Can you please show the Admiral where Commander Chakotay is being held." The ensign nodded, and helped Kathryn into the wheelchair. Kathryn felt she was perfectly capable of walking, but the doctor had insisted. She was pushed down the hall and led into a room, where Chakotay was supposedly being held. The door opened and the assistant turned to Kathryn, "If you need anything, just buzz us through the panel on the wall." Kathryn nodded, as the door closed behind her. Chakotay slept facing the wall, looking like an angel. Kathryn was almost remiss in disturbing him. "Chakotay." She approached him, slowly shaking his arm. "Chakotay?" Chakotay recognized the voice of Kathryn Janeway before he had a chance to turn around and see her. When he finally turned around he saw her in the wheelchair and was horrified. "What's happened to you Kathryn?" She looked at him, "I wanted to tell you earlier Chakotay. I wanted to tell you everything, but the time never seemed right. You were with Seven, and you seemed to be so happy...." Chakotay looked at her, and realized she refused to look him in the eyes. He reached out and tipped her chin up so she was forced to do just that, stare into those obsidian orbs. "Kathryn, its over." Now it was Kathryn's turn to look surprised. "What happened?" He shook his head, "It just wasn't right. I realized I will never love someone else the way I love you, and I couldn't stand to put anyone else through a love that wasn't complete." Kathryn just stared at him. "I have to tell you something Chakotay." He looked at her prompting her to reveal her secret. When she didn't answer he verbalized his question. "Kathryn what is it?" The tears continued to pour down her face. "Chakotay...I'm pregnant." His jaw dropped and he was angry and happy and confused all at the same time. Happy that she would finally have the child she had wished for all her life. Angry he has not been able to be the one to father it himself. And finally, confused: Confused that he had not been a good enough friend to know what was going on in her life. He had missed out on a part of her life, and for that he would never forgive himself. TBC in part IV |