Part 3
Deanna awoke to the soft beeping of a biobed and the hushed voices of her best friend and the Captain.
"What should we tell her?" The concern was evident in Picard's voice.
"All that we know. With the connection those two share, I wouldn't be surprised
if she knew more than we did."
Their conversation abruptly stopped when the biobed beeped quietly, signaling that Deanna was waking up. Dr Crusher moved quickly to her side, checking the readouts on the panel above her head.
"Welcome back." Beverly's smile didn't quite reach her eyes, and Deanna sensed her apprehension. "How are you feeling?"
Deanna swallowed, trying to clear her throat. When she spoke her voice was raspy and weak. "What happened to me? How long have I been out?"
The Counselor did not miss the look that passed between the doctor and the Captain. It was Beverly that finally spoke. "What do you remember?"
Closing her eyes, Deanna tried to focus her mind. "I remember the peace negotiations on Hervegla VI. Things were going really smoothly, but then something went wrong." She strained to put the fragmented images together. "Fighting broke out. The captain pulled me out of the hall and then Oh Gods!" A sickening terror consumed her and she sat bolt up right, dry heaves wracking her small frame.
When the fit had subsided, Beverly was at her friend's side with a glass of water. Deanna took the offering with unsteady hands. "He's gone." Silent tears flowed unheeded down her pale cheeks.
Picard cleared his throat. "We are doing everything we can to find out what has happened to him. So far neither side is taking responsibility for his disappearance." Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, he looked directly into the despair in her eyes. "We will find him." He exchanged another look with Beverly before making his exit.
The silent tears continued to fall. Crusher sat down next to her on the biobed and pulled her into a comforting embrace, helping to fight off the silent agony that threatened to overtake the Counselor. The two friends remained like that until Deanna ran out of tears.
"There is something else that you aren't telling me." It was not an accusation, just a simple statement.
"Yes, there is." The concern was evident on the doctor's face as she continued. "How have you been feeling lately?"
"What? Why?"
"I was hoping you would be able to tell me. Have you been tired at all?"
"Bev, why are you looking at me like that? I've been fine. Better than fine actually, ever since the Briar Patch."
"By your reaction to my questions I would presume that you don't know you're pregnant."
Deanna's eyes went wide as her hand shot up, covering her mouth in shock. It took a couple beats for her to recover her voice. "But how? It's impossible. Will and I are both on fertility inhibitors."
"The only thing I have been able to come up with is the Briar Patch. The effects must have somehow counteracted the inhibitors. Besides, it had been a while since either of you had come in for a boost." She ran a tricorder over Troi to double check the results. "You are just shy of a month pregnant, which would make the timing right for my theory. I have a feeling you're not the only one that was affected in this way."
Deanna remained motionless, the shock of her situation not quite tangible. Her entire reality was tossed aside and replaced by a hallow nightmare.
"Hey," Beverly placed a comforting hand in her friend's shoulder, "you are not alone. I am here, and we will find him." She returned her tricorder to her pocket. "There is no need to keep you here any longer. Why don't you return to your quarters and get some rest. I am sure the Captain would like your assistance as soon as you are feeling up to it."
Deanna stood slowly, accepting another comforting hug from her friend. "Come one, I'll walk you to your quarters."
The two women left sickbay and headed towards the turbo lift, silence clinging to them like a thick fog.
When they reached her door Beverly pulled Deanna into another embrace. "If you ever need anything, ever, you know where to find me."
Deanna nodded numbly. "Thanks Bev." Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. She watched as Crusher retreated down the corridor.
Turning towards her quarters, she raised her hand to the access panel. Instead of keying in the code to allow her access, it hovered in a moment of indecision. She looked to the door that lay directly next to hers. Dropping her hand with a sigh, Deanna walked to his quarters and deftly keyed in his access code. The door slid open in an eerie welcome. She stepped through. The door barely slid quietly closed behind her before she fell to her knees.
Empty. Her soul was a hollow void. The pain was unbearable. She shook uncontrollably, finally allowing herself to feel again. Panic overwhelmed her. She couldn't sense him at all. It was as if her soul had been savagely torn from her. Her mind was unable to focus enough to determine if he was alive or hurt or dead. Reality was a dizzying vortex.
Somehow she made her was to the bedroom and onto the bed. Fully clothed, she fell into a fitful sleep plagued with confusing, disjointed images.
The next morning, after she finished her customary breakfast with Jean-Luc, Beverly Crusher went to check on her friend. When Deanna didn't respond to her door chime, Crusher called out, "Computer, location of Counselor Troi."
"Counselor Troi is currently located in Commander Riker's quarters," came the dutiful reply.
A sigh escaped her lips. "I should have known." She moved to the next door and tapped the chime. When there was no response, she tapped it again. After a few moments the door slid open and Beverly stepped through. "Deanna?"
A small figure emerged from the bedroom. Her normally immaculate hair was a tangled mass, her uniform was a crumpled mess. Deanna Troi looked like hell. She walked directly over to the replicator and ordered herself a hot chocolate, barely acknowledging her friend's presence in the room.
Beverly cleared her throat, trying to gain her attention. When Deanna didn't turn around, Beverly asked softly, "How are you feeling?"
Her hands shook as she retrieved her cup from the replicator. Closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths, she willed her herself to calm down. When her eyes opened again, the pain that Beverly saw reflected in them was so intense her breath caught in her throat. It was gone in the blink of an eye, replaced by an eerie calm.
"I'm fine." She sensed the doctor's incredulity. Looking at her directly she amended, "I'm better."
Crusher pulled her tricorder from her pocket and began scanning her patient, seamlessly slipping into her doctor role. "We should start you on a regimen of prenatal hyposprays. I really don't have much experience with Betazoid pregnancies, and since you are half human your pregnancy might not progress like a text book case." Beverly kept up her monologue while Deanna sat on her couch in silence staring into her cup of hot chocolate, her friend's words not quite reaching her.
She jumped when Beverly placed a hand on her shoulder, bringing her back to the moment. "Hey," she returned her tricorder to her pocket and sat down across from the Counselor, "do you think that you are feeling up to helping the Captain? We are at an impasse. Neither party is willing to take responsibility. Instinct tells us that they are telling the truth, but we need to know for sure so we can move on and figure out who is responsible."
"I want to help. I need to help." She rose from the couch. Looking down at herself, she realized the state she was in. "Just let me get cleaned up."
Twenty minutes later she emerged from the bedroom. Once again she was Commander Deanna Troi. After a quick hug between friends, the two women headed for the bridge. Deanna allowed her professional façade slip firmly into place.
When they exited the turbo lift the Captain rose from his center seat. "Can I see you both in my ready room?"
Crusher and Troi fell into step behind Picard, allowing the door to slide shut behind them. Taking a seat, the Captain motioned for the two women to sit on the couch opposite him. Deanna's chin was held high, but her dark eyes seemed distant and unfocused. Once again his heart went out to the woman. He could only imagine the pain that she was going through, yet she still held herself together.
Picard cleared his throat before he began. "I am sure Dr. Crusher has kept you apprised of the situation." Her nod was barely perceptible. "We will be meeting with both the Perig and Nahlu in an hour. I'll understand is you don't think you will be up for it, but your empathic senses will be valuable in determining the truth behind this situation."
Deanna's gaze finally focused on Picard. The determination that suddenly flared in her dark eyes startled the Captain. "I will be fine. I need to help."
Picard nodded. "Very well. We will be meeting in transporter room three in one hour." He turned to Beverly. "I want you to join us as well. Dismissed."