Fool me once, shame on you...

[ma_capitaine]

Who:  Kathryn Janeway, Gul Dukat, Elim Garak
Where: Inside Dukat's Room, Hallways and Lift
When:  Late Afternoon, following the events of this post
What:  In trying to fix the mess the hotel has caused, Janeway bites off more than she can chew again, Dukat evens the score, and Garak settles some accounts.

Comments

[only_human]

Julian was in 'professional doctor mode' now and went about assessing the situation with confidence and authority. Julian knew triage. He was an expert. To glance at a crowd of victims of a disaster and be able to ascertain which patients needed immediate medical care and which ones could wait a reasonable amount of time for treatment was vital for someone operating as a CMO on a busy station such as Deep Space Nine.

Both were in an upright position and walking. That was a good sign. From what he could tell of Garak as he breezed through the living area on his way to his room, he seemed to be less affected than Kathryn.

Another observation: Garak did not want to be bothered. He had retreated to his room. Simple enough. Kathryn, in her own way, was clearly on the same page as Garak, though she had no where to run. Her appearance and body language spoke volumes. His heart went out to her as he struggled to keep his professional distance.

He looked at her but did not say a word. When she handed him the phaser, he took it silently. But now he learned that Garak's hand was cut and that put him needing care first. He walked to Garak's door and knocked lightly.

"Garak? If you'd like me to treat your hand, let me in or come out here when you're ready!" He wasn't going to hold his breath. Walking back to Kathryn, Julian gave her a long visual assessment, but kept his distance. He needed to know where she was emotionally.

"Are you hurt?"

[code_obsidian]

Garak cleaned his hand thoroughly and clenched a clean washcloth to staunch the bleeding. It had been a shallow cut that wouldn't need anything beyond basic attention to keep it from getting infected. He knew, however, that the doctor and possibly the admiral would worry if he didn't at least give Bashir a chance to look at it. He had caused both of them enough grief for one night.

Emerging back into the front room, he held his hand out and peeled back the washcloth enough so that Bashir could see the cut. He refrained from giving his own opinion of it other than to say, "It's not very painful. I'm not concerned about it."

[ma_capitaine]

Janeway looked down at her wrists for a moment and then back at Bashir. There was no point in hiding it or trying to make excuses. She started to offer Bashir one when Garak reentered the room to show his wounded hand to the doctor. She stepped back for him to see to the Cardassian first.

[only_human]

Julian was pleasantly surprised to see Garak emerge from his room. Usually, when wanting to be alone, the tailor was quick with an excuse for why he didn't need Julian around and seeing him this cooperative almost made Julian suspicious.

He made his way over to his coat that he'd removed earlier to get his tricorder. When he reached in the pocket, he jerked his hand back and hissed, as if he'd been bitten.

"What the hell is that?"

Reaching back in, he pulled out the tricorder and a dermal regenerator. He held up the dermal regenerator for both Kathryn and Garak to see.

"Wha ...? This ... this was not in my pocket earlier." A chill ran down his spine and he shivered. He closed his eyes for several seconds and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, it was clear he was in no mood for hotel games.

"When we were in the infirmary, did either one of you place this in my coat pocket?"

[code_obsidian]

"No," Garak said, shaking his head. "We also removed your tricorder from your pocket." He shrugged. "Somehow, those who run this place manage to move entire rooms. I'm not going to quibble about small pieces of medical equipment. I suggest you don't let it rattle you." He clenched the washcloth in his palm once more and folded his arms. "As you can see, I'm fine. Please, just tend to Admiral Janeway."

[only_human]

"I'm not rattled as much as angry. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the dermal regenerator appeared in my pocket; I just don't care for being manipulated."

As he spoke, he walked towards Garak with the device. "Don't be difficult, Garak. A few passes of this over the wound and you'll be fine. It will only take a moment."

Julian placed a hand on the Cardassian's forearm and gave it a gentle tug. "Come on, Garak. Let me treat you."

[code_obsidian]

What he had said before leaving the room and the expression on the doctor's face at that time factored heavily into the fact that he allowed the man to pull his arm free of its wrap. He unclenched his fist and peeled the washcloth away silently, his gaze resting on Bashir's shoulder rather than his face. He felt a deeper stab of guilt about the admiral, as well. She truly needed the doctor right now. Instead, the time and attention was being wasted on him, when he neither needed nor deserved it.

[ma_capitaine]

Janeway watched the exchange, focusing on anything that would distract her from thinking about all that had happen since the three of them had sat down for breakfast. She was about to encourage Garak to simply let Julian examine his hand when the Cardassian relented.

She walked a slow circle around the sitting area while they were busy, passing her eyes over Garak's desk and assortment of tools needed to measure, cut, and mend clothes all primly set about it's surface. Brightly colored fabrics were ordered by textures and shades of color in neat little piles on shelves. There were no scraps lying around, threads dangling on anything. The Cardassian appeared to like his things tidy.

Bringing order to chaos.

Janeway stilled a little, closing her eyes against the phantom that passed by her. The admiral reminded herself sternly that the voices were just her imagination getting the better of her.

She turned away from Garak's work and decided to sit on the edge of a chair, watching the doctor work. It was a relief to her cramped limbs.

[only_human]

As Julian used the dermal regenerator to clean, close, and dissolve the scar tissue on Garak's palm, his mind churned. He knew Kathryn would need the most care and getting Garak's minor wound out of the way would allow him to give Kathryn his undivided attention. She looked shattered. He needed to know what went on up there.

A few more passes of the device and there was no trace of the cut. "There you are, Garak! Good as new!" He turned and made his way towards Kathryn.

"Now, someone needs to tell me what went on up there with Dukat so that I may treat my patient properly." Julian walked over to the chair where she sat and noticed her wrists for the first time. Compassion shown in his eyes that was quickly replaced with anger.

He took her left wrist gently in his hand and managed not to raise his voice, though his words dripped with venom. "What did that bastard do to you?"

[code_obsidian]

"Thank you, Doctor," he said automatically. As soon as Bashir stated that somebody needed to tell him what happened, he took the opportunity to retreat back to his bathroom, ostensibly to wash out the bloody washcloth. In reality, he wanted to give Janeway the opportunity to say as much or as little as she wished without having to worry about what he might add or withhold. As far as he was concerned, most of what happened with Dukat wasn't his to tell. She had seemed embarrassed enough being found by him in such a compromising position. He had absolutely no intention of adding insult to injury.

[ma_capitaine]

Janeway's jaw tightened. Garak had left her again to the mercy of Bashir, giving her privacy that she both desperately wanted and at the same time, loathed. He wasn't going to say anything about the rescue, either because he didn't think it was his place or he was trying to respect what dignity she had left.

She looked down at the wrist Bashir was holding. She knew exactly why it was mangled worse than the other, still pulsed with a dull throb from having jerked in a completely reflexive action to defend herself. And then chafed it raw trying to squeeze free of the restraints.

It bolstered her confidence. While even trapped with no means of escape, she had still tried to fight her way out.

"He lead me to believe he was hurt, worse than you described." Janeway said, her voice calm, the tone one of straight fact. "He had your phaser, on heavy stun. When I came to, he had tied me up. We...he talked. Asked questions. Picked and pried at all manner of things he shouldn't have known about." The admiral continued, leaving out the fact it was a bed and not a chair or the floor, and then added with a touch of annoyance. "I personally believe he enjoys the sound of his own voice."

Janeway grimaced at that, hearing in perfect clarity the Gul's whispered question, breath against her skin as he spoke. It was possibly the most chilling thing that had occur the whole night besides everything else he had said, done, and threatened to do.

Are billions of voices so easy to expunge for good?

"I did most of this, trying to get free." Janeway confessed, shutting out the voice and the ones surging behind it. "Jerked my hand trying to hit him."

[only_human]

Still facing Kathryn, Julian heard Garak leave the room. He sighed and mumbled his reply under his breath. "You're welcome, Garak. Good-bye, Garak."

He knew Garak was facing his own demons. He also knew how infuriated Dukat made the tailor. Now that he was tended to, Julian knew it would be best to leave him alone, no matter how much he wanted to help. Kathryn needed him now and he had no idea what Dukat had done to her.

After hearing her telling of what happened, Julian's heart went cold. "As if you don't have enough to deal with. I'm sorry, Kathryn. When I'm done here, he's going to wish he'd stayed away from you."

He worked quietly and methodically on her wrists, his touch tender, yet firm. When he was certain there was no trace left of the abuse she'd sustained, he paused. His mind began running through the many ways he could make Dukat pay.

"What else did he do that I can't see? Show me."

He didn't want her to suffer. He was going to give her a sedative to help her sleep and something to calm her nerves. She was so fragile now and it was his duty to keep her whole.

[code_obsidian]

Garak turned the cold water in the sink on full blast, more for Janeway's benefit than any need of it. He wanted her to understand that he wasn't eavesdropping, although to do so would've been easy enough. He began soaking the washcloth, watching light pink ribbons spread in the basin. As he did so, he contemplated his own reflection, seeing the cold, collected interrogator staring back at him. Everything was under control now. Dukat would not be harming the other residents. Ultimately, it changed very little. He sagged slightly against the vanity and closed his eyes. He was just so exhausted, years worth of exhaustion lying heavy in every bone and tendon. He felt old.

[ma_capitaine]

The pain of skin rubbed raw subsided under the careful ministrations of the doctor, now erasing all evidence that she had been physically restrained. She didn't think there was any need to take off her shoes and examine her ankles, since the worn and well cared for leather had provided some projection.

"I'm...just a little sore." The admiral said. "But that is to be expected from being tied up for so long."

She reached up to her face, brushing back the locks of hair that had come loose during the whole ordeal. Janeway heard water running just beyond the sitting room and hazard a guess that Garak was busying himself with something to otherwise drown out what either party was doing.

Janeway considered telling Julian the rest. He was a doctor, already tasked with trying to help her confront her dealings with the Borg. Did he really need to know what Dukat did...which honestly wasn't a lot but still made her skin crawl and blood run cold at the mere implications as to where everything could have led. She very much wanted to go back to her room and take a shower, put on anything that wasn't what she was wearing now, and throw herself into some kind of pointless research or project to stave off sleep.

She glanced over her shoulder to Garak's bedroom door and then back at the doctor. "I believe we have overstayed our welcome, doctor. I think it's best we carry on somewhere else." If the Cardassian saw fit to leave her some privacy, Janeway felt it was appropriate giving what had happen, to do the same.

[only_human]

Julian nodded solemnly. "You're right. I'll just get my coat and tricorder." As he did so, he looked for signs from Kathryn that might suggest what it was she wanted to do.

"Do you want to be alone or would you rather be with someone to keep your mind occupied? I'm more than happy to keep you company. It would be an honor." He gave her his most charming smile, in spite of his anger with Dukat, and smoothed down an unruly piece of her hair from her brow.

"Whatever you decide, I want to give you a sedative to help you sleep and something to relax your nerves, but you need to try and eat something first."

With his coat draped over one arm, Julian opened the door for Kathryn. "Lead the way, McDuff."

[code_obsidian]

He knew he couldn't leave the water running for too long without raising suspicion that something was amiss. Leaving the washcloth to finish soaking, he shut off the water but made no move to rejoin them in the front. He had nothing to say and nothing he really wanted to hear from either of them. He knew he'd have to deal with the consequences of what he had said to Bashir. He was not going to do it with an audience.