By Diane Klepper
(Author's note: Tom starts his training with the Emergency Holographic Doctor. The third part of the "Voyager: The First Year" series.)
Tom Paris quickly stuffed Neelix's latest attempt at breakfast into his mouth hoping if he ate the food fast enough he wouldn't have to taste it. Tom smirked and said to himself, "I can't believe it…Neelix's meals actually make me yearn for prison food."
Tom continued to eat as he heard a familiar voice say, "Breakfast must be good today…I have never seen you eat Neelix's cooking that fast."
To turned to Harry and frowned, "It's not good…I'm just running late this morning."
"But Tom our bridge shifts don't start for another twenty five minutes."
"I'm not on the bridge this morning…today I start my first shift training with the Holographic doctor…I was suppose to be there five minutes ago."
"Tom…"
"I know…a Starfleet officer has to be always on time…Damn it Harry…I've had the Starfleet rule book crammed down my throat by my father since I was five years old…"
Harry sat down on the chair opposite Tom and smiled, "Then if you know the rules why are you late…."
"Because I'm dreading this assignment…why did Captain Janeway have to pick me to train with the Doctor."
"You did take those biochemistry courses at the Academy."
"Harry the only reason I took those courses was to avoid taking the History of the Federation course my father taught. After taking my Dad for Surviving Training I swore to myself that I would never take another course he taught."
"I never took any courses Admiral Paris taught… but I heard that he was tough but fair."
"He might have been fair to the other students but from me he expected more…I was a Paris …I had to be better than everyone else."
Harry picked up his fork and said, "Tom I'm sure he meant well…"
Tom laughed, "God Harry you sound just like my Mom…"
Tom combadge called out, "Emergency Holographic Doctor to Lieutenant Paris."
Tom hit his badge and said, "Paris here."
The E.MH. voice sounded annoyed over the commbadge. "Mr. Paris you are exactly eight minutes and forty-three seconds late…Will you be joining me in sickbay today?"
"I'm on me way. Paris out." Tom stood up and picked up his tray. He turned to Harry and said, "Lucky me…not only do I have to assist a computer program…I've seemed to of made the computer program mad at me."
Harry laughed, "I'm sure it will be fine…what to meet for dinner?"
"Sure Harry…I'll see you then."
Tom walked into sickbay. The room was completely empty and he found the Doctor standing next to a biobed programming instructions into a padd. Tom walked up to him and said, "Doctor I'm here."
The E.M.H looked up from the padd and gave Tom a look of annoyance. "Mr. Paris I'm glad you have finally decided to show up…I was about to call Commander Chakotay."
"Chakotay?"
The hologram smiled. "Yes…the Commander has told me that if you give me any trouble I should report it directly to him."
Tom folded his arms around his chest. "I'm sure he did…Okay Doctor what do you want me to do first."
The E.M.H. handed Tom a padd and smiled. "This is a list of all the medical supplies we should have in the supply cabinet…I want you to take an inventory of all the supplies and the one we don't have or are running low on I want you to replicate."
Looking confused Tom asked, "Hey what does doing inventory have to do with leaning to become a medic."
"Because you have to know where all the medical equipment is before you can treat anyone…you don't want to lose a patient because you can't find the right medicine to treata person with."
"I didn't think about that."
"Mr. Paris you may be an ace pilot…but you have a lot to learn about medicine…It's just a good thing I'll have seventy years to teach you…I think I'll will probably need all that time."
Tom gave a little smirk, "Thanks a lot Doc."
"Doc?" "Since we will be working together and you don't have a name yet I thought Doc sounds better than calling you the Emergency Medical Hologram all the time." Tom gave him a little smile. "I'll start the inventory now," and walked to the supply cabinet in the back of Sickbay.
The E.M.H watched him go and then said to himself, "Doc…I'll have to put that on the list."
Three- in- a half hours later Tom finished inventorying the storage closet. He stood up from his knees and closed the closet. He made the appropriate marks on the padd and then walked back into main sickbay. He saw the Doctor in his office recording information into his computer. He knocked on the door and opened it, "Doc…I checked the inventory and everything is recorded and I replicated anything that was missing.."
The E.M.H took the padd from Tom's hand and said, "It seems everything is in order." The Doctor put the padd down on his desk. He then turned to Tom, "Please come with me."
The hologram walked over to the nearest bio-bed and said, "Mr. Paris please sit down on the bio-bed."
Confused Tom asked, "Why?"
"Mr.Paris as the only doctor on this ship I am required to give every member of this crew a checkup…and since you are here anyway I decided to start on you."
"Lucky me."
The main door to sickbay opened and in walked Captain Kathryn Janeway. She walked over to them and smiled, "Doctor…Mr. Paris."
The E.M.H. asked Janeway, "Captain…do you have a medical problem"
Janeway smiled, "No, Doctor…I just wanted to see how Tom was doing on his first day of medical training."
Tom interrupted, "Captain…with all due respect I was thinking someone from the sciences might make a better assistant for the doctor…I only had a year of bio-chemistry at the Academy."
Janeway frowned. "Mr. Paris…I'm sure you will be a quick study." Janeway turned to the E.M.H. and smiled, "Don't you agree Doctor."
E.M.H. smirked, "I'm sure if Mr. Paris put enough hours in eventually he will become a competent medical assistant."
Janeway smiled, "Good."
Tom frowned, "But Captain…."
In her top command voice Kathryn Janeway said, "Mr. Paris…we are a long way from home and crew reinforcements…Everyone on this ship is expected to do any job that is necessary for the good of the crew."
"But Captain…I'm a pilot…not a medical assistant." Giving him her command death glare Janeway said, "Lieutenant Paris I have chosen you to be the medical assistant and if you want to continue flying this ship I expect you to perform both duties to the best of your abilities…is that clear."
Growing up in a Starfleet home Tom knew how to accept defeat graciously. "Yes, ma'am."
"Mr. Paris when you are in sickbay the E.M.H is your commanding officer…I want you to obey his orders and give him the respect he deserves at that position. Understood."
"Yes, ma'am."
She then turned to the doctor and smiled. "Is there anything else you need?"
The Doctor smiled. "Yes…I was about to start crew physicals with Mr. Paris as my first patient…maybe if you have some time now I can do you next."
"Sorry Doctor…I have a briefing with Tuvok in ten minutes about ship's security…I have to schedule my physical for another time." She turned to Tom and said, "Mr. Paris…I'll see you this afternoon for your shift at the helm."
"Yes, ma'am."
Tom and the E.M.H watched as Janeway walked out of sickbay. The Doctor then turned to Tom and said, "Mr. Paris…I want you to watch everything I do very closely…On your next shift I will expect you to be able to assist me."
"Yes sir". Dejectedly Tom sat down on the bio-bed and quietly watched as the doctor performed all the scans that was necessary in a routine Starfleet physical.
Forty-five minutes later Tom was recalibrating all the medical tricorders and he put them on the diagnostic table in the correct order the Doctor showed him. Tom walked over to the doctor's office and knocked on the door before he opened it. "Doc…my shift is over…I'll see you in two days."
The Doctor stood up and walk over to Tom. "Wait Mr. Paris…you were exactly 13 minutes and 47 seconds late for your shift this morning…I expect you to make up that lost time."
"But Doc…I have bridge duty in 45 minutes…I need time to have lunch."
"You should of thought of that before you were late…"
"Come on Doc…give me a break this one time…I'll make it up to you."
The Doctor walked back to his desk and picked up a padd and then walked back over to Tom. "I'll let you go now…but next shift I expect you to report two hours earlier."
"Two hours?"
The doctor frowned, "Mr. Paris…would you like me to report your lateness to Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay."
"No, sir…I'll be here two hours earlier."
The E.M.H. smiled. "Good." He handed Tom the padd. "I also expect you to read the first four chapters on this medical textbook I've downloaded on this padd by your next shift…You wil be tested on it."
"Four chapters…that will take up all my free time."
The Doctor smirked, "Good…that will keep you out of trouble…Commander Chakotay suggested that I should keep you very busy."
Under his breath Tom said, "I just bet he did."
"Mr. Paris…did you say something?"
"No Doc…I'll see you in two days"Tom exited sickbay and walked to the nearest turbolift. He really wasn't hungry but he knew he had to eat something to keep up his strength. He wanted to be clearheaded at the helm. The turbolift opened and he walked into the empty lift. Even with all the aggravation he received from Chakotay and the Doctor he knew he was better off then he was only ten days ago.. He was out of jail and flying a state of the art Starfleet vessel. When Captain Janeway gave him back his commission and his rank he promised himself that he wouldn't do anything to destroy that and that was a promise he intended to keep.