Tom cursed as the shuttle hurtled toward the planet surface. Crashing shuttles is supposed to be Chakotay's job, he thought.
"Reverse thrusters," Captain Janeway ordered.
"Thrusters are off-line," Tom reported. "Surface 500Km and closing."
"Brace for impact."
The shuttle hit the ground with tremendous force and ripped the starboard nacelle clean off. Tom's head bounced off the console and the world tumbled into blackness.
His consciousness came slowly. At first he was only aware of a voice very far away. His ears grasped onto it and followed it to the surface of his consciousness.
"Hydrazine Gas levels are at critical please evacuate," it was the voice of the computer.
He opened his eyes slowly and tried to breathe deep but pain instantly shot through him.
That's a broken rib or two, he thought. He sat up slowly surveying what was left of the shuttle. Not much. Then he saw her, under what was left of the main console, the Captain lay unconscious. He opened the back hatch, because the gas leak had made the air in the shuttle nearly unbreatheable. He grabbed a med kit and, working carefully, made his way to the Captain.
"Captain?" There was no response. He ran the medical tricorder over her and glanced at the read out. It was anything but positive. "Forgive me Captain," He said. "But I'm going to have to move you or we're both going to die in this shuttle."
Carefully Tom picked her up and carried her out of the shuttle. It was cold on the planet that night, but not unbearable. He found an uninhabited overhang and laid her gently on the ground. Again he ran the tricorder over her to make sure he hadn't done any further damage. He went strait to work on her head. The other injuries could wait, for now. When he was sure that the cranial damage was repaired he chose a hypospray and put it to her neck. She was agonizingly slow at coming around and she groaned.
"Tom?"
"Easy there Captain."
"I'm cold."
"I know," he said trying to keep a smile. "I'll be back with the blankets. Just stay awake for me. Can you do that?"
She nodded then groaned because of the pain.
"I'll be right back." Tom left her knowing that her internal injuries were far worse than anything he could repair. Let's hope Chakotay picked up our distress call.
When he returned her lips had turned an unnatural shade of blue and she was shaking so hard she could barely speak.
"S-s-s-s-so c-c-c-cold."
"Here Captain," he said and he wrapped her in both blankets and pulled her close. Her body temperature was falling fast from the internal bleeding, but he had to keep her awake for fear she would slip into a coma.
She seemed to be thinking the same thing. She beckoned him closer and he leaned down.
"Have-have to tell you."
"Save your strength Captain."
She shook her head.
"Important."
He tried hard to smile and nodded.
"Father…Your father."
This was not something he wanted to talk about. Not something he wanted her last words to be. He tried to hush her, but she feebly knocked his hand away.
"He…he…isn't mad at you."
"Captain I-"
"I was there when…when he got the news…about you…he was disappointed…in himself."
"Himself?"
"Thought…he…was…a…bad…father…"
He saw her eyes begin to close.
"Stay with me Captain." Or Chakotay will kill me.
"Trying…so…cold."
She wasn't going to last much longer, maybe a few more minutes, so Tom pulled her close trying to give her every ounce of body heat he had.
Come on Chakotay. Don't you know that she's in danger?
"Tom…can't…hold…on."
"You've got too." He changed tactics. "Kathryn Janeway stay awake, that's an order."
A smile graced her lips and she whispered,
"Aye Sir," but the smile faded and her eyes closed.
"Captain?" He ran the tricorder over her she was still alive but she'd lost a lot of blood.
Suddenly a voice crackled over the combadge,
"Chakotay to Paris. Tom are you there?"
"Here Commander."
"Are you alright Tom?"
"Do you have transporters?"
"Yes."
"Beam the Captain and I directly to sickbay." Hang on Captain help is here.
They appeared in a beam of blue light in sickbay and Tom put the Captain on a biobed and got out of the Doctor's way. He lingered at the edge of sickbay handing the Doctor things when asked.
When the Doctor finished with the Captain he fixed Tom's ribs.
"It's a miracle that you didn't puncture a lung Mr. Paris."
Tom nodded not really listening.
"You can go."
"May I stay?"
The Doctor looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but said nothing and nodded. Tom pulled a chair up beside the Captain's bed.
Sometime in the middle of the night Tom felt a hand on his shoulder. Groggy and stiff he looked up into B'Elanna's eyes.
"Hey there flyboy," she said softly. "Come to bed."
"I can't."
"Tom, she's in the best hands. Sitting here fretting is not going to bring her around."
Tom nodded. He followed B'Elanna out of sickbay with a last glance of the Captain.
Tom awoke early the next morning and without waking B'Elanna dressed and left for sickbay.
The doors slid open and the Doctor greeted him with a grim face.
"There's been no change."
Tom looked over his shoulder and saw Chakotay standing at the Captain's beside. There was worry in his face and fear in his eyes.
He's afraid to lose her. Tom thought. Just like you are afraid to lose B'Elanna.
Tom moved to his side and put a hand on his shoulder. Chakotay turned and looked at him the fear still in his eyes.
"I-I'm sorry," Tom said.
"It's okay Tom," Chakotay said honestly. "It's not your fault."
"It is my fault."
"Tom you were practically shot out of the air. You brought her back here, I could not have asked you to do more." He patted Tom's shoulder and left.
Tom looked at the woman on the bed.
She gave you a second chance, one you didn't deserve. If she dies, Thomas Eugene Paris, her blood is on your hands.
Tom hadn't been taught to pray…or even whom to pray too, but he took the Captain's hand and tears streaming down his face said,
"Please, please come back to us. We've spent seven years in the Delta Quadrant; this ship needs a Captain, needs a mother, and needs you. 'Oh Captain my Captain rise up and hear the bells…'" He couldn't remember the rest of the words. Poetry had never been his forte but that poem had always stuck with him.
"That's not a very happy poem Mr. Paris," said the holographic Doctor from across the room.
"I know," he sniffed. "But she has always loved Earth poetry."
"We'll get her back, I promise you I won't stop until her eyes are open and she's back with us."
"Thanks Doc."
"Now get to the helm and get us home."
"Aye sir," Tom saluted the Doctor and left his sickbay.
A day and a half at the conn helped. Piloting was his first love, but it was still the Commander giving the orders. Tom held no anger toward Chakotay, knowing that he was hurting as much as, if not more, then himself. Stars, systems, and space passed at warp eight. Having the Captain lying in sickbay was not exactly good for crew morale. Everyone was moody. Every time there was beep over the COM system everyone's attention snapped to it. Time was agonizingly slow.
"Mr. Paris," Chakotay said and Tom swiveled round in his chair. "Please take this report to sickbay." Something passed between them unseen by most except for maybe Tuvok. It simply said 'Go check on her.'
"Aye sir," Tom said handing over the conn to an Ensign. He took the report, looked straight into Chakotay's eyes and left the bridge.
Tom entered sickbay and heard the panic of the life support system. He rushed to help the Doctor. The Captain was convulsing on the bed and coughing up blood.
"I thought you fixed her internal bleeding," Tom said aiding the Doctor.
"I did. I don't know what's causing it," he pressed a hypospray to the Captain's neck and she lay still. The Doctor breathed a heavy sigh and looked at the read out. "She's got an infection in her lungs."
Damn it. Tom thought. This ship needs its Captain.
The Doctor treated the infection and Tom looked up at the Doctor.
"Can you wake her?"
"I'm afraid too. Her body is really weak, I'm afraid she might go into epileptic shock again," he paused seeing the pleading in Tom's eyes. "I'll try." He fetched another hypospray and pressed it to her neck. She coughed and Tom gently rolled her to her side. Her eyes opened slowly and looked up at him.
"Tom?" It was a hoarse whisper.
"It's okay Captain, we're back on Voyager. The Doctor has healed most of your wounds."
She nodded and Tom could see she was going to slip back into sleep, a healing sleep. She drifted off her hand entwined in his.
"I'll report to the Commander," Tom said. "He'll want to know she's okay."
"She's not out of the woods yet," the Doctor said.
"I know."
Two more days passed before the Captain was rested enough for visitors. Tom was surprised to find he was the first on the list. He strode into sickbay knowing that he wouldn't see what he saw the last time he had entered. The Captain was sitting up in a biobed with a PADD in one hand and a mug in the other.
"Coffee Captain?"
"Calm yourself Lieutenant, it's tea." She smiled at him. "Thank you."
He nodded but a frown flashed across his boyish features.
"Something wrong Tom?"
"When we were on the planet, and you were injured you…" he wasn't sure how to continue.
"I told you about your father," she finished his thought and he stared at her. "Somewhere in the jumble of memories in my head I remember telling you. I have wanted to tell you since I came to see you in prison in New Zealand. I'm sorry that I didn't exactly chose the right moment to tell you."
"Thank you. Even though I didn't want to hear what you had to say, it turned out to be something I needed to hear."
She smiled and he smiled knowing that she was okay, and if they ever got home he had a father who might be proud of him.