32Chakotay found himself in quite a quandary, trying to make sense of so many disjointed facts. Behind him, at the tactical station, Tuvok's Vulcan logic could give no theory. Harry, as with the other bridge crew gave into their astonishment. Not thirty seconds after the Captain comm'ed, Lt. Paris contacted Voyager. They'd left together, ten days ago in Galileo. Chakotay ordered continuous scans within the area surrounding the Ha'van's home system as Voyager searched for the pair since missing their rendezvous. An initial sensor sweep couldn't locate either crew member. The Premminister insisted Captain Janeway and Lt. Paris were continuing negotiations and would soon return. The Commander knew the official to be deceitful.
"Commander," Ensign Baytart, seated at the helm, requested orders.
Pablo, like the rest of the bridge crew, were astonished at the events taking place. More so at the blond haired, blue eyed child sitting on Tom Paris's lap. While they were all wondering how the Chief Conn Officer could achieve the minor miracle in less than a fortnight, none would question her male parentage.
"After retrieving Mr. Paris and Galileo," Chakotay commanded, "Voyager will proceed to the Ha'van's home world and retrieve the Captain as ordered."
Seven minutes later, Tom and his daughter appeared in sick bay while Harry directed the tractor beam towards Galileo. The EMH, forewarned of his newest patient indicated Tom should place the infant on a biobed. Rushing over with his medical tricorder already in hand and probe prepared, the doctor began scanning the accident-prone pilot. Muttering under his breath Tom pointed to Halina, clearly indicating he wished an update on his daughter before the Doc touched him. A soft expression covered the medics face as he observed the synchronicity between father and child.
"Well," the doctor rolled his eyes as he approached the child, "I believe I'm glad I can turn my olfactory sub-routines off. Mr. Paris, your daughter requires a new nappy." Looking down at the child and visually examining her, the EMH's voice changed. More song like, he devoted his complete attention to the little girl. "I'll take this suit off while your daddy gets you a fresh pair of pants. Oh, and something more appropriate for a little girl. Maybe a dress, so you can kick your legs."
"About that full nappy, Doc," Tom was already on the way to the replicator understating his little girl would soon need feeding on top of everything else, "Hally usually saves it up for a few days so she can make a single deposit."
"Yes," the EMH responded absent mindedly, now tickling the child's exposed chest as she reached out for the probe, her eyes following the device and lips making a delighted cooing sound at the attention. He might look like he was playing with the infant, in truth, the doctor assessed her physical development and found it consistent with her age. She'd been undergoing such tests twice a week since her birth, finding this one less of a trial. "While I act as her latest toy, may I suggest you hurry. I believe your daughter will require feeding…"
"About that," Tom interrupted. He'd returned and was attempting to get Hally turned around so he could attend to the soiled dipper. Now free from the constricting clothing, Hally pumped her legs and started to roll over, whimpering when her father stopped the movement. "She's been exclusively breast fed."
"Which would explain the twice weekly defecation," the EMH replied. "Quite normal, I assure you, Lieutenant."
"Ah, Doc, that wasn't what I was getting at," Tom sounded anxious. Turning on his sense of humour, he pointed to his chest with one hand, the other securing his daughter to the biobed. "Unless you can perform a miracle and make me a set of working mammary glands, getting Halina to take a bottle..."
For the first time in their complex history, the EMH stopped his examination and truly looked at Thomas Paris. It had taken the medical expert less than ten seconds to guess Halina's mother's identity. The tricorder confirmed it moments later. His worry changed from the child to the father. This situation would be fraught with problems.
"Wherever you have been for the last eighteen," the Doctor stated, his expression and tone conciliatory, "your diet has been lacking in two essential amino acids which the human body does not produce. I am going to give both you and your daughter a shot to counteract the deficiency. You should begin to feel more energetic by tomorrow."
"Doctor," Commander Chakotay acknowledged as he entered sick bay. He'd only heard the last part of the EMH's advice, starting with essential amino acids.
"Mr. Paris won't be fit for duty for at least two days," the EMH reported. "Miss Paris here," he smiled down at the child who was becoming fussy, "needs her father's attention while settling into a new environment. I'm going to keep them both in sick bay for another few hours."
"Do you want to explain," Chakotay pointed the child Tom was attempting to dress.
Her bottom now clean, Halina let her father know her stomach required filling. Picking his daughter up and cradling her in one hand, Tom tried to place the replicated bottle with formula in her mouth. She mulishly refused to even try and, in that moment, Tom saw Kate in the child's expression. Her cries becoming more persistent and piercing with each attempt at getting her to suck, Paris suddenly found himself with tears running down his cheeks.
"I think you'd better wait for the Captain to explain," Tom's frustration coloured his words.
"I'm here," Kathryn Janeway strode into the room. One glance in her lover's direction and she knew how much those cries of fury from their daughter affected Tom. "Give her to me," she commanded.
Without a second through, Captain Janeway striped her top and turtle neck. Sitting on the biobed beside Tom, she insisted he lay Halina in her arm while she prepared her breast. The relief on both mother and daughter's faces held the EMH and Commander spellbound as the atmosphere in sick bay calmed considerably.
"Chakotay," the Captain was back in the blink of an eye. "The Ha'van's technology is three hundred years more advanced than the Federation. They transported me directly to Voyager when their doctors realised my discomfort. Please assemble the senior staff for a briefing in thirty minutes."
"Aye, Captain," Chakotay nodded, understanding he'd been dismissed.
"I haven't examined you, let alone cleared you for duty, Captain" the EMH raged. "If you've been wherever Mr. Paris and your daughter have been for the last eighteen months, then you need a shot of amino acids and several hours rest."
Shaking his head, Chakotay decided to leave the doctor to his impossible task. Even with a child in tow, he knew Kathryn Janeway was still the Captain. His personal feeling and thoughts were moot at this point. Something had occurred, causing Tom Paris to claim the woman he'd come to hope might hold feelings for him. Analysing the scene, both Tom and Kathryn appeared older. Janeway had cut her hair short. As he looked back before the door closed, Miss Paris reached up to take a lock of that golden red mane and twist it in her chubby fingers. The beatific smile on her mother's lips was nothing to her father crowding over his partners shoulder, cradling them both in his protective arms.
I guess the crew is just going to have to live with this change, Chakotay realised.
THE END
