XIV.
Data had been sitting silently on Deanna's couch for nearly an hour before he finally spoke. Deanna had been going over her notes of their last session when he did, which startled her out of her concentration.
"What?" she asked.
Data looked at her, a look of deep concern giving her a twinge of guilt for not paying attention.
"I said, I am starting to feel slightly…troubled by all of the emotions that are branching from my love for Heva. In the past few days I have felt, anxiety, insomnia; though I do not even sleep, protectiveness, jealousy, passion, and even a small hint of arousal. I am uncertain how to cope with so many emotions at once invading my system."
"Well, Data; that is part of falling in love." Deanna said, sitting beside him. "When humans fall in love, they experience an overload of feelings. But let me let you in on a secret. Love is the main ingredient to every emotion."
Data looked at her, confused. "I do not understand. I have never felt a love like this before."
Deanna shook her head. "But you have, Data. You need to understand; Love and Hate are the two most powerful emotions in the human mind. You enjoy a cup of tea because you love the flavor. You avoid hearing a certain song because you hate the lyrics or how it was written. You feel jealousy because something you love is being kept away from you, or perhaps someone you hate has something you love. Every emotion derives from either love or hate. Most of the time, it's love. You have drive when you are at the helm because you love what you are doing for this crew and your captain. Do you see what I'm trying to say?"
Data listened quietly, contemplating this interesting theory on love. He realized that Deanna was right. That part of being human was learning to understand and control your emotions, even when there were many at a time running through you.
He nodded at her, then looked out of her window toward Heva's bed. She had been unconscious for some time now. "I understand. I do find it difficult to handle, since I feel so strongly for Heva. But at the same time I feel honored, privileged, even happy that she has given me the opportunity to progress in such a fashion." He placed a hand on the window, deep feelings of desire becoming clear in his expression.
"When we had our date together, her very presence brought me feelings of comfort, joy, relaxation. I am never so comfortable around people. Not even you or Geordi. I can be ridiculous around her. I can slip and fall and not worry about whether or not she will burst out in fits of laughter. Even if she did, I feel that I would join her and laugh…at myself. It is an incredible sensation. If I had a heart…it would escape from my chest every time she came into my sight."
They sat silent, both of them staring out at Heva's resting body. Doctor Crusher came out from behind the wall blocking other areas of sick bay, carrying a tray with a small glass of water and the injection importer. She turned to the window, spotted them, and motioned for Data to come out and join her.
He looked at Deanna, she nodded, and he rushed from the room to Heva's side.
He put his hands on the bed next to her, he wanted nothing more than to grab her hand or stroke her hair. But he knew that he shouldn't rush the physical contact of their relationship, fearing he would make her feel uncomfortable.
Beverly gave her the injection and they paused. Her eyes began to blink open and she stirred.
Heva looked up at the ceiling, then around her and her eyes rested on Data. She smiled and whispered "Hello, Data." Data and Beverly smiled at each other then looked back down at her.
She sat up in the bed, putting a hand to her head. "Ugh…what did I do?" she looked up quickly. "I didn't get drunk again did I?" she asked hastily. Data chuckled. "No, you merely went into shock from all of the telepathic connections with the Frugians."
"I contacted the captain," Beverly chimed in. "He instructed you to refrain from doing research alone. He has assigned Data to accompany you to your quarters and help you for the next few days. He already transferred all of the required information to your computer."
She assisted Data in helping Heva to her feet, then walked her to her quarters. They lay her in her bed sitting her up and Data covered her with her blanket. "I will be right back." He whispered. She nodded in reply.
He walked to the door with Beverly and paused to part. "I want you to keep a close eye on her." Beverly said quietly. "If she shows any signs of nausea, if she is faint, or if she complains about dizziness even while sitting down I want you to bring her to me immediately." Data nodded in reply and went back inside.
He stood looking at Heva for a long time. Her hair was messy, hanging around her face. She looked pale, but at the same time she was alert and didn't seem to be weak at all. She had her gaze pointed down at the information pad she had taken from her nightstand. Concentration was written on her brow, determined to get her work done.
Data felt himself tip and his shoulder found the wall. He leaned against it and folded his arms as he watched her, smiling quietly. For a long time she didn't seem to notice, but then she looked up with her mouth open to say something and searched the room to find him looking dreamily at her.
"Data?" she asked. A smile in her voice.
He jumped back up to stand up straight but hit his leg against the corner of the wall opposite him. He heard Heva chuckle and felt a rush of embarrassment before he slowly stood and faced her.
"Forgive me," he said softly. "I didn't mean to be so clumsy. Are you in need of assistance?"
Heva shook her head and stood. Data rushed forward to see if she needed help to walk but she held up a hand to halt him. "I'm fine, Data. I'm not going to do research tonight. Actually I was going to say that this is…an interesting second date for us."
Data stood still, he didn't understand what she meant by this.
"Second date? But neither of us asked the other to engage in another activity together…"
She turned to smile at him. "Sometimes, Data, a date can be an unspoken thing between two people. And it doesn't have to be anywhere fancy. It's nice to have dates where all you do is sit at home, eat dinner, and talk. Or perhaps we can watch a twentieth century theatrical film. I love to watch them, they're so fascinating. Especially ones that depict their idea of the future."
She waved toward her dining table for Data to sit. "Would you like a cup of hot cocoa, Data?" she asked as she approached her replicator.
He sat at the table and watched her, she turned to face him awaiting his answer. "I don't believe I have sampled 'hot cocoa' before. Yes, I would like to try it, please." He smiled at her, putting his chin into the palm of his right hand. She grinned and turned to the replicator.
"Computer," she commanded. "Two glasses of hot chocolate, add whipped cream and chocolate flakes on top, please." The computer beeped and two steaming mugs of hot chocolate appeared. Both of them had a mountain of whipped cream topped off with tiny flecks of chocolate flakes.
Heva carried both of them to the table and handed one to Data. He inspected the mug thoroughly, taking in the look of the concoction before deciding to ingest it. He put his nose over it and took a long whiff from the steam coming off of the top of the whipped cream. He smiled with pleasure and looked at Heva. She chuckled. "It's delicious. Go ahead, try it."
"Alright." Data responded. He pressed the glass to his lips and tipped it. The warmth of the liquid hit him with a satisfying flavor. It was bittersweet and tasted incredible; creamy and hot running down his throat. The taste of the whipped cream was a pleasant addition to the already pleasing nature of the drink. He suspected that it was a usual garnish that humans added. He swallowed and smacked his lips a few times and let out a sigh of happiness. "I absolutely…" he caught Heva staring at him, her cup poised just under her chin. "Love it." He finished. He raised his glass to her before taking another sip.
"It's something I've always enjoyed. Before I was assimilated by the Borg, my mother would always prepare a mug of hot chocolate for both of us to have before bed. She always said that receiving something that made you feel happy before sleep gave you good dreams." She looked thoughtfully down at her cup, running one of her hands up and down the side of it.
"I can understand why your mother was so fond of this." Data replied. "It is quite a pleasing taste. It makes me feel very warm on the inside."
Heva looked up at him, smiling. She rose her own mug to toast to him. "To the second date." She declared.
Data felt his grip on the mug tighten. He began to shake but gained control before he spilled his cocoa everywhere. He gave Heva a nervous smile and tapped his mug against hers. "To the second date." He repeated. He watched her press her mug to her lips and suddenly he couldn't take his eyes off of her mouth. He watched as she lowered the glass, a whipped cream mustache remained on her upper lip and she smiled with pleasure; her eyes closed. She breathed a deep sigh and opened her mouth. Her tongue ventured out and slowly licked the cream from her lip. Data's hands began to shake and he felt that if he didn't loosen his grip he would break his glass. But he couldn't stop staring.
With her eyes still closed, Heva brought the cup back to her mouth and took another sip. This time, only a small amount of whipped cream was left on her bottom lip. She reached up with one of her fingers and wiped it away, then put her finger into her mouth and slowly brought it out leaving the cream inside for her to enjoy.
Data's breathing began to get faster and his shaking had gotten so intense that some of his hot cocoa had flown from the mug and into his lap. He quickly set his glass down and stood.
"Data?" Heva got up from her chair and began to walk around the table toward him.
"I just remembered that I forgot one of my information pads in my quarters. I am just going to retrieve it before I forget. I won't be long. I am sorry to jump up so fast, but we can continue our…our date…when I return." He gave her what he hoped to be a reassuring smile that she slowly returned and joined with a nod and an "Okay."
Data tried not to look in haste as he left. However once he was out the door and a ways down the hall, he broke into a small run toward Counselor Troi's office.