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BEFORE THE DAWN
(PG:13)
Chapter Fifteen
TWO MONTHS LATER
Time passed slowly as Kathryn waited in a sterile hospital corridor while Chakotay underwent some tests. The specialist had promised to call her in before he gave Chakotay the results, and she hoped he would keep his word. As she waited, she played with thering Chakotay had given her on their wedding day, and tried not to dwell on negative thoughts. A part of her still wondered if she had done the right thing in getting the crew home the way she did. It had only been a minor breach of the temporal prime directive, one that she had been successful in keeping from Starfleet command, but it had been a breach none the less. To change her mind about remaining pregnant after what her holographic counterpart had told her was one thing, but to use that holographic self to destroy a Borg transwarp hub and get Voyager home, thereby drastically changing the course of history, was another. But, with all the temporal infractions that had happened over the years, she had come to see that each altered timeline brought it's own set of problems.
At last, the door opened and the specialist appeared. He was a small, weighty, man with curly brown hair and a thick mustache, and he greeted her with a smile.
"You may come in now, Admiral."
Kathryn got to her feet, desperately trying to read his face for any sign of whether he was going to give good news or bad, but the man was always smiling, always friendly.
"Thank you, Dr Lotton."
She followed the doctor into the room, and saw that Chakotay was sitting before a long silver desk.
"Please," Dr Lotton said, gesturing to a chair beside Chakotay. "Have a seat."
Kathryn made her way over to the chair and reached for Chakotay's hand as she sat down. His hand was trembling, and she squeezed it reassuringly.
"I have performed intensive tests and scans," the doctor said, sitting himself, "and I'm pleased to say that there is some improvement. It's too minor for the effects to be noticeable, but if the treatment wasn't working, then there would be no improvement at all in the affected regions of the brain."
Kathryn smiled at this news and squeezed Chakotay's hand again. "This is wonderful, doctor."
Chakotay questioned. "Does this mean I will see again?"
"Yes," the doctor replied. "But it's not going to happen over night. You will first become aware of shadows and shapes, then blurs of color, and eventually the colors will become objects."
"Will I see as well as I used too?"
"I see no reason why you shouldn't. It's possible that you may have better vision in one eye or the other, or that improvement will only advance so far, but based on the tests I've performed, there is every reason to believe you will regain full vision."
Kathryn questioned now. "How long will this recovery process take?"
"It varies from person to person, but from this initial response to treatment, I'd say about three to four months." He then addressed Chakotay. "By our next appointment in two weeks, you should have started to see shadows."
Chakotay smiled. "I look forward to it...no pun intended."
The Doctor smiled in return and then clasped his hands together. "Now, unless you have any questions, I see no reason to keep you here further."
"The treatment," Kathryn asked, "do we continue it as we have?"
"Yes. Two hypospray shots three times a day." He paused. "Anything else?"
"No," Kathryn replied. She then turned to Chakotay. "Chakotay?"
"Nor me," he answered.
The Doctor got to his feet, smiling again. "In that case, I'll bid you both a good day and see you in two weeks."
Kathryn and Chakotay got to their feet also.
"Thank you," Kathryn said, taking Chakotay's arm so she could guide him. "We'll see you then."
"Yes," Chakotay added. "Thank you for everything."
"You're welcome," the doctor replied.
Kathryn guided Chakotay towards the door, but just as they were about to leave, the doctor spoke again.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Congratulations on the baby."
Kathryn stopped walking, let go of Chakotay's arm, and turned towards him. "The baby?"
"Yes, on your..." The man paled and then bit his lip. "I'm sorry," he said. "I thought that you...Forget that I said anything."
Kathryn stepped forward. "Are you...Are you saying I'm pregnant?"
The man was flustered now. "As I said, forget I said anything..."
"With all due respect, that's pretty hard to do. Please, tell us..."
"Very well," the man conceded. "Yes, you're pregnant. My equipment picked up the baby's lifesign when you were in the room earlier."
For a long moment, Kathryn said nothing as she absorbed this, then she turned happily to Chakotay. "Did you hear that, Chakotay? We're having another baby."
"Yes," Chakotay smiled. "I heard..."
They laughed joyfully, and then held each other tight.
The Doctor watched, their joy warming his heart, and then spoke as they eventually drew apart.
"Just don't tell anyone I told you," he said kindly.
"We won't," Kathryn assured him. "But thank you..."
He smiled. "Congratulations again."
With that, Kathryn took Chakotay's arm and lead him out of the room. When they were in the empty corridor outside, Kathryn wrapped her arms around Chakotay's neck, her joy too much to contain.
"I can't believe this is happening," she said happily. "You're going to be okay and we're going to have another baby. I can't believe it. I really can't..."
Chakotay kissed her auburn hair and held her in return.
"Neither can I. I'm so happy, Kathryn. So happy..."
Kathryn held him tighter. "Me too," she smiled. "Me too."
END OF CHAPTER 15