And so, Gwyn had persisted.
She had stayed on the runabout even when it was recovered by Voyager and the determination was made that the interlocutor would remain contained there until they had reached the home of the Edrehmaia. She had been there while the interlocutor was questioned by the admiral and the captain and an endless stream of officers who were trying to figure out how to help the Edrehmaia. And she was there when she learned that the Doctor had been given the data required to reverse the process by which Patel had been transformed.
Gwyn had remained in sickbay throughout the procedure and Patel’s convalescence. Seven had stopped by a few times, but Lasren was her most frequent companion. She had shared the entire series of events with him, but no one else. He had, of course, asked how Gwyn was doing now that she was assured of the child’s well-being.
Much better, was the truth.
She continued to feel the presence of the child. That sense had grown stronger the moment Voyager had closed the distance between them. Gwyn had considered every possible way to share what she had done with Lieutenants Kim and Conlon but had not yet settled upon one.
It was weird. That was the bottom line. It was a relationship that made no sense to anyone who wasn’t Kriosian and the only model Gwyn had to reference as a basis for comparison was useless. She barely knew Kim and didn’t know Conlon at all beyond their professional interactions. The circle of those on the ship who knew Gwyn’s truth was limited and she doubted any of them would reveal it to Kim or Conlon. As the days wore on, she began to wonder if she would ever reveal it herself. She expected Kim and Conlon to return to Voyager and to bring the child with them.
That might be enough. Perhaps the rest could wait until she was older. There was time.
These thoughts consumed her until the moment Devi Patel opened her eyes.
“Where am I?” was her first question.
Gwyn was on her feet in an instant. “You’re home. You’re on Voyager. You did it. You helped us find the Galen. Do you remember any of it?”
Patel thought for a moment. “I remember all of it,” she said. “I remember the pain and I remember the moment it ended. I remember flying among the stars with the others who were like me. I remember being more than I have ever been and strange music. I remember speaking for them. But most of all, I remember you, always with me.”
Gwyn smiled. “I promised the Doctor I would get him when you woke up. I should…”
“You were going to tell me a story,” Patel said.
“It can wait.”
“No. No more waiting.”
“But…”
“You came back. You came to the runabout and you helped me and wait… you shot Commander O’Donnell.”
“Because you ordered me to. Now are you convinced I know how to follow orders?”
“Is he okay?”
“He’s fine.”
“Good. That’s good.”
“For the last several days you have been one of the most important people on this ship, Devi. Everyone is going to want to talk to you and the Doctor needs to make sure you are okay. We have all the time in the world now,” Gwyn insisted.
“I understand that. I’ve been here before, and I know how this works. As soon as people start walking through that door, they won’t stop until I’m back on duty. What I still don’t understand, the only piece of this puzzle I can’t see, is how you went from being furious with me to shooting a superior officer just because I told you to. Let me be selfish for a minute, okay?”
“Okay,” Gwyn said.
“Oh, and Aytar?” Patel said as Gwyn pulled her chair to the edge of the biobed and settled herself.
“Yes?”
“I love you, too.”
Harry Kim was alone.
He had endured the endless debriefs and consultations and physical examinations and staff meetings stoically. When he was off duty it was worse. Damn near every single officer on Voyager had wanted to hear the story of Galen’s survival. To a man, they felt the need to share how much he had been missed and how glad they were to see him again. He had been commended repeatedly by Commander Glenn for his service to the Galen. He still received daily requests from Ensign Drur, who had worked tirelessly with Velth and Patel in expanding communication with the Edrehmaia. He had spent hours commiserating with the Doctor and several sessions with Counselor Cambridge, who had been incredibly blunt but also oddly helpful in helping him come to grips with his new reality.
And he had spent many hours with Tom and B’Elanna. Their reunion had been bittersweet. Of course, they had missed one another, but he found it difficult to look at them without thinking of all he would never have. They were struggling to make a decision regarding Voyager’s new mission. B’Elanna seemed inclined to continue on but Tom was putting up a hell of a fight. For him, exploring space with untested new modifications to the slipstream drive for an indeterminate amount of time was simply too dangerous to contemplate with the children. Bryce had offered to take Voyager’s engine room and last they had spoken, it seemed likely that both Parises would be transferring to the Vesta shortly.
The only person in the fleet, it seemed, who wanted nothing at all to do with him was Nancy Conlon.
Even now, days after she had called him to sickbay to tell him… her truth… it was still hard to believe. He thought he had done everything right. He had loved her, supported her, given all he had to offer, time and again. And still, it hadn’t been enough. Sifting through his memories of every moment they had shared since she had fallen ill, he couldn’t help but see the pattern. She had put distance between them. He had pulled her back. She had been afraid. He had insisted she
