Destined | Christopher Pike

Chapter Forty One

"Emma!" Chris yelled and hit the glass after she collapsed in front of him. He could see her chest rising and falling rapidly. She was still alive, but he didn't know how long she had. "Computer. Override sterilization process. Open lab door three!"

Dr. M' Benga's eyes flew to his Captain. "Chris, the process isn't completed yet. We could get infected."

"And if we don't get in there, they're going to die. I'm not losing anyone else today." He argued.

He knew his emotions were impacting his decision, but it wasn't just Emma in there. He had another member of his crew on the brink of death. The door finally slid open. For a moment Chris didn't think Dr. M' Benga was going to enter, but he did. He rushed over to Clyde who was in a more serious condition than Emma. Chris knelt down on the ground next to Emma. Despite being pale, her coloring was good. There was a faint hint of blue around her mouth, but he hoped supplemental oxygen would help.

He brushed her hair out of her face and gently shook her. "Emma...Emma, it's Chris. I-I need you to wake up."

"How is she?" Dr. M' Benga asked. He had given a quick assessment to Clyde and called for a gurney. While he waited on the gurney, he wanted to check on his other patient.

"She seems okay. Her pulse is a little weak, but it's still there. How's Clyde?" Chris asked.

"Alive. Barely. Hopefully when I get them to the med bay I can figure out more." He explained.

It didn't take long for the gurneys and extra helping hands to arrive in the lab. Chris helped the nurses load Emma onto the gurney while Dr. M' Benga and other nurses loaded Clyde up. He didn't leave her side though. He hoped from the outside that it looked like he was just a concerned Captain and not a concerned husband. He wasn't sure how much longer he could fool everyone though. He could feel Una watching him when they arrived to the med bay. She knew something had been going on. She just wasn't sure how much had occurred.

Chris watched helplessly as the nurses attached several monitors and oxygen to Emma. She remained unconscious the entire time while they attempted to stabilize her. Various alarms were going off. He didn't know much about the medical area, but he knew that many alarms going off at once isn't good.

Dr. M' Benga stepped in front of him. "There's nothing you can do here, Chris. We need to get them stabilized."

He didn't want to leave her. Not until he knew she was okay. He could trust Dr. M' Benga to keep their little secret, but there were other ears inside of the med bay that would also hear what he had to say. "She's my wife."

Everything in the room ceased. Every conversation. Every person working. They all turned to look at Chris. The shocked was evident. It was something no one was expecting. "She's my wife and I'd like to stay. Just until I know she's okay."

Dr. M' Benga thought about protesting for a moment. He had been doing his job for long enough to know that having a loved one of a patient in the same room when they were being worked on wasn't the best idea. However, this was different. This was his Captain and the Captain's wife was now his patient. He sighed deeply. "You can stay. Just for a little while."

"Thank you." Chris mumbled.

He stayed out of the way while the nurses tended to her. All he could do was watch her and think. He needed to think of way to save both Emma and Clyde.

"She's stable for now. Her heart rate is high. Her oxygen is low, but we've bought some time." Dr. M' Benga told him fifteen minutes later once he had more answers. "Clyde is in worse condition."

"What is this...pollen doing to them?" Chris asked.

"It's attacking them from the inside. It's essentially eating away at every organ in their body until there is nothing left." He explained.