Chapter Fourteen: Moment of Choice

Eventually, the silence broke and I felt a searing pain just above and below my heart. My vision cleared and I saw a nurse hovered above me. She wore an all white uniform and was speaking to a doctor. I noticed that I was in a hospital room in the 21st century! Just when I made an attempt to speak, everything went black again.

"Doctor! We're losing her again!" a nurse exclaimed urgently.

I felt a quick jolt course through my body before I opened my eyes once again and was shocked to find myself in sickbay on the Enterprise. I was surrounded by the medical staff, Beverly — who was working her ass off to save my life — and Data, who was wearing an expression of extreme worry I had never seen on him before.

"Kadalynn, please do not leave me." Data desperately implored.

"Hold on, Kadalynn!" Beverly demanded.

Suddenly, Q appeared in a doctor's uniform. He was standing next to Data before walking to my side.

"Well, you seem to get yourself into one sticky situation after the next. When I picked you I didn't think it would be this hard."

"Picked me? For what?" I said but not allowed, something wouldn't allow me to talk and at that moment I realized I was experiencing telepathy with Q.

"I told you before. You're here to help me to rewrite history. However, I can't make you do it; you have to agree to help me."

"Well, at the moment, I'm not exactly in the position to rewrite anything."

"Oh contraire! You are in the most important position to alter the course of so many lives my dear, Kadalynn. You have to make a choice."

"What kind of choice?"

"Sacrifice; you see my child, you have to decide if you will sacrifice your life to save another."

"Whose life am I supposed to be saving?"

Q smiled before turning to face Data.

"His." Q replied, "All you have to do is give up your own life."

I thought about it for a moment and as much as it hurt to think of Data's life hanging in the balance because of me, I was too scared to make such a large sacrifice.

"I can't! I'm sorry!" I gasped out loud before going into uncontrollable convulsions.

"Damn it! I'm losing her! Kadalynn!" Beverly exclaimed and her voice began to fade, "Increase voltage!"

After another round of searing pain in my chest, I was back in the 21st century hospital and the doctors were feverishly working to save me.

"She can't endure this much longer." one doctor said, "If this continues, we won't be able to bring her back at all. We need to stabilize her immediately!"

"Kadalynn, you're running out of time. You need to make your decision." Q said, he was still wearing a doctor's uniform.

"I thought I already did." I thought aloud.

"Yes. However, it was an uninformed decision." Q said before he snapped.

We were no longer in the hospital room, but in space. There were two ships facing each other, one was the Enterprise and the other was a menacing looking vessel. Both ships had significant damage.

"This is what your sacrifice will prevent." Q said with a serious expression on his face as he looked at the unfolding scene.

Before I could ask any questions, I saw something flying out of the Enterprise. No, it wasn't a thing, it was a person!

"Oh my goodness! Who is that?" I shouted with fear, knowing a human could not survive such an exposure to space.

"Can you think of no one who can survive through space like that?"

At that moment, I knew it was Data.

"What is he doing?"

"You'll see. It won't be long now."

Q was right; it didn't take long for me to see what he was trying to show me. Within minutes, the ship blew up with Data inside!

"NO!" I shrieked. It felt as if my heart had exploded along with the ship.

As I sobbed the scene around us became white.

"Do you understand now why you must make a decision? Your sacrifice will change this event. He doesn't have to die. This event doesn't have to happen."

"But I have to die, is that it?"

"Not necessarily, you can sacrifice your life and still live."

Everything was starting to make sense and it scared me, but I still resisted and procrastinated by asking more questions.

"How can I stop something that hasn't happened yet?!"

"Kadalynn, Kadalynn! What part of 'rewriting history' don't you understand? Don't you get it? This has already happened! You're quite literally living in the past, don't you see? So what'll it be?"

At that moment, I realized what Q meant! I had to let go of the past I was desperately clinging to, even while staring in the face of death! My newfound understanding didn't make my decision easier. I once again faced the fact that if I refused to let go of my past, I would wake up in my own time while dying on the Enterprise. At the same time, if I finally let go of my past, I would die in my century, but live on the Enterprise. See my dilemma? I thought about it for what seemed like an eternity before tearfully making my decision.

"Yes!" I sobbed weakly, "I will! I will sacrifice my life for him! I love him!"

Q smiled, but I was sobbing uncontrollably. I somehow knew I couldn't reverse my decision and I was mourning for my old life anew.

"You've made the right decision my child." Q said and with a snap, he was gone.

I couldn't hear or feel my heartbeat. Nor could I feel or hear myself breathing. I couldn't feel anything at all! However, one sense remained; the sense of hearing. It was faint, but I could hear Beverly talking to Data.

"Data, please! You have to let her go!" Beverly's voice said urgently.

"No! I will not!" Data shot back.

"Please Data; I can't shock her until you move. Your circuits will be fried!"

"I will be fine. Doctor please… do it!" Data said and there was a pause, "Do it! That is an order, doctor!"

My body suddenly became rigid and felt as if it were surrounded by a cool current that quickly warmed me up from the inside. I felt a gentle pulse radiating from my midsection and realized it was my heart. There was something wrapped around my midsection and pressed against my cheek. When I opened my eyes, I realized it was Data hugging me with one arm, his face pressed against mine. My vision was a little fuzzy, but I wasn't complaining since I was glad to see anything!

"Data." I called in barely a whisper. I felt more exhausted that I'd ever been!

His face was etched with surprise and relief as his lips curled in a faint smile.

"Kadalynn, I thought I had lost you." he said as he stared into my eyes with his warm golden gaze.

"For a while we did! Thank goodness you pulled through, Kadalynn; you gave us all a big scare… several in fact." Beverly said.

"Several?" I asked gingerly.

"You went into cardiac arrest… three times."

My mouth fell open and I was agape with shock.

"You mean… I actually died?" I asked quietly with tears in my eyes.

Beverly nodded somberly. Data gently placed his fingers under my chin, returning my gaze to his.

"You are alive now, that is all that matters; that, and our love."

"But Data…" I faintly uttered before he interrupted me with a kiss.

I was apprehensive about showing affection to Data publicly, so I tried to resist — albeit not much. I quickly relaxed into the kiss, reached my hand up and ran my fingers through his thick, luxurious locks. I nearly lost my life and the man I loved. It made no sense to try to deny Data or myself of the love we both desperately needed.

Data aggressively investigated the fact that Lt. Gomez knew private details about my medical records. It was revealed that Lt. Gomez had accessed my medical files without authorization. I was very upset about the findings, but Data absolutely livid and was relentless in having her brought to justice. He wanted her off the Enterprise since her antics nearly cost me my life. It was clear to him that the same thing could happen in the future since she was obviously an unstable woman. I wasn't well enough to attend the hearing, but I heard that Lt. Gomez was a sobbing mess as she tried to apologize to Data for the things she said about him. However, she expressed no remorse about my having almost died. In fact, she stated that perhaps it was my destiny to die and that the Enterprise crew should stop interfering so that she and Data could finally be together. She openly declared that she and Data belonged together and that I only got in their way. Her disturbing statements only sealed her fate. In addition to the unlawful access of records, she was charged with disorderly conduct. She was therefore dishonorably discharged from Starfleet. I never saw her again. I can't say that I was sorry about that. It was actually a relief.
During the following weeks, I recovered rapidly while Data continued to train me for the academy entrance exam. The decision to continue my training was my own. Data was concerned it would interfere with my recovery, but it actually seemed to speed up the process. When I left the Enterprise to take the exam, I found myself in an ironic position. Just weeks earlier, I wanted nothing more than to leave the ship, now it broke my heart to leave. I realized I would miss Data and my friends terribly, even though I would not be gone longer than a few days. I was touched to see my closest friends and even the Captain himself, came to the transporter room to see me off. Overwhelmed, I began to tear up as they wished me luck.

"I really don't want to let you guys down. You've all been so good to me." I said.

"Kadalynn, just do your best. That will be satisfactory." the captain replied with a smile.

The group saw Data and I staring at each other and decided to give us a moment alone. As soon as the group exited the transporter room, Data and I clashed in a passionate kiss. I had forgone wearing lipstick just in case this event took place.

"I love you, Data. Thanks for all your help. I hope I'll make you proud." I told him.

"You already have." he replied as he brushed my cheek with his hand.

The group returned to the room as I took my place on the transporter pad. However, I stared only at Data before I was beamed off the ship. It was my first time being beamed anywhere consciously and there was a brief sensation of not being able to breathe. Data warned me about this well before my scheduled transport, I'm so glad he did, otherwise, I would've freaked!