"Doctor to the Captain." A moment's pause. "Doctor to Captain Janeway."
Another pause.
"Chakotay to Captain Janeway."
Kathryn stretched and groaned as she shifted in her bed, awake enough to register the voices from her comm badge but not awake to realize much more. She hadn't slept in at least two days and the chance to actually lay down had been marvelous. Apparently, it wasn't to be long lived. Her arm flopped toward her nightstand and her fingertips brushed the cold metal.
"Janeway here," she mumbled groggily, slowly becoming more aware of herself as she woke up a little more. Without coffee, this was about as awake as she was going to get.
"Captain, I haven't assessed you since you returned from your away mission and I must insist upon doing it immediately." She detected the urgency in the EMH's voice and a few red flags went up in her mind, but they were forgotten as a loud yawn stretched her mouth open.
"Can't it wait until a more reasonable hour?" she sighed, absently scratching at her arm as she dropped her comm badge to the bed by her side. It was still dark in her room, but she knew it was there.
"It's nearly 1200 hours…" There was a hesitation in the Doctor's voice and it somehow woke Kathryn enough to be aware of just how itchy her arms were. Damn Starfleet sheets, she sighed. It took another moment before the Doctor's actual words and meaning registered.
"1200? Why-" How had she managed to sleep for nearly 12 hours? She scratched more insistently at her arm and sat up in her bed. "Computer, lights to 25%." Mercifully, the Doctor was silent on the other end of the communications link while she gained her bearings a bit.
She stopped scratching long enough to run her hands over his face and then through her hair, stopping mid stretch as she noticed the small bumps dotting her arms. That was why her arms were so itchy. She stared at them for a moment, her mind trying to process what they were. Maybe she should have let the Doctor give her a checkup immediately.
"Doctor, I suggest you get here immediately," she ordered into her badge, her nails immediately moving to scratch at the overwhelmingly itchy bumps.
"I take it you've developed the bumps, then?" Did she detect a bit of sarcasm in his voice?
"You knew?" She shot a glare at her badge and forced herself to stand, carrying it with her as she moved to her bathroom, clenching her hands to stop from scratching more. She eyed herself in the mirror as she waited for his response, wincing at the small bumps that dotted her face, chest, and arms. She didn't dare look further, starting to feel everything else itch.
"Shortly after you returned, the ambassador contacted us. I'll explain more when I arrive. Two minutes, Captain. Don't scratch. Doctor out." She huffed and shook her head as she grabbed her robe and tugged it on. Maybe the long sleeves would help stop her scratching.
She moved out of her bedroom, wincing against the slightly brighter lights and sighed heavily—tiredly. She had slept for 12 hours, apparently, but it felt closer to two. She curled up on her sofa and stared out at the passing stars, her hands firmly clenched. She constantly shifted, trying to itch without scratching. Nothing seemed to help and she was growing restless by the time her door chimed.
"Enter," she barked, blue eyes still slightly clouded with sleep looking to her doors as they slid open to reveal the EMH and her first officer. She shook her head and waved her hand at them before scratching furiously at the skin. She ignored the Doctor's sigh.
"Chakotay, you should be on the Bridge. Or anywhere but here. No need to have both of us suffering from this infernal… itch!" She crossed her arms petulantly and huffed, looking to the Doctor. A part of her envied the EMH—photonic energy meant he couldn't contract any of these diseases. Not even a simple fever.
"Captain…" The Doctor began, but stopped and glanced at Chakotay. He opened his medkit and fiddled around with it for a few moments; Chakotay took this as a sign that meant he was supposed to explain.
"The Ni'la didn't realize you were female. Since their genders look and dress so differently, it didn't occur that you wouldn't be like Tom and I," he explained as he walked to her replicator. "Coffee. Black." He grabbed the mug that appeared and carried it over to her, offering it almost as a peace offering. She didn't want to know where this was going. "If they had known you were female, more precautions would have been taken."
"For God's sake, Chakotay, spit it out!" She resumed her shifting on the couch, trying to itch something in the center of her back. She groaned when nothing helped after a few moments and took a large gulp of the coffee.
"We came in contact with a disease they call fribie. From what the Doctor's seen, it's very common to an old Earth disease—chicken pox." Kathryn started to protest and Chakotay shook his head. "The disease can only be caught by females, which is why you're the only one who has it."
Kathryn groaned and quickly finished off her coffee. She had heard of chicken pox, mostly through the Academy and her little research of 20th century culture. It didn't sound pleasant and an alien version couldn't be much better. She set her mug down and resumed scratching until Chakotay caught her hands and met her eyes.
"I can give you something to help with the itching and the fever, Captain," the Doctor interrupted and she heard the unmistakable click of a hypospray. "Other than that, you'll just have to let this heal on its own, which I'm confident it will. Due to how contagious this disease is, however, I must insist that you remain confined to her quarters. I'll provide extra replicator rations for meals, but you're not to come in contact with anyone—especially female members of the crew." He walked toward her and Kathryn leaned her head to the sigh, wincing at the hiss the hypospray made.
She felt the relief spread through her body almost immediately, but it didn't block out all of the itching. She hesitated a moment before scratching at a particularly awful part on her covered leg.
"How long will it take to heal?"
"Normally for the Ni'la, around ten days. For a human, it could be faster or slower. I'll check on you daily to see how the disease is progressing." Kathryn was grateful she had set her coffee mug down.
"Ten days, Doctor? You expect me to remain off duty for ten days?" Her voice was dangerous, her eyes even more so.
"Yes, Captain," he replied, not fazed by her reaction. "For your health as well as the health of your crew. I would also suggest that you limit your workload as well. I'd hate to see this become an epidemic on board." He looked her over as he closed the medkit and shrugged a bit. "It could be worse, Captain. If you need me, I'll be in Sickbay." He turned and left with that, leaving Chakotay and Kathryn alone on the couch.
They sat in silence for a few moments, Kathryn focused entirely on not scratching anything. She muttered under her breath and Chakotay sighed at how miserable she looked. Her hair was in complete disarray, reddish strands falling everywhere around her face. Her night gown was rumbled and her robe barely covered anything the way it hung off her shoulders. Beyond that, dark circles rested under her cloudy eyes and her mouth was set in a firm pout. Despite himself, the man chuckled quietly. She looked hurt when she looked at him to see why he was laughing.
"Your pout is adorable," he explained softly, his laughter quickly fading away at her look. "I'm sorry, Kathryn, you must feel terrible. Come on, let's get you to bed." He stood up and picked her up effortlessly, unsurprised when she didn't fight him. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her head rested against his chest as he carried her into the bedroom and settled her in the bed, pressing a soft kiss to her warm forehead. "Get some rest. I'll be back as soon as my shift's over. Call me if you need me."
He waited for a response before he realized she had already fallen back to sleep. He adjusted the covers over her and ordered the lights off before he returned to the Bridge, his thoughts never leaving his ill love.
Seven Days Later
"I can't hide in here for at least three more days!" Kathryn's voice was almost hysterical, her hands resting on her hips as she glared down the two men who had dared to suggest otherwise. "It's been a week. I haven't seen anything but these walls and I certainly haven't done anything of substance. I need to get out, Doctor. Mental health, remember?" To his credit, the Doctor looked a little terrified, but he hid it quickly by standing a half step behind Chakotay who was unfazed.
"Kathryn, you're still contagious. What would happen if Naomi got sick?" Chakotay knew it was a low blow, but he also knew it would have the intended effect. Kathryn took a step back and lowered her hands, sighing heavily.
Though she was still plagued by most of the symptoms, she had begun to physically feel better. It's what contributed to just how restless she was feeling. The continued itching certainly didn't help either, especially when she felt like most of her body was covered in nasty scabs.
"Just a few more days, Captain, and all of the bumps will be completely scabbed over. You haven't formed any new ones today and that is good. Once the bumps scab over, you're no longer contagious. I still want you off duty for at least another day after that." The Doctor's patience was surprisingly endless as he watched his captain.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered, sinking back into her chair dramatically and stretching her arms up and behind her head so she could pop her back. Her standard gray tank top rose up to expose a bit of her pale, red-dotted stomach and she didn't bother to fix it as she settled into her seat. Though she had forsaken full uniform, she wasn't about to lounge around all day in her nightgown. She had settled for her tank top and pants, but the pants had only lasted two days before they became too warm and she settled for thin, black slacks. "Ridiculous," she repeated, moving to scratch at her neck and immediately stopping herself. She glanced up to the Doctor. "Fine, a few more days. I'll take that hypospray now."
"Thank you, Captain." He smiled a little in victory as he administered the hypospray and stepped back. "I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good evening, Captain. Commander." He nodded to both of them before he slipped out.
Kathryn looked pleadingly to Chakotay. She had been trying for two days to sneak her out of her quarters. The damn EMH had revoked her codes so she couldn't unlock her own doors and Chakotay had changed his and refused to tell her. Even if she managed to get out, there was no way she could get back in. A part of her understood the precautions, but she was going stir-crazy.
"You said we would be approaching a planet soon to trade for supplies. Drop me off there. I won't be in touch with the crew and I can still get out of this damn room!" It seemed like a brilliant idea to her mind still under the effects of a low fever.
"You know I can't do that. Not only will I not leave you on a planet by yourself, but we don't know how this disease will affect their people. You can do it, hon. I know you can." He bent down to kiss her softly as he walked over to sit on the sofa.
She joined him after a moment, curling into her side and resting her head and a hand on his warm chest. He wasn't going to give in and neither was the Doctor, it would seem. As much as she hated it, she really would just have to wait the last few days out and hope she didn't go crazy in the meantime. Possibly beg that she didn't go crazy.
Five Days Later
"You're fit for duty, Captain. Congratulations. I know you'll return to duty whether I say it or not which is why I'm doing it anyway, but do try to take it easy, okay?" The Doctor looked down at her, his arms crossed over his chest. She gave him her best smile as she slid off the biobed and stretched.
"Of course, Doctor. Thank you for your help." She meant it, even if she had given him hell the entire time. "If you need me-"
"You'll be on the Bridge. I know." After a moment, the EMH returned her smile and nodded his head. "Send Mister Paris down here when you get that chance. He's been skipping on his Sickbay shifts while you were away."
Kathryn huffed but smiled, nodding a bit. She didn't like that her first away trip had been to Sickbay, but she was just eager to get out of her quarters. The Doctor had cleared her for duty which made the trip more than worth it. She adjusted her uniform before she headed for the turbolift, giving it a curt direction for the Bridge. She arrived a few minutes later and couldn't help but smile as she heard Harry announce her arrival.
"You look good, Captain," Chakotay told her, rising as she walked around the railing to stand by her seat. She sensed a bit of hidden meaning in his words and sent him a subtle wink before she acknowledged her crew.
"At ease. The Doctor has cleared me for duty. There's no need to worry. Thank you, though, for all the kind words these past few days." With that, she settled into her chair and crossed her legs, relaxing into the familiarity of it. "Chakotay, take the conn. Tom, the Doctor would like to see you in Sickbay." Oh, it felt nice to be giving orders again instead of taking them. "Tuvok, status update." She glanced at the screen between her and Chakotay, aware of where her ship was heading from Chakotay's updates, but loving to see it for herself. It was good to be back.