Chapter Twenty-Two:

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Rear Admiral Stockwell said, greeting La Forge and Barclay as they stepped into his office on Starbase Nineteen.

"Hello, sir," Geordi replied.

"How are you today, sir?" Reg asked nervously.

"Relax, Commanders. Neither of you are on trial here. Please, have a seat." He pointed to the two chairs in front of his desk, obviously placed there in expectation of this meeting. Once they were comfortably seated, the admiral continued. "You both know why I called you here--to determine which one of you retains the position of chief engineer on board the Enterprise and which one of you is subsequently reassigned. Let me tell you that I didn't like having to make this decision. It was a difficult one indeed. You are both highly qualified to serve as chief engineer aboard our flagship, but alas there can be only one chief engineer aboard the Enterprise."

Both commanders squirmed in their chairs.

"Mr. La Forge, you have served as Enterprise chief engineer for many years and you did not leave that post under your own volition. Therefore, I am reinstating you as such immediately."

Both officers sighed with relief. Barclay was just as glad to have the waiting over even if it meant reassignment for him. He turned toward his friend, and holding out his hand, said, "Congratulations, Geordi. You deserve it." Geordi accepted his friend's handshake.

"And you, Mr. Barclay," the admiral continued, "I have a special assignment for you."

Ten minutes later, both commanders left Admiral Stockwell's office. As they walked toward the docking bay to return to the Enterprise, they discussed Barclay's new assignment and what the future might hold for each of them.

"The Admiral could not have offered you a better job!" Geordi exclaimed just before they beamed aboard the Enterprise.

Riker was standing beside the transporter technician, ready to greet them. "Gentlemen," he said a bit anxiously. He did not yet know the admiral's decision.

"Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge reporting for duty, sir," Geordi said as he stepped off the platform.

Riker grinned, unable to hide his glee that he would once again be working with La Forge. His smile faltered as he turned toward Barclay. "You'll be missed, of course, Reg."

"I know," Barclay replied and his smile belied any hurt he felt. "But if you don't mind my saying so, I'm rather looking forward to arriving at Utopia Planetia."

Riker stared at the commander, his mouth agape.

"It's quite fortuitous really. Commander Jaxis, who has been in charge over there for the last fifteen years, just put in for retirement. Starfleet Headquarters chose me as his replacement."

"Congratulations! I guess this means we'll have to make a trip there to drop you off."

"If you will excuse me, Captain, Commander," Barclay said, "I think I better go pack my bags." He waited long enough for Riker's nod and then exited via the turbolift.

"So Geordi," Riker said in a jovial tone, "allow me to give you a tour of main engineering."

* * * *

Deanna was in the baby's room gently rocking Shannara in the big rocking chair her mother had long ago sat in with her. Shannara had fallen blissfully asleep several minutes ago, but Deanna continued to rock, enjoying the quiet time alone with the infant.

"Deanna darling, you have a visitor," Lwaxana said over the house's comm system.

Who could that possibly be? Deanna wondered as she stood to place the baby in her crib. She slipped a blanket over the infant before leaving the room and heading downstairs.

She squealed with delight when she saw Worf standing in the foyer and rushed to accept him in her arms. "Mother didn't tell me that you were my visitor," she said, and then kissed him.

"I wanted to surprise you," he replied.

"The baby's asleep, and Alexander is at a friend's house." As she told him this, she flirted with him by running her hands along his neck and down his back.

"Your Mother said to tell you that she had a few errands to run." Worf offered her one of his rare smiles.

"Looks like we've got the whole house to ourselves."

Scooping Deanna off the floor, the Klingon carried her effortlessly up the stairs. She directed him into the bedroom she was using, and they descended onto the bed, kissing. Deanna could sense his overwhelming need for sexual release and could feel it echoing in her own soul. She drank in his Klingon smells with her kisses. Quickly, they helped each other undress, coming together in a hungry lust for each other, both wanting to be devoured by the other.

It had been a long time since Deanna felt the need for such passion, because before she had agreed to spend some time on Betazed, the wormhole had curtailed her interest--in anything. She knew, although he had never admitted it, that Worf had been unsatisfied with their physical relationship for quite some time. He was a Klingon and Klingons needed aggressive women. With her natural Betazoid instincts, that had not been a problem during the beginning of their relationship. And it was not a problem now.

"I have really missed you," Worf said after they had caught their breath.

Knowing that he was referring to a timespan much longer than the time she'd spent on Betazed, she replied, "I've missed me, too. It is really good to be back. . .in your arms.

"I know you are wondering what happened on the other side of the wormhole. Deanna, these people--the Akie they call themselves--actually have a technology that allows them to bring lost comrades back from the dead."

She could sense that he was having difficulty dealing with the fact that this conflicted with his ingrown Klingon beliefs of honorable deaths. But then, he had been raised by Humans and also shared some of their beliefs. She rubbed his arm lovingly and waited for him to continue.

"They admitted that they were directly responsible for the destruction of the Stargazer. At first, we were unsure that they would use their technology to recover our people. But after several days of deliberation, they agreed. One of their ships followed us back through to our side of the galaxy."

"And Captain Picard. . . .Beverly?"

"They are with us again."

Deanna suddenly jumped out of bed and began searching for her discarded clothing. "Then we have to go to them now!"

"Darling, there is something you must know first."

Deanna paused with her pants halfway on and stared into her husband's eyes. She could sense that all had not been made right as she had wanted to assume. Their friends had been returned to them and yet something was terribly wrong.

After she was finished dressing, she sat on the end of the bed and listened to her husband finish telling the story.

"I want to see Beverly," Deanna insisted once he was finished.

"But Darling, what about your. . .reaction. The wormholes were bad enough. How will it be for you if you go anywhere near one of the regeneration patients or with the Akodians?"

"I don't know. Let's consult with the Akodians through subspace channels. Maybe they will have a solution."

Worf conceded, and they contacted Starbase Nineteen. They waited only a short while before an Akodian was able to speak with them.

"Admiral Merritt has explained your problem to me," the female Akodian said. "My name is Medic Parkin. I am the senior medical officer in charge of this case. We have dealt with empathic lifeforms in the past. I believe I have a solution to your problem."

Deanna sighed with relief. "Thank you, Medic. Thank you!"

***

Deanna had dressed hastily in a blue dress that was still a little tight on her (she had yet to lose all the "baby" fat). Scarcely caring about how she looked, she was in too much of a hurry to see her long-lost friend. She felt like she was experiencing an empathic overload as she stepped off the turbolift and rushed down the station corridors toward the infirmary. Yet she knew this experience would be ten times worse if Medic Parkin hadn't supplied her with a drug known as gerrapiam, an Akodian-made substance developed nearly fifty pelvars ago which inhibited empathic senses. From now on, whenever Deanna found herself within close proximity of an Akodian or one of their wormholes, she would have to take a dose of gerrapiam. She was relieved to hear that Akodian empathic echos wore off after a few months, so she would not have to continuously use the drug every time she wanted to visit her friends among the Stargazer crew.

She didn't know what she was going to say to Beverly or how her dear friend was going to react. She reached the infirmary to find doctors and nurses scurrying about trying to keep up with the needs of the Stargazer crew members. Their confusion and loneliness overwhelmed her, and she closed her eyes for a moment to help her filter out most of it.

"May I help you?" a nurse asked.

"Yes. I'm Commander Deanna Rozhenko. Dr. Beverly Crusher--she was the chief medical officer aboard the Stargazer. . ."

The nurse smiled understandingly. "Follow me, Commander."

The other woman led Deanna through the width of the infirmary and into a small room. Wearing informal clothing, Beverly Crusher was sitting in one corner of the room. Her hair was uncombed and her expression was glassy as though she weren't mentally there. Deanna sensed the same confusion and loneliness from her friend that she had from the other Stargazer crew members. She also sensed a feeling of defeat and that frightened her most of all.

Cautiously, Deanna approached her friend and sat down beside Beverly. She wanted to touch Crusher, to comfort her with a hug, but she couldn't be sure how Beverly would react to physical contact. Deanna could sense that Beverly felt humiliated by her loss of power. No one was even sure that she would ever lead a totally normal life again, let alone practice medicine. Deanna realized how the wormhole had affected herself. What Beverly had experienced was far more extreme. No one could expect her to reciprocate quickly.

"Deanna?" Beverly whispered, turning her head slightly in Deanna's direction.

"Yes, it's me," Deanna replied in a soothing tone. "I came as soon as I could get transport. I'm on leave of duty so I can stay here with you for as long as you need me."

"Leave. . ."

At first, Deanna wasn't sure if Beverly was afraid she was going to leave or that she wanted her to leave. Then she realized Beverly meant neither, but rather was asking why she was on leave of duty.

"Of course, you wouldn't know. You remember about Worf and I? You were at our wedding." Deanna waited for her friend's nod. "Worf and I had a baby--a daughter named Shannara. She's nine weeks old now. Starfleet granted me an open-ended leave of duty."

Beverly raised her hand, and Deanna took it into hers. "That's wonderful." No smile. "Is Worf with you?"

"On the station, yes. We left Alexander and the baby with my Mother. Beverly," she began cautiously, "how much of what happened do you remember?"

"Everything." The doctor began shaking and her complexion became a shade lighter. "Everything. I can't forget." She smacked her forehead with her palm. "I can't get it out of my mind!"

Deanna clutched both of her friend's hands to prevent Beverly from continuously beating against herself. "Beverly, you have to allow yourself time to heal." She hugged her friend fiercely as though fighting for her dear life--and maybe she was. "No one expects you to forget or to recover quickly. In a very real sense, you are grieving. You're grieving for the life you lost. Give yourself time to find your serenity, and then you can begin to fight to restore your life. You're not alone! I will stand beside you the entire way. All your friends will!"

Beverly looked at her friend, and Deanna suddenly sensed a glimmer of hope. A slight smile formed on the older woman's face. "I think I can," she said slowly.

"I know you can!"

They sat silently for a long while, Deanna rocking Beverly in her arms. For the time being, Deanna knew that her friend needed her reassuring presence more than anything else. Beverly was beginning to heal now.