Star Trek Voyager characters are the property of Paramount Pictures
Chapter Nine
Sitting on a comfortable chair before her bedroom window, still dressed in her new pyjamas, Adriena looked out at a sunny beach. She had never seen a beach before, except in pictures at school, and was fascinated by the way the frothy waves lapped the sandy shore. In the distance, children played with a large black dog, and Adriena wished with all her heart that she could join them. But, even if she could run as fast as the wind like them, she doubted they would want to play with her. No one ever wanted to play with her.
Suddenly, the bedroom door opened, and at the sound of it, Adriena turned away from the window and sat formally on the chair.
"Good morning," Kathryn smiled as she entered the room. "Did you sleep well?"
Adriena nodded.
"It's a lovely day, isn't it?" Kathryn went on, making her way over to the window. "When I was a little girl, I used to sit right where you are and watch the sea too."
"You did?"
"Oh yes," she replied, looking out of the window. "I love the beach."
Adriena turned again to the window, and when Kathryn glanced at her, she saw in the child's eyes her wistful yearning to join the children outside. In any other circumstance, Kathryn would have taken Adriena to join them, but not only did she want to keep Adriena's presence a secret for the time being, there had still been no word from Chakotay, which meant they were going to have to leave in search of him as soon as the Doctor had visited. Before going anywhere, Kathryn wanted to know for certain if Adriena was Chakotay's daughter. If the Doctor confirmed it, which she hoped and believed he would, then not only would she have something conclusive to tell Chakotay, but she would know better what to say to the child regarding both her father and her future. While Adam was still in Chakotay's body, the future was still uncertain, but knowing for sure the child's paternity would be one less confusion.
"Kathryn..."
"Yes, sweetheart?"
Adriena continued to look out of the window as she spoke. "Do children on this planet have to go to school?"
"Yes," Kathryn answered. "All children go to school, unless they are taught at home."
The child looked up at Kathryn at that, hope filling her eyes. "Could I be taught at home?"
Kathryn sat on a narrow windowseat and put her hand on Adriena's thin shoulder. "Don't you like school, darling?"
Adriena shook her head.
"Why not?"
"No one likes me," she answered sadly. "I have no one to play with and the teachers always shout at me."
"Perhaps school will be different here, " Kathryn said encouragingly. "I like you, very very much, and I'm sure many other people will like you too."
Adriena smiled warmly at that. "I like you too."
Kathryn gently squeezed the child's arm, and then slowly drew away.
"Are you ready for breakfast? I certainly am."
Adriena nodded.
"Then let's go and get some. I've made us a stack of pancakes, real not replicated."
"What are pancakes?" Adriena asked, picking up her crutches.
"You'll see," Kathryn smiled. "You'll see."
When breakfast was over, Kathryn helped Adriena to get washed and dressed in the bathroom.
"I sure liked those pancakes," Adriena said as Kathryn washed her face with a yellow flannel. "Thank you for making them."
"Thank you for eating them," Kathryn smiled. "You will learn that not everyone is partial to my cooking." She affectionately tapped Adriena's nose with the flannel. "I have a tendency to burn things."
Adriena laughed at that and then watched curiously as Kathryn picked up a padd from what seemed to be a very high shelf. Kathryn activated the padd, fiddled with it, and then held it up before the child.
"Tell the padd what you would like to wear today."
Adriena absorbed this a moment and then spoke. "A dress," she said. "A yellow dress."
Instantly, a standard knee-length yellow dress appeared on the screen.
"You can have spots on the dress if you want," Kathryn said, "or stripes, or flowers or stars...whatever you want."
"Stars," Adriena smiled. "Silver stars."
In seconds, silver stars appeared on the dress.
"Now," Kathryn said, fiddling again with the padd to specify size and materials, "I send this through to the replicator, and before you can count to ten, we should have a lovely yellow starry dress for you to wear."
Kathryn transmitted the information to the small bathroom replicator, and then began to count. "One, two, three, four..."
Before she could say five, a beautiful yellow velvet dress covered in sparkling silver stars appeared on a hanger. At the sight of it, Adriena's eyes widened in delight.
"Oh my," Kathryn said, going over to the replicator to pick up the hanging dress, "what a gorgeous dress. I think it's the prettiest one I've ever seen."
She brought the dress over to Adriena, and the child gazed at in wonder, her eyes sparkling as bright as the stars.
Kathryn smiled at the child's joy. "Shall we put it on?"
Adriena nodded eagerly and Kathryn pulled out a small chair she had replicated the previous night.
"Then sit down, sweetheart."
Adriena dutifully sat down, and Kathryn carefully slipped the dress over her head, pulled it down over her underwear, and fastened the zip. As she did so, Adriena tenderly ran her fingers over the soft sumptuous velvet and the glittering stars.
When at last the dress was on, and Adriena was once again standing up, Kathryn stepped away from the child and admired her appearance. "My, you look beautiful."
Adriena smiled happily and tears of joy welled in her pretty black eyes. No one had ever said she looked beautiful before.
Suddenly, a chime sounded and Kathryn put her hand on the child's shoulder. "That will be the Doctor, darling. You stay in here and play with teddy. I'll call you when he's ready to see you."
Adriena nodded obediently and Kathryn kissed the child's forehead before leaving the room.
"Thank you for coming so quickly," Kathryn said to the Doctor as she showed him into the living room. "I hope I'm not intruding on your plans."
"Not at all," the Doctor replied. "My next live interview isn't until eleven when I'm joining the lovely Donna Marilla on Chit-Chat. Then I'm due to appear on Gob-Goss, after that Talk-at-Three with Jeremy Jarvin, after that Chin-Wag, after that, Let the words flow, a show especially for holo-writers, and after that Spit-it-Out with Gail Garden. I'm not sure what after that, but I'm sure my agent has something lined up."
Kathryn's eyes twinkled in amusement. "Your agent?"
"Carol Minx. I've been invited on so many shows, and to so many public events, that it really was a necessity. Some of us are just too famous to be keep our own diary." The Doctor glanced around the room, expecting to see Chakotay in Adam's body, but saw no one else in the room. "Where is the wanderer?"
"If you mean Chakotay, I'm afraid he hasn't returned," Kathryn answered. "I still haven't been able to contact him and am getting really worried. In fact, I'm going to go after him. If all this is due to some kind of brain switch, then anything could have happened to him. I'm going to take a shuttle and go and look for him."
"If a brain switch has occurred," the Doctor reasoned, "then as I said the other day, it's highly unlikely that Adam's body is going to reject Chakotay's brain. It's far more likely to be the other way around."
"If all was well, Chakotay would have found a way to contact me by now," Kathryn argued. "Something must be wrong. I have to go after him."
"Then I'll come with you," the Doctor replied. "If, in the unlikely event, he has suffered a brain or physical trauma, it's better I'm with you."
"Thank you, Doctor," Kathryn replied, genuinely moved. "I know it's a sacrifice..."
"Not in the least," he answered. "Chakotay may be in need. His welfare is far more important than any chat show, and while I might be the Federation's current number one wonder, I'm still first and foremost a doctor." He paused. "I take it, then, there was another reason for this call-out today?"
"Yes," Kathryn answered. "I had a visitor last night. She said she was Seska's sister and left me a special parcel."
The Doctor frowned. "A special parcel?"
"A little girl. Adriena. She says the child is Chakotay's. I was hoping you could take a look at her. I think Seska's sister was telling me the truth, but I'd like you to confirm it. I'd also like you to assess her medical condition. According to Varlina...Seska's sister...the child was operated on in the womb in an attempt to make her look half Bajoran instead of Cardassian, but the operation went wrong, leaving the child both disfigured and disabled. I don't know what has been done to help her, if anything at all." She paused. "I know I should inform children's services about her, but they will take her out of my hands and give her to Adam, thinking he's Chakotay. There's no way Adam will want her, and if she goes up for adoption, there's no guarantee I could successfully adopt her. Chakotay could lose her for good. Therefore I don't think we have any choice but to keep her presence here a secret for now."
"Agreed," the Doctor said. "Where is she?"
"In her room. I'll go and get her."
Kathryn went over to Adriena's bedroom door and opened it softly. As she did so, she could hear the child sing. She had a pretty little voice that soared effortlessly, but the sweet song stopped when the little girl became aware of the opening door. Kathryn stepped into the room and saw that Adriena was sitting on her bed, playing with her teddy-bear. Her little yellow cup was in one hand and she was evidently pretending to give the toy a drink.
"The Doctor's ready to see you now," Kathryn said.
Obediently, Adriena put her teddy down on the bed, the cup back on the bedside cabinet, and reached for her crutches. She then stood up, balanced herself, and hobbled out of the room.
"Good morning, young lady," the Doctor said as Adriena appeared in the living room. "I'm Dr E.M.H. Shmullus."
Kathryn raised her eyebrows in amusement. "E.M.H. Shmullus?"
"Englebert Magnifico Honaribus Shmullus," he said proudly.
"Very...distinctive," Kathryn said, trying hard not to laugh. "Is this for definite or still in consideration?"
"It is absolutely official," the Doctor declared. "It was decided last night by audience vote on The Night Zone." He frowned. "I'm surprised you weren't watching, Captain."
"As ardent a fan as I am, Doctor," Kathryn replied, "three dozen shows in 72 hours is a little much to keep up with, even for me."
"I suppose I have been over doing it," the Doctor conceded. "I don't want to exhaust my loyal fans. Do you know that I have at least 25 million fans, Captain? Gwen Harper from Discuss-at-Dawn started a fan club for me and already there are 25 million members."
"Wow, you're a superstar," Kathryn smiled.
"So it seems," he answered.
"And I'm glad you've finally decided on a name."
"So am I," he answered sincerely. "Believe me, so am I."
"Now all you have to decide is which name you're going to use in more...informal...situations."
"Already decided," the Doctor smiled. "Which you would already know if you had been watching. To my closest friends and acquaintances, which I hope includes yourself, Captain, I will be known as Bert. Gwen calls me Bert. Actually, Bertie to be precise. She is such a wonderful lady, Captain, and we have so much in common. She is accompanying me to an opera next weekend in Paris."
"A date?"
"If you wish to call it that," he said, a little uncomfortably. He then turned back to the little girl before him. "Now, young lady, let's see what shape you're in."
He opened his medkit, pulled out a tool that looked like a cotton-bud, and held it up before the child.
"Open your mouth, please."
Adriena obediently opened her mouth, and Kathryn watched as the Doctor took a saliva sample. He then quickly processed the sample to extract DNA and performed what appeared to be a parental identity search. The Doctor then began to scan Adriena with his tricorder and performed a series of other tests.
When at last the Doctor had finished examining Adriena, he pulled out a rainbow fruit jelly from his medkit that was wrapped in glittering clear paper.
"That's for being a good patient," he smiled. He then cast a deliberate glance in Kathryn's direction. "I wish all my patients were as good as you."
Adriena took the offered treat and looked at it curiously.
"It's a sweet, darling," Kathryn said. "You take it out of the wrapper and you eat it."
Adriena's eyes lit up at that and she eagerly opened the sweet. As carefully as she could, she popped the treat into her mouth and smiled happily as she tasted the sweet fruit flavors.
"Good?" Kathryn asked.
Adriena nodded.
Kathryn turned to the Doctor. "All done?"
"Yes, finito."
Kathryn then went over to Adriena and put her hand on the child's shoulder. "Then you may go back to your room, darling, and finish your game with Teddy."
Adriena nodded, smiled goodbye to the Doctor, and then made her way back into the bedroom. When she was safely inside, Kathryn closed the door.
"Well," she asked, walking over to the Doctor.
"There's no doubt," the Doctor replied. "She's definitely Chakotay and Seska's daughter."
Even though Kathryn had never really doubted Varlina's words, it was a relief to have them confirmed.
"There's also no doubt that at some point during gestation an incompetent attempt was made at genetical modification," the Doctor continued, "an attempt that is responsible for her present condition. Aside from the surgical damage, however, she is in reasonably good health, although somewhat malnourished and several scars on her body suggest medical neglect and possibly some degree of physical abuse. There is no indication of sexual abuse, however."
Kathryn felt both relieved and reassured by the Doctor's words. It was clear that Adriena had suffered a very deprived childhood, in every sense, but given the notorious reputation of Cardassian boarding houses, things could have been much worse. "Is there anything that can be done to improve her condition?"
"Regarding her leg," the Doctor replied, "a series of reconstructive surgeries should correct the disability, but regarding her appearance, I'm afraid there was too much surgical intervention for natural re-sequencing to be possible. Chakotay may wish to get a second opinion, but in my opinion, the only option is cosmetic surgery. As the child is half Cardassian, half human, the options will ethically be limited to fully Cardassian, fully human, or part both. Of course, as the child's condition is not life-threatening, then parental or guardian consent will be necessary. Therefore there's nothing I can do for her until Chakotay is granted custody...presuming he will wish too."
"He will," Kathryn replied. "I'm sure of it." She paused. "Did you determine her age? Varlina didn't say how old she was and Adriena doesn't know."
"Approximately seven years, three months."
"Which means she was born just a few weeks before we got pulled to the Delta Quadrant," Kathryn said thoughtfully.
The Doctor was just about to answer when a bleep interrupted their conversation. At the sound of it, Kathryn spun around. "It's coming from the receiver," she said, hurrying over to the communication device. "It must be Chakotay..."
As fast as she could, she accepted the incoming call, and Chakotay's voice, or rather Adam's, crackled through interference. "...do you read me. Chakotay to Kathryn, do you..."
"I'm here, Chakotay," she said, fiddling with the device to try and improve the reception. "Do you hear me?"
"Yes..."
"Where are you? What happened? I was just about to come in search of you."
"I...got trapped...in asteroid...belt...been stationary...days..." The connection failed for a moment, and then returned. "Tried to send...word...unable...leaving...now...on way...Trebus..."
"I've been trying to reach you too," Kathryn replied. "You must come back. I've spoken to the Doctor, will tell you more when you get here, but there's nothing we can do until you return."
"Will turn around...be home...few days..."
"I'm staying in my Aunt's cottage in Ireland. You mustn't let anyone know you're back. Let me know when you're in orbit and I'll send you co-ordinates."
"Under...stood."
"Are you ok? Do you have everything you need to return?"
The connection failed again momentarily. "Breaking up...All is well...see you...soon..."
"You too. Goodbye..."
"Bye..."
The connection crackled loudly, then terminated.
"I take it then the search is off," the Doctor smiled.
"Yes," Kathryn said, turning to him happily. "Which means you can go on Chit-Chat after all." Her eye caught the clock behind him and she saw that is was almost 10:30. "In which case you'd better get going. It's almost 10:30."
"Oh, I don't need to rush, Captain," the Doctor said calmly. "As a hologram, it only takes me seconds to dress, and I don't need to undergo the irksome process of make-up like mere mortals. Besides, I couldn't possibly leave without providing you with nutritional information for little Adriena ." He reached into his medkit, operated a small padd, and then handed it to Kathryn. "One shake twice a day should do the trick."
Kathryn took the padd gratefully. "Thank you, Doctor."
"It wouldn't do you any harm to take one either, Captain," he said, closing the medkit. "Call me again if you need me, and let me know as soon as Chakotay returns."
"I will, Doctor," Kathryn replied. "And thank you."
The Doctor smiled warmly. "All part of the service." He then hit his commbadge. "Doctor to studio 1098. Beam me up."
Seconds later, he was gone.
END OF CHAPTER NINE
