Part 38
It was precisely 1530 hours when Tom walked into the mess
hall, carrying a padd. He stopped just inside the doors and
looked around, noticing that all 'his' crew were there, seated in
groups and chatting quietly while they waited for him. He hid a
smile when he saw that his senior staff had moved two tables
together and were sitting in one group while the rest of 'his'
crew was surrounding them.
Tom shook himself out of his thoughts, then walked over to
stand in front of Neelix's counter, aware of the silence that
descended when people saw him. When everybody was quiet, Tom
smiled slightly. "Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you all for
coming." He paused for a moment and gathered his thoughts.
"The reason I called for this meeting is that I have an announcement,
and a request."
Tom paused again and looked at the expectant faces. He glanced
at the padd in his hand, then lifted his eyes to the crew again. He
took a deep breath before he spoke. "When Captain Janeway
called me into her ready room earlier today, I thought she had
questions about the time she was in stasis. She didn't. Instead
she showed me this," he held up the padd. "The content surprised
me. I never imagined that she would do this, but, as she
said, it is well deserved."
Tom ran a hand through his hair, a now-familiar gesture to 'his'
crew. "Captain Janeway decided that I should be the one to tell
you." He smiled when he saw the curiosity on the faces of everyone
present. "On this padd is a list, a long one at that, of
names. All of you are on it." Tom couldn't resist drawing out
the suspense and paused for effect before he told them exactly
what kind of list it was.
"Captain Janeway has officially promoted each and every person
that I moved up in rank. This means that you get to keep the
ranks I gave you," Tom told 'his' crew. He smiled again when
he saw their stunned expressions. "But, that is not all. She has
also given Kes and Neelix the rank of ensign."
Tom stopped speaking and looked over at Kes and Neelix, waiting
for their reactions. He hadn't promoted them along with everyone
else. Not because he'd forgotten but because for one thing
it would be unfair to Neelix.
Tom knew how much the Talaxian wanted to get an official
rank, and only Janeway could give him that. While he knew that
the rest of 'his' crew wouldn't have too much trouble going
back to their old ranks, he also knew that Neelix would be very
disappointed if he was promoted, only to have that taken away
from him when Janeway was cured. Tom had planned to speak
to her about giving Neelix an official rank in Starfleet, but she
had beaten him to it.
The reason Tom hadn't promoted Kes was entirely different. He
spoke to her when he worked out what position to give to whom.
She told him that she didn't want to be in Starfleet, so he didn't
promote her. He wasn't about to force her into something she
didn't want, and if she was content to be a civilian....
Kes' voice interrupted Tom's thoughts. "Tom?"
Tom focused on her, having a good idea what the Ocampan
woman was about to say. "Yes, Kes?"
Kes took a deep breath before she spoke. "It's very nice of Captain
Janeway to promote me to Ensign," she started. "But you
know that I don't want it."
"I know, Kes," Tom said with a smile. "Do you want to tell her?
Or would you prefer that I did?"
Kes thought about it for a moment. "Thanks, Tom. I'll tell her
myself," she answered, not wanting to involve Tom.
Tom nodded in understanding. He had expected her to want to
do it herself, so he wasn't surprised by her reply. He gathered
his thoughts, then turned to address everyone. "I suspect that
Captain Janeway will hold an official ceremony later and announce
the promotions to the rest of the crew."
Before Tom could say anything else, B'Elanna interrupted him.
"What about you?"
"What about me?" Tom gave B'Elanna a quizzical look.
B'Elanna frowned. "Didn't Captain Janeway promote *you*?"
she asked.
Tom shrugged and seemed embarrassed. "Yeah, she did."
The crew waited for Tom to tell them what position Janeway
had given him. When he didn't say anything, B'Elanna growled
in annoyance. "Well?"
Tom lifted an eyebrow at her. "Well what?"
B'Elanna snarled under her breath, then asked the question everyone
wanted the answer to. "What rank did she give you?"
Tom sighed. He'd hoped that he didn't have to tell them himself.
It made him self-conscious. "Captain Janeway promoted me to
Lieutenant Commander," he finally told them.
For a moment there was silence, then everyone present erupted
in loud cheers. They shouted their congratulations while Tom
just stood there, blushing and waiting for the commotion to settle
down. It took several minutes, but finally everybody was
silent once again.
"That was my announcement," Tom said. "Now for my request."
He ran a hand through his hair again and gathered his
thoughts before he continued. "I have noticed that a lot of you
still call me 'Captain' even though Captain Janeway is back in
command." He looked around. "Now, the Captain hasn't comented
on it... yet. However, if this continues, she's bound to
say something. So, I'm asking you to stop addressing me as
'Captain'. Please."
Judging from the crew's reaction, it seemed that they agreed.
None of them had realized that, although Janeway was back in
command, they still called Tom 'Captain'. Now that Tom had
brought it to their attention, they would be more aware of the
problem. Everyone present, including Tom, knew that it would
take some time to adjust to Janeway's return.
Tom waited patiently until silence had descended once more,
then told 'his' crew the last piece of news. "Dr. Kéla'an has finally
chosen a first name. Captain Janeway informed me that
she has entered it into the ship's official log." He looked over at
the doctor and motioned for him to rise. When the hologram
complied, Tom smiled and said, "Allow me to introduce Dr.
Farelli Kéla'an."
When the crew applauded, Dr. Kéla'an bowed with theatrical
flourish.
As soon as the noise had died down, Tom spoke again. "I know
that our good doctor wants to get back to sickbay, and I'm sure
the rest of you have better things to do than listen to me all day."
He smiled at the protests. "Well, if nothing else, I think that
Crewman Sural would like to get back to her mate. She *is* off
duty, and if it weren't because Dr. Kéla'an had to be present, she
wouldn't be in sickbay."
Tom sighed quietly. He had been standing up for too long. His
back and calves were starting to ache. "Dismissed," he said, then
went over and sat down while he watched 'his' crew leave the
mess hall. Only Neelix and a few others stayed behind to start
dinner.
Tom sat at the table for a moment, watching Neelix bustle about,
preparing dinner. Then he rose and slowly made his way out of
the mess hall and to the nearest turbolift. A few minutes later, he
entered his quarters and walked into the bedroom. He stripped
out of his uniform, then went into the bathroom to grab a quick
shower. Due to his pregnancy, he took a sonic shower instead of
one with real water, which he preferred. He was too big to bend
down and he couldn't even *see* his feet anymore.
Once he was clean, Tom returned to the bedroom and put on
some casual clothes. Then he went into the living room and
smiled when he saw Chakotay sitting on the couch, drinking a
cup of tea. "Hi, Love."
Chakotay looked up and smiled when he saw his mate walking
toward him. "Hi, Baby," he said, then rose from the couch and
met Tom halfway. Pulling the younger man into his arms, Chakotay
leaned forward and captured Tom's lips in a gentle kiss.
Tom sighed softly and returned Chakotay's kiss. When they
broke apart, he rested his head on his husband's shoulder,
relaxing and enjoying their closeness. The chirp of his comm badge
intruded on the comfortable silence. Tom sighed with regret,
then pulled back a bit, and answered the hail. "Paris here."
"Mr. Paris, you and Commander Chakotay should come to sickbay,"
Dr. Kéla'an said. "Your daughter is about to wake up."
"We're on our way, Doc. Paris out."
The two men separated and left their quarters, heading toward
sickbay. They were going to talk and cuddle and play with her
for four hours. Then, when Dr. Kéla'an released her, the three of
them would go home and eat dinner. After dinner, they would
retire for the night, letting Tarra sleep between them. The next
morning she would wake them as she always did, and the three
of them would have breakfast before Tom went to sickbay for
his daily exam. Chakotay would leave Tarra with Samantha and
Naomi Wildman, then go on duty.