XIV.
Chakotay burst through the doors of Starfleet Medical to find the Doctor and another female doctor leaning over Kathryn's bed. "Kathryn…"
"Commander, please relax," the Doctor said, stopping Chakotay in his tracks, holding him by the shoulders and preventing him from crossing the rest of the room to reach Janeway's bedside.
"Relax? How can you tell me to relax, Doctor?" Chakotay exclaimed. "Kathryn, is she…"
"Your captain is going to be just fine, Commander," the female doctor said from Janeway's bedside. Then she focused on the Doctor. "The atropine solution was the answer. We found the antidote."
The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief and let go of Chakotay's shoulders. The commander rushed to Janeway's bedside, taking her hand in his. Chakotay's distress at seeing Janeway's pale, sickly features was evident. After taking a moment to run his medical tricorder over the captain, the Doctor put a hand on the commander's shoulder. "She'll be just fine in a few days."
Pulaski nodded. "This holographic doctor you have is really something," she said.
Chakotay looked up, as if realizing that he, Kathryn, and the EMH were not the only ones in the room. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met."
"Commander Chakotay, Doctor Katherine Pulaski," the Doctor said. "She helped save the captain's life."
"In that case, I am in your debt, Doctor," Chakotay said. His eyes drifted back to Kathryn, and he reached down to tenderly brush a wayward strand of hair away from her face.
"Commander," said the Doctor, "Captain Janeway won't awaken for some time. Why don't you get some rest?"
Chakotay didn't want to leave Kathryn's side, but he recognized the wisdom of the Doctor's suggestion. The truth was, he was exhausted. There was nothing he could do now here in Medical, and Captain Picard had the situation with Commander Teral well in hand. "If you insist, Doctor," Chakotay replied reluctantly. "But you'll contact me the moment she wakes up?'
"I will."
"All right." Giving Kathryn's hand one last squeeze, he followed the Doctor's suggestion. He commed B'Elanna to tell her the captain would be all right, and then, as soon as he was back in his temporary quarters, he collapsed on the bed. No sooner had his head hit the pillow than he was fast asleep.
The first thing Janeway became aware of were the sounds around her. They were familiar somehow. Second, she became aware of the fact that she ached all over. Kathryn Janeway slowly opened her eyes to find herself in the familiar surroundings of Starfleet Medical.
"She's awake," she heard a female voice say, and then a familiar presence leaned over her.
"Captain," said the Doctor. "I'm delighted to see you once again among the living."
"Among the…"
"A turn of phrase, only," the Doctor assured her. "But we had some close calls in the last forty-eight hours."
The last thing Janeway remembered came rushing back to her. "Garrett… Chakotay…"
"Admiral Garrett is dead, Captain," said the Doctor. "Chakotay killed him in self-defense when he attacked the two of you in your bedroom."
"And Chakotay?" she asked.
"He's just fine," the Doctor said. "In fact, I'm sure he'll be delighted to know that you've regained consciousness." The Doctor stepped away from the biobed to comm Chakotay.
"How are you feeling, Captain?" asked the female voice she'd heard as she'd awoken.
"Okay…" Janeway replied. At the female doctor's doubtful expression, she almost managed a smile. "Hurts all over," she admitted.
"I'm not surprised. The poison that Garrett introduced into your system wasn't a mild dosage."
"Poison?"
"Commander Chakotay is on his way," the Doctor assured her, returning to the biobed.
"Poison?" Janeway repeated.
"Admiral Garrett stabbed you with a knife laced with poison," the Doctor explained. "Dr. Pulaski and I had to find an antidote in order to save your life."
"Thank you," Janeway said, trying to piece together everything she was being told. "Thank you both."
She heard the doors to the medical bay swish open, and a moment later, her hand was enveloped in another large, warm one, and an anxious face was peering over her bedside. "Kathryn, Kathryn, are you all right?"
"Chakotay," she breathed, able to truly relax for the first time since she had awoken. "Yes, I'm fine. Thanks to the Doctor and Doctor…" She paused. She had forgotten the female doctor's name.
"Dr. Katherine Pulaski," the older woman supplied.
"And Dr. Pulaski," Janeway finished. "What happened? What happened to Garrett? What happened with everything?"
"Everything is over, my love. Garrett is dead." He leaned over her bedside and pressed his cheek against hers. "Everything is all right now." She felt the warm wetness of his tears on her skin, and despite the pain it caused her, she lifted her hand to cradle his head against hers.
"Yes, my darling," she whispered. "Everything is all right now."
"Welcome," Admiral Ross said to the assembled crews of the Enterprise and Voyager. "You've been called to this briefing to make everyone aware of the final closure on the Vince Garrett case." Ross turned to Janeway, who sat a few seats away from him. "Captain Janeway, we're glad to see you've recovered and could be with us today."
"Thank you, Admiral." Under the table, Chakotay squeezed her hand.
"Starfleet Command wanted you all to be present as you have been key members in resolving this matter," Ross continued. "Captain Picard, your handling of the Romulan situation is to be commended. Starfleet obtained valuable intelligence from the data Commander Teral shared with you, and your diplomacy helped us avoid a major incident with the Romulan Empire."
"Thank you, Admiral," Picard replied.
Ross continued, "Unfortunately, our sources within the Romulan Empire reported this morning that Commander Teral was killed yesterday in a shuttle accident near Romulus. Starfleet Intelligence was unable to learn any further details about the circumstances of her death."
"After all that," Chakotay said softly, "they killed her anyway."
"The question is, who's 'they'?" Commander Riker asked.
"Whoever they are, they're cleaning house," B'Elanna murmured under her breath.
"Excuse me, Lieutenant?" Ross said. "Did you have something you'd like to share with the room?"
Tom shot his wife a warning glance, but she ignored it. "I said they're cleaning house," she said.
"We have no reason to believe this was anything but an accident," Ross said.
"Don't you think it's a little too convenient?" asked Chakotay. "As soon as Commander Teral shares valuable information with us, she dies in a mysterious accident? I think B'Elanna's right, someone is cleaning up Garrett's mess."
"While that may be true," Admiral Paris interjected, "I'm afraid it's not any of our concern any longer."
"Admiral, it seems to me there are a great many loose ends to tie up in this investigation," Janeway said.
"Yes," Picard agreed, "like who destroyed Garrett's space station."
"And who murdered Commander Teral," added Chakotay.
"What about Dr. Zupanich's murder?" the Doctor asked. "I reported my findings weeks ago that he had been poisoned. Has his murderer been found?"
"The sensor logs in the brig were tampered with, and it does appear that someone entered Zupanich's cell posing as a security guard," said Admiral Paris.
"Who?" Chakotay asked. "Surely Starfleet must be concerned about this security breach."
"We've been able to trace the tampered sensor logs back to an ensign who was reassigned to Starfleet Headquarters around the time that Garrett was. He's been dishonorably discharged for tampering with the logs and is serving time in the New Zealand Penal Colony," Paris replied.
"What about the rest of Garrett's staff here in San Francisco?" asked Riker.
"They knew nothing about the space station or Garrett's work there. They have all been questioned and their logs and correspondence reviewed thoroughly," said Ross.
"I'm afraid that every trail ends here," Admiral Paris said, sounding genuinely apologetic.
"What about the files from Commander Teral and the sensor logs from the Enterprise and the Flyer?" Tom asked.
Paris sighed. "I'm afraid that's the only hard evidence we have of Garrett's experiments."
Janeway produced a data chip from her pocket. "I do have this."
Paris took the chip from her and looked at her, questioning.
"It's a copy of the conversation I recorded between Garrett and Commander Teral when I snuck aboard Voyager and found out what they were planning. I led Garrett to believe that I gave him the only copy of the recording, but I kept a copy for myself."
"Thank you, Captain. I'll add this to the record." He looked at the two officers in front of him.
Admiral Ross cleared his throat loudly. "This matter is now closed. Admiral Garrett, Dr. Zupanich and Commander Teral are all dead. There's no one left to prosecute, and the sensor logs taken by the Enterprise and the Delta Flyer will remain highly classified. In the interest of Federation security, no one outside of this room is to know their contents. Is that understood?"
Around the room went a chorus of, "Yes, sirs."
Ross stood. "This briefing is dismissed." Ross exited the room.
Admiral Paris gave an apologetic look to the assembled crews. "I'm sorry, captains, crewmen," he said. "I asked the admiralty to pursue this matter further, but I was denied at every turn. My advice to you is that you drop it as well. What Admiral Ross said is true; all the movers in this incident are gone, and so is Garrett's research. While those involved may not have received just punishment, I think you can all take solace in the fact that you've prevented a horrible disaster."
"Thank you, sir," Janeway said. "We've appreciated your advice and support in this matter." It had, after all, been Paris who had suggested to Kathryn that she take a leave of absence instead of resigning from Starfleet altogether at the beginning of this mess. He had probably saved her career. Paris nodded and left the room.
The crews of the Enterprise and Voyager sat at the briefing table, deflated. "It doesn't seem right," B'Elanna said.
"No, it doesn't," Troi agreed, "but Admiral Paris is right. We did stop Garrett from carrying out his evil plan."
"He may not have been punished by our justice system, but Garrett did get what he deserved in the end," said Riker.
"But Commander Teral," said Chakotay, "where is her justice? She took a risk to tell us the truth, and in all likelihood, she was killed for it."
"And Dr. Zupanich," said the Doctor. "He had finally decided to do the right thing, and instead of being rewarded for it, instead of having the chance to atone for his mistakes, he was murdered. I convinced him to speak out…"
"Don't blame yourself, Doctor," said Troi. "You did the right thing. You're not responsible for Zupanich's murder."
"You're all right," said Janeway. "Teral and Zupanich deserve justice. The best we can do for them now is to remember them for the good that they did, to remember that in the end, they did the right thing."
"Captain," said Seven, "I was not able to find any firm connections between Admiral Henry or Admiral Ross and Section 31. In fact, I was not able to find any hard evidence one way or the other of Section 31's existence. If they do exist, and if they did orchestrate the murders of Zupanich and Teral, they were able to clean it up in such a way that even I could not discover how it was done or by whom."
"I'm not surprised," said Picard. "Section 31 has always been elusive."
"Well," Janeway said, standing up from the table, "I do think we've all earned a moment of rest." She paused. "I want to thank you all for standing by me in all of this." She reached over and touched Chakotay's arm. "Chakotay wouldn't be here today without all of your help, and neither would I."
"It's no trouble, Captain," said Tom Paris. "No trouble at all."
Captain Picard nodded. "Always happy to be of assistance, Kathryn. Perhaps the next time we meet will be under more pleasant circumstances."
Janeway smiled, reaching for Picard's hand. "Yes, I hope so, Jean-Luc." She shook Picard's hand, and the two crews bid each other goodbye. Then Janeway turned to Chakotay and took his hand in hers. "Let's go home."
Kathryn Janeway stood on the dock overlooking Lake George and breathed in the fresh air. She remembered the moment she had stood in this very spot feeling more alone than she had ever felt in her life. She had thought in that moment that everything and everyone that had ever meant something to her was gone from her life. She'd thought her career was over and that nothing was left for her. Everything had changed since that moment.
She thought back over everything that had happened. Admiral Garrett stealing technology from Voyager and then kidnapping Chakotay and Seven, her insane mission to rescue them without Starfleet's blessing, nearly becoming a drone herself, almost losing Chakotay to Garrett's collective forever… But now everything was over. Admiral Vince Garrett and his collaborators were dead, and she had finally received an encoded message from the future Captain Braxton telling her that her mission had been accomplished. She and her crew had successfully stopped Garrett from destroying humanity and individualism.
She smiled as a hawk soared overhead, and a gentle summer breeze made the leaves on the trees rustle. Not only had she accomplished her mission, but she had regained her close relationship with Chakotay. Their relationship had reached a new level, and while she had once felt that she was destined to be alone forever, she now knew that she would never truly be alone again. Her life and Chakotay's would remain forever intertwined.
She heard voices coming from the house and turned to see that Tom, B'Elanna and Miral had arrived. She and Chakotay had decided to invite their former senior staff for a barbecue and swimming at the lake. "Kathryn," he called her, "our guests are here."
She waved and walked up the hill to greet them. It wasn't long before everyone arrived. Tuvok brought T'Pel, who had come to stay with him on Earth until he received a new assignment. Seven surprised everyone by bringing her new boyfriend, Dr. Aaron Laurents, who fit into the group right away. Kathryn smiled as she watched Seven and Aaron, remembering what Chakotay had told her, that Seven hoped she would once feel true love for somebody.
Later, when everybody had been swimming and eaten Chakotay's excellent cooking, they sat around a bonfire. Tom was holding Miral and roasting a marshmallow while Tuvok and T'Pel looked on. Harry Kim and Aaron were drinking beers and discussing their career plans. The Doctor was talking with Seven about his latest holonovel idea. And Kathryn Janeway took in the warmth of the fire and smiled.
She felt two strong arms encircle her from behind. "Are you happy?" Chakotay whispered in her ear.
"Oh, yes."
He kissed her cheek and then settled against her. "Our family."
She nodded and then turned her face to look in his eyes. She smiled. "I guess I'm not alone, after all."