Klingon Hearts 05 Transitions - Changing of the Guard

by Tracy Sobieski

  --Bridge to Captain Riker. We are approaching Deep Space Nine.--

  "On my way, Riker out," the Captain of the Enterprise responded. "Computer, end personal log."

  *****

  Captain Riker entered the bridge from his ready room.

  Lt. Commander Tom Paris rose from the command chair. Until they reached DS9 and picked up the remainder of the new crew, he was the highest ranking Senior Officer, and by order of Starfleet Command, the Enterprise's Acting First Officer. It was no small annoyance to Will Riker, that he was doing a very good job at it as well.

  "We're being hailed, Captain," the operations officer told him.

  "On screen."

  "Will Riker, it's good to see you again!" Commander Kira Nerys greeted him.

  "You as well, Commander. The new uniform suits you."

  "Well, Starfleet wanted one of their officers in command here. It was either accept a commission or let someone else take Captain Sisko's place. I decided this was the lesser of two evils," she replied with a grin. "Welcome to Deep Space Nine, Enterprise. You are cleared for docking on upper pylon three."

  "Acknowledged, Commander Paris will be waiting at the airlock."

  Riker nodded to Tom, letting him know he was dismissed.

  *****

  The airlock opened and a squeal of delight could be heard.

  "Tom!" Mezoti cried out as she jumped through the hatch and into Tom's arms.

  "Mezoti, you've gotten so big. Wait till K'Leena sees you, she won't even recognize you anymore," Tom smiled down at the youngster.

  "Permission to come aboard, Commander?" Harry Kim asked, smiling ear to ear.

  "Granted, Lieutenant Kim, Ensign Hansen," Tom formally replied returning the smile as Harry and Seven of Nine came aboard.

  "It's about time you got here, Starfleet. I needed you yesterday!" B'Elanna yelled down the corridor as she got off the turbolift.

  "Sorry, Maquis. We had to drop the twins off with Chakotay and the Capt...Kathryn, and get Icheb settled at the academy before we could accept the posting." It had been more than two years and they still thought of her as Captain Janeway. It would probably always be that way.

  "Hey, Seven. Nice outfit," B'Elanna said. It was about time Seven put on a Starfleet uniform.

  "That's Ensign Hansen, Commander," Seven of Nine said in full Borg mode.

  "Yeah, and I still outrank you," the half-Klingon retorted in a near growl.

  Both Tom and Harry rolled their eyes as the women squared off on each other.

  It was B'Elanna who broke first. Unable to keep the grin from her face any longer.

  "Boy, Seven, I sure missed you."

  "As I did you," the former Borg said as the women embraced. "How is that new baby?"

  "Getting bigger every day. Come to our quarters for dinner tonight. K'Leena has been waiting for you to get here. You know how patient she is," B'Elanna drawled.

  "We'll be there. I want to get settled in to our quarters first," Harry told her. "Oh, I almost forgot. This is for Captain Riker, it's about his new First Officer."

  Tom took the PADD Harry held out.

  "Crewman Tallist," Tom spoke to the man standing at attention next to the airlock.

  "Yes sir."

  "Show the Lieutenant and his family to their quarters and arrange to have their belongings beamed over from the station."

  "Yes sir."

  "Report to the Captain as soon as you're settled. I'll see you tonight, I have to get back to the bridge. I'm sure the Captain will want to read this."

  *****

  Tom Paris was extremely grateful when his shift ended that afternoon. He spent his entire day dealing with one headache after another, he was sick and tired of it. Dr. Bashir still had not come aboard, there were some problems with his transfer that Captain Riker had to handle personally. At least that problem was off his desk. To top it all off, whatever that message from Command was, had not made the Captain a happy man. The beginnings of a headache throbbed behind his eyes.

  K'Leena spotted him immediately upon his arrival in the ships nursery. Jumping up from the play area she leapt into his arms. Poor Lucas Riker was left behind without another thought. She was still her daddy's girl.

  "Daddy!" she squealed as he lifted her up and turned her around.

  "How's my little girl?" he asked her.

  "Daaaddddyyy...I not little girl. I three years old."

  Tom tried to keep a straight face as he looked at the tot. She was a beautiful child. Of course, Tom always thought Klingon women were the most spectacular looking females in the galaxy. She had B'Elanna's temper, too, along with her features. It went well with the flaming red hair she inherited from his mother. The only thing Tom could see of himself, in her, was the blue eyes. And that was just fine with him.

  "You're right. I'm sorry, I'll try harder to remember." Placing her on the floor, he took hold of her hand.

  "Let's go and get your brother, your Mom and I have a surprise for you tonight," he said to her as they walked into the infant's room. There was a small baby making a large fuss at the shoulder of one of the attendants.

  "Dey took Robert down to 'gineering so Momma could feed him, 'gain," K'Leena told her father in an exasperated voice. "What's the 'prise?"

  Tom chuckled. K'Leena was not long on patience. A trait inherited from both her parents.

  "Commander Paris," a nursery worker approached him. "Your wife asked me to tell you that she would bring Robert home herself since she was almost done in Engineering for the day."

  Tom's attention had become focused on the distressed infant as she spoke. The child was arching his back and screaming in pain.

  Walking over, he took the baby from the helpless ensign and held him out to get a better look at him. Something was seriously wrong. The child's body convulsed in pain.

  "How long has he been like this?" he asked the ensign in an abrupt tone.

  "It started a few minutes ago. I was just about to notify his mother," she replied a little shaken.

  Tom looked intently at the child's face. The baby threw his head back and wailed in agony.

  "How old is this infant?" he wanted to know.

  "Seven weeks," she replied.

  The baby opened his eyes and looked at Tom with his inky black gaze.

  Betazoid. A faint memory began to stir.

  Suddenly, the child went into seizure. His eyes rolled back and he began to convulse uncontrollably.

  "Is this Captain Riker's son?" Tom demanded, pulling the baby to his chest in a effort to hold him steady.

  Stunned at the fierceness in the question, the attendant just nodded.

  "Sweetheart, you need to stay here," he told his daughter then looked at the ensign. "Call my wife, tell her to pick up K'Leena," he tapped his comm-badge as he spoke....

  --Paris to transporter room two. Medical emergency, two to beam directly to Sickbay.--

  He disappeared before the ensign knew what was happening.

  "We'd better notify Commander Troi," she told the other woman.

  *****

  Tom materialized in Sickbay. The on duty nurse approached him.

  "Can I help you?" she asked.

  "Get the doctor!" he demanded as he lay the nearly unconscious child on the bio-bed.

  "Dr. Selar is off duty. I will call her."

  "Computer, activate the EMH," Tom instructed. The infant needed immediate medical attention.

  "Please state the nature of the medical emergency," the EMH said as his program initialized. For a moment Tom felt like he was back on Voyager.

  "This baby has developed Nestiszine Syndrome," he told the holo-doctor.

  "Who are you?" the EMH asked.

  "Tom Paris, Chief Helmsman."

  "Well, I think I'll be the one to diagnose any illness' around here. If you don't mind." Tom had forgotten how insufferable a newly activated EMH could be.

  "Then do it! NOW!" The EMH was put out at the forceful command, but proceeded to examine
the child.

  "You're right," he looked up at Tom in surprise. Grabbing a cortical monitor and a hypo-spray he began to treat the infant.

  At that moment Deanna Troi came running into Sickbay.

  "What happened?" She asked.

  "He's developed Nestiszine Syndrome," Tom told her as gently as possible.

  She paled visibly and swayed on her feet. Tom reached out to steady her.

  Imzadi!

  *****

  Captain Riker was getting an update from B'Elanna. She had been on her way out of Engineering for the night. Her 3 month old son sound asleep on her shoulder.

  --Nursery to Commander Torres--

  "Torres here."

  --Commander Paris had to leave the nursery with a sick infant. He needs you to pick up K'Leena.--

  "Acknowledged, Torres out."

  "Why would your husband take a sick child out of the nursery?" the Captain wanted to know.

  "There must have been a good reason, Captain. Tom has an extensive medical background," B'Elanna told him.

  Riker was about to say something else when Deanna's anguished cry touched his mind.

  Imzadi!

  "Excuse me, Commander. I'm needed in Sickbay."

  B'Elanna stared at the Captain's rapidly retreating back in confusion.

  ****

  Tom, on the other hand, was not surprised when the Captain strode into Sickbay. He knew what Imzadi were capable of. Deanna had probably called to her husband as soon as she had learned of her son's illness. He took his arm from around her shoulders and she went to her husband instantly, drawing the strength that only he could provide. The Captain looked to Tom and said:

  "Explain yourself, Commander."

  "When I went to pick up my daughter in the nursery, I noticed how distressed the baby was. I brought him to Sickbay for treatment." Tom downplayed his role in the matter.

  "It's a good thing the 'ships pilot' is such a good medic. Nestiszine Syndrome has an incredibly fast onset and if isn't treated quickly, it is fatal. Had he not realized what was going on, your son might have died in the nursery," the EMH told them.

  Deanna sagged against her husband, and Will lost all remaining color in his face.

  "How did you know about Nestiszine Syndrome? It's not a common illness in Betazoid children," the EMH asked Tom.

  "One of the half-Vulcan/half-human children on Voyager developed it when he was two months old. Hybrid children of telepaths are at an increased risk for developing the condition," Tom replied.

  Will looked at Tom thoughtfully. He was beginning to think his opinion of the man may have been formed too hastily.

  Dr. Selar chose that moment to enter Sick-bay.

  "What happened?" she asked the EMH.

  "The child has developed Nestiszine Syndrome. I have stabilized his condition and begun treatment."

  "Very well. Computer, deactivate the EMH," she instructed.

  Tom looked at her in shock.

  "That was pretty rude, don't you think?" he asked.

  "What do you mean?" The Vulcan doctor didn't understand the question.

  "Shutting off the Doc like that. You didn't even warn him." There was anger in the pilot's voice.

  "I merely turned off a computer program that was no longer needed," she replied with a raised eyebrow.

  Stunned, Tom held her gaze for long moment. Then, with out another word, he turned on his heel and left the medical center. He never noticed the Captain's contemplative expression.

  *****

  B'Elanna looked up at her husband when he entered their family sized quarters. After years of living on Voyager, they had forgotten how luxurious Senior Officers had it on a ship the size of the Enterprise.

  She sat on the sectional style sofa, nursing the baby. K'Leena was in her bedroom playing. Tom could hear the child chattering away with wild abandon. It brought a smile to his face. Walking over to his wife, he kissed her softly on the lips.

  "Can I get you something to drink?" he asked her.

  B'Elanna smirked at the seemingly innocent question. Tom gave her a hard time about her eating habits normally. When she was pregnant or nursing, he was positively annoying.

  "Some juice would be nice," she said to pacify him, too tired to get into tonight.

  "How did it go today?" he asked, hearing the weary reply.

  "Oh, great. Every time we convert a section over to a new gel-pack, we have a total cascade failure. The whole section needs to be reinitialized then. The ships systems will continue to be vulnerable until the change over is completed. We should be in space dock. I told those idiots at Starfleet this would happen." B'Elanna raged with frustration. She didn't suffer fools gladly. "I've got double teams working around the clock while we're docked here at DS9. I want helm control and weapons converted before we leave. Thank Kahless Harry is finally here."

  "Will you still be able to attend the reception with me tomorrow night?" He didn't relish the thought of going alone.

  "I don't have a choice. I'm under orders to attend. The Captain says they can go without me for one night. Besides, my uncle will be there, I haven't seen him in almost a year."

  Placing the glass of juice on the table in front of her, he sat down in the corner of the sectional. Kicking off his boots and stretching out his legs on the couch. Slipping one of his arms behind her back and the other under her knees, he pulled her on to his lap in a quick move. Unfortunately, the action dislodged his son from his mother's breast. The child made his displeasure known loudly. Smiling Tom stroked the baby's cheek as he routed for the nipple. He latched back on with a ferocity that caused his mother to gasp slightly in pain.

  "What happened in the nursery, today?" she asked him once the baby settled again.

  "Captain Riker and Councilor Troi's son was ill. He has Nestiszine Syndrome. I took him to Sick-bay," Tom made it sound like it was no big deal, but B'Elanna knew better. They almost lost Vorik and Marla Gilmore's son to the condition.

  "Well, that explains it then," she said absently.

  "What?"

  "When the Captain was in Engineering he got the most pained expression on his face right after the nursery called me. Then he headed off to Sick-bay in a near run."

  "They're Imzadi," was all Tom said.

  B'Elanna nodded in understanding. She and Tom were Tlqwlq, 'of one heart'.

  They knew what the Captain and his wife shared.

  "Is the baby going to be okay?"

  "Yes, he was treated early enough. He'll be fine."

  B'Elanna leaned back against his chest. Acutely aware of how fragile life aboard a starship could be. Tom's arms tightened around her as he kissed the top of her head. They sat there for a long time, quietly thanking God, Kahless and the powers that be, for each other.

  It wasn't until the Kims showed up that they moved.

  *****

  "So, what's it really like serving on the Enterprise?" Harry asked Tom.

  They finished dinner and Mezoti took K'Leena into the other room to play. Both of the children having enough of the adult company for the evening. B'Elanna sat next to Tom, curled up against his side. Seven and Harry, likewise, sat together. Seven was holding Robert as he slept. B'Elanna noted the wistful expression on her friend's face. Seven could not have any children, thanks to the Borg. Every time a conception occurred the nanoprobes in her blood stream terminated the pregnancy. The best doctors in the Federation were working on a solution for her, but it didn't look promising. It was good that she had Mezoti. Harry and Seven officially adopted her a couple of years ago. B'Elanna was so lost in thought she didn't even hear Tom's question.