Star Trek Voyager Characters are the property of Paramount Pictures

BEFORE THE DAWN
(PG:13)

Chapter Five

A gold ring on Kathryn's left hand sparkled in soft simulated firelight as she sat knitting before a large stone hearth. She and Chakotay had acquired a spacious log-home in a secluded area in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and after weeks of alteration and decoration, it was finally just how they wanted it to be. The home had five ensuite bedrooms, two of them with a balcony, aswell as a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a study, a transporter room and a holo-room. Every room was equipped with all the latest technology, but she and Chakotay had chosen styles and colors that blended with the traditional and rustic appearance of a log-home. They had considered living in San Francisco, North Carolina and Bloomington, but in the end had settled for a mountainous home. Chakotay wanted to be close to nature, and she wanted a cozy home in a secluded spot that gave them a much needed respite from the intrusive eyes of the public world. There had been a lot of interest in their lives from the media, especially since she they had married, but it was very difficult for unwanted journalists and visitors to bother them here as the area belonged to a National Preservation Park. Access was limited to authorized persons only and the area was monitored for border breaches day in and day out.

"Just eight more rows," she said, tugging at a ball of white wool, "and I've finished the cardigan."

Chakotay looked up at her from a cute black puppy he was playing with on the wooden floor and smiled. "If you carry on at this rate, you'll have knitted an entire wardrobe by the time Junior is born."

Kathryn laughed. "You might be right. But the clothes are so tiny. The sleeves aren't much bigger than my thumbs." She began a new row. "And the Doctor said I need to take things easy while my body adjusts to being pregnant again, so I may as well do something productive."

"You should knit a coat for Ebony. It's starting to get cold outside and I'm sure she'd feel the benefit."

"Good idea," Kathryn replied. "I'll replicate some thick black wool and start one tomorrow." Clicking away, she worked to the end of the row, and then started the next. "I've been thinking, Chakotay. How do you like the name Bilarka for our son? It means "long awaited one" in your tribe.

"I like it a lot," Chakotay replied as hetickled Ebony. "But do you think we should give him a tribal name? It might be better to give him a name more inkeeping with the society he'll be living in."

"That's why I was thinking of Bilarka. We could call him Billy or Bill for short. Then he'd always have the choice of using a tribal or traditional name."

Chakotay looked up at her. "Good thinking. It's a perfect name."

Kathryn smiled warmly at him. "Then Bilarka it is."

She then returned to her knitting and Chakotay got to his feet. "I fancy an apple juice. Anything I can get you?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine."

As Chakotay left the room, Ebony got to her feet and watched the ball of wool her mistress was working from curiously. It looked like a potentially interesting toy. That thought firmly in mind, she bounced over to it and seized it with paws and teeth.

Feeling a weight at the end of the wool, Kathryn looked down.

"Oh, Ebony," she complained as she saw the small dog rolling on her back, entangling herself in the wool. "Get away from the wool. It's not for you."

The dog didn't understand and bounced off with the wool, unraveling half of the knitted cardigan while she went.

"Oh no," Kathryn cried. "Look what you've done. Get back here!"

When the dog still paid no attention, Kathryn got up and ventured over to her.

"Drop, Ebony. Drop!"

But the puppy just looked up at her mistress, ball of wool in her mouth, tail wagging.

Chakotay entered the room and couldn't help laugh at the scene before him. "Looks like Ebony has other ideas about you making her a coat."

"I'd say," Kathryn replied, almost laughing herself. The dog finally dropped the wool and Kathryn bent down to pick it up, talking as she did so. "She's very disobedient, though, Chakotay, we're going to have to..." Her words fell away as a sharp pain pierced her abdomen, forcing her to put her hand there.

Chakotay closed the gap between them. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Kathryn replied.

Chakotay put down his glass of apple juice, took the knitting needles from her hand, and then put his arm around her. "Come on. Sit down."

Kathryn did as he suggested, but cried out again in pain.

Chakotay looked at her in concern. "I'll put Ebony in her pen and call the Doctor."

In less than five minutes, the Doctor arrived.

"The pain is easing now," Kathryn said as he took out a medical tricorder from his med-case. "Maybe I just pulled something when I bent over."

"We'll soon see," the Doctor replied. "Lie down, please."

Kathryn lay down and Chakotay watched as the Doctor scanned her. The EMH then reached into his med-case again and pulled out another piece of equipment.

Kathryn questioned. "What's that?"

"Just lie still, please," the Doctor answered.

Kathryn lay as still as she could and tried to swallow the growing fear inside. The Doctor scanned her with this new instrument and then analyzed the results. As he did so, a profound sadness filled his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "We've lost the baby."

For a long moment, no one moved, no one spoke. Then Kathryn broke the terrible silence.

"No," she said, tears filling her eyes. "That can't be...There's no pain anymore and I'm not bleeding."

"You will," he said. "The re-plantation medication is still in your system and it's slowing down the miscarriage process. The pain you just experienced is your body's attempt to expel the embryo."

Kathryn shook her head. "I don't believe it. You examined me only this morning and said he was doing just fine..."

"That was this morning," the Doctor said sadly. "The placenta failed some time this afternoon and cut off life-support. It happens in one out of three re-plantation attempts. I'm sorry."

Kathryn stared at the Doctor in horror, and the look on her face he never wanted to see on anyone's face ever again.

"But he can't be dead..." she said quietly. "He can't he..."

"I'm sorry..."

Kathryn glanced at Chakotay, who looked as though he'd turned to stone, and then back at the Doctor.

"No he..."

But she could say no more as the terrible reality dawned on her. All she could do was cry out with the agony of a grief that was too much to bear.

END OF CHAPTER FIVE