Flashback - Diane Carey [13]
"It's almost. . . it's almost over . . ."
The Doctor frowned with curious concern. "Are you in some kind of mental connection with Mr. Tuvok?"
She moaned as the last of the vision dissolved and she could once again see only the bright sickbay around her. Her head lolled for a moment, and she drew a long, steadying breath.
"It's over . . ."
"Do you believe you're in contact with him?" he asked again, determined to get any data she could give.
He maneuvered her to sit on an examining couch and immediately ran a bio-scanner along her upper body and head.
"No . . . no," she said vaguely, "not exactly contact. But that memory of the little girl came into my mind the same as it came into Tuvok's. I could feel what she felt as she was about to be dropped to her death . . . I could feel it!"
"You couldn't possibly have felt anything," the Doctor said. "You were here in sickbay all the time. So was Tuvok."
"But we weren't-not in our minds! Some kind of
a connection has happened between us. I don't understand, but it's true!"
"Not a complete surprise. As an Ocampa, you have some telepathic abilities," the Doctor pointed out clinically. "If his telepathic barriers are collapsing, he could be assaulting your mind without even intending to. Vulcans aren't very good at handling intense feelings, as we know." He stopped scanning and pinned her with a teacherly glower. "I should notify the captain about this, you know. I should also speak to Mr. Tuvok. Perhaps there's some sort of control he can exert over himself to keep from affecting you."
"No-" Kes reached out and caught his hand. "No, please, don't tell anyone. It's just a dream, some kind of illusion or vision. I can deal with it. If Mr. Tuvok is ill, he shouldn't have any additional stress put on him. This isn't hurting me, not really. Really, it's not."
"Not yet," the Doctor corrected, tucking his chin like a scolding uncle. "The captain has a right to know that an additional member of the crew has been put at risk."
She shook her blond head. "But I'm not at risk. It's only pictures in my head."
He raised the med scanner. "On the contrary, your heart rate and all bio signs are extremely elevated. You had a massive physical reaction that I cannot, as a physician, ignore."
With a so-there bob of his eyebrows, he started to turn away. "Sickbay to-"
"No, wait!" Kes called, leaning forward. "You can't tell anyone. You're not allowed to."
The Doctor paused and waited to see if that particular sentence were going to explain itself.
When it didn't, he asked, "I beg your pardon?"
"Your medical ethics subroutine," Kes said evenly, "should prevent you from breaching doctor-patient confidentiality unless I'm unconscious, and then only with next of kin. Isn't that right?"
The Doctor flattened his lips again. "As a matter of fact, it is not. Starfleet has never acknowledged the doctor-patient relationship as privileged for fear that withheld information could possibly jeopardize lives."
"Then do it for me."
"So you want me to withhold vital information from the captain?"
"Just for the time being. She already has so much to worry about. . . and Mr. Tuvok is so troubled. I assure you, Doctor, once we take care of him and solve his problem, I'll be fine."
"Agreed. But if the situation worsens, I may renege on our agreement," the Doctor said doubtfully. "Your reaction was a dangerous one. Your metabolism shot off the chart in every direction, completely overstressed, as if you'd had the fright of your life."
The Doctor seemed very dissatisfied, and for a few moments he was silent.
"I will comply with your wishes, Kes," he said after a few moments, "but if this happens again, I'll treat you as I see fit. If your metabolic rate shoots up
as it just did, I'll sedate you and bring it down. Do you understand?"
"That's all right," she said, offering him a smile for a truce. "As long as you don't say anything to anyone else about this until Mr. Tuvok is out of danger."