"This isn't good."
Danni showed Harry her tricorder. "You were right, there is definitely some sort of virus working it's way through the crew. Tuvok just lost consciousness as I was feeding him. Chakotay has been in and out for nearly three hours now, and Paris hasn't been conscious for at least two."
"I know," Harry's voice was grim. "The three men who haven't stopped working due to exhaustion just brought in B'Elanna. I had to clean her up, it looked like she had been sick in her stomach, just like everyone else around here. The three men who did stop working are now completely incapacitated. They've been retching and losing fluids just like everyone else. Some of them are starting to talk in their sleep, but the words don't make any sense. They're also running very high fevers."
"I think Tuvok is in an extreme amount of pain," Danni informed him. "I've heard him cry out several times, and his face is completely distorted. Even in his unconscious state, he's trying not to show it. I know Vulcans try to suppress pain, even the relatively minor pain that a fever and dehydration might bring, but I think suppressing it is doing more harm than good. It's intensifying as he blocks it, trying to get past his barrier."
"Do you have any ideas on how to combat this?" Harry asked.
Danni shook her head, "no, not really. This could be nothing more than a simple fever and stomach virus. I'm not sure how to diagnose it yet. We do have to keep their temperatures down, but we'll have to be careful. Most of the ones that are conscious are hot one moment, then cold the next. If it's too cold in here, and they start feeling chilly, who knows what could happen?"
"We can reset the environmental controls to make it colder in here for the time being," Harry said, tapping on one of the consoles they had managed to get back online, along with the environmental controls and the replicators in sickbay. "But we'll be cold because we don't have a fever."
"We'll have to replicate jackets," Danni replied matter- of- factly.
"But that would take several days worth of replicator rations!" Harry exclaimed.
"Harry, half the ship is probably no longer using the replicators anyway. I understand your concern, but at the moment lives are more important than replicator rations."
"But our lives aren't at risk," Harry pointed out.
"True, but if we operate at anything less than peak efficiency, we could be endangering a few lives," she said, stepping over to the replicator.
"Two jackets," she told the computer. "Check Ensigns Harry Kim and Danielle Wix's profile for sizes." The computer beeped a soft reply and slowly revealed the jackets. It was not quite operating as best as it could. They were lucky that it had come back online at all.
Danni handed one of the jackets to Harry, and pulled the other one on. "Now, reset those environmental controls," she said. "The ones with the fever are going to need it. And as for those who don't yet... well, they'll need it soon enough."
"Mr. Paris, set a course ... for home."-- Captain Janeway
"Stardate ____, the rate of illness on Voyager has skyrocketed in these last four days. Almost every single crewmember is down with fever and such. Ensign Kim and I barely have time to rest with our rounds about the ship. We've been able to fit most everybody in sickbay and the mess hall. Our entire day is filled up with running back and forth between the two decks. We've barely gotten any rest, but we're continuing to battle this virus that seems to strike young and old. However, we've been so busy just keeping everyone alive that it's hard to find a spare moment to find a cure."
Danni shut off the log. She leaned back in the doctor's chair, and her eyes fluttered. She jumped up and retreated back into the sickroom. Now was not the time for rest. The still dark room was filled with the sounds of coughing. Danni sighed as she rinsed a wet cloth for one of the young men's foreheads. When she touched his cheek, she knew he was running a fever of 104 or over. Most of the others in the room were not in much better shape. They were lucky that they had not lost anyone as of yet.
The Captain moaned softly and Danni turned to her. "I'm sorry it's come to this, Captain," she whispered in the suffering woman's ear, "but Harry and I are doing the best we can."
The Captain didn't seem to hear her, and slipped back into a fitful sleep.
The door swished open and in walked Harry. He looked exhausted and desperate.
"Danni, we just lost the two men who were still healthy," he said haltingly. "They've come down with it."
"Is anyone-"
"No, everyone's still breathing. Well, trying to, anyway. Kes can't breathe unless she's sitting up, and that's uncomfortable, not to mention difficult, for her. Neelix isn't feverish yet, just sick to his stomach, and he insists upon attending to the rest of the sick. He's dragging himself through the rows on his elbows," Harry sat down and ran his fingers through his ragged hair. "I'll be amazed if he doesn't kill himself, exerting his body like that."
Danni tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. She wordlessly held a cup of water to Chakotay's lips. It overflowed to his nose and he sputtered and coughed. She reacted quickly, sitting him up so that the fluids wouldn't go down to his lungs. When he seemed to be breathing normally once again, she laid him back down, gently stroking his graying hair.
"I don't know that we're doing much good like this," Danni ventured slowly. "I mean, we're keeping them alive, but they're not getting any better. They're not getting much worse, but steadily their bodies need more and more water. There's no way we can keep this up."
"I know, but we don't have time to research at all," Harry said. "It takes us the whole day just to clean everyone and keep them cool!"
"That's exactly what I noted in the log," Danni replied, shaking her head. "But what I can't figure out is, why aren't you getting it? Why haven't you been infected?"
"I don't know, I haven't really thought about it," Harry replied. "I mean, I guess I've thought about it a little. But not much, really. There's not much you can think about when you're trying to focus on keeping a whole star ship of people alive."
"I know, but next time we have a free moment, I want to check you over," Danni insisted. "Maybe you had some kind of illness that overrides this one. Or maybe you've had this one."
"Now how can I have had a disease that originated in the Delta Quadrant?" Harry exclaimed.
"I don't know!" Danni said, folding her arms across her chest. "It's just a thought."
"I know," Harry replied. "But it's kind of a strange thought."
"It just doesn't make sense that every other human on the ship has been taken sick, and you haven't," Danni said, the musing going on inside her brain showing on her face. "If you were some kind of unusual species, I wouldn't be wondering." She looked at him closely, "you don't have any unusual alien blood in you, do you?"
"No, just human, as far as I know, anyway," Harry replied.
"Well, we don't have time to think about it right now," Danni replied. "It's your turn to take care of the ones up here, and I've got to get down to the mess hall."
"Just watch out for that psychotic Talaxian down there," Harry warned her. "He probably won't talk to you at all, he just wanders around among the sick and gets them to drink."
"I'll be careful," she replied. "And I'll try to get him into bed before he collapses. Oh, make sure you-"
The sound of a dry-heave in the corner brought both of their attention. Danni leaped toward the woman and pulled her up. She led her out of the sickbay and down the hall to where the restrooms were. The woman clung to the bowl with Danni stroking her back to soothe her. When she finally vomited, Danni washed her face and gave her another cup of water to drink to cleanse the taste from her mouth. She carefully put her arm around the woman's waist and tried to lead her back to the sickbay. The young woman's knees buckled and Danni's own joints groaned under the extra weight. She dragged the woman back to her pallet and laid her down, mopping the dripping forehead and moving on to the next victim. She would have to wait a bit before heading down to the mess hall. She filled another cup with water and held it to the gasping man to drink. His gray hair was scraggly and his growing beard gave him a ragged appearance. He drank the water readily, but he didn't seem to see Danni, his eyes searching the room with a bewildered look and his lips constantly muttering words in between gulps.
"Harry, are you all right?" Danni asked, her eyes focused on another contorted face. She looked up when he didn't reply, and noticed that he was hanging onto the edge of a bed, his face turning gray.
"Harry!" She jumped up and caught him as he fell. His head lolled against her shoulder as she fumbled with his collar, trying to make it loosen. He gasped and came to as she finally got it loose.
He leaned forward, coughing harshly. Danni smoothed the hair out of his face, trying to calm him. He leaned against her, his breathing taking on a rasping sound. She rocked him gently until he pulled away.
"I-I'm sorry," He whispered hoarsely. "I just couldn't stay standing any longer."
"You scared me for a minute there, I thought you had come down with the sickness," She said, touching his cheek.
"I'm sorry," Harry repeated. "I'm so tired."
"I know," Danni replied. "We're both exhausted. It's been 120 hours since the disease first struck, and we've barely had time to rest in all those days, just snatches of half an hour or hour naps. I'm surprised we haven't cracked before this."
Harry rocked and clung to her sleeve, trying to stay upright. "You need to sleep," he managed to say. "I can see the rings under your eyes."
"Are you kidding me? You're the one who needs sleep," Danni said, tucking her arm around his waist. "I mean, I wouldn't mind it myself, but I'm not the one falling over right now."
"But you were sick just a few days ago," Harry said. "Add to that the fact that you've hardly eaten anything at all in the past 48 hours and you're still pretty weak."
"I know," Danni admitted. "But one of us has to watch out for the others, and it can't be you if you're going to be fainting from exhaustion." She helped Harry up as best she could and led him over to a corner where she could just barely squeeze him in. She went to the replicator, replicated a blanket, and returned to lay it over Harry.
"You replicated this?" Harry exclaimed, fingering the patterns on the blanket.
"Yes, I did," Danni said, wrapping it around him. "On ancient earth, the women used to make these. They called them quilts." She knelt down beside him and smoothed his forehead once again. "I hope it keeps you warm enough."
"I'm warm enough," Harry replied.
"Good," Danni said, leaning in closer. "Harry," she whispered. "I've watched you for a long time."
"Yeah?"
"A long time," Danni said again. "And..." She trailed off, letting her words hang in the air as she brushed her lips against Harry's lightly. He was startled by the kiss, but couldn't do much to stop her with his hands tucked tightly beneath the quilt. Danni paused for a moment, then kissed his cheek.
"That's what I think of you," she breathed, and Harry could feel the gentle heat on his ear when she whispered into it. They were both silent for a moment, Danni still leaning over him, a hair's breadth away from his lips.
"I have a-" Harry hesitated slightly, wondering if he should tell her about the one thing that was bothering him "-a girlfriend," he finished. "Back on earth."
Danni sat back on her heels, looking pale in the darkness of the room. Harry heard her take in her breath sharply and saw her clasp a hand over her mouth.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice sounding pained. "I shouldn't have- I got carried away. I'm sorry." She rose before Harry could say anything to reassure her, and he heard the door to sickbay open and close as she left the room to compose herself.
Danni sank again the wall outside in the corridor, resting her back and head against the cold walls. She could feel hot tears of frustration welling in her eyes and she angrily fought them back. How dare they try to make her any more miserable! Her hands fiddled with each other and she tried to calm her breathing. She wondered just how idiotic Harry Kim thought her now. All of it was wasted now. The friendship that they might have had, the bond that they might have formed from this crisis, all that was gone. She heaved a big sigh, trying to bring more air into her lungs. When she forced it out again, it come out more as a sob. Why was she so hasty?
And yet, she would never have taken that kiss back, had she been given the opportunity to. The feeling on Harry's soft lips under her own was one she never would have known, had it not been for her rash decision.
Danni forced herself to stand again. Crying over one of her failed romances was not helping the Voyager crew. She and Harry would still be working together, no matter how awkward.