"Well, Commander."
"I assume you read my report, Captain."
"Hours ago, Commander. Now, what can I do for you?"
"You can talk to me, Kathryn. Stop ignoring it. I want to tell you how sorry I am it happened, as an officer and as a friend. I want to say it, but it just falls flat without you talking to me."
"The doctor assures me that you and the ensigns were not in control of your behavior. There is nothing for you to apologize for. He also assures me the three of you are fit to resume your duties." Her voice carried a deathly business-like tone.
"It isn't like you to leave something like this so much to the doctor, Kathryn."
"Chakotay, I am not ignoring the situation. It is very much on my mind. Tell me, did you ever have to deal with anything like this in your command?"
"No."
"Do you have any suggestions?"
The question startled him. He answered, "No."
"Well, what do you want from me? How should I react?" Her tone went from business-like through brittle and on to angry. "This one is not in Star Fleet Protocol. It isn't within my experience. It isn't even within common sense. You have managed to take me out of my depth. And now you want what from me?
"A reaction? The plain truth is that I have no idea how to react.... No, the problem is that I can think of half a dozen ways to respond to this, on a personal level but none on a command level. And what I can't see is which of those responses is the right one. None of them are, Chakotay. They won't satisfy me. They won't make things better. They won't work. So I'm letting it go. Do you have any better ideas?"
His eyes locked with hers as she spoke. Without blinking, he said, "I'm sorry, Kathryn. I'll leave now."
"No, Chakotay, please stay. Now that you are here, I realize how much I want you here. But I need your silence. I need your presence here, but the sound of your voice is making me want to throw things. Can you do that for me?"
Chakotay looked at her, swallowed, and nodded. Janeway reached into her desk, pulled out a PADD and tossed it at him. "Last month's security report. Later you can tell me what you think of Tuvok's recommendations."