"Who's there?!?"
"Oh, just me doctor."
"Garak? What are you doing here?"
"Now that is a rather silly question."
"I suppose it is."
"So tell me, how did you get into this predicament?"
"It's a long story."
"We seem to have time." Garak chuckled softly.
"Well, it all started when Captain Sisko called me into his office...."
"Doctor, come in, have a seat next to Mr. Worf."
I obeyed and sat next to Worf silently puzzled.
"I'm sending the two of you on a mission. Starfleet has been secretly contacted by a member of the Cardassian underground. He wants out and you two are going to see that he gets it."
"Captain, with all due respect to the doctor, it would be tactically advisable to send someone with more experience. Perhaps Colonel Kira or the Chief."
"I understand Mr. Worf, but they aren't available. The Chief and his family left for Earth an hour ago and Kira and Odo are on another assignment for the Provisional Government, which leaves Julian, Nog and Dax, who are out of the question and I have to remain here since my other Ops crew are unavailable. Julian is going with you."
"Gee, I appreciate being a last resort." I said under my breath.
"I would be rather incensed as well."
"Oh, believe me Garak, I was... until I had the chance to speak to the Captain alone."
"You'll leave at 1300. Dismissed."
Worf and I stood to leave when the Captain stopped me.
"Julian, I want you to understand why I wouldn't send you if I didn't have to. The coordinates I gave Worf are very close to Dominion held space. I don't like putting you in the position of being taken prisoner again."
"I appreciate that sir, but I'm a Starfleet officer and I'll carry out this mission as any other officer would." I assured him regardless of the butterflies in my stomach.
"I know you will. Get that man out. He could provide valuable information in fighting the Dominion."
I nodded and left.
"The Captain didn't need to tell me how important this mission was. I saw the casualty list a few days ago. I knew half a dozen people on it. Some were colleagues and some just passing acquaintances."
"This war has taken a heavy toll on everyone." Garak pronounced.
"Yes, it has." Julian agreed.
"These are the coordinates. Begin a scan of the planet's surface."
"Aye, sir." I answered Worf, having already started it.
I could feel Worf's stare and kept my eyes on the console.
"I'm not reading any lifesigns but there's interference in the Western Hemisphere due to magnesite in the mountains. They could be hiding there."
"We will have to go down and determine that. I will land the runabout here." Worf replied pointing at a location on my console.
I nooded in reply and he took us down, landing with a soft thump.
We exited the runabout and looked toward the mountains.
It was about four hundred meters so I grabbed a med. kit and we set off.
I don't know what Worf was thinking, but I was hoping we wouldn't run into any Jem'Hadar.
"Can we stop for a minute?" I asked not really waiting for an answer as I sat down on a boulder.
I might be genetically enhanced but we'd been walking for over an hour in oxygen reduced atmosphere and we both needed to rest wether Worf would admit it or not.
Worf of course stood, looking like... well, like Worf.
"You know what I mean."
"Indeed I do."
About five minutes later he informed me in his own inimitable way that it was time to move on.
I sighed and stood, after all, he is my commanding officer and in charge of the mission.
We rested again an hour later and finally reached the mountains after 2.5 hours, because the terrain was so rocky we had to be careful and walk very slowly at times.
The real difficulty came in scaling the mountain.
We found handholds and wondered if the Cardassians had carved them with phasers.
Worf began the ascent and slipping the strap of the med. kit over my head and followed him up.
It was a long, difficult climb and I nearly ran into his feet when he abruptly stopped.
I was about to ask what he was doing when he disappeared over the ledge, a moment later a dark hand appeared over the side and I grabbed his wrist and he mine and he hauled me up onto the ledge.
I sat there a moment to catch my breath and made the mistake of looking over the edge.
It was a dizzyingly long way down.
"I hear a generator." Worf whispered.
"I hear it too. The cave could be booby-trapped."
"Yes." Worf breathed.
I personally didn't care to be the 'booby' caught in the Cardassian trap since we were there to help them so I suggest we call out and let them know we were there.
Worf didn't appear to relish the idea but grudginly agreed.
He pulled his phaser, I pulled mine, just in case they didn't believe us or weren't Cardassian.
"You, inside the cavern, this is Starfleet, we're here to help you!"
A few minutes later a Cardassian appeared at the cave entrance and eyed us.
He kept his weapon on us as he lowered the forcefield and motioned us inside.
Worf and I put our weapons away in good faith and he followed suit.
"Stay to the left." He ordered us as he led the way deeper into the cave.
I heard the forcefield reactivate and breathed a sigh of relief.
At least if the Jem'Hadar showed up we'd know it before they were on top of us.
"Tell me doctor, what did he look like?"
"The Cardassian?"
"Did he have high eyebrow ridges? A medium indentation in his forehead? Describe him."
"Garak, he was a Cardassian,you all look alike!"
"Oh, I beg to differ my dear doctor. You can tell a great deal about a man by his ridges."
"Garak, he was a Cardassian, now may I continue?"
"By all means.'
"Anyway, we followed him along the left side of the cavern as instructed because, as he explained, the right side had been mined and you could only detect them when you were about on top of them."
"We are clever."Garak smiled.
Julian ignored the boast and continued.
"The man led us to an opening where we met with three of his comrades."
"We were told there was only one of you." Worf said.
I could see him clench and unclench his jaw and knew he was unhappy about the altered situation.
"It was too dangerous to stay. The Dominion suspects everyone of treason, even the most loyal Cardassian."
I wasn't paying much attention since one of the Cardassians, a woman, was injured.
"This is going to hurt, but only for a moment." I assured her as I set about relocating her shoulder.
She beared it like a true Cardassian... acting as if it didn't hurt like hell.
"Worf and Gul Macet--"
"Macet did you say? I know of him. I certainly hope you were careful, he's very much like Dukat, he'll befriend you to get what he wants. He even looks a bit like Dukat, now that I recall his face." Garak mused.
"...had talked while I treated the others and decided the sooner we got away from the planet the better off we'd be. I must admit to some surprise over how amiable they were to each other. Most Cardassians and Klingons are like oil and water after the incident with the Detepa Council."
"Quite rightly so when they invade our space and accuse our leaders of being changeling, which you yourself disputed." The Cardassian tailor sniffed.
"Garak."
"My apologies, please go on."
The only way to get down was of course to climb.
Worf led the way followed by Macet, the other tweo males, the female and myself bringing up the rear.
The female was above me so I could help her down and keep her from re-injuring her shoulder.
I glanced down and found Worf and the others were almost to the ground.
I didn't really hear the shot so much as saw her fall past me.
Instinctively I reached out and managed to grab her collar which threw me off-balance and I had to dig my fingers into the handhold to keep both of us from falling.
Below us there was a fierce exchange of weapons fire and I knew from the pitch of the weapons it was Jem'Hadar.
I could feel the tremor each time one of their shots impacted the mountain below us.
We were, to use a human expression, 'sitting ducks'."
Before I could come up with a way to get us to safety a stray shot, it had to be because the Jem'Hadar hadn't been shooting at us, hit my handhold position and the rock gave way.
My only conscious thought was that I was falling.
I remember coming to an abrupt halt.
There was no pain, no feeling at all in fact."
"You had broken your back."
"I don't remember blacking out but I heard Worf calling my name and I opened my eyes to a blurry Klingon standing over me looking... well, with a similar look he gave Jadzia when she was lying on my bio-bed after being shot by a Jem'Hadar on a similar mission as this one... concern and guilt."
"Guilt? From a Klingon?"
"He was in charge of the mission and an officer under his direct command had been critically injured, I would have felt the same way had our positions been reversed."
"But you were left here injured and alone!"
"I sent him away Garak."
"What?"
"Let me explain."
"I certainly hope you do!"
"Doctor! Doctor, can you hear me??"
"Worf?" I gasped.
I couldn't feel anything in my legs and knew my back was broken as you so astutely guessed.
"Lie still doctor, you are injured."
As if I wasn't fully aware of that fact allready!
"I will get you to the runabout."
"No." I replied. If he tried to move me he could cause irrepairable damage. "Go and bring help back." I requested feeling light headed.
"I cannot leave you here."
"What's our mission Commander?"
I saw Worf stiffen and he scowled at me.
He was so by the book he would follow orders.
"Very clever doctor."
"Don't get me wrong Garak,I would gladly have gone with them if I could have done so under my own power."
"How is she?" I asked remembering the woman.
"She is dead."
I felt an ache. If I hadn't fallen she wouldn't have died.
Worf must have sensed my feelings because he said:
"She was shot in the back and was dead before you fell."
His words eased my guilt slightly.
"You'd better get going." I urged before he could decide a way to help me.
"You must remain strong, I will return soon."
"I'll try, but no promises."
"He just left you? Just like that?"
"It's what needed to be done."
"I would not have left you."
"Yes, you would have because the mission had to come first. I'm not going to die like Jadzia nearly did."
"Uh, doctor, you seem to be bleeding."
"Internal injuries most likely, which is another reason I didn't want Worf to try and move me."
"Well, at least he left you his jacket to keep you warm."
"Not that I can tell it."
"No, I suppose you can't. Tell me about these injuries you sustained."
"What a strange word that is. I may have damage to my vertebrae, possibly even my spinal cord itself, if that's the case then I'm in for a long, difficult recovery. I may not even be able to walk again which means my surgical career would be over, my stay on DS9 definitely would be. I'd have to satisfy myself with research. Not that it would be terrible, I mean I do research all the time anyway, but I came to DS9 for the adventure and that would be over. I certainly couldn't be the CMO of a bustling space station."
"You're depressing me."
"So sorry."
"So what about your internal injuries?"
"That could be any number of things. A perforation of an organ. A damaged artery, vein or capillary even."
"What happens if help doesn't come quickly? It has been a few hours now."
"You know that answer."
"Say it aloud." Garak ordered.
"I'll..."
"I'll go into shock and die." Julian whispered to the emptiness around him as he laid on the ground unable to move covered by Worf's jacket.
I'll die.
He hadn't wanted to admit it, but death was a real possibility as the time passed and there was still no sign of Worf.
"As you said, the mission had to come first."
"Thanks for the reminder Garak! Wonder why in hell I chose to conjure you up to keep me company? Jadzia is far prettier!"
"Jadzia is dead. Besides, I'm a far better conversationalist and you know it."
"Maybe, but she's still better looking!"
"You loved her didn't you?"
"Yes, I did."
"And do you love Ezri?"
"I barely know Ezri."
"True, but you loved Sarina... or did you?"
"I don't know. Maybe I just wanted someone to share in my triumphs and my equal disappointments. Maybe Sarina was that someone, or maybe she was just someone to fill the loneliness. I don't honestly know anymore."
"There's nothing wrong with wanting someone to share your life with."
"I wanted someone like me and God knows Sarina was as close as I'll ever come."
"Doctor, you're talented, handsome--"
"Genetically enhanced. What woman wouldn't want me?" Julian asked sarcastically.
"And you have a wonderful sense of humor!"
"Thanks, but I'm about tired of the pep talk."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but that is why I'm here."
"I think you should--"
"Doctor?"
Garak's voices was no more than a whisper as Julian's eyesight dimmed.
"I'm so tired." Julian mouthed inaudibly.
So tired.
His eyes closed and he lost consciousness as night fell upon him.
He awoke to the beaming smile of a red headed woman.
"We'll it's good to see you awake." She said.
I know her...
"Can you wiggle your toes for me?" She asked from the end of the bed.
"They're a little tender." He confessed.
"You did undergo extensive surgery to heal your internal injuries and repair your back. We'll go over the tests once you'd rested more. I want you take it easy, no exerting yourself until I say so. Now, you have a visitor outside who would very much like to see you, do you feel up to it?"
Julian nodded,though he didn't really.
She left and a few minutes later Worf came inside.
"Dr. Crusher says you will make a full recovery."
Dr. Crusher? Beverly Crusher? Former head of all of Starfleet Medical Dr. Beverly Crusher?
He'd never been privileged enough to meet her but she was known to all first year students, as he had been, while she was there.
"Doctor?"
"Oh, sorry. I have feeling throughout my body so Dr. Crusher worked her magic."
"You were in surgery for four hours."
He had expected as much.
"You went through something similar, didn't you?"
Worf looked at him sharply.
"I'm the CMO Worf, I've seen your records."
"I nearly chose Hegh'bat."
"Ritual suicide." Julian nodded. "Jadzia gave me a crash course after... after Kurn."
Worf nodded silently.
"Anyway, I'm glad you didn't."
"You are?"
"Of course... no one else on DS9 has that touch of lilac smell that is so refreshing." Julian smirked.
"It is obvious you are feeling well so I shall leave you."
Julian smiled at his back.
"Oh, Worf?"
The Klingon turned impatiently.
"The Cardassians?"
"They were transferred to the Lakota and are on their way to Starfleet Command."
"Good."
"If that is all I must contact the station and let them know you are well. Everyone was concerned."
"Let them know I appreciate it would you?"
Worf nooded at the request and left as Julian settled into the bed to rest.
He smiled to himself as he closed his eyes tiredly.
Maybe when I get home I'll invite Garak to lunch.
It's been a long time since we've done that and we have a lot to talk about. A lot to talk about.