Trials 03 Torres' Trial

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Trials 03 Torres' Trial Page 4

by Terri Zavaleta


  something to distract her." He beamed a smile at the trio in the

  surgical bay as he volunteered.

  With a very human expression, the doctor rolled his eyes in

  exasperation. "Of course, Mr. Chell," he replied sarcastically.

  "That's exactly what every Sickbay requires---a monologist!"

  Malista and Kes met each others eyes and tried to stifle the

  urge to giggle.

  ***********************

  Tom Paris went to Engineering to find B'Elanna Torres. She

  hadn't shown up for dinner in the messhall at their usual time. She

  was working busily and didn't see him arrive. He walked up behind

  her and tapped her shoulder. She spun and assumed a defensive posture

  as if he'd pulled a knife. He threw his hands up in surrender. "Easy,

  B'Elanna. It's just me. You're late for dinner. Six hours late." He

  tried a smile.

  Torres labeled it Smile Number Four---polite, friendly, slightly

  concerned---it reached his eyes, but didn't convey his feelings very

  well. She sniffed and moved past him to another console. "I don't

  have time for dinner, Paris. With Malista and Chell injured, that's

  one less team working on those vole-loving, Ferengi-kissing---power

  couplings!" she growled emphatically. She stayed on the move, making

  adjustments and taking readings on a tricorder.

  Tom took a deep breath and stayed polite and friendly as he

  trailed after her. 'Paris'---so they were back to that, were they?

  "I could bring you something to eat," he volunteered. "Did you

  eat lunch, by the way?" He hadn't seen her all day. He'd been

  surprised how much he'd missed just seeing her around even if they

  had no time to talk.

  "I don't remember," she said, darting around him once more to

  another section of Engineering. She still wouldn't look at him.

  Tom could feel his jaw clenching, but made an effort to relax.

  "B'Elanna?"

  She strode past him again, ignoring him.

  Paris gazed around at the Engineering section. No one else was

  in sight. "You know for being the center of all this frenzied

  activity, there aren't many people around here," he commented

  sardonically. He leaned against the wall and watched her scurrying

  from control panel to console and back again.

  That got her attention. "They're in the Jefferies tubes," she

  snapped.

  "Uh-huh." Pure skepticism.

  "They are!"

  "B'Elanna, Gamma shift just started. It's 2400." There was the

  challenge.

  "So?" she snarled, slamming the tricorder down on the console

  and giving him a defiant glare.

  "So Chakotay reworked the duty roster to put the teams on Alpha

  and Beta shifts. There's only a skeleton crew working right now," Tom

  said calmly. "So--- would you like to tell me why you didn't show up

  for dinner? We had plans."

  "Yeah, well," she muttered. "Maybe---I got tired---of our

  plans." She flopped into a chair and studied the tricorder readings.

  Tom immediately recognized the reference. "B'Ella, I didn't mean

  it. I'm sorry. I didn't know you'd take it so seriously. I was just

  joking about Rickie." He straightened and came toward her. "I

  apologize. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." There was no trace

  of the smart mouthed joker who'd enraged her.

  Her brown eyes met his solemnly. "So---why *did* you delete

  Rickie?"

  'There's no way she'll let this go,' he thought. He braced

  himself and decided honesty was the only option left to him.

  "Because---I was interested in you---and I knew you didn't like her.

  I thought you---I hoped you'd take it as a sign that I was serious

  about you. Then you didn't even notice," he said, a hint of a crooked

  smile sneaking onto his lips. Smile Number Six---a true smile, given

  reluctantly, his eyes revealing that he felt uncomfortable.

  Those big blue eyes were so expressive. There was not a glimmer

  of amusement there. This Tom Paris was being absolutely sincere. She

  wondered if he knew just how many of his secrets his eyes gave away.

  "I'm sorry I didn't notice, Tom." She cleared her throat. "But tell

  me something?"

  He nodded cautiously.

  "Why did you program that character in the first place? Is she a

  real person like Sandrine?"

  This question was harder to answer than the first one. He should

  have expected it, but he'd hoped she'd let it lie. He crossed his

  arms and casually strolled back towards the wall. He needed something

  to lean on. It helped when striking a careless pose---a carefully

  practiced careless pose meant to convey a sense of ease. Torres got

  up and followed him curiously.

  "Well," he began, but stopped as he heard the beguiling tone

  appearing in his voice. This was no time for his typical smooth line

  of patter---she wouldn't fall for it anyway. It was just such a

  habit---when people got too close. "To tell you the truth, Rickie was

  kind of a compilation of several people---my first girlfriend, a

  cousin of mine, and a couple of other women I knew or dated at the

  Academy. I guess you could say I took the best qualities of all those

  people and programmed them into Rickie. And I took her and Sandrine

  everywhere I went. Put them in all my holoprograms. Adding other

  characters when I felt the need."

  Torres was standing three feet in front of him, examining him

  carefully---as if he were an Engineering problem she was trying to

  solve. "But why? Why go to all that trouble? For a holographic

  program?"

  He exhaled on a shaky sigh and tried to get his nonchalant grin

  in place. "I needed someone to talk to." He couldn't sustain the

  grin. It faltered and fell away. He examined the tips of his boots

  with great care. He didn't want to see her reaction. He was afraid

  she'd be smiling derisively. "You might not have noticed, but not

  everyone finds me as charming as you do."

  "Tom?" Her voice was uncharacteristically gentle. She stepped

  forward, her fingertips brushing his chest as she placed a hand on

  his forearm.

  He felt tears pricking his eyes and tried to make a joke---

  "Well, you know how popular I was when I first came aboard Voyager!

  The Maquis wanted to kill me---and the Starfleet crew wanted to throw

  me in the brig! And I've been in places where I was even *less*

  popular---if you can believe that. Programming the characters in

  Sandrine's ensured that I'd have someone to talk to---and since I

  programmed them, they didn't have any choice but to talk to me!" He

  attempted a laugh, but couldn't bring it off.

  "Tom," Torres repeated, more urgently. She moved closer and

  grasped his upper arms. "I'm sorry I didn't talk to you. I'm sorry no

  one gave you a chance. We shouldn't have---judged---"

  He shrugged her arms away, and moved slowly toward the door.

  "Kind of pathetic, isn't it?" he said, sniffing and clearing his

  throat. "You can't get a date so you program one---so you can get an

  ego boost from the admiration of a fictional character. And maybe you

  can pretend you have friends and no one else will notice---that yo
u

  don't. A few hundred years ago, that kind of behavior would have

  gotten me locked up in a mental ward. Good thing we live in more

  enlightened times, huh, B'Ella---B'Elanna?" He tried another laugh.

  It was no more successful than the first attempt.

  She caught his arm and pulled him to a halt. He didn't turn to

  face her. He couldn't. She wrapped her arms around his waist,

  pressing herself against his back as she hugged him from behind. "I'm

  sorry, Tom. I didn't mean to hurt you by bringing up bad memories."

  He froze for a moment, as if she'd said something unexpected. "I

  know. I didn't mean to hurt you by joking around either. It's just---

  I'm not used to---" One hand came up and he pinched the bridge of his

  nose between his thumb and index finger, surreptitiously wiping away

  traces of moisture in the corners of his eyes.

  He ran his fingers through his hair. "I can't believe I'm having

  trouble putting this into words. I'm not used to talking seriously --

  -with anyone. Most people think of me as a court jester, the life of

  the party---the flirt. No one---except Harry and Captain Janeway and

  Malista---has ever been interested in a serious Tom Paris. It almost

  sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it?---serious Tom Paris. Sometimes I

  can't tell which is the real me, either---the clown or the---" He

  stopped, not sure what he wanted to say, or if he should say anything

  further.

  Torres used her strength to gently turn him in her arms so she

  could rest her head on his chest. She snuggled up against his body,

  tightening the hug till he responded by putting his own arms around

  her and squeezing back. They just stood there holding each other---

  for a long time.

  ***********************

  Malista Shadow spent two days and nights in Sickbay. Harry Kim

  was there with her for a great deal of the time---and underfoot---

  until the doctor finally lost patience and limited his visits. When

  Malista was released, she was placed on sick leave for three days---

  under protest. The doctor had expected that. He sat her down before

  releasing her and lectured her sternly about limiting her physical

  activity.

  "You have been seriously injured twice in less than three

  months," he reminded her. "Your body has been healed of the injuries,

  but bruises and the soreness that accompany muscular stress cannot be

  cured instantaneously. You need to rest and give your body a chance

  to recover naturally."

  "But there's so much work to do in Engineering---" she began.

  He stopped her by holding up his hand. "All the more reason for

  you to return to duty in good health. You must take care of yourself

  so you will be able to take care of the ship. Rest! Recuperate! Start

  with a mild exercise program and work your way up to a more strenuous

  workout. Surely, you can think of something to do with your free

  time! If not, I can suggest---"

  "No, thank you," she interrupted, getting to her feet. "Thank

  you for all your help, Doctor. I appreciate the fine job you did

  repairing me---again."

  "That's what I'm programmed for," the doctor replied matter-of-

  factly.

  She smiled at him. He'd become a person to her during her third

  unfortunate incarceration in his milieu. "And you do such a good job

  of it, too," she said. She kissed his cheek, smiled at him again, and

  left for her quarters.

  He watched her go, his hand creeping up to touch his cheek. She

  and Kes were the only humanoids who'd ever kissed him. It was an

  interesting experience. He smiled to himself. At least she seemed to

  have gotten over her fear of doctors---at least this doctor. Maybe

  there was a paper in this. "How to Deal with Irrational Fear of

  Doctors" ? Now why did the phrase "beads and rattles" come to mind?

  A random memory in the engrams of his program?

  ***********************

  Paris returned to the bridge from his lunch break with a beaming

  smile. "Captain, you don't want to miss lunch today," he announced.

  "It's wonderful!"

  Janeway's gray eyes lit with amusement. "Now that's a comment I

  haven't heard very often."

  Paris slid into his chair at the helm. "That's because Malista

  found something useful to do with her time off. My little sister

  taught Neelix how to make---what did she call it, Harry?"

  Kim had quietly trailed in behind Paris and assumed his station.

  "Souvlaki."

  "Really? I'm glad Malista isn't bored with her time off,"

  Janeway stated. There was something sweet about the way Tom claimed

  Malista as family. Those two had been good for each other. "So this

  souvlaki is good?"

  "Yeah," Paris said with a grin. "It's really great. The spices

  are just right. And little pastries for dessert---and she actually

  got Neelix to serve the pepper sauces and leola root on the side." He

  chuckled. "She told him it was a Greek tradition. Maybe she can

  convince him to make a habit of it."

  "She should be resting," Kim muttered. "Working in the messhall

  isn't---" He broke off as he became aware of the stares of Tom Paris

  and Captain Janeway.

  "I'm sure she won't overdo it, Mr. Kim," Janeway said

  reassuringly. "Kes will keep an eye on her." She smiled.

  Kim nodded and returned his attention to the Ops station.

  Janeway raised her eyebrows at Paris. He shrugged carelessly.

  Harry was overreacting to Malista's accident. The captain decided

  that the situation would bear watching. She decided she'd check on

  Shadow herself---at lunch. "Mr. Paris,

  you have the bridge," she stated as she moved to the turbolift.

  ***********************

  Malista was sharing a table with B'Elanna Torres. The chief

  engineer was enjoying her meal. That was evident from the haste with

  which she was clearing her plate. Malista was fiddling with a

  datapadd. Neither woman was smiling but they didn't look angry with

  each other. Janeway brought her tray to their table. "May I join

  you?"

  "Of course," Malista said, clearing a space on the table. "How

  are you today, Captain?" she asked politely.

  Janeway cast a whimsical eye over the pair. "Better than you

  two, I think. What seems to be the problem?"

  Malista gazed dolefully at Torres. Torres frowned at Malista

  then both looked at Janeway. "Men!" They said in unison.

  The captain raised an eyebrow as she speared her first bite of

  souvlaki. "Oh," she drawled, "Them again. Are we speaking generally,

  ladies? Or do you have specific members of the male gender in mind?"

  Malista sighed. Torres growled wordlessly under her breath.

  Both the captain's eyebrows rose. "That bad?" She was concerned

  to note that Torres looked exhausted---but so tense she was almost

  vibrating. She tasted the

  souvlaki. She smiled. "Malista, this is wonderful. Would you like to

  transfer to cook's assistant?"

  Shadow shook her head. "Captain, do you understand men?"

  Janeway chuckled under her breath. "To be honest, I don't think

  even men understand men! W
ould you like to talk about it? I may not

  have any good advice, but I could offer another opinion."

  Malista hesitated. She didn't know the captain well at all. She

  wasn't sure how much to say.

  "Harry's driving her crazy," Torres stated bluntly. She got up

  and went to get a refill on her beverage.

  Janeway smiled encouragingly at Shadow.

  She nodded reluctantly. "Since the accident, Harry's been---

  hovering. Somehow he blames himself for it. It's irrational."

  "Sometimes that's how guilt manifests itself," the captain

  said. "As anxiety. Have you told him his behavior is bothering you?"

  "No," she mumbled reluctantly.

  "He's not going to stop until you tell him to," Torres stated

  emphatically as she reseated herself. "If he's making you crazy, just

  tell him to knock it off."

  "I couldn't do that. I might hurt his feelings."

  Janeway frowned thoughtfully. "If you don't tell him, he doesn't

  know there's a problem."

  "Oh, that's not all of it," the engineer snorted. "Tell her the

  rest, Malista."

  "The rest?" the captain inquired politely. She didn't want to

  push Shadow into discussing private manners, but she was willing to

  lend an ear.

  The younger woman cleared her throat. "It's not anything really.

  It's just---" she sighed. "Harry found out that I have some musical

  ability---and he's trying to get me to perform at the next concert."

  "And you don't want to?" Janeway inquired.

  Shadow shook her head, her eyes downcast.

  "Don't be such a mouse!" Torres exclaimed impatiently. "If you

  don't want to do it, tell Harry to take a flying leap at a plasma

  conduit! Can't anyone on this ship just *tell* people what they're

  thinking? We aren't mind readers. You can't get mad at Harry if you

  don't talk to him."

  The captain frowned at B'Elanna's lack of tact and wondered what

  was at the root of her outburst. It didn't sound as if Torres was

  talking exclusively about Harry and Malista. "B'Elanna is right

  about one thing, Malista. You do need to talk this over with Harry.

  I'm sure he would never deliberately make you unhappy."

  "No, ma'am, of course not," Shadow mumbled. She stumbled to her

  feet. "Excuse me, I have an appointment." She darted out of the

  messhall as if fleeing for her life.

  Janeway assessed Torres' appearance. "B'Elanna, you look tired.

 

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