AN: Here we are, another chapter here.
I think some people may have missed Chapter 67, which was published yesterday, so please go back and read that chapter first. Thank you!
I want to give my genuine thanks to everyone who is offering support for this story. I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story. I'm enjoying it, too, and it's good to be back to it and moving along well. I'm so thankful for your support. That's really what keeps the gears from jamming, and you're the best!
I hope you enjoy the chapter! Please don't forget to let me know what you think!
111
Thankfully, B'Elanna proved to be every bit the engineer that Daryl believed she could be. As soon as they stepped through the door, they spilled out into the corridors of Voyager—just outside the holodeck that, at least for this moment, Daryl considered cursed. He hesitated a moment, considering the possibility of trying to open the holodeck doors and turn off the malfunctioning program from the outside, but he was certain that it had been attempted before, and there were other things on his mind that he felt were too pressing for him to ignore—the others had use of the doorway, after all, if they really wanted to leave the space.
It was clear that there was a great deal of chaos going on onboard Voyager. The sounds of alarms assaulted Daryl's ears as soon as they were through the doorway. The energy of the place felt frantic as they dealt with the anomaly and everything that might very well mean for all of them. Daryl kept an arm wrapped tightly around Carol. He could have touched his combadge to see if communications were working on the ship. He could have asked to be transported directly to sickbay, but there was something in him that didn't trust the transporters at the moment and, in some ways, he wondered if anyone would be manning transporters in this chaos.
"Let's go," Daryl said. He got his arms under Carol and lifted her. She wrapped her arms around him, but tried to protest. He could feel her body shake with pain and, likely, fear for the life she carried more than fear for her own. Daryl would give anything he had to save Carol from anything that was threatening her, and he knew that part of saving her was saving her already-battered heart—and that meant saving the baby, somehow. "We're goin' to sickbay. Our alien's gonna be OK. Gonna be just fine. The doctor's gonna know what to do."
Daryl didn't know if the doctor would know what to do or not, but it made him feel better to think that he would. He rushed with Carol, quieting her promises that she could keep up with him if he would put her down and not strain himself, and he only trusted the turbolifts because he had little other choice in the matter. They weren't going to attempt Jeffries tubes right now—not if they could be avoided.
Maybe someone had called ahead and said they were coming. Maybe, somehow, Voyager alerted the doctor and Kes of their arrival. Maybe Kes simply had some Ocampan intuition that they would be there. Daryl didn't know the details, and he didn't care, but he did know that he and Carol were met at the sickbay doors by both Kes and the doctor—both of whom were clearly ready to get to work.
"We'll need to get her in the robe," Kes said, pulling a sheet around the bed for privacy. Daryl was fairly certain that Carol could have cared less. She would have stripped naked on the bridge, in the middle of a shift change, if the doctor promised to end this and help with the baby.
The doctor bumped shoulders with Daryl as he moved in and quickly administered one hypospray and then another to Carol while she was still working her way into a robe. She didn't seem to care. She'd been wanting his help for some time, and she would take it without question at the moment. Daryl, however, did ask.
"What is that?"
"A light sedative for Carol," the doctor informed him, "and a gentle muscle relaxer. I assure you that both are safe for the baby, since I predict that is your next line of inquiry. We have to figure out exactly what we're dealing with, and that will be easier when mother and baby are calm, relaxed, and free from distress."
Carol seemed to agree, and she didn't hesitate even a moment in taking her place on the biobed. Daryl took her hand and moved just far enough out of the way to allow the doctor to examine her.
"What can you tell me about the situation?" The doctor asked.
"They said somethin' about a time advancement program. A TAP, they called it. It was malfunctioning in the holodeck."
The doctor made requests of Kes, but she seemed to already predict what he wanted, because she brought it seemingly at the same time as he asked for it.
"My program has been supplied with a great deal of information about time advancement programs, so I'm well-prepared to begin assisting you with the possible side-effects of their usage. There have been very few studies, however, about the effects of these programs on developing fetuses."
"This one weren't doin' what it was supposed to be doin' no way," Daryl offered.
"That much is evident," the doctor said.
"What's wrong?" Carol asked.
The doctor—who, Daryl knew, had been actively working on perfecting his bedside manner and was taking pride in some of the improvements in his program—offered Carol a smile that was meant to be reassuring but, given the circumstances, was a bit too jovial.
"Please try to relax, Carol," he said. "The most important thing that you can do, at this time, is to relax."
Daryl flicked his eyes in Carol's direction. If she thought the doctor's reassuring smile was over the top, she didn't give him any indication of it. Instead, she looked like she was actively trying to listen to him. She closed her eyes and took some obvious breaths to try to relax. She squeezed Daryl's hand, and he squeezed back—quiet communication that he was here with her, no matter what.
"All vitals are stable," the doctor said.
"That's good," Kes said quickly, with her soft and soothing voice. "That's wonderful."
Daryl felt Carol relax, and he felt his own body respond, too, with relaxation.
Kes pressed another hypospray to Carol's neck.
"An analgesic," Kes said, even as she administered it. "It's for the pain. Try to relax."
With the help of the machine that Kes brought, the doctor brought up a three-dimensional image of their baby. It was different, though, than it had been the last time that Daryl had seen it. He squeezed Carol's hand and redirected her attention to the image, though it really wasn't necessary. She'd noticed it immediately.
"Is that our baby?" She breathed out.
"This is your baby," the doctor confirmed.
"Is it OK?" Carol asked.
"Vitals are stable," the doctor said. "What we've given you should help to relieve some of your discomfort which, though I have no experience with such things myself, is probably considerable given the situation."
"What exactly is the situation?" Daryl asked.
The doctor ignored him a moment. He examined the image and the read outs that he was receiving from the disk he'd placed on Carol's body, and then he gave instructions to Kes. She disappeared, again, through the curtain.
The doctor turned around and looked at both of them.
"Time advancement programs are frequently used for holodeck technology," the doctor said. "When used in such programs, they are usually turned down to their lowest possible advancement speed. This means that, usually, they have little to no effect on those using them, unless someone is in the holodeck for a prolonged period of time. It is not advised to use these programs for extended periods of time. The TAPs are also used for training and to help prepare for certain off-world missions where an individual or individuals will be expected to adjust to a different time table. These are used only under physician supervision, and it is not advised for expectant mothers for very obvious reasons."
"Like whatever the hell is goin' on here?" Daryl asked.
"The Federation does not test technology on humans—particularly those who are unable to consent, such as babies. However, we have a little data from accidental exposure. TAP programs affect cell growth, division, and decay in ways we don't fully understand. In small doses, this isn't dangerous, and nobody has studied it in larger than necessary doses, except in a few cases of emergency or accident. The effects of TAPs on people differ and, much like metabolism, each body handles the effects in a unique way. At the moment, your bodies are still undergoing rapid-growth effects from what appears to be prolonged exposure to rapid advancement speeds in the TAP program that is possibly malfunctioning in the holodeck."
"You remember how you and me had that talk about English?" Daryl said.
The doctor laughed, seemingly amused. Kes reappeared with hyposprays. The doctor leaned and administered Carol's dose first. Instead of seeming hesitant, she leaned her neck toward him to make it easier for him.
"Oooh," she remarked, instantly.
"You may be a little dizzy for a few moments," the doctor said. "Your dosage is rather high, given that you must metabolize it and pass its effects to the baby. It's the only way we have of dosing the baby. I'm sorry. Some patients also report nausea with high dosages."
"I can tolerate it for the baby," Carol assured him. She closed her eyes, though, and Daryl saw that the hand he wasn't holding grabbed the side of the biobed—a clear indication that she was feeling rather dizzy. The doctor moved toward Daryl with the hypospray, and he accepted his dose. Immediately, the medicine felt very cold—like ice water in his veins—and he felt a quick whirl of dizziness that made him feel like he was on one of those carnival rides that spins very quickly and then, without warning, comes to a sudden, jolting stop only to begin spinning wildly in the other direction. He closed his own eyes as a form of self-preservation, and only opened them once he felt like his body had stopped spinning along with the imaginary carnival ride. He caught the biobed with the hand not holding onto Carol.
"Your dose, of course, doesn't need to be nearly as high as Carol's," the doctor said. Daryl swallowed back a passing moment of amusement. If Carol's was stronger than his, she probably felt like she was on one of the worst trips of her life. She held it together, though, even though she held onto the bed like she might simply fall off it despite the fact she was lying on her back. Daryl ran his thumb over the hand he was holding, hoping to offer her some comfort as she rode out the immediate effects of the medication.
The doctor was continuing his assessment of Carol and the baby. Daryl and Kes both gave him the space that he needed.
"That medicine's gonna make everything alright?" Daryl asked, when he was quite certain that he wasn't going to puke and add to the overall sense of chaos that the moment brought.
"The medicine will slow down the advancement in your cells," the doctor said. "There is a readjustment period for anyone exposed to a TAP—and there is going to be a bigger readjustment period for your exposure, given the intensity of the program's effects."
"Back to the English, Doc, please…" Daryl said.
The doctor looked a little exasperated with him, then a little bored, and, finally, he moved to acceptance. He put on the bedside smile that he was trying to perfect.
"It will take at least two weeks to stop the effects of the TAP entirely," the doctor said. "I'll adjust your dosages, as necessary, to bring you gently back to your normal time advancement."
"Is that bad?" Carol asked. She seemed to have overcome the worst of the first wave of medication—everything she'd been given probably merging into one hell of a head-spin for her—and was concerned again.
"Nothing here is either bad or good," the doctor said. "It simply is a situation that must be handled."
"What about the pain?" Carol asked. "I can tolerate it. It's not that, but…is the baby OK?"
"Look at this," the doctor said, directing her attention. "You can see your baby here is positioned head up in the womb. You can tell from the baby's position that things are constricted."
"Constricted?" Carol asked.
"Due to the nature of fetal development, your baby is more strongly affected by the TAP than you or Mr. Dixon—Daryl—are. The baby's growth has been rapidly accelerated. Too rapidly, in fact, for your body to handle well. The pain is likely from your body attempting to accommodate the rapid growth of the fetus and the demands that places on your system. At the moment, the baby's rapid growth is being promoted by the effects of the TAP, while also being restricted by the constraints of your body."
"That sounds…terrifying," Carol admitted.
"Your baby is healthy," Kes said quickly. "Vital signs are within range."
"Within range?"
"The sedative will help you relax, and that will help the baby relax," Kes offered.
"My baby's—panicking?" Carol asked.
"We usually prefer the term 'in distress,'" the doctor said. Daryl could have punched the hologram, if it would have had any actual effect. An alarm blared that indicated that Carol's vitals quickly went outside of the recommended parameters. Daryl grabbed her, holding her shoulders and doing his best to ground her. "Your baby is fine," the doctor said, raising his voice over the sound of the alarm as he turned it off and restored the somewhat silent nature of sickbay, "but you need to relax in order for that to remain true."
"Your body will accommodate the baby's needs," Kes said. "It's designed to do that."
"It simply needs time to do so," the doctor said. "Your relaxation, as well, will allow your body to more easily expand and change for the accelerated growth of the baby."
"Gotta breathe. Gotta relax. See? Baby's OK. You see it? It's OK," Daryl offered. Despite the fact that the alarm had been turned off, there was a red indicator on the doctor's screen that told Daryl that Carol's vitals had not returned to the acceptable parameters yet. He never would have voiced it, for the fact that it would probably upset her, but he was far more concerned about Carol than the baby at this moment. He knew, though, that her well-being—physical, emotion, and mental—hinged on the well-being of the baby she was carrying. "Shh…breathe for the both of you, OK? Get…get the alien some air."
Daryl thought the doctor gave him an appreciative look—if his program allowed for such a thing—as he prodded Carol's belly. She winced, but she didn't protest his poking and prodding. Instead, she focused on the deep breathing and kept her eyes on the baby. If the three-dimensional depiction was correct, the baby was awake and practically looked tightly bound by some invisible bonds.
"Her belly's hard," Daryl said. "Should it be hard like that?"
"That sensation is partly owing to a great deal of tension in her muscles," the doctor explained, "and partly owing to the fact that your wife is, quite literally, very full of your baby at the moment. In its current condition, the baby cannot move because of the space constraints."
"What do we do?" Carol asked.
"You should, quite simply, relax," the doctor said. "The muscle relaxers will help, but there is nothing to be done except to allow your body to expand and grow. That will be easier without tension in your core muscles. A carefully monitored regimen of what we've given you should help you relax and keep the pain at a tolerable level until your body's growth and your baby's growth can level out."
"When will that be?" Daryl asked.
"It's impossible to predict at this moment," the doctor said. "Several factors will be involved in the outcome. The effects of the TAP should begin to slow down immediately, and it's predicted that in about two weeks, the normal growth should return for all of you—baby Dixon included."
"So, this don't stop it?"
"The medication slows down the advancement," the doctor said. "Stopping it abruptly would be dangerous. The medication slows it, gradually, to the correct speed."
"So, the baby will continue to grow too fast?" Carol asked.
"It will continue to grow more quickly than it normally would have grown," the doctor corrected. "However, there is no indication that it will not develop as it should. We'll keep a check on vitals and development. There are medications we can give you to help make sure that lung and organ development, for instance, is taking place as rapidly as everything else. There is a potential for lower body weight, but that should be harmless. I would like to see your body accommodate the baby enough to allow it to turn and change position—in case of a delivery before the acceleration slows—but, otherwise, your baby is not currently in any real danger, especially if you remain calm."
"Delivery?" Carol asked.
"A natural end to a pregnancy," the doctor said.
"Within two weeks?" Carol asked.
"It is possible," the doctor said. "There are, of course, a number of factors to consider…"
"We ain't—we got like months…" Daryl stammered. "Baby don't come for months…"
"As you can see, your baby is quite advanced," the doctor said. "Without some more time to study the data that I've been collecting, I cannot predict the actual rate at which your baby's growth has accelerated and is currently accelerating, but…given my immediately predictions, I would find it virtually impossible for your baby to be born more than a month from the current date."
Daryl felt as dizzy, suddenly, as he had when he'd been dosed with the medication.
"That's—accurate?" He asked. "What our baby looks like right now?"
"Perfectly accurate, Mr. Dixon," the doctor responded, a hint of annoyance returning to his tone.
"Whole thing's—like anatomically correct and all?"
"Of course," the doctor said.
Daryl simply nodded.
"If the baby's born in two weeks," Carol said, "will—it be OK? It seems so soon and—if there's anything we can do…"
The doctor smiled at her. Whereas he was annoyed by Daryl, something about Carol seemed to bring out his desire to practice his bedside manner. Of course, Daryl had always witnessed the fact that people found Carol to be sweet and, because of that, they warmed to her quickly—even when that really wasn't in their best interest, and she was simply fooling them.
Her concern, right now, was sincere and palpable.
"We will monitor your progress carefully," the doctor said. "I expect to see you twice a day for a quick scan, and the adjustment and administration of your medications. I will administer a steroid that will help with the development of the baby's lungs and other organs. Beyond that, there is no reason to believe that your baby will not be perfectly healthy."
Carol opened her mouth, but all that came out was a rush of air and the hint of a gasp. She settled into the table heavily, and Daryl saw the very first dragon tears appearing at her eyes that he'd seen in a while. He wiped them as they rolled out of her eyes, and she patted his hand with her own. These tears, he decided, were tears of relief—and they were fine. He wouldn't try to stop them. He'd let her get them out—tension, hopefully, leaving her body with each large, warm, salty drop of pent-up worry and frustration.
Carol gave the doctor her best smile around the tears.
"OK," she said. "OK. What can I do?"
"Anything you like," the doctor said. "I'm not placing any restrictions on you. You may do anything that you feel up to doing. I should see you in the morning, in the evening, and any time that you feel something is not as it should be. Other than that, my orders are that you relax as much as possible. Remember that the more you relax, the better your body will be able to handle the rapid adjustments it must make in this undertaking."
Carol looked relieved and then looked at Daryl. Her eyes went wide again.
"Kathryn…" she said. She didn't say anything else. She didn't need to. Daryl addressed the doctor, figuring that the EMH would have more knowledge than Daryl did about the current workings of the ship's functions. Likewise, he would know best who should be recruited to handle certain situations.
"We gotta see if we can get the holodeck shut down. Or—if they ain't out—see if we can get 'em out that doorway, if it ain't shut yet. Or—if they're out…we gotta find the captain. Wherever she is? Same damn thing is happenin' to her."
