Possession - J.M. Dillard [71]
“Deanna, are you all right?”
Troi shook her head. “I’m afraid your drug wasn’t the perfect solution to my problems.”
Beverly immediately produced her medi-scanner and waved it over Troi. “More bad dreams?”
“Only one, about my mother. It was very disturbing.”
A ghost of Beverly’s smile returned. “Well, considering how your mother and you get along, that’s not surprising.”
Deanna shook her head. “You know how it is in some dreams, where everything isn’t as it seems? Well, this was Mother, but at the same time, it wasn’t. We were on Vulcan, and Lwaxana was acting like a Vulcan!”
Beverly raised auburn brows in surprise. “Lwaxana? I can’t think of a more un-Vulcanlike person!”
Deanna had to smile. “True. Still, it was very upsetting. She kept trying to tell me something, show me something, but I couldn’t understand. Then it started getting mixed up with those terrible memories of Skel.” She paused at the sight of Crusher, frowning at the medi-scanner. “What is it? What’s it telling you?”
“According to the readouts,” Beverly said solemnly, “you never dreamed at all last night. You have some new memories, but there’s no sign of dream activity.”
Deanna tensed, remembering: Lwaxana had insisted that what she was experiencing was not a dream.
“I certainly don’t need this medi-scanner to know you’re upset,” Beverly said, though she never raised her eyes to Deanna’s face. “And there’s a considerable depletion of the neurotransmitter necessary for telepathy and empathy. That alone can cause intense anxiety. Let me give you something that will relax you, stimulate your neurotransmitter production, and dampen your ability to sense others around you. That would help prevent further depletion. Also, I’d recommend another leisurely day in your quarters until you’re back to normal.”
Deanna was suddenly flooded with the sensation that Beverly was being dishonest with her. She also sensed a contained hunger that surprised and confused her. She frowned, deliberately probing her friend more deeply. The strange impressions faded, leaving only the normal sense of doctorly concern and the strong desire that Deanna follow her advice so she might get well. Deanna found herself disbelieving her own senses.
And then she remembered Lwaxana’s warning. Do not look them in the eye, any of them. Do not let them touch you. And above all, shelter your mind.
Troi struggled to make sense of it, any of it, as she felt her grip on reality fading.
“Deanna, please,” Beverly murmured, closing in with the hypospray. “It’s normal to feel suspicious, even paranoid, under these conditions. But this will make you feel better, give you time to shake this confusion and start to recover. I’m your doctor and your friend. Let me help you.”
Deanna took a step back, moving out of reach. “I don’t want that, Beverly, thank you.”
For an instant, she got a flash of emotion: Beverly intended to force the drug on her.
Abruptly, the bell chimed again, and the sensation vanished.
Beverly lowered the hypo and smiled. “Of course, Deanna. But, please, if you’re having problems, come see me. I can help alleviate some of what you’re going through. Isn’t that what you’d recommend to one of your patients?”
“Yes, of course,” Deanna agreed, as the bell chimed again. “Who is it?”
“Commander Data.”
“Come in,” Deanna called. The thought of spending time with the one person she could sense nothing from was suddenly a tremendous relief.
“Counselor,” Data began, as soon as he’d entered the room, “Captain Picard—Oh, hello, Doctor! I do hope I am not interrupting—”
“No, that’s fine, Data,” Beverly told him, shifting her weight as if to leave. “I was just on my way out.”
The android addressed them both. “Captain Picard wishes to meet with all senior officers in the conference room immediately. The captain paged you, Counselor, but you did not answer. He was afraid your medication might cause you to sleep through the page and asked me to come get you. I suspect you already know about the meeting, Doctor?”
“Yes, Data,