Authors Note: I don't own the ships, the characters, or anything at all.
Chapter 18 – The TruthTom searched frantically for a pulse, finding one albeit a weak one he let out a sigh of relief. He got up and ran into the back of the flyer, returning with a tricorder, with which he began to scan Elizabeth. Her injuries were severe, he couldn't treat them, she had brain damage and she was barely breathing. Elizabeth needed the doctor's expertise.
Tom threw the tricorder to one side, and sent out an automated distress call. Then, he went back to sit beside Elizabeth, holding her cold hand in his warm one. There was nothing he could do but wait and pray assistance would come soon. He sat with one eye on the ops console and the other on his unconscious sister. There would be no way he could get the flyer off this asteroid without backup from voyager, as the ship that attacked them was still hovering above too large to land.
"I'm picking up and automated distress call, it's the flyer", Harry Kim announced. The captain stood up and turned to face him, before turning to the helm, "Set a course for the flyer", the captain's voice was a little shakier than usual, but not noticeably.
The captain paced the bridge, fear coursing through her veins. Would they get to them in time? Where they dead, injured, or captured? The next five minutes felt like the longest, she had ever been through.
"Approaching their position", the ensign at the helm announced.
Janeway turned to face Ensign Kim, "Status?"
"Two life signs, ones very weak", Harry stated, looking a little pale. He kept his face turned down to his console, afraid of meeting his captain's horrified gaze.
After several seconds the captain managed to speak, "Beam them to sickbay. Commander you have the bridge, I'll be in sickbay", she almost whispered it. Chakotay stood up wondering if he should go with her, she was acting completely out of character. Deciding against it he simply nodded at her and watched her enter the turbo lift.
The captain entered sickbay to a hive of activity; Elizabeth lay motionless on a biobed, the doctor and Tom were conferring as the doctor worked on her. Neither of them noticed the captain enter. She made her way over to them quietly, invisibly.
"Ah Captain", the doctor stated simply, trying not to look her in the eye.
"How is she?" she asked concern etched on her pale face.
The doctor and Tom exchanged a look.
"Her injuries are severe, I'm afraid. She has extensive internal injuries, and…" he gulped, then added "brain damage."
Hurriedly carrying on, he said, "The console exploded giving off an electrical impulse, which disrupted all electrical impulses in her brain. Its similar to what happened to you when facing the Borg, two years ago.." he gulped, again "only worse."
The captain took this in, tears forming in her eyes, and spilling onto her cheeks. She swayed slightly, reaching for the edge of the biobed as a support. Tom put his hand on her arm, an act of genuine sympathy. He couldn't imagine what she was going through right now.
The doctor decided to carry on, "She is in a coma, I will attempt to repair her injuries, however if I fail she will not wake up and will most probably die."
The captain took this in, looking from Tom to the doctor and then back again.
"Do what you have to", her voice was quite, but calm. She had survived, so would Elizabeth. She was young and strong.
The doctor indicated to his office and Tom followed him, leaving the captain alone with Elizabeth. She moved to her side, taking Elizabeth's hand in her own.
Leaning in close to Elizabeth, the captain rested her cheek on Elizabeth's, she whispered, "Don't die on me. You've got so much to live for, I've got so much to tell you." On the last note her voice cracked, and her tears began to spill onto Elizabeth's face.
"I love you so much," she lifted her head, gently kissing Elizabeth's forehead, hugging her against herself, careful not to injure her further.
"Captain, I have to start now", the doctor said appearing next to her.
The captain nodded, placing one last kiss on Elizabeth's head, she withdrew. Tom took her by the arm and led her into the doctor's office.
"Captain, I'm sorry. I…." He began, but she shook her head.
"It wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have let her go. I let her down, again", her voice faltered on the last note, she blamed herself for everything. She stood at the window watching the doctor work on Elizabeth.
"Captain, its not your fault." Tom let out a long sigh, placing his head in his hands.
"I'm supposed to protect her Tom, as her captain and her…." She trailed off, as though she couldn't bring herself to say it.
"Captain, you have protected her, been there for her when she needed you, loved her like only a mother could", Tom said.
"I don't deserve to be her mother, do I? Tom I abandoned her, what is she going to think when I tell her that? If I can tell her that, if I'm given the chance", she choked on the last words, tears streaming down her cheeks. Tom stood up and put his hands on her shoulders, heaving with sobs. He felt pity for her, the great Captain Janeway. Only right now, she wasn't the great captain Janeway, right now she was a mother grieving for the child she had been deprived of knowing as a daughter for the last 13 years.
"She'll love you for it. She will be so proud to know you're her mother. She's awed by you captain. All her life she's wanted to be like you, never knowing just how like you she is", he smiled then.
"If she wakes up, I'll tell her as soon as she's well enough to cope with it" the captain said. She wouldn't waste another chance to tell her.
"She'll wake up, she's strong. She has her mothers fighting spirit", he replied reassuringly.
The captain turned to face him, "Tom, what should I tell her about her father?"
"Nothing, unless she asks. She'll have enough to take in without that", he said, anger clouding his features. The man was dead and yet still he stood between the captain and Elizabeth.
The captain nodded. They sat in silence for the next two hours; both comforted by the others presence.
Chakotay walked into sickbay unnoticed by both Tom and the captain. The doctor nodded in the direction of his office and Chakotay entered.
"Chakotay", Tom said quietly. Toms voice caught the captain's attention; she looked up and straight at Chakotay.
"I came to see what was going on", he explained, briefly.
"I see", the captain stated quietly.
Chakotay looked to Tom and then back at the captain, "Are you okay?"
Anger flared in her eyes, it was unmistakable, but she didn't say anything she just continued staring at her hands. Tom shook his head, and looked away also.
Chakotay stepped towards the captain, "Kathryn, I'm just trying to help", he pleaded.
"This ship cant do without its captain and commander, Chakotay", she whispered.
He understood and left, heading back to the bridge. He'd never seen the captain look that frightened before, not even when facing the Borg. The pain in her eyes had torn at his heart. He shook his head; obviously Elizabeth was an integral part of her life, somehow.
After four hours of working on Elizabeth, the doctor had managed to repair her injuries, and although she would be fragile for sometime, he was confident she would make a full recovery. When he told the captain and Tom, they had both broken down, and the captain had thanked him profusely for saving her daughter. Both of which shocked him; firstly he had never heard her thank him so sincerely before, and secondly her secret was out, she had told him Elizabeth was her daughter. Although he now knew, he was extremely curious about the captains past, as she had not elaborated beyond the fact that Elizabeth didn't know.
He looked out of his office window, the captain was asleep, her head on Elizabeth's arm. Tom had left after talking to Elizabeth for several minutes, although he knew she probably couldn't here him he was comforted by it. Tom had left to give the captain time alone with Elizabeth, and had asked the doctor to give the captain some space. After all she had enough to deal with right now, without an inquisitive doctor.
-Fin-
Please review. So what do you think? It's not over yet by the way. Tell me what you think; what's going to happen with her father, do you think he's dead, does she wake up, how's she going to react, etc.?
