Let me know what you think, critique please, don't be afraid, I won't bite. :) (I'm not a Klingon, after all) ;) ;) Thanks! - Jess * * * * * "Well I don't know much about it, `cause all I am is what you see in front of you, there's no more. Feels so close and yet so far, but I don't want to go. Here I am, take my hand; here I am, please take my hand."(3) III. I blinked several times, and when my vision cleared I noticed the Doctor and Kes were standing over me. Looming was more like it, though. I've always suspected they make medical beds just low enough for the patient to feel inferior -- as if they don't feel bad enough already, I thought to myself darkly. "Ah, Mister Paris." The Doctor's voice ripped through my already pounding head and wincing, I shied away. "Welcome back to the land of the living." "Doc, do you think you could keep it down to a dull roar?" I pleaded. "Please?" He looked confused for a moment, then wry. "Ah. Of course. Kes?" Kes moved towards me, armed with a hypospray. I eyed her warily. "It's for your headache," she explained. Fine, then. Go ahead. Put me out of my misery. "Kes?" It was B'Elanna's voice. B'Elanna herself was just out of my line of vision, but I could see Kes smile. "B'Elanna, Harry," she greeted warmly. "He's just coming around now." "How is he?" That would be Harry. "Better than we'd expected. He'll be alright now, except for a little bit of pain, mostly centered in his head and back, but that should disappear shortly." "Any side effects?" B'Elanna asked. "No," the Doctor answered. "He's free to go if he wishes, but I would prefer to speak with him first on the matter of -- " "Will you kindly stop talking about me like I'm a piece of meat?" I snapped. The headache was making me irritable, but I'd always hated being talked over. "Sorry!" B'Elanna retorted. I felt bad for snapping at her and knew I should apologize for being so harsh, but with the headache I had going I was lucky I could see straight, let alone give her a convincing apology. "Kes," I ventured, "how about another one of those hyposprays?" She shook her head. "Sorry, Tom. One's enough." "It's not working," I reminded her curtly. Harry cut in before the Ocampan could answer. "Hey, Tom, B'Elanna and I were going to the mess to grab some dinner. You wanna come?" I thought for a moment. Stay in sickbay and put up with the Doctor's sarcasm, or face Neelix's dinner? What a choice. I sat up slowly, "I'm coming." "Lieutenant," the Doctor interrupted, "there's a matter Kes and I wish to speak with you about," "Is it life-threatening?" I asked warily. "No." "Then tell me later." The Doctor heaved a long-suffering sigh. "As you wish, Mister Paris. I believe it would be in your best interests to remain, but I have spent enough time dealing with you in here that keeping you here against your will is not an experience I would like to repeat. However, if you plan on eating -- " "I'm starving." " -- go easy. Wwhatever was injected into your system may not react well with certain foods. I believe all the poison has been removed, but please come back if -- " "My stomach starts to disagree with me?" I finished. I glanced at him over my shoulder and made a face. "Of course I will, Doc," I answered. He flashed me a disapproving glare. I stood even slower than I'd tried to sit up. There was a dull pain in the middle of my back that throbbed with every step I took. If I'd been smart I probably would've stayed in sickbay, but I'd never had the problem of being over-intelligent. I stopped suddenly. "Kes? Uniform?" Just what I wanted to do, wander around the ship in medical blues. Nice, Paris. Kes handed me my uniform, and I ducked out to change before rejoining B'Elanna and Harry. I tried to look casual and relaxed walking, because I knew Harry would worry if I acted like I was in pain. It took alot of effort, however, to keep a smile stretched across my face during the short walk to the mess. B'Elanna kept hanging back, and I turned to see why she was lagging behind. She had an odd, distracted, look on her face, and the way she kept glancing at me was disconcerting. "What is it?" I asked, a small part of me hoping it was nothing that would require a lengthy heart-to-heart talk. Though I felt the beginnings of the hypospray's medication taking effect, I still wasn't feeling up to any thought-provoking conversation. She shook her dark head. "Later." I nodded as reassuringly as I could without making it feel like my head was about to come unattached from my neck. We followed Harry to a quiet corner in the mess -- it was still early enough that most crewmembers hadn't even begun to think about dinner yet. I was apprehensive about eating and how my body would react to it, but the dinner Neelix was offering tonight was spicy and surprisingly edible. It was good, but I decided not to press my luck and passed on dessert. I was strictly against eating purple sponge something, even if it did resemble a cake. It also resembled a concoction I'd cooked up once when I was eight. My mother barred me from the kitchen for months after that incident. I gave Harry my helping, and he downed it enthusiastically. I tried to refrain from making faces so poor Harry could eat in peace, but every once in awhile I would cough discreetly into my napkin. A couple of crewmembers passsing by paused at our table and wished me well, saying how nice it was to see me, and how glad they were I'd be able to pilot again. It was a far cry from my first year or so aboard, but something about the way they'd spoken to me had me confused. I turned to my two best friends, who were, for reasons unknown to me, avoiding my gaze. "What?" I asked suspiciously. "What?" B'Elanna and Harry said simultaneously, and a little too quickly. "Why were they treating me like that?" B'Elanna looked worried, Harry ashamed. "Like what, Tom?" B'Elanna asked quietly. "Like it's been forever when it's only been...." My voice trailed off as all kinds of horrifying possibilities assulted my brain. "How long has it been?" I asked slowly, dreading the answer. "How long was I out of it?" B'Elanna and Harry were silent, then finally Harry admitted, "Six months." Six months?? I almost felt like laughing in relief. My mind had always assumed the worst had happened, so for a moment I was afraid I was really having dinner with Harry and B'Elanna's great-grandchildren, and we were in the Alpha Quadrant. Then the full realization hit me. Six months? No wonder I had a headache. How much had happened? What had changed? Besides Neelix's cooking, and thankfully, that appeared to be for the better. My brain began piecing snatches together -- the odd looks in the corridors, the well-wishes, B'Elanna's silence. "That's what the Doc wanted to talk with me about?" I asked. B'Elanna nodded. "Yes." I sighed. Six months. My mind began to wander on all the possibilities of what may have happened in that time. "Engineering to Torres." A voice shattered my thoughts. B'Elanna tapped her commbadge. "Torres." Carey's voice sounded tired. "Chief, do you think you could come down here? We've got some problems with power outages all over the ship." B'Elanna looked weary, but she didn't act as if this were anything new. "I'll be right down, Carey." "And, Chief?" "Yes?" "I'd advise you don't take any of the turbolifts." B'Elanna frowned, obviously not relishing the idea. "I know. I'll be right there." She stood, sighing. "I'll see you guys around, okay? Tom, I'd like to talk with you later, if you don't mind." I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, but inside I was praying it wasn't anything bad. "I'll be here." "Bridge to Ensign Kim." "Kim here, Captain." "Harry, we've been notified of some power problems. I'd like you in Engineering, assisting B'Elanna." Harry nodded, though he knew the Captain couldn't see it. "Yes, Captain." He stood to follow B'Elanna, then he paused and turned back to me. "You know, they'd never tell you, but both B'Elanna and the Captain were down in Sickbay about every day while you were there. I think the Commander was starting to get jealous," he joked. I grinned, relief flooding my features. At least things hadn't changed as much as I'd feared. If B'Elanna had been there, things were still looking positive. ************************************************************ Jessica Ferroni * Evenstar17@hotmail.com Official Paris-ite * Star Trek: Voyager It's my assumption you should never assume anything. --------------------------------------------------------- Get Your *Web-Based* Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------