The Miracle
The turbo lift came to a screeching halt between decks 3 and 4. Right away the emergency lightening came on. Kathryn and Chakotay looked at each other. "They're at it again! How many times does that make? Will they ever stop? You'd think by now they'd give up. Make yourself comfortable on the floor, Chakotay. We'll be here for awhile." Kathryn slid down on the floor and took off her jacket.
He looked down at her and smiled, "Well, maybe we should just tell them."
" We will have too in a couple of months anyway. Let's just wait until then."
" I'm leaving it up to you, Kathryn. It doesn't matter to me."
"Are you sure it doesn't matter, Chakotay?"
He sighed, "Sometimes it bothers me. And, sometimes it's actually kind of fun. Interesting to see what the crew comes up with next. And, some of the ideas has been quite good."
"Let me see, we've been stuck in a turbo lift about 15 times or more, the ready room 4 times that I remember, my quarters and your quarters a couple of times each, the holodecks numerous times, the mess hall."
"Mess hall? I don't remember the mess hall. Sure that was me and not one of your other lovers?"
"Oh, yeah, that's right. Sorry!" They laughed together.
"Remember the uninhabited planet they stranded us on. Beamed up the entire crew but us!"
"But, that was kind of nice. We actually had fresh air to breathe. The bad one was that planet were the Prince wanted me to marry him. We're dying to get out of there, and they wouldn't beam us up."
"That's right. Forgot about that one. You had everyone cleaning the ship top to bottom for that one! What's the matter didn't like Prince charming?"
"I never knew when he was looking at me. When you have six eyes all looking in different direction, what are you really seeing? And, you, Chakotay, was no help at all."
"I was too. I told him plan and simple you were a bitch and cold as ice in bed. How was I to know that was how he liked his women? Besides the woman he offered me in exchange was very interesting."
"Interesting? Oh because she could stick out her tongue twelve inches and catch flies with it?"
"Now, you know that might have come in handy someday."
"Oh sure! We don't get flies on Voyager. They wouldn't dare get on my ship!"
"Are you going to call Belanna to get us out of here or not?"
"I called the last three times. It's your turn. Do I have to do all the work around here?"
"Commander Chakotay to Lt Torres"
"Torres, here"
"The Captain and I are stuck in turbo lift 6 between decks 3 and 4. "
"Did you say turbo lift 3?"
"No Turbo lift 6."
"I'll get right on it. You should be out in about an hour."
"An hour! Do you possibly think you could make it sooner? We do have a ship to run you know.."
"As soon as…." They heard a loud boom as the ship rocked. All the alarms went off.
"Belanna get us out of here NOW"
She didn't respond. The attack was a heavy one. Four ships came out of nowhere and began attacking Voyager.
Kathryn was frantic. Her beloved ship was being attacked and there was nothing , absolutely nothing, she could do to help. She sat on the floor cursing the crew under her breath.
Chakotay sat on the floor beside her and took her in his arms. "Tuvok will handle it. We have to put our trust in him. He always comes through, Kathryn."
"This is the last, Chakotay. It's going to stop. I didn't want them to know just yet, but…" She began to cry.
It got quiet all of a sudden. They both stood. Suddenly the ship got the biggest hit so far. It was the other ships last stand before they turned and took off. Both Kathryn and Chakotay flew from one side of the turbo lift to another.
Chakotay managed to get up. He saw Kathryn laying like a rag doll on the floor.
"Kathryn," He shrieked. "No, no! Not my Kathryn!" He rushed to her and took her in his arms. She was unconscious and blood was everywhere."
He kept trying to get hold of someone. Finally Belanna answered him.
"Belanna, the Captain is hurt badly. We're still in this damn turbo lift. We've got to get her out. She's bleeding badly. I think she's lost the baby."
Belanna was in shock, " Baby? Oh my god! We'll get you both out as soon as we can."
It was still another ten minutes before the command team could be transported to sickbay.
When they rematerialized there, Chakotay was standing with Kathryn in his arms. Hurt people were standing all around. Thankfully, they were all minor problems.
As soon as the EMH saw them, he motioned for Chakotay to get her into the back surgical bay. Soon, the EMH was calling for Tom to report to sickbay.
Celes and Wildman were taking care of the rest of the crew. And, soon Chakotay sat alone waiting for the EMH to come out and talk to him. He prayed to the spirits to help her. He couldn't lose her, she was his other half.
After two hours, the doc and Tom moved Kathryn out of surgical and on to a biobed. Tom couldn't even look at Chakotay. He continued to check readings while the doc called Chakotay into his office.
"I'm sorry, Chakotay, the baby didn't make it. He was hurt badly. I managed to save her womb, but I'm not sure at this point if she'll ever be able to carry a child. The Captain is in a coma. She hit her head pretty hard. There is a lot of swelling in the brain. It needs to go down. All we can do is wait and see what happens."
"I know you did your best, Doc. Is she going to make it?"
"If she gets through the next twenty-four hours, maybe. I'll be here turned on the whole time. You're welcome to sit by her, but I don't want you here all day. She needs you to run the ship."
"I'll stay about an hour, but I'll be back. I'm so angry. Had the crew not been playing one of their stupid jokes, this may not have happened."
"They didn't know."
"I kept telling her that we needed to tell them, but she was reluctant." He looked the doc in the eyes, "All I care about now is that she gets alright."
"She will, but it's going to take time. Go sit with her. We'll talk more tomorrow. And, I'll let you know if there are any changes."
Chakotay sat with her an hour . Then he left to return to the bridge. He knew that's what she would have wanted.
Entering the bridge, he walked immediately to the command chairs. Tuvok stood and asked softly, "How is she Commander?"
"Not good. She may not make it. The baby didn't."
"I'm so sorry."
"I feel angry. I have to work it out. I just hope she makes it and can work it out as well. The baby meant everything to her."
"In the coming weeks, anytime you need me on the bridge, I'll be here."
"I know. And, we both thank you for that."
He sat down in his chair. "Harry, scan for either a nebula or an uninhabited planet. We need to do repairs. A planet would be better as we could do work on the hull."
"Scanning. I just sent a message to Seven to scan as well."
"Good. Thank you."
Damage reports were coming in all over the ship. Chakotay stayed busy for several hours, trying to keep the image of Kathryn and all that blood out of his mind.
Finally he turned the bridge back over to Tuvok and retuned to sickbay. Kathryn was the only patient in there. She was hooked up to several machines.
As soon as he walked in, the EMH came out of his office. "Commander, she's holding her own. She's not any better, but she not any worse either."
"I plan on having a staff meeting at 0800 tomorrow. I want you to remain here with her. We'll put you through on the monitor."
"Certainly. If there is nothing else, I'll be in my office. Turn the lights on low when you leave. Commander, I think she'll make it. She's a fighter."
"I'm counting on it. And, doc, thank you!"
The EMH nodded and headed back into his office.
At 0800 the following morning, the senior staff had gathered in the briefing room. As they filed in, all were quite. The only people missing was the command team and the EMH.
About 0805 Chakotay entered the room. He looked like he had aged twenty years over night. All the staff members except Tuvok keep looking down. None wanted to look in his eyes. They were afraid of what they might see.
"Belanna, how are repairs coming along?"
"Right now, slow. There was extensive damage. We need to land somewhere. Most of our problems is with the hull and the nacelles."
"Harry, any luck finding a place to land?"
"Yes, Seven found an uninhabited planet five hours away. We have been running constant scans and both feel it meets our needs."
"Then we'll head there"
"Commander, how is the Captain?" Neelix managed to say.
"Alive. At least at this point, she's still alive. No thanks to all of you!" The amount of anger in his voice was amazing. Belanna had never heard him that angry, not even in the Maquis.
Tom started to say something, but stopped when the EMH came on the monitor.
"Doc, how is she?"
"There has been no change, Commander. Right now, she's just existing. She's no worse, but she's no better. And, at this point, we should see her going one way or another. I've healed her as much as I can. Now, it's simply up to her if she has the will to live or not. There's not much else I can do. The loss of a child is traumatic for a woman. Even if she survives this, it's going to be a long road to recovery. The emotional damage is tremendous." He looked around at the staff, "I'll be giving the Commander updates every four hours."
"Thank you doc." Then, Chakotay turned back to the staff, "This ends now, people. The Captain and I have put up with the things you've done to us trying to get us together for years. And, this is the result of your meddling in what is none of your business."
"Chakotay, we were just trying to help." Tom stated, "We had no clue that the two of you were together. We only wanted the two of you to be happy."
"Tom, my wife and I have been very happily married for almost five years now." Chakotay looked around to see stunned faces except for Tuvok.
"You're married? Five years?" Harry's mouth had dropped open!
Tuvok spoke quietly, "Five years ago next week, Voyager visited an uninhabited planet. The command team was on the planet and asked Kes and I to beam down. When we did, the Captain turned the ship over to me in essence making me Captain. I in turn married them. Federation law states there only needs to be one witness to make the marriage binding. Kes was the witness."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Belanna glared at Chakotay, "If you had, this might not have happened!"
"We didn't tell you because it's none of your business. Look, you have no idea what Kathryn goes through. She parts her hair a different way, within minutes the news is all over the ship; she yawns on the bridge, people down in the mess hall wonders what kept her awake the night before. She sneezes and there is a betting pool as to how many times in a day will she sneeze on the bridge. There are betting pools all over the place. People on board have stuck their noses in where it doesn't belong for years. She has no privacy. Every little thing she does is known all over the ship within minutes. We can't even hold each other closely when we dance or kiss in public as there's a betting pools on that. What is it? 750 credits to the person who can take a holo image of us kissing? I can only imagine the credits for an image of us having sex! She wanted this to stay private between us as long as possible. Something for her that she didn't have to share with the crew. She wanted to wait until she was showing to let you know. We wanted to enjoy the last weeks of no one knowing. Now we may never have a child. Kathryn may not even make it."
They sat around the table for a couple of minutes, everyone just thinking about what Chakotay had said.
"I don't think we realized what we were doing to her. We just care so much about both of you. We wanted you both to be happy." Belanna had tears in her eyes.
"I understand that. And, I think she does too." They all saw the agony in his eyes. "Now we have to concentrate on getting Voyager fixed and getting her well."
They discussed a few more things before he dismissed the crew. Running his hand through his hair, he sat for a few minutes more. Finally he got up and decided to walk the ship. He needed to see how the repairs were coming.
As he walked the ship, he noticed that people were avoiding him. He imagined they already knew about Kathryn and the baby. After all, a ship runs on gossip. He was just as glad. He didn't want to talk with anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. He kept walking until he ended up back in sickbay.
As soon as he came in, the EMH came out of his office. "There's been no change, Commander. Her heart beat is slower than normal, but not dangerous. Her breathing seems ok. I just wish I had better news to tell you."
"I'm going to sit and talk with her for a bit. Maybe she can at least hear me.""I think she might be able to." He turned and walked back into his office as Chakotay sat in the chair next to her biobed. She looked so peaceful laying there. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips.
He talked to her for some time. Finally he needed to get back to work. He had just left sickbay when Harry called him to come to the bridge. They were arriving at the planet.
When he arrived back on the bridge, he went over all the readings with Harry. The planet looked safe. Turning to Paris, he said, "Paris, take her down."
Soon they were down and the ramp was lowered. Belanna would have a crew outside in no time working on the hull. Chakotay went out with her to look over the damage. "What do you think, Belanna?"
"Going to take at least a week and a half to get everything done out here. I don't think we should just do a fast patch job and go. At the same time, I'll also have a crew working inside. She's a great ship, Chakotay. Any other ship would have been in much worse shape. Voyager's been good to us."
"Well, you know Starfleet would only send the best after the Maquis!" He actually got a small smile out of her with that comment.
"She's going to be alright, Chakotay."
"Of course, Voyager will be alright."
"I'm talking about the Captain."
He stood looking at her for a minute or two, "I hope you're right, Belanna. I hope you're right. I don't want to live without her."
She fell into his arms and they clung to each other, "Loving someone can be hell, Belanna."
"I know, but being alone is worse. I promise, Chakotay, I'll do everything in my power to make things better for the two of you."
"I appreciate it."
Slowly, they headed back inside the ship. There was a lot of work to be done.
Chakotay went to the ready room to make up a work schedule that would satify the crew. He knew there was a lot of work to do, but also that they needed rest. He made the decision to stay on the planet two weeks, which could be adjusted depending on how much they finished by the end of the first week. He wanted every crew member to have at least three days off if possible. They needed it. Yes, there was a lot to do, but at the same time, people also needed rest.
After he finished with the work schedule, he took a walk around the ship. Crews were busy all over. He didn't go outside. He'd do that later. Now he needed to go back down to sickbay. He sat beside her for a long time. He was remembering their wedding. Right after they said I do, they beamed back to the ship. They went directly to her quarters and spent the rest of the day in bed.
Later Tuvok had come to her quarters. Between the three of them, they had made a door way between their two bedrooms. They could leave the door open and he could put his comm badge on the floor in front of the door inside his room. That way if people checked (and they knew people were often doing it) on the were abouts of each of them, they would be told that the Captain was in her quarters and that the Commander was in his. Often over the last five years, Kathryn had checked and found out that people were still checking up on them.
The crew stayed busy for days. Voyager was beginning to look really good. And, Neelix had taken a couple of people out looking for food. They found several plants that were edible. There were some plants that's roots tasted like pasta. Everyone was glad to get them. With some cooked tomatoes, they'd be great. And, there was always plenty of tomatoes in the hyponics bay.
Chakotay spent as much time as he could down in sick bay. All the EMH would say is that she was improving, but still she wasn't awake.
They had been back in space for several days when Chakotay got the call.
"Commander Chakotay, report to sickbay."
Chakotay quickly turned the bridge over to Tuvok and nearly ran to sickbay. As soon as he entered sick bay, he saw her sitting up in the biobed with the EMH by her side. She looked over at him as he walked toward her.
"I'll give you two some time together. Then, I want to talk to you both." the EMH told the command team. He walked into his office and shut the door.
Chakotay sat on the biobed. Taking her in his arms, he said, "I missed you, my love!" Then he kissed her. He was relieved when she returned the kiss with passion. Hopefully things was going to work out. He was so afraid of losing her.
"I missed you as well. I know I lost the baby. I'm so sorry. We both wanted it so much. Just now, after the doctor examined me, he said that my womb had healed nicely. He has high hopes that I will get pregnant again, and I'll be able to carry the child. It's up to us to make that baby. Think you can rise to the occasion, Commander?" She winked.
"I'll give it my all, Captain!" He laughed as he again took her into his arms.
Later the EMH came back into the room. He talked to them for some time about her injuries and what he had done to take care of them. He also talked about them trying for another baby. He did advice them that they wait a couple of months before they began trying again.
Then he gave them the good news that he would release her to quarters the following day. But, he wanted her to check in with him every day. When he so decided, he'd let her return to duty.
A week later, Kathryn still had not returned to duty. She was going to wait a couple of more days. But, Chakotay had promised her that today they would walk the ship like they had so many times before.
Upon arriving at their quarters, Chakotay could see that she wanted to get going. "Well Ms Eager Beaver, I see you're in a hurry."
"I just need to make sure things are alright before I come back on duty."
"Don't worry. I had the slaves cleaning the last couple of days. They're afraid of you. They don't want beaten!"
She punched him on the arm, "Beating them is your job. I just give orders. And, my orders to you is: get your butt going and walk with me around the ship."
"Yes, Maam!"
They left their quarters arm in arm. As they walked, several people stopped them to tell her that they had missed her and it was good to see her back. No one mentioned the baby.
By the time they got back to their quarters, she was exhausted. They went in and he got them something to drink. They talked for a few minutes, and then she went to lay down on the bed.
He contacted Tuvok to make certain everything was alright on the bridge. Then, he read a couple of padds. Finally he went to the bedroom to check on her. She was sound asleep. He kissed her on the cheek, and finally decided to lay down beside her for awhile.
He laid down carefully so as not to wake her. She looked so peaceful. Once he had laid down, she moved in her sleep closer to him. She always did that. He smiled as she cuddled tightly against him. He too drifted off to sleep.
They both slept for hours. Finally waking, he made them something to eat. They sat and talked for hours about the crew, the ship and home.
"Well one thing about this is that we don't have to hide any more. The entire ship knows we're married."
"Are you okay with all of them knowing, Kathryn?"
"Yes, I am. I wasn't for a long time, but now I am."
"We've come a long way. I remember the moment I fell in love with you. It was when we first saw each other. I saw your face on the view screen of the Liberty, and I knew that my heart belonged to you."
"I'm very lucky. You're a wonderful person, Chakotay."
"Thank you, my dear. You're not too bad yourself!"
They both laughed. They sat for a long time with their arms twined around each other.
Kathryn didn't go back on duty for another week. She was feeling better every day. But, she still felt she needed time.
Her first day on the bridge, everyone welcomed her back. And, she was actually happy to be back. Thankfully, the day passed uneventfully.
For the next six weeks everything went perfect. They weren't attacked. They found a planet where they could take shore leave and also trade for food supplies. Later they found another planet with a good quality of dilithium.
They stopped at another planet for more trade. There Kathryn and Chakotay talked to one of the government heads. He told them that in two weeks, they would be entering an area that was rife with pirates that would not only attack ships but take them over.
The command team was worried about crossing the expanse, but going around it would add a year and a half to their journey.
The government head told them about this man who lived in the mountains of their planet. He travels in his ship to other worlds and he might know of how to get through the expanse without running into the pirates. The government head gave them a map to the man's house.
Kathryn and Chakotay went back to the ship. From there they took a shuttle near where the man lived. Then they followed an uphill path to the man's home. They found him working in his garden.
After introducing themselves and telling him what the government head had said, he asked them to come sit on
his porch. He asked about their travels. He was interested in what they had to say.
"Let me get a map for you. I think I can help you achieve your goal a bit faster and to stay away from the pirates." He went inside and came back with a large map.
Spreading it out on the patio table, he said, "This will take you to the left side of the expanse. But, if you follow this line closely, you will come to a worm hole. It will take fifteen days to get there at warp 6. Once you get to the worm hole, it should be stable enough. I've used it for years, the last time being six months ago. If you take it, it will come out far, far beyond the expanse that you need to avoid. By taking it, it should take ten years off your journey. It empties out into a friendly part of space." He then unrolled another map. "This map is of the part of space where you will come out. See, here is where you exit the worm hole. This planet here is where you can get supplies of not only food but minerals and ores. When you get to that planet, the government will have someone talk with you. Ask to speak with Jobbet. He is a friend of mine. Tell him you are a friend of Huubars. He will help you get what you need. I'm giving you these because I'm very ill. I no longer will be sailing the skies. I envy you Voyagers. You may not realize it now, but you're having the time of your lives. No one in your quadrant has ever been here that I know of. You're the first. That is exciting."
They talked for some time. Kathryn asked him if there was anything they could do for him. He told her no, but just to think about him every once in awhile.
Kathryn and Chakotay stayed with him as long as they could. Finally they had to leave.
As soon as they got back to the ship, they called a senior staff meeting. When the staff convened, Kathryn and Chakoty spread out the maps and gave them all the information that they had gotten from Huubars. The senior staff was excited. They decided that they'd finish up their business there and then head for the wormhole. Hopefully it was still stable enough for them to go through.
Huubars was right so far. It took them fifteen days at warp 6 to reach the wormhole. As soon as they got there, they took scans of it and sent probes through. They found it to be barely degraded. After going over all the statistics, the command team decided it was safe enough to go through.
The ride through the wormhole was bumpy, but no damage was done to the ship. Coming out on the other side, they found they were indeed much closer to home.
That night the crew celebrated on the holodeck. They held a formal dance. Chakotay had re-done the schedules so that all crew members could attend at some time or another. Neelix made a ton of appetizers. He was in his glory. Everyone had a great time.
Later in the evening, Kathryn and Chakotay walked back to their quarters arm in arm. They were happy that everything with the wormhole had turned out so well. In the morning, they would be contacting the planet Huubars had told them about. They would ask for Jobbet, and hopefully he would help them get supplies.
The next morning, they did talk to Jobbet. He was sorry to hear about his friend Huubars. They had been friends for many years. But, Jobbet said that the last time he had seen Huubars, he felt there was something wrong. In fact, he had asked Huubars to stay with him and his wife, but Huubars wanted to return home. He had even said something to Jobbet about when he died, he wanted it to be on his home planet.
Voyager left Jobbet's planet several days later, loaded with enough supplies to last six months. The command team was happy. And, they still had the map that Huubars had given them of the area that lay ahead for the next two years. He had marked the planets they might visit and the planets to stay away from.
While Voyager was in orbit around an M-Class planet, Kathryn and Chakotay went down to the planet with Tom and Belanna for shore leave. While there, Kathryn began to feel ill. Tom checked her over and had her and Chakotay beam to sickbay.
The doctor check her over. "Well, Captain, the only thing wrong with you is that your pregnant. Congratulations!"
Both Kathryn and Chakotay were in shock. They both had silently believed that it wouldn't happen again.
"I… I … oh, is everything alright? I can't lose this baby."
"You won't, Kathryn. We'll do everything we can to prevent that!" Chakotay held her close.
"Your son is very healthy at the point. I want you to follow my directions 100%. Don't take any chances. If you follow instructions and stay out of dangerous situations, this baby should be born healthy."
During the next seven months, Kathryn did as she was told. The crew watched over her like a hawk. And, Chakotay was the worst of all.
The day she went into labor, everyone on the ship waited with bated breath. Finally after twelve hours, Chakotay announced, "This is Commander Chakotay. The Captain and I wish to announce the arrival of our son, Kole Edward. Kole is a very healthy baby. Thanks to all of you for your support in making our miracle possible."
Cheers went up all over the ship, and that night people were celebrating the babies arrival in Sandines. This baby was the most awaited child born on Voyager.
The End