Waking Up

Nurse Betty stayed by his side for as long as allowed.  April was grateful.  Betty was Jenna's right arm in sickbay and seeing him brought nearly as much comfort as the vampire herself.  Betty had a tender side most didn't get to see, something April himself never knew as they spoke rarely before that.  He cared.  He had to, as a nurse.  They conversed lightly, with Betty saying little of himself, let alone how he got such an odd name for an Andorian – something that had been on many a mind, April's included.  He suspected it wasn't the Andorian's real name, yet Betty in typical Betty fashion wouldn't say, and April didn't pry.

Betty had asked if he felt any different with the Borg node removed.  April wasn't sure.  It was like brain-damage, or being under the effects of a mind-altering drug, he supposed.  How could one tell the difference in one's own mind, if the mind had been altered?  He still remembered everything.  His answer had to be, he felt no different.

And yet, somehow, he did.  He felt... lighter.  Warmer.  More... whole.

Ironic.  Having something removed made him more complete.

Turning his head on the pillow, he regarded the tall Angelite at the door.  They left her in the room to keep watch.  It was worried April's officers might get daring and try to rescue him again.  Angelites had a rugged sort of beauty, being the dominant gender on their homeworld, Angel One.  April met an Angelite ambassador during the admission talks when Angel One joined the Federation and was immediately smitten with her.  She wanted nothing to do with him.  He was too domineering for her tastes and she preferred submissive males.

The Angelite guard glanced his way, hands folded neatly behind her back, and with a controlled voice said, "Is there anything you require, sir?"  Through that steel exterior, there was admiration.  April had seen it enough over the years that it stood out.

He eyed the replicator on the wall, at the foot of the bed.  "I could go for a Tarkalian muffin and some raktajino."  How long had it been since he consumed his usual morning fare?  That, he could not recall with clarity.  It had been a long time.

She nodded and moved to the replicator.  This was one of her duties, to get him sustenance.  And she – an Angelite who came from a world where women dominated men, as men once dominated women centuries ago on Earth – served him without batting an eyelash.  Handing him the plate and setting the mug on the bed-stand, she returned to her post at the door and stared ahead, out the same window.

Biting into the muffin, he remembered the taste at last... rich vitamin-thick bran with a touch of garlic... and washed it down with the pungent Klingon coffee.  It was good.  Brought back memories.

Memories like the first time he met Jenna Starr in this life.  He had been out and about, inspecting Arcadia prior to launch, getting to know the faces.  He saw Starr, recognizing her instantly – from files, he thought at the time, but looking back, it was one more vivid example of their mutual connection superceding the ages.  Something about her captured him instantly.  Indicating the empty seat across from her he had said, "Mind if I join you, Doctor?"

Jenna looked up at him – "Not at all, sir." – and smiled as he sat down next to her to enjoy a Tarkalian muffin, Klingon coffee, and the rich lovely warmth of a woman he had once loved, and would love again.

April found himself smiling, staring out the window again, thinking how good those times were.  If only he could get it back.  If only he could be who he was truly meant to be, again.