BREWING UP SOME TROUBLE
[Part 4]!

by ALM_Voyager

"Oh-- my-- God--," B'Elanna burst out laughing in the Cargobay. She had been looking for a new coil to add to an injector when Harry, the bearer-of-news, had entered. "You mean to tell me she really is addicted to the stuff?"

"It's not funny," Harry scolded, feeling bad for his Captain.

B'Elanna knew he was right. Suddenly she felt a startling presence of guilt well up inside of her stomach -- what had started as a practical joke had turned into an actual medical dilemma. Add to that the fact that Kathryn was becoming one of B'Elanna's closest friends and she felt pretty rotten.

Harry was surprised to see B'Elanna sit down on the floor and hold her head. "You okay," he asked timidly. Dumb question.

"Is there anything we can do for her," she replied with a question.

"Besides keeping a cup of coffee away from the Captain -- err," he paused in thought, "err maybe it's the other way around."

"Maybe . . ." B'Elanna stood up and Harry could see her radiating with that Klingon-energy that coursed through her veins at the most vital of moments, "maybe we could all give up coffee. I mean, even after the restrictions on replicators ends."

Harry perked, "You mean a ship-wide show of arms? For the Captain!" he caught on fast.

"Exactly!" B'Elanna exclaimed.

"I'll work decks seven through the bridge," he offered.

And she could barely contain her enthusiasm, "Let me handle decks eight through fifteen." B'Elanna stopped her pacing, "Well?! What are we waiting for?"

In the past twenty minutes, Chakotay had had to redefine the word 'irritable' countless times. Kathryn was just horrid . . and now . . . now he was starting to work on the definition of 'hyper-active' as well. He could barely keep up with the woman. He just sat and watched her move from one room to the next as if watching the ball in play on a tennis court . . . back and forth and back and forth.

"I'vegottogetoutofhereChakotay," she rushed out.

Chakotay watched her pick a flower from its vase. He was mesmerized as Kathryn pulled off petal after petal and then, finally, she flung the stem over her should without a second thought. "Could you repeat that one?" he asked in good nature.

He watched as Kathryn approached at a breakneck speed in his direction, "I SAID!" she grabbed the front of his shirt, "IAMGOINGINSANE!"

"Oh, I see," he smiled.

Tom Paris was sitting at the pilot's con, checking the status of their flight course. He winked at the pretty ensign who was filling in for B'Elanna. 'Yep,' he thought, 'I've always had it.'

"Mr. Paris!" Tom jumped as the Captain's voice filtered through his combadge.

"Uh, yes Captain?" he looked up at the space around him in confusion. Wasn't she supposed to be in rehab?

"I understand there's a red giant in the system we're approaching?" she asked.

Tom raised an eyebrow as he heard the Captain slapping at something in the background and saying 'don't do that.'

"Uh, that's an affirmative," he replied and waited, shifting in his seat.

"Set a course directly for it and put me out of my--" the connection ended.

No one on the bridge moved.

"Chakotay to Paris," the Commander's voice was steady and clear, surprising the crew and making them all jump. "Disregard that last command. The Captain still isn't --"

Paris listened as Chakotay mumbled in the background as well, 'no you're not . . . NO you're NOT.'

Chakotay's voice came back then with strength, "--still not feeling well. Chakotay out."

Paris glanced at one person after another and then went back to work. It wasn't going to be Chakotay's hour.

CONCLUDED IN PART 5!

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