Back to Life

Posted on Wed Aug 8th, 2012 @ 3:59pm by Commander Sakkath & Captain Li Hawke & Lieutenant Commander William Harding M.D.

Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Location: Piper Medical Center

* * * Piper Medical Center * * *

Only a few minutes after Oz and Darwin departed Harding’s office, a call came in from Crewman Leighis.

=^= Sir, we just got the call from the Cherry Pit. She will be here any moment. Ophelia will meet you in OR 3. She’s being beamed directly there to avoid any undue publicity.=^=

“Thank you Sverker, I am on my way. when Commander Sakkath arrives, take him straight there.” Harding closed the comm and was immediately on his feet, leaving the office at a run.

* * * Operating Room Three * * *

Sakkath had to admit to a certain degree of respect for whoever had attempted to and succeeded in gaining his attention. The isolinear chip had been inserted into a public terminal in the promenade and promptly translated the entire database at that location into an archaic form of Vulcan. Even if he had sent one of his technicians familiar with the language to correct the problem, the fact that the screen displayed the imminent arrival of the XO in sickbay and requested his presence by name would have made its way to the Commander before long.

And so, tricorder still in hand, Sakkath walked purposefully into Piper Medical.

“Commander,” a Crewman greeted Sakkath immediately upon entry, “follow me please.”

“I take it I am expected,” Sakkath replied, falling in step behind the crewman, noting they were heading for the OR. “What is my wife’s condition?”

“I’ll let Doctor Harding explain it to you, sir. He’s right through here.”

Having to suppress a scowl at his question being dodged, Sakkath stepped into OR3 with only a passing nod to the crewman for his assistance.

“Commander Sakkath.” Harding nodded to him as he dashed around the OR, moving various instruments into place, then addressing the crewman. “Get the hypo ready, two CCs of tricordrazine.”

Leighis hurried to do as requested and Harding activated the monitor arch that stood alongside the operating table.

Sakkath raised a brow at the conspicuously empty biobed. “I must admit to a degree of confusion, Doctor. I was led to believe my wife would be present.”

The familiar blue swirl of a transporter beam appeared. “That would be her now, actually.” Moments later, Li appeared on the table, wearing the black dress, her hair deep red. And she appeared...dead. “Move!” Harding ordered, and immediately, Leighis lowered the arch over Li as Harding’s fingers pressed to her throat.

Lazan moved immediately out of the way of the doctors, retreating towards the door where - outwardly - Sakkath betrayed no emotion. “I see you got my message,” Suresh’s right hand man said conversationally.

Sakkath barely registered that he was being spoken to. His gaze was fixed on Li, his mind furiously reaching out, attempting to touch her own. If not for his sense of discipline, he might have barreled through the doctors and nurses and tried to hold her prone form, but he rationally understood that they were trying to save her and that he would only complicate matters.

He turned his head slightly to the man standing beside him.

“And you are?” he asked, his voice betraying more strain than he had intended.

“Lazan,” the man said simply. “Your wife wanted to ensure you were here when she woke up. This is quite the convincing exit strategy.” The grin on Lazan’s face was quite contrasted with the rapidly building knot of apprehension that threatened to bring bile into the Vulcan’s mouth. “Ah, but if you’ll excuse me, I need to contact my employer and deliver the sad news of Isha’s death.”

And create a false entry in the morgue databanks while I’m up here, he added to himself as he stepped outside the operating room, whistling to himself.

Harding grabbed the hypospray and pressed it to Li’s neck, then locked his gaze on the monitor’s readouts. “Now, we wait.” The tension spread thick and heavy in the room. Leighis continued to monitor, though he hovered close to the tray beside the bed that held more forceful means of resuscitation, should it be needed. Harding leaned down, putting his ear to her open mouth. The heart monitor beeped finally and hearing the first hiss of indrawn breath, he smiled.

Sakkath let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he stood near the room’s entrance. Like the kindling of an ember, he felt the bond with his mate growing slowly stronger as if waking from sleep and all of the tension inside of him evaporated.

On the table, Li sucked in a deep, panicked breath as her eyes flew open. she was instantly on alert, muscles tensed to flee in case she had awakened in the wrong place with the wrong people. Grabbing hold of Harding’s lab coat, she pulled him back down, getting nose to nose with him so she could see him as her eyes began to focus. Seeing it was him, she relaxed and let out a long, slow breath.

“Sorry, Will.”

Harding laughed as he stood and straightened his uniform. “No harm done, welcome back.”

“Where is Sakkath?” She could feel him, he had to be close but things were still a bit blurry.

“I am here,” he said, taking a short step forward as he did so. Decorum did not permit him to rush to her side, not here among so many.

“Leave us,” she ordered Harding, Payne and Leighis.

Harding rested a hand on her shoulder a moment, as if to reassure himself she was alright. “I’ll be right outside.” He stopped by Sakkath on his way out. “There are still several scans I want to do just to make sure there was no damage, but you can have her as soon as I’m done.”

“Understood, Doctor,” Sakkath replied, waiting for the room to clear. Once he and Li were alone, he moved to her side and took her hand in his. “We really must stop meeting like this, Imzadi. Between the two of us, we spend far too much time in sickbay.” It might have been a joke, had it not been delivered in his usual Vulcan monotone.

Li smiled up at him as the tension faded from her expression. “The difference is, this time it was my own doing.” She raised their joined hands, kissing the back of Sakkath’s. “This was a case of a little subterfuge. My project down below has to continue without me, given my new position.”

“I cannot fault the effectiveness of your exit,” the Vulcan said, “only the risk it posed to you. Are you in good health?”

“It’s a means I have used before and it usually has no long-lasting effects. He will monitor me for a bit, then agree to let me go home with you if I promise to take it easy tonight.” She smiled once more. “He and I both know that last part is not likely.”

Sakkath offered a simple nod in reply, Li’s thoughts echoing what Dr. Harding had said to him prior to exiting the OR. “I must confess to a certain degree of satisfaction in knowing that your covert operations are at an end. I am unlikely to be secretly summoned to sickbay for the Executive Officer, as opposed to the Intelligence Chief.” He disentangled his hand from hers, brushing his index and middle fingers against her own in the process. “Shall I recall Dr. Harding that he might release you?”

“The position was part of it, but you were a bigger part of that decision, Sakkath. It was mostly you to be honest.”

Sakkath raised an eyebrow, though he was not sure his wife’s eyesight had adapted enough to make her aware of the motion. “That is not logical,” he contended. “The request of the Admiral you have known far longer than I doubtlessly influenced your decision, as did its meritorious impact on your career. To indicate that consideration for me played the largest part is to disregard the myriad other factors that are at play, and while my concern is for your safety, you are possessed of your own sense of self-preservation.” Over-analysis in the face of an emotional response. How very Vulcan.

Li laughed softly. “Oh, my husband, you know very well by now that I am not always led by logic. I’ll admit I’ve gotten better at it since you dropped into my life but I have a long way to go yet.”

Sakkath inclined his head in a gesture of understanding. “It takes my people many years of constant training to master the passions of our katra and seek the light of reason. I was merely observing the other forces at work.” He paused, regarding her. “But I am nevertheless contented to see you well and removed from that particular operation.”

“I have more important things to focus on now.” There was so much she wasn’t saying, like the fact that she knew Suresh had reached the point that he wouldn’t follow her rules, but there was no need. He could read everything within her, even the things she used to keep locked away. He would also feel her profound relief at being free of the situation. “Do you think you could talk Will into letting me out of here now?”

“Perhaps. He indicated there were a few more scans to be run, and I would prefer to be sure that there are no lingering ill effects.”

“Then let’s get him in here and get them done. I want to go home and relax. And maybe just look at you for a while.”

“As you wish,” the Vulcan replied, moving to the door which opened with the almost-silent hiss of servos and motors. True to his word, Doctor Harding was just outside and smiled as he reentered, picking up his medical tricorder and moving straight to business.

*********
Dr. William Harding
Not A Hardass

Commander Li Hawke
Finally Free

Commander Sakkath
No More Surprises

Lazan
Bearer of Bad News