Silent and Still, Part III--"St. Crispin's Day"

[Samantha Riker 0]

Silent and Still, Part III--Captain Picard's "St. Crispin's Day" Speech

SD 10305.24

 

from the Personal Log of Jean-Luc Picard, Captain, USS Enterprise:

 

 

Will Riker had been displaced by a small herd of doctors who were visiting Samantha as part of their rounds. He was standing outside the room by the window when he felt a presence approach and stand beside him.

 

"How is she doing, Will?" Captain Jean-Luc Picard asked quietly.

 

"Physically, she's doing better. She's re-hydrated and re-nourished, the doctors have managed to repair a lot of the muscle damage and the bruises have started to fade. She'll start physical therapy next week, if all continues according to plan."

 

"And the rest?"

 

Will turned to look at his former Captain, his friend. "Thank you for coming to see her. She still hasn't spoken. Oh, she communicates some things quite clearly through her body language. But she hasn't said a word about what happened to her. Deanna's worried that if Sam continues to refuse to speak, Starfleet Intelligence is eventually going to lose patience with her."

 

"And then Intelligence will try to take over her care, which will most certainly be less focused on Samantha's recovery than on pulling the information they want out of her," Picard nodded grimly in agreement. "I think Deanna has a valid concern."

 

"Not to mention--" The doctors began to file out of Samantha's room; Will glanced inside, saw that Sam had turned her face away, as if shutting the doctors from her view would speed their collective exit. "Captain?" the Starbase CMO said.

 

"Yes?" Will and Picard said simultaneously. They exchanged smiles.

 

"Captain Riker," the doctor began again.

 

"This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard, of the Enterprise, Samantha's godfather," Will said by way of introduction. "Please feel free to speak in front of him."

 

"Captain Picard," the CMO nodded at the other man. "Captain Riker, I'm concerned about Samantha's continued refusal to speak."

 

"Doctor, I think we all share that concern," Will said, his impatience ill-concealed.

 

"Yes, sir, I understand that, but I'm starting to get some heat from above," he said frankly. "Starfleet Intelligence has medical specialists, too, and the people who specialize in collecting information are starting to make noise at the people who specialize in medicine. I've been ordered to run some rather extensive tests on your daughter, checking for damage in any of her vocal apparatus, and looking for any potential brain damage that could be preventing her from speaking. But the accurate completion of these tests will require that she make a genuine attempt to speak during them."

 

"Has anyone pointed out to Intelligence that a period of emotional recovery is required after an officer suffers a trauma in the line of duty?" Captain Picard asked tersely.

 

"Yes, sir," the CMO sighed wearily, "I've made that observation to them. And the tests will buy us some time. But they want whatever it is she knows. And the Intelligence officer I spoke to warned me that if Lieutenant Commander Riker continues to refuse to answer their questions, and if she doesn't cooperate with the physical examination I've been ordered to conduct," he hesitated, but then plunged ahead, "SI will charge her with insubordination, at which point they'll move her to Intelligence medical facilities. You don't want that to happen, Captain," the doctor said soberly to Will.

 

"Is she awake now?" Picard asked. At the doctor's nodded affirmation, Picard turned to Will. "With your permission, Will...."

 

"Please," Will gestured toward the door. "I tried to tell her that you were coming, but she'd fallen asleep on me. I keep thinking that seeing you is exactly what she needs."

 

Picard could see the hope in Will's eyes; it fell like a weight onto the already-heavy concern he carried for Samantha. Taking a deep breath, and hoping he would know how to do the right thing, Captain Picard entered Samantha Riker's room.

 

 

 

 

He began gently. "Hello, there, young lady," he said warmly, moving to sit on the side of her bed. Slowly, as if afraid that an abrupt movement would turn his presence into a mere fantasy, Sam turned her head towards him, the shadow of a smile on her face. "You're looking awfully well for someone who forces Captains to do the traveling in order to visit with her," he teased, and was rewarded with a warming of her smile.

 

Picard reached out and took the hand closest to him. Only when he held it in both of his own hands did he meet Samantha's eyes again. "How are you doing, Samantha?" He waited for her to respond, but she simply blinked at him. "Your father tells me that you haven't spoken to anyone since you were recovered by the Arcadia." This time he received a tiny shake of the head. "Samantha, you are aware of my career history, of my own experiences as a prisoner, aren't you?" She shrugged, then nodded.

 

"After both of those experiences, it was your step-mother's counseling that helped me to recover. The most difficult thing in the world for me was to admit out loud, to another person--and a person under my command, at that--that I had been afraid, and angry, and felt completely out of control. It's not until you can speak the words aloud, until you can admit the truth to yourself, and to another living being who can bear you witness, that you can begin to heal." Samantha rolled her eyes in frustration and tried to pull away from Picard, just as she had tried to pull away from her father. At the window, Will stood watching, hoping that Picard would have more luck with her than he had had at that point.

 

"You can't just turn away, Samantha," Picard continued, undaunted. "You can turn your head from me, you can try to pull your hand from me, but you can't turn away from the wounds inside of you. Until you begin to treat them, they will continue to fester and grow, eating away at you bit by bit until you no longer have the power to make the choice to heal."

 

She struggled harder now to pull her hand free of his grip. "Look at me, Lieutenant Commander," Picard ordered harshly. His tone had the desired effect; startled, Samantha stopped struggling and turned toward her godfather.

 

"Your choices are already beginning to dwindle. Starfleet Intelligence regrets, I'm sure, any inconvenience you've undergone, but refusing to make your report is insubordination." Samantha's eyes widened fractionally. "That's right, they're taking this very seriously. Your continued silence could end with a court-martial. The wound is already starting to fester, Samantha. You need to screw your courage to the sticking place, and make the choice to heal!"

 

Her eyes were troubled, but her lips didn't move. "I'm sure I've given you a great deal to think about," Picard said, withdrawing somewhat, tucking his passion away behind a mask of cool composure. "I'll be on the Starbase for another few days. If you'd like to talk, Samantha, you've only to call me." Her eyes pleaded with him; he could read their message, but simply shook his head sadly as he stood and tugged on the hem of his tunic. "I shall look in on you later, young lady. Get some rest, darling; you've got a great deal of work ahead of you." He kissed her on the forehead, and then left her alone to think.

 

 

-=/\=- Copied and saved to the file of

 

LtCdr D Samantha Riker

aboard Starbase 36, attached to the USS Arcadia

TDY: Starfleet Intelligence