From: Naomi (naomi_lara_at_optusnet.com.au)
Date: Sat Aug 18 2007 - 05:24:16 PDT
"The Long and Meaningless Post Title for the Post Where Daniel Regains Consciousness" Con't from Erik's "Honor Before Glory " Location: USS PATRIOT Stardate: 2422 [2.7] 0818.0713 Scene: Clarkson/Jade Quarters Nancy walked into the quarters normally shared by Catherine and Daniel, her and Marty having temporarily borrowed them for what they thought would be a brief stay on ship. Catherine was right on her heels and indeed after Catherine had seen Daniel in the sickbay, few words had been exchanged between the two as they walked back to the quarters. There was an unspoken agreement between the two of them that the conversation that was about to take place was to be private, so there was no need for words. Marty was seated on the couch as they walked in, reading a PADD. He looked up briefly and then did a double take when he saw Catherine, getting up off the couch and staring at her in surprise. "Hey Catherine," he said. "When did you get in?" "Just now." The woman replied with a faint smile, but it quickly disappeared. They had bigger issues now then honouring pleasantries. "Why haven't you authorised the surgery? The CMO made the risks quite clear." Catherine stated as she glanced at her mother and brother-in-law. They had been with Daniel for a couple of days, and had not yet made a decision. "Catherine, you do realise that Ensign Dugan said that if Daniel comes out of this without some form of neurological damage, it will be a miracle?" Nancy went to sit by her son, kneading her hands in her lap out of nervousness. "If we do nothing, he stays in a vegetative state for the rest of his life. He is as good as dead. The surgery will give him a chance to live." Sterling replied, shaking her head slightly. "There will be neural damage Catherine! The question will be how much!" "He may as well be dead then." Nancy sighed, shaking her head slightly. "I am wondering," she said. "If he would rather be dead, or alive but potentially unable to walk or potentially unable to do any one of a thousand different things." She sighed again, burying her head in her hands. "I don't know what he would want," she said, her voice cracking. "That's why I couldn't make a decision." "That's a risk I know he would want us to take. He's young and strong, his chances for minimal damage are good." Catherine softened her stance a little. Coming home to learn that her husband was kept alive by medical technology had been difficult. But to have to make this decision was harder still. "Nancy, Marty, Daniel is a marine. A soldier. This is just another battle to be waged and won. Give him the chance to win it." She studied both of them, willing for them to agree with her on this. She knew this is what Daniel would have done had the situation be reversed. Damage can be repaired, or shouldered as a burden. Severe damage would be life changing, but all she could do was hope that it wouldn't come to that. She needed Daniel to be okay. Nancy looked up at Catherine again, before turning her gaze downward. "You're his wife," she said. "You probably know him better than I do now...if this is what you think he would want, then I won't stand in your way." "I know him as well as you do. Less so. You're his mother, I can't compete with that." Sterling replied, trying to soothe the other woman who might have been feeling a little railroaded into her decision. "You know Daniel, so what would he do? What would he really do? Don't think like his mother, think like him. What would he do?" Catherine finished quietly. Nancy was quiet for a very long time, slowly admitting to herself the truth she hadn't wanted to face before. "If there was a chance of him recovering, even with the chance of neurological damage, he would still want to take that chance," she admitted. She sighed. "He was always so vibrant, so full of life," she said. "Even through the worst times of the separation and divorce, he maintained that zest for life. And I realize now that he would take any chance he could get; I just was afraid to admit it in light of the potential complications until you got here." Catherine smiled, partly in joy and partly in relief. "Thank you, you've made the right decision." =/\= Time Index: After Surgery Scene: Sickbay =/\= Daniel's eyes opened slowly and even slower, he took a look around the room. He was disorientated and confused and while he was able to eventually recognized the sickbay, he had no idea why he was here. "Dr. Clarkson?" a face and a pair of eyes appeared in Daniel's field of vision. "I'm Dr. Dugan. What's the last thing that you remember?" "I..." Daniel's voice was hoarse from not speaking for days. "Essentialists...in the cargo bay. We were arresting them for disturbing the peace and trying to incite riots." Dugan nodded, momentarily looking away from Daniel to someone that Daniel could not see from his restrained position. "I guess that means his memory hasn't really suffered that much." She turned back to Daniel and very quickly explained what had happened to him since that memory. Daniel tried to listen, but he found that he was still exhausted and he slowly drifted back off into sleep. The moment Tessa saw this, she frowned slightly, the frown disappearing when she checked the monitors. "Well," she said, turning around to see Catherine and Nancy. "He should make a decent recovery; quite a bit better than we expected or could have realistically hoped for. If you want, you may wait around for him to wake up and talk to him then, but if you do, don't tire him out with too many questions." She looked at them both with a stern expression. "He might be your husband and your son, but as long as he's here he's my patient." with that, she walked away and into her office. In spite of herself, Nancy found herself laughing. "I've heard Daniel say the same thing to relatives of his patients before," she said. Catherine smiled as they took up positions on both sides of the bed to wait for Daniel to wake up again. "She means well." The woman replied quietly and settled into the chair as comfortably as she could. "I'm sorry if you think I forced you into this decision." She said in all seriousness after a moment of silence. "You didn't," Nancy answered. "You just nudged me in the right direction." She shook her head slightly, looking at her son's sleeping form. "I guess we'll find out when he's released if there's anything permanent." Catherine nodded. They would jump that hurdle when they reached it, but until then, she had to be a little optimistic about it all. Both women lapsed into silence and just waited. There wasn't much more to be said. It might have been an hour or two later before Daniel stirred again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NRPG: That should wrap up that story line in time for the new mission :) As for the post title...in my defence, he did dare me to do it. Rahul Chandra <vrccan_at_gmail.com> Major Daniel Clarkson, MD MXO USS PATRIOT And Naomi Lara Lt. J.G. Catherine Sterling-Jade Intelligence Operative USS PATRIOT And Commodore Teneill Danara-Bennow Deputy Chief of Starfleet Intelligence From HyperNews_at_youth.net
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