Finally got another chapter done and hope to have another one by the end of the week. Just depends on if I can grab any free time. Keep the reviews coming...I want to hear what you have to say.
The Doctor handed the baby girl over to Kes, who took her to the nearby crib. Kathryn was exhausted and didn't notice that Chakotay had left her side to look at the baby. All she wanted to do was sleep. After several minutes the Doctor had finished and Kathryn was able to relax. He walked over to Kes and Chakotay, "how's our new arrival doing?"
"She's just perfect Doctor, everything about her is...she's beautiful." Kes couldn't take her eyes off of her as she wrapped her in a blanket. "Commander, I think its time for you to get acquainted with your daughter." Kes picked her up from the crib and carefully handed her over to Chakotay. Chakotay couldn't get over how beautiful she was...with a small amount of black hair, dark skin, and from what he was briefly able to see, deep blue eyes. He turned around and walked over to Kathryn. "She's so beautiful Kathryn." He began to hand the baby over to Kathryn, who at first was reluctant to take her. Once in her arms, she just stared at her. All she could think about was how much she looked like Chakotay. She hadn't realized a tear slid down her cheek until Chakotay said something. "Kathryn, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just tired is all."
"Here, let me take the baby then so you can get some sleep." Chakotay noticed that she said nothing more as she gave him the baby and then turned her head away from them. He placed the baby back in the crib and walked into the office to speak to the Doctor. "Doctor, do you mind if I have a word with you?"
"Of course, please have a seat. Just let me finish this...alright, what can I do for you?"
"Well, it's not necessarily for me, but for Kathryn. Something seems to be wrong. She is not as happy as I thought she would be."
The Doctor gave him a reassuring smile. "I assure you Commander, everything is fine with her. It appears she is just suffering from exhaustion. Spending hours in labor can take a toll on anyone, even for the most physically fit. Give her a few days."
Chakotay nodded and left him to his work. Kes had dimmed the lights while Kathryn slept. He looked in the crib and saw the baby sleeping as well. He leaned down and placed a light kiss on the baby's forehead. Then he walked over to Kathryn's biobed and looked at her for a few minutes. Something bothered him about her reaction earlier and he didn't believe what the Doctor said about it being from exhaustion. Quietly he left Sickbay and headed back to his quarters. Once there he sent out a ship wide announcement about the birth of the baby. In the background he could hear the cheers from the crew. Finding that he was himself exhausted, Chakotay stretched out on the couch and quickly fell asleep.
Several hours later in Sickbay, Kathryn slowly began to wake up. The lights were dim, but the Doctor wasn't around. She looked towards his office and saw the lights on, assuming he must still be activated and working. Her attention then moved to the crib. She sat up and quietly moved off the biobed. She winced as she started walking, noting that she was a bit sore. Once at the crib, she looked down and saw the baby asleep. Moving her hand along the edge of the crib, she reached out and lightly stroked the baby's head. The baby stirred a little, but didn't wake. Kathryn took her hand away and watched her. So many things were going through her mind right now. She thought this would be a special time for her and Chakotay, but recent events had shaken her to the core and now uncertainties plagued her heavily.
"Captain...What are you doing up?" The Doctor startled Kathryn from her thoughts and she quickly wiped the tears from her face. "You shouldn't be up, you need to rest Captain." She didn't acknowledge the Doctor's presence, she just kept looking at the baby. "She is beautiful isn't she? Do you have a name picked out yet?" The Doctor looked at Kathryn when she didn't respond. "Captain, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm sorry Doctor. I guess I'm just still tired." The Doctor was beginning to see what Chakotay mentioned to him earlier. He helped her back to the biobed and gave her strict orders to remain there until morning. She nodded and slowly closed her eyes, trying to let sleep come to her.
The next day Chakotay came by in the afternoon to take Kathryn and the baby back to her quarters. She requested a site-to-site transport, not wanting to make the walk back. Once they appeared in her quarters she noticed the wooden crib sitting in the middle of the room. Walking up to it, she ran her hand along the edges.
"I hope you like it. I started working on it months ago. I didn't think I would finish it in time after everything that happened." He walked over next to her and placed the baby in the crib.
Kathryn tried to fight back the tears that threatened to emerge. "It's beautiful Chakotay. Thank you."
"I was wondering Kathryn, when are we going to name the baby. We've never really talked about it and well..."
"Chakotay, can we talk about this another time? I'm really tired and would like to take a nap."
"Alright, I'll stop back later tonight." Kathryn was about to protest, but nodded. Chakotay watched as she headed to her bedroom. He stayed for a few minutes to make sure the baby fell asleep and then headed to the bridge.
Over the course of the next week, Chakotay spent as much free time as he could with the baby. He noticed that Kathryn remained distant, only holding the baby when it was time to feed or change her. He asked Kathryn several times about naming the baby, but each time she complained about being tired or having a headache so he dropped the subject. Chakotay also noticed that she slept a lot more than usual and this concerned him. One day at the end of his duty shift, Chakotay stopped by to speak to the Doctor about Kathryn.
"Doctor, I'm not sure what to do for her. She barely acknowledges the baby, only when its time to feed or change her. I can't even get her to name the baby. She sleeps constantly and I don't think I've seen her eat much since the birth." Chakotay leaned back and ran his hands through his hair.
"First Commander, I do want to apologize to you." Chakotay looked at the Doctor a bit confused. "When you approached me shortly after the birth, I'm afraid I dismissed what you were telling me as pure exhaustion. Given that the Captain was suffering from some depression before the birth, due to your accident, I should not have taken things lightly." Chakotay nodded and let him continue. "It appears her depression has gotten worse and at the moment the only remedy might be you."
"Me? Doctor, if you haven't noticed, Kathryn barely wants to have me around. The attack on Voyager changed all that." Chakotay looked at the Doctor with great sadness.
"Commander I don't want to pry, but you may be the only one who can help her through this. Her lack of attention towards the baby may only get worse. Whatever is bothering her needs to be resolved immediately."
Chakotay sighed deeply...he knew the Doctor was right and now he had to find some way to help Kathryn. "Thank you for your time Doctor. Can I count on you for your help if I need it?"
"Of course Commander. Whatever you need, just let me know." Chakotay nodded in acknowledgement and left sickbay. He had a lot of things to figure out.