Kathryn slowly opened her eyes and blinked against the harsh light. The Doctor's face appeared above her. "Ahh, there you are. Welcome back, Admiral."

She closed her eyes again at the pain in her head and rasped, "Where?"

"You're at London Medical. You had a subdural hematoma in addition to the phaser burns and damage to your shoulder and arm. We brought you here for emergency surgery."

She felt her hand being gently caressed and only then realized someone else was beside her. "Chakotay." She opened her eyes again and he leaned over her, his dark gaze filled with worry.

"I'm here, love. How do you feel?"

"Head hurts."

The Doctor pressed a hypospray to her neck, and in a minute the pain began to ease. "The crew?" she asked.

"Everyone is fine," Chakotay assured her. "Minor injuries, mostly. Even Ayala is up and around again."

"Good. The prisoners?"

"Starfleet Security has taken them to Headquarters. We should hear from Harkin again soon."

Kathryn tried to rise up on her elbows but collapsed back onto the biobed. "Admiral, please," the Doctor reprimanded her. "You had brain surgery not three hours ago. You need rest. Everything is well in hand."

"Sleep, sweetheart," Chakotay soothed her. "I'll be here when you when you wake up." He gently kissed her forehead, and she drifted off with the warmth of his hand on her cheek.

Over the next six hours, Kathryn would wake briefly to find him by her side before falling asleep again. The Doctor gave up on trying to get Chakotay to leave and get some rest; even a hologram can take only so many black glares. The crew brought in food and drinks and leant support where they could. Finally, Kathryn woke fully and raised her head. Chakotay felt her stir and was leaning over her in an instant.

"Easy, Kathryn. I'm still here."

Her throat was dry, and she tried to swallow. Her voice was hoarse when she answered, "Can I have some water?" Chakotay contacted the Doctor to tell him Kathryn was awake and wanted water. The Doctor appeared at her bedside with a cup, and Chakotay helped her sit, sliding sideways behind her on the biobed to prop her up.

The Doctor scanned her while she drank. "Do you feel any pain?" he asked her.

"Not really. I'm a little sore."

The Doctor gave her an analgesic, and she rubbed at the mild sting on her neck from the hypospray as Chakotay told her that Owen had come back about 10 minutes earlier.

"I'd like to see him," Kathryn said.

"Are you sure you're up to it?"

"Yes. I need to know what's going on. Give me a minute to freshen up first." She slid off the bed, and Chakotay steadied her with a hand under her arm until he knew she wasn't dizzy. "I'm okay," she assured him. "I'll be out in a minute." She went into the small bathroom, and he sat back on the bed and put his face in his hands.

"Chakotay," the Doctor said. "You must get some rest. I don't need to scan you to know you're suffering from exhaustion."

"I know, Doctor," Chakotay sighed. "I'll rest after we talk to Admiral Paris. I have to make sure she's okay first."

"She's doing fine. In another two days, she will be fighting fit once again."

Chakotay groaned. "God, I hope we don't have to prove that."

The Doctor laid a sympathetic hand on Chakotay's shoulder. "I know, Commander. I'm going to recommend a week's leave for Admiral Janeway. I hope you will encourage her to take it."

"I will, Doctor."

Kathryn returned to the bedside, her face freshly washed and her hair combed. She was still paler than normal and unconsciously rubbed her neck and head. The Doctor raised the head of the biobed, and Chakotay helped her get comfortable sitting up with the sheet over her. He held her hand to his chest and briefly kissed her before tapping his combadge to inform Owen that Kathryn was awake and wanted to speak with him.

Owen entered the room a couple of minutes later, his face still lined with both fatigue and worry. Kathryn wondered how many of the crew looked like Chakotay and Owen. "Kathryn, I'm pleased to see you awake and upright. You gave us a scare."

"Thank you, Owen, but I've survived worse."

"Harkin and I followed the final skirmish from a shuttle craft. By the time Security was in position to help, you all had things well in hand."

"What have you found out about the attacks?"

"Quite a bit over the last few hours. The Cardassian's name is Kaptar Graf. His plan was a bold and risky one. His ultimate goal was neither you nor Chakotay, but Starfleet and the Federation. As we told you before, Chakotay first caught Graf's attention at the return of Voyager with the former Maquis crewmen, but the commander went off world before the Terran Guard could get to him. With extra time to plot, what began as personal revenge against Chakotay soon grew into a plan to draw Starfleet and the Federation into heightened hostilities and eventually open war with Cardassia."

"How would our deaths aid in starting a war?" Chakotay asked.

"For one thing, the public outcry for retaliation would be great. Thanks to your return from the Delta Quadrant, public opinion of Starfleet is very high right now, and you two are the intrepid command team."

Kathryn spoke up. "But surely Starfleet wouldn't be swayed to ignore the law. An investigation and a trial with prison time for our murderer would hardly threaten Cardassia."

"No, not Starfleet. Graf was banking on the hope that Voyager's crew would take matters into their own hands. He fully expected your crew to kill him for his crimes against you. If that happened, the Cardassian officials would be drawn into the conflict, and they could cite the Maquis crewmembers, and the fact that Starfleet pardoned them, to rekindle the hostilities."

Kathryn was silent for a moment, her look pensive. "I wish I could tell you that my crew would follow Starfleet's lead if Chakotay or I had been killed. I'm not sure I can, though, after being back for only a few months. They are the most loyal and protective crew I have ever seen. They put themselves at risk on multiple occasions to save Chakotay, myself, and each other, as you have already seen. I can only imagine what they would do if one of us was deliberately murdered by a Cardassian."

"Well, luckily we didn't have to find out. Authorities in France have rounded up the remaining Terran Guard members and located the missing weapons. We also discovered who the inside contact was that was feeding information to Graf. It was Lieutenant Barron."

"The security detail member?" Chakotay asked in surprise.

"Unfortunately, yes. It seems he had some grievances with Starfleet after a reprimand for using excessive force and severely injuring two civilians a couple of years ago. He was placed on leave and underwent psychological testing and counseling. I guess he was able to fool the counselors, because he was returned to full duty. When the chance came along to strike back at Starfleet, he took it. Graf had designated Barron as the next leader of the Guard."

Chakotay laid his hand on Kathryn's shoulder, and they both were quiet as they tried to make sense of the tangle of plots. "There are an awful lot of ifs and unknowns in that plan, Owen," said Kathryn.

He smiled at her. "Yes, it's obvious the Guard did not fully understand what your crew's loyalty meant. Graf got a lot more than he bargained for when he took on Voyager's family."

Owen continued, "Starfleet has granted you a two-week leave." Kathryn started to protest, but he held up his hand. "I strongly recommend you take it. We need time to finish up the investigation, make arrangements for the prisoners, and decide what will be done with the Cardassian until the trial. The public interest in this case is going to be just as intense as it was during the first days of your return. Frankly, our jobs will be easier if you and Chakotay lie low for a bit longer. I'd be happy for you to stay here in England at my estate. If you prefer a different place, I can help with arrangements."

Kathryn turned to Chakotay and could see his eyes begging her to take the leave. He would never tell her to; it was her career, after all, but she remembered their talk about taking a vacation. She nodded to Owen and said, "Alright, I'll take the leave. We would love to spend more time at your estate." Her brow furrowed as she asked, "Was any damage done to the property?"

"Aside from the long gorge in the earth from the shuttle crash, and a couple of phaser burns on the walls that I suspect Tom has already repaired, no major damage was done."

The Doctor returned and walked to Kathryn's bedside. "I apologize, Admiral, but my patient needs to eat something and rest. Admiral Janeway, you'll be well enough to be released in the morning. Since Chakotay refuses to leave until he collapses, I have made arrangements for a cot to be brought in here."

Chakotay said, "I should go talk to the crew and try to get them to go home now that Kathryn is awake and out of danger."

"I'll walk out with you," Owen told him. "Kathryn, I'll tell Tom to be ready to pick you up and take you back to the property tomorrow. I have to return to my wife tonight and Headquarters in the morning. I'll keep you informed as the case progresses."

"Thank you for everything, Owen. Mrs. Paris must be worried about you."

He smiled. "She's taking care of Miral. She may tell me to come back for another few days. Our granddaughter takes precedence over everything else for her right now."

"I suspect she does for you, too," Kathryn said with a laugh.

He just grinned and stood up. "Take care of yourself. I'll speak with you again soon."

Chakotay squeezed Kathryn's shoulder and walked out with Owen to find the crew. They were all just down hallway awaiting word of Kathryn's condition. Chakotay smiled tiredly at them and said, "She's awake and should be released tomorrow morning." Smiles and declarations of relief were exchanged around the room.

B'Elanna approached him and gave him a hug. "You look like hell, Chakotay," she said softly in his ear. "Let yourself relax. She's okay."

He hugged her tighter and then stepped back. "Thank you. I'll try." He looked around the room, touched once again at the closeness and family love they all had for one another and for their former captain. "Kathryn and I really appreciate everything you did for us. Please, everyone, go home to your families. We're going to stay the night here, and then return to the Paris' estate for a few days. I promise I will let you know if anything changes in her condition."

He saw a couple of the crew stand up suddenly, staring at something behind him. He turned to see Kathryn slowly walking down the hall toward them, a hospital robe belted tightly around her but still seeming every bit the Starfleet officer. He rushed to her side with a frown, and she allowed him to lend light support with a hand under her arm, but nothing else.

"Kathryn, you shouldn't be up!" B'Elanna gasped, then realized she'd sounded like she was giving an order and clapped a hand over her mouth.

Kathryn chuckled. "The Doctor wouldn't let you all come in the room to see me, so I came out here to see you. I'm pretty sure he's filing a formal complaint about my lack of respect for his medical expertise." Ayala positioned a chair for her facing the group, and she sat down with Chakotay hovering at her side. "I couldn't let everyone leave without telling you in person how grateful I am for what you did. Starfleet Security did everything they were supposed to do, but the situation unfolded so quickly that it was difficult for them to keep up. I told them from the beginning to let Voyager's crew help, and you didn't let me down.

"Your support of Chakotay and me has helped to keep everyone safe. I don't know how much has been revealed to you about the details of this case, and I don't wish to impede the investigations and trial. I'll leave it up to Security for now, but I promise I will make sure you are informed as much as possible about the plot against us. You deserve to know why you were asked to put your lives on the line yet again. Now, please go home and get some rest. We'll look forward to seeing you at pizza night in a couple of weeks." She stood up and nodded her goodbye, and she and Chakotay returned to her hospital room.

As Chakotay was helping her get settled back in bed, a couple of nurses brought in plates of food for them and a cot and bedding for Chakotay.

"Can you eat something?" Chakotay asked Kathryn.

"I think so." He sat on the bed with her and watched her carefully as she began to sample the food. She paused and gazed up at him. "I'm alright, Chakotay," she told him.

"I know, love. The last few days are just a little overwhelming. I never imagined when I left Trebus that I was risking your life, or another war for the Federation."

She knew that telling him it wasn't his fault would do no good. He was a man that took full responsibility upon himself even if it wasn't warranted. She tried a different tack. "If you hadn't come back, Chakotay, we wouldn't be together now. The Cardassian would still have found a way to carry out his plan, only I'd be going through it alone. Plus, we wouldn't have had last night," she said with a grin.

He did smile at that. "I would have preferred to skip the part of running for our lives, and just go straight to last night."

"We have the next two weeks to ourselves."

"I'm looking forward to it, sweetheart."

They were finishing their meals when the Doctor returned with a bag. "Tom asked me to give you this, as if I'm a common messenger," the Doctor snapped. The bag held a change of clothing for each of them, plus sleepwear for Chakotay. Chakotay put it beside the cot while the Doctor checked Kathryn's plate. "I'm glad to see you are eating, Admiral," he said. "Any headache, nausea, vision problems, or pain in your shoulder?"

"No," Kathryn answered. "I feel okay, but maybe a little tired."

"That's to be expected, especially after you go off roaming the hospital." Kathryn and Chakotay exchanged eye rolls. "Try to get some rest, both of you. The nurses will be monitoring you. I've left instructions to be called if needed. Otherwise, I will see you in the morning."

"Thank you, Doctor," Kathryn said with sincerity.

"Yes, well, I seem to perform emergency surgery on you with alarming frequency. You can thank me by changing that."

She smiled at Chakotay as the Doctor left the room and closed the door. She knew the Doctor's gruff manner meant that he cared about her. Chakotay changed into the pajamas Tom had sent, helped Kathryn lie down and cover up, and then lay down on the cot and pulled the blanket over his legs. He was asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.