B'Elanna Torres was in Engineering when Captain Janeway paged her. She was curious to why Janeway wanted to see her in the Ready Room. The Chief Engineer handed her engines over to Lt. Carey, and headed for the nearest turbolift.
When B'Elanna entered the Ready Room, she was startled to see Janeway grim.
"You sent for me, Captain?" B'Elanna asked calmly. She wondered why the captain looked so grief stricken.
Janeway looked up to see her Chief Engineer standing before her, a concerned expression on the engineer's face. Janeway nodded slowly.
"B'Elanna," the captain began slowly, "something has happened to Tom."
B'Elanna felt her heart constrict. She suddenly remembered wanting to apologize to him for biting his head off. She closed her eyes as she realized that she never got around to it.
"What happened? Is he all right?"
"He's in a deep sleep in Sickbay. We can't seem to wake him. The Doctor says that if Tom doesn't wake soon, he'll fall into a coma."
Suddenly, B'Elanna needed to sit down. She fell heavily onto the chair in front of Janeway's desk. She drew a deep breath as she fought back the tears that threatened to spill.
"There's nothing you can do for him?" The half-Klingon asked.
Janeway shook her head, "We're hoping that maybe you can do something."
"Like what?" B'Elanna asked, shocked.
"Right now, anything you can come up with, B'Elanna. Whatever you think will help."
B'Elanna couldn't believe what Janeway was asking of her. She wanted the engineer to bring someone out of a near coma? She didn't know what to do.
"Captain..."
Janeway held up a hand, "I understand why you hesitate, B'Elanna, but Tom doesn't have much time. I wouldn't force you to make such a quick decision otherwise."
B'Elanna nodded. She didn't know how to fix this problem, but she would try. A thought occured to her.
"Why me, Captain?"
Janeway smiled, "I know Tom has feelings for you, B'Elanna. I don't know how deep they are, but I believe he might respond to you."
The engineer nodded. She believed she had feelings for him as well. She would try to help him, and she hoped she could wake him. She needed to apologize to him, and she needed Tom to understand.
"I'll try, Captain," B'Elanna finally said.
B'Elanna entered Sickbay to see the EMH hovering over Tom. She went over to the biobed, and saw how pale the pilot was. Looking at the Doctor, she could see that Tom was getting worse.
"How is he?" B'Elanna asked, concerned.
The Doctor looked at her as he closed his tricorder. He shook his head, "If he doesn't wake up soon..."
"Have you tried..."
"I've tried ever known drug stimulant to try to wake him, Lieutenant. Nothing works."
B'Elanna looked at Tom. He was sweating profusely, the only sign that he was alive. She wondered what he was dreaming that could do this to him. That is, if he was dreaming at all.
"That captain believes that I can help him."
The EMH nodded, "Mr. Paris seems quite fond of you."
B'Elanna nodded as she brushed Tom's hair off his forehead. She knew she had to help him. Bending down, she spoke into his ear, "I'm here, Tom. I want to tell you that I'm sorry for pushing you away. I took what you were doing the wrong way. I thought you were trying to cling to me like Bristow. I'm sorry, Tom."
B'Elanna paused as she waited for a response. None came. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"You have to wake up, Tom. These nightmares want to control you. You can't let them win, Tom. Fight them. For me."
The EMH scanned Tom was B'Elanna continued to plead with the pilot. He raised an eyebrow as he saw a change in Tom's brain wave pattern.
"He's responding, Lieutenant. Keep it up."
Taking that as her cue, B'Elanna became more urgent in her pleas.
"Tom, you have to fight this. I'll help you this time. I won't push you away again. Please, Tom, wake up."
Tom stirred as B'Elanna continued to plea. The engineer saw it and became excited.
"That's it, Tom! Fight it! You can do it. I'll be here for you."
Tom gasped loudly, and the two present jumped. After they composed themselves, the Doctor checked the pilot's scans. B'Elanna brushed the blonde hair off Tom's forehead, then gently kissed it.
"He's coming out of it. You did it, Lieutenant."
B'Elanna smiled. The two turned their attentions to Tom when they heard him moan.
"Tom."
Tom's eyes slowly opened. They focused on B'Elanna, and he smiled weakly.
"Hello, Lanna," he whispered.
B'Elanna turned his smile as she stroked his hair. She was relieved that he would be all right.
"You gave us all a scare, Mr. Paris," the EMH said, "You should be fine now."
Tom looked at him, "What happened?"
"Apparently, you had a dream you couldn't wake up from. I tried everything to wake you. Nothing worked. You were about to slip into a coma when Lt. Torres arrived. She brought you out of it."
Tom stared at the engineer. B'Elanna smiled softly still stroking his hair. He smiled weakly.
"Thank you, B'Elanna."
"I'm glad you'll be all right, Tom. I'm sorry I shouted at you."
Tom smiled, "I heard, Lanna. I accept. I also heard that you'll help me with this. I hope you're still offering."
B'Elanna kissed his forehead, "Of course, Tom."
Tom's blue eyes brightened, "Thanks, Lanna."
"You're welcome, Tom."
The pilot closed his eyes and fell asleep. A sleep B'Elanna hoped was dreamless.
~~
"I was watching his brain wave pattern the whole time Lt. Torres was speaking to Lt. Paris," the EMH reported to Janeway, "As she was pleading for him to wake up, the second brain wave pattern was growing weaker. As if it was disappearing. When Mr. Paris was starting to wake up it continued to retreat until the Lieutenant was fully awake."
Janeway sat studying the readings as the Doctor pointed them out on the screen. She nodded as the same idea that Tom came up with days ago surfaced, "It appears that this being, if that's what it is, is afraid of Lt. Torres somehow."
The Doctor nodded, "I assume that Mr. Paris already thought of this before, Captain."
Janeway nodded, *So that was why he began to pursue her was aggressively. That all changed, though.*
"The question now is why it's afraid of her," the Doctor mentioned.
Janeway shook her head, "Maybe B'Elanna represents something that the figure doesn't like."
"Well, it can't be aggressiveness. The way this being is attacking Lt. Paris is quite aggressive."
Janeway smiled, "Maybe it senses their feelings for each other, and that terrifies it."
The EMH nodded, "There have been stories and instances were two people in love overcame great odds. There have been stories that portrayed monsters and demons fearing love. Maybe that's what we have here. A monster that is afraid of love."
"And when B'Elanna and Tom get together it intensifies, causing the shadow to weaken and disappear."
The Doctor nodded, "In short, it fears the love they have for each other. It can't stand it. It thought that if it trapped Mr. Paris in a dream, it could torture him forever. It didn't count on how much the Lieutenants love each other."
"The real question is why it is haunting Tom?" Janeway asked.
The EMH shrugged, "I doubt even Mr. Paris knows that answer. The only way we can learn it is by going into Lt. Paris' mind and finding out."
Janeway mulled over his suggestion. She knew what the EMH was asking. A mind-meld. She doubted Tom would want someone treading that deeply into his mind. He hid terrible memories there that he did not want anyone to know. A mind-meld would bring them to the surface and force Tom to relive them again.
"I doubt Tom would want someone going that deeply into his mind, Doctor. There has to be another way to find out what this ghost wants."
The Doctor sighed. He tapped a few keys on the datapadd that he was holding, causing another text to appear. He handed it to Janeway and began his explanation.
"I know it's very primitive, but it has worked before. The only problem is that we have no medium."
"We have Tuvok, Doctor. I believe he can qualify. I will present this to Tom and see what he thinks."
"If he doesn't laugh his head off first," the EMH huffed.
Janeway smiled. The Doctor was always trying to be open to other possiblities that didn't go along with the normal science. She believed that he was quite successful in trying.
"I believe Tom will see this as a way to find out why he's having these nightmares. No matter how...off beat it seems."
The EMH nodded, but said nothing. Janeway shook her head and headed for Tom's quarters.
Chapter Seven
Tom Paris was deep into reading the Doctor's report. He was quite curious to learn that there were two brain wave patterns in his head. He knew now how the figure gave him the nightmares. Now all he need to know was why. He put the padd down and leaned back on his couch. He stared at the ceiling as he tried to come up with a reason.
The doorbell chimed as the pilot was just beginning to list the reasons why something wanted to drive him insane. He stared at the door and asked the person to enter. He was surprised to see that it was Janeway.
"Captain?" Tom asked, getting to his feet.
"Sit down, Tom," Janeway said, "I have something to tell you."
Tom sat down, wondering what she wanted to tell him. He hoped it was good news.
Janeway handed him the padd and he read what was on it. He stared at her, surprised.
"The Doctor believes that a seance is the best way to know why this being keeps attacking you with nightmares and visions. He suggested a mind-meld as well, but I doubt that you would want someone roaming about in your deepest memories."
"You're right, I wouldn't," Tom answered. He looked back at the padd, and shook his head, "So you think it's a ghost after all?"
Janeway sat down in the chair across from him, "It is a possibilty, Tom. There are aliens, though that can seem like ghosts which explains why we haven't found a trace the type of aliens we're used to."
"But we're going to have this seance, just in case," Tom stated, "It seems a little far fetched for the science minded, Captain. Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, Tom. If it's a way to get to the bottom of this, I'll take it. If it turns out it is an alien with the power to hide from our sensors and enter your mind, then all the better."
Tom smiled despite the situation, "And if it is a ghost?"
"Either way, we'll learn what it wants of you."
Tom nodded and handed the padd back to her, "So who's the medium?"
"Tuvok, but he doesn't know it, yet."
The two laughed, chasing the darkness away for a while.
