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"Doc, I -know- who's on that bed down there. I can feel her slipping further away from me with each heartbeat. We don't have time to argue about this. Just do your job and I'll do mine!" It was a rare occurrence when Tom Paris raised his voice to someone.
"Very well, Mr. Paris, proceed."
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"Were approaching the mines." Tom focused on the conn readouts flying by instrumentation.
The space between the mines was rapidly decreasing. Voyager would be too large to fit through the openings within a few minutes. Skirting around one, he increased speed to 1/2 inpulse. Blocking out the sounds of Sick-Bay he maneuvered around the next one. Sweat broke out on his brow, things were getting tight.
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"Doc, I've got a mine coming up in 30 seconds." He banked sharply narrowly missing the mine, but still detonating it. The ship rattled from the shock wave but stayed on course.
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"Twenty seconds to the next impact,” he warned the Doctor. Coming up underneath the next mine he dipped and swerved, the mine impacting the starboard warp nacelle.
He could see the edge of the mine field. Just a few more minutes. He could hear the Doctor struggling to save B'Elanna and the baby. Calling for neurozine and a cortical stimulator.
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Bringing the ship into a sharp dive and then banking to the left he finally cleared the mine field.
"We’re out,” he announced.
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"I've got to stop the bleeding, we're losing her." The Doctor's voice came over the comm-link.
"Mr. Kim, shut that off,” the Captain said.
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"Go, Tom." Kathryn dismissed him quietly with tears in her eyes.
*****
Tom arrived at Sick-Bay to find Chakotay outside the doors waiting for him.
"Let me in, Chakotay,” he said with deadly quiet.
"The Doctor needs to work. You won't be helping her if you're in there." There was compassion in his voice, but he didn't move.
Tom grabbed the older man by the edges of his jacket, spun him around, and shoved him up against the wall.
"You can court marshal me for this later. Not even you can keep me from her now." He let go of Chakotay and walked into Sick-Bay.
The Doctor was just removing the surgical field when Tom entered. He smiled at the pilot.
"She's going to be just fine, Mr. Paris. Her presence here in Sick-Bay when the injury occurred probably saved her life." Tom approached the bed as the Doctor spoke to him.
He desperately wanted to take her in his arms and never let her go. He settled for just holding her hand. Her eyes fluttered and opened, meeting his gaze.
"Oh, Tom,” his heart broke at her pain. Tears fell from the corners of her eyes.
"Shhh....it's okay. There'll be other babies, I promise. Just as soon as the Doctor says it's safe for you. It will give us a chance to get married first, the way it should be." Tom willed himself to be strong for her.
"Yes, that's an excellent idea. I am sure your daughter will appreciate the fact that her parents were married before she was born." They both looked at the Doctor in confusion.
"How do you know it will be a girl?" Tom asked, with a furrowed brow.
"I am a doctor. I can read a bio-scan,” came the haughty reply.
B'Elanna's hand moved over her abdomen. She could feel the swell of their child under her hand.
"I'm still pregnant?" There was a wealth of hope in the simple question.
"Of course you are, have I indicated otherwise?" The Doctor seemed put out at the question.
"We just assumed she lost the baby." Tom told him.
"Why would you assume that?" The Doctor wanted to know.
"It doesn't matter, Doc." Tom said as he looked down at the woman he loved, smiling at the joy radiating from her. "It doesn't matter."
*****
Three weeks later as their friends gathered in the ancient Klingon temple Tom had recreated on the holo-deck. They stood on the dais in front of Captain Janeway. Dressed in the traditional wedding attire of the Klingon house B'Elanna hailed from. B'Elanna in a navy blue velvet gown, long tight-fitting sleeves and a neckline scooped so low Tom's mouth went dry at the sight of her. Tom in gray leather, feeling every bit the medieval warlord he looked like. They both wore 1/2 inch bands of silver around their heads in a crown-like fashion, B'Elanna's only visible on her forehead as her hair covered the rest. Resting on her hips was a chain mail girdle in which a small jeweled dagger was kept.
"It is said that the gods themselves could not stop the beating of two Klingon hearts. We are here today in celebration of the joining of two Klingon hearts,” the Captain began the ceremony.
"B'Elanna, daughter of Miral, and Thomas, son of Owen; come before us in this purpose."
B'Elanna took the dagger from her waist and drew it across the palm of her right hand. She looked up at him with all her love shining in her eyes, as she held her hand up with fingers splayed, and said:
"jIH dok"
Tom took the blade from her and drew it across the palm of his left hand. Placing his bleeding palm against hers and intertwining their fingers, he felt his heart swell with love as he said:
"maj dok"
Tom's right arm slid around her waist and drew her body to his, their eyes never leaving each other, and together they spoke the final phrase:
"Tlingham jIH"
"In keeping with human tradition, Tom and B'Elanna have decided to exchange wedding rings," the Captain continued.
This being Naomi's cue, she got up from her front row seat and brought forth a small white pillow with two platinum rings on it. The couple smiled at the child as they picked up the bands.
"be'nal,” said Tom as he placed the ring on B'Elanna's hand.
"loDnal,” B'Elanna followed as she did the same to him.
Deep within her, B'Elanna felt their child move for the very first time.
Klingon Hearts 03 Secrets - What We Choose to Hide Page 4
