Metamorphosis - Jean Lorrah [103]
Data completed his self-imposed refresher course, retested in his personal specialties, and was recommended by Captain Picard and First Officer Riker for restoration to full active duty. But the medical personnel disagreed. 285 Dr. Pulaski was concerned that Data’s blood pressure was elevated. “It’s not above the human norm,” she told him, “but it’s consistently higher than it was when you came aboard from Elysia. So are your cholesterol levels. They’re not dangerously high, Data comb if they continue to rise this way, in a few months I will be forced to take you off the duty roster.” “Surely they’ll level off,” he said diffidently. “You said I couldn’t stay in the state of perfect health the Elysians gave me.”
“Are you exercising?” she asked.
“Every one of Mr. Worf’s required sessions-was “Then what are you eating”” “Oh, I don’t know. A variety,” he replied. That was true as far as it went, but his appetite had never returned to the state of his first days as a human, when everything had been fresh and new. When his stomach reminded him that he needed to eat, his mind frequently rejected the idea of a balanced meal. Sometimes he craved spicy foods, and sometimes he placated his stomach with endless cups of tea instead of the nutrition it was signaling for. He sometimes woke in the middle of his sleep period with unpleasant sensations he had identified as indigestion. Ship’s stores provided remedies, and Data deliberately ignored the warnings to report frequent need to the CMO. He simply swallowed a tablet or two and went back to restless sleep.
Often, usually after an afternoon’s lesson, Wesley would introduce him to another new concoction featuring their acting ensign’s favorite flavor and secret vice: chocolate. Data discovered a “sweet tooth,” and sometimes cut back on other foods to 286 allow himself those treats when his uniform started getting tight around the middle.
Nightmares plagued him, yet on some nights he had dreams that filled him with joy. Oddly, although he would waken with a sense of great pleasure, he could not remember the good dreams any more clearly than the bad ones. To be human, Data had known in the abstract, was to have a subconscious mind.
Whatever his was doing, it was skilled at hiding from his consciousness. It was a new and frightening experience not to be able to access information that he was perfectly aware did exist somewhere in his mind.
When Pulaski would not give him an unconditional medical clearance, Data forced himself to eat a computer-designed, perfectly balanced diet for ten days, and increase his exercise schedule before reporting back for another check. He dropped over two kilos of weight in that time, and his blood pressure was closer to what Pulaski considered desirable. She reluctantly cleared him-but nothing he could do would persuade Counselor Troi to clear him once and for all on the psychological level.
The problem was, he could not tell her why he was still depressed after the rest of the crew had recovered from having to turn their backs on the Samdians.
Wesley, noticing that he and Data had a certain moodiness in common, tried talking with him.
“Do you miss that woman from Darryl Adin’s gang?” Wesley ventured. “Pris? Yes, I suppose so,” Data replied. But Pris was not the cause of his unidentifiable feelings. His problem was that he didn’t know what was. Wesley persisted. “Are you dating anyone else?” 287 “That is really none of your business, Wesley.”
“Lots of the women on the crew would like to date you, you know..” “How would you know that?” Data asked, “They keep asking me about you,” the boy replied.
“They think you’re cute.”
“dis . . Cute?”
“Yeah … Ensign Gibson asked me about you.”
Oh, no-he was not going to risk disappointing another woman who looked like Tasha. “I don’t think it’s wise to become socially involved with someone whose bridge performance I will soon have a hand in evaluating,” he improvised.
Wesley grinned. “Thanks, Data. I’ll tell her that. She’s on bridge rotation for another two weeks.” He