Chapter Twenty-Three

Chakotay ran his fingers through Seven's hair, mindlessly twirling random strands around his fingertips. He found an odd sense of comfort in the action, although he still felt on edge. They'd been back on Voyager for a week, and she still wasn't awake, despite the Doctor's assurances that she would be up and about like her usual self within a week. Clearly, that was untrue, as she was still unconscious and looking incredibly weak and sickly. Chakotay took her hand in his, it felt cool to the touch as he pressed lips against it. At least her fever had broken, but she still wasn't awake, and he couldn't figure out why. Perhaps if he knew that, he wouldn't be so on edge.

"Wake up, muñeca," he pleaded desperately with his lips still brushing against her skin. "I miss you. There's so much I want to tell you. Naomi's worried sick, and so is Kathryn, although she's trying to put on a brave face for the rest of the crew. I think even B'Elanna's worried about you, but she'd never dare admit it. We all want you back, we all miss you." Seven's hand twitched, tightening her grip on his hand. The movement caught Chakotay's attention. His heart soared as her eyes fluttered open, revealing the beautiful blue color that he adored so much. He glanced over at the Doctor, who was in his office, completely oblivious, and he decided against calling him over just yet; he selfishly wanted to steal a few moments alone with her.

"Hi," she murmured weakly in a barely audible voice.

"Hi. How are you feeling?" Seven closed her eyes to block out the bright light shining overhead as she attempted to think of how she was doing. She was exhausted and worn out. She also couldn't figure out what she was doing here. She knew she was in sickbay, but the last thing she remembered was being stuck in the cave with Tom. Everything else was a blur.

"Tired," she finally replied. Her hand rested on his cheek, stroking it softly with her thumb. "You got us back to Voyager." She smiled weakly. "I knew you would." She slid her hand around to rest on the back of his neck, rubbing it in tight circles. Her touch was so feathersoft that he barely felt it. That didn't bother him though, all that mattered was the fact that she was awake.

Chakotay rested his arm along the top of Seven's head and stroked her hair affectionately. Her movements got slower and weaker until her hand dropped like a weight against his shoulder. It didn't take a rocket scientist for him to figure out that something wasn't right. His heart skipped a beat as his gaze drifted to a nearby computer console to see what was going on.

"Seven, are you alright?" he demanded.

"I can't breathe," she admitted. Her breathing started coming out in short, sporadic bursts as her eyes grew wide with terror. He could see the fear in her usually calm demeanor. Try as he might, Chakotay looked just as terrified.

"Doctor!" he called over his shoulder. "Doctor hurry." As the Doctor ran out of his office, Seven grabbed the front of Chakotay's tunic. The fear in his eyes was burned in his memory.

"What's going on?" the Doctor demanded.

"She's going into respiratory arrest. Do something." He didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled to gather the supplies he needed. He snatched up the hypospray and loaded it with Lectrazine. He tilted Seven's head to the side and administered the drug. There was no change in her condition, and she continued to gasp for air desperately. The gasps became louder, indicating that she wasn't getting nearly enough air, prompting the Doctor to administer another dose of Lectrazine. It did nothing to help as the gasps became more sporadic and weaker until they eventually stopped. The computer beeped angrily, telling the Doctor and Chakotay what they already knew.

The Doctor grabbed the cortical stimulator and attached it to Seven's neck. He set the computer to give her a jolt of electricity. Her body lurched and trembled, but she didn't start breathing again. Chakotay got to his feet, prompting her hand to dangle over the side of the biobed.

"Do it again," he ordered. The Doctor readily complied, but with the same effect. "Again!" He repeated the process, and there was no reaction on Seven's part. "Again!" There was undeniable desperation in Chakotay's voice as he ordered the Doctor to give Seven another jolt of electricity. The Doctor looked up at him; his expression said it all.

"I'm sorry, Commander. She's gone."

Crying out in agony, Chakotay's arms flailed, and his heart pounded in his chest as his eyes flew open. He looked around wildly, trying to take in his surroundings. He was flung diagonally across his bed on top of the covers. He had no recollection of coming to bed. The last thing he remembered was sitting on the couch, trying to read a report on a PADD, and now he was in bed. With his heart still pounding in his chest, Chakotay stumbled to his feet and rushed to the bathroom. Bile built up in his mouth as images of Seven's lifeless body still haunted his mind, causing him to rush faster to the bathroom. He grabbed the toilet, barely making it in time before the contents of his stomach built up. Heaving loudly, Chakotay emptied his stomach into the toilet before falling back against the wall and wiping his mouth with the back of his trembling hand. A cold sweat coated his body. He took several deep breaths and attempted to calm himself down. Despite his best attempts, he was still shaking and felt sick to his stomach.

Unable to resist, he tapped his combadge and said, "Chakotay to sickbay." While he knew the Doctor refused to deactivate himself until Seven was awake, there was still a fear in the back of his head that nobody would answer, that the Doctor was too busy taking care of Seven, and his dream had become a terrible reality.

"Yes, Commander?" There was a faint relief that washed over Chakotay when he heard the Doctor's calm voice.

"How's Seven?" He closed his eyes and rested his head against the hard bathroom wall.

"Seven is fine. Her body is continuing to react positively to the nanoprobe transplants from Icheb." Chakotay felt relieved. When the Doctor first suggested the transplant several days ago, he wasn't sure how to react to it. The medical reasoning made sense to him, but he wasn't sure if it would work. Apparently he was wrong, and now he hoped that it would result in Seven regenerating much faster than usual.

"Okay. I'm coming down. I'll be there in about ten minutes." Despite the fact that the Doctor told him that Seven was fine, he needed to see that for himself, especially after the dream he just had. There was no way he could be able to sleep after this, so he might as well be productive.

"Commander, not that I'm denying you permission to come to sickbay, but I want to remind you that it's 0200 hours." The early hour wouldn't deter Chakotay from his mission.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," he repeated. "Chakotay out."

Chakotay pushed himself to his feet. The exhaustion and lack of food in his system made him feel dizzy, prompting him to reach out and grab the wall for support until the sensation passed. He rinsed his mouth out with mouthwash to get rid of the vile taste that plagued him and splashed some cool water on his face. While both actions made him feel better physically, mentally and emotionally he was still very shaken. Despite the incredibly early hour, Chakotay knew that he was going to get anymore sleep tonight, so he pulled on a fresh uniform before heading down to sickbay.

Almost ten minutes to the dot since Chakotay's message, the First Officer breezed into sickbay. He ignored the Doctor as he headed straight for Seven's biobed. Colorful cards were pinned to the wall all around the alcove, all courtesy of Naomi Wildman, who was worried sick about her close friend, whom she absolutely adored and hated not being able to visit. Due to how Seven looked, Samantha and the Doctor wouldn't allow the young girl into sickbay to visit her, but that didn't stop her from making one or even two cards for her every day. She argued that it would liven up the dull colors of sickbay, but Chakotay knew that it made Naomi feel like she was doing something to help, even if it was something as simple as draw pictures. He looked down at Seven. The color continued to slowly return to her cheeks. No longer did she looked half-dead, but rather she had the appearance that she was simply sleeping. Not caring that they weren't alone, he brushed his lips across her cheek affectionately. When he stood up, he half expected her to open her eyes like those princess movies Naomi watched in her free time, but that was the movies, this was real life, and Seven was still unconscious. He cupped her face in his large hand and stroked her cheek. She felt warm but not feverish to the touch, another sign that she was getting better. If only she'd wake up, then everything would be fine.

"She's responding very well to treatment," the Doctor said softly, standing a few feet behind him. "All we have to do is wait for her to regain consciousness." Chakotay tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"She looks so peaceful," he observed. "Almost like she's sleeping." The Doctor saw this as the perfect opportunity to speak to the First Officer about his current sleeping habits, or lack thereof. This wasn't the first time he'd shown up in sickbay in the middle of the night since his return to Voyager. In fact, the Doctor expected it to happen at least once during the night.

"Commander, are you getting enough sleep?" he questioned tentatively.

"Of course I am," Chakotay replied, although his current appearance said otherwise. There were dark bags under his eyes, and stubble littered his hollow cheeks. He was a shell of his usual self. "Why do you ask?"

"Because this is the third night in a row you've shown up in the middle of the night to check on Seven. As the ship's doctor, it's my job to look after all members of the crew, and that includes you."

"I'm fine, Doctor. Focus on taking care of Seven. She's your main priority right now, understood?" It was an unnecessary order. The Doctor was already doing everything in his power to ensure that Seven was being taken care of.

"Yes, Commander." Chakotay grabbed a nearby chair. Since he could sleep, he figured that he might as well stay here for a little while. At least then he would know that Seven was alright. He continued to hold her hand firmly in both of his, mentally willing her to wake up, to give him some sort of sign that everything was alright, and she would be fine.

Despite the incredibly early hour, there was nothing Chell liked more than when he first got to the mess hall; it was like the calm before the storm. The large room was dark and peaceful, which was a wonderful change of pace from the usual noise and chaos that consumed it. He also loved the noise and excitement that the mess hall was known for, and he could see why Neelix was always in such a good mood when working here. There was so much life in the mess hall. Here, everyone was free to relax and be themselves. They left their cares at the door as they came in to eat and enjoy each other's company; it didn't matter what a person's rank or department was, here, everyone seemed to be equal. There was always someone to talk to, and he felt that he was growing closer to so many members of the crew that he very rarely interacted with in the past. This was was his dream job.

Chell turned on the lights and was startled to see Chakotay sitting at the far end of the room at one of the long tables. Usually nobody was here this early. Once in awhile, a small group might use this as a place to hold impromptu meetings overnight, but this was entirely different. The First Officer sat staring out into space. When Chell approached him, he noticed a bowl of soup next to him.

"Good morning, Commander," he said as cheerfully as possible. Not realizing he wasn't alone, Chakotay looked up with a surprised expression on his face. He hadn't heard him enter and didn't even realize that he turned on the lights.

"Oh, good morning Chell," he greeted rather indifferently. Chell picked up the bowl of soup and carefully examined it. Based on what he saw, it was an ice cold bowl of mushroom soup. A spoon sat untouched on the table, telling him that he hadn't even taken a single bite of his food. He knew mushroom soup was Chakotay's favorite, so he must be feeling pretty awful right now if he didn't even take a bite.

"Do you want me to replicate you a fresh bowl of soup?" he offered in an attempt to do something useful for his old friend.

"No, I'm fine."

"Can I get you anything else? Just say the word, and I'll get it for you." He was eager to help out in any way possible. There had to be something he could do to help, even if it was something as simple as getting Chakotay some food.

"No, I'm fine," he repeated in a robotic voice. The thought of eating anything made him feel sick to his stomach. Right now, he just wanted some space. Sensing that, Chell retreated to the kitchen to start preparing breakfast to the crew. He had a lot to get done and not a lot of time to get it done.

As Chell flitted around the kitchen and prepared the morning meal, he kept an eye on Chakotay, glancing at him every once in awhile as if afraid that he'd do something reckless. He'd known the First Officer for nearly a decade, and never before had he seen him like this. It unnerved him, a sensation that was only made worse by the fact that he had no idea what to do to make him feel better. Of course, Chell knew that Chakotay would feel better once Seven was back on her feet, but there was no telling when that would be. For the time being, all he could do was hope for the best, just like the rest of the crew.

Right as Chell put out the last of the platters for breakfast, the first early risers getting ready for the Alpha shift entered the mess hall in search of food before starting their shift. As soon as the crewmen saw Chakotay sitting alone in the corner, they lowered their voices to barely audible whispers as they gathered their food. Out of respect for their commanding officer, they sat on the opposite end of the mess hall and huddled together as they whispered back and forth so as to not disturb him. Despite their best attempts to keep their voices down, Chakotay still found their presence distracting. Usually, he enjoyed spending time with crewmen in the mess hall, he saw it as a chance to relate to his crew better, but today he just wanted his space. Without bothering to clean up after himself like he usually did, he stood up abruptly and stalked out of the mess hall. An uncomfortable silence fell over the handful of crewmen as they watched their First Officer leave without so much as a goodbye to any of them like he normally did.

It was the middle of the breakfast rush, and Chell's heart simply wasn't in it. With a fake smile plastered across his face, he served up the food and did his best to make small talk with every crewman who came through in search of breakfast, but he was simply going through the motions as he thought about Chakotay. There had to be something he could do to help. The only problem was that he had no idea how to help him, this wasn't something that they could easily fix, even with all the technology at their disposal.

Right as Chell tried to think of something he could do, B'Elanna and Tom walked into the mess hall. It was perfect timing, as she was the exact person he needed right now to help him. She and Tom grabbed plates of food and found empty seats in a secluded corner of the room. Chell knew that they probably wanted to spend some time together before going off to their respective shifts, but he needed to talk to her. Besides, they lived together, in his mind, they had plenty of time to sit together and talk.

Tom and B'Elanna were so wrapped up in their private conversation that they didn't even notice Chell until he was standing awkwardly next to them. They purposefully sat in the far corner of the mess hall so they could steal a few minutes together before heading off to their respective shifts.

"Yes?" B'Elanna asked in an annoyed tone that wasn't lost on Chell. Although she knew the mess hall was hardly the place to have a private conversation, she would like to be able to talk to her husband without any interruptions.

"I need to talk to you. It's about Commander Chakotay." B'Elanna's expression immediately softened as she motioned for Chell to pull up a chair and join them. The sudden addition of Chell at their breakfast table didn't bother Tom, as he knew this was important. With the exception of her family, Chakotay was one of the most important people in her life. She would easily do anything for him, just like she'd do anything for Tom and Miral.

"What's wrong with Chakotay?" she asked, although she already knew the answer. Everyone with eyes could see what was wrong with Chakotay. Nobody dared talk about it in public though, it was something whispered behind closed doors out of concern for the First Officer.

"He's not eating, and he's not sleeping. When I came into the mess hall this morning, he was sitting here in the dark. He'd gotten himself some food from the replicator, but he didn't even touch it, and it was cold. I have no idea how long he'd been sitting here, but it was probably for a while. He's not taking care of himself." Chell wasn't telling B'Elanna anything she didn't already know.

"I know," B'Elanna admitted. "I've been having the same concerns."

"He was like this even before we got back to Voyager," Tom added, although it was like rubbing salt in the wound. "He's more concerned about Seven than himself. I've seen Chakotay act selflessly before, but never like this. If Seven knew, she'd be furious with him."

"And I'm afraid that he's going to wear himself out and end up in sickbay right next to Seven." Chell's voice rose with emotion.

"Okay, I'll talk to him," B'Elanna promised. She had no idea what she would say to Chakotay or if it would do any good, but she would try, not only to appease Chell but the fears that haunted the back of her mind. "I'll go after my shift today." B'Elanna's word was good enough to Chell. He visibly relaxed and slouched down in his chair. He hoped that she would be able to do something to help Chakotay feel better.

It was a blessedly slow day on the bridge, for which Kathryn was extremely grateful. As much as she loved the adventures that came with traveling across the Delta Quadrant, she also enjoyed lazy days like this every once in a while. They gave her the opportunity to relax a little, something she very rarely got a chance to do. As Captain, there was always someone who needed something from her. Sometimes it was something small, such as a minor disagreement between two crew members, and sometimes it was something big, such as a complete system meltdown. Right now, however, everyone seemed completely content and didn't even need her. It was a strange phenomenon, but she wasn't complaining.

Right as Kathryn got up to get a fresh cup of coffee, the doorbell rang. She sighed. So much for nobody needing her today. Hopefully it would be something relatively easy, as she was using this opportunity to catch up on some reports that she'd been been putting off for a few days now. They weren't the most exciting, but it was a part of her job. She'd sometimes ask Chakotay and Tuvok to take care of it, but she wasn't necessary busy right now, so she could handle it herself.

"Enter," she called as she programed the regenerator to produce another cup of coffee. When she turned around, she was surprised to see Aritlin enter her ready room.

"Aritlin," she exclaimed in surprise. This was probably the last person she expected to show up unannounced in her ready room. "What can I do for you?" The Kalrussian's eyes took in his surroundings. Although he'd been on Voyager for several days now, he still wasn't used to how opulent the starship was. Compared to how his people lived, this was the lap of luxury. They had everything they could possibly want at their disposal, which was probably why they were so willing to go out of their way to help others without so much as a second thought.

"I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Of course, please have a seat." Rather than motion for him to take a seat at her desk, she directed him towards the couch along the far wall. Aritlin scurried across the room and immediately sat on the couch. "Do you want some coffee?"

"Coffee?" he repeated in a confused tone.

"You haven't been introduced to coffee yet?" Kathryn asked in shock. She couldn't imagine someone living without coffee. "Well, that needs to be fixed." She immediately replicated a second cup of coffee and carried it over to Aritlin. "This is a popular drink on my home planet," she explained as she handed over the cup. He took a small, tentative sip, not sure how it would taste. At first, the strong, pungent taste caught him off guard. Once it settled in his stomach, however, he found that he quite enjoyed the unusual, bitter flavor, prompting him to take another small sip. "What do you think?" Kathryn asked as she sat down next to him and tried to read his reaction.

"I can see why it's popular where you're from." She laughed and took a sip of her coffee.

"So, what can I do for you?" she asked as she crossed her legs and leaned forward slightly. Aritlin fiddled with the cup in his hand as he attempted to collect his thoughts.

"I first wanted to thank you for offering me refuge." Kathryn waved off the comment.

"My crew owes you their lives. Without your intercession, your people would have taken over Voyager, and then we'd all be stranded on your home planet. It's the least we could do." She genuinely felt that her crew owed Aritlin so much, whether they realized it or not. They might have been able to fight off the Kalrussians, but, then again, they might not have been able to, there's no way to be sure. Regardless, Aritlin took a great risk helping them, and there was no way Kathryn was going to leave him behind if he was asking for safety.

"Well, I appreciate it, and I want to do something else in return."

"You've already done so much," she pointed out.

"I know, but I hate just sitting around, it goes against my nature. I was wondering if there was some sort of job I can do around here. It doesn't have to be anything big or grand, I'm willing to do the dirty work around here. I want to help in some way, earn my keep." While Kathryn had to admit that she wasn't necessarily surprised by Aritlin's request, she thought that it would take more than three days for him to get restless and ask for a job. She was glad he was so eager to get some of duty assignment, clearly he would be a fantastic asset around here. She also hoped he would be able to provide them some information about this sector. He might be their new Neelix, although there was no way anyone could ever replace the beloved Talaxian.

"Well, staffing is Commander Chakotay's department," she started. His face immediately fell. Just like that, all his dreams about helping out aboard Voyager flew out the nearest airlock. He'd gone out of his way to avoid the First Officer since they got here; he sensed that he wasn't thrilled to have him here.

"Oh."

Sensing the immediate change in demeanor, Kathryn asked, "Is there something wrong with that?"

"I don't think Commander Chakotay likes me very much," he confessed. He understood why the First Officer wouldn't like him, he was the one person he could blame for Seven's current condition. Try as he might, Aritlin didn't take it personally, but now it made his goal of making himself useful around here little more than an impossible dream. Kathryn put a reassuring hand on his knee.

"Commander Chakotay is going through a difficult time right now," she gently explained. "But he isn't the type of person to hold it against anyone. I'm sure he'd be glad to find you some sort of job around here. Is there anywhere you were thinking of?" He stopped to think. There were so many areas around here that he could work at, it was overwhelming. He'd spent the past few days looking over the logistics of the starship, trying to familiarize himself with it while attempting to not get lost while going from his quarters to the mess hall.

"I don't know," he admitted softly.

"Well, what do you like to do? What did you do back on your home planet?" Back on his home planet, Aritlin had raided ships, which was hardly a useful skill on a starship of his caliber. Besides, he was determined to put all of that behind him and make a good name for himself.

"I was always interested in plants and growing things," he finally replied after several moments of careful consideration. Kathryn nodded.

"I'll talk to Commander Chakotay about finding you a job in aeroponics. He'll get back to you as soon as he can." Aritlin decided not to hold his breath. He doubted the First Officer would give him any sort of job around here. He'd probably be stuck doing some sort of dirty, menial task that nobody else wanted to complete. It wouldn't be the end of the world, but now that Kathryn mentioned aeroponics, he wanted to work there.

Tom stood at the console in the center of sickbay and carefully analyze the informations scrolling across the screen in front of him. His medical training might not be as extensive as the Doctor's knowledge, but he knew enough to figure out that the prognosis was definitely better than it had been even this time yesterday.

"Lieutenant," the Doctor exclaimed in surprise as he entered the room from his office where he had been doing some work. "I didn't realize you were scheduled for a shift in sickbay today."

"I'm not," Tom explained as he kept his eyes locked on the screen. "I thought I'd swing by and see how Seven's doing." While he trusted the Doctor's medical expertise, he needed to do something to make himself feel useful in terms of Seven's care. He'd grown very attached to her and her welfare in the caves, and now he had to see things through to the end.

"You're not the only one," the Doctor commented dryly with a roll of her eyes.

"How many times has Chakotay been by today?" Tom asked as he finally abandoned the information on the panel and leaned against it with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Three times, including once in the middle of the night." While the Doctor understood why Chakotay was so concerned about Seven, he just wished the First Officer would trust him to do his job. At this point, Seven's condition was stable, and there was very little to worry about. All they had to do was wait for her to wake up. It was all about being patient now, no matter how difficult that may be for all of them.

Before Tom could make any sort of sarcastic remark about Chakotay's inability to stay away, the doors to sickbay slid open. Both he and the Doctor half expected it to be the First Officer, but instead it was Icheb. The usually calm young man had concern written across his face as he made a beeline for Seven's biobed in the surgical bay.

"Ahh, and here's our other frequent visitor to sickbay," the Doctor commented. Icheb ignored the sarcastic tone. He had just finished his shift, and he wanted to check on Seven, which was perfectly reasonable in his mind. She would do the same if he was the one stuck in sickbay.

"How is she?" he asked without bothering to greet either man.

"She's the same as when you stopped by during lunch," the Doctor replied. "Your nanoprobe transplants are working perfectly and helping to expedite the regeneration process, although it will still probably be a few days before she's up."

"Why will it take so long?" Icheb inquired as he slid past Tom to analyze the information on the control panel, inadvertently elbowing the Lieutenant out of the way. It didn't bother him, he knew he was under a lot of stress.

"As I've explained before, Seven's body has been essentially drained of all energy. She's had to regenerate for several days in the past when she's had medical issues, which is why I'm not worried. If she'd been here for a week or two and still hadn't woken up, then I'd be concerned." Memories of the malfunctioning cortical implant and the mishap from the vinculum that had been tampered with came rushing back to both Tom and the Doctor. In both instances, Seven had had to regenerate for nearly a week, which was why both of them fully expected that to be the case once again. The answer didn't seem to sit well with Icheb. He scowled in frustration. All he wanted was to know that his mentor and close friend was alright, which he wouldn't know for sure until she woke up.

"Icheb, she's going to be fine," Tom assured. "Soon she'll be awake and ordering you around Astrometrics like nothing ever happened." The young man certainly hoped that he was right. They all seemed so positive right now, but they had no way of knowing what would happen when Seven woke up...if she even woke up. He chased the macabre thought from his mind. Of course she would wake up, and she would be her usual self right away. All he had to do was find a way to be patient and wait it out somehow.

Try as she might, B'Elanna couldn't concentrate. There were fifteen minutes left in her shift, which meant fifteen minutes until she had to go talk to Chakotay. All day, she'd tried to think of what to say to him, but nothing came to mind. She hadn't really seen much of him since he got back to Voyager, not because she didn't want to, but she sensed that he needed his space. Some people liked to be surrounded by others when going through a difficult time, but Chakotay was the opposite; he just wanted his space to process the information on his own. He'd been that way after Seska left Voyager, again after he thought he was going to be a father and then when Seska died. He mostly sequestered himself when it came to the women he cared about, so it didn't surprise overly surprise B'Elanna when he started acting distant. One day, he'd just snap out of it and act like his old self, but that wouldn't be for a while, not while he still struggled to process what was going on with Seven. While Tom hadn't told her everything that had happened on the away mission, she knew enough to know that it had been a disaster from nearly the moment they set foot on that planet. Suddenly, B'Elanna knew how to broach the situation with Chakotay. Since she hadn't seen him since he got back, she would just check in on him and let things go from there. She wouldn't make it look like she was checking in on him, just a social call between two old friends, and then she'd let things go from there.

At long last, the bell rang, signaling the end of the shift. Usually, B'Elanna stayed long after her shift to take care of random tasks in Engineering, but that wasn't the case today. She immediately shed her jacket and put it away before heading straight for Chakotay's office. Her crew could take care of things without her today.

She entered the nearby turbolift and said, "Deck one." The lift immediately whirred to life, giving her a few more moments to collect her thoughts and try to figure out what exactly to say. Unfortunately, her time was nearly up as the turbolift slowed to a stop, and the doors opened. She exited the lift and headed straight for Chakotay's office. She couldn't figure out why this of all things made her feel nervous, she was just going to talk to Chakotay, something she'd done hundreds of times in the past.

In his office, Chakotay read over the duty schedule for the upcoming week one last time to make sure everything was correct. He had to make sure everybody who had requested leave got it while also compensating for the fact that Seven was still off. There was no telling when she would be able to return to duty. Knowing her, she'd want to return to duty almost instantly, but the Doctor and the Captain may have other plans. To err on the side of caution, Chakotay kept her off the schedule for the entire week and had plans to keep her off the schedule for the following week as well if necessary, although by then he hoped that she would be awake and arguing to return to duty as quickly as possible.

The doorbell ringing caused Chakotay to glance up from the schedule in front of him. He sighed. He had been hoping to get this over with quickly so he could head down to sickbay for a little while to spend time with Seven before returning to his quarters for the evening. His job never seemed to end it seemed.

"Come in," he called in a somewhat annoyed tone. The doors slid open, and B'Elanna breezed inside as if she owned the place. As soon as she saw him, she was taken aback. He looked just as horrible as Chell described with dark circles under his eyes, the faint hint of stubble across his face as hollow cheeks that gave away that he'd lost a significant amount of weight since he left for the away mission only two weeks earlier. There was no doubt in her mind that he wasn't sleeping or taking care of himself. Despite that, he was still attempting to work, which was clear from the number of PADDS that were scattered across his usually well organized desk. Her big fear was that he was starting to lose control, and he'd spiral down a rabbit's hole he wouldn't be able to claw his way out of, even after Seven recovered. "B'Elanna, now's not a good time."

"Well that's too bad, because I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere," she announced as she threw herself down across from him. Knowing it was useless to try and argue with her, he put the PADD in his hand to talk to her. "I'm sorry for not stopping by sooner. I'm not going to make excuses, I should have taken the time to visit you sooner." Chakotay shrugged off the comment.

"I haven't exactly been in a social mood."

"Which is why I'm here." She crossed her legs and sat back comfortably, a sure sign that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. "When exactly were you planning on telling me about you and Seven?" Chakotay sighed. He should have expected that this was how the conversation would go. B'Elanna crossed her arms over her chest and glared angrily at him, which spoke volumes about how she felt right now. She felt betrayed. She came to him early on in her relationship with Tom, not because it was required by Starfleet to let superiors know, but because she needed someone to talk things out with, and she always trust Chakotay explicitly. Apparently he didn't feel the same, as he kept his own relationship to himself.

"If it makes you feel any better, the Captain didn't know either." The admission caught her off guard. At the very least, she assumed the Captain knew; Chakotay was closer to her than anyone else on Voyager, well, he used to be anyway. She always wondered if there was something going on between the two of them, everyone on the crew thought so.

"Damn, Chakotay, you really kept this under wraps."

"That's the way we wanted it," he explained. "It was nice. We didn't have to worry about any pressure or any gossip, we could just focus on us." His eyes lit up at the memories of all the late night conversations in his quarters and the clandestine dates throughout the starship. In a way, the secrecy had been exciting. He felt like a young cadet again, sneaking into girls' dorms in the middle of the night for a late night romp.

"You really care for her, don't you?" B'Elanna sounded surprised at the realization. She hadn't expected him to act this way. When Tom first told her about the illicit relationship, she thought that it was nothing more than a fling. Both of them were so dedicated to their duties, they hardly had the time for a relationship. Clearly she was wrong, as Chakotay had nothing but admiration and devotion in his eyes.

"I do," he softly admitted

"Then I'm happy for you. You've spent too many years putting others first, you need to take care of yourself as well." Suddenly all the pieces fell into place for Chakotay. This wasn't a simple social visit, B'Elanna was here on a mission. He had to admit that he was impressed that she was able to hide her true motives for this long, she normally wasn't one to beat around the bush.

"I am taking care of myself," he argued. "I just have a lot of work to do. I left Kathryn with a lot of work since I was gone for so long. I have to finish up the duty schedule for next week, and I have a few disciplinary issues to take care of still." B'Elanna wasn't dumb, she knew that Chakotay was trying to get rid of her without being rude and telling her to get out. She could take a hint, but she was still determined to get to the bottom of this and make sure he was alright.

"How about you come over for dinner tomorrow?" she suggested as she stood up. "We'll replicate something, and you can play with Miral, seeing her always cheers you up." It was a gracious offer, but the thought of spending an evening with the Paris' wasn't exactly what he wanted to do. B'Elanna was right, normally spending time with Miral would make any bad day instantly better, but he simply wasn't in the mood.

"Thanks but no thanks. Maybe next time." She scowled.

"Chakotay-" He held up his hand to stop her from arguing with him.

"Maybe next time, B'Elanna," he repeated; his tone final. She knew him well enough that that was the end of the conversation. With a disgruntled humph, she turned on her heels and stalked out of the room, leaving Chakotay alone, which was exactly what he wanted. He knew her heart was in the right place, but being social wasn't exactly high on his priority list right now. Besides, he normally spent his evenings in sickbay, waiting patiently for Seven to wake up.

As B'Elanna headed back to her quarters, she tried to think of a way to get Chakotay out of this mood he was in. She understood why he was acting like this, she would feel exactly the same way if it was Tom in Seven's current condition, but she hoped that Chakotay would do anything in his power to cheer her up. She wasn't about to give up though, she was far too stubborn for that. She would find a way to cheer Chakotay up, even if it was just a little bit. She saw it as her duty, not as a Starfleet officer, but as his close friend. If only she knew how to do it.

When B'Elanna entered her quarters, she couldn't help but smile at what she saw, instantly lifting her sour mood. Tom laid stretched out across the couch with Miral laying on her stomach on his chest. Both were fast asleep. One of his arms dangled loosely over the edge of the couch while the other held her in place as he snored softly. It was absolutely adorable. The screen on the far wall flashed colors and noise, indicating that he had fallen asleep while watching one of his dumb monster movies. B'Elanna rolled her eyes. She should have expected as much from him. She grabbed a nearby blanket and carefully covered both of them before leaning over to kiss the top of Miral's head before stealing a quick kiss from Tom. The intimate action was enough to rouse him from his light slumber. Drawing in a deep breath, he shifted as his eyes fluttered open.

"Hey," he whispered as he trailed his fingertips along her backside and the back of her thigh. It wasn't a sexual touch, just second nature to him.

"Hey," she parroted. "Sorry to wake you."

"No, it's fine. I just got home half an hour ago. I only meant to lay down for a few minutes before starting dinner." He made sure to keep his voice low, as the last thing he wanted to do was wake Miral, who looked so peaceful as she slept on her father's chest. "How's Chakotay?" A sigh slipped past B'Elanna threw herself down on the floor and leaned against the couch. Tom automatically draped his arm along her chest, holding her as close as possible given their current positions.

"He barely gave me the time of day," she grumbled. "All I could get out of him is that he cares about Seven more than anything else and that the Captain didn't even know about their relationship." Neither of those revelations were news to Tom; he could have saved B'Elanna the time and told her that himself. B'Elanna twisted her body around to look at her husband a little better. "He looks awful, Tom. I really thought that if I went to talk to him, he'd at least feel a little bit better and take care of himself." He stroked along her collarbone with his thumb.

"This has really taken it's toll on him. If I were in his shoes, I'd be acting the same way until I knew you were alright." B'Elanna couldn't help but smile at the confession. While she knew Tom would act that way, it was comforting to hear him tell her that. She took his hand and kissed the knuckles softly.

"I just wish I knew what to do to help him," she confessed.

"I know you do, babe, but there might not be anything you can do," he pointed out. "Everyone here is on edge until Seven gets back. I saw Sam today, and she said that Naomi's a wreck, and the Captain's starting to feel stressed also. We're all going to get through this. We just have to get through the next few days."

"You're starting to sound like Harry." Tom started to shrug but quickly remembered that Miral was still fast asleep on his chest and stopped himself just in time.

"Someone has to." He paused for a few moments as he tried to think of what to do next. He wished he had some better advice for his wife, but he couldn't think of anything. Advice wasn't necessarily his area of expertise, he was the type of person who acted impulsively and dealt with the consequences later. "So, what are you going to do?" B'Elanna sighed.

"I don't know," she admitted with a dejected shrug. She didn't sound upset but instead frustrated. She hated not knowing what to do next, especially when it came to her friend's welfare. "I'll talk to him again in a few days." She didn't sound entirely sure of her plan, but it was all she could think of right now. Hopefully it would work, although she didn't know what she wanted to happen.

Author's Note: Be sure to let me know what you think by leaving a review!