A/N: See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer.

Chapter 2: Nurse Janeway

Every morning at six o'clock on the dot, Luke was always there ringing the doorbell of Kathryn's quarters, moments after her alarm went off, like clockwork. Two days after her birthday, however, he wasn't there. Kathryn had been lying in bed a good five minutes after the computer alarm woke her up when she realized that Luke wasn't there ringing her bell. She thought to herself that maybe he was just a little late this morning, and she got out of bed, put on her robe and slippers, and waited several more minutes. She continued to wait until six-thirty, and it was then she realized that he wasn't merely running late; he wasn't coming at all. She was deeply disappointed, and that was putting it mildly.

When Luke had first begun butting into her everyday life the way he did, she'd found it irritating, of course, but she put up with it because she knew he was worried about her. But now, it wasn't merely an annoying daily routine she felt she had to put up with so that a member of her crew wouldn't worry about her. Now, it was something that she genuinely looked forward to. Over the past couple of months, Kathryn had gotten to know Luke much better than she already did, and she found that they shared many of the same passions for various sciences, for mathematics, even for music and the arts. They could spend hours talking about quantum mechanics and various other disciplines, and they frequently got into lively debates about their favorite composers. Thanks to Luke, even opera was beginning to grow on Kathryn a little. Whenever she was with him, it seemed she was always learning something new, whether it was something about holo-photography or the human endocrine system or why Adenkar of Vulcan was, in Luke's words, "a pathetic excuse for an opera singer." Being around him really broadened her horizons. He was so full of passion, so full of life, and being around him seemed to reignite passions she already had for the sciences and mathematics, and for learning in general, and she absolutely loved that about him. He was so interested in the world around him. He had the most endearing way of making everything around him, even the tiniest things, just come alive. He saw life in everything, and quite frankly, Kathryn found it adorable. Now, even the prospect of losing a mere meal with him deeply upset her.

But then it dawned on her that it was possible that something was wrong with him, and obviously, that filled her with concern. Perhaps he'd tripped and fallen and injured himself somehow, or maybe he was sick. Several crewmen had started coming down with a nasty stomach bug yesterday, and it was entirely possible that he'd caught it. He'd been a hologram for so long that sometimes, Kathryn forgot that he was human now and that it was possible for him to become ill or injured.

In that moment, Kathryn said, "Computer, locate Dr. Luke."

"Dr. Luke is in his quarters," the computer responded.

Kathryn then picked up her combadge off her nightstand and spoke into it, saying, "Janeway to Dr. Luke."

Kathryn waited several moments, and finally, he said, "Dr. Luke here." He had responded in an obviously sick voice. It was clear he was not well at all. In the next moment, she could hear him retching over their combadges.

"Luke, if you can hear me, I'm going to transport myself to your quarters. I'll be with you in just a moment."

"No, Captain. Don't. I'm sick."

"I know. That's why I'm coming over."

"I don't want you to get sick too."

"Don't you worry about me. I'll be alright. I'll see you in a couple of minutes. Janeway out."

Kathryn quickly got into her Starfleet uniform, and then she beamed over to Luke's quarters. She found him lying in bed, on his side, vomiting into a waste basket. She put her hand on his forehead and she could tell he was burning with fever.

"We need to get you to Sick Bay," she told him.

"I don't think I can get there, Captain."

"We'll transport you there and then we'll have Dexa take a look at you," Kathryn told him, and Luke nodded. Before Kathryn could initiate a site-to-site transport, however, Luke began vomiting again.

"Aw, sweetie, you really can't get there, can you?" she asked while rubbing his upper back, and Luke shook his head.

"Hang in there. I'll be right back," Kathryn assured him, and then she left.

Several minutes later, Kathryn beamed herself back into Luke's quarters, knowing that he was too sick to come to the door. Kathryn had a hyposray Dexa had given her for fever and nausea, and as Luke was sitting on the side of his bed, vomiting into the waste basket, she came over and pressed it against his neck.

"There," she said softly. "You should start feeling better shortly."

Kathryn sat down on the bed next to Luke then, and he set the waste basket down, and turned to her and said, "Thank you, Nurse Janeway."

Kathryn laughed and said, "Of course. According to Dexa, quite a few crewmen have come to Sick Bay during the night. This stomach bug is really going around."

"You really should leave before you catch this."

Kathryn shook her head and said, "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Let's just get you taken care of, alright?"

"I appreciate it, Captain, but I think I'll be alright in a little while. That hypospray is already beginning to make me feel a little better. I think I'll be able to get dressed and pull myself together in a few minutes, although I'll probably be a bit late for my duty shift."

"I've already taken care of that. I've spoken with Dexa and Mr. Paris. They'll be taking over for you in Sick Bay for the next few days. And, I've also had a word with Commander Chakotay, and we've agreed to swap some duty shifts. I'll be taking today and tomorrow off so I can look after you."

"That's really not necessary, Captain. You don't have to go to all that trouble."

Kathryn shook her head, smiled, and told him, "It's no trouble, Luke. I'm doing this because I want to do it. Nobody's twisting my arm. Besides, you've spent a great deal of time taking care of me over the past couple of months. The way I see it, this is the least I can do."

"You're very sweet," Luke said with a smile, and Kathryn smiled in return. He then chuckled a bit and asked, "Is it appropriate to tell the Captain she's sweet?"

Kathryn laughed and told him, "I think it depends on the captain. I don't know how Captain Jean-Luc Picard would feel if a crewman on the Bridge of the Enterprise told him that he was sweet, but I, for one, am very flattered by what you just said."

In the next moment, Luke began visibly shaking.

"Let's get you under the covers, alright?" said Kathryn, and Luke nodded. She then got up, and he laid back down in bed, and she pulled the covers up over him. "There. That's better," she whispered. "I'll replicate you a nice hot cup of chamomile tea. That always makes me feel better whenever I have an upset stomach."

"I don't think I can hold anything down right now."

"We'll take it nice and slow. We'll just start you out with a couple of sips. Dexa said it was important that you not get dehydrated."

"I know Dexa's right, but still, I don't think I can even look at liquids right now. Back when I was a hologram, I had no idea just how difficult it could be to try to keep even simple fluids down when you're fighting a stomach virus."

"Don't worry. Dexa and I will have you feeling better in no time," she assured him, and then she walked up to his replicator and ordered a cup of chamomile tea for him while he smiled underneath the covers. It really warmed Luke's heart to have the Captain personally looking after him like this.