3 weeks Later
They were traveling through a region of space that was occupied by what Neelix had described as extremely aggressive aliens. There seemed to be a great shortage of peaceful species in the delta quadrant, Kathryn though with a smile. So far they had failed to make first contact, but it was only a matter of time.
"Captain, we are picking up a ship on long range sensors. It appears to carry a federation warp signature…Captain it's the shuttle commander Chakotay left in."
Her head snapped up before she reminded herself of the many possible explanations for the shuttle. "He's probably sent it after us on an intercept course Harry. We'll drop to warp one and wait for it to catch up. When it's it range, tractor it in to the shuttle bay. I'll be in my ready room." She stood up and waddled her way over to the doors.
It was amazing how one brief spurt of hope could send her emotions hurling again. Damn hormones.
Entering her ready room, she ordered a cup of warm milk and sat down behind her desk to enjoy it. At nearly 7 months, she was trying to reduce her coffee intake as much as possible. It seemed to make her child all the more jumpy. She had refused to let the doctor tell her the sex of the infant, wanting…needing something to look forward to finding out. Placing her hand on what was left of her lap her murmured soothingly to the child who seemed to be agitated by the swirling emotions of its mother. Most of the crew had assumed, like Chakotay, that Raoul was the father. She wondered what they would think when the baby was born.
Yawning she asked the computer to play a selection of Chopin in her ready room. The baby seemed to like it. She smiled as she felt the soft movements subside. No matter what, she loved her child. And she hoped that wherever he was Chakotay had found peace.
"Captain to the bridge," came the call. She sighed and got to her feet again. Stepping out she looked at Harry. "Report Lieutenant." She asked.
"We are receiving a hail from the shuttle Captain. It's the Commander." Harry said the words excitedly, having no idea of the effect they had on his captain. Slowly she sank into her chair. Chakotay. He had come back.
It was her last moment of peace before all hell broke loose.
"Captain I am reading 5 ships heading out from the ionosphere of the planet off the port bow. We weren't able to detect them before because of atmospheric interference blocking our sensors."
"Harry, try hailing them."
"No reply Captain." "They are charging weapons" Tuvok's calm voice intoned.
"On Screen. Shields up. Tuvok; Ready phasers."
"Captain I am reading fire power much more superior to our own. However the ships appear to be incapable of speed higher than warp 6. We can out run them."
On the front viewer they watched as 2 of the ships broke off from the attack pattern towards voyager and veered towards the fast approaching shuttle."
"The shuttle's only capable of warp 5 captain" Tom blurted out. "Chakotay doesn't stand a chance."
They watched as the first bolt of energy streaked towards the shuttle. Kathryn winced as the shields lit up with the force of the blast. The ship rocked as the aliens simultaneously opened fire on voyager.
"Tom, get us between the shuttle and those two ships. We'll have to try and beam him out of here. Mr. Tuvok, return fire."
"Captain, shields are already down to 47. I determine that we do not have the time to try and save the Commander before the shield collapse. Our phasers are proving ineffective."
"Divert all power to the shields including the phaser bank reserves." She watched as the shuttle loomed closer and closer and Tuvok read out the declining shield stats."
"36...28...21...captain we are between the ships and the shuttle and in transporter range."
"Harry, signal the commander to lower his shield for beam out. As soon as you confirm him on board, blow up the shuttle Mr. Tuvok and Mr. Paris…get us the hell out of here."
"Got him Captain. I'm beaming him directly to the bridge."
Just as Harry's triumphant shout echoed across the bridge Tuvok's soft voice sounded. "Captain we have lost the forward shields."
"Get us out of here Mr. Paris." Voyager turned and began to go to warp, when the alien ship fired one last time.
Chakotay materialized on the bridge of his ship not a second too late as far as he was concerned. The shuttles shields were gone and there was no way to outrun them in a class 2 shuttle.
His spirits buoyant, he knew Tom would never let him live down loosing another shuttle. As he turned towards where he sensed his captain was standing, the ground lurched under him. Consoles erupted in showers of smoke and the hull breach alarm sounded. But he did not notice all of this. The only thing he saw was Kathryn as she lost her balance and fell abdomen first into the guard rail in front of her. Her stomach hit the console. Hard. He could only watch as she crumpled to the ground.
He watched unable to move as voices droned on around him, oblivious to their Captains plight. He heard Harry confirming that emergency bulkheads were in place, and Tom confirming that they were clear of the aggressive ships, and then the deathly silence as the bridge crew realized that their captain was on the floor curled up in pain.
Snapping himself out of his stupor, he ran to her side. She curled up into a ball as much as she could, clutching her abdomen.
Kathryn couldn't believe the pain. So much pain. She curled up, trying to understand what was happening to her, when she felt an even sharper pull low in her abdomen. And then the warm gush of liquid between her legs. What was wrong with her? She couldn't be in labour - it was way too soon. Putting her hand down under her, it came away bright red. Blood. Suddenly everything snapped into place. The baby. She was losing her baby . She reared her head up to look into Chakotay's eyes.
Chakotay paled when he saw the blood. Why did this have to happen to her? She looked up at him with stricken eyes, brimming with tears. Lifting her into his arms he barked out an order for transport to sickbay.
Rematerializing in front of a biobed and very worried doctor, he gently placed her down before the doctor shoved him out of the way running a tricorder across her. Tom and B'Elanna came charging through the doors a few minutes later…seemingly an eternity. Tom immediately moved to the side of the doctor while B'Elanna looked at him open mouthed. Looking down he saw he was covered in blood… her blood. Knees nearly buckling he was grateful for the hand that steadied him and turned to lead him away from the bed. As he left sickbay he heard her weak voice filter through the buzzing in his ears.
"Save the baby doctor. Never mind about me…save my baby"
His heart tore in two at the agony in her voice and he could no more hold himself up than if his legs were made of wet clay. Sliding to the floor, he felt Belanna clutch at his hands.
Her voice penetrated the haze that was surrounding him making it difficult to breath. He looked up to see her lips moving. She was calling him. Summoning up all his will power he tried to listen.
"I'm not supposed to tell you this Chakotay, and Tom could be in a lot of trouble later but I think you have a right to know. While pulling a shift in sickbay yesterday, Tom came across a scan of the baby the doc had done that day. I know this will come as a shock to you Chakotay… but the baby is definitely human. When Tom came back and told me I forced him to run a scan to see whose DNA's it was. It matched YOURS."
Chakotay looked at B'Elanna like he had never seen her before. "My DNA? That's impossible. I've never slept with…it can't be." For a moment his mind grasped the possibility that she had done what Seska had claimed… but dismissed it immediately. Kathryn would never do that to him. "How?" was all he managed to croak out.
"As far as the scans can tell…the baby is around 7 months old. That would mean she would have had to conceive at around the time the Hirogen took over the ship."
"That means that Captain Miller…but I thought that Kathryn remembers what happened in the holodeck."
"She does Chakotay. She knows that the baby she's carrying…it's your daughter."
Chakotay looked towards the closed doors of sickbay where his future was in the hands of another man. He tried to find it in himself to be angry that she had not told him, but his harsh words kept flashing in his mind
Wrong B'el. I loved her. Not anymore. Not after she betrayed me. I'll never give her power to hurt me again. From now on I'll be her first officer and nothing more. I have to see her on duty but after that I'll avoid her like the plague. I don't know what I even saw in her in the first place. I must have been blind
I KNOW it isn't MINE. How could it be mine? I've never slept with you, thank god
It's because I can't stand to be around you anymore. I can't even look at you. And I hate you for making me feel this way
Over and over, he heard himself spit out those hurtful words, and no matter how hard he tried he could not banish from his minds eye the image of her soaking in her own blood, looking up at him with fear in her eyes. Fear yes…yet even then underlined with trust. That he would take care of her.
Her last words echoed in his mind… Save the baby doctor. Never mind about me…save my baby and with a cry that rent his soul in two he collapsed in B'Elanna's arms crying…not knowing if he would ever be able to stop.