Captain's log, Stardate 6.103958.
Although Tom Paris has not yet regained consciousness, the Doctor is optimistic. After three days of monitoring, Tom's brain has shown incredible improvement. His lungs are stable, his heart beat is normal. Now all we anxiously await for in the nebula pocket is when he'll become aware. It's been too quiet around here.
Janeway rested her head against her high-backed chair in her ready room as she blanked the screen on her personal datalogs. It was day four of Tom's continuous improvements and the waiting was dragging on her nerves. Was Tom ever going to waken?
Chakotay strode into her room, breaking her thoughts. "Captain, I can't seem to locate B'Elanna."
Janeway frowned. "Is she not in sickbay?"
"No, Captain. No one has seen her for an hour…" He broke off as Janeway's commbadge chirped.
"Captain," the Doctor said anxiously. "I can't seem to locate a runaway patient. All I found when I came back from helping Seven in astromatrics were two commbadges."
Chakotay met Janeway's knowing eye.
Laughing, she told the Doctor, "Don't worry about it, Doctor. I believe I know where both Tom and B'Elanna are. Just inform him—no, them both—to come to the bridge, when they return. Janeway out."
Chakotay had a sly grin on his face. "Well, at least we know his strength is definitely returned."
Tom Paris entered the bridge to find everyone staring at him and B'Elanna. He had awakened an hour or so ago to find that he could see again. Only one thought had crossed his mind.
When he and B'Elanna had returned to sickbay, they had found the Doctor waiting for them. The Doc had handed them their commbadges and steered them to the bridge.
"Captain wants to see you," was all the hologram would say.
"Nice to have you back, Tom," Chakotay said now, relinquishing the pilot's controls. The commander sat in his own seat.
Captain Janeway barely glanced their way. "Now that you two are back from your rendezvous," she commented dryly. "Let's see if your other theory worked, Mr. Paris."
When he had taken his place, he sighed in contentment. "Where to, Captain?" Lovingly he stroked the console.
Even without turning around, he could hear the smile in the captain's voice. "Home, Lieutenant."
"Aye, aye, Captain," he joked.
Behind him, in Harry's direction, he heard a quickly suppressed snicker.
Raising an eyebrow, cruising past a dormant Borg Cube that seemed to just drift in space near the nebula, he remarked, "So, did anyone miss me?"
"No," the bridge crew chorused.
Turning slightly around, Tom faked a sniffle. "I'm hurt."
"You'll live, Mr. Paris," the captain replied. "Chart us home."
The End (written several years ago during the sixth season of Star Trek: Voyager right after Tom Paris received his rank of lieutenant back)