620: The Accident: One

by Jariel Camen
81025.2300
After Springball

-=Takesian Plains, Bajor=-


Upon returning to the newly constructed home of Prylar Delle, Camen shared a cup of tea with the woman.

Then he gave her a box that he’d only received the day before, containing two very important items: her new orange robes, and a letter from the Central Assembly declaring that she was now to be known as Vedek Delle.

She thanked him no less than a dozen times as he tried to say goodnight, exhausted from the day’s events. As she declared that she would now pray to thank the Prophets for this blessing, Camen slipped away and headed for bed.

He laid on his cot, feeling tired but still not sleeping. Staring off into the stars, his mind once again began to remember another time.

-=Flashback, Alternate Timeline=-


Kai Jariel sat at the windowsill, staring off towards the stars beyond. He spent so much time here wondering if he was missing out on something, and if Fleur really deserved so much better than a man holding himself back for someone else that could be, as far as the Kai knew, long since dead.

So here he sat, as darkness settled over Bajor and the meetings of the day drew to a close. He looked down at the hand written note he had found in the pockets of his robes this morning.

“je t’aime.” It read simply. How he ached for the trip to Paris that was coming soon. It was different there. He was different there. The stars were different there.

The doors to the massive meeting hall flew open.

“Kai!” The guard yelled.

“I asked not to be disturbed.” Jariel said softly, knowing the perfect acoustics of the polished marble in the room would carry his voice to the visitor with ease.

“Kai, apologies, but there has been an accident.”

“An accident?” Jariel said, rising from his seat. “Where? Are there many hurt?”

“Only one my Kai, your wife.”

The color drained from Camen’s face. “What happened? No, that doesn’t matter. Is she all right?”

The guard parted his lips and shook his head, as if there were no easy way to say it.

“Is she alive?”

“Yes my Kai, but you should go to the hospital. As soon as possible.”

“Signal my transport.” Camen ordered. He tried to hurry for the door but the bulky robes weighed him down.

“Curse these.” He said in disgust. An idea occurred to him.

“Your clothing.” He ordered. Camen shed his robes, stripping to his undergarments beneath. The guard was too in shock to argue, and removed his military uniform. Quickly donning the guard’s clothes, Camen was, at last, able to move in a normal fashion.

He pounded through the hallways of the Central Temple and down to the entrance, where his personal transport awaited him. All other traffic was cleared for the Kai, and within three minutes he was already at the hospital.

“This way.” The attendant at the entrance waved Camen forth, recognizing him despite the military uniform. “You’re wife is in emergency care right now.” The man said, as he walked beside Camen.

“Is she alive?”

“Upon last update yes, she suffered severe trauma to the head.”

“She was supposed to visit the construction at the new University building today to offer the Kai’s blessing. Was there an accident?” Camen was speaking so fast he didn’t even know if he was making sense. He felt dizzy as panic swept over him, but kept his demeanor calm, knowing decisions may need to be made for her, decisions he would need to be lucid to make.

“Yes, we don’t know the details, but she was not breathing when she arrived.”

Camen’s breath caught in his chest, and he literally felt as if he were choking. *Stay calm, you have to keep yourself together, her life may depend on it.*

The large double doors before them parted. “She’s over there.” The attendant said, pointing to one of the rooms on the right. There was a group of doctors gathered in a circle talking near Fleur’s room, as Camen slipped in and to her beside unnoticed. There were machines and tubes hooked up to her coming from every possible direction, and her head was completely wrapped.

She was lying there, completely motionless and devoid of the energy and vitality that was her hallmark. This just was not right.

“No.” Camen whispered softly.

“You can’t be in here.”

Camen felt an arm grab his. “I’m her husband.”

“I understand that, Kai, but her wounds have not been treated yet, and we are about to perform surgery.”

“So she is, alive?”

“For now.” The answer was not the yes he had hoped for, nor was it the no he dreaded. Suddenly there was nothing more to Camen’s life then the possibility Fleur may no longer be in it. What if when he awoke tomorrow morning she was no longer there to love him? Now that he was facing that possibility, he understood for the first time just how important she was to him.

“The nurse can explain everything to you, my time is limited, I must ask you to leave now.”

Camen backed slowly from the room, and realized he had forgot one important thing before leaving. He ran back in, past the Doctor, and leaned in close to her ear.

“I love you, Fleur.”

Before the Doctor could protest, Camen slipped back out of the room. The female nurse waited for him outside.

“Kai Jariel, it is an honor to meet you. My name is Nairenna. Can I take you to the waiting area? You’ll be comfortable there and we can talk about your wife in private.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Camen said, not particularly caring where he was or went. All he wanted was whatever information she had for him. Nairenna took him back out towards same double doors he had entered through. As soon as the doors parted, Camen was blinded by an array of camera flashes from the media.
“How is the Kai’s wife?”

“Is it true she was attacked by the Pagh Wraiths?”

“Why aren’t you with her?”

“Rumor has it she was dead on arrival, is that true?”

“Are you going to bury her next to your parents?”

Camen tried to step back, but they simply pushed through the doors after him. Suddenly Camen felt very much like a trapped animal.

He looked around an saw the Doctors working on the floor trying to push their way through the press to get to patients, and realized that his presence here was a threat not just to Fleur’s care, but everyone else’s. He grabbed Nairenna by the arm, and beckoned her to follow him, as he led the press back out away from the emergency area.

“Where is the nearest communications station?” He asked. Nairenna pointed to a panel in the hallway. Camen took her to the station and shielded her from the throngs of reporters. “Call hospital security and tell them there is a Code Rouge at your location.”

“Code what?”

Rouge, just say it.”

Nairenna made the call, and a few moments later the hallway was flooded with the lights of transporters. The press corps was herded off down the hallway away from the Kai. One of the soldiers stopped at Camen’s side, and inclined his head towards Nairenna.

“She’s with me.” Jariel said.

The man nodded, and was quickly gone, leaving Nairenna alone with Jariel in the corridor.

“That was not hospital security,” Nairenna observed.

“My apologies, you won’t be bothered by them again I assure you. Please, I beg you now, tell me what has happened to my wife.”

********************
Jariel Camen
On Bajor