Twenty One

A quick scan of his throat confirmed their suspicions; the paralysis around his vocal cords had finally begun to weaken. "This is fantastic, Julian!" Jadzia's smile was almost blinding as she glanced up from the tricorder. "It means Donna can incorporate some actual speech into your therapy!"

Placing the dermal regenerator aside, Julian abandoned his semi-healed burn and began typing furiously on his pad. "I definitely wasn't imaging it, was I?"

"No! No, absolutely not, Julian. I definitely heard it," Jadzia soothed. "Besides, the tricorder isn't lighting up with as many warnings as the last time I scanned your larynx. That definitely indicates some improvement."

Julian allowed himself a small smile. "Can't believe I miss having people telling me to shut up," He typed, allowing Dax to read it while he attempted a second sip of his tea, now that it had significantly cooled since his disastrous first mouthful. Most of it managed to get into his mouth, with only a small amount dribbling down his chin. Not exactly Pride and Prejudice sophisticated, but it's a good start.

"I'm sure the Chief will enjoy being the first to resume the tradition," Jadzia laughed. She looked up to find the mug trembling in Julian's grasp and concern immediately flashed across her face. "Is your hand spasming again? We can have a break and try-"

Julian shook his head enthusiastically. "Strength…is…better!" He demonstrated his newfound skill by removing some of his fingers from the mug's handle, lifting it to his mouth with only two still clasped around the porcelain.

The Trill gave him a proud smile. "Feel up to a trip to sickbay? I want to do some more testing before we call it a night."

"Dax tells me you've hit a milestone with your recovery, Doctor."

Julian gave his commander an affirmative nod before hurriedly typing his reply. "My vocal cords have come out of 'hibernation', so to speak. It will be some time before I'm back to my old self, but I'm finding that sometimes a sound or two will be produced when I'm trying to mouth a sentence, which indicates that my body is trying to reconnect the dots towards proper speech."

"As far as either of you can tell," Sisko asked thoughtfully, "is there any sign of permanent damage?"

"So far it's been reassuring progress, Benjamin," Dax answered, setting aside her tricorder. "Considering three weeks ago I thought he was never going to regain consciousness, and here we are."

"But his voice, Dax? Is there any permanent damage to his voice? We can't have a CMO who can't talk!"

Julian began to feel like a fly on the wall in a conversation about his own health. He opened his mouth to intervene, however neither Dax or Sisko were looking in his direction, so he decided to close it and allow Dax to speak for him.

"He can physically produce a sound, but it'll take some more time with the speech therapy before whole words and sentences are in the realm of possibility. In saying that though, someone keeps trying to push himself before he's ready, and tries to mouth entire essays." Dax said fondly, turning her gaze towards the young doctor resting on the sickbay bed.

Deciding it would be best to keep up an energetic appearance, Julian returned the comment with an exaggerated wink, eliciting laughter from both officers. "Doctors…make…bad…patients." His eyes widened as he realised a hiss had escaped his lips, his cheeks flushing red with embarrassment. Wasn't expecting that…But why did it have to be in front of Sisko?

"Haven't heard that one yet, have we?" Jadzia smiled, patting the doctor's hand.

"Don't be embarrassed, Julian," Sisko said reassuringly. "It's nice to hear your voice again. If anything, I look forward to hearing your oral report when you resume duties."

Julian gave the commander a grateful nod, though it did nothing to dispel the redness in his face.

"I'll leave you both to continue your recovery," Sisko gave Julian a gentle pat on the shoulder before making his departure, leaving the two science officers alone in the infirmary.

A brief silence fell between the two as Jadzia fiddled with the neurostimulator, placing it at the front of Julian's throat. "I'd like to do another round with this before we leave, just to make sure this progress isn't going to slip away overnight."

"Just between you and me, Julian," Jadzia whispered, "you'd make a fantastic snake impersonator."

Julian was caught off-guard by the comment, finding his face twisting into a wide smile. He was also surprised by the involuntary, strangled laugh that emerged from his mouth, which sounded more like a dying animal than a human. His cheeks turning even redder, he clasped a hand tightly over his mouth, gazing at the ground in shame. Oh my God, Julian. You had to make the ugliest sound possible-

He realised Jadzia had suddenly enveloped him into a fierce hug, his vision now surrounded by his friend's uniform. Her chest shuddered as she struggled to maintain her composure. "…You have…no idea…how much I thought I was never going to hear you laugh again."

A sudden damp sensation on his right shoulder told him that Dax was crying. He manoeuvred himself to return the gesture, finding his own eyes becoming teary. There's so much I can't wait to tell you, Dax.

How grateful I am for your care and comfort.

How you didn't give up on me as I lay there dying.

How much I appreciate your friendship.

Jadzia suddenly pulled away, wiping her eyes hurriedly. "I'm, um…I'm sorry about that, Julian. I-I don't know where that-"

Julian interrupted her by raising his hand. "It's…okay…Jadzia."

Smiles of delight erupted across both of their faces, and they found themselves embracing each other once again as more tears were produced.

It was a long time before any further testing got done that night.