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Part Nine (the last part)
When Kate woke up, she felt like Sleeping Beauty, waking up from a century long nap. She yawned loudly, and sat up, glad to find that sitting up didn't hurt. She took a quick glance at her wounds and was satisfied to see them healing nicely. She looked around Sick Bay searching for someone to tell her what was going on, but no one was around. There must have been a medical staff meeting because she didn't see anyone. She was about to go back to sleep until someone came around to talk to her when the doors nearest her whooshed open and Captain Picard strode through them.
"Good to see you awake, Kate," he said. He walked straight over to the nearest replicater and ordered a mug of Earl Grey Tea. Kate sat up straight and took the mug from him eagerly. Before she took a sip she just had to ask.
"How long have I been out?"
"Oh, only a few days," Picard answered loftily, waiting for her to spit out her first sip of tea. He didn't have to wait long.
"A few days!" she sputtered incredulously. "I wasn't that bad off, was I?"
Picard sobered his laughter for a moment. "You were almost dead, dear. If we had been only an hour later, maybe less, you…"
"Don't tell me, don't tell me. I don't want to know." Kate shook her head, knowing exactly what Picard was about to say. She took another sip of her tea and thoughts about what might have happened if they hadn't have contacted them in time. It was a scary thought. Then something struck her and she was amazed the thought had taken so long to surface. "How's Wesley?"
Picard was not surprised by the question at all. In fact, he was surprised that it had taken so long for her to ask it. "He's fine. He's asleep now. Beverly made him leave Sick Bay after a day of sleeping in chairs." He paused a moment for effect. "He was really worried about you, you know."
Kate shook it off, pretending that it didn't make any difference. "Wes worries about everything. It's his nature." She avoided Picard's eyes, hoping he wouldn't figure out her secret, which of course he already had. But she didn't mind so much. She even figured that he had known longer than she had. 'Hell, everyone on the Enterprise probably knew about it before we did,' she thought.
Before she could say anything more, Dr. Crusher walked through the Sickbay doors, which closed behind her with a whoosh.
"Awake I see," she said, shuffling Picard away from his bedside position so she could examine the patient. She pulled a medical tricorder out of her coat pocket and started running a few scans. "How are you feeling?"
Kate made a quick inventory of all her bones, muscles, and joints before proclaiming, "A little stiff, slightly sore, but altogether in one piece and alive."
Dr. Crusher shut off her tricorder and confirmed what Kate thought. "Everything seems just fine. You just need to rest for a while longer."
Kate groaned unhappily. "I can't rest any more, Beverly. I feel like Rip Van Winkle. I need to get back to work."
Dr. Crusher and Picard exchanged a worried look. "How do we tell her," the look asked.
"Kate," Dr. Crusher started slowly. "It will be a week or more before you should return to active duty."
"No," Kate stated simply.
"Now Kate," Picard cut in. "We need to make sure you'll be okay."
Kate immediately assumed her bargaining tone of voice. "Two days," she said.
"One week," he countered.
"Three days."
"Five, and no less," Picard said firmly.
"Four, and absolutely no more," Kate replied, just as firmly.
Picard knew that he was beat. "Four days," he agreed. "But not an hour less," he demanded, pointing his finger at her.
Kate leaned back in her bed, pleased at her efforts. Now that she thought about it, a little rest and relaxation wouldn't kill her. A four day leave of absence. It would be a nice vacation, providing of course that Dr. Crusher would let her leave Sick Bay.
Kate did leave Sick Bay the next day. The fact that she was on a medically ordered leave of absence didn't stop her from starting her research on the background of the Brasian colony. Her visitors often found her at her terminal. Dr. Crusher chewed her out more than once, but Kate argued that research was relaxing for her. She occasionally even dared to wander down to Engineering to help Geordi with an odd test or two.
Wesley spent a great deal of the remainder of his vacation retelling the encounter on Brasia to most of the bridge crew who were very anxious to know what happened after communication had been knocked out. He tactfully left out some of the more personal details. Beverly doted on him constantly, and if not for the fact that he would not see her again for months, Wesley wouldn't have put up with it.
The end of Wesley's vacation came too quickly for his taste. It seemed to him that he had just arrived (not counting the whole run-for-life- on-uncharted-planet incident), and yet here he was, dragging himself down to the transporter room, ready to beam over to the Andromeda, a medical ship that would take him back to the Academy.
When he arrived, he found that a small group had assembled in Transporter Room three to see him off. That group included his mother (obviously), Captain Picard, Geordi, and, looking much healthier than she had in several days, Kate. She looked healthier, definitely, but not necessarily happier. She looked at Wesley with a kind of delicate sadness, knowing that just as they'd found each other, they had to be separated. They had barely had any time to themselves after returning to the Enterprise, and now wasn't really the time to discuss personal details.
Captain Picard was the first to say his farewell. "Be sure to say hello to Boothby for me," he said. Geordi offered his typical, 'don't work too hard' advice, and Dr. Crusher almost smothered him with her hugs.
"Take care of yourself," she urged him, her hands firmly gripping his shoulders. She hugged him again, not wanting to let go.
Finally, Wesley and Kate stood facing each other, silent, not sure of what to say. At last, Kate simply threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly, fiercely. "I love you," Wesley whispered, his words barely more substantial than a breath or a sigh. Kate did not answer him, but the smile on her face and the honesty in her eyes were answer enough for him.
Before his emotions got the better of him, Wesley picked up his bag and took his place on the transporter pad. He waved his last good-bye to his mother and friends just before disappearing before their eyes.
Dr. Crusher and Geordi both left immediately, returning to their duties, but Kate and Picard lingered behind. Kate continued to stare at the place where Wesley had been standing, the expression on her face betraying every emotion in her heart. Picard noticed, of course. He would have to be blind to miss it.
"Interesting vacation, wouldn't you say?" he asked, giving her a sideways look.
"You could say that," Kate answered him, smiling again in her memories.
Part Nine (the last part)
When Kate woke up, she felt like Sleeping Beauty, waking up from a century long nap. She yawned loudly, and sat up, glad to find that sitting up didn't hurt. She took a quick glance at her wounds and was satisfied to see them healing nicely. She looked around Sick Bay searching for someone to tell her what was going on, but no one was around. There must have been a medical staff meeting because she didn't see anyone. She was about to go back to sleep until someone came around to talk to her when the doors nearest her whooshed open and Captain Picard strode through them.
"Good to see you awake, Kate," he said. He walked straight over to the nearest replicater and ordered a mug of Earl Grey Tea. Kate sat up straight and took the mug from him eagerly. Before she took a sip she just had to ask.
"How long have I been out?"
"Oh, only a few days," Picard answered loftily, waiting for her to spit out her first sip of tea. He didn't have to wait long.
"A few days!" she sputtered incredulously. "I wasn't that bad off, was I?"
Picard sobered his laughter for a moment. "You were almost dead, dear. If we had been only an hour later, maybe less, you…"
"Don't tell me, don't tell me. I don't want to know." Kate shook her head, knowing exactly what Picard was about to say. She took another sip of her tea and thoughts about what might have happened if they hadn't have contacted them in time. It was a scary thought. Then something struck her and she was amazed the thought had taken so long to surface. "How's Wesley?"
Picard was not surprised by the question at all. In fact, he was surprised that it had taken so long for her to ask it. "He's fine. He's asleep now. Beverly made him leave Sick Bay after a day of sleeping in chairs." He paused a moment for effect. "He was really worried about you, you know."
Kate shook it off, pretending that it didn't make any difference. "Wes worries about everything. It's his nature." She avoided Picard's eyes, hoping he wouldn't figure out her secret, which of course he already had. But she didn't mind so much. She even figured that he had known longer than she had. 'Hell, everyone on the Enterprise probably knew about it before we did,' she thought.
Before she could say anything more, Dr. Crusher walked through the Sickbay doors, which closed behind her with a whoosh.
"Awake I see," she said, shuffling Picard away from his bedside position so she could examine the patient. She pulled a medical tricorder out of her coat pocket and started running a few scans. "How are you feeling?"
Kate made a quick inventory of all her bones, muscles, and joints before proclaiming, "A little stiff, slightly sore, but altogether in one piece and alive."
Dr. Crusher shut off her tricorder and confirmed what Kate thought. "Everything seems just fine. You just need to rest for a while longer."
Kate groaned unhappily. "I can't rest any more, Beverly. I feel like Rip Van Winkle. I need to get back to work."
Dr. Crusher and Picard exchanged a worried look. "How do we tell her," the look asked.
"Kate," Dr. Crusher started slowly. "It will be a week or more before you should return to active duty."
"No," Kate stated simply.
"Now Kate," Picard cut in. "We need to make sure you'll be okay."
Kate immediately assumed her bargaining tone of voice. "Two days," she said.
"One week," he countered.
"Three days."
"Five, and no less," Picard said firmly.
"Four, and absolutely no more," Kate replied, just as firmly.
Picard knew that he was beat. "Four days," he agreed. "But not an hour less," he demanded, pointing his finger at her.
Kate leaned back in her bed, pleased at her efforts. Now that she thought about it, a little rest and relaxation wouldn't kill her. A four day leave of absence. It would be a nice vacation, providing of course that Dr. Crusher would let her leave Sick Bay.
Kate did leave Sick Bay the next day. The fact that she was on a medically ordered leave of absence didn't stop her from starting her research on the background of the Brasian colony. Her visitors often found her at her terminal. Dr. Crusher chewed her out more than once, but Kate argued that research was relaxing for her. She occasionally even dared to wander down to Engineering to help Geordi with an odd test or two.
Wesley spent a great deal of the remainder of his vacation retelling the encounter on Brasia to most of the bridge crew who were very anxious to know what happened after communication had been knocked out. He tactfully left out some of the more personal details. Beverly doted on him constantly, and if not for the fact that he would not see her again for months, Wesley wouldn't have put up with it.
The end of Wesley's vacation came too quickly for his taste. It seemed to him that he had just arrived (not counting the whole run-for-life- on-uncharted-planet incident), and yet here he was, dragging himself down to the transporter room, ready to beam over to the Andromeda, a medical ship that would take him back to the Academy.
When he arrived, he found that a small group had assembled in Transporter Room three to see him off. That group included his mother (obviously), Captain Picard, Geordi, and, looking much healthier than she had in several days, Kate. She looked healthier, definitely, but not necessarily happier. She looked at Wesley with a kind of delicate sadness, knowing that just as they'd found each other, they had to be separated. They had barely had any time to themselves after returning to the Enterprise, and now wasn't really the time to discuss personal details.
Captain Picard was the first to say his farewell. "Be sure to say hello to Boothby for me," he said. Geordi offered his typical, 'don't work too hard' advice, and Dr. Crusher almost smothered him with her hugs.
"Take care of yourself," she urged him, her hands firmly gripping his shoulders. She hugged him again, not wanting to let go.
Finally, Wesley and Kate stood facing each other, silent, not sure of what to say. At last, Kate simply threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly, fiercely. "I love you," Wesley whispered, his words barely more substantial than a breath or a sigh. Kate did not answer him, but the smile on her face and the honesty in her eyes were answer enough for him.
Before his emotions got the better of him, Wesley picked up his bag and took his place on the transporter pad. He waved his last good-bye to his mother and friends just before disappearing before their eyes.
Dr. Crusher and Geordi both left immediately, returning to their duties, but Kate and Picard lingered behind. Kate continued to stare at the place where Wesley had been standing, the expression on her face betraying every emotion in her heart. Picard noticed, of course. He would have to be blind to miss it.
"Interesting vacation, wouldn't you say?" he asked, giving her a sideways look.
"You could say that," Kate answered him, smiling again in her memories.