Chapt. 10

The wounds were quickly cleaned and healed and the blood was done away with. Deanna never really woke during the process and mumbled incoherently. Riker's heart missed a beat each time a faint Imzadi would reach his ears. "She hasn't slept in days" Crusher told him when he'd asked why Troi wouldn't wake.

How that was possible he couldn't quite understand; she'd fallen asleep in his arms the larger part of the last week. Before that she refused to be in the same room with; whether because she blamed him for her husband's and children's disappearance or because of some other reason he couldn't tell.

"Okay, I'm done" Beverly threw her medical instruments she'd used on a near-by metallic plate and swept a few stray locks of auburn hair away from her face.

"Can I take her back to her quarters?"

The doctor turned back to the sleeping form of the empath and contemplated on her options. "I gave her quite a strong sleep-inducer" she began hesitantly "and she's quite weak, so I don't think that would be a good idea. I'm sorry Will." He nodded silently and grabbed a chair so he could sit at Troi's side.

"I'll watch over her" he explained solemnly and took Deanna's left hand in his own. "Sweet dreams Imzadi."

When Beverly returned six hours later she found the two officers in very much the same position she'd left them, except that Riker had rested his head next to Deanna's and she had rolled onto her side. According to the readings, Deanna had never been close to waking up and as such it was a mystery she'd turned over altogether.

By gently shaking his shoulder she managed to wake her captain and after assuring him Deanna would sleep at least for another twelve hours he left to get some real sleep in a real bed.

Fifteen minutes later the nightmares started.

"No....no please!" Deanna trashed her head from side to side, tresses of dark curls sweeping along. "Don't!...no Eric!!!" Her bio-readings were off the scale! "SHAN!!!"

"Deanna?" With hands along Troi's temples she tried to keep her head still and wake her up, but Beverly was unable to penetrate the shield of horror around her patient.

"Let me go! Please! My children." Reality and nightmares intermixed in the Betazoid's psyche and Crusher seemed powerless to wake her friend. When Deanna's readings became even more erratic she called for the captain, aware of the mysterious connection between the two.

Seconds later Riker stormed inside, clad in off-duty outfit and immediately rushed to the counselor's side. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure, the readings are similar to a waking nightmare, but this is deeper. I can't wake her." Will understood instantly what the doctor wanted to him and in an attempt to soothe the horrified woman on the biobed he placed his fingertips between her eyebrows, trailed the upwards over her forehead and then down along the side of her face until he reached her chin.

The simple gesture; one made only between lovers on Betazed, calmed her almost immediately although she kept trashing her head, her murmurs had become voiceless. The bio-readings stabilized and when Will took Deanna's hand and held it over his heart the readings started to approach normal levels again.

Beverly shook her head as Deanna subconsciously moved her body to Will's and rolled her head against his chest. According to the readings Deanna entered what seemed like a trance-like sleep and a soft smile curled around her lips.

The healing had begun.