Part 14

Harry looked up from his breakfast as Jenny rushed through the door of the mess hall.  He was eating with Tom and Joe who had both been evicted from their quarters that morning by wives tired of dealing with more than one child at a time. Tom hadn’t stopped talking about young Robbie’s latest achievements.  Harry had yet to understand how a baby less than a month old had already learned to say “dada” but he wasn’t going to argue with the proud father. Joe countered with a similar story every time Tom took a breath.

Jenny pushed Harry over a bit on his chair so she could sit with him.  “Hi!  I promised I’d take a late lunch if I could have a half hour to come eat breakfast with you.”

Harry turned in his seat and brushed a kiss across Jenny’s lips.  More than that in the mess hall would have Tom on his case all day on the bridge.  “I didn’t hear you get up.  What time did you have to go on duty this morning?”

“Oh, I went in at 03:00 to finish up some maps for Megan.  She hasn’t been feeling too well so she didn’t stay and finish them yesterday and I needed them before I could start my work today, so... .”

Harry sighed.  He still didn’t like the way Jenny was always covering for Megan or helping Megan with special projects.  He knew Jenny didn’t mind but felt that Megan was taking advantage of her.  He had promised himself not to get involved in the sisters’ relationship but sometimes that was harder to do than others.  “Anything look good for breakfast this morning?”

Harry dropped his voice to a whisper so Tom wouldn’t hear him. “Just you.  I miss you.”

“I miss you, too.  At least we get to sleep a few hours together.”

“That the problem, Jenny, it’s only sleep.”

“I know.  Can’t you get Tom to talk to the commander about our shifts?  Or you could talk to him?  You see him almost every shift.  They could put you on the Gamma shift with me.  We don’t have to have Alpha shift; we just want to be on the same shift.  The commander would understand if you asked him.”

“You know I won’t do that.  Asking for special favors is not a good idea right now.  The captain is going to have that baby any day now and he does not want to deal with changing the duty roster.  He has me with him on the Alpha shift, Tom has the Beta shift and Tuvok is on the Gamma shift.  Don’t you realize that he trusts me?  If he isn’t on the bridge, I’m the senior officer.  He’s already said he is rearranging some of the quarters for the senior officers.  I might have a chance at larger quarters and if I do, I thought you might like to share them -- officially.”  Harry could have kicked himself.  He had been thinking about that possibility and asking Jenny what she thought, but he had not meant to ask her that just yet.  And he definitely had not intended to discuss it in the middle of the mess hall sitting next to Tom.

“Are you saying officially as in we ask for the commander’s approval and my name shows up as assigned to those quarters, or are you talking a permanent arrangement officially?”

Harry glanced at Tom and Joe.  They were pretty involved in their efforts to out brag each other.  “Well, I meant officially as in talking to the commander for now and suggesting we discuss the permanent arrangement in more detail.”

“Harry, you’ve known my answer for months.”

“I know. I guess I’m just nervous. I was so sure Libby and I would be together forever and then I ended up out here, so now I’m afraid if we make plans something will happen to you.  I don’t want to lose you, too.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Harry. It’s ok. I’m happy with things just the way they are.”

“I’m glad you’re staying. I’m also glad you understand why I want to go slowly.  Can we finish this conversation later?”

“If you mean as in alone in your quarters, yes.  Did you see the reports on that planet we’re approaching?  It looks like a possible spot to investigate for fresh food, so maybe we'll finally get some shore leave.”

“I’d only read the preliminary report before I went off duty yesterday.  What little I saw looked promising.  Jenny!  Stop stealing my breakfast and go get your own!”

“Ok, ok.  I’ll go grab my own breakfast.  Do you want anything else?”

“No, thanks. Try the blueberry muffins. They’re better than usual today.”

“Ok.  I’ll be right back.”

Harry turned his attention back to Tom and Joe.  He was pretty sure he had heard these stories at least once before so he just nodded once in a while and waited for Jenny to return, hoping she would decide to bring an extra muffin for him.

“Kathryn, it doesn’t matter whether the ship is in orbit or traveling at warp 9.5.  You can’t be in command on the bridge when you're having contractions.”

“Are you telling me I can’t command my own ship?”

“I’m telling you that Voyager’s first officer won’t let the captain on the bridge while she's in labor.  All it takes is one call to sickbay and you are relieved of duty and off the bridge anyway.”

Kathryn opened her mouth to reply but a contraction caught her off guard and she gasped instead.  Chakotay quickly put his arms around her to offer moral support if nothing else.  Once the contraction had eased, Kathryn straightened and looked at him before leaning against him.

“I’m scared.  I’ve never done this before.  I know what to expect on the bridge.”

“It’s ok.  Everything is going to be all right.  How far apart are the contractions?”

“About twenty minutes.”

“Let’s compromise.  We’ll go to sickbay, but we’ll go via the bridge.  You can have one last look around and see that Tom has kept us safely in orbit around this planet.  Then we’ll go have the doctor check you out.  Agreed?”

“You’ll stay with me?”

“Of course.”

“Darn!  I was hoping you’d leave me alone on the bridge and I could sneak into my ready room.”  Kathryn and Chakotay both smiled.  She knew that he knew she’d try it if she could, and he knew that she knew he would never allow it.  “I wish you'd leave me walk around my ship on my own,” Kathryn’s words were interrupted by another gasp as another contraction reminded her she was having a baby, “except when those happen.  That was not twenty minutes.  Maybe we should skip the detour to the bridge.”

"That's the best idea I've heard today."  Chakotay put a supportive arm around Kathryn, alerted the doctor they were finally on their way to sickbay and advised the bridge where he would be.

The crew delighted in the birth of Taylor Janeway.  She had her father's hair and eye color, but was otherwise a miniature of her mother, including her personality.  The entire deck knew when she was unhappy.  No one dared mention in her mother's presence just how loud Taylor could be.  T'Pel finally suggested to Chakotay that they consider additional sound-proofing for Taylor's room.  The weary father was reluctant to ask engineering to make that request a priority, but B'Elanna assured him it was not a problem.  She didn't mention that half of Deck 2 had volunteered to help with the project.

In the days following Taylor's birth, the crew restocked the ship with fresh foods and added a few plants to airponics and hydroponics.  It had been a while since the crew had enjoyed shore leave, so Chakotay decided they should stay a few extra days and take advantage of the opportunity presented.  It would also give him little longer to adjust to being a father.  Tom wanted to have a big party on the planet, but Chakotay vetoed the idea saying that the crew should plan activities for smaller groups.

"Come on, Tom.  Come with us.  It's going to be a blast!"

"Sorry, Harry.  Not this time.  B'Elanna has already put her foot down – no cold weather."

"But this mountain is perfect -- great slopes and perfect conditions.  The weather forecast is ideal.  You have to come skiing with us."

"Harry, B'Elanna will skin me if I even suggest cold weather.  Besides we are going skiing.  She found a reference to sand skiing from the twentieth century so we're going to try that in one of the deserts.  We found a nice oasis with a few trees near some great dunes.  She's trying to talk Sam into going with us and taking the babies.  I think she just wants to lie in the sun."

"Ok, I guess you can't very well bring Robbie snow skiing.  I'll make sure you know what you missed."

"Thanks, Harry.  You're a real friend.  Have a good time."

Harry reluctantly left Tom in the mess hall and returned to his quarters to get ready for his leave.  He had hoped he could convince Tom to join them. Aaron and Megan were going with Jenny and him.  Despite the time they had spent together, Harry still didn't like Aaron much.  He entered his quarters to be greeted very enthusiastically by Jenny.  When she finally released him, he spoke.

"Maybe we should stay here instead?"

"No, way!  Megan would just waltz right in and interrupt us anyway.  We'll get her tired out this afternoon so she won't interrupt us tonight.  Ok?"

"Ok.  You ready?"

"Yes, and your gear is ready.  All you have to do is change.  We're meeting them in the transporter room in fifteen minutes, so get moving."

Three hours later an exhausted foursome stood at the top of a moderate slope.  This was the fourth run of the five they had selected.  The first one had been fairly short and easy to give them a chance to get used to real snow again.  Harry had meticulously scanned the slopes before they started their runs.  On the third slope, Aaron grabbed the tricorder just as Harry was finishing the scan and took off.

Now on the fourth slope, Megan and Jenny were tired and debated returning to the ship but Aaron talked Megan into making one last run and she convinced Jenny to stay.  What none of them knew was that halfway down the slope a stream that drained an underground hot spring had carved out a cavern with its heat leaving only a few inches of snow above it.  It was invisible from the surface.

Aaron, with what Harry considered to be his usual cockiness, started down the slope calling for Megan to follow him without running a scan of the slope to check its stability.  She gamely tried to keep up, but was soon passed by Jenny.  Harry called to Aaron to stop, but Aaron continued taking the group's only tricorder with him.  Harry's delayed departure put him well behind Megan but he slowly gained ground and was eventually satisfied to remain slightly behind Megan.  Aaron slowed slightly when he realized Megan had dropped behind.  This allowed Jenny to catch up with him.  She then slowed down allowing Megan to close the distance between them, but kept an alert eye on Aaron.  While Aaron was paying attention to Megan, Jenny passed him.

Then it happened.  Jenny had nearly passed the danger area when Aaron's additional weight collapsed the shell of snow and ice.  They fell nearly eighteen meters to the streambed.  Megan, who had nearly caught up with Aaron, was closer to the edge so her fall was about half that height but she slid over rocks the remaining distance.  Harry had not reached the dangerous part of the slope, but his speed carried him over the edge and he slid down the snow bank to the rocks below.  With ski poles in both hands, none of them were able to reach a communicator before losing consciousness.

Twenty minutes later, the group missed a routine check-in with Voyager.  When none of them answered repeated hails, Voyager scanned for their comm signals then beamed the foursome to sickbay.  A nervous transporter chief contacted Chakotay to advise him of the accident, having first made sure the captain was not within hearing range.  Kathryn was taking advantage of Taylor's naptime to get more rest in their bedroom so Chakotay was able to leave their quarters unimpeded.  When he reached sickbay, the covered bodies told him more than he wanted to know.

"Doctor?"

"Commander, I'll be with you in just a moment."  The doctor finished checking the readings on a monitor then turned to speak with Chakotay.  "We not sure exactly how it happened but I believe Tuvok sent a team to investigate.  All four fell into a crevasse.  Jennifer Delaney broke her neck and was killed instantly.  Aaron Jacobson died from his injuries approximately ten minutes before he was beamed to sickbay.  Harry Kim has minor internal injuries, a broken leg, a concussion, and mild hypothermia.  He will be fine in a few days.  I've sedated him so he will sleep through the night.  Megan Delaney sustained the least severe injuries but she is pregnant.  She has a broken arm, a mild concussion, hypothermia, and what in most instances would be very minor internal injuries.  Those injuries may jeopardize the baby later in her pregnancy.  The hypothermia has exacerbated the situation. There are several treatment options for her injuries that I cannot utilize without terminating the pregnancy. If untreated, those injuries could result in her death when she delivers the baby. I need her permission before I can take that step. She should sleep through the night. Tomorrow after she wakes up, I can tell you more."

"Thank you, Doctor.  I'll let you know what the arrangements are for memorial services for Jenny and Aaron.  I'll tell the crew as soon as I've told the captain."  Chakotay left sickbay and found a quiet corner in hydroponics. This was the part of command that he hated – telling people that their friends were dead. He stayed only a few minutes, knowing that the news of the emergency transport to sickbay would be circulating shortly. He contacted Tuvok to get an update on the circumstances that had led to the tragedy. As an afterthought he asked Tuvok to recall all away teams, then headed to his own quarters to wake Kathryn. She would want to tell the crew herself, probably from the bridge, so he contacted T'Pel and asked if she could stay with Taylor for an hour.

A week later Voyager was back in space having said farewell to two of her crew whose journey had ended so tragically. Their graves were in a sunny valley at the base of the mountains where they had been died. Voyager would continue her journey without them.

Harry and Megan were grief stricken and trying to take the first steps to rebuilding their lives without Jenny and Aaron. Their shared loss drew them together. Megan refused to terminate her pregnancy. A month after the accident, Megan fell asleep on Harry's couch. He let her sleep as he would any friend, and a friend is all either wanted or needed.