"Five to beam up."

When Riker and the rest of the away team beamed to sickbay, Dr. Crusher was already waiting. In his arms, Data held the limp form of a teenage girl. While he laid the girl on the bed, Crusher started to run the medical tricorder over her. Although the girl was clothed nearly from head to toe, the doctor immediately started seeing the trauma that lay under the fabric. She glanced over her shoulder, and shooed the men out of the sickbay. Once they were gone, she began to peel back the layers of clothing that covered the girl. Although these types of injuries were no longer common in their society, she had seen them before, on other planets. She pressed her communicator.

"Crusher to Counselor Troi."

"Counselor Troi," a voice responded.

"Deanna, I need you in sickbay immediately," the doctor said.

"On my way. Troi out".

Just as the voice on the other end of the communicator faded, she saw her patient start to move. Concerned about her reaction if she awoke before the arrival of the counselor, Crusher reached over and grabbed a hypospray, pressing it into her neck. The girl relaxed again.

She looks so peaceful, Crusher thought. Then she looked back at the girls damaged body and shook her head. There was nothing peaceful about it. Just as she was turning to go back to her office, Deanna Troi walked in. She started to say something, then stopped when she saw the unconscious form on the bed. She looked questioningly at Crusher.

"Come on," said the doctor. "She won't be waking up any time soon. We can go sit in my office."

"Will mentioned that they brought someone back from the planet. He wouldn't say who." Troi started.

"Well, right now, I can't tell you who she is myself. She's been unconscious since she arrived. But I wanted to make sure you were here by the time she woke up."

"Yes," Troi said. "I can see she's been hurt. Do you have any idea how?"

Beverly Crusher glared down at her desk for a moment before returning her gaze to the counselor. "I can't be sure, but I have some ideas." Deanna nodded at her to continue. Based on the quick glance she had gotten of the girl before they had moved into the office, she could guess at what those ideas were. "She's clearly been badly beaten, and not just once. Her body is covered with scars, some going back years. I would say that whoever did this to her has been doing it for a very long time." Deanna sighed. It was as she thought. But the doctor wasn't finished. "There's also bruising..." the fierce glare returned, though it wasn't aimed at the counselor. "There's bruising on her legs, and internally." Deanna looked up sharply, hoping she was wrong about what the counselor was implying. Rape was a crime from the distant past on both of their worlds, but both women also knew that there were places in the universe where it still occurred.

"Is that damage...old, as well?" Deanna asked carefully. She could tell her friend was angry, and although she knew the anger was directed at whoever was responsible for harming this young girl, she didn't want to add fuel to the fire.

"No, thankfully. Not that it's a good thing that it's recent, of course." Crusher corrected herself quickly. "But as far as I can tell, they didn't violate her when she was a child. A younger child than she is now, in any case. The tricorder estimates her age at 15." Troi nodded.

Just then, the women heard a quiet groan from the other room, and immediately jumped up. When they walked in, the girl was propped up on her elbows, staring wide-eyed at them. Troi could feel the girl's confusion coming over her in waves. She slowly approached the biobed, not wanting to startle her. When she got closer, she realized how slight the girl's form was. She looked as though she hadn't eaten in far too long. The counselor could see her ribs poking out even through the sheet. She sat down on the edge of the bed, near the girl's feet.

"Hello," she said, "My name is Deanna Troi. I'm the counselor of the USS Enterprise."

"Is that where I am? What is the Enterprise?" The introduction hadn't lessened the amount of confusion the girl was feeling, but now that the counselor was able to look deeper, she also felt fear.

"The Enterprise is a Federation Starship. It's nothing you need to worry about now. All you need to know is that you're safe here. Nobody will hurt you again." Instantly the girl looked wary. Deanna could tell that she was concerned about how much they had already been able to deduce about her situation. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Sarah," the girl replied softly.

"Well Sarah, it's very nice to meet you," Deanna said, smiling. She turned back to her companion, who had been watching the exchange silently. "This is Dr. Crusher. When you're feeling up to it, she'll be able to help you heal some of your injuries." Feeling the fear sharply penetrate to the front of Sarah's thoughts, she decided not to push any further. "We'll leave you to get dressed, and then I'll take you to your room. Alright?"

Sarah nodded, and the two women stepped out to give her some privacy.

"I could heal her now," said Beverly quietly. "There's no reason she should have to continue to live with her injuries!"

"I realize that, but I don't think it would be a good idea. She's already terrified of how much we may have deduced about the causes of her injuries, and I think to push the issue now would cause more mental trauma than it's worth. For tonight, let her rest. I'll see if she's more ready to talk in the morning, and I'll get her back here as soon as I can. Until then, the bruises won't kill her."

"No, I suppose not, although-" Beverly cut herself off as Sarah stepped out from behind the curtain. She was once again covered, and unless someone happened to notice her unusual thinness, nobody would know that she had been hurt. That's probably a good thing, thought Deanna. There's no reason to start the rumor mill this soon. As a counselor though, the way the teenager was able to move as though there was nothing wrong, even though she had to be in pain, was concerning. It suggested that Beverly had been right about the history of abuse. Troi sighed almost inaudibly, then smiled down at the girl.

"Come on, Sarah. I'll show you to your quarters." She placed her hand gently on the teenager's back to guide her towards the turbo lift, pretending not to notice Sarah's flinch at her touch.

The trip to Sarah's room was passed in silence. Troi had put Sarah's rooms as close as she could to her own, in case something happened in the night. Although she hid it well, Sarah's mental state was definitely unstable. Not that the counselor could blame her. When they walked into the suite, Sarah looked around her in awe.

"This is mine?" she squeaked, projecting feelings of disbelief. Deanna couldn't hold back a smile at her almost childlike reaction.

"All yours. And my own rooms are just down the hall. You can come any time you need anything. Day or night." Sarah nodded absentmindedly, still looking around her. As soon as the disbelief came, it was gone though, suppressed by extreme exhaustion. "You're tired," Deanna stated. Sarah gave her a sharp look. She had been hiding her true feelings for a very long time, and few people could see through her so easily. Seeming to sense her thoughts, the counselor answered the unspoken question. "I'm half betazoid." Seeing that Sarah's confusion didn't lessen, she expanded. "Betazoids are telepathic." She immediately felt Sarah throw unconscious walls around her thoughts. "Because my father is human, however, I cannot read thoughts." The walls lowered. "But I can sense feelings. Enough to know that you need sleep." Sarah just nodded, and without saying another word turned and walked into the bedroom. Once inside, out of Deanna's line of sight, she called out softly. "Thank you, Counselor Troi. Good night." Deanna smiled and walked out. Now she needed to talk to Will, and find out exactly what had happened down there.