Chapter Twenty-One
Chaos erupted on the bridge before Tom even hit the floor as everyone reacted. Fearful for his friend's condition, Harry dashed out from behind his console in the rear of the bridge, but he was beat to his best friend's side by Kathryn and Chakotay, who were significantly closer.
"Get a medkit," Chakotay ordered over his shoulder as he knelt down next to Tom's unconscious form. Kathryn pressed her fingers to Tom's neck. He had a fairly strong pulse, which was a good sign, but it didn't explain why he had suddenly fallen unconscious. Remembering that he had been clutching his side, she pulled up the bottom of his grey t-shirt, revealing a nasty looking jagged cut that curved around his side to his back. Blood oozed freely from the open wound, staining both his shirt and the shirt and the ground. Chakotay tapped the comm badge pinned to his shirt and barked, "Chakotay to sickbay: medical emergency." Usually the Doctor was incredibly prompt at answer any pages, but he was a little preoccupied with tending to Seven, which caused him to be delayed in responding for several moments that felt like an eternity.
Finally, the Doctor answered, "I'm a little busy here, Commander. Have Mr. Paris take care of it." It was clear that he wasn't pleased with being interrupted, especially given the severity of Seven's condition. He had to focus on his patient, anything happening on the bridge could be taken care of by Tom. Despite how much he complained about the Lieutenant, he was a more than competent medic.
"That's going to be a little hard because Tom's the one having the emergency." The Doctor sighed. Chakotay could tell that he was thinking about what to do next. Now, he had two severely injured patients.
"I'll be there as soon as I can. See what you can do without me." Kathryn had already thrown open the medkit provided to her by a crewman and had out the medical tricorder to give her more information about Tom's condition. She scanned the gaping wound on Tom's side.
"There doesn't appear to be any internal bleeding," she said with a hint of relief in her voice. As far as she could tell, things looked far worse than they actually were. "He's just lost a lot of blood." Harry crouched down on the other side of Tom across from the Captain and Chakotay.
"Why didn't he say something?" he asked. "An injury like that would hurt like hell." His side hurt just looking at it.
"Scans are revealing extremely high levels of adrenaline," Kathryn replied as she put the tricorder away and grabbed the dermal regenerator. "He probably didn't even realize he was injured." She ran the dermal regenerator over Tom's exposed flesh. The device immediately did its job of knitting together the jagged edges, sealing the skin and putting an end to the bleeding but leaving behind the blood stains on the floor. Satisfied with her handy work, Kathryn got to her feet. For the time being, it appeared that the crisis had been averted, although she knew they still needed to get Tom down to sickbay as quickly as possible for proper medical care. "Mr. Tuvok, take our guest to the briefing room. I'll be with you as soon as I can." Tuvok approached Aritlin and motioned towards the briefing room. Knowing that his new hosts were still suspicious of him, he knew he better just do what they asked and hope for the best, so he immediately complied. He glanced back at Tom one last time to see if he was alright before dashing to keep up with Tuvok. He knew the wound had been caused by his people, and that didn't help the guilt that he felt.
Nobody was more pleased than the Doctor when Voyager stopped shuddering, and the red alert ended. He let out a sigh of relief while flitting around the biobed; a task that was made more difficult by Icheb's hovering, as if he didn't trust the Doctor to properly take care of her. Concern etched across the young man's face as he looked down at his beloved mentor and friend. The Doctor even swore he saw a tear or two appear in his eyes, although he didn't dare mention it. He was far more concerned with stabilizing Seven.
With Seven as stabilized as she would get at the moment, the Doctor was prepared to head to the bridge to take care of Tom when the distinct sound and flashing lights of the transporter appeared in the middle of his sickbay. Tom, Harry and Chakotay all materialized out of thin air. Tom was sprawled across the floor while the two men crouched over him, ready to jump in at a moment's notice in case his condition worsened via transport. As far as they could tell, he was still fine.
"What in the world is going on around here?" the Doctor demanded. Things were getting ridiculous around here. Tricorder out and ready to go, he rushed to Tom's side, momentarily forgetting about Seven's plight just a few feet away.
"It's a long story," Harry replied. He sounded absolutely exhausted. He really had hoped to return to Voyager without any problems. He and Chakotay got to their feet. One of them grabbed Tom's legs while the other looped his arm under his arms to pick him up and carry him to the closest biobed. Tom's head flopped backwards, but he didn't regain consciousness. "He was shot and lost a lot of blood. The Captain healed the wound on the bridge, but he lost a lot of blood."
"I'll give him a blood transfusion." The Doctor immediately leapt into action, barking orders to Harry. While the Ensign was out of his league, helping in sickbay was Tom's area of expertise not his, but he knew that he needed to help. He scrambled around sickbay, snatching up the appropriate supplies and struggling to keep up with the Doctor's directions.
As soon as Tom was deposited on the biobed, Chakotay melted away to check on Seven, who was his main priority. He appeared next to Icheb, who looked just as lost on the outside as he felt on the inside, although he was better at hiding his emotions than the teenager. He gave Icheb's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before turning his attention to Seven. He brushed her hair back from her face and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. The ministrations weren't lost on Icheb. He instantly felt uncomfortable, like he was intruding on a tender moment only meant for the couple. He'd had a feeling for the past few months that Seven was seeing someone; she'd put more emphasis on her appearance, and several times she snuck away without any sort of explanation, not that she owed him one. Of all the men on the starship, however, he never expected her to be with Chakotay. The two of them seemed so different from each other; he couldn't figure out what they had in common that drew them to each other. The realization that they were dating made Icheb feel frustrated; he'd always been so open with Seven, the least she could do was return the favor.
Chakotay thought that all the anxiety that he suffered from the past few days would disappear once he got Seven back to Voyager, but, unfortunately, that wasn't the case. He still felt on edge even though she was getting the medical attention she so desperately needed. Spread out on the biobed, under the harsh lights overhead, she looked even more fragile than before. All the color was gone from her flesh, giving her an ethereal appearance while black nanoprobes rimmed the open wounds littered across her body. Anyone glancing at her would automatically assume that she was long dead, but the faint rise and fall of her chest said otherwise. Chakotay held on to that faint movement, it was the only thing that told him that she would be alright, or at least so he hoped. He had no idea if she was out of the woods just yet, there could be some lasting damage to her body that they hadn't detected yet. There was no way to be certain when or if Seven would get better.
With determination and frustration written across her face, Kathryn burst into sickbay. As soon as she saw Chakotay at Seven's side, her face softened, and her heart broke. Even from across the room, she could see the pain in his eyes. Unlike Icheb, she had known there was something going on between her First Officer and protege, but they'd managed to keep it behind closed doors (something many other members of the crew could learn to do). This was the first time she actually saw with her own eyes that there was something special going on between the two of them.
"Doctor, status report," she ordered, remembering that she was here to find out how Tom and Seven were, not to see how Chakotay acted around her.
"Seven of Nine has been hooked up to the spare mobile regenerator. I won't be able to tell the extent of the damage to her until she wakes up," he replied as he continued to set up a blood transfusion without missing a beat.
"When will that be?" Chakotay demanded from his position from the other side of the room where he ran his fingertips along Seven's hand, tracing along the seam where her implant met her flesh. Sighing, the Doctor shrugged.
"I don't know," he admitted softly. "It'll probably be a few days at the very least."
"And what about Lieutenant Paris?" Kathryn temporarily turned her attention to Tom, who was still unconscious on one of the biobeds along the wall. The Doctor finished hooking up the blood transfusion. For a moment, he looked and felt victorious until he remembered Seven's delicate situation just a few meters away. He hated not knowing what would happen to her, he regarded her as one of his closest friends and, like Chakotay and Kathryn, couldn't stand the thought of something worse befalling her.
"He'll be fine," he assured. "The wound on his side was healed without any problems thanks to your expertise and quick thinking. Once his blood transfusion is over, he should be awake and back on his feet." At least one of his patients was going to be back on his feet in a relatively short amount of time. Seven, on the other hand, was another story entirely.
With the knowledge that Tom was going to be fine, Kathryn turned her attention to Seven. She crossed the room and put a reassuring hand on Chakotay's arm and gave it a squeeze in an attempt to comfort him. For a split second, he glanced at her before turning his attention back to Seven. Kathryn didn't take it personally, she could see the pain in his eyes and across his face. This was the first time she'd ever seen him this way, and, as one of his closest friends, she wanted nothing more than to help guide him through such hardship.
"Chakotay, what happened?" Previously, her voice had been stern and demanding, but now it was gentle and comforting, desperate for answers to all the questions swarming inside her. He ran his hand over his face. That was a question he was still trying to figure out himself, and he wished he had a more concrete answer.
"Everything went wrong," he replied without taking his eyes off Seven's fragile body. "Her mobile regenerator was stolen, and she couldn't regenerate. There was nothing we could do."
"Stolen?" Kathryn parroted in shock. "How? By whom?" He shook his head but didn't answer. Instead, he approached Seven, stroking her cheek. He ran his fingers through her usually soft hair, but the golden strands felt dry and brittle against his tanned fingers. Sensing that he wanted some space, she turned to Harry and said, "Mr. Kim, you're with me. I want to meet with our new guest and find out what's going on. Doctor, make sure you tell B'Elanna that Tom's here, she's going to want to see him as soon as possible." In all honesty, she was surprised B'Elanna wasn't here already. Harry, who was dutifully by Tom's side to make sure his best friend was alright, immediately leapt into action. Tom would have to wait, but at least he knew he would be alright.
"Yes, Captain." He trailed after the Captain, who stalked out of sickbay towards the bridge. Not once did she ask Chakotay to join them, she couldn't do that to him. She knew that he needed to be by Seven's side, it was the only respite he had from the torment that consumed him.
Aritlin waited impatiently in the briefing room. He paced back and forth along the large table anxiously while Tuvok and another guard stood at attention, acting like he was some sort of dangerous criminal. He didn't blame them, but he wished there was some way for him to show them that he meant them no harm. Try as he might, he simply couldn't get the image of Tom sprawled across the floor with blood oozing from his side out of his head. When it wasn't Tom that haunted him, it was Seven's emaciated, corpse-like body that swarmed before his eyes and plagued his mind. Aritlin couldn't help but feel guilty, it was his fault that these strangers were in this situation in the first place. Never before had he seen the repercussions of his people's actions, and now it was all thrown in his face in a way that he couldn't ignore. It made him feel sick to his stomach. He was glad he'd fled his people, this wasn't how he wanted to live his life, there had to be a better way.
The doors to the briefing room slid open with a distinct hiss, revealing Kathryn and Harry, who hastened inside before the doors quickly closed behind them. As soon as he saw them, Aritlin froze, wide-eyed with surprise. He hadn't expected them back so quickly. He hoped that it didn't mean that something terrible had happened to Tom or Seven; it would only cause him to feel worse.
"How are they?" he eagerly blurted out without any sort of formal introduction or sense of decorum associated with meeting the captain of a ship. "Are they going to be alright?"
"Lieutenant Paris is going to be fine in a few hours," Kathryn replied as she eased herself into her chair at the head of the elongated table and motioned for Tuvok and Harry to follow her lead. Aritlin's eyes shifted uneasily as he joined the crewmen at the table. As he did, she sized him up, trying to figure out who he was and how he'd ended up aboard her starship.
"And your other crew member? The Borg? How is she?" It felt strange to Aritlin to be so concerned about a Borg, but he could tell that there was something very different about her. Not only did she no longer closely resemble a Borg, but he could tell based on the compassion of others that she was a valued member of this crew who had been an innocent victim of his people's actions.
"Seven of Nine is in critical condition. She has been attached to a mobile regenerator in sickbay, but it will be a few days until we know the extent of the damage. Our Doctor is with her right now." The doors to the briefing room opened once again, catching everyone off guard, as nobody else was expected at the moment.
Chakotay entered the briefing room. Without saying a word, he immediately took a seat next to Kathryn as if nothing were wrong. His expression said otherwise, however. As soon as he laid eyes on Aritlin, his gazed hardened while simultaneously looking confused at his presence on Voyager. Even if this man had helped him and his away team get back home, he still represented the very people who nearly killed Seven and could potentially cause her permanent damage.
"What are you doing here?" he finally asked. It was a question that had been burning inside of him since the Kalrussian had appeared seemingly out of the blue during the plasma storm. "We sent you back to your people as part of our deal."
"We'll get there," Kathryn assured as she held out her hand to stop Chakotay's questioning even though she had the same question herself. "But first, I want you to start at the beginning. What happened when you landed?" Harry looked at Chakotay to see if he would answer the question, but the First Officer sat at the table passively, only really here because he was expected to do so, not because he wanted to be here, letting Harry to take charge.
"When we landed, we couldn't find the source of the distress call," he started, slowly so as to collect his thoughts properly. "We conducted sweeps of the area all day, but there was nothing there: no signs of life, technology, nothing. None of us could figure out what was going on. We thought it was strange, but we figured the interference in the atmosphere skewed the readings. Things got weirder when we got back to the shuttle. Someone had broken in, but all they took were the tents." Once he got going, the story tumbled forth from Harry's lips faster than he expected as he filled in the Captain and Tuvok on the dangerous away mission that they had suffered through. Chakotay only partially paid attention to the beginning, he knew what had happened to them when they first landed. All he cared about was figuring out what had happened during the plasma storm that had lead Aritlin to join them here. Finally, Harry got to the end of the story, the part that left them all confused about what had happened. "When we woke up this morning, there were a handful of tools left at our camp." Chakotay's ears immediately perked up, this was the part he wanted to know for himself, and clearly Harry had the answers. "When I got back to the shuttle, there was a message left behind on the comm system." Harry turned to Aritlin to pick up the story from there.
"I was a part of the sweep team last night. We scan the area for shuttles and raid them for supplies. It's how we've survived for thousands of years. We lure passing ships to our planet with fake distress calls and then steal whatever we can from them under the cover of plasma storms to protect us from getting caught." There was shame in his voice as he explained the deception used by the Kalrussians. Up until recently, he hadn't seen any harm in his and his people's behavior, but now he knew otherwise. "We have technology that allows us to basically throw a fake distress call to an abandoned location, essentially luring others to come and help us. A few years ago, we got our hands on some cloaking technology, which is why your scans weren't able to pick up any traces of us on your shuttle." Realizing he had gotten off track, Aritlin redirected himself. He needed to focus on filling in the gaps in the story. "I purposefully separated myself from the team, put the supplies at the camp and rushed to your shuttle to leave you a message. I'm sorry I couldn't get you more supplies, most of them had been dispersed amongst my people." Kathryn waved the comment off. Just doing what he had done had undoubtedly been a huge risk to him, as he went against his people's norms and customs.
"You did what you could, and I'm sure both Commander Chakotay and Ensign Kim are incredibly grateful," Kathryn assured. Sensing Aritlin's apprehension, she was doing her best to be gentle with him as she encouraged him to continue so they could get the answers they so desperately needed. "What did the message say?" she pressed eagerly as she leaned forward in her seat. If he'd risked so much for a message, it must be important.
"When I first got to your camp, I knew I recognized Henan and Notaxi, but I couldn't figure out from where. It wasn't until I got back to my people that I put it all together and finally figured out where I remembered them from. We call them scrappers. They're people who have been stranded on my planet and work for my people in exchange for supplies and assistance when necessary. They do a variety of jobs, but their most important job is getting onto the starships that come to rescue people who are stranded and take down the ships from the inside to make it easier to get more supplies. They get close to the people stranded on the planet, tell them that they want to get off the planet, and when they get onto the starship, that's when they strike. Without them, my people can't take down the bigger starships, which is how we've gotten most of our important technology. As soon as I realized who they were, I knew you were in trouble." Chakotay's mind swam with information overload. The very people he trusted, that he purposefully brought into their fold and begged for assistance worked for the Kalrussians. What made it worse was the fact that they intended to betray them from the very beginning. If they had all of a sudden decided to betray them, he would be able to handle that, but from the very moment they met, they never intended to help them get back to Voyager. Now that he thought about it, the only reason they even offered to help get Tom and Seven out of the caves was because they knew that Chakotay and Harry wouldn't leave them behind. They'd been played.
"Okay, I want to know why you had a change of heart," Kathryn interrupted, getting to the root of what Aritlin was doing aboard her ship. Despite her deep trust of Harry and Tuvok's opinions, she still had countless reservations. Who's to say this alien wasn't going to try and steal her ship, just like that Henan and Notaxi had? "You've been saying your people have been doing this for as long as they can remember without any qualms, so why are you here? And why did you help us?" It was the question on everyone's mind, and they were glad that someone finally spoke up and asked it.
"I've always been told that what we do doesn't hurt anyone. I was shocked when I saw your friend; everything I had been told about what we do was a lie. Here was a woman wasting away because of what we did, and I couldn't let that happen. When I left your camp and got back to my people, I couldn't stop thinking about her and if there was anything I could do to help, I was going to do it. I brought back the tools as an act of good faith and left the message on your shuttle with the hopes that someone would find it. I managed to convince my people to let me stay behind, it was a miracle they let me. This let me stay close, just in case, and I'm glad I did. When I saw what was happening in the plasma storm, I stepped in to help; I had to help."
"So Henan and Notaxi were working for you the whole time?" Chakotay clarified, speaking up for the first time since he arrived. Aritlin nodded, although his eyes were full of remorse. "But they were so eager to help. They went out of the way to help us, to help Seven. They're the ones who led us to her and Tom in the caves. Why would they do that?" Aritlin shrugged.
"I can't be sure," he admitted. "But I can assume that it was to gain your trust." Chakotay scowled. This wasn't exactly the answer he wanted. He wished he could confront the bastards himself, get the answers out of them one way or another. If they were in communication with the Kalrussians, that meant that they could have gotten Seven's mobile regenerator back much sooner, perhaps before it had been scrapped for parts. In a sense, her condition was as much their fault as it was the Kalrussians'.
"But they helped us," he argued, still attempting to process this information. "They went out of their way to find a root to help lower Seven's fever." Aritlin thought back to the liquid he saw Chakotay giving to Seven during his time at the camp.
"That's what they told you?" he blurted out incredulously, his disdain for Henan and Notaxi growing by the minute. "That was a sedative, not something for fevers. We use it when performing surgery on people."
"What?" At first, Chakotay wasn't sure if he even heard correctly. Once the news sank in, he had no idea if he should feel furious or disappointed with the news. He had put Seven's health in the hands of strangers, and they betrayed him by giving her something that undoubtedly made her condition worse. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. The medicine we have for fevers is a completely different color. It would be impossible to mix them up," Aritlin replied. He felt awful for breaking such news to Chakotay. He could see in the man's eyes that he was utterly disappointed and heartbroken he was now.
"Why would they want to sedate Seven?" Kathryn pressed, cutting into the conversation in an attempt to make sense of the information herself. Aritlin shrugged.
"I wish I knew," he whispered. "Had I known that they were telling you it was for her fever, I would have put a stop to it. I would have said something. I had no idea they were being that deceptive, I had no idea they were scrappers until I already left." Chakotay barely heard Artilin's sincere apology. He was still trying to comprehend all the new information being thrown at him. Just when he thought he knew all the facts, everything he knew was turned on its head. He thought he could trust Henan and Notaxi, but they had been actively conspiring against them since the very beginning. Their plan had worked perfectly, and they fooled everyone on the away mission. Not once did anyone doubt Henan and Notaxi's motives; they gave them no reason to doubt them or their story. Chakotay couldn't help but mentally chastise himself. Had he not been so wrapped up in taking care of Seven, he would have been able to think straight and perhaps pick up on the deception. Once again, he felt that he had failed as a First Officer on this away mission by putting his feelings for her above his duty to the team as a whole. Before they left, Seven had expressed hesitance in both of them going on this mission together, and now he could see why. He'd been emotionally compromised almost from the very beginning, making decisions based on his heart, not based on what his head told him. "I want to apologize for any role I've had in harming your crew, and I hope my actions have at least started to make up for what I've done."
"Our crew owes you their lives," Kathryn assured as she leaned forward towards Aritlin. Her gaze was soft, putting him at ease almost instantly. "Without your help, my people may still be stuck on your home planet, and your people would have taken my ship. For that, we are extremely grateful. In return for your help, we'll provide you safe passage on our ship." Aritlin visibly relaxed as he slouched back in his seat. He couldn't return to his home planet, he'd committed high treason and would be executed the second his feet hit the ground, and he had no plan for what to do if they turned him away. His people were despised throughout the sector, meaning any planet he got to in the vicinity would turn him away, or worse, take the law into their own hands. "Mr. Tuvok will arrange for you to have an escort on the ship. Don't take it personally, it's just a precaution."
"I understand." Kathryn silently turned her attention to Tuvok and gave him a subtle nod that no one else picked up on; it was their silent way of communicating, much like she did with Chakotay. After seven years together, that's all it took many times to get the message across. He instantly knew that she had given him an order. He got to his feet.
"If you will please follow me, I will escort you to your quarters," he said to Aritlin. He immediately stood up and followed Tuvok out of the briefing room. Harry stood up as well.
"Captain, if you don't mind, I'd like to go to my quarters and clean up," he requested.
"Of course." Harry took the Captain's consent as permission to leave. He turned on his heels and exited the briefing room without another word. The thought of a long shower, a fresh change of clothes and a full meal before crawling into an actual bed called to him.
The second Harry was gone, Chakotay relaxed in his chair and ran his hand over his face while still attempting to process the information he just heard. His mind whirled at warp speed, and he was starting to get a headache. Kathryn instinctively reached over and took his free hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He glanced at her briefly while his fingers subconsciously twitched against her comforting touch. While he was physically in this room, mentally he was back in sickbay and thinking about Seven.
"Chakotay," Kathryn said as gently as possible. "She's going to be alright." As gently as possible, she turned his head to get a better look at the mottled bruise that crept across his jaw from the blow from Henan. "Let me take care of that for you."
"I'm fine," he argued as he tried to brush off her hand. Undeterred, Kathryn grabbed the medkit from under the console on the side wall and produced the dermal regenerator. She stood in front of Chakotay and took his face in her hands. Her slender fingers were soft and gentle against his skin as she turned his face to get a better look at the bruise. "I'm fine," he repeated pathetically. "I've been hit much harder."
"I know you have, but that doesn't the change the fact that you have an impressive bruise already forming. It'll just take a minute." She ran the dermal regenerator over the blue and purple flesh, slowly turning it back to its usual bronzed hue.
"Kathryn, I'm fine. I'm more concerned with Seven." He tried to stand up. A bruise wasn't the end of the world; it would heal itself in a few days and wasn't worth the effort to him. Clearly, Kathryn saw otherwise as she held his jaw firmly in one hand and continued to run the dermal regenerator over the bruise with the other.
"There's nothing you can do about her right now, so sit still before I pull rank on you." With a frustrated sigh, Chakotay closed his mouth. There was no doubt in his mind that she would do that, just to make her point. The aching that accompanied his bruise slowly melted away into nothingness, which told him that he had been fully healed, not that he cared. No sooner had Kathryn let go of his face did he jump to his feet.
"I need to get back to sickbay," he announced. Kathryn put her hands on his broad shoulders to stop him from leaving.
"Chakotay." Her voice was compassionate, yet surprisingly firm. "Seven is in the Doctor's hands now. You got her back here, you got everyone back here as safely as possible given the impossible circumstances thrown your way. Now you need to take care of yourself. Return to your quarters, get something to eat, take a shower and get a good night's sleep." He opened his mouth to protest. "It's what Seven would want you to do; she'd want you to take care of yourself." He knew she was right. Seven would tell him that he needed to take care of himself, that he couldn't expect himself to be First Officer and fulfill his duties in his current condition.
"Fine," he relented bitterly as he broke free of Kathryn's touch. She watched helplessly as he stalked out of the briefing room without so much as looking back at her. Although he squared his shoulders and kept his head held high, she could see in the way he dragged his feet that he was defeated, unsure of himself.
Kathryn sighed. She had no idea what to do next. Logistically, she knew what to do: continue on their way to the Alpha Quadrant, and that hadn't changed. It was the welfare of her crew that worried her, particularly the away team. She had two of her Senior Officers were in sickbay, one of them in critical condition, and her First Officer appeared to be a broken man. What she wouldn't give to have Neelix here right now. His skills as morale officer would be highly invaluable, and he'd know exactly what to say to cheer her up, even if it was just for a few moments. Unfortunately, he was gone, and she would have to find a way to boost her crew's morale on her own, if only she knew how.
Light and sound swirled around Tom, ebbing and flowing like waves beating against the sand. A groan slipped past his lips as he brought his hand to his brow, running it over his face in the process. Slowly, he cracked open his eyes and adjusted to the bright lights that beamed down from above. There was a blur next to him. At first, he couldn't figure out who or what it was until his eyes finally focused, revealing B'Elanna pacing nervously alongside his biobed.
"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes," he teased hoarsely. His voice was strained and tired despite the fact that he had just regained consciousness. B'Elanna nearly jumped out of her skin. As soon as she saw that Tom was awake, she threw her arms around him to the best of her ability and pressed her lips against his. Just as quickly, she broke free and hit his shoulder, hard, causing him to groan in pain. She had one hell of a swing.
"Thomas Eugene Paris, don't you ever do that to me again!" she scolded hotly, her Klingon temper quickly overpowering her worry for him. A grunt slipped past his lips as he pushed himself to a seated position.
"I missed you too, babe," he commented dryly as he looped an arm around her waist. "What happened?"
"You were injured in the firefight," the Doctor replied in an unamused tone as he breezed out of his office. He pulled out his tricorder and scanned Tom to detect any lasting damage to his body from his injury. "You lost a lot of blood. Lucky for you, I was able to take care of the situation by giving you a blood transfusion, and you'll be fine. I just want to keep you here for a few hours to make sure you're alright." Tom barely heard what the Doctor told him. Instead, he looked past B'Elanna, who was still in his arms, and focused his attention on Seven in the far corner of sickbay.
"How's Seven?" he demanded as he slid off the biobed and crossed the room, despite the Doctor's looks of annoyance at his abject disregard for his own welfare. Without looking to the Doctor for any permission, he began to analyze the information scrawling across the consoles. With expert fingers, he monitored Seven's vital signs. They were stable, or as stable as could be expected given her current condition, which made him feel a little bit better. He'd worked so hard to keep her alive, and he wished he could have done more.
"Seven is regenerating," the Doctor replied, although he knew he was simply stating the obvious. Anyone with eyes could see that she was regenerating. "While her systems are currently stable, I won't be able to ascertain if there has been any lasting damage until after she wakes up in a few days."
"So all we can do is wait?" B'Elanna questioned in an annoyed tone as she crossed her arms over her chest. For someone who often felt indifferent towards Seven, she seemed to care an awful lot about her welfare right now. Concern flashed across her face as she looked down at Seven.
"I'm afraid so." Tom didn't like the idea of just sitting around and waiting for Seven to wake up. It went against all of his medical training. When he looked at the Doctor, he could tell that he was feeling exactly the same way. If he said that all they could do was wait, then Tom knew that that was true.
In the safety and privacy of his quarters, Chakotay immediately kicked off his shoes as he made a beeline for the bathroom. On his way, he shed his clothes, leaving a trail of dirty, dusty fabric in his path. Most of the clothes he'd been stuck in during the away mission were beyond repair; he'd recycle them later, he had plenty of fresh uniforms in his closet.
"Computer, activate sonic shower," he ordered as he entered the bathroom. The soft hum told him that the sonic shower was ready for him, prompting him to climb inside. He folded his right arm against the cool wall and leaned against his forearm dangled pathetically by his side. The soft sonic waves floated over his body, gently removing a week's worth of dirt that clung to his flesh, but he didn't even notice. All he could think about was getting back to sickbay to check on Seven. He'd done his job and gotten his away team back to Voyager, but he wasn't sure he had gotten them all back safely. If he counted the bruise that Kathryn had taken care of along his jaw, every single member of the away team had been injured. Some First Officer he was if he couldn't take care of three crew members. He pushed himself back from the wall and ran his hand over his face with a frustrated sigh. The sonic pulses continued to surround his body and shake loose the last of the dirt that coated him from head to toe. While the shower made him feel physically better, mentally and emotionally he still felt worn out and exhausted. He knew he wouldn't feel better until Seven was awake and back to her normal self, if that ever happened that is. The Doctor's warning that there could be lasting damage to her body still haunted him.
After carefully monitoring Tom's condition for an hour and determining that there were no side effects from the sudden blood loss and subsequent blood transfusion, the Doctor consented to releasing him. In a way, it was just as much for himself as the Lieutenant, who had a habit of driving him crazy no matter what he did.
"Now remember, Lieutenant, I want you off your feet for the next day or two while you regain your energy," the Doctor ordered as he trailed after Tom, who was on his way out the door with B'Elanna.
"Don't worry, Doctor, Tom is going to be too busy on diaper duty to do anything else," she teased as she looped her arm through her husbands and lead him out of sickbay. A smile spread from ear to ear; she was just happy to have him back and relatively unharmed.
"How's Miral been?" he asked as they walked arm in arm down the corridor towards the turbolift.
"Let's see, up all night crying, eating as if she's being starved to death otherwise, crying all day-"
"So the usual." She shrugged. That was pretty much right. She kept both of them on their toes.
"She's perfect," B'Elanna said with a smile. The entered the turbolift. "Deck three." The turbolift whirred to life. "She misses her father." Tom slid an arm around her shoulders and pressed a firm kiss to the top of her head.
"I missed her too," he murmured against her hair. The turbolift slowed to a stop, and the doors slid open. The married couple clasped hands and laced their fingers together as they exited the turbolift and walked towards their quarters.
In the Paris' quarters, Naomi was sprawled out on the floor on her stomach with paper and coloring supplies spread in all directions as if they'd always been there. Her legs kicked back and forth in the air as she hummed happily under her breath. Samantha glanced at her daughter as she sat on the couch and cradled Miral in her arms. While the infant had stopped crying about twenty minutes ago, Samantha simply couldn't get her to fall asleep. Thankfully, the doors slid open, revealing Tom and B'Elanna. As soon as she saw them, Naomi's face lit up. She snatched up one of her drawings and skipped across the room to greet them.
"Lieutenant Paris, I heard you were hurt, and I made you a card," she announced proudly as she held up the card for him to see.
"Wow!" Tom exclaimed. "That's a beautiful picture, Naomi. Thank you so much." Naomi's smile grew wider as she threw her arms around Tom's waist. He stroked her hair affectionately before she quickly pulled away and went back to her coloring. Samantha couldn't help but smile as well. Although Tom had only been a father for a few months, but he was already a pro. When Miral got older, she would have a doting father who oohed and aahed over every small art project and assignment she completed. He crossed the room and scooped Miral up in his arm. As soon as he felt the small, warm body of his daughter in his arms, he visibly relaxed. He buried his face in the soft pillow of his daughter's hair and drew in a deep breath. The wonderful smell that was unique to just her that was a combination of soap and baby wafted up. Miral grabbed at the front of her father's shirt as she nuzzled his chest affectionately. He kissed the top of her head, just like he had done to B'Elanna a few minutes earlier. He'd been waiting what seemed like forever to be with both his girls again, and now that he was back with them, he couldn't imagine leaving them ever again.
"I'm also making a card for Seven. I heard my mom saying that she's hurt also," Naomi explained as she resumed her position on the floor amongst all her supplies. With an inquisitive expression on her face, she looked up at the three adults. "Is she going to be alright?" All three adults looked at each other uneasily. Unsure how to proceed from here. It was a far more complicated question than Naomi probably realized.
"Hey, Naomi, I was wondering if you could go up to the mess hall and get me a snack," Tom requested. Naomi glanced over at the replicator mounted in the wall. She might be young, but she knew what was going on: they wanted to get rid of her for a few minutes so they could have an "adult" conversation. She hated adult conversations, she wanted to know what they were talking about.
"Uhhh…."
"Then you can finish your card for Seven, and maybe the Doctor will let you deliver it to her yourself," Samantha suggested. The prospect of getting to see Seven, even if she was sick, was enough to get Naomi on her feet and scurrying out the door.
As soon as Naomi was gone, Tom and B'Elanna sat down. When he looked down at Miral, he saw her eyes starting to grow heavy with fatigue. It would only be a few more minutes until she was fast asleep. Apparently all she wanted was to be held by her father.
"Tom, what happened?" B'Elanna pressed as she put a hand on her husband's knee. "I thought this was supposed to be an easy away mission."
"Yeah, so did I," Tom replied bitterly. "There was no distress call, nobody needed our help. It was all a ploy to get us to the planet, and these aliens, these Kalrussians, raided our shuttle and took all our supplies, including Seven's mobile regenerator."
"Is she going to be alright?" Samantha pressed. She immediately thought of Naomi and how she would explain to her daughter that her beloved friend was in critical condition. When she heard that Seven was in sickbay, she assumed she would be fine, just like she always was, but that may not be the case this time.
"The Doctor seems optimistic," Tom replied. "But he can't be certain until she regains consciousness, which will take a while." He had a feeling that he would be explaining the same situation over and over again until Seven was back on her feet, so he might as well get used to it.
"Look, not that I don't care about Seven and what's wrong with her, but I want to know how you ended up in sickbay," B'Elanna snapped haughtily. She didn't want to seem uncaring towards Seven, but her main concern was her husband. She knew that he was fine, but she still needed to know what had happened to him in the first place.
"There was a firefight as we tried to get back to Voyager, and I guess I was hit. I mean, I know I was hit, but I didn't even feel it. Between the fighting and the plasma storm, there was so much going on, and I knew I had to get back to Voyager. It was absolute chaos out there, pure and simple. We're all lucky we made it back in one piece." B'Elanna could hear the tension in her husband's voice. He'd been on countless away missions over the years, but she'd never heard him talk about one like this. He sounded lost and dejected, as if he'd given up on the prospect of away missions.
The doors to the Paris' quarters opened, and Naomi skittered inside, instantly stopping all further conversation about the away mission. She had a victorious smile plastered across her face. It was a simple task that she'd done what felt like dozens of times over the years for the Captain and her mother, but that didn't stop her from feeling pleased with herself and how efficiently she'd done it. Seven would be pleased with her efficiency, just like the Borg.
"I brought you back some pudding and a sandwich," Naomi boasted proudly as she handed over the tray of food. "Chell said that if you want him to bring you up some food for dinner, just let him know. He knows you're hurt and doesn't want you to over do it."
"This is great, Naomi. Thank you so much." With a sense of purpose and pridefulness, Naomi smiled and puffed out her chest in triumph. The feeling only continued to swell in her as Tom took a large bite of the sandwich while simultaneously balancing Miral's sleeping form in the other arm, a task he was starting to get pretty good at. It might not be anything fancy, but it was the first real meal he'd had in a week, which made it the best food he'd had in a very long time. Sensing Tom and B'Elanna wanted some time to stood up.
"Come on, Naomi, let's let Lieutenant Paris rest," she urged. "Clean up your stuff." She motioned towards the mess she'd made all over their quarters. Naomi swept her coloring supplies into her backpack unceremoniously and flung the bag over her shoulder.
"Can we visit Seven in sickbay? I want to deliver my card to her." It was such an innocent question, and yet, the answer was incredibly complicated. Samantha glanced back at Tom and B'Elanna uneasily. They also looked uncomfortable with the seemingly simple request. None of them were entirely sure how to react to Naomi's question. They knew she meant well, but it might do her more harm than good to see her close friend in such a condition. For that reason, she would have to be kept away from sickbay, at least for the time being. It was the best decision for the time being. Hopefully, Naomi would be reunited with her friend shortly.
Author's Note: I hope this chapter gives you some answers! Let me know what you think.