“Well, I’m not going to do that anymore, sir. You’re my captain, and I have a duty to you. If you’re convinced Titanand Commander Troi are still out there, then I trust you. And we just have to make sure we find them and get you back together with your family.” She lowered her eyes. “It’s too late for me to get back the time I lost with my children. I’m not going to let you lose out on yours.”
Riker gave her a slow, heartfelt smile. “Thank you, Aili.”
LUMBU
“She’s beautiful,” Nurse Mawson said as Deanna cradled her newborn daughter in her arms.
“Even without a clarfel,” Nurse Hewton added, but Mawson shushed him.
The delivery had been very smooth, ironically an anti-climax after all the melodrama leading up to it. Deanna’s Caeliar-restored physique had proved robust enough to handle the delivery with relatively little difficulty; the intense exertion of labor had been more euphoric for her than painful. Ree had done his part with total professionalism, but there really hadn’t been much he needed to do. As for Tuvok and his team, they had frightened off the local police with little difficulty; a few phaser stuns and a few roars from Hriss and Dennisar had been enough to overwhelm their courage.
And now she had the most beautiful creature in the universe in her arms, and the only way she’d be happier was if Will had been here to see it. But she knew, deep in her soul, that he was alive, and during the arduous euphoria of the birth, she had felt his essence touching her, reaching out to her. It had been distant, the barest thread, and the psychologist in her recognized that the perception could have been a memory, a hope, a piece of herself reflecting him. But her heart knew.
Now that matters were calm, Deanna found her gaze turning to Ree. Tuvok was now in the room, standing near Ree, watching him carefully. Alyssa had subtly interposed herself between Ree and the baby, just in case. It was unimaginable that her dainty frame could slow him for even a second, but there she stood nonetheless, and it was very reassuring.
“Doctor?” Deanna asked, not needing to put the next thought into words: Now what?
Ree made a noise akin to throat-clearing. “Ah. Counselor. Yes.” Another rumble. “I, um…Upon reflection, it seems I have been somewhat…overzealous in my protectiveness. I…seem to be thinking more clearly now.” He gave a convulsive shake of his head. “I had not realized guardian mode was so…intense.”
“It may not be, as a rule,” she told him, sensing his sincerity and giving Tuvok a subtle nod to that effect. He remained wary, however. “What I was broadcasting to you…my anger, my resentment…it must have been difficult for you.”
Tuvok raised a brow. “Then you believe that releasing your repressed anger has brought about a resolution?”
She gave a wry grin. “It’s never that simple, Tuvok. I…have a lot to talk out with Ree yet, and a lot to work out within myself. Honestly, it may have been my euphoria from the delivery,” she said, gazing down lovingly at her daughter, “that counteracted the effect. Or maybe the sheer intensity of the experience overloaded Ree’s empathic reception.”
“Or maybe,” Ree said, looking as sheepish as a raptor could, “you simply shouted some sense into my thick head. There can be value in rudeness…when wielded judiciously. Counselor, I am so sorry.”
“Ohh, let’s not start that again,” she urged him.
Mawson tentatively reached out and stroked the baby’s hand with a finger. Deanna smiled at the diminutive nurse. “Do you have a name in mind?” the Lumbuan asked.
“Well…”
“Excuse me,” Tuvok said. “Now that matters are in hand, we should not linger. The local military may arrive at any time. And we have caused enough disruption to this world.”
“Oh dear,” Ree said. “That’s right. I’ve violated the Prime Directive rather badly, haven’t I?”
“Indeed. I shall have to place you under arrest and take you back to Titanfor a hearing.”
“Tuvok,” Deanna protested, “he wasn’t responsible.”
“That, my dear Counselor, is for the hearing to decide,” Ree said. “The commander is quite right.”
As Krotine and Hriss helped Deanna to her feet (all while valiantly resisting the urge to coo and dote over the baby, as her empathic senses told her), Nurse Mawson said, “Are you taking her back to the spirit world?”
Deanna studied her. “Is that what you think we should do?”
Mawson puffed her clarfelin embarrassment. “It’s not my place to advise spirits on their ways. But we mortals are no proper caregivers for her kind. Best to keep the veils up between the worlds, I say.”
The new mother smiled. “Thank you, Mawson. We’re grateful for all your help. But we’d appreciate one more favor.”
The Lumbuan nodded sagely. “A spirit encounter should be a private thing. Isn’t that right?” she said sternly to the others, who nodded obediently.
Tuvok and his team led the others out into the halls, making their way to the exit. Dennisar had placed Ree in arm restraints and was watching him closely, though there was nothing to be done about the doctor’s mighty tail except to trust in his cooperation. Deanna could tell from his outward, drooped posture and his inward emotions that he was still abashed and concerned about the consequences of his Prime Directive breach. “I don’t think we’ve done any lasting damage to this world, Ree,” she reassured him. “As you heard, many of them still have a strong belief in animism. They’ll just accept us as a spirit manifestation of the kind they already believe in.”
“But spirits appearing in the flesh?” Krotine asked. “Having babies in their hospitals? Isn’t that a little more concrete than usual?”
“Animists see spirits within every aspect of nature,” Deanna told her. “To them, a river or a tree is an embodied spirit. This won’t be that profoundly different to them.”