Thirty Six

Tom sat at a high bench in window of the café, nursing a coffee and hoping Kathryn's would still be hot by the time she arrived. She'd called him earlier and apologised for missing him, then asked if they could meet up. She hadn't wanted to come to the garden office, instead suggesting this place.

"There's just a couple of things I need to talk to you about," she'd said.

"Sure," Tom had replied, his heart fluttering slightly. "I've got something I need to talk to you about, too, actually."

They'd ended the call and he'd wound up being here too early, his nerves getting the better of him. Tom wasn't sure how to break the news to Kathryn, but he knew he had to, despite the guilt and the worry that he was being ungrateful and disloyal.

"She won't think you are either of those things," B'Elanna had told him. "She just wants what's best for you. Once she knows this is what you want to do she'll support you, Tom, I know she will."

Tom could only hope she was right. He glanced up just then to see the woman in question crossing the road, a closed, pensive look on her face that did nothing to dispel his anxiety. Kathryn saw him and smiled, lifting her hand in a slight wave before pushing open the glass door of the café and making her way to his side.

"Oh, wonderful," she said, spotting the extra coffee and immediately picking it up and taking a generous gulp. "Thank you, just what I needed. How are, you Tom? I feel like I haven't seen you for a long while."

Tom watched as she climbed onto the stool. "You haven't been to the garden much recently."

Kathryn tilted her head to one side and grimaced slightly. "I know. I'm sorry, I-"

"It's OK," he told her, softly. He'd been thinking about how he'd feel when he saw her for the first time after his father had explained the truth about what she'd been through with Justin and Edward. Now that it was here, Tom found that what he most wanted was to pull Kathryn into a fierce hug, but he had the sense that even letting on that he knew would stretch the boundaries of their friendship. He'd told B'Elanna, mainly because keeping anything a secret from her now seemed wrong but also because he'd been so shaken up on the return from seeing his father that she'd demanded to know everything. Tom had sworn her to secrecy and she'd nodded silently. Tom had been fairly sure he'd detected tears in her eyes. They'd held each other for a long time after that, and not for the first time since they had met, Tom had felt immeasurably lucky.

"I'm sure you've been dealing with everything admirably in my absence."

Tom shrugged slightly, looking down at his coffee. "Well, everything's fine, if that's what you mean. The trees are really beginning to take off. Neelix thinks the persimmons are in bud. And Franco installed his benches yesterday. You're going to love them, Kathryn, they look so good."

Kathryn smiled. "And you had a chat with Owen?"

He swallowed, the nerves returning with a vengeance. "Yeah. Thank you – I don't know how I'll ever-"

She cut him off with a wave and a smile half-hidden by her coffee cup. "You deserve it, Tom. So – he mentioned my proposal about you taking over the management entirely?"

Tom nodded, shifting slightly in his seat. "Yes, he did."

He felt Kathryn's eyes studying him as he tried to work out what to say next.

"You don't want to take it on," she realised, before he found the right words.

"It's not that I don't want to," he said, hurriedly. "I don't want you to think that. I don't want you to think that it's not an amazing opportunity for me or that I'm not grateful or that-"

Her hand dropped on to his forearm. "Tom," she said. "Slow down before you sprain something. All right? Just talk to me."

Tom took a breath and sighed. "I'm going to try for the Air Force," he said. "I want to fly planes. And… and maybe, in the future… maybe I'd like to do more than that." He curled his fingers and studied his fists, wondering if he'd see her eyes laughing at him if he looked up. "They might not take me. They probably won't. It'll probably never happen, but-"

Kathryn's hand on his forearm squeezed gently. "It will," she said, simply.

Tom blew out a breath, a laugh on the end of it. "Wish I was as sure as you and dad and B'Elanna seem to be."

Kathryn smiled, and just for a second he thought he could see the beginnings of tears gathering in her eyes. "Be sure, Tom. Believe it, and it'll happen. Anything you need that I can help with – references, introductions – just ask. If this is what you want, then I'm with you all the way."

Tom swallowed a lump in his throat. "B'Elanna said you would be."

She patted his arm and withdrew her hand. "Smart girl, that one."

"I know. No idea how I got so lucky."

He looked up at her face to find her smiling at him, but there seemed to be something darker and sadder going on in her eyes. Kathryn glanced away, out of the window.

"So. I'll have to find someone else to manage Maywood."

Tom shook his head. "Kathryn. I can understand why you want to move on. Really, I can. But I don't think you should. Maywood exists because of you. You made it happen. You can't just… walk away. It's up and running now, it won't take much to look after. There are plenty of reliable residents willing to pitch in – Neelix, Kes and Harry, for example. And I'll still be there to help whenever I can - so will B'Elanna. Can't you still oversee it as well as the new sites?"

Kathryn gave a small smile. "It's not going to work, Tom. I've got some news of my own. I'll be working overseas for the foreseeable future. In Japan, actually. I won't be able to carry on with any of these projects. I was hoping you'd be able to do exactly what you've just described for me in my place. That way I know I'd be leaving everything in good hands. But as it is-"

It had taken Tom a good couple of seconds to catch up. "Japan?" he repeated, stunned. "But… but why?"

She shrugged. "Because it's a good opportunity to do what I do best," she said.

Tom couldn't believe it. "When are you going?"

"In a month or so. Sooner, if I can organise everything."

He shook his head. "But – won't you still be on your honeymoon? I thought you and Mark were spending two weeks in Alaska?"

Kathryn's dipped her head, her face freezing just for a second. Then she looked back at him again. When she spoke, her voice was steady, but quiet. "Mark and I aren't getting married."

Tom was flabbergasted for the second time in as many minutes. In his silence, Kathryn twined her fingers together and squared her jaw.

"It's not something I want to talk about," she said, "but I'm sure you can understand why now might be a good time for me to get out of California."

He stared at her for another moment. Then, for some reason his mouth engaged before his brain and he found himself asking, "Have you told Chakotay?"

Kathryn's eyes flashed up to his. "Of course I haven't. Why would I?"

Tom clamped his mouth shut and shook his head. There was another moment of silence.

"How is he?" Kathryn asked, staring studiously at her fingers once more.

"Really good," Tom said, hoarsely. "B'Elanna went to see him at the hospital earlier, actually – he's been discharged today."

Kathryn fixed him with a new look, one of surprise edged with another emotion Tom couldn't read. "That's… that's wonderful news. So he's gone home? To his apartment?"

"No," said Tom, his brain working overtime as he watched her face. "No… he's gone to stay with his sister. In New Mexico. An old friend of his is driving him. They've got to take it easy so they're stopping a few times along the way." He made a show of checking his watch. "They would have left about an hour ago."

Somewhere after he'd said the words 'New Mexico', Kathryn had turned away to stare out of the window.

"That sounds like a good idea," she said, quietly, not so much to Tom as to herself.

"Yes," Tom said, a little lamely. "So… you're both leaving."

Kathryn turned back to him with a smile, but didn't say anything. Tom could see her fingers moving restlessly over each other.

"You'll come and see the garden, won't you?" he asked. "Before you go, I mean."

She took a breath, her shoulders drawing back, her chin lifting. "Of course. I need to collect some of my things from the office, for a start. In fact, I might do that now."

Tom watched as she slipped from the bench and shouldered her bag. "Now?"

She nodded. "No time like the present, is there? I've got a lot to do before I leave, I may not have another chance."

"All right," he said. "I'll be right behind you. I'm just going to finish this…"

"See you there," she said, waving one arm behind her as she headed for the door.

Tom watched her cross the sidewalk and then put his phone to his ear.

"B'Elanna," he said, the minute she picked up. "Are you at the hospital?"

"Nearly," came the reply. "Why, what's the matter?"

Tom rubbed a hand over his face. "Kathryn's split up with Mark and she's taking a job in Japan."

There was a blank pause. "What?"

"Mark and Kathryn – they're not getting married."

"Why not?"

"She didn't want to talk about it. But you know who the first person I thought of was?"

"Chakotay?"

"Yeah." Tom drummed his fingers on the table. "Maybe I'm way off beam here… but do you think…"

"…that it's all about Chakotay?" B'Elanna finished for him. "Yeah. Yeah, I think it might be."

"He doesn't know about them splitting up," Tom said. "Or that she's moving to Japan."

"He and Mike are getting ready to go," B'Elanna said. "Mike's probably already loaded the car. I'll be getting to the hospital in time to say goodbye, that's all. Chakotay didn't even want to go back to his apartment first. In an hour they'll be gone, Tom. What do we do?"

"She's going to the garden office, right now," Tom said, pushing himself to his feet. "I lied and said that Chakotay was already on his way to New Mexico."

There was a pause. "What's your plan?"

"I don't really have one, but they've at least got to see each other, right? Even if it's just to say goodbye."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. "You think I should tell him?"

"Yeah. I think you should."

"He might still decide to just leave."

Tom shrugged. "At least he'll know. They can't just… go their separate ways. Not after everything. Can they?"

"No," said B'Elanna, with such determination that Tom felt himself grin. "Not if I have anything to do with it."

[TBC]