Chapter Twenty-Four
The fist came flying out of nowhere and made contact with its target with a sickening crunch. Blood spurted freely from Chakotay's nose, and he saw stars, causing him to stumble backwards. He instinctively reached up to touch his nose to ascertain the damage until he remembered that he was still wearing his gloves. He'd been distracted for a split second, which was all it took for his opponent to get one good swing in. Undeterred by the injury he just inflicted, his opponent prepared to swing again, to get in another damaging blow. This time, however, Chakotay was ready. He blocked the swing and retaliated with a swing of his own. His glove came in contact with his unnamed opponent's cheek, sending him stumbling backwards until he finally lost his balance and fell to the ground. The bell rang behind him, signaling the end of the match. Chakotay immediately dropped his fists and exited the ring without even bothering to look back at his opponent.
Ignoring the throbbing pain from his nose, Chakotay snatched up his bottle of water and took a long drink, nearly draining it in the process. It was then that he noticed B'Elanna standing a few feet away. With an unamused expression on her face, she stood with her feet planted shoulder width apart and her arms crossed over her chest. He got the sense that she'd been there for a while, watching him in the ring, nearly getting his ass handed to him. With the exception of that last blow, his opponent nearly beat him, and it showed on his face. In addition to his broken nose, which still freely leaked blood down the front of his shirt, a bottled bruise marred his left cheek and a cut ran parallel to his right eyebrow, across his forehead and intersecting his tattoo above his left eye. It looked like it hadn't been much of a fight on his part. B'Elanna had seen Chakotay fight plenty of times, but she'd never seen him look like this before. It was as if he wasn't even trying, like he was just going through the motions, which never ended well when it came to boxing.
"Are you here to yell at me for turning the safeties off?" he asked as he threw himself down unceremoniously on one of the benches. His entire head hurt, as if someone had beat him over the head with a heavy, blunt object, which wasn't exactly untrue.
"You and I both know I'm the last person to lecture you about that. I'm here to check on you." A holographic Boothby approached Chakotay to help him remove his gloves, but B'Elanna ordered, "Computer, delete characters." The computer beeped as it complied with its order. She straddled the bench next to Chakotay and yanked off his gloves, carelessly tossing them to the side. "Are you sleeping?"
"Maybe four or five hours," he replied as he began to unwrap his hands, revealing his knuckles covered in several superficial cuts and bruises. The answer surprised B'Elanna. For someone who got four or five hours of sleep last night, Chakotay looked absolutely terrible. In additional to the facial wounds from boxing, he had bags under his eyes and hollowed out cheeks, nothing like his usual jovial self.
"Four or five hours last night?" That was definitely a good sign, he was starting to catch up on his sleep at least, although he didn't look like it. He shook his head in shame, refusing to look her in the eye.
"No, since we got back to Voyager," he admitted, his voice full of shame. B'Elanna's eyes nearly doubled in size at the admission.
"Chakotay, you've been back for six days now. That's not healthy!" she scolded angrily. She took his hands in hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. He barely felt her comforting touch as she chastised him. Enough was enough, she couldn't sit by and watch her closest friend spiral down into a deep depression. "I'm worried about you, Chakotay. You're not taking care of yourself, and I'm scared to death that something is going to happen to you. You cannot continue this way. You need to take care of yourself; you need to get your rest."
"I can't sleep, B'Elanna. Every time I do, I have these terrible nightmares that Seven, that she…" Unable to bring himself to say the words, he trailed off. Thankfully, B'Elanna knew exactly what he was talking about and didn't make him say it aloud.
"Seven is fine," she assured. "She's in sickbay, and the Doctor is doing everything in his power to take care of her." Logically, Chakotay knew she was right, but that didn't stop him from not going to sleep. Every single dream felt so real to him, and he couldn't bring himself to endure such torture. He'd rather suffer through extreme exhaustion than those horrible nightmares.
B'Elanna broke free of Chakotay's grip and grabbed his chin in her vice-like grip and turned his face to the side so she could examine his nose, which continued to bleed freely, along with the other injuries that plagued him. He really had been put through the wringer this time. Drops of blood splattered his grubby white shirt and beaded along the cut on his forehead. Unamused, she pursed her lips and glared at him.
"Speaking of taking care of others, you broke your nose and probably have a concussion," she pointed out bluntly.
"Probably." He shrugged. It wasn't the first time he'd broken his nose and got a concussion, and he doubted that it would be the last. Besides, he'd endured far worse injuries. In the grand scheme of things, a broken nose was hardly worth stressing over.
"I don't suppose you have a medkit around here somewhere," B'Elanna requested as she looked around. For the life of her, she couldn't understand some of the holodeck programs the men in her life ran. This was hardly the type of place she would want to spend her time. The entire place smelled like sweat and dirty men, the lights overhead flickered obnoxiously, and everything seemed dirty to the touch. She knew it was all holographic dirt, but that didn't stop her disgust. It was almost as bad as Tom and Harry's stupid Captain Proton program. The technology was primitive, and that whole black and white thing was annoying as hell.
"There's one under the holodeck control panel," Chakotay admitted dejectedly. B'Elanna got to her feet.
"I'll be back." As she walked away, she turned over her shoulder and called, "And if you get back in that ring-"
"Let me guess, you'll rip out my spine and beat me to death with it." She flashed Chakotay a knowing smile before disappearing out of sight. For a split second, he sounded like his usual self: jovial and teasing. She missed that side of Chakotay, and she hoped that it would be back soon.
Not in the mood to get B'Elanna even more upset with him, Chakotay sat dutifully on the bench. He felt like a small child sitting outside the principal's office, waiting to be reprimanded for misbehaving. He was used to B'Elanna's abrasive personality, but very rarely did she reprimand him like this, she usually saved that for Tom and his immature behavior. Chakotay knew he deserved it this time though, he had acted recklessly and probably would have continued to do so, allowing opponent after opponent to beat the hell out of him until he got fed up and headed back to his quarters.
"You're in luck, there's an osteo-regenerator in this medkit, which will save you a trip to sickbay, although I have a feeling that you'll be going there anyway," B'Elanna announced proudly as she reappeared and plunked herself down across from him. "Although, if the Doctor saw you like this, he'd probably refuse to let you leave." Deep down inside, she wondered if that was his plan all along, to injure himself so badly that he would have to stay in sickbay overnight where he could keep an eye on Seven without constantly being chased away by the Doctor.
"The Doctor worries too much," Chakotay complained. She rolled her eyes as she grabbed the osteo-regenerator.
"That's his job," she pointed out as she clutched his chin in one hand and turned his head to get the best view to repair his broken nose. "Although, if I had any brain cells, I'd force you to go to sickbay because then maybe you'd get some help." She ran the osteo-regenerator over his shatter nose, repairing the damage done by the holographic opponent. It had been one hell of a blow, and she feared that he might actually need minor surgery to fix it. Chakotay grimaced uncomfortably as the bones repaired themselves.
"I don't need any help," he argued pathetically. B'Elanna rolled her eyes. She should have figured he would say that. She finished the brief medical procedure and put the device back in the medkit before examining her handiwork. The osteo-regenerator had managed to get the job done, and she'd been wrong about needing surgery, although she was tempted to send him down to sickbay so the Doctor could see what he was up to. Instead, she pulled out the dermal regenerator and ran it over the cut and the bruise respectively until they disappeared as well.
"There, good as new. Although your shirt is ruined." Chakotay looked down at the soiled garment.
"Well damn, this was my favorite shirt." Once again, he sounded like his old self, even if it was for a brief instant. She snapped closed the medkit and closed it with a secure click. "You don't need to check on me, B'Elanna. I can take care of myself." She rolled her eyes.
"Well someone's gotta look after your pathetic ass while Seven's unconscious," she snapped before letting out a sigh. She was going about this all the wrong ways. This wasn't just anyone she was talking to, this was Chakotay. He was her confidante, the person she turned to when she was having a bad day, even more so than Tom. There were no secrets between them, and she had to treat him accordingly to get him to realize the severity of his behavior. "You've always gone out of your way to look after others, let someone look after you now." She put her hand on his knee and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You're my best friend here, and I hate seeing you like this." He put his large hand on top of hers.
"Don't let Tom hear you talking like that," he commented dryly. Her little speech was very moving. He certainly felt the same way about her, although they had never felt the need to say it aloud, it was implied between them. "But I'm fine. I'll, I'll try to get some more sleep tonight or something." He didn't necessarily sound reassuring, but it was better than nothing. "I'd hug you, but I don't want to get blood all over your uniform."
"I'm Klingon, a little blood never bothered me." Mindful of the still wet bloodstains on his shirt, she slid her arms around his neck in a quick hug. She got the sense that he was just going through the motions to appease her, not because he genuinely believed that he was going to change his behavior. The hug did little to reassure her though, as it caused her to realize how much weight he'd lost. Yes, Tom had lost some weight on the away mission from their limited food supply, but he'd started gaining it back. Chakotay, on the other hand, continued to lose weight, which told her that in addition to not sleeping, he wasn't eating. The realization caused her to feel sick to her stomach. Getting him back to his old self was going to take a lot more than a heart to heart in the holodeck. He needed far more to get him back on his feet.
B'Elanna pulled away from Chakotay and smoothed her hair back from her face. She wanted to feel better about this situation, but she only felt worse. She thought that talking to him would give her some peace of mind, tell her that she was being overprotective and that he really was alright. She was wrong. Chakotay was falling apart, barely hanging on by a thread at this point.
"I have to go," she announced as she stood up. She was going about this all wrong. If she wanted Chakotay to get back to his normal self, talking to him wasn't the way to go. "Remember your promise." He rolled his eyes. He didn't need to be coddled like a small child. Contrary to how it looked, he could take care of himself.
"So you're the one giving orders now?" he teased, momentarily sounding like himself, although the playful sparkle was missing from his eyes.
"You better believe it." With a smirk on her face, she gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. He glanced up at her for a second but didn't say anything else. With a new plan forming in her mind, B'Elanna exited the holodeck and headed for the bridge. If she was going to get Chakotay back on his feet, then she needed to bring out the big guns.
In her ready room, Kathryn finished looking over the last of the reports for the day. She was done earlier than she usually was, although the day shift had ended two hours ago. Right as she put down the last PADD in a pile on one side of her desk, her doorbell rang. She had been hoping to head back to her quarters for a nice, quiet, early evening, maybe with a good book and hot cup of coffee, but, as always, duty seemed to get in the way.
"Enter," she called. There was a hint of frustration to her voice that she couldn't mask. She really was tired and wanted nothing more than to retire to her quarters for the night. B'Elanna entered the ready room. Based on the determined look on her face, there was something bothering her.
"Can I talk to you?" she asked bluntly.
"Of course," Kathryn replied as she motioned for the engineer to have a seat across from her. Her tone and gaze immediately softened. It wasn't like B'Elanna to just appear in her ready room like this, so she knew it had to be serious. "How's Miral?" she asked eagerly as she leaned forward. She'd been meaning to check in on the lieutenant over the past few days, but she'd been so wrapped up with everything that she hadn't had much of a chance.
"Miral's fine, she's glad to have her father back."
"I bet you're glad to have him back also."
"That's an understatement," B'Elanna commented sarcastically as she sat back and crossed her legs. With Tom back, things were just about back to normal for the small family. He really stepped up, immediately jumping back into his role as father, doing everything in his power to make her life easier and make up for the time that he was gone. Not once did he complain that he was tired or say that he needed some time to recover from being stuck on that planet and being shot, even though B'Elanna offered to give him some time to ease back into things. In true Tom Paris fashion, he jumped in feet first, ready to get back into the swing of things. As much as she loved talking about her daughter, however, B'Elanna was here to talk about something she thought was far more important. "I'm here to talk about Chakotay though." As soon as she heard why B'Elanna was here, Kathryn's gaze softened. In all honesty, she was surprised it took her this long to come to her about him. Several members of the crew, particularly bridge officers who were used to Chakotay's typically upbeat attitude, had expressed concern, making comments under their breath in passing. Before she could ask what in particular was bothering her, she continued, "He's not sleeping, and he's not eating. I just caught him on the holodeck boxing without the safety protocols on, and it looked like someone beat the hell out of him." Normally Kathryn would worry about a crew member using the holodeck without the safeties on, but she knew that that was common for Chakotay when he boxed. They'd had conversations about it in the past, and he always argued that it wasn't the same and that he was always in complete control of the situation. Of course, he was also a top notch boxer, which meant that if he looked as terrible as B'Elanna said, then things must be far worse than she originally thought. "I'm terrified that he's going to end up seriously hurt and in sickbay."
"I am too," Kathryn admitted. The confession caught B'Elanna off guard. Normally, the Captain did her best to keep her emotions in check and almost never spoke so openly to most members of the crew; the exception being Chakotay of course, so for her to make such an admission, the situation must be far worse than she originally realized. "I've tried talking to him several times, but he won't listen."
"You're the Captain, can't you order him to take better care of himself?" B'Elanna voice rose with emotion and frustration. She knew it sounded ridiculous, like an incredibly juvenile solution to an incredibly serious problem, but it was the only one she could think of. The Captain and Chakotay had a strange bond, something no member of the crew really understood, no matter how hard they tried.
"I have, but it won't work. If he can't sleep, I can't do much about that. I'm not about to force him to seek medical help if his life isn't in jeopardy. I know it's difficult, B'Elanna, but my hands are tied." Kathryn sounded absolutely exhausted, and B'Elanna got the sense that she was kept awake most nights thinking about how to help her beloved First Officer. She hated adding to the Captain's stress, but she couldn't just sit around and watch passively as her friend spiraled out of control.
"There has to be something you can do!" By now, B'Elanna was shouting. She hadn't meant to let her emotions get the better of her, but this was a dire situation here. In her opinion, Chakotay's health was on the line. If he didn't get help, and soon, Seven could wake up to find him in the biobed next to her, in just as serious a condition as she had been in. Kathryn pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger as she tried to think of something. Suddenly, she had an idea. While it might not help Chakotay sleep or eat, it might help him feel a little bit better. It was so simple, she had no idea why she hadn't thought of it sooner.
"I want all the Senior Officers in my quarters at 1900 hours," she finally said in a firm voice. Caught off guard, B'Elanna lowered herself to a seated position once again. There was confusion etched across her face. It sounded like she was giving orders, not coming up with a solution to their problem.
"Excuse me?" she blurted out.
"We haven't done anything social in a while. I know it won't be the same with Seven not there, but at least it's something. It'll just be a small social, nothing fancy. Bring Miral, she always cheers Chakotay up." B'Elanna wasn't entirely sure if a small get together was what Chakotay needed to feel better, but at least it was something. Kathryn seemed fairly optimistic that her little plan would work. "Spread the word to the other Senior Officers."
"Should I tell Chakotay?" Kathryn shook her head. Both women knew that Chakotay wouldn't readily join in the small social gathering, not without putting up some sort of fight. Usually, he would be the first one there and the last one to leave, but given the current situation in his life, that wasn't the case. The order would have to come down from above, from Kathryn, not B'Elanna.
"No, leave him to me." B'Elanna stood up.
"Thank you, Captain." Although she didn't sound completely relieved with the plan they put in place, she certainly felt a little bit better. With any luck, the Captain's plan would help at least a little bit. Right now, her main concern was Chakotay and ensuring he was alright. With any luck, this little, impromptu get together would help, even just a little bit.
Chakotay knew he had to look like a strange sight as he walked down the corridor towards his quarters. He knew there was still dried blood under his nose, when paired with the blood splatter on his shirt and the exhausted, haggard expression that was starting to be the new norm for him, he knew he looked like a madman. For that reason, he didn't at all take it personally when crewmen did double takes and skirted around him cautiously as they headed off towards their destinations; he would have done the same in their shoes. Maintaining his brisk pace, he stalked down the corridor to his quarters where he planned on showering and heading down to sickbay for a little while. If he couldn't sleep, he might as well look after Seven.
Once in the privacy of her quarters, Chakotay ripped off his ruined t-shirt and cast it aside carelessly on the bed. He pulled off his shorts and tossed them in the general direction of his closet but didn't actually check to make sure they got there. Instead, he headed straight for the bathroom.
"Computer, activate sonic shower." The computer beeped as it complied with the order. Without bothering to make sure the shower as at the frequency he wanted, Chakotay entered the shower and tried to relax as the sonic pulses vibrated across his body, shaking away the dirt and sweat from his workout. He had hoped that boxing would make him feel better like it normally did, but it didn't. In fact, it made him feel worse. His muscles ached, and he felt absolutely exhausted. Sleep was the last thing he wanted though, he couldn't bring himself to sleep and subject himself to that torture.
Feeling clean, Chakotay exited the shower. Without bothering to grab a towel, as no one was around to see him, he headed for his closet where he pulled on a fresh pair of pants and a button down shirt. No sooner had he finished buttoning up his shirt did the doorbell ring, causing him to sigh with frustration. The last thing he wanted right now was visitors. As he pinned his combadge to his shirt, he exited the closet. The doorbell rang again, causing him to quicken his pace. Whoever was there was obviously in a hurry. He hoped it wasn't any sort of emergency, the last thing he wanted to do was be dragged out of his quarters for some sort of perceived emergency. When he finally opened the doors, the sight of Kathryn caught him off guard. At least it wasn't an emergency. It took him a few moments to regain his composure.
"Kathryn! What are you-" The answer to his question dawned on him before he even finished asking it. "Our weekly dinner," he sighed, answering his own question. With everything going on, he completely forgot about their standing dinner, even though it was something they'd done nearly every week for nearly eight years now.
"Actually, our weekly dinner was supposed to be last night," Kathryn said as she breezed brazenly into Chakotay's quarters without even bothering to ask for permission.
"Kathryn, I'm sorry. I completely forgot, and I wasn't exactly in the mood to have company." She waved off the comment dismissively with a flick of her wrist. He was trying to subtly hint that he wanted her to leave, and she knew it. Rather than honor his wishes, however, she made herself at home.
"I didn't expect you to, so I slaved over a hot replicator, promptly ruined the meal and invited Tuvok to dinner instead." With her arms crossed over her chest, she turned to face him properly. "I'm here to check on you." Her voice had shifted from jovial and cheerful to soft and concerned. Right as he opened his mouth, she cut him off, "And don't you dare tell me that you're fine, because anyone with eyes can see that you aren't." He sighed. She had taken the words right out of his mouth. It was slightly unnerving how often she did that, although he often did the same thing to her. It was a result of them working so closely for so long.
"Well then, you've seen me and can see that I'm...okay, and there's nothing that can really change how I'm feeling." Unconvinced, Kathryn looked around the typically neat and organized quarters. Usually he kept his quarters spotless, ready to entertain guests at a moment's notice. Today, however, everything was a mess. It looked like how Tom's quarters used to look before he and B'Elanna moved in together: with clothes and dirty dishes all over the place. Cleaning was obviously the furthest thing from his mind.
"See, that's where you're wrong." There was an unsettling sparkle in Kathryn's eyes that Chakotay didn't like at all. He was familiar with that expression; she had a plan, and he was fairly sure that it involved him. "I'm here to take you out." He raised an eyebrow in slight amusement.
"Out?" he repeated. As awful as he felt, he had to admit that he was slightly intrigued now, even though he fully intended to turn down whatever her offer was.
"Okay, maybe not out, but the Senior Officers are all currently gathering in my quarters. It's been too long since we've all done anything together." The thought of sitting around, forcing himself to socialize with the Senior Officers and act like everything was alright made him feel slightly nauseous, even though they were all his close friends.
"We won't all be there," he pointed out bitterly. Kathryn glared at him.
"Then we'll do it again when Seven's back to her usual self. In the meantime, I'm here to drag you out of here to have a little fun. It's what Seven would want." Chakotay wasn't convinced. At first, he hadn't minded spending some time with Kathryn, but the thought of spending time with all the Senior Officers was a little too much for him. Normally he welcomed any down time with them, as those moments tended to be few and far between, but he simply wasn't in the mood. It was too many people, too much socializing for his liking right now.
"I don't know…" He tried to walk away, but Kathryn magically appeared directly in front of him with an unamused expression on her face. He knew that look, she was a woman on a mission. Normally, he would just give in to her command, but not this time.
"Chakotay, you have to get out of here, you have to at least try and be yourself," she pleaded. "You're going to make yourself sick, and I'm not about to sit by passively and watch you do it. This is what you need right now."
"Is that an order?"
"I hope it won't come to that, but I can order you if that's what it takes." Chakotay scowled.
"Fine," he relented bitterly. He'd go, but he never said how long he'd stay. It was the perfect loophole to get him out of this after just a little while so he could go down to sickbay, which was where he really wanted to be. It would appear that he had no choice on the matter. He could argue with Kathryn, putting her in a terrible mood, or he could give in, stay for an hour at the very most, going through the motions until he could finally excuse himself and retreat to sickbay, where he really wanted to be.
In the Captain's quarters, Tom made himself right at home. He held a beer in one hand while the other hand trailed along B'Elanna's spine as she sat on the arm of the chair with Miral in her arms. Even with the short notice, the Captain had managed to go all out for her Senior Officers. All types of food were spread across the table so anyone could help themselves. Cold beers and several bottles of wine rested on the dining room table, along with non-alcoholic drinks for those, such as B'Elanna and Tuvok, who either couldn't drink or didn't want to drink. Laughter filled the room as Kathryn, as always, played the perfect hostess. It really had been far too long since they had done something like this, although there were two noticeable absences: Chakotay and Seven. While nobody commented on it, everyone noticed that they weren't there. It was impossible for Seven to make it to the social gathering, but they all had secretly hoped that Chakotay would stop by, at least for a little while.
Kathryn took a sip of wine and wondered where Chakotay was. He'd given his word that he'd be there, and she believed him, not wanting to believe that he lied to her just to get her to leave him alone. She didn't want to go and retrieve him from his quarters, but she would if she had to. This entire gathering was all for him, whether he wanted it or not. It would be good for him to do this. Right as she was about to head to his quarters, her doorbell rang. The laughter immediately stopped, as everyone knew who it was.
"Come in," Kathryn called from her seat on the couch next to Tuvok. The door slid open, revealing Chakotay. Not only had he arrived, but he had shaved and almost looked like his normal self.
"Sorry I'm late," he said as he entered the room. Usually he was perfectly comfortable in situations like this, but right now, all he wanted to do was leave. All eyes were on him as he crossed the room and sat on the couch next to Kathryn. Smiling, she gave his knee a thankful squeeze.
"Well damn, Captain, I didn't think you'd actually get him to come," B'Elanna teased. She was honestly surprised that he even showed up, despite the fact that it was the Captain who summoned him here in the first place.
"I should have figured you were behind this," Chakotay commented with a roll of his eyes. While he wasn't surprised at all by Kathryn's actions, he was even less surprised to find out that B'Elanna had her hand in it as well. He should always worry when the two of them were together, they were a dangerous pair. B'Elanna ignored the comment.
"How's your nose?" she asked. From where she sat, you couldn't even tell that Chakotay had smashed his nose a few hours earlier.
"What happened to your nose?" Kathryn demanded as she grabbed Chakotay's face in her free hand and turned his head from side to side to get a better look. As far as she could tell, his nose looked fine, but if B'Elanna said that something had happened to him, then she believed her.
"I broke it on the holodeck," Chakotay admitted. Kathryn looked at him disapprovingly. She was well aware that he used his boxing program without the safeties on, no matter how many times she told him not to. "I'm fine though, I promise." She continued to glare at him while she took a sip of wine. She wasn't going to fight with him, as it would probably only cause him to leave, which defeated the entire purpose of this gathering.
The food spread out across the coffee table all looked incredibly tempting to Chakotay. As soon as he looked at it, he realized that it was a lot of his favorites. There was no way that could be a coincidence. He gave Kathryn a knowing look as he grabbed a cookie and took a small bite out of it. All of this was for him, which only made him feel more uncomfortable and regret coming here. He didn't want all this attention, he just wanted to make an appearance out of respect for Kathryn, then head down to sickbay where he really wanted to be.
"Everyone, eat," Kathryn announced as she motioned towards the food. "I promise, all if it came from the replicator, I wouldn't subject you to my cooking."
"She's right. This food is too good to be made by her," Chakotay teased. She scoffed playfully as she nudged his leg with hers. He cracked a small smile. Perhaps he could stay a little bit longer than he originally intended.
"Hey babe, can you grab me a plate?" Tom asked. B'Elanna's gaze immediately hardened.
"What's wrong with your legs? Are they broken?" she demanded.
"No, you're just closer." To make his point, he nudged her to her feet. She rolled her eyes. She wouldn't exactly call it closer. When she looked at him, however, she couldn't say no, not when he looked at her with his alluring blue eyes.
"Fine," she snapped. "Hold Miral though." Careful not to wake their sleeping daughter, the couple transferred her from her mother's arms to her father's. As he cradled Miral in his free arm, he took a sip of his beer. "Aren't you father of the year," B'Elanna quipped with a roll of her eyes. Tom simply shrugged. This was hardly the first time he'd had a drink while taking care of Miral, and he doubted it would be the last. As long as he was careful and limited the amount that he drank, he didn't really see why it was a big deal.
Without really bothering to look at what she grabbed, B'Elanna threw some food on a plate for Tom and handed it to him with an arrogant smirk. He was out of hands and wouldn't be able to hold his beer, Miral and his plate of food. Clearly there was a flaw to his genius plan to send his wife to prepare a plate for him.
"What are you going to do now?" she teased as she raised an eyebrow in amusement. Her expression told him that there was absolutely no way she was going to help him, so he might as well find a solution to his problem. The wheels in his head starting turning, mentally thinking of a way to do this without the help of his less than amused wife.
"Here, I'll take Miral." Kathryn couldn't resist holding and fawning over her youngest crew member. Perhaps it was her unwavering dedication to all her crew members or the maternal instinct she never had a chance to fully explore. Either way, she always felt drawn to the infant and wanted to spoil her rotten, just like nearly every other member of the crew.
"Thanks Captain." Tom sounded somewhat relieved to have found a simple solution to his problem as Kathryn plucked the infant out of his arms and held her close against her chest.
As soon as Kathryn sat down between Chakotay and Tuvok on the couch, Miral's dark brown eyes slowly opened. All three of them braced themselves for the impending screams that usually accompanied Miral waking up for a nap. Rather than scream, however, the infant looked around the room and took in her surroundings with intrigue and curiosity written across her round face.
"Good morning," Kathryn cooed with a smile as she stroked Miral's chubby cheek with her knuckle.
"I hear you got to play babysitter while I was gone," Tom commented.
"Just for one night," Kathryn said. "And that was more than enough to wear me out. I don't know how you guys do it."
"You babysat Miral?" Harry asked in shock. While he knew the Captain always went above and beyond for her crew, he was still surprised to find out that she went as far as to babysit for B'Elanna. No other Starfleet captain would go so far, but, then again, Kathryn Janeway wasn't exactly a typical Starfleet Captain.
"Of course I did." Kathryn sounded a bit shocked that Harry was surprised at the admission. She bounced the infant in her arms and patted her lovingly on the back to prevent her from crying. Thankfully, the child was too interested in staring at Tuvok to start crying and making a scene. "I took her for an entire night, and I was an excellent, although very tired, babysitter."
"Were you really that exhausted?" Tom asked his wife. This was all news to him. He knew that the away mission had been incredibly difficult on his wife, it was the longest she'd taken care of Miral on her own. When he got back and asked how things had gone, she never once implied that it had been too much for her to handle. He wouldn't have judged her, instead he would have sympathized with her, tried to find a way to make it work out better the next time he went on an away mission, not that he planned on going on another mission any time soon. She shrugged.
"I wasn't really exhausted, but I was definitely getting worn out." She took a drink of her water. "I don't know how Sam does it. I know Naomi is older now, but she's still essentially raising her all on her own." In the first year or two of Naomi's life, Sam always looked exhausted. Thankfully she had Neelix, who always stepped up and wanted to dote upon his beloved goddaughter, giving her a few precious minutes to herself. Now that Naomi was older, it was definitely easier, as she could be trusted to take care of herself while her mother was on duty.
"Ensign Wildman is hardly on her own," Tuvok interjected. "The entire crew has taken it upon themselves to help raise Naomi, as I am sure they will do with Miral."
"There's an ancient Earth saying: it takes a village to raise a child, and that's what's going to happen here," Kathryn added. A smile spread across Tom's face.
"Excellent, so who's taking Miral tonight?" he teased as he looked to each member of the Senior Officers hopefully. Even though he was joking around, he hoped, deep down inside, that one of them would step up and offer to take Miral so he and B'Elanna could spend a night together.
"Keep dreaming," Harry retorted with a roll of his eyes. "We'll help, but you're still her parents." He'd watched Miral for an hour and a half one time, and that was more than enough for him. For such a small infant, she certainly needed a lot of attention.
"Come on, Harry, where's your sense of adventure?"
"Last time you said that, we'd spent the entire day dragging ourselves across a desert planet and were about to sleep under the stars without tents." As soon as the words left Harry's mouth, he instantly regretted them. He hadn't meant to bring up the disastrous away mission; there was an unspoken rule that nobody mention it, at least not until Seven was back to normal. He could see Chakotay's face fall as he thought about that night together, it had been the last time he and Seven had been together. Kathryn slid her hand into his and gave it a reassuring squeeze as if to tell him that everything would be alright, but he barely noticed. His mind was far from here, more concerned about Seven than being social.
As if she sensed the discomfort that had settled over the group, Miral opened her small mouth and let and one of her signature unnaturally loud wails, prompting both her parents to scramble to her feet. Her timing was perfect. It jolted Chakotay out of his thoughts, temporarily distracting him from his desire to head right down to sickbay and spending the rest of the night glued to Seven's side like the dutiful boyfriend he was.
"Tom, did you remember to bring her bottle?" B'Elanna asked over the unnerving screams that filled the expansive quarters and made all conversation nearly impossible. Tom's face fell when he realized that he'd left Miral's bottle sitting on the kitchen table back in their quarters. "Damn-it, Tom, I asked you to do one thing!"
"I'm sorry, I was a little distracted."
"You were watching that damn television." Tom was about to point out that she was the one who built it for him, but ultimately decided against it, as it would only make matters worse. He really had dropped the ball here. It wasn't exactly like B'Elanna could nurse Miral here, she would have to return to their quarters, either to get the bottle or feed their daughter herself.
"B'Elanna, you can go take care of Miral in my room," Kathryn interjected in an attempt to put an end to the bickering. In all honesty, she had no idea how Tom and B'Elanna had managed to last this long if something as simple as a forgotten baby bottle caused them to start fighting. B'Elanna sighed. It was a gracious offer on the part of the Captain.
"Thanks, Captain," she grumbled as she plucked her daughter out of Kathryn's arms and gently bounced her up and down, although it did absolutely nothing to stop the hungry wails. Still seething with anger, she spun around to face Tom. "I'm not done with you yet." Feeling like a little boy being reprimanded by his mother, Tom sank back in his chair. He had no doubt that he was in for it when they got back to their quarters.
As many times as B'Elanna had been in Kathryn's quarters, she'd never before set foot in her bedroom. It felt strange, almost like she was violating her privacy even though she had told her to come in here. This was far different than just hanging out in her main room, this was where the Captain slept; it felt highly invasive. Feeling uncomfortable, B'Elanna sat on the edge of the bed. The discomfort only increased as she adjusted her shirt to nurse Miral. Not only was she in the Captain's bedroom, but she was practically topless in the Captain's bedroom. When she looked down at her daughter nursing, however, she put aside her discomfort and made the best of the situation. She would be able to suck it up for a little while if it was in the best interest of her daughter.
The Doctor had just finished running a scan on Seven when the doors to sickbay slid open and Aritlin entered. Although he'd only been on board for a few days, the newcomer was starting to become a familiar face all around the starship, especially sickbay. With the exception of Chakotay and Icheb, the newest addition to the crew was the most frequent visitor around here.
"Ahh, Mr. Aritlin, what can I do for you?" the Doctor greeted cheerfully as he came out from around the biobed in the surgical bay. The small alcove was starting to look more like a crewman's personal quarters and less like sickbay with the addition of all the get well soon cards from Naomi Wildman and the flowers sent courtesy of Chakotay and the Captain. Usually, the Doctor would find such decorations obnoxious and bothersome, but since they were for Seven, he ignored them. He was more than willing to make an exception for her and those close to her. In a way, they weren't sending the little trinkets for her but instead for themselves, to make it feel like they were doing something to help expedite her recovery process.
"I just came by to see how Seven's doing," Aritlin replied. Although he'd never actually met Seven, he felt like he knew her. He made sure to stop by at least once a day to check on her, although nothing ever changed.
"Seven is doing fine." The Doctor motioned towards the main console, which Aritlin approached. He tapped the screen and began to pull up all sorts of information from his most recent scans. "Thanks to the transplants from Icheb, her nanoprobe levels are nearly back to normal. Her body systems are functioning normally." As he spoke, the Doctor continued to scroll through the information on the console to help demonstrate his point. "Her brain activity is normal as well. All we have to do now is wait." Aritlin sighed. It was both a sigh of relief and a sigh of frustration. Based on what the Doctor said, she was going to be fine, but he was also frustrated because she still wasn't awake. "If you don't mind me saying, many people on this starship are worried about Seven, but they've known her for years. You've barely known her a week, and you're here than most crewmen to check on her. Why?" Aritlin had been asking himself the same question for a while now, and it was the unimaginable guilt that kept him up at night that brought him here on a daily basis to check on the stranger.
"I feel responsible for her condition. If my people hadn't tricked her to coming to our planet and stolen her…" He trailed off as the name of the strange device temporarily escaped him. "Mobile regenerator, then she wouldn't be here right now."
"You can't play this what if game. Seven would call it an inefficient use of time." The Doctor put a comforting hand on Aritlin's shoulder and motioned for him to enter his office.
"You know, I've never actually met her, but I feel like I know her in a way," Aritlin confessed as he entered the Doctor's office and sat across his desk from him. "Can you tell me a little about her? How did you end up with a Borg on your ship in the first place?" That was what Aritlin really wanted to know, although he never had the courage to ask. The Borg weren't exactly the type of beings who would readily leave the Collective and join a starship.
"It was about four years ago," the Doctor started. Consumed by thoughts and memories, he launched into the harrowing story of how, against all the odds, Seven of Nine became a valued member of a Starfleet crew.
The Doctor had just finished explaining to Aritlin how Seven had joined Voyager's crew when a loud beeping noise caught the attention of both of them. In a flash, the Doctor was on his feet and rushing out of his office with Aritlin hot on his heels.
"What's going on?" Aritlin asked over the sound of the beeping. For a moment, he thought they were in a red alert until he realized that it was one of the consoles near the surgical bay making the noise.
"I have no idea," the Doctor replied as he snatched up one of the medical tricorders and began to scan Seven. If he had a heart, he was sure it would be pounding in his chest right now as he tried to figure out what was going on. Everything had been fine for several days now, lulling him into a certain sense of security. Now, he feared that things were taking a turn for the worse.
Chakotay smiled and shook his head in disbelief as Harry regaled everyone with his and Tom's latest adventures as Captain Proton and Buster Kincaid on the holodeck. As much as he hated to admit it, Kathryn had been right, this was exactly what he needed. While he didn't feel like his usual upbeat self, he definitely felt a little bit better than he had been feeling the past week and a half or so. He almost felt human. The realization brought to light how out of it he had been feeling since being reunited with Seven. She wouldn't appreciate his behavior over the past week and a half. She could almost hear her scolding him for being inefficient and neglecting his duties as First Officer.
Chakotay's thoughts of Seven were interrupted by the Doctor's voice coming over the comm system, saying, "Sickbay to Commander Chakotay." Silence immediately fell over the room as Chakotay perked up. His heart pounded nervously in his chest. In his mind, there were only two reasons the Doctor would be calling him, and one of them was very good and one of them was very bad.
"Go ahead, Doctor," he finally managed to say. His nerves were starting to get the better of him. It felt like an eternity until the Doctor continued.
"You better get down here." The Doctor paused for a moment, although it felt like forever, not only to Chakotay but every Senior Officer; they all seemed to hold their breath nervously. "She's awake."
Author's Note: It's the moment a lot of you have been waiting for! Let me know how you feel by leaving me a review.