Ch. 13

It was the humming that woke her.

Except that it wasn't a tune she recognized, and she knew Three-twelve's entire repertoire by heart. She opened her eyes to see the smoothly contoured bulkheads of Voyager's sickbay and the EMH standing at the surgical console. He looked up from it, and the humming stopped.

"Welcome back, Captain."

She frowned at the sudden silence. "Doc-" She had to swallow several times to moisten her throat before she could continue. "Doctor, were you…humming?"

"Yes," he answered, approaching the bedside. "It's been suggested I should try and expand my programming. Music seemed to be an acceptable first option. Did you find the melody pleasing?"

She didn't know how to answer that and concentrated instead on moving to a sitting position on the biobed. Several muscles in her back and shoulders twinged at the movement but not horribly so. "What's our status?"

"Our status? I have no idea," he said, picking up a tricorder and scanning her with its wand. "It's a rare day when someone sees fit to inform me of the ship's status. Which is rather ironic, considering I am the one most directly connected to the ship and the most affected by its maintenance."

She could scarcely believe what she was hearing. It was so surreal. "Doctor, this really isn't-"

"Your status, however, I can expound on. You've been through quite the ordeal, Captain," he said, switching gears abruptly. "You presented with contusions, abrasions, bruised organs, pulmonary edema, dehydration, malnutrition, electrolyte imbalance, and a very crude prison designation. It took a few hours of reconstructive surgery to remove the mark, but I can assure you that the Mokra's claims of permanence were highly overrated."

A few hours? Her shoulder twitched and she imagined she could feel the patch of new skin. She felt beads of sweat break out on the back of her neck. They rolled down her bare back, stinging wounds that already burned. Her fingernails dug into the palm of her hand as she felt the coarse cloth swipe lazily across her back, blotting her skin dry. The ice cold probe began searing another number-

"Captain?"

She sucked in a breath of cool, dry recycled air and saw the Doctor frowning at her. She blinked, trying to remember what he'd just told her. He'd removed the mark the etcher had branded her with. There had been pride in his voice at the accomplishment. He'd probably paused, waiting for her to praise him. "Thank you, Doctor," she managed. "It was definitely not a souvenir I wanted to keep."

"I should think not," he said and walked the tricorder back to the medical console, uploading its scans. "There were also a few chemicals in your system that the Federation medical database didn't even recognize. You'll be pleased to know that after extensive research on my part, I managed to neutralize all Alsaurian chemicals in your system."

Torres had said they were drugging her. At least, she thought that was what she remembered. "How is B'Elanna?"

"If she's following orders, she's recovering in her quarters. If not, I suspect she's back to work in engineering." He paused. "Shall I ask the computer for her location?"

She hoped he meant that question as merely rhetorical. "Were there drugs in her system?"

"Not to the same degree." He picked up a Petri dish with what looked like a small barbed metallic ball and presented it to her. "I removed one of these from each of you. It was attached between your third and fourth ribs and was releasing a toxin that had it gone undetected would have likely killed you." He eyed it with disgust. "You both had the same amount of its toxin in your systems. Lieutenant Torres claimed it was a tracker. It likely activated when you were transported out of the prison. An effective deterrent to escape, as you would have been incapacitated within an hour."

She'd unconsciously moved her arm to its protective position over the spot where she'd been injected. That's why Augris had been so sure he'd win. He'd known, anticipated her leaving and thought he'd accounted for it. Bastard.

"As for the other chemicals in your system," the EMH continued, "it seems the lieutenant was smart enough to stay away from contaminated water supplies."

"She said she could taste it, that it was sweet." Janeway shook her head. "I never noticed."

"Considering the amount you had in your system, it's likely it built up over time. They could have started you off at a very low, undetectable level. By the time there was enough that could be tasted, you were already under its influence." He paused. "Were you aware of any differences in your perception?"

She nodded reluctantly. "I, uh, saw and heard things...I even smelled things that I know weren't really there."

"I'm not surprised," he said bluntly. "The mixture of chemicals in your body included hallucinogens, psychoactives, and sedatives. It's clear they were trying to manipulate you."

"You have no idea, Doctor," she muttered, sliding off the biobed and onto her feet. They tingled as she shifted her weight to them, but overall she felt better than she had in days. Tired, which seemed to be a permanent state for her since arriving in the Delta Quadrant, but at least her mind was clear again.

"Where do you think you're going?"

She kept one hand on the biobed to steady herself. "You've done a wonderful job, Doctor. I feel one hundred percent better."

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Captain," he retorted, stepping in front of her. "I've barely completed your initial care. You are in no shape to be running back to the bridge to try and get yourself blown up again."

"Doctor," she tried wearily, "all I want to do is take a hot shower, eat some real food, and sleep in my own bed." She straightened, squared her shoulders, hoping he'd appreciate the effort. "I have no intention of getting myself blown up today."

The hologram scoffed indignantly. "In light of recent events, I suppose you moved that item of business to tomorrow's schedule."

And it was official, she'd placated him enough for one day. "Doctor-"

"Captain!" Kes appeared from around the corner of the medical office. "It's good to see you awake, but I didn't think you'd be up on your feet already."

"She shouldn't be," the Doctor said. "We were just discussing how I haven't released her yet and as chief medical officer I do have the authority to override her decisions."

Janeway glared at him. "And I was just reminding the Doctor that I'm also an excellent engineer that knows how to delete unnecessary holographic programs."

Standing beside both of them, it was incredibly easy for Kes to assess the situation. "It's been a long month for all of us."

"A month," Janeway repeated quietly, her focus finally shifting to the young woman. "Was that all?"

Kes heard the disbelief in the captain's voice. "Yes, the Doctor's been activated almost that entire time researching Alsaurian biology in an effort to help devise a way to locate you." She smiled up at the hologram. "I believe Lieutenant Carey used the Doctor's results to refine his targeting for the transporter net they used to beam you and B'Elanna out of there."

The Doctor was practically glowing with pride at Kes' words, but she wasn't finished.

"And Doctor, given how beneficial the proper rest is to the human body's healing cycle, I'm sure you won't object to the captain sleeping in her own bed tonight as long as she returns tomorrow to complete her treatment," Kes finished before the EMH could gloat too much.

"Well…yes, I suppose that would be acceptable," he allowed, inputting commands on a PADD, "as long as she follows my prescribed regimen for nutritional intake. She cannot simply go back to her quarters, inhale a pot of coffee, and report to the bridge. She needs rest."

"She can hear you," Janeway growled.

Kes deftly took the PADD from his hands. "I'll be sure to go over it with her." She gestured to the doors leading out to the corridor. "Whenever you're ready, Captain."

"She needs to drink plenty of fluids," the Doctor said to their departing backs. "No coffee!"

Janeway yawned herself awake and rolled over onto one of her boots. She grimaced and pulled it out from under her back, tossing it away somewhere down by her feet. She lay quietly for a moment, blinking up at the ceiling of her quarters before pushing off the blanket and pulling herself up to her feet. She gathered up the blanket and pillow from her makeshift pallet on the floor and threw them in a pile onto her bed.

One of the best things about having quarters to herself was that no one was questioning her sanity for sleeping on the floor when she had a perfectly good bed available. The first night when Kes had helped her escape from sickbay, she'd sunk into the mattress and slept like the dead. The next time she'd laid down to rest, she hadn't been quite as inhumanly tired and had fared worse.

It wasn't so much that the bed was uncomfortable after having slept on a rock slab for a month, it had just been hot, unbearably so, and she'd woken up sweating. Throwing off the covers hadn't helped. Lowering the temperature of the room had eventually cooled her off, but she'd still been unable to sleep. The couch hadn't been any better, and when she'd rolled off the chaise she'd been too frustrated to immediately pull herself up. Lying there, weighing her options, she'd drifted back off to sleep, waking again only long enough to pull her blanket and pillow down to the floor with her.

Two days and multiple naps later, she was still sleeping with her new arrangement and saw no reason to move back to the bed. She was resting, her energy was starting to return, and the Doctor was supposed to clear her for duty after today. What did it matter that she currently preferred the floor over her bed? Just because it was uncomfortable and she was really only able to sleep for a short while before waking and having to change positions meant nothing; she'd never been a sound sleeper anyway.

Crossing to the replicator, her order for coffee was on the tip of her tongue when she managed to remember that the Doctor was still keeping her diet restricted. She hit the wall above the replicator. "Computer, what does the Doctor's nutrition regimen for Kathryn Janeway prescribe for breakfast today?"

"A single serving of plain yogurt with nuts and/or berries."

Her stomach lurched. She hated yogurt. "Are there any other options provided?"

"Negative."

"As soon as he puts me back on duty, I swear," she muttered, drumming her fingers against the bulkhead as the replicator produced the accepted breakfast. The chime for her door sounded and, expecting Kes, she called, "Enter."

"Good morning, Captain," Chakotay greeted her, "here's the report you were asking…"

She heard him trail off and realized it was probably the first time he'd seen her in her pajamas. She hastily put the yogurt down on her desk and retreated into her bedroom. "Sorry, Commander, just give me a second."

"I can come back."

"No, no." She came back out, tying a robe into place. "Your presence gives me a reason to ignore my prescribed breakfast."

He eyed the yogurt. "Still no coffee?"

"No," she growled, "and he's got both of my replicators locked out."

Chakotay frowned. "You have two replicators?"

"The one in the ready room."

"Oh." He frowned again. "I thought he made deck one off limits." His sentence trailed off at the look she gave him. "I'm guessing I probably shouldn't ask."

"No. You shouldn't," she said, "and he's got Kes on his side. Kes! She's more tenacious than I ever gave her credit for. She won't even let Neelix serve me his better-than-coffee substitute."

"You're that desperate?"

"I'm getting there," she admitted. She picked the yogurt back up and frowned at it. Sighing, she took a small bite and pulled a face. "I can't eat this."

He chuckled. "Shall I order you some coffee? I'll use my replicator code."

Her eyes momentarily lit up at the idea, but then she slumped again. "No, he'll scan me and see the caffeine in my system. I don't want him to have any reason not to clear me for duty tomorrow."

"He's letting you get back to work already then?"

"Half shifts anyway." She recycled the uneaten yogurt. "I hope you didn't get too settled in my ready room."

"The ready room you can have, but I will miss your seat on the bridge," he said, grinning. "It's got a better cushion than mine."

"I'm sure we can get you a pillow or something." She happened to know for a fact that he'd refused to sit in her chair the entire time she'd been gone. A little detail Tom had mentioned during one of her visits to sickbay. "You brought a report for me to read?"

He looked down at the PADD in his hand, having almost forgotten his excuse for stopping by. "Oh. Right." He stepped further into the room, handing it over. "It includes the details on the rescue plan and the transporter net that Carey came up with."

"They used Neelix's ship when they came back to the planet," she said, skimming the report. "I'd wondered – what are you grinning at?"

"Nothing," he said immediately, although she'd clearly caught him. He hadn't really been able to tell when he'd first come inside her quarters, but when he'd gotten closer he could easily see her bed head. She'd clearly not been up long and her still short hair was definitely mussed and even bumped up on the right side. He tried to swallow his amusement. "So, are you going to keep your hair short then?"

Her hand immediately went to her head. "It's sticking up, isn't it?"

He shook his head then conceded, "Maybe a little."

Before she could try to smooth it down, the door chimed again. Giving up, she called, "Enter."

This time it was Kes that appeared in the door. She smiled in greeting. "Good morning, Captain. Commander."

Sighing, Janeway greeted her back. "Come in, Kes, and give me a minute to get changed. If that's all, Commander, my warden has arrived to take me to sickbay."

He nodded, still grinning and bid them both good-bye. He hadn't found the opening he was looking for to ask how she was really doing with her recovery. Based on what he could hear through their shared wall, she wasn't sleeping as well as she pretended. He could hear her moving around at all hours of the night, but maybe a return to work was what she needed. He'd keep an eye on her, just like he knew most of the senior staff was doing.