Mainly because I wanted more Harry in the storyline, like always.
The doctor greeted Ensign Kim with a scolding.
"Everyone else has been in here, to get fixed up except for you," he remarked sternly to Harry.
Harry signed, trying to feign his annoyance.
"Voyager needed repairs with how much the Hirogen's were trying to make it into a stimulation since it was my handiwork at play, I needed to help B'Elanna the most in engineering." The doctor tisked as he scanned his tricorder over Harry's body. He paused.
"Have you been having any stomach pains?"
Harry grimaced at the inquisition. He sighed.
"Some," he admitted. The doctor gave him a stony look.
"Like I said," Harry replied, defensively. "I have been busy making repairs out of the mess I made of Voyager."
"Not based on your choice," sighed the doctor. "Look you have internal bleeding. And a severely fractured rib. If you had come in earlier, I could have healed it right away. As it is, you are going to have to have surgery."
Harry opened his mouth, and the doctor waved him into silence.
"I will let the Captain know you are out of commission for a while. Let this be a lesson in being more involved with your own self care, Mr. Kim. Now you may have a seat while I let the Captain know what is going on."
Harry just sighed, and obeyed-suddenly too tired to protest.
...
Janeway with with B'Elanna, Seven, and Chakotay in engineering when the doctor contacted her.
"This is the Captain, what is it, Doctor?"
"I am here to inform you that Mr. Kim is going to be needing surgery."
B'Ellanna looked up from her panel, sharply. Janeway blinked at worry.
"What happened?"
"Looks like he was hiding a broken rib," the doctor muttered. A protesting voice appeared in the distant. Chakotay managed to smile when he realized it was Harry.
"Correction," sighed the doctor. "He didn't know he had a broken rib. He was just in agonizing pain, and decided not to do anything about it."
More protesting mumbles resided in the background.
"He also has internal bleeding,the doctor added, ignoring the protests. "And will need surgery soon, for his rib."
Janeway closed her eyes, as guilt filled her. She thought of the beatings that Harry must have endured by the Hirogens. And how he refused to talk about it, saying he did what he had to do to help get Voyager back. She swallowed.
"Do whatever surgeries you need to, Doctor, and have him rest as long as he needs to."
"Very well," replied the doctor, and the link broke. She sighed, and rested her hands on the panels in front of her.
"Katheryn," Chakotay said suddenly. "It's not your fault." She shook her head.
"I should have...been more watchful of him when we were getting back on track. I should have kept a closer eye..."
"You had an entire ship to assess, and survey. And Harry was hiding his symptoms, evidently pretty well."
"Which is impressive," quipped B'Elanna. "Seeing how most of the time he's like an open book."
"So he obviously didn't want attention on him," Seven added. "He wanted to focus on fixing Voyager."
Janeway nodded, but still didn't trust herself to speak.
She waited for the rest of the day until the doctor contacted her to let her know that Harry was all right. She asked if she could visit him. The doctor reluctantly agreed,as long as she kept it short.
The Captain was quick in arriving at sickbay. Harry was laying on his back, as he was scanning a pad. She smiled to see him still working. He started to rise-when he saw her-but she shook her head.
"Don't get up, Mr. Kim."
She went over to him, and sighed.
"How are you feeling?"
"Sore," Harry answered honestly. "But better than I felt in a while."She shook her head. "Captain?" He added. "What is it?"
"You should have said something," she scolded, and he almost groaned.
"Not you, too."
"If I had known you were this badly damaged..."
"Captain I NEEDED to work." Harry replied, as he sat the pad on his chest. Janeway glanced at him, oddly.
"Why?" She pressed. "Why this urgency?" She was surprised to see tears prick at his eyes.
"It's my fault that Voyager is so messed up. I contributed to that mess, and I needed to fix it."
Janeway let out a gasp.
"Is that was this is all about? You not telling anyone about you being in pain, as some sort of...punishment?" Harry shifted eyes, and refused to look at her.
"I should have fought back, more."
"Harry it was YOUR idea that saved us! You, and the doctor, you helped bring us back to reality..."
"I still messed with the system, because I couldn't stand up to them. I was too much of a coward..."
"Harry Kim." Her voice was sharp, and it startled him. "I never want to hear you say that again. It was you, against over a 100 Hirogen officers. There was no WAY you could have fought them all. As it is, you got banged up enough for your protesting in the start. Going along with their plan, while you work on your idea was the best thing you could have done for us."
Harry shook his head.
"I hated messing Voyager up. It felt...wrong. " Janeway swallowed. It hurt her to see her youngest crewman act this upset with himself.
"I don't ever want you to punish yourself with pain," she said softly. "That's an order, Ensign." Harry managed to finally look at her.
"Yes ma'am."
"Besides," sighed Katheryn. "I promised your mother I'd bring you back in one piece. I intend to keep that promise." Harry gave her a haunting smile, and swallowed a thank you. She ordered him against work, and stood there, to make sure he would fall asleep instead of trying to look up scans. She glanced at the doctor before she left.
"Take care of him," she directed, and the doctor nodded.
"I always try to." She left, wondering when they would ever be like they were again, or if the incident with the Hirogens have changed them all, for good...
