Okay, ... this story I wrote w-a-y back. It's supposed to end there but when I re-read it, I thought I should add to it. What do you think?
by Sheena Ainsbury
for all those who love hurt-comfort stories as much as I do
Kathryn Janeway stared at the alien before her. She had never seen such an aggressive species before and she found it quite terrifying. She and her First Officer had been fleeing from these aliens for the past two days hoping that Voyager would find them and beam them up before the aliens found them. Now, it seemed, their time had run out.
Chakotay stood behind her and the two of them circled, keeping their backs to each other, while the aliens advanced on them.
Janeway mentally kicked herself for allowing the two senior officers to beam down simultaneously but there hadn't appeared to be any danger and the scientist in her had been eager to explore this unique world.
Chakotay was thinking much the same thing. He knew the two of them didn't stand a chance against five but his mind raced as to how he could even the odds. Their phasers seemed ineffective against these aliens and he knew the heavy wooden staff he'd fashioned would hardly make a dent in their armor.
Out of the corner of his eye, Chakotay saw one of the aliens lunge for the captain with a menacingly sharp knife. He knew she wouldn't be able to block it so he did the only other thing he could... He threw himself in the path of the attack and braced himself for the impact.
The knife slid coldly into his midriff. The First Officer stood his ground, knowing he must protect the captain at all odds.
Janeway swung around as soon as she felt Chakotay move. She stared, horrified, at the knife imbedded in him, the blood seeping from the wound, but quickly moved to his side oblivious to the attackers.
"Chakotay!" Janeway called out, trying to hold him up as his legs gave way.
"Must protect the captain at all costs," he mumbled, and landed in a heap on the ground.
Janeway was suddenly aware of the eerie silence around her. The only sound was Chakotay's labored, shallow breathing. She looked up to see their five attackers huddled together in a group, starring, wide-eyed at Chakotay's wound. They were pointing to it and suddenly broke out into a rapid chatter. Clearly something was upsetting them.
Janeway sat on the ground, her weapon and Chakotay's staff lying discarded to one side, supporting her First Officer. She reached up a hand to push her hair out of her face and found her hand covered with bright red blood. Chakotay's blood.
The aliens watched her movements, mesmerized. Testing a theory that was forming in her mind, she shoved her bloodied hand in their direction.
They leapt back as if burned.
Laying Chakotay on the ground, she got up and advanced on them, hand outstretched.
They turned and fled.
Quickly, Janeway returned to Chakotay. "They were afraid of your blood," she told him. Even though he lay very still, she knew he was still conscious. She lifted him again so he lay awkwardly in her lap and reached to remove the knife.
"No," he mumbled, "it's acting like a plug at the moment..."
The captain nodded. "Of course. I forgot."
A ghost of a smile appeared on Chakotay's face. "No one's perfect."
Janeway looked around, wondering what she could do. If she didn't do something quickly, Chakotay would die there in her arms. Fortunately, at that moment, she felt the familiar tingle of the transporter and within seconds found herself on the transporter pad on the Voyager.
"Beam us directly to sickbay," she barked at the Ensign.
Quickly she and the doctor lifted Chakotay onto the biobed. He was so pale, his skin clammy, and Janeway wondered if help hadn't arrived too late.
The EMH brushed her aside and he and Kes worked quickly and efficiently on the unconscious First Officer.
Janeway looked up as Tuvok and Tom Paris entered sickbay.
"How is he?" Paris asked.
Janeway shook her head. "Not good, I think," she replied, quietly.
Hearing the voices, Kes left the doctor for a moment. She picked up a tricorder and ran it over the captain. "You're in shock," she said.
Without looking up, the Doctor snapped a few questions at Kes. She read the tricorder results to him. He nodded.
"One cc Traxepam," he said. "Then get her onto a biobed also."
Kes picked up the appropriate hypospray and with a hiss, injected the medicine into Janeway.
Paris and Tuvok led her to the closest biobed and helped her onto it. "I'm fine," she protested. "This is Chakotay's blood. I'm uninjured."
"You are not fine," Kes replied. "You have been on the run for three days under very extreme conditions."
"Why did it take you so long to find us?"
"The magnetic bursts from the sun's corona interfered with our sensors..."
This time the doctor turned away from Chakotay to look at Janeway and her visitors. "That can wait until later. This is a sickbay, not a conference room. It would be really helpful if you left now. Not you, Captain," he added when he saw her swing her legs off the bed. He snapped the dome closed on the biobed Chakotay was on and walked towards the captain. "Now let me take a look at you."
Tuvok and Paris quietly left sickbay and the Doctor got to work on Janeway.
"How is the Commander," she asked.
"The next few hours will be critical. If he survives that, he'll survive. The blade pierced his lung but you did the correct thing in not removing it. If you had, he would have died within seconds."
Janeway lay back and closed her eyes. Her thoughts were jumbled and for some or other reason, she felt like crying. She knew that if Chakotay hadn't thrown himself in the way, she'd be the one lying there, fighting for her life. Perhaps even dead.
Why did he do it? To protect the captain? But he was as important to the crew as she was - possibly even more so because he had the allegiance of the ex-Maquis.
She opened her eyes as she felt the doctor inject her once again. "It is just some nutrients," he told her. "You are severely dehydrated and your mineral levels are way down. But this will help and you should feel better after a few hours sleep. I will permit you to go to your quarters if you promise to rest."
Janeway nodded.
"In that case, you are free to leave. Kes will accompany you to your quarters."
Janeway raised an eyebrow. "Don't you trust me, Doctor?"
"Do I have a reason not to?" he counteracted.
She smiled and shook her head as Kes approached the bed. Swinging her aching legs over the side of the bed, Janeway slid to her feet, supported by the tiny Ocampa woman. Slowly they walked over to the biobed on which Chakotay lay. Janeway looked down at him. He was still very pale, but at least his breathing sounded normal.
Kes patted her on the arm. "Don't worry, Captain. We'll look after him."
When they reached the door of her quarters, Janeway stopped and turned to Kes. "It was a damn stupid thing to do," she said vehemently.
"What was?"
"Throwing himself in the path of that knife."
"Why do you think he did it?" Kes asked quietly, leading the captain through the living room into the bedroom.
"Because I'm his senior officer."
Kes shot the captain a glance which clearly indicated that she didn't believe that explanation. "Do you want me to wait while you get cleaned up?"
Janeway thought for a moment. "You'd better in case the doctor asks you if you actually saw me lie down."
A quick shower later, Janeway appeared in the room wearing a green sweatsuit that looked baggy and comfortable. Kes nodded in approval and handed the captain the cup of vegetable bullion she'd ordered.
Sitting on the bed, Janeway drank it down quickly them wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Thank you, Kes. For everything."
Kes smiled and headed for the door. She stopped just inside the door and turned. "Captain," she said with her quiet voice. "Do you know why I gave Neelix one of my lungs?"
Janeway nodded. "Because you care about him."
Kes shook her head. "It's more than that, Captain. I was willing to risk my life for Neelix because I love him. Love makes you do strange things." Then she turned and left the room.
Janeway fell back against the cushion staring out at the moving stars. 'Because she loved him,' she thought. 'Because he loves me?' she wondered... "Could that be it? And if it is... What do I do about it?'
the end?