Chapter 8: USS Petri Dish
It had been under a month since the Captain's last encounter with Q and her anger towards him hadn't diminished in the slightest. She was rapidly reaching the eight-month marker in her pregnancy, still physically only being about four months along, but it seemed to by speeding by. She was aware her uniform was tighter but her bump could only really be seen when her uniform was off, a privilege for only herself and Chakotay for the time being.
She'd made the mistake one particular evening of snapping at the Doctor when he asked her about a relaxation regimen he'd prescribed for her. While she'd apologised dryly about it and blamed it on her hormonal imbalance thanks to her pregnancy, the EMH wasn't fooled. It was for this reason she found herself being subjected to a vigorous massage from the hologram in question the next morning.
"Your trapezius is hard as a rock. You haven't been following the relaxation regimen I prescribed for you."
The Captain couldn't prevent the following roll of her eyes. He just had to remind her of the reason why she'd found herself in the damned situation she was in.
"I've been too busy."
The Doctor simply continued, kneading her shoulders in a way that made her silently wish it was Chakotay's masterful hands working the knots out. He'd always been far more gentler and still managed to achieve the same effect the Doctor was attempting.
"The usual story. Have you been getting enough sleep?"
She actually found that question laughable. She was pregnant and living with vigorous headaches – of course she hadn't.
"More or less. Mostly less."
The Doctor acknowledged her response. "And have your headaches been getting any worse?"
The Captain sighed. "No, but they're not getting any better either. They're like hot needles driving into my skull."
The Doctor worked in way to avoid causing any stress to the infant residing in the Captain's abdomen. Most doctors wouldn't choose to perform this type of therapy on pregnant women but he was not 'most doctors.' His programming allowed him to know the safest way to deliver the therapy without it being a problem to the unborn child.
"These symptoms are hardly surprising, Captain. You work absurdly long hours under constant stress, eating on the run, without sufficient exercise or rest. Then there is the appending pregnancy which is putting more strain on your already drained system." he started using his elbow to deliver the section of the massage, "Your body is crying out for mercy."
The pain from the Doctor hitting a particularly tense area made her gasp internally.
"It certainly is right now." she agreed in a strained manner, "There must be some easier way to do this, Doctor. A hypospray, maybe?"
The Doctor was silently amused. "Always looking for the simple fix." he voiced his thoughts, "Sometimes there's no substitute for intensive osteopathic pressure therapy. You're fortunate to have a masseur who can work all day without tiring."
The Captain would have laughed if her body hadn't been forcefully being shook around as the Doctor attempted to relieve the newly found knot in her neck. She didn't really see herself as fortunate.
"Bridge to the Captain."
She couldn't answer. It was simply impossible to talk while the Doctor continued his latest part of her therapy.
"Commander, unless this is an emergency, my patient is unavailable."
She'd had enough, and this would be her excuse to get out of it, whether the Doctor liked it or not. With a huff of needed breath, she pushed her head up off the neck brace.
"I'm here, Chakotay. What is it?"
"We've reached the source of those energy readings and I thought you'd like to see what we've found."
Inside she was more than grateful. Any excuse to get out of their quarters and away from the Doctor, she'd take it happily.
"On my way."
Hopping off the massage table, holding tightly to the towel around herself, the Captain headed towards the door.
"Captain!" the Doctor exclaimed.
She wasn't having him stop her. No way. She couldn't take any more therapy no matter what he said.
"I know what you're going to say, Doctor, but I can't neglect my responsibilities."
"Actually, I was going to suggest a change of outfit."
The Captain scoffed. She was in a towel – perhaps in this instance, he was right.
She allowed that experience to be a lesson to herself – whenever the Doctor asked how she was, don't snap and insist she was fine. Either that or she'd have to deal with more of his lectures and she just couldn't do that. She'd had enough of them to last her a lifetime. Then again, she didn't think she'd be able to deal with anymore bouts of intensive osteopathic pressure therapy either.
Her head wasn't in it that morning. She knew Chakotay had been talking to her about the binary pulsars they'd found but she couldn't concentrate. The pain was becoming too much. She was unusually tired too, something she assumed was another thing to associate with the baby. It looked as though it was going to be a long ten months.
She left the project of studying the phenomena in the Commander's hands and decided to lock herself away in her ready room and try and catch up on the latest departmental reports. She couldn't risk taking out her tiredness, pain and frustration on the Bridge crew. They didn't deserve it. It wasn't their fault she didn't feel well.
Chakotay casually strolled into the ready room later that morning, his smile beaming away and doing a very good job at hiding his concern. She'd looked like hell on the Bridge.
The Captain couldn't stop herself rolling her eyes at him, something she would have regretted if she'd had the energy.
"Good afternoon, Kathryn." he opted to start with the standard greeting.
The following look she threw at him was deadly. If looks could kill, there was no doubt the Commander would have been in need of a Code White resuscitation. She'd been stuck reading 6-page security report from Tuvok for the past forty minutes. That wasn't what she'd class as a good morning.
"What's so good about it?" she questioned dryly, reaching for her cup and taking a much-needed sip of her coffee.
The Commander was mere moments from responding when the strong aroma of the coffee filled his nose and caught the back of his throat. It had been a long time since her ready room had been filled with that particular smell.
"Kathryn!" he exclaimed, looking down at the mug, "You know the Doctor said you shouldn't be drinking this."
She immediately held her hand up, the frown on her face evident.
"Actually I can." she argued, "Trust me, I looked it up!"
Chakotay raised his eyebrow, a smirk teasing at the edge of his lips.
"I just have to limit my intake!" she justified herself, taking another sip.
Chakotay had a dangerous smirk still teasing the corners of his mouth.
"To what?" he was curious.
The Captain sighed deeply. "2 to 3 cups a day." the declaration felt like poison on her tongue.
"Yeah." he agreed, leaning on the back of the chair opposite her desk, "And how many have you had?"
She looked down at the cup gripped tightly in her hand. How many had it been? Four? Five? She wasn't quite sure.
"I rest my case."
He went to take it. Dangerous.
"Oh, come on, Chakotay! At least let me finish it."
He looked down, his smirk evident now.
"Please." she added in a stressed manner. She'd almost finished it anyway.
He sighed softly. He wasn't going to argue with her.
She finished it off in a couple of mouthfuls, knowing he was watching her every move.
"How's your head now?" he asked softly, taking the cup she'd just pushed away.
The Captain sighed, leaning back against her chair and pressing her eyes closed. It didn't make much difference to the pain but she was running out of ways to try and ease it.
"Same old, same old." she muttered tiredly, "I've told you, I can't remember the last time I didn't have a headache."
Speak of the devil. The damn thing seemed to be spiting her as she spoke, growing to a much more vicious intensity. Moaning, she brought her hand up to pinch the arch of her nose.
"Its persistent, I'll give it." her voice was deep, gravelly.
She was aware he'd moved around her desk to come to a stop behind her. It was there that he smiled weakly and leant down to kiss the top of her head.
"You could always speak to the Doctor." he suggested.
She scoffed. The Doctor was lucky his program hadn't been deleted after their session earlier that morning.
"Or not."
She reached up to her shoulder to grasp his hand resting there and laughed lightly, something she had to stop doing rather quickly when the pain intensified yet again. She let out a strangled sob and fell forward towards her desk, her fingers interlocking with each other to support her forehead.
The Commander squatted at her side, his face slightly crumpled. It was killing him to see her in so much pain that he couldn't do anything about, and it wasn't as though it had been the first time. It had been going on far too long. No treatment seemed to be working and with the pregnancy, it was clear she was suffering from more than one angle.
"Oh, Kathryn…"
His hand cupped the back of her head and it didn't take long for his hand to become aware of the tension in her neck.
"I don't know how much more I can take of this, Chakotay." her voice was weak, broken.
He moved closer and kissed her throbbing temple. "You'll get through this, Kathryn." he breathed against her ear, "You're strong enough to get through this."
=/\=
The Captain couldn't quite believe what was happening. Some sort of ship wide epidemic was wreaking havoc all over her ship. Life-threatening genetic mutations were propping up all over the place, swiftly incapacitating those affected. No-one seemed to be safe.
In Sickbay, all the bio-beds were taken up by crew members with the most severe problems. Other patients, like Chakotay and Neelix, were in their quarters under strict quarantine rules. Then there was the Doctor. He was gone. He and Lt. Torres had been researching the mutations in the science lab when something had gone wrong. According to the logs, they had just begun to make progress when they were both suddenly incapacitated. Surely that couldn't be a coincidence.
"What happened to B'Elanna?" the Captain asked Lt. Paris, the ship's temporary Doctor, as she made her way to the surgical bay.
"The alveoli in her lungs suddenly stopped processing oxygen. I've got her on respiratory support."
Ensign Kim and Seven soon joined them at B'Elanna's bedside.
"She almost died." Tom finished.
The day only went from bad to worse. Not long after the Doctor and B'Elanna had been incapacitated, Seven of Nine exposed the cause. Aliens.
From what they'd learnt, they had been on-board for months, experimenting on the crew as if Voyager was some sort of petri dish. At least that had explained her headaches. The needles driving into her skull were no exaggeration. The aliens had been slowly using them to pump up her dopamine levels to push her to the edge. It had worked. No wonder she'd been so volatile.
The experiments had also helped explain the unusual energy field being emitted by her baby. The poor little thing was defending itself from these vile experiments.
However, unlike what the aliens had planned, their experiments ended that day. The Captain had made sure of that. She'd almost destroyed her ship in the process but at least they were gone.
Tuvok had called her method reckless. Hell, she agreed with him, but it had worked. However, she doubted any Starfleet guide would ever recommend flying a starship directly between the two pulsars to intimidate aliens into leaving. In fact, if they'd been at home, she was sure she'd have had an official warning from Starfleet Command.
Two crew members had died due to the ordeal. Her heart went out to them. She'd even cried over them when she left the Bridge and went into her ready room. However, the rest of the crew were healthy thanks to the restored Doctor being able to remove the genetic tags. She was also thankful he was able to remove the needles from her head. The relief had been overwhelming. The pain may not have eased immediately but it certainly helped.
She sighed deeply just as the Doctor finished, her surprise evident when she saw one of the metal devices which had been attached to her for months.
"No wonder they hurt." the Commander commented, having been stood there to ensure she actually remained in Sickbay long enough to have them removed.
The Captain only nodded, her head trying to compensate for the noticeable drop of pain. It was almost as if she needed to learn how it felt again to be pain-free again.
The Doctor gave her a few moments before he decided to speak up.
"Captain?" he was cautious. He knew she'd had a long day. "Now that the energy's gone from your baby, I'll be able to run the first proper scan."
The Captain's attention was well and truly on him.
"Of course, it can wait until tomorrow if…"
"No." she interrupted, suddenly thinking clearly, "Now."
She glanced towards Chakotay who seemed to be as curious as she was. She then looked back to the Doctor.
"Well, only if it's okay to be done now." she continued.
The Doctor smiled softly and nodded. "You just need to lie back for me, Captain, if you would."
For the first time, there was no hesitation. For the first time, she actually didn't mind being in Sickbay. For the first time, she was glad Chakotay had forced her to visit the Doctor because for the first time, she got to hear about her baby.
Her baby was fine.
Both the Captain and Commander left Sickbay with noticeable smiles. Linked arm-in-arm, they walked up the decks. While the Commander was due on the Bridge, the Captain allowed herself to be escorted to the Mess Hall by him before he disappeared. Since his cooked dinner was off the menu for the night, he wanted to ensure she ate.
Entering the Mess Hall after stealing a chaste kiss from Chakotay's lips, the Captain spotted Ensign Samantha Wildman sitting at a table along with her two-year-old daughter, Naomi. From the small distance, she could see the young woman was having a difficult time in getting the little girl to eat. Strange. Naomi had never been a fussy eater.
"Ensign?" she asked lightly as she approached the table.
The young woman looked up, her eyes actually widening.
"Captain!" she exclaimed, trying to stand as she spoke.
"As you were, Ensign." the Captain immediately allowed. She then paused for a moment, "May I join you?"
Ensign Wildman's eyes widened considerably before she immediately nodded.
"Of-Of course." she replied hurriedly, gesturing to the empty chair opposite.
She couldn't quite believe it. The only time she'd ever really spoken to the Captain was while on duty and even then, it was only professionally. Other than that, it had only been around the time she'd learnt about Naomi and shortly after her birth.
The Captain slowly sat, feeling uncomfortable doing so. It wasn't that she didn't like Ensign Wildman, she just didn't know her, not personally. However, she was the only person on-board who she knew had been in a similar situation – a pregnancy on-board a starship with a long gestation.
The little girl in the middle of the two women watched the Captain intensely. She couldn't quite believe she was choosing to sit at her and her Mommy's table.
The Captain smiled down at her. "Hello Naomi." she greeted softly.
The half-Ktarian sat up just a little straighter. "Hello Captain." she politely replied.
While Ensign Wildman smiled down at her daughter, the Captain couldn't quite believe just how big the little girl had gotten. She was only two years old yet she'd easily pass as a five-year-old if she were human.
Looking away from her daughter and towards the Captain, Samantha couldn't stop herself from frowning softly. She really had no idea how to start a conversation with the Captain. She didn't even understand why the Captain had chosen to join her.
"Are you okay, Captain?" she opted to try a casual conversation first, especially after the day they'd all just had.
The Captain sighed and nodded slightly. "Yes, Ensign. Thank you." she answered, "And yourself?"
"I'm good, thank you." she paused for a moment, debated how to continue, "Captain, can I help you with anything?"
There had to be a reason that she'd decided to join her.
The Captain sighed briefly, feeling her feet tense under the table.
"I… I just wanted to ask you about something."
Ensign Wildman nodded softly as she met the Captain's eye.
"Okay." she understood.
The Captain felt her lips drawing tighter for a moment.
"How," she paused, "How did you find being pregnant on-board Voyager?"
The Ensign's brow did drop. She really hadn't expected the Captain to ask her that.
She thought about it. "Well, umm…" she shrugged her shoulders, "I guess I was a little upset not having my husband on-board." she confessed, "I mean, he still doesn't know about Naomi… but the crew we're all very supportive. And the Doctor was very helpful."
The Captain listened intensely until she paused for a moment.
"I'll admit I wasn't thrilled about the length, especially closer to the end." the Captain found herself silently agreeing with what Ensign Wildman was saying, "But in another way, I guess it was a blessing."
The Captain was intrigued. "A blessing?"
Samantha nodded. "It gave me more time to prepare for Naomi and to get used to not having my husband with me." she sighed, "And it meant my body didn't change as quickly. That was a bonus."
The Captain nodded in understanding. "I'd never thought of it like that."
The Ensign smiled lightly but her curiosity couldn't be hidden all that well.
"Why do you ask, Captain?" she brought herself to ask.
The Captain looked down at the table in front of her. Only the Bridge crew knew for the moment and she rather wanted to keep it that way. However, perhaps slowly telling the rest of the crew would be beneficial. Who better to start with than another mother?
The Captain lifted her head, all but ready to speak as she looked briefly around at the silent little girl. She was glad she did.
Her eyes widened as she saw Naomi's eyes suddenly rolled backward into her head. Ensign Wildman soon turned due to the Captain's sudden concern, just in time to see her little girl begin to violently fit.
"Janeway to Sickbay." the Captain hit her combadge, "Medical Emergency!"