Chapter Two: Homesick
I awoke in a well-lit room with various unusual computers and strange-looking beds, one of which I was lying. Disoriented, I tried to sit up and found that I couldn't. I was able to wiggle my hands and feet, but was otherwise strapped down by some invisible force. It felt like I was being pinned down by a ghost. I immediately freaked out — screaming, crying, the whole bit!
"Where am I?! What do you want with me?!" I yelled, tears of panic streamed down my face.
A slender, red-headed woman rushed to my side.
"Don't struggle, you'll only hurt yourself." she calmly advised.
"No! Let me go! What are you doing to me?!" I shouted, trying desperately to free myself from the restraints.
"You need to calm down." the woman replied urgently while reading of her wall-mounted, computer screens, "You've been recovering very well, but you're not out of the woods yet. Please, try to relax. I don't want to sedate you unless I really have to; you've been out long enough as it is."
Hearing the sincerity in her voice helped me to calm down. However, my heart still thumped viciously in my chest and took a while before it started to regulate.
"Who are you? What is this place and what am I doing here?" I asked.
"My name is Dr. Beverly Crusher. I'm the Chief Medical Officer here on the Enterprise. You're in sickbay recovering from some very serious injuries. You're the sole survivor of the ship you were on. What's your name?"
"Kadalynn Graham." I answered, "Dr. Crusher, what's going on? How long have I been out?"
"Kadalynn, you can call me Beverly." the doctor said softly, "You've been unconscious for forty-seven days."
"What?!" I exclaimed as I struggled for a brief moment to sit up before remembering I couldn't.
Beverly gently touched my hand and hushed me.
"What's the last thing you remember?" she asked.
For a moment, I couldn't remember anything. I was amazed that I remembered my own name! Then, it all started flooding back.
"I was lying on the floor of this strange room. Everyone was dead. Three strange… things tried to… well, I don't know what they were trying to do, but I don't think it was good. Then a very strange-looking man stopped them. He carried me to a room, shot something into my neck and the next thing I know, I wake up here. Is it really necessary to hold me down like this?"
"I'm afraid so. We couldn't take the chance of you interfering with your skin's regeneration or with the healing of your spinal column. You suffered many broken bones, a concussion, and severe damage to your spine, among other things."
"How much longer do I have to stay here?"
At that moment, a distinguished looking bald man with a grey and black uniform entered the room. Upon looking at his head, I noticed that my own head felt a bit cooler that usual, that was when I realized that I too, was bald! I recalled the day of my accident; I had indeed smelled the stench of burning hair and I now realized it was my own. I sighed as I thought I would likely go through the rest of my life investing in hairpieces. However, there was no time to mope about my bad hair day. I needed to figure out what was happening to me.
"Ah. I see she's finally awake." the man asked, his accent was hearty.
"Yes. She's only been awake for a few minutes. Her name's Kadalynn." Beverly said to the man before addressing me once again, "Kadalynn, this is Jean-Luc Picard, the ship's captain."
"Hi, sir."
"Hello, Kadalynn. Do you recall what happened before the ship's accident? Was there any indication that something had gone wrong with any of the equipment?" the captain asked with a rather intense look on his face.
"I… I don't know. I had a car accident and the next thing I knew, I woke up on the ship… with all those dead people. It was horrible." I answered and then I had a thought about something very important. "Wait… my family! They don't know what happened! I have to get back home to them!"
Suddenly, I was a panicking mess, squirming in an attempt to free myself. All I knew is that I had to get back home to my parents, my new boyfriend, my friends, my life!
"Kadalynn, please calm down. We will help you the best way we can." Beverly said gently.
"Please! Just get me home! I miss my family! It's been over a month since my accident and they probably think I'm dead!" I cried desperately after I stopped struggling.
"Kadalynn, what year is it?" the captain asked.
I found it laughable that the commander of a ship didn't know what year it was.
"You're asking me? With all due respect sir, maybe you should be in my place." I quipped.
"Answer the question, Kadalynn." Beverly urged gingerly.
"It's 2008! What year do you think it is?" I answered as I forced out a laugh.
However, the doctor and the captain weren't laughing and instead stared at one another with expressions of grave concern before excusing themselves to talk privately in Beverly's office. Although I could still see them, I couldn't hear them through the glass, but from the looks of things, they didn't agree with one another. Eventually, it had appeared Beverly lost out in the discussion and the two returned to me.
"What's going on?" I asked them. I couldn't stop my voice from shaking.
"Kadalynn, I'm not exactly sure how to tell you this, but the year isn't 2008… it's 2373." Beverly said quietly.
I immediately realized that it meant everyone I knew and loved were now dead. It was a fact I refused to accept.
"No! You're lying!" I cried as I struggled once again, "Let me out of here! Somebody please get me out of here!"
"Jean-Luc, I told you we should have waited. She's not strong enough to deal with this now!" Beverly said disdainfully as she picked up an instrument.
"Beverly, whether we tell her now or six months from now it won't make it any easier. Besides, she has a right to know." Capt. Picard replied.
The doctor pressed the instrument to my neck and I immediately fell asleep.
Another few days had passed before my next awakening. This time, I didn't have any restraints holding me down and I was able to sit up. I realized that it hadn't been a dream as I so desperately wish it had and I cried in mourning of those I lost. It broke my heart that they had to go through the rest of their lives grieving for me when I was still alive. I was now all alone in a universe where everything I knew was obsolete. I was sobbing so hard that I didn't even notice Beverly standing next to me until she put an arm around my shoulder. I jumped with fear for a moment before crying on her shoulder, drenching her sleeve with my tears.
"Beverly, I'm all alone! Everyone I love is gone! There's nothing left for me! I have nothing left to offer the world!"
"Kadalynn. You're not alone. You still have a future. It might be different than the one you planned or hoped for, but things rarely ever turn out as planned. Trust me I know." Beverly replied, I looked up into her eyes and saw a very somber look, one that conveyed a lingering mourning for her own loved ones.
As I sat up, I wiped my eyes and tried to think of someway to change the subject. I needed to find away to make the pain go away, but Beverly broke the silence.
"I almost forgot, you have a visitor. Actually, he's visited many times since you were brought aboard, but you were always unconscious. Data, you can come in."
The pale man entered and stood beside Beverly. Seeing him in the bright light, I could now fully grasp how unusual he really looked. At first, I just sat there with my mouth agape before I finally asked an obvious question.
"You're not human, are you?"
"No, Kadalynn. I am an android. Do you remember me?"
"How could I forget?!" I quietly exclaimed.
"You have suffered a serious concussion." Cmdr. Data calmly began to explain; "Memory loss is often a result of such…" he stopped when he saw Beverly's face and realized that it was a rhetorical question.
If I hadn't been so sad, I probably would've found the moment kind of funny.
"So doctor, when do I get out of here?" I asked.
"Today. Commander Data is here to escort you to your quarters."
"Wh— what?" I asked, my heart sank into my chest, "I'm not going home? I'm not going back to Earth? I know there's nothing left for me there, but I would at least have some sort of closure."
My eyes burned as the tears threatened to fall, but I resisted.
"The Enterprise isn't scheduled to return to Earth for at least another couple of years. You'll have to be transferred to another ship in order for you to return home." Beverly explained.
If I hadn't been sitting at the time, I would have fainted.
"When will I be transferred?" I asked.
"We won't encounter another Earth-bound ship for three months, fourteen days." Cmdr. Data answered.
Upon hearing that, I felt sick to my stomach. It sounded like a prison sentence to me! I knew no one and I was scared as hell! I wanted to be alone. I needed to try to wrap my head around everything.
"Are you ready to be escorted to your quarters?" Cmdr. Data asked.
"Yes. I guess so." I answered faintly; I was in a daze as I stood up and walked with the android towards the exit.
"Kadalynn, are you alright? You can stay here awhile longer if you'd like." Beverly asked.
"No, thanks. I think I've been in sickbay long enough. I just need some time." I answered quietly before leaving.
Cmdr. Data gave me a mini-tour on the way to my quarters. He pointed out such places as holodecks, a bar by the name of Ten-Forward and the office of Counselor Troi the ship's counselor. I took the latter as some sort of hint. As he spoke, I was in my own world. I didn't mean to be rude, but I couldn't really pay much attention to what he was saying. I was wrapped up in my own grief. By the time he escorted me into my quarters and instructed me on how to use the amenities, my grief had transformed to bitterness.
"Do you have any questions?" he asked.
Tears stung my eyes before I gave my answer. "Yes. Why?"
Oblivious to what I was referring to, the commander was puzzled.
"To provide nourishment. That is the main purpose of the replicators." he answered.
"No! I mean why did you save me? Why didn't you just leave me there to die?! I would be with my family right now!"
"That is not definite. If I had not rescued you, you would likely be in the hands of the Ferengi who were scavenging the ship."
"Ferengi? What the hell is that?" I asked.
"They are an alien race which primarily…"
"Wait. Are you talking about those weird looking guys with the huge ears?"
"Yes. Kadalynn, if I had not rescued you, they would have taken you."
I immediately regretted lashing out at him and apologized.
"Commander, I'm really sorry I screamed at you like that. What I really should be doing is thanking you for saving my life. Well… thank you."
"You are welcome, Kadalynn. You may call me Data. Is there anything you need from me before I leave for duty?" he replied in his usual placid voice.
"Um… no. I'll be fine." I replied while anxiously glancing around my new, temporary home.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I couldn't help but realize what a fantastic job the medical staff had done in regenerating my skin tissue. My physical appearance held no evidence of the hell I had been through after my accident. My golden, olive-toned skin was as smooth as ever. My re-grown auburn hair was full, shiny and the length of it just touched my shoulders. During my coma, I'd put on over fifteen pounds, but over all I was in pretty good shape — especially for someone who almost died! I figured I could always go to the gym to work off the extra pounds, but remembered that I was no longer on my own planet — or in my own century for that matter. I didn't even know if gyms existed anymore. As vibrant as my rejuvenated body seemed, my dark brown eyes spoke volumes of the sorrow in my heart. Not knowing what else to do, I lay on the bed, hugged a pillow and cried myself to sleep.