Epilogue
***B'Elanna waited through two more aftershocks before she shut down the force
field and flew to the shelter. There
were two doctors and a nurse among the Plons in the shelter. Tom helped with triage as soon as he
arrived. The doctors were able to set
Harry's leg and sew up his side wound, but they couldn't stop the internal
bleeding, and Shyla was in a coma with had a weak pulse. The Plons agreed to let the aliens take
Shyla to their doctor since it would be a while before they could get her to a
hospital proper. B'Elanna helped Tom
load Shyla and Harry onto the Delta Flyer, and Tom laid in a course back to
Voyager. As soon as he landed the
shuttle, Tom had Harry and Shyla beamed directly to sickbay.
"What about you?" B'Elanna asked.
"I'll be fine. My injuries are minor."
"I saw you limping. You must have sprained your ankle. And, you're still bleeding in a few places." She touched his arm where his uniform had been torn and a gash was oozing more than blood. "I'll finish up here. You go to sickbay. That's an order."
"And, if I defy that order?"
"I'll add a black eye and another fat lip to your minor injuries."
"Never argue with a Klingon, especially a Klingon woman," he said as he left.
***Harry awoke to see Tom standing by his bed.
"Hey, welcome back."
"How long was I out?"
"Ten hours. The Doctor stopped your internal bleeding, fixed your leg and gave you a sedative. He'll repair your other injuries when you're feeling better."
"Shyla?" Harry asked quietly.
Tom pointed to the biobed on Harry's other side. "It will take her a while to get her full health back, but she 's going to be fine. Our doctor is one amazing man. But, don't tell him I said that."
Harry gave him a small smile.
"Well, Harry do you think you'll ever meet the right woman? Your track record doesn't look too promising. There was the dead woman, the borg drone, and the hologram just to name a few. Shall I go on?"
"It doesn't matter. I've already met the right woman."
"Libby."
"All the others have been mere copies. Shyla was the closest."
"One of our patients is awake, I see," Janeway said as she and Chakotay entered.
"How are you feeling, Harry?" Chakotay asked.
"Tired."
"I'd like to talk to Harry if you don't mind gentlemen," Janeway said.
"Come on, Commander," Tom said putting his arm around Chakotay. "How about you and I play a game of Twenty Questions?"
Chakotay gave him a look that made Tom smirk and remove his arm.
"Captain, -"
Janeway held up her hand. "I'm entering a formal reprimand in your record for violating the Prime Directive. I'm also revoking your holodeck privileges for the next three months. You probably won't miss them; however, since you will be spending the majority of your free time helping Tuvok to reorganize the contents of the cargo bays. He believes the efficiency of locating things can be increased, and I agree. He also has several other projects he needs a volunteer for." She paused. "I'm also entering a commendation for behavior becoming an officer of the Federation. You risked your life and career to save the lives of people you didn't even know. As your captain, I'm furious with you." She paused again. "But, as a human, I'm proud of you."
"Thank you, Captain."
***"What happened to you?" Shyla asked trying not to laugh.
Harry looked down at his uniform and hands. Along with his face, they were covered in dust, dirt and sweat. He had also accidentally spilled some sort of liquid Neelix had acquired from some planet to use in one of his recipes all over his pants. A large stain was in a particularly embarrassing area.
"Don't ask," he said leaning down to kiss her.
"No, no, no, Mr. Kim," the Doctor said strutting from his office. "I can't allow you to touch my patient with, with… What is that all over you?"
"I'll go wash up and change. I've got a couple of hours before Tuvok has more exciting things scheduled for me. If the Doc says it's ok, I could bring you something to eat. If you're well enough to handle Neelix's food, that is."
Shyla giggled, then coughed. "I'm not very hungry, but I'd enjoy the company. Your company," she added.
"As long as you leave at a decent hour this time and let her rest," the Doctor said.
"Do you think Tuvok will let you come down to the planet any before you leave?"
"I don't know. He doesn't like to 'waste' time that could be spent further developing his projects."
"I could really use you beside me when I give my acceptance speech next week." The government had shattered as a result of the Great Earthquake, and the Plons had called on Shyla to head up reconstruction. Still weak from her ordeal, she had agreed but asked for plenty of help. "I won't ask you to accompany me to any of the reconstruction meetings. I'll have to really concentrate, and you have a way of distracting me." She smiled teasingly.
That smile was beautiful despite the bruise beside her bottom lip. "If I have to add an extra week of being Tuvok's slave just for one visit with you on Plona, I'll be there."
Harry made a deal with Tuvok. In exchange for Harry agreeing to be a long term volunteer for three of Tuvok's efficiency projects, Tuvok granted him a four-hour daily visit with Shyla. If Harry didn't know better, he would have said that the Vulcan was overjoyed at the prospect of a having a willing volunteer.
When Shyla moved back to Plona, her days became busy with meetings and reconstruction plans. But, whenever Harry appeared, the Plons quickly wrapped their meetings up and went off smiling among themselves. Harry and Shyla grew into a comfortable friendship. They would miss each other when Harry had to go, but they knew they would never forget their time together.
***"I think it's time we resume our course," Janeway informed the senior staff two weeks later. She looked at Harry as she spoke to the group. "The Plons have a lot of rebuilding to do physically and otherwise. We'll be leaving in an hour."
***Harry materialized in the middle of the street in downtown Plon. Shyla was a few meters away consulting with a group of people about a reconstruction project. Harry stood where he was watching her for about five minutes. She was surrounded and so into what she was doing she didn't seem to notice him. He stood there memorizing her for another five minutes then tapped his cmombadge. "One to beam up."
Shyla turned just as he began to dematerialize. She stared at the spot where he had been with a gentle smile on her face.
Thank you so much for reading my story!!! I hope you enjoyed it.
