Something to Talk About
By Joan Powers
Summary: Harry thinks Tom is out of his mind when he makes a bet that the captain will kiss Chakotay while he is lying injured in sick bay. Janeway/Chakotay
Genre: Romance, humor
Rating: K
A/N: Thanks to Tracy and SuzJ1 for their input. SuzJ1 came up with a fabulous way to link this story to my previous story, Hide and Seek. You don't have to read that story for this one to make sense. With her permission, I've included the ending she wrote, which starts after the italics.
"What are you doing?"
Harry had come by sickbay to convince Paris to join him for drinks. He'd just returned from an away mission, and he was still keyed up with adrenaline. There had been an altercation with the Mularians. Their shuttle had been fired upon and there'd been injuries.
Paris had been administering first aid for minor wounds while the Doctor had focused on more serious injuries. Currently the lights were dimmed due to the presence of a few patients who were resting in med bays. Paris was now lurking towards the rear of sick bay by the entry, away from patients.
"Waiting" was Tom's cryptic answer.
"For what?"
Harry was impatient. It had been a long day. He was still processing the events that had occurred. He'd been standing near Chakotay when the torpedo grazed their shuttle. Chakotay and the others had been badly injured, yet Harry had been basically untouched by the impact.
He followed Tom's gaze across the room to where Chakotay lay in a med bay with the captain by his side.
Tom grinned. Lowering his voice, he said, "For the captain to kiss Chakotay."
"What?"
He figured Paris must be really tired to believe something like that.
"Why on earth would you think that was going to happen?'
Harry studied the two of them. The captain was holding the commander's hand. Yet they did that sometimes. That wasn't unusual. That in itself wasn't sufficient for Tom to make such a preposterous claim.
Harry was annoyed by Paris' flippant attitude. And he was dead wrong. There wasn't anything going on between the captain and the commander. The captain would never condone such behavior. She was a by-the-books type of gal who could be rigid when it came to rules and regulations.
"Wanna make a bet?" Paris' eyes twinkled.
"Sure." Harry sensed this was an easy opportunity to take advantage of Tom. A sucker bet. And how often did that occur? "What are the stakes?" Money was pretty much useless out in the middle of nowhere.
"How about holodeck time?" Tom said.
That was tempting but Harry had a better suggestion. "Or duty shifts?"
Tom became eager. "Loser has to take graveyard shifts for the winner for…two weeks. No – a month!"
A serious wager indeed. But Harry was confident that he couldn't lose. "You're on."
He and Paris shook on it.
The Doctor approached them, clearly irritated. "Why is the captain still here? I'm going to have to tell her to leave. The commander has serious injuries and needs to rest."
"Give them a few more minutes. Please." Tom begged him.
The Doctor grumbled but complied. "Fine." He moved to check on his other patients.
"What's your reasoning behind this so-called kiss?" Harry wondered what Tom was basing his erroneous assumptions on.
In a hushed, gossipy tone, Tom explained. "The captain's been talking with Chakotay for a while now."
"Yeah? So? He was badly injured. Concussion, broken ribs. She checks on everyone who's injured. You know that."
"Yeah? But did she spend more than twenty minutes with you two weeks ago when it happened to you?"
That caught Harry off guard.
Come to think of it, her visit had seemed more like a courtesy call, lasting a few minutes at most. Yet the intent had been greatly appreciated.
Twenty minutes?
Still, Commander Chakotay was the second in command. Surely, they had more important issues to follow up on. More to discuss. That made sense.
"I'm sure they're just debriefing." Harry more confidently responded.
Tom's eyebrow arched as he checked the clock again. "Going on half an hour now."
Harry began to sweat.
"Look at her body language. She's holding his hand." Tom insisted.
"That doesn't mean anything! She does that sometimes." Yet, Harry was getting nervous.
"Yeah, but as the time passes, she's bending closer and closer to him."
Damn it! Paris could be on to something there. But the captain was certainly aware that she and Chakotay weren't alone in sickbay. Surely if, and to Harry it still was a big if, if she had chosen to flaunt regulations and was romantically involved with her first officer, surely she wouldn't want to advertise it?
XXXXXX
In her head, Janeway understood that sending her lover into a potentially dangerous situation would be hard. It still didn't prepare her for the gut-wrenching sensation she experienced upon seeing him wounded. She couldn't help herself, she'd rushed to sick bay, she had to be near him. She had to touch him, to feel his pulse and the warmth of his skin. To watch the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest to assure herself that he was alive.
She'd missed his steady presence while he'd been on the away-mission, but she'd managed, knowing his return was imminent. Now she loathed the thought of returning to her empty quarters when all she wanted to do was lie down beside him and wrap her arms around him.
When she'd arrived at sickbay, she'd visited the other injured crew members. Then she'd planted herself by Chakotay's side. They'd discussed the mission, in general terms only. He was groggy and not tracking well. Then they'd digressed to other matters. Eventually her tone became more intimate.
She was aware of the doctor's presence and Tom Paris in the background, but it didn't matter to her. Being with Chakotay when he was injured was like breathing, it was essential to her well-being. One of her hands tightly clasped his while the other rested on his chest. As their conversation continued, she leaned closer to him.
Using her fingertips, she caressed the edges of a dark purple bruise forming on his cheek.
Chakotay was getting sleepy, his eyelids were starting to droop. He leaned into her palm then asked, "How about a kiss?"
"What?"
Was this the pain meds talking? She wasn't one for public displays of affection. And as far as she knew, their relationship wasn't common knowledge. She liked it that way.
He playfully squeezed her other hand. "C'mon, you need to get some rest. You can't stay here all night. Since I'm stuck here without you, can't I at least have a kiss? Have pity on a wounded man."
Even injured, the man knew how to turn on the charm with those puppy dog eyes.
She smiled, surprised that he was feeling well enough to flirt with her. "We have an audience." She reminded him.
He pulled her closer to him. "They're already putting the pieces together. You've been here too long."
"No, they're not." Then she considered it. "Do you think?"
"Definitely. Regardless, they're gonna figure it out sooner than later. Unless you're having second thoughts?"
"No. Absolutely not." She assured him.
He grinned. "How about that kiss then? It's dark enough, they're not gonna see much of anything."
She never could resist that playful smile and those dark brown eyes.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" She was concerned by his battered appearance. Yet the prospect of a kiss would at least help motivate her to leave sick bay.
"Yeah. Make it a good one. Give them something to talk about. Then assign Paris some choice duty."
"I like the way you think."
XXXXX
In disgust, the Doctor said, "I've got to break this up. This has gone on long enough. The commander needs to rest."
"No!" Paris grabbed his forearm. "Just a few more minutes. Please!"
The Doctor had no clue as to why Paris was protesting but he humored his request.
Paris and Harry feigned nonchalance, pretending not to be watching the couple. They acted like they were absorbed in their own conversation. Harry was about to insist upon a time limit. As additional minutes ticked by, he was becoming more afraid of losing this bet. He didn't relish the thought of double graveyard duty for a month.
Then Paris pounded Harry's arm with excitement. "And there she goes!" He whispered as the captain's head dipped towards Chakotay's. The two leaned forward for a better view.
This was no chaste peek on the cheek. The intense kiss lasted a good minute and a half.
Harry was dumbfounded while Paris had a broad grin on his face. The Doctor's mouth hung open in shock.
"Good night gentlemen." Janeway said as she walked past. Then she paused near the doorway. "By the way Tom, I'll need you to clean out the plasma conduits starting tomorrow." Turning to the Doctor, she said, "Keep me updated on the Commander's condition."
After the captain left the room, Harry groaned loudly before he burst out laughing.
(SuzJ1 contribution)
Tom beamed beside him.
"You knew. But how did you know?" Harry challenged, his mind suddenly racing with the possibilities.
"I didn't know she'd kiss him for sure. I took a chance. I hoped," Tom replied, smiling.
"But you knew they weren't just friends anymore. Right?"
"Yes."
"Then you had an unfair advantage!"
"Okay, I agree, all bets are off." Harry puffed out a relieved breath as Tom withdrew their deal. "Harry, I wanted to tell you last week, but…"
"Tell me what last week? What happened last week? Did you see something?" Harry interrupted, rapid questions falling in succession.
"But… B'Elanna made me promise to keep my mouth shut. Chakotay's her best friend and all…"
"So you're really not going to tell me." Harry's shoulders slumped, his disappointment audible.
Tom shook his head. He was still chuckling. "Let's just say the next time I play Hide and Seek with Naomi, I'm going to find a better hiding place..."
"I'D SUGGEST SOMEWHERE YOU WON'T HIT YOUR HEAD ON A DESK!" Chakotay called out from the biobed.
The End
