Inesperada Madre - Part 5

For disclaimers and warnings see part 1



Tom Paris cursed under his breath as he stomped out of Main Engineering.  He had begun his search for his ex there because after all B’Elanna was always in Engineering.  She spent more time with her engines than with her boyfriend.  That and the fights over how he spent his down time was the main reason they had broken up in the first place.  He didn’t count his small indiscretions; after all if she had spent more time with him looking after his needs then he wouldn’t have had to look elsewhere for a little companionship.

“Computer located B’Elanna Torres.”  Paris demanded as the door hissed shut behind him.  

‘B’Elanna Torres is currently in Cargo Bay 2.’ The computerized voice calmly answered back.

The pilot hurried off to the nearest turbo lift.  Although the ride was short, it was still long enough for Tom’s anger to build to mammoth proportions.  He couldn’t remember ever feeling rage such as was now thundering in his head.  The half Klingon had not only kept the fact that he was going to be a father from him. Oh no, a lowly crewman for the bowels of the ship had had to bring it to his attention.  He wandered just how many other people knew about the baby and had conspired to keep him the dark.

Paris broke into a run as the door to the turbo lift slid open, not caring how it might look to anyone.  As he reached to cargo bay he barely gave the portal time to begin to move before he was through it.  “B’Elanna!”

His shout reverberated off the metal walls and bounced back to him.  Tom winced at the desperate sound of hurt and anger that assailed his ears.  He ran the length of the room calling for the hybrid to come out and face him.  It took a few moments for his rage-clouded mind to register the fact that no one was in the room to hear him.  Once again he ordered the computer to give him B’Elanna’s location and then he was off again, to sickbay.

******

B’Elanna entered sickbay with a huge smile on her face.  Now that she knew, that the decision had been made she felt good.  No, good wasn’t nearly enough to describe what she was feeling.  She was happy, happier than she had been in a very long time.  She glanced up at her companion to see a slight grin gracing the Nordic features.  While to an outsider the blonde would have appeared expressionless but to one of Voyager’s crew that small smile was a dramatic emotional display.  

Seven wasted no time calling for the computer to activate the EMH.

“Please state the nature of the medical emergency.”  The holographic man stated as he shimmered into being.  “Seven, Lieutenant Torres how can help you two ladies this afternoon?”  He continued when he saw who had called for him.

“Doctor we require your assistance in planning a pre-natal regimen for B’Elanna, beginning immediately.”  The former drone informed him.

The doctor looked a little surprised.  The last time the two women had been there he had been certain that the engineer was going to terminate the pregnancy.  For some reason his sub-routines couldn’t explain, he was happy he had been wrong.  “Well I did a thorough scan of the child earlier although I haven’t had a chance to examine that data since we were really only concerned with discovering the parentage at the time.  I take it since you’re here together that all that has been worked out and that you will shortly be filling me in.  Purely out of scientific and medical interest mind you.  I will need to know so that if anything out of the ordinary arises I will be able to treat it correctly and efficiently.”  

B’Elanna could tell the EMH had added the last in an attempt to put off her protests, but admitted to herself that he did have a point.  The manner and technology by which she had conceived was completely alien to them and there was no way for them to predict what type of complications might arise.  Of course the Federation had transporters but never before had they been used in such a manner.  “All right Doc, we’ll tell everything we know on the condition that you listen while you go over the scans.”

The doctor nodded eagerly as he walked to the nearest console.  He listened intently as the Klingon and ex-drone took turns giving an as detailed account as they could.  The hologram smiled as the last test finished just as the story concluded, excellent timing.  “Well ladies I am happy to inform you that in four months you will be the proud parents of a perfectly healthy baby girl.”

B’Elanna looked at Seven just in time to see the relief she felt mirrored on the younger woman’s face.  She turned back to the doctor to ask one of the hundred questions that was speeding through her mind but before she could open her mouth the doors opened behind her and stopped to see who was coming in.  

Tom spotted his quarry almost immediately.  His hunt for his ex-girlfriend had gotten him so worked up that even though he opened his mouth to speak all that came out was a strangled cry as he lunged for the engineer.  

Seven had seen the look in the pilot’s eyes as he rushed through the door but had no idea what it might mean until he went after woman standing slightly behind her.  She did however see his intent when he jumped forward, arms outstretched screeching like a wounded Tarkelliean Hellcat.  The man’s anger fuelled his speed but it was still no match for the former Borg’s enhanced strength.  She plucked him out of the air, mid-leap, and held him securely so that the mother of her child would be safe.  

B’Elanna was too stunned to speak for a moment.  She would only ever admit to herself that she had actually been frightened by the sudden attack.  When she did finally find her voice it was to yell at the top of her lungs.  “Tom what in the HELL do you think you’re doing.”

In his slightly deranged state, Paris couldn’t see that struggling against Seven’s iron grip was useless.  The pilot railed and screamed senselessly, striking out and scratching at his capturer.  It took several long moments before his mind cleared enough to let him see that he wasn’t getting anywhere.  He allowed himself to go slightly limp as he labored to catch his breath and form a coherent sentence.  

“You bitch.  How long were you going to try to keep this from me?  I have just as many rights as you, you know.  I had to find out from a crewman from the lower decks.  How the hell do you think that made me feel?  I’m going to sue you for custody!  You can’t keep my child from me.  Just because you hate your father doesn’t give you the right to shut me out my kid’s life!”

Seven was angrier then she could ever remember being.  She tightened her hold on the screaming man, nearly crushing his ribs as she squeezed the newly won air from his lungs.  “Mr. Paris you will cease this outburst immediately.  You have been misinformed.  Lieutenant Torres is not carrying your child.”

Tom didn’t know how B’Elanna had talked the Ice Princess into covering for her but it shouldn’t have surprised him that she would go to those kinds of lengths to keep him out of the picture.  Their breakup had been particularly harsh with hurtful words thrown by both sides, and he knew the hybrid could hold a grudge for a long time.

“She’s talked you into lying for her.”  The pilot accused when Seven eased her grip to allow oxygen back into his body.  “The guy said he heard it directly from Tuvok and Chakotay.  So don’t try to tell me she’s not pregnant!”

The ex-drone resisted the urge to sigh.  She doubted she would ever understand the aspect of human nature regarding lying; it was so much more efficient to always tell the truth.  “I did not say that B’Elanna was not pregnant Ensign Paris, I said that it was not your child.”

Tom felt his blood begin to boil again.  This was the cruelest lie yet, but he had caught them in their own web.  “Ha!  I know for a fact that B’Elanna hasn’t seen anyone since we broke up, not once!  So there’s no one else that could be the father but me.”

The engineer had had enough the arrogant man’s tirade.  It was bad enough that he would just assume the baby was his, but to practically admit that he had been spying on her was the last straw.  She stalked up to the man that at the moment looked like a rag doll in the tall Astrometrics officer’s grip.  “Tom I want you to listen and listen good because I’m only going to tell you this once.  This is NOT your baby.  We haven’t been together in four months and if I was four months pregnant there is no way I could hide it.  I’d be as big as a shuttle craft.  So get it through your thick skull.  WE are not having a baby, YOU are not going to be a father.  Period.”

Tom admitted to himself that he knew little about Klingon’s and less about pregnancy, he had never cared to learn.  But that didn’t really matter to him because everything inside him was screaming that this was his child.  He would make her tell him the truth.  “Then who’s the father?  Tell me that and I’ll leave you alone.”

B’Elanna felt like strangling the man.  She knew he wouldn’t let it go until he had the whole truth and once he did the whole ship would know.  She had wanted a little time to get used to the entire situation without having to answer a million questions from her curious crewmates.  It was a luxury that apparently she wasn’t to be afforded.  “Not that it’s any of your business, but Seven.  Seven is the father of my baby.  I’m not going to go into details but if you don’t believe me ask the doctor.  He ran the paternity test himself.”

As three pairs of eyes swung toward the EMH the doors to sickbay hissed open as the security team he had summoned arrived.  He held up a hand to hold them off for a second as he confirmed B’Elanna’s admission.  “The Lieutenant is correct Mr. Paris.  Now if you will accompany these gentlemen to the brig I will contact Tuvok about the charges.”  

Tom wisely kept his mouth shut as Seven released him.  He also allowed security to lead him away without so much as a squeak of protest.  Now he knew they were all lying.  B’Elanna hated Seven.  There was no way in hell she would ever have a child with the ex-Borg.  He was just going to have to wait and come up with a plan to get his kid away from her.

B’Elanna felt the feather light touch on her shoulder as she watched her former lover being led away.  She felt eternally grateful to the younger woman for her lightning fast reflexes and amazing strength.  Seven hadn’t hesitated, she had simply reacted to protect her and their child with no though to her own safety.  The last of her fears about the former drone’s sincerity about being a parent melted with the concern that was clear in the azure eyes that had locked on her.  “Thank you.”

Two simple words that before this moment had before seemed like a useless pleasantry nearly undid Seven as the simple sentence spoke a volume of gratitude and acceptance.  The Astrometrics officer felt like she had just passed a test she hadn’t known she was taking.  The warmth from the hybrid’s shoulder seemed to be coursing into her hand and rushing through her body making Seven feel off balance.  She fought the urge to remove her hand and allowed herself to enjoy the sense of connection.  “Are you all right B’Elanna?”

“I’m fine, thanks to you.  I’ve never seen him like that before.  You know this isn’t how I wanted the ship to find out, or when.”  B’Elanna told the younger woman with a nervous little laugh as she tried to shake off the adrenalin rush from the confrontation.

Seven jerked her hand away from B’Elanna as the almost euphoric sensation evaporated.  She straightened her shoulders and clasped her hands behind her back.  “I am sorry for the embarrassment you will face because you are carrying my child Lieutenant.”  

B’Elanna could have slapped herself.  She hadn’t stopped to think how the comment might be taken by the inexperienced ex-drone but she could see that it had indeed hurt her.  The Klingon carefully moved closer to the blonde as if she were a wild animal that needed to see she meant it no harm.  She slowly raised her hand, giving the young woman time to move away, and gently touched her cheek.  “Seven, no.  That’s not how I meant it at all.  I just wanted time to get used to being pregnant before we started telling our friends.  The whole thing came as such a surprise and was frankly so frightening that I wanted time to just settle into the fact that we have been given this precious gift before we shared it.  Can you understand that?”

Seven felt as the hand that had meant to comfort had instead slapped her.  She had instinctively jumped to the conclusion that the hybrid would be ashamed, she hadn’t stopped to consider that perhaps events had unfolded so quickly that B’Elanna would need time to adapt.  “I apologize B’Elanna.  I reached a conclusion without having all the data available.  I did not mean to cause you further distress.”  

B’Elanna smiled as she let her hand slip away from the soft cheek.  She was more surprised at the sudden ease she felt touching Seven than she did at the blonde’s quick apology.  The former Borg was just as stubborn as she was and ‘I’m sorry’s’ didn’t come easily to either of them.  “I meant it when I said I wanted us to work together to raise the baby.  That doesn’t just include doctor’s appointments and getting up for two a.m. feedings you know.”

Seven wasn’t sure how to respond to that and was almost glad of the interruption of the sickbay doors opening again until she saw who was standing there.  Tuvok was standing slightly behind Captain Janeway, who had her hands on her hips and was glaring directly at the Astrometrics officer.  

Kathryn chose to ignore Seven even though she didn’t like how close she was standing to her B’Elanna.  Instead she walked directly between them to stand facing the Klingon.  “B’Elanna are you all right?”  She asked, wrapping the raven-haired woman in her arms.  “Tuvok informed me that Tom attacked you.  He didn’t hurt you did he, because if he did he’ll spend the rest of the trip home in the brig.”

B’Elanna knew she should have expected the older woman to come see how she was.  Every time Janeway let her command mask slip she couldn’t help but be amazed at the warm compassionate woman underneath.  She supposed that was why even though she should still be angry at the way she had treated the ex-drone, the engineer couldn’t help but let it go.  For now.  “Kathryn I’m fine really.  Seven grabbed him before he could get anywhere near enough to touch me.”

Janeway internally bristled at the fact that Seven had been there and she hadn’t.  She would simply have to find a way to limit their contact from now on.  “Well then I guess we should be grateful Seven was here.  Thank you for protecting my chief engineer.”

The captain once again turned her back to Seven to concentrate on B’Elanna.  “Do you want to press charges against him?  Attacking a superior officer, whether or not he actually touched you, is a serious offense.  Just tell me what you want to do Lanna.”

B’Elanna was already thinking about Tom’s behavior and didn’t notice the use of the nickname but Seven did.  She looked up at the former Borg in time to see the frown cross her face.  Thinking that the blonde was concerned about what the pilot would do if released she decided that she didn’t want to cause her anymore undue worry.  “I don’t really want to press charges but I don’t want him out of the brig right now.  He’s convinced that this is his child and he’s pissed off because he thinks I’ve kept it from him.  Maybe you and Tuvok could talk to him, explain the situation.  Maybe coming from the both of you, he’ll believe it and leave me alone.  If not then we’ll think about formal charges.”

Janeway wasn’t really happy about the suggestion.  When Tuvok had first told her that Tom had tried to hurt B’Elanna, she had wanted nothing more than to wrap her hands around the pilot’s throat and squeeze the life out of him.  Although she could take the choice away from the hybrid and go ahead with charges against the man, she knew B’Elanna would resent it.  “If that’s what you want then that’s what we’ll do.  In the meantime why don’t you go to my quarters and rest for a while and when we’re done talking to Paris I’ll take the rest of my shift off and make you nice meal.  We can just sit, talk and relax for the rest of the evening.  We haven’t done that since this whole thing began and I think it would be good for you.”

As much as she appreciated her captain’s obvious concern and affection, for some reason B’Elanna felt that accepting the offer wouldn’t be the best thing.  “Well Seven and I didn’t really get a chance to finish talking to the doctor about the baby and then I need to go down to engineering and make sure Carey hasn’t gotten too comfortable in my office.  After that I really just want to go back to my quarters and sleep.”  

The EMH could already see the argument brewing in both the captain’s and Seven’s eyes so he quickly stepped in.  “Lieutenant I haven’t released you back to duty yet so you will not go anywhere near engineering.  After you leave here I want you to go to the mess hall and get something to eat and when you’re done I want you to go home and rest.  Tomorrow, after you come see me, then you can return to light duty if I think you’re ready.”

From the looks on the not only the captain’s face but Seven’s as well B’Elanna knew she didn’t stand a chance.  She could also feel the weight of the last few days on her shoulders and decided the best thing she could do was agree to the hologram’s demands.  “OK, ok.  I give up.  After we get our checkup schedule I’ll get some chow and go to bed.”

Kathryn would have liked to stay with B’Elanna but she had to go instill a healthy dose of fear into a certain pilot.  She vowed to herself that she would see her friend later.  “Well that sounds like a plan then.  I’ll check on you later and if you need anything in the meantime all you have to do is contact me.”

B’Elanna barely had time to nod as the older woman motioned for Tuvok to follow her and they were both gone.  She moved silently past the other two occupants of the room and took a seat on the nearest bio-bed.  The last few days were wearing heavily on her.  She was fully feeling their weight and didn’t protest when the EMH took up a tricorder and began scanning her.

The doctor put away the small scanner and stood directly in front of his patient.  “Lieutenant the high level of stress you’ve suffered the last couple of days is not good for you or the baby.  Now it’s not a problem as of yet but it will become one if it continues.  I’m standing by my earlier orders, food and rest for the remainder of the day.  I want you back here first thing in the morning so I can do a follow up scan on you.  If I am satisfied I will allow you to take half a shift before you eat and return to your quarters to rest.

I want you keep that schedule for the rest of the week, and then you can return to full duty.  However I am insisting that you only work a standard shift.  No more eighteen hour days, crawling through miles of jeffries tubes tracking down every little phase variance.  You have a very capable crew of engineers, let them do the grunt work for once.  Do I make myself clear?”

B’Elanna held back a bark of exhausted laughter.  She knew he had a point and she trusted her staff, she just trusted herself more.  However now there was someone else she had to consider first and her safety meant more than her desire to get her hands dirty looking after her ship.   “All right Doc I hear you.  I’ll learn to delegate more.”

Realizing that was the best he was going to get out of her the doctor chose to move on to other things.  “Now as to pre-natal appointments, I want to see you once a week.”  The EMH had to hold up a hand to forestall the protest he could see the engineer gearing up to.  “If this was a normal pregnancy I would only want to see every three of four weeks during the first two trimesters, but it isn’t.

The fact that you are a hybrid means that you will have a slightly shorter term than a full Klingon.  For some reason Klingon/Human mothers, instead of splitting the length of the pregnancy, six and nine months respectively, hybrids’ terms as a rule seem to only last five months.  Given that and the unusual manner that conception took place I think it’s best that I see you every week.”

B’Elanna couldn’t find an argument that she thought might dissuade the doctor from making her come in every week to be poked and prodded.  She could also see the look of determination on Seven’s face and she had to admit defeat.  She knew that it really was for the best; the engineer had just always hated having to see doctors unless she was practically dying.  She lowered herself of the bio-bed and faced the EMH.  “Fine you win.  I’ll be here.  Is there anything else?”

The doctor knew that if this hadn’t been about the baby he would have had an uphill battle on his hands.  Voyager’s Chief Engineer was one of the people he constantly had to badger just to come in for a simple yearly check-up.  Usually by the time he got her to come in for one it was nearly time for the next one.  Since she had come to him this time the hologram didn’t think he’d have much trouble getting B’Elanna to stick with the schedule, he hoped.  “No that’s all for now. As long as you go get that meal we talked about and then straight to bed.”

Torres waved her assent to the instructions as she made her way out the door, Seven closely on her heals.  As they made their way silently to the mess hall B’Elanna briefly spared a thought as to what Janeway might be saying to Tom.

***

The captain stalked down the corridors, so intent on her quarry that she had completely forgotten her security chief was with her until they had reached the brig.  She immediately ordered the crewman on guard out of the room and then turned all of her considerable fury at the man imprisoned in the small cell.  “What do you have to say for yourself?”

Tom looked fearfully from the diminutive woman that in her anger looked ten feet tall to the stoic Vulcan next to her.  When the security officers had tossed him none too gently into the cell it hadn’t taken long for the rage to drain away and the knowledge of what he had almost done to sink in.  It wasn’t that he had wanted strangle B’Elanna; it was the fact that he had almost put the life of his child in danger that sobered him.  Now Janeway was staring down at him like an avenging angel coming to exact divine punishment on him.  He had to think of something quick to save his neck.

“Captain, Tuvok I know I lost my tempter but I never touched B’Elanna.  She can’t bring charges against me for yelling at her.  And I have every reason to be angry.  She was trying to hide the pregnancy from me.  I have rights and I want to exercise them.  I want a hearing as soon as possible to decide custody.  There’s no way that bitch is fit to raise my child.  I want it taken away from her as soon as it’s born.  I can’t believe she had the audacity to try to keep my kid from me.  Well she’s not going to get away with it I can tell you that.”  As he spoke the anger he had tried to bury, resurfaced with a vengeance.

Kathryn could hardly believe her ears.  The man was ranting mindlessly and the things he was saying was doing nothing to endear him to her, quiet the opposite and she had had enough.  “Shut up.”  

The demand wasn’t shouted but to the pilot’s ears it was as loud as a plasma explosion.  He realized that he might have gone to far when he saw his commanding officer’s eyes boring holes through him like a phaser.  He thought that at this point the best thing he could do for himself was to keep his mouth shut until she told him to do otherwise.

“Tuvok I need a few minuets alone with Mister Paris if you wouldn’t mind waiting outside?”  The captain didn’t look away from the pilot to see if the Vulcan would do as she asked.  She had asked it as a question but it was anything but a request and her security chief had been with her long enough to know that it had indeed been an order.  She heard the door hiss open and shut and let lose the fury inside her.

“You will listen to me and listen good.  For what you pulled earlier in sickbay I should keep you in here for the rest of the trip home.  I would too but B’Elanna asked that I simply talk to you and explain the situation.  She is not carrying your child.  I know I saw the paternity results myself.

A little over a month ago we stopped on an M class planet to gather supplies and make repairs to the ship.  While there B’Elanna and Seven examined a piece of alien technology.  It was some kind of modified transporter designed to aid in conception.  They somehow activated it and it combined DNA from B’Elanna and Seven, started mitosis and then implanted the embryo into B’Elanna.

A few days ago B’Elanna passed out in Engineering and was taken to sickbay.  The doctor ran some tests and found out she was four weeks pregnant.  Because she hadn’t been with anyone in that time he ran a DNA test on the child and Seven was a match.  Now before I call Tuvok back in here to get your promise that you will leave Lieutenant Torres alone I want to tell you what I will do if you pull something like this again.  

I will personally throw you out the nearest airlock.  No trial, no reprieve, and no chance in hell you will get away with attacking B’Elanna again.  If she hadn’t asked for leniency this time I would have sentenced you to spend the trip home in here, at the very least.  I will not allow you to hurt her.  Do you understand me?”

Tom could only nod as he tried to absorb all that she had said.  If what she said was true then he had just tried to attack a pregnant woman for no reason.  The only other explanation was that B’Elanna had convinced the captain to go along with her conspiracy to keep the kid from him.  He knew they were close.

 He had kept close tabs on his ex-girlfriend after the breakup to make sure that no one tried to horn in on his territory.  He had every intention on getting Lanna back and it wouldn’t have done for someone to steal her away before he was ready to tell her he forgave her.  He had seen with his own eyes that they spent a lot of off duty time together.  B’Elanna had even spent the night in the captain’s quarters a few times.  So it would stand to reason that Janeway would lie to protect her.  That made a whole lot more sense than some alien technology that made babies from the DNA of two women who hated each other.

As Tuvok stood witness he promised to leave B’Elanna alone and even offered to apologize to her.  All the while he was planning his next move.  He had to get some proof and there was only one person he trusted to help him with that.  After they had the evidence he needed Tom could take steps to get the baby once it was born.

As soon as the captain released him Tom went directly to Harry Kim’s quarters to wait for his young friend to finish his shift.  Soon enough B’Elanna would find out just who she was messing with.  


TBC