~ Tom ~

            Tom carefully took the tissue samples over to the small freezer where the others where being kept. As Tom opened to freezer up, he let out a sigh at the amount in there. And they still had one crew member left. These were going to take forever to go through between just him and the Doc! Tom went ahead and put the latest samples on the top, wandering what it had been about the medical field that had put him in this position.

            "Mr. Paris, you're just putting a sample away! We aren't even testing them yet! What's taking so long?" The Doctor's singsong voice called over from the far corner of the small sickbay. With a glance of contempt at the Petri dishes, the helmsman shut the freezer door.

            Well, actually, it was ex-helmsman. There wasn't exactly much flying to be done when stranded on a planet, so the Doctor had immediately figured this out and requested Tom's help in all things medical. Which had made Tom irritable. He shuffled over to where the Doctor was prepping his supplies for the last check-up.

            "Are we really going to have to check all of those samples with microscopes, just the two of us?"

            "Of course, Mr. Paris! I certainly can't do it on my own, and you were the most compatible candidate for the job."

            "Are you sure you don't have any other compatible candidates who could help?"

            "No. We're the only ones here who know what we're doing, so we'll check all 98 samples by hand ourselves." The Doctor put a hand on Tom's shoulder and smiled. "Doesn't that just make you proud that you are only one of two beings here that can do this?"

            "Immensely." Tom said dryly, shrugging the hand off, just as their last patient came in.

            Kathryn Janeway walked through the doorway…on time. Tom had to look up at the chrono just to make sure this was right. The Captain was never on time for a check-up, and Tom was starting to wander just what had gotten into her system when the Doctor shoved a tricorder in his face.

            "Why don't you start with the basic medical readings while I go and fetch her file." With the tricorder shoved into his hands, Tom opened it up and started scanning the Captain.

            "Okay," Tom muttered to himself, just low enough that the Captain couldn't hear him. "Cranium is looking good, nothing crawling around in her brain, nothing toxic in her lungs, nothing poisonous in her digestive tract – wait, what's this?" He must have said the last part a little bit too loudly, as Janeway's head swiveled to face his.

            "Is their a problem, Tom?"

            "Eh, no. Just a slight malfunction." Tom tried to recalibrate the tricorder to no avail. He finally went and fetched another one. Same readings. "Oh, shit," he thought with a grin. Tom continued scanning the rest of her, and, deeming her in perfect health, went to the Doctor, who was still rummaging around PADDs.

            "Tom, have you seen the Captain's file? I can't – "

            "Doc, I need some of your, er, expertise." The Doctor stopped his search to look up at the lieutenant.

            "What is it, Mr. Paris?" Tom shoved the tricorder and its results under the Doctor's nose. He read them over and looked back up.

            "Are you sure these are right?"

            "Yup. I checked the tricorder to make sure it was functioning right, and even got another one."

            "Well, I suppose we have to tell her…" The Doctor started towards the Captain, tricorder in hand, with Paris flanking him, when a grunt from outside caught their attention. Janeway was about to go to the door, when B'Elanna came in, incredibly pale, with Vorik and Tuvok on either side. She was panting heavily.

            "It's…time…"

            Janeway looked from B'Elanna to the Doctor, who was already prepping a make-shift bio bed, and Tom, who was still glued to the spot.

            "It's time…for the baby?" Tom asked in awe. B'Elanna was not in the mood.

            "Yes! For the baby, Tom!" She forged past him to where the Doctor had prepared a place for her. Tom rushed after his wife to give her support, but was stopped by the Doctor and his damn tricorder.

            "Mr. Paris, you'll need to monitor B'Elanna's condition while she's gives birth. Without Voyager's facilities at my disposal, I'll be needing to do some multi tasking." Tom sighed and took the tricorder, opening it up and checking the child. His child. Their child.

            "It's going to be okay B'Elanna. Just breath in and out steadily…"