“Oh sweetheart, it’s Gretchen.
How are you feeling? Are you hungry? Could you eat a little something?”
“Eat?
Not…really...hungry. Tired…very tired.”
Janeway stroked her hair again. “Then
just relax and go to sleep. Mom will try to feed you every hour; it’s what she does. But for right now, just rest. One
of us will be here when you wake up. I promise.”
“Promise?”
“Promise. Now close your eyes and
sleep. Shhhhh….”
Seven’s eyelids fluttered shut and
her breathing evened out as she drifted back into sleep. Kathryn pressed her lips to the hand she still held and gently laid
it on the comforter. Gretchen stood up and went into command mode.
“Phoebe, stay with Seven. Kathryn,
get back downstairs and finish your breakfast. You’re going to need to tell me what Seven was used to eating on Voyager.
As soon as you’ve finished eating, I’ll send Phoebe to the market for what we’ll need. You’ll also
need to notify Kate and your EMH that Seven’s awake. Do you know if she likes soup, Kathryn? I’ll need to get
a couple of loaves of bread started.” She headed for her command center in the kitchen at full steam. Both her daughters
grinned at each other and then hustled to obey her orders.
Later that afternoon Kathryn was reading
at Seven’s bedside when she awoke again. Unable to suppress the grin that had been on her face since that morning, she
sat on the side of the bed and held Seven’s hand.
“How are you feeling?”
“I am…fatigued. My cortical
node is fully functional, as are my implants, but I can’t account for the weariness I feel.”
“Seven, you’re going to feel
that way for a while. The EMH and Admiral Pulaski – you don’t know her, but she’s Director of Starfleet
Medical – they had you in surgery for almost twelve hours regenerating your implants. They kept you unconscious so your
body would have a chance to reintegrate the new implants. When we brought you here you regenerated for a week, and when they
were satisfied with the surgical repair you were allowed to wake up. You’re going to have to concentrate on eating and
sleeping for the next little while and give your body a chance to heal. You’re not supposed to force your nanoprobes
to do it for you. Your cortical node needs to have minimal tasking for a time. The Doctor and Admiral Pulaski will be along
later this evening to talk to you and explain everything.”
“I must eat and sleep? That seems
an inefficient means of recovery.”
“It may be inefficient, but it’s
what us humans do when we’ve been seriously ill or injured. I know you think your Borg parts should be better than that,
and they will be soon, but for right now, can I get you to go along with what the doctors want? Believe me, my mother loves
to cook and you’ll get the best food in the galaxy.”
Seven regarded her former commanding officer
with twinkling eyes. “You have said many times that your mother is an accomplished cook. Has she never tried to teach
you to use a replicator properly? If memory serves, some of your culinary efforts on Voyager were…less than acceptable.”
Kathryn feigned shock, her grin belying
the tone of her voice. “Gretchen Janeway? The last of the great Traditionalist chefs? Use a replicator? NEVER!” Her grin was so broad it threatened to split her face. “Seriously, Seven, my mother
cooks from scratch. She doesn’t use a replicator. In fact, since you woke up this morning she’s been cooking like
a madwoman. She sent Phoebe to the market this morning with a shopping list as long as your arm. You’re going to be
fed like you never thought possible. Just close your eyes and inhale. Tell me what you smell.”
Seven obediently closed her eyes and inhaled
deeply. “Something meat based I think, and another scent I can’t identify, but it is almost…intoxicating.”
“That, my dear Astrometrics wizard,
is homemade bread. All I have to do is stick my head out the door and let Mom know you’re awake and she will be right
upstairs with a bowl of beef barley soup and a couple of slabs of still warm from the oven bread slathered in butter. Are
you hungry? Shall I call her?”
“I AM hungry, Captain. And I would
very much like to try this homemade bread and soup.”
“Seven, I’m not your captain
any longer. Would you call me Kathryn?”
“You will always be my Captain. But yes, I will call you Kathryn while we are in your home.”
Janeway nodded, still grinning from ear
to ear. “Acceptable. Now, let me help you sit up. You can’t eat lying down in bed.” She piled pillows behind
Seven and helped her ease herself back against them. When the former drone was settled comfortably she tucked the covers neatly
around her.
“Okay, are you ready for the invasion?
I’m sure Phoebe and Mom will want to talk to you.”
“I would very much like to get to
know your mother and sister, Kathryn. I owe you all a great deal.”
“You don’t owe us a thing,
Seven. When I think about what they tried to do to you…but you and I will
need to talk about that later. There are some things we can’t discuss in front of Mom and Phoebe. Do you understand
that?”
“Yes, I do, Kathryn. I wish to know
everything that happened, but I can wait. Please notify your mother that I am awake and…hungry,” she said with
her characteristic small smile.
Janeway went out into the hall and called
downstairs to her mother. Gretchen appeared in moments and quickly climbed the stairs bearing a large tray.
“Good afternoon, Seven. Feeling more
rested now?”
“Yes, Mrs. Janeway, Gretchen. I am feeling more rested. And also hungry.”
“Well, I’ve got just the thing.
Some hot soup and homemade bread. Kathryn, sit in the chair. I’ll take care of Seven while you eat.”
Gretchen set the tray on Seven’s
lap and handed Janeway a steaming bowl of soup. She sat on the edge of the bed and handed another to Seven. To the young woman’s
dismay, her hands trembled with the weight of it. Gretchen took it from her smoothly and picked up a spoon.
“Forgive me, dear. I forgot that
after a long sleep no one has their coordination for a while. Let me help you.”
She began to feed Seven spoonfuls of the rich soup.
Janeway leaned forward and snagged a piece
of bread from the tray. “Mom, this was probably the thing I missed most out in the Delta Quadrant, your homemade bread.
God, it’s wonderful!”
“Thank you, Kathryn. It’s nice
to know that even if you can’t cook yourself that you at least appreciate it when someone else does,” Gretchen
teased. “Here Seven, try some and tell me what you think.” She handed the young woman a thick slice of warm bread
with melted butter. Seven took a big bite and sighed blissfully as she chewed.
“Gretchen, this is…it is…beyond
delicious! I do not have words to describe how wonderful your bread tastes.”
Janeway laughed. “Careful, Seven.
She’ll feed you so much of it you’ll have to watch out for your figure.”
“Hush, Kathryn. The girl needs to
gain some weight. Why, she’s just skin and bones!”
The corners of Seven’s mouth quirked
upwards, which for her was a huge smile. “Technically, Gretchen, I am skin and bones and several newly-regenerated Borg
implants.” The laughter brightened the room as they ate. Phoebe joined them a few minutes later with fresh paint smears
on her tee-shirt. Seven regarded them quizzically and asked about their origin.
“Hasn’t Kathryn told you anything
about me except that I was the bane of her existence as a child? I’m an artist, Seven. I moved back here several years
ago and built my house about a quarter of a mile away near the pond. I converted what used to be a chicken coop into my studio.
I was working there when I got hungry and came up to the house to see what Mom had on the stove.”
“Phoebe’s last show in Paris
was a huge success,” Gretchen told her proudly. “Not only did she receive great critical acclaim, she was asked
to give a series of lectures at the Gallerie Nationale.”
Phoebe grinned at her mother’s obvious
bias. “Yeah, it never ceases to amaze me what a few good critical reviews do for your reputation and your bank account. But seriously, Seven, when you’re back on your feet I’ll take you to my studio.
I’d love for you to pose for me sometime if you wouldn’t mind.”
Seven frowned at the request. “I
do not believe I would enjoy…posing for you, Phoebe. I would not be…comfortable…on a couch for any length
of time.”
The Janeways looked confused at her response
until the light bulb went off in Kathryn’s head and she began to laugh. “Oh, Seven, I’d almost forgotten
that!” And she told them the story of the EMH deciding that he should be able to daydream and how his daydreams had
taken over his primary programming. Her descriptions of his daydreamed exploits as the Emergency Command Hologram and as a
Renaissance painter with Seven as his nude model in the holodeck made Phoebe laugh so hard she collapsed across the foot of
the bed in mirth.
“Don’t worry, Seven,”
she gasped between hoots of laughter, “I don’t do nudes. I’d just want to sketch you. You could stand or
sit in a chair, and you’d keep your clothes on!”
“In that case, Phoebe, I would be
glad to pose for you when I am ‘back on my feet’.”
The conversation and good food made time
pass quickly and Seven was amazed to discover that she had managed to eat an entire bowl of soup and two pieces of bread.
Gretchen noticed the wisps of fatigue in her eyes, however, and promptly ordered everyone out so Seven could nap until dinner.
Kathryn lingered after Gretchen and Phoebe had taken their leave with the much lightened tray and helped get Seven settled
for sleep.
“I know this is hard for you, Seven.
But I promise to keep my sister and mother from bothering you too much until you feel strong enough to deal with them.”
“Your mother and sister are wonderful,
Kathryn, and they are anything but a bother. If I am upset it is with the weakness in myself.”
“Just rest. You’ll feel stronger
every day.”
Seven glanced around the room as Janeway
moved to close the curtains and dim the afternoon light that poured in.
“Is this the guest quarters of your
home?”
Janeway chuckled. “No. In fact, this
is my bedroom. I grew up in this room.”
Seven looked alarmed and made as if to
get out of bed. “Then I should move to an appropriate place. I don’t wish to keep you from your room!”
“Settle down, just settle down. You’re
not keeping me from my room. I’m sleeping in the guest room across the hall. It’s no bother. When we brought you
here my room was made up, but the guest room wasn’t. It’s no big deal. Just lay back and sleep. If you feel strong
enough after you eat some dinner we can talk about what happened to you.”
Seven eased back down into the comfortable
bed. “I would like that very much. My internal chronometer is functional, but I am not sure of what day this is or how
much time has passed since…”
“It’s the eleventh day since
they abducted you. B’Elanna discovered your disappearance the following Monday morning. By the time we got you back
to Starfleet Medical you were in surgery until early Tuesday morning. We brought you here and you were regenerating for seven
days. That ended yesterday afternoon. This morning you woke up. For the time being you don’t need to worry about anything
more than that, okay? You just sleep when you’re tired, and eat as much as you can, and you’ll be fully functional
again in no time.”
Seven smiled at the compact woman. “Is
that an order, Captain?”
“Do I need to make it one?”
“No, but I am…unaccustomed
to sleeping very much. I do not know if I will be able to comply with the medical orders to do so.”
“Just relax. If you’re tired,
you’ll fall asleep. Trust me. Would you like for me to stay here with you until you do?”
“I…that would be…acceptable,
Kathryn. Thank you.”
Janeway settled back in the bedside chair
and took hold of Seven’s hand. Her smile was the last thing Seven saw as she drifted off to sleep.
