Chapter Two

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Taking long strides back along the corridor, Chakotay tried to think where the Captain would most likely have gone. Given the turn events had taken, the logical place would be her Quarters, but something was telling him she wasn't there and he had known Kathryn Janeway long enough to trust his gut. Stepping into the Turbolift, he asked for Deck One, hoping that against all odds his instinct was off this time.

"Computer, locate the Captain."

Captain Janeway is in her ready room.

Chakotay's mouth involuntarily contracted into a small scowl. There was a smugness to the computer's tone that grated at times, and confirming exactly what he didn't want to hear, this was most definitely one of those times. He stepped out onto the Bridge, irritated to be right back where he had started and feeling more than a little foolish. Crossing the floor towards her ready room past the Command Chairs, Tuvok and the rest of the Senior Staff had the good sense to continue studiously with whatever they were doing, although he thought he saw Harry's eyes widen with relief. Their erstwhile Ensign had yet to fully master the Bridge poker face and pausing at the door, Chakotay wondered just what lie in wait. He hit the chime, trying not to tap his foot in the intervening pause, he knew the override code, but wanted to avoid using it; anticipating that it might get their conversation off to a slightly better start.

He chimed again to no avail and recalling Tom's concern and deciding that he had waited long enough, he punched in the override code and walked quickly through the now obliging door. The first thing he noticed was that the lights were dimmed to a low, almost murky level and that the room seemed a great deal warmer than was comfortable. As his eyes adjusted, he saw Kathryn seated at her desk, a tall pile of PADDs stacked neatly at her left elbow. A sight not unusual in itself, but despite his sudden entrance, she neither moved nor spoke and as he approached, he noticed a recently replicated cup of coffee, it's steam curling upwards, sitting untouched, a sure sign that something was wrong. Her head was resting in her hands and once he reached her desk, he saw that her eyes were closed. Confronted by this rather unexpected scene and remembering her threats to decompile the EMH before she left Sickbay, he decided to play safe.

"Captain?"

She didn't reply and so he softened his voice and leant forward as he spoke again.

"Kathryn?"

Lifting her head at the sound of Chakotay's quiet, calm voice and squinting to bring his broad figure better into view, Kathryn almost smiled. She had known it would be him. The force ten glare she had given the Bridge Officers en route had been more than enough to ensure that they would only disturb her on pain of death and only a handful of people knew the override code to her ready room. Even fewer would actually dare to use it, not while she was in this mood. No doubt he had been to Sickbay and the Doctor had informed him of their altercation and her swift departure. Her head hurt, and that was possibly the greatest of understatements. What had earlier felt like a relatively manageable throbbing had magnified one hundred fold and with her eyes open, it now felt as if her skull was physically splitting in two.

When the ion storm had hit, Tom had reacted quickly, using all of his skill to ensure that they had managed to outrun the worst of it. They were almost in the clear when a sudden, powerful jolt had thrown her from her feet and slammed her head and shoulders against a bulkhead with a force that she'd rather not recollect. She could vaguely recall the bone shattering impact, but then blissfully, unconsciousness had called; her last memory the shuttle's ceiling fading to black as Tom called her name.

An undeterminable amount of time later, she had come around propped on her side, to find them limping back to Voyager at one quarter impulse, with only minimal life support. From his seat at the Helm, Tom had implored her to lay still, but she had insisted on helping maintain the Emergency Containment fields. With the shuttle barely intact, he couldn't spare the seconds to physically stop her and so had had no option but to watch with a concerned eye as she had managed to crawl back to her console.

Her head didn't hurt that much, she had told him as she pulled herself onto her seat.

A lie. Then, and most definitely now.

The trouble with being in Command she reflected, was that almost no-one dared to challenge her decisions, especially the questionable ones. She didn't blame Tom, he had been practically holding the shuttle together single-handedly and being a good actress when the scenario demanded, she felt she had put on a decent performance.

Now though, white hot needles of pain were slowly crawling up her spine and penetrating deep into her brain. The light from the open door had forced her to close her eyes and once she had dared to open them again, it was to find that things were beginning to blur in her peripheral vision. She was also starting to have trouble thinking, and if she moved too much more, she realised that she would be sick and that was not something she wanted Chakotay to see. To this end, she lifted her head gradually and tried to retain some semblance of normality in her voice as the waves of nausea built. There now appeared to be two of him first standing, and then crouching down beside her. From somewhere she registered a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Chakotay... What can I do for you?"

They were all the words she could manage. Her voice shook a little, but it wasn't too bad considering how awful she felt.

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Chakotay made a rapid assessment of the situation before him as he moved slowly to crouch beside her, even in the heavily dimmed light, Kathryn looked awful. Her face was an almost ghostly grey-white and there was a clammy sheen to her skin, despite the fact that she appeared to be continually shivering. A large purple bruise was rapidly forming above her right temple, accompanied by some swelling around her right eye. The minuscule movement of her head and the way she cradled it protectively with one hand; the other across the back of her neck, indicated to him that she was in a great deal of pain.

But before he had a chance to say anything in reply to her whispered question, she raised her head slightly more and placed the hand that was supporting her neck over her mouth quickly. Her eyes widened and he knew what she was indicating. Swiftly, he stepped over to the replicator and snatching the receptacle as soon as it materialised, crossed the room in a single stride to place it on her lap. One hand now on her back and the other supporting the basin, he watched with a growing concern as she started to heave.

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Realising that she was going to be sick, Kathryn made a motion with her hand that she prayed Chakotay would understand, she really didn't want to vomit on her desk, but the pain in her head made further speech too hard to contemplate. There was no hiding this from him, she thought grimly. He understood and as he supported her gently, she wondered just why she had chosen today to throw a tantrum unbecoming of a Starfleet Captain and discharge herself from Sickbay. She'd never liked the place it was true; at times the EMH's bedside manner bordered on the abrasive, but he was an exceptionally skilled Physician and she realised now that she had been unwise to ignore his advice. No doubt he would expressly remind her of that fact when she saw him next. The repetitive heaving made her head hurt even more, to the point where she felt herself willing the return of unconsciousness, but then it was over and she was grateful as the pain returned to its previously merely excruciating level.

As Chakotay walked away to recycle the basin, she wiped her mouth gingerly on the sleeve of her tunic and tried to find anything to focus on. The edges of her vision were haloed with a pale grey shadow and as the room span, she held onto the desk tightly. A small slither of fear made its way into the back of her mind and she began to wonder if she might just be in real trouble. Dismissing it firmly, she tried for a deep breath. The inhalation caused the aroma of the coffee to reach her and immediately she fought the urge to vomit again. Attempting to turn away from the desk, she felt a hand on her back and then a cool glass pressed against her free hand. Murmuring her thanks, she let him help her lift the water to her lips and took a sip gratefully. She would be fine, she told herself, he wouldn't leave until this was over.

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Chakotay set the glass of water down on Kathryn's desk and returned to his crouch just in front of her. She was leaning heavily on the flat surface, holding it tightly with one hand, while attempting to turn the rest of her body away and he watched as she swayed and her eyelids fluttered. Deciding that he had waited long enough, he carefully manoeuvred himself to be between her and the wall and slid an arm around her back, unsure if his touch would be welcome. As if to answer his unspoken question, instantly she allowed her head to drop until it came to rest against his shoulder, one of her hands reaching tentatively for his. Grasping it firmly, he followed her cue.

"Let's get you over to the couch Kathryn."

She didn't reply, but allowed him to help her stand, support her unsteady gait and lead her over to the corner of the couch where he sat her down and propped her up as best he could. She leant her head back grimacing as she did so, keeping her eyes firmly closed. She didn't look especially comfortable, but he figured it was only temporary until he could get her back to Sickbay, which he felt should be an immediate priority.

"Paris to Chakotay."

Tom's voice sounded brighter and Chakotay presumed he'd finished treating the wounded, himself included. "Chakotay here."

"Commander, Engineering has just informed me that Transporters are off line for the next thirty minutes, so I was wondering if you require that house call?"

Chakotay was touched by Tom's concern and tact and reminded himself that despite his sometimes juvenile behaviour, Tom was an obvious choice for medic given his ability to read such situations. He understood that Kathryn wouldn't want to walk (or worse be carried) through the corridors and risk being seen by members of the Crew. Maintaining the image of the 'always in control' Captain was an important part of her persona, it wasn't always in her best interests, but that was a topic for another time.

"Affirmative Tom, that would be great right about now."

He turned to Kathryn to gently broach the subject, but quickly saw that she was in no state to resist. Her cheeks were flushed and her entire fame was trembling, one hand resting at her temple. He sat close and as he placed one hand over hers, she opened her eyes slowly. She didn't seem to be able to focus, blinking and squinting in his direction and gently he squeezed the hand in his.

"Kathryn, Tom's coming to take a look at you, he'll give you something to help with the pain until we can get you back to Sickbay."

She nodded and then a slight look of confusion crossed her face. "Transporters are temporarily down, so we'll start making you feel better here."

She murmured something that he didn't catch and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, instinctively he pulled her against him for support. She didn't resist, her head almost lolling against his shoulder and fighting his own sense of alarm as he realised that she was beginning to lose consciousness, he watched her anxiously as he waited for Tom to arrive.