Part XI added on 21 Dec 2001
Disclaimers are in part 1.
Rating: R
"Sick Bay to the Captain," the EMH hailed Janeway, a sense of frantic urgency tainting his voice.
"Go ahead," prompted the disembodied reply.
The Doctor paused for a fraction of a second after detecting the irritation from the comm link. "Lieutenant Torres' cortical monitor indicates that she's having a seizure. I tried contacting her before they became too advanced but I haven't been able to raise her."
Janeway and Seven looked at each other across the console in main Engineering, wide-eyed. "The monitor!" they exclaimed in unison.
"Doctor, can you get a fix on the monitor and pinpoint where B'Elanna is?" asked Janeway hurriedly. The comm link was silent for a few moments. Janeway felt herself getting tenser by the second and wondered how Seven was coping. A quick glance at Seven indicated that the ex-drone was feeling the strain just as much, her normally composed visage replaced by a concerned frown.
"Captain, I'm having difficulty locating exactly where B'Elanna is, but I can give you an approximation," the EMH eventually responded.
"Do it," ordered Janeway tersely.
"According to my read-out, she's somewhere in Jeffries tube 12, sub-section 15. I'm sorry I can't be any more specific."
Janeway nodded despite the fact the EMH could not see her. "Thank you Doctor, we'll get her to you as quickly as we can," she vowed. "Janeway to Chakotay," she hailed the bridge.
"Go ahead, Captain," invited the Commander.
"We've narrowed down where B'Elanna could be. Jeffries tube 12: sub-section 15. Can you get a lock on any life-form in there and beam it directly to Sick Bay?" she made the question seem like an order.
"Sorry, Captain. Because the internal sensors are down, we can't detect anything," he told her, his annoyance evident by the deeper timbre of his voice.
"Then we do this the hard way," Seven told Janeway as she strode toward the nearest access panel. Had the situation not been so fraught, Janeway would have drawn the ex-drone's attention to her disregard of the chain of command. Instead, she followed the blonde woman quickly into the network of service tunnels.
Seven set a demanding pace, and the older woman's breathing became laboured as they closed in on their destination, her body unused to the continued crawling. Janeway could feel the sweat building on her brow and knew that it was only a matter of time before it started running down her face. Pausing briefly as Seven opened the next access panel, the Captain noticed that their exertions had not taken nearly so big a toll on the ex-borg. She barely had a hair out of place.
Sparing her companion a glance, Seven led the way again. They were in Jeffries tube 12 now. Somewhere in here was B'Elanna. The Doctor had not called to indicate that the readings from the monitor had stopped, so Seven knew B'Elanna was still alive. But as every second passed, she knew the message might come. She had never felt like this before, not on any away mission, nor during any danger to herself. Her heart was pounding in her chest, almost trying to escape. Her throat felt raw and constricted, her mouth dry. She could feel her skin was slick with sweat. Her mind's eye flashed unbidden images of B'Elanna slumped in death, with Seven powerless to help her. The visions spurred her into upping the pace. Seven heard Janeway grunt as she sped up but dismissed the Captain's discomfort. She would recover; B'Elanna might not.
As she scooted round the next bend, the Astrometrics officer lifted her head to see where she was going. Halfway down the corridor she could detect movement. A black shape with a mustard flash told her that it was someone in a Starfleet uniform. "B'Elanna," she called desperately, not expecting any reply.
She raced toward B'Elanna, absently wondering why tears were streaming down her face. Seven tugged the Klingon's convulsing body into her lap and hugged her, cradling the engineer's head in her arms gently, protecting the woman from harming herself whilst subjected to the seizure.
Janeway, slightly less emotionally attached, tapped her communicator pin. "Janeway to Chakotay, we've found her. Use the transporters to lock onto our comm. badges and transport us all to Sick Bay," she ordered, the sentence broken slightly as she gasped for breath.
"Transporters can't get a lock on you without internal sensors working," Chakotay reminded her. "You'll have to carry her out."
Seven heard the exchange. "I'll drag her out, Captain. Just find the quickest route out of here," she told her grimly, before lacing her arms around B'Elanna's chest and grabbing the smaller woman's wrists.
*
"Seven, I know you're concerned but I need room to work," admonished the Doctor brusquely as he flew round the monitors surrounding his patient.
"Why have you not stopped the seizure?" Seven demanded angrily, knowing that the longer B'Elanna convulsed, the likelihood of irreparable brain damage would increase. She refused to move away from the bio-bed and maintained her hold of the stricken engineer's left hand.
"I need the statistics from the monitor. The adjustments you made have given me a great deal of information concerning Lieutenant Torres' condition." With a final punch of the console, the EMH spun and grabbed a hypospray. He ejected the contents into the prone engineer's neck and watched as the spasms eased, leaving the Klingon still at last.
Seven exhaled audibly, earning looks of surprise from both the EMH and Captain Janeway, who had been standing at a nearby console monitoring B'Elanna's condition.
"Now what?" asked Seven
"Now I let her rest and recover while I analyse all the data I've collated," the Doctor replied. His tone softened as he looked at the blonde ex-drone. "There's no evidence of hypoxic damage. B'Elanna's exhausted. She needs time to recuperate. However, you're more than welcome to stay here and sit with her while I work on these readings," he invited, knowing that Seven would be too distracted to do anything else.
Seven looked at Janeway for permission. The Captain nodded acquiescence before following the Doctor into his office, leaving the young ex-drone alone with B'Elanna.
Gently, Seven hooked a tendril of dark hair over the sleeping engineer's ear. She allowed her fingers to caress the woman's strong jawline before she removed her hand. "I love you, B'Elanna Torres," she whispered.
Janeway sat down opposite the Doctor without waiting for an invitation. "How long is this going to take, Doctor?" she enquired.
"A lot longer than it need do if I have to put up with continual interruptions," the EMH responded laconically. He fidgeted uncomfortably when he saw the glare Janeway directed at him and came up with a response more suitable for a captain to hear. "It will take approximately forty minutes to correlate the data. I cannot estimate anything after that as it depends on the results. Give me an hour, Captain. If it's any sooner, I'll update you," he suggested.
Janeway wanted answers now but knew that these things couldn't be rushed. She nodded agreement. "Are you sure B'Elanna wasn't affected by this latest seizure?" she asked, her guilt over being the catalyst resurfacing now that the Klingon was in a safe environment.
"Quite certain, though I would like to find out what it was that triggered the episode, especially considering her location," mused the EMH.
"Concentrate on finding a cure for these seizures," directed Janeway, eager to deflect away from that line of conversation. The Doctor raised his eyebrows at the directive but refrained from comment.
The Captain stood and left the office quickly to join Seven at B'Elanna's side. "How are you coping?" she asked gently.
"My 'coping' is irrelevant. You should be more concerned for B'Elanna," the ex-drone replied miserably, not even looking at Janeway as she spoke.
"Everyone on board this ship is my concern," the older woman reminded her gently. She laid her hand on Seven's shoulder softly. "I understand why you want to be here. Just remember to look after yourself as well."
"Yes, Captain," concurred Seven, her voice barely a whisper.
The tall, lithe Astrometrics Officer was barely aware of Janeway's departure, continuing to gaze down at the woman she loved. B'Elanna looked peaceful, with no sign of the stress or torment she had endured now present on her face. Seven felt her heart accelerate as she once again memorised the exotic features and contours of the engineer. She had often wondered why there was contradictory information archived on the emotion of love. She now understood why it was so hard to document. Seven loved B'Elanna in a way that words could not describe. The strength of feeling was glorious; yet sometimes it was so strong, it hurt her. The ex-drone was certain of one thing though. She would not give up these new emotions for anything.
B'Elanna had been instrumental in making her complete, on many levels. The ex-drone knew that until B'Elanna had been cured of the seizures, she would not be safe. Seven would not rest until a solution was found, it was the least she could do. For the moment, however, B'Elanna was secure in Sick Bay. Seven was content to sit with her for a while and revel in the sensation of being with her, even if the raven-haired woman was oblivious to her presence.
*
B'Elanna groaned. There was a vice-like grip around her head and her limbs protested as she moved. Pulling her eyelids apart, her gaze focused on the body looming over her bio-bed. "Doc, why is it that every time I wake up, it's always your face I'm looking at?" she grumbled, glad at least that she had strength enough to speak.
The EMH smiled humourlessly. "It probably has something to do with the season pass you have for Sick Bay," he retorted, waving a tricorder over her head as he spoke.
"Can I get a refund on it?" the half-Klingon muttered as she sat up.
"Non-returnable I'm afraid," rejoined the EMH as he pushed her back down. "Besides," this time the Doctor's face held a genuine smile, "I'd miss the banter." He turned to analyse the readings he had accumulated and missed the look of astonishment on B'Elanna's face. Her next comment died on her lips as she realised that her situation had affected many people on board.
She massaged her temples as the pain in her head continued. "What happened Doc? How come I'm not lying in a Jeffries tube somewhere?"
"Your cortical monitor acted like a homing beacon. The Captain and Seven located you and dragged you out. There was a fault on the internal sensors so we couldn't beam you directly here." The Doctor looked up from his console and his face softened. "Seven stayed by your side until I guaranteed her that I'd contact her if there was any complications. She's very protective of you."
B'Elanna snorted dismissively. "I don't think so," she demurred, recalling the image of Seven in Janeway's embrace.
The Doctor looked at her sharply. "I don't know what happened in the time you left Sick Bay and your last seizure. I do know that Seven is feeling extremely anxious about you and in the six days you've been unconscious…"
"Six days?" exploded B'Elanna, sitting bolt upright at the remark.
"Yes, six days. But it wasn't as a result of your last seizure," replied the Doctor cryptically. B'Elanna narrowed her eyes, prompting him to continue.
"The Captain and Seven found you quite quickly. Once I ran a set of diagnostics, I stopped your convulsion and allowed you to rest. I then set to work extrapolating the results from your latest episode with comparisons from your normal brain signature." The EMH came closer to stand right by B'Elanna. "With Seven's help, I determined exactly which sensory neurons had been altered to trigger your seizures. As you were already unconscious, it seemed superfluous to wake you only to sedate you again for the procedure. Seven and I performed the operation six days ago. I've kept you in a coma for this length of time to allow your brain and essential neural pathways to heal."
"Wait a minute, Doc," B'Elanna interrupted. "Are you telling me I'm cured?" Despite fully understanding the explanation, B'Elanna needed a simple affirmation before allowing her hopes to soar.
"I am just awaiting some more test results to confirm it," the Doctor put a slight dampener on her emotions. "But I believe so."
B'Elanna allowed herself to lie back down on the bed. She rested a hand over her eyes as the words sunk in. She hadn't realised how deeply this had affected her. At least now she could confront Seven over what she had witnessed in her quarters, though it felt like a lifetime ago. "So, what happens now?" she asked, dreading a protracted stay in Sick Bay.
"What happens now is you tell me the encryption codes to get internal sensors back on-line," the gravelly voice of Captain Janeway projected through Sick Bay.
B'Elanna sat up again quickly and saw Janeway approach. "I'm sorry, Captain," the Klingon began but was forestalled by a raised hand from her commanding officer.
"I understand why you did it B'Elanna. We'll talk about disciplinary measures later. Right now, I just want things back to normal," the Captain instructed.
B'Elanna grinned humourlessly. "Six days and you still haven't broken it?"
Janeway indicated her disapproval at the hint of insubordination with a raised eyebrow. The action effectively quashed the engineer's grin. Once B'Elanna looked suitably chagrined, the Captain spoke. "Yes, I'm surprised myself. Once you're fit for duty, part of your punishment will be instructing others on the 'appropriate' uses of encryption codes and how to break them."
"If you give me access to a work-station, I'll sort it out right now," the dark-haired woman offered.
Janeway looked at the Doctor to see if he had any objections.
"As long as that's the only thing she does today, it shouldn't be a problem," he assessed. Janeway gestured to a nearby console and B'Elanna hopped off the bed and padded over to undo her handiwork.
"B'Elanna," began the Captain softly, as she joined the engineer at the console.
"Hmmm?" prompted the Klingon, her fingers flying over the console as she worked.
"What you saw in your quarters…"
B'Elanna flew round to face the Captain. "I'm not sure I want to talk about that, Captain," she ground out.
"It's not what you think," retorted the Captain and then belatedly realised how her words sounded as B'Elanna snorted derisively. She held up a hand to stop B'Elanna. "Let me explain. What you saw was me giving Seven a hug, a comforting hug, to show my support of her relationship with you," Janeway decided to keep the explanation as brief as possible. Any excessive dialogue would prompt suspicion from the Chief Engineer. She waited as she watched the emotions flash across B'Elanna's expressive face. Doubt, understanding, relief and joy were all there.
B'Elanna turned suddenly and busied herself at the workstation, embarrassed by the pinprick of tears that had formed when the Captain's words finally sunk in. She only had one thought now and that was to find Seven and tell her how much she loved her.
"Well, you'll be pleased to know that you have the all-clear, Lieutenant," the Doctor broke in.
"Is she free to resume duty?" the Captain asked, eager to have her staff back to full strength.
"In two days. After everything she's gone through, I feel she needs some time off," reasoned the EMH.
"She is still here in this room," reminded B'Elanna, her sparkling eyes belying the mock irritation in her voice.
"Have you fixed the internal sensors?" Janeway enquired.
"Yes ma'am." Somehow, B'Elanna felt the need to be more formal after the trouble she had caused.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow at 11:00Hrs in my ready room to discuss your punishment, and expect you to be back on duty in two days," the Captain told her.
B'Elanna nodded and turned to hunt out her clothes.
"B'Elanna," called Janeway gently. The raven-haired Klingon swung back round. "Glad to have you back," the Captain told her with an affectionate grin - one that B'Elanna was happy to return.
*
B'Elanna hurried back to her quarters. She wanted to meet up with Seven immediately but felt the need to freshen up after her stint in Sick Bay.
She pulled off her uniform jacket as she entered the living area, tossing it carelessly over the back of a chair. As she reached up to remove her shirt, she looked up instinctively and spoke. "Computer, what is the location of Seven of Nine?"
"Seven of Nine is in Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres' quarters," came the reply both from the disembodied voice of the computer and the lilting tone of the ex-drone as she revealed her presence.
B'Elanna stared openly at the tall blonde woman as she made her way from the bedroom to the living area. Seven looked slightly dishevelled with dark circles around her eyes indicating the strain she had been under. To B'Elanna though, she looked perfect and she smiled radiantly at the ex-drone.
Seven looked deeply into the eyes of the older woman. The Doctor had already informed her of B'Elanna's departure from Sick Bay and informed her of B'Elanna's all-clear regarding the seizures. Now that she drank in the exotic beauty of the half-Klingon, Seven could feel her throat constrict and her eyes sting as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her. She had come so close to losing the love of her life. Now she felt awkward and nervous, wondering if anything had changed between them in the short few days since they had first declared their feelings for each other and if B'Elanna was still concerned over Seven's embrace with the Captain, unaware that Janeway had spoken with the raven-haired woman.
"Hey," the engineer spoke softly, suddenly shy for some inexplicable reason.
Catching the mood, Seven dropped her eyes slightly before looking at B'Elanna again. "Hello," she replied, the hint of a smile tugging at her full, dark lips.
Endeared by Seven's hesitance, B'Elanna stepped forward. Unconsciously, Seven opened her arms out and B'Elanna continued to close the distance between them. They crushed themselves into each other's arms, hugging tightly and relishing the feel of each other. B'Elanna could feel Seven's fingers grip her back tightly, pulling her even further into the embrace and her hearts raced as Seven gave in to her emotions.
Seven rested her head down into B'Elanna's shoulder and delighted in the feel and smell of the smaller woman. There was no need for words. She could sense B'Elanna's hearts racing as well as her own increased pulse.
Slowly, B'Elanna lifted her head up and used a hand to raise Seven's head away from her shoulder so that she could look into the deep azure eyes.
Seven allowed herself to get lost in the rich, dark brown eyes that smouldered with passion, a reflection of their owner.
"I love you, Seven of Nine," B'Elanna declared softly, yet with absolute certainty.
"I love you, B'Elanna Torres," affirmed Seven, moving one hand to trace the outline of B'Elanna's jaw as she spoke.
Slowly, inexorably, two pairs of lips drew closer, until they brushed together fleetingly. The intimate contact ignited passion, and lips and hands sought out more contact as the two lovers allowed their desire and ardour to consume them.
The End