Klingon Hearts 03 Secrets - What We Choose to Hide

by Tracy Sobieski

  "Tom, Harry, come in, I have fixed a scrumptious meal today." Neelix greeted them with a smile.

  "An old Bajoran dish, Hasperat it's called. Just wonderful with the leeola root pudding and fresh fruit. Come, come, let me fix you some plates." Neelix busied himself dishing up the food.

  Harry and Tom accepted the plates, thanked Neelix, and sat down at a vacant table. The food didn't look too bad, considering what Neelix usually cooked up. Harry cautiously lifted the fork to his mouth.

  "Hey, it's pretty good. Don't you think?" He asked Tom

  "What?..Um, yeah it's all right,” he replied, even though he hadn't tasted anything.

  Harry looked at him, getting more worried by the minute.

  "Tom, what's going on?" He demanded to know.

  Tom looked up from his plate. The pain in his eyes took Harry off guard. Something was seriously wrong.

  "Is B'Elanna going to be okay? Was she hurt worse than we were told?" Harry asked with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

  "No, nothing that the Doc couldn't fix." Tom wasn't being exactly forthcoming today.

  "WHAT is it, then?" Harry’s patience had run out and his voice rose as he spoke.

  "She's pregnant, Harry,” who had to strain to hear the soft spoken response.

  Harry was shocked. He knew his friends were close, but he hadn't realized they were quite this serious.

  "I didn't know you and B'Elanna wanted a family."

  "We hadn't really discussed it yet.” Tom stared out the window as he spoke, more to himself than to Harry. “I was still trying to get up the nerve to ask her to take "The Oath" with me. Klingons mate for life, you know. I wasn't sure if she wanted to spend the rest of her life tied to me. My past doesn't actually qualify as 'honorable'. You know how serious they are about that."

  "I don't understand, how did she get pregnant? You didn't stop your boosters as a way to force her into marriage, did you?" Harry wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to his question, but it was out before he could stop himself.

  "Of course not!" Tom replied angrily. "What kind of a man do you think I am?"

  "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. Shock and all,” he apologized.

  "The Doc said there was a damaged hypo-spray a while back, he thinks it was used to administer my booster. Do you think B'Elanna would believe I had got her pregnant on purpose?" He asked Harry.

  "What do you mean? Haven't you talked about it?" Harry was confused.

  "I just found out today, Harry. After she was injured in the explosion. I almost lost her and the baby, and I didn't even know." Tom's voice broke slightly.

  "I'm sorry, Tom. Are they going to be okay?"

  "Yeah, the Doc's going to release them tomorrow. I don't know what to say to her. I was so mad, I left Sick-Bay before she woke up. I don't understand how this happened. How could I not have noticed. How could she have kept this from me?" There was anger now in his voice, along with the hurt.

  "You're acting as if she deliberately hid this from you. She probably didn't even know herself, give her a chance to explain." Harry wondered how his friend could be so selfish.

  "She did."

  "She did, what?" Harry asked tiredly.

  "Hid it from me. She's 4 1/2 months pregnant, Harry." All his friend's pain and anger came out in those few, quiet words.

  Harry, who had been rocking his chair on its back two legs, was so shocked that he forgot his precarious position.

  As a result, Tuvok's daily injury report would list an emergency Sick-Bay beam out at 13:17 hours. Ensign Harry Kim, mild concussion with loss of consciousness.

  *****

  Harry slowly opened his eyes, his head felt like it was going to explode. He was in Sick-Bay. The Doctor stood over him with a stern expression.

  "What happened?" Harry winced as he spoke, the pain in his head throbbing with each word.

  "It would seem, Mr. Kim, that you do not possess the common sense of a six year old. Even the young Miss Wildman knows better than to lean back on her chair. You fell over and hit your head. Mr. Paris had to call for an emergency beam out. You have a mild concussion." The Doctor was in rare form today.

  Harry groaned silently at the thought of how fast this little piece of gossip would spread through out the ship. The mess hall had been full of people.

  "Do you need me to stay here?" Harry didn't know how much more of the Doctor he could take right now.

  "I'm a doctor, not a baby sitter. I have informed the Captain you will be taking the rest of your duty shift off. She requested you attend the senior staff meeting at 14:00 before you end your shift."

  The Doctor didn't so much as spare him an extra glance as he turned and went into his office.

  Harry shrugged, the Doc's bedside manner was legendary. Hopping off the bio-bed, he headed over to where B'Elanna was resting.

  "Hi there, Starfleet,” she said. Harry was surprised at how weak her voice was.

  "How's my favorite engineer?" The concern in his voice was evident.

  "Tom told you, didn't he?"

  "Yeah, that's how I ended up here. The news knocked me right over." A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

  B'Elanna had to laugh. Harry was such a good friend, he could make almost anything bearable.

  "He must be furious with me." There was despair in the statement.

  "He's angry, but mostly he's hurt and confused. He doesn't know what to think, B'Elanna. He's wondering if you might be angry with him." He hoped Tom wouldn't be too upset with him for telling her.

  "Why would I be mad at him?" She wanted to know.

  "He's worried you might be thinking he did this to you on purpose."

  "I never thought that, I just figured he forgot a booster. The Doctor told me about the hypo-spray, it's nice to know Tom was being responsible about his boosters,” she replied.

  "You need to talk to him, B'Elanna."

  "I know, I just don't know what to say,” she was scared.

  "Neither does he, maybe you can figure it out together.” Harry leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

  "I'll see you later, get some rest,” and with that, he left.

  *****

  The senior officers sat around the conference room table. Harry looked a little green around the gills. He had hoped to go back to his quarters and sleep off the headache he had, but the Captain was the Captain and when she said 'jump', you asked 'how high'.

  "The Doctor has informed me that Lt. Torres will be unable to return to duty for the next 2 weeks." Tom's head snapped up from the PADD he was reading at the Captain's statement.

  "I am placing Seven of Nine in charge of Engineering, temporarily, as Mr. Carey will also be unable to return to duty for at least four more days. Her main duty will be to oversee the repairs of the warp core and venting system. By the time Mr. Carrey returns, I want the warp core back on line. Mr. Kim you will be assisting Seven in Engineering until the repairs are done. Any questions?"

  When no one spoke up, Janeway dismissed them. Everybody got up and left, with the exception of Chakotay. She had known she couldn't avoid him all day. He was going to have to be told what was going on.

  "All right, Kathryn. Out with it,” he demanded as soon as the door had closed.

  "B'Elanna's pregnant,” she told him bluntly.

  "How bad was she injured?" He asked in concern.

  "Severely, but the Doctor was able to repair the damage. She almost lost the baby."

  "So that's why Paris is so upset,” thinking he had figured it out.

  "Tom didn't know she was pregnant, until today. He found out when he was diagnosing her injuries. That's why he's upset." Kathryn told him.

  "Not the best way to find out, but he'll get over it. As long as they're both doing fine now." Chakotay said.

  "You don't understand. She's been keeping the pregnancy from him, she's 4 1/2 months along." Kathryn sighed, she didn't like this. She felt like she was betraying B'Elanna by telling Chakotay.

  "
Why would she do that? Didn't they make the decision to have the child together?" None of this made sense.

  "It's complicated, Chakotay. The pregnancy was an accident, she had her reasons I'm sure. I don't really know more than that." She hoped this was the end of this discussion.

  Chakotay viewed her with a thoughtful eye. He was pretty sure she knew more than she was telling him. He was also just as sure he wasn't going to get anything else out of her. With a nod of his head he left the conference room.

  *****

  It was well past the late dinner shift. Neelix had finished cleaning up and was about to retire for the night when he noticed Tom Paris sitting alone staring out the window.

  "Hello, Tom. Mind if I sit down?"

  "Not at all,” replied Tom as he gestured to the seat across from him.

  "I stopped by Sick-Bay earlier. I took B'Elanna some of her things. I know how much she hates to be there, I thought her own night clothes might help,” began Neelix.

  "You're a good friend, Neelix." Tom said, thinking how compassionate the little guy was.

  "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but she looks fragile. The Doctor told me she would be confined to her bed for the next two weeks. She's going to need someone to take care of her."

  He looked pointedly at Tom.

  "I know things aren't always as they appear. People can be very 'illogical', as our friend Mr. Tuvok would say. But there comes a time in every man's life when he needs to take responsibility for his actions. It all comes down to this: it's not the events in our lives that define us, it's how we deal with them. Anger can sometimes blind us to the needs of others, as well as ourselves."

  Neelix stood up, patted Tom on the shoulder, and left the mess hall.

  Tom shook his head and laughed ruefully. Leave it to Neelix to cut to the chase. You're being an ass, Tom Paris. She needs you and you're sitting here feeling sorry for yourself.

  He had a smile on his face as he headed toward Sick-Bay.

  *****

  The lights were dimmed and all was quiet when Tom reached his destination. The Doctor was in the lab working on one of his experiments.

  "Can I help you Mr. Paris?" He came out to greet the pilot.

  "I just wanted to check up on B'Elanna. How is she?" Tom asked as he walked over to her bed.

  "Doing quite well actually. I gave her a mild sedative to help her sleep. I was considering releasing her earlier, but I didn't want her to be alone in her quarters." Tom didn't miss the fact that the Doctor was a little perturbed with him.

  "B'Elanna's not alone, Doc,” he said as he stroked her cheek. "Give me 20 minutes and then beam her to her quarters, okay?"

  The Doctor nodded his head and went on, "I'll be by in the morning to check on her. I know you two have a lot to discuss, just remember, stress is not good for her or the baby right now,” he admonished.

  "Don't worry Doc. I'll take good care of them both." Tom promised as he strode out of Sick-Bay.

  A short time later he carefully crawled into bed next to B'Elanna. Gently he took her into his arms and drew her close. A small sigh escaped her lips as she snuggled back into his embrace, her back pressing against his chest.

  He was asleep moments later.

  *****

  B'Elanna woke to the familiar churning of her stomachs. Cursing her Klingon heritage for the hundredth time that month she threw back the blankets and raced to the bathroom. Morning sickness and a redundant Klingon stomach did not mix.

  The nausea rose in waves. Her recently broken ribs exploded with pain each time she retched. Tears coursed down her face as she was struck by wave after wave of misery.

  And then Tom was there. Supporting her with a strong arm across her abdomen. Holding her hair back. Pressing his face to the back of her neck, comforting her. Washing her face when she was done. Carrying her back to bed and holding her as she fell into an exhausted sleep.

  Tom grimly realized this was not the first time this had happened. All those mornings he woke up alone, came back to haunt him. She had gone to great lengths to hide it from him. He just wished he could figure out why.

  With a sigh he headed toward the shower, the Doc would be there soon.

  The door chime sounded as Tom was tucking his turtleneck into the waistband of his pants.

  "Come in," he called out.

  "Good morning, Mr. Paris.” The Doctor greeted him as he entered the room.

  "Mornin' Doc. B'Elanna's still sleeping. I have to report for duty, will she be all right if she's alone today?" He wished he could stay with her.

  "I'll check in on her periodically, I would prefer someone be close to help her if necessary. Did she sleep well?" The Doctor was all business.

  "Yeah, but she was sick this morning. It wore her out." Tom replied.

  "She told me she has been suffering severe bouts of morning sickness. There's not a whole lot I can do about it. Hopefully it will subside soon. There are some human and Klingon folk remedies she could try. I will leave them with her today. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a patient to see."

  "Sorry to keep you." Tom muttered under his breath as he left.

  *****

  Tom arrived on the bridge early for the second day in a row. But the playful smirk and laughing eyes he usually sported were glaringly absent.

  "Captain, I need to request some time off,” he offered no apologies or explanations. Even though the whole ship knew what was going on, until he spoke to B'Elanna he wasn't about to confirm anything.

  The Captain looked at him thoughtfully. "In my ready room, Mr. Paris. Commander, you have the bridge."

  He followed her lead, and took a seat on the sofa as she indicated.

  "How is she?" The Captain didn't waste any time getting to the point. It wasn't her style.

  "Tired, weak and very sick to her stomachs,” he told her with a touch of a grin.

  Kathryn smiled back. At least his sense of humor was intact. She was still worried about him, about them both actually. They needed to be together to work this out, there was no question about that. She always tried to accommodate a crew member's request for personal time off. Being stranded in the Delta Quadrant, didn't allow for anyone to really 'get away', but they did what they could.

  "I had Chakotay remove you from the duty roster, this morning. You have the next two weeks off. You should know, the Doctor requested this, but I had decided to give you the time off after I spoke with B'Elanna yesterday."

  "The Doctor has also ordered B'Elanna's replicator rations increased, he feels Mr. Neelix's cooking is not in her best interest right now. Just don't let this get around, or half the women on this ship will want to get pregnant." The Captain struggled vainly to hold back the laughter.

  Tom's lips twitched with a repressed grin.

  "You're dismissed. Oh, and Tom, congratulations."

  "Thank you, Captain," he said with a sardonic smile.

  *****

  Two things were apparent as Tom approached his quarters. First, the doctor had not left; and second, B'Elanna was angry. He was pretty sure the one was a direct result of the other. She must be feeling better, he thought.

  "I can't stay in this bed for 2 weeks! I'll go insane, I need to work!"

  "I have spoken to Captain Janeway. Seven of Nine will be updating you daily on the progress in Engineering. She will also be bringing you the daily duty rosters and repair schedules. Mr. Paris has been relieved of duty for the next 2 weeks, as well. I'm sure the two of you can find some way to occupy your time. Just make sure you avoid any strenuous activity. And that includes the throwing of 'heavy objects', do I make my self clear, Lieutenant? Because I will confine you to Sick-Bay if you can't follow my orders. And we all know how much you enjoy my constant companionship."

  "I understand," B'Elanna ground out between clenched teeth.

  "Good. I will be by to check up on you again tomorrow. Enjoy your 'vacation.' I'll let myself out." The Doctor spotted Tom sitting on the arm of the sofa as he exited t
he bedroom.

  "Mr. Paris, I see you have returned. I have left my instructions over there." He gestured toward a pile of PADDS stacked on the dining room table. "I have also left some information regarding prenatal care, child birth and the care of newborns as well. I recommend you both start reading. Klingon pregnancies usually last only 32 weeks, and even though your child is 3/4 human it's development is more closely following Klingon physiology than human. I am expecting a delivery around 34 weeks. That leaves you only 3 months to prepare."