Breating But Not Alive

[DrDMatthews 0]

Like a wobbling baseball, the explosion hurled the little escape pod far way from its point of departure. The front window, though small, was large enough to allow the passengers to see the thousands of pieces of debris race by, the remains of what had been their ship....the place where they worked....where they played....where they lived and loved.

 

The explosion marked the death of the USS Reaent. Dr. Deborah Matthews looked aft and closed her eyes as the pod heaved in every direction while fighting desperately to keep her stomach where it belonged. She had no desire to see the skin and bones of the Reaent tossed aimlessly through space. She counted to thirty before daring to open her eyes again.

 

There were only twenty-three beings on this particular pod. The majority were from Sickbay. Merina sat across from Deb. The Caitian physician leaned forward, her paws clasped tightly, her eyes closed. There were six or seven other members of her staff along with several patients they'd managed to rescue. The remainder of the passengers were from various departments....a couple from ops and science and three engineers. One of the engineers had taken the helm.

 

All of those in this escape pod were breathing. Their hearts and lungs and other bodily functions were performing within acceptable parameters. They had survived. But one look in their eyes showed they weren't really alive. The former CMO of the late USS Reaent understood how they felt. She had no idea what horrors some of the passengers had witnessed. But if they were as horrific as what she and her staff had just gone through, there was no telling when or if they would recover from the trauma.

 

They'd called all of the medical staff to Sickbay immediately after Deb was notified of the Romulans sudden re-appearance. A few who had been off duty managed to make it but most did not. She had no direct knowledge of how seriously the ship was damaged. But she'd been around long enough to know they'd been badly compromised. She assumed many of her staff were unable to get to Sickbay because of the destruction.

 

And then half of Sickbay disintegrated in flash of smoke and light. Many of the patients who were still in the medical facility as well as a good number of her staff were killed before the force fields engaged saving the rest of them from the vacuum of space. Before they abandoned ship, she'd taken a long look at what remained of her Sickbay to insure nobody alive was left behind. That was just a few minutes ago. It wasn't until now that she was able to recall who might be missing.

 

Rocco Studly, Russ Eckert and Miles Linkowitz....three of her top physicians were in Sickbay prior to the blast. They didn't exit with the survivors. Neither did Grace Allen, the Chief Nurse and one of Debbie's closest friends. There were so many others whose names flashed through her consciousness. She could only hope some of them made it to escape pods from wherever they were when the order came down.

 

But the greatest fear for Debbie Matthews wasn't her staff or her patients. Though she cared deeply about them, her thoughts quickly turned to her husband, the ship's XO, who undoubtedly was on the bridge during the attack. Did anyone on the bridge live through this ordeal? Did Aidan survive? Had her worst nightmare just come true?

 

She forced those questions from her mind. There were more pressing issues to worry about. They were deep in Romulan space, that much she was sure of. The ships responsible for Reaent's destruction were nearby. There would be no escape from them, not in these little pods. They would be captured by their enemy and interrogated... all of them....some would be tortured. She wondered if perhaps it would have been better to die with the ship.

 

But Deb Matthews had managed to live. She was a lieutenant commander in Starfleet. After their capture, many of her shipmates would look to her for guidance. It was essential she maintain her composure in order to survive. In spite of her best efforts, her thoughts again turned to Aidan. Would he be among the prisoners? If he was, would she ever know? Would she have an opportunity to see him.....to speak to him? Or he would be among the first to undergo interrogation......interrogation he probably wouldn't survive.

 

Her eyes misted and she squeezed them shut to prevent any tears from escaping. But there was no way to quell the fear and grief cinching her heart like a powerful vise. She was breathing...her heart was beating....but she wouldn't be alive until she was again with her husband. And Deb knew that might never happen. Again she wondered if she would have been better off dying with her ship.