By:AW

Published in Unicorn Press. Editor: Nancy Border & Pat
Hayden.

You can buy it from Unicorn Press @
http://members.aol.com/UnicrnPrs/press.htm

Disclaimer: You know it, I know it, I don’t own idea
of Star Trek: Voyager. I just own the story.

Date With Destiny II

6. Another New Beginning

Kathryn was furious. Even Tuvok had betrayed her. Why did everyone want her and Chakotay to get together? Why was everyone so sure it would work, that they would be right together? Because they know what I know; and am too afraid to admit.

“How dare you say that to me Tuvok. After everything, how dare you ask me if this is right? I know what’s right for my child and I know what’s right for me.”

Kathryn had tears streaming down her cheeks. “Why must everyone ask me if I’m doing the right thing? When I was the Captain, no one even questioned my decisions. Now that the pips are gone, everyone just feel free to walk all over me. Feel free to question me. Feel free to go against my wishes.” Kathryn knew she was being irrational, but it was too much. It felt good to let it all go for once.

Tuvok approached her and enveloped her in his arms. It was an odd gesture to him. He was surprised to feel nothing for her, but in the depths of his soul there was an inkling of a feeling of compassion for this poor woman who had been in many ways cheated out of everything she had worked for her whole life. “It will be okay Kathryn. Just let it out.”

Those words sounded strange to Kathryn’s ears coming from Tuvok. If they had come from Chakotay’s mouth she wouldn’t have thought twice but this was her Vulcan Commander speaking. Kathryn you must really be a mess,
you’ve got the Vulcan worried about you. She cried for what felt like hours. Then finally Tuvok spoke.

“Kathryn, I just need to make sure you are positive about what you are doing.”

Kathryn couldn’t believe it. After all those hours of crying, after him seeing her vulnerable state, he still asked her these questions. It was absurd. Kathryn, if twenty people think one thing, and you think something else, which one of you is most likely to be right? “I’ll make it, I always do.” She was furious.

Tuvok watched her turn to leave the room, since he refused to leave as she had asked, and saw the puddle forming at her feet. “Kathryn…”

Kathryn looked down and saw the fluid enveloping her feet and everything around. Oh god, can I do this? Then she felt a searing pain ripple through her
abdomen starting at her back. She involuntarily cried out in shock and surprise at the intensity of the pain. She leaned against the wall and slid to the
floor.

The moment of truth had arrived…

/\/\

Chakotay watched as the small lizard writhed in pain. Yet, he felt a level of satisfaction coming from the small creature. The condition was a puzzle and puzzles were meant to be solved, so he waited. Waited for a clue to be given, or an answer to appear.

/\/\

Tuvok led Kathryn to the bed, where she would lay in wait for her friend to arrive from the Vulcan Institute of Medicine. He waited; he waited for Kathryn’s savior, thinking that in the time it took her to get to his residence, Kathryn would reconsider her decision to give the child up. He knew deep down, that his thoughts were for naught, for Kathryn would do as she pleased and as she saw fit no matter what the consequences to her. This was who she was, and the bad came with the good, and without them, without the whole, Kathryn would not be who she was.

/\/\

The lizard slowly quieted, and the harsh brutal movements slowed. Kathryn was reaching her goal; the end was growing near.

/\/\

Three hours later, Kathryn lay in bed, no closer than she has been for the past hours. Her contractions were coming every two minutes and lasting nearly sixty seconds. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take, but she endured. She wanted to feel the pain; she wanted to feel this child. If she could, maybe she could deal with her decision.

Tuvok watched as Kathryn suffered through the labor. He knew the pain she must be in, he had ‘felt’ it while his wife had struggled to free his children from her body. The Vulcan link of the mind was used to ease the burden and the pain of a woman in labor. Perhaps he could do the same for Kathryn Janeway, but the real question was if she would accept his offer of assistance.

Tuvok reached out. “Let me meld with you, Kathryn. Let me take some of the pain away.”

Kathryn looked up at him. “This is mine. I have to feel it. I have to suffer through it; I have to suffer for what I’ve done.” She cried out as another contraction hit.

Kathryn heard the door chime, she knew that the time was near. Natalie Ambrose, her friend had arrived. She heard Tuvok discuss her condition with Natalie and listened as they proceeded to her room.

“Let’s see what we have here. Hello Kathryn, how’re you doing?”

Kathryn smiled a weak smile but a smile none-the-less. “Let’s see, I’ve been in labor for almost five hours, the contractions are coming almost on top of each other and…” Kathryn got a frantic look on her face. “Oh my god…I need to, I have to…”

“You have to push?” The doctor approached her quickly. “Let me just check you out Kathryn. Then we’ll see what we can do.” The doctor moved closer and examined her. “Okay Kathryn, you’re fully dilated, you can push whenever you’re ready.” The doctor watched and knew she was pushing with all her might. “Good Kathryn, that was a good one.”

Over the next half hour, Kathryn suffered through the contractions and pushed for all she was worth. She was bound that she was going to do this on her own. She was going to do this without any medication, without anything to dull the feeling of her daughter being brought into the world. Kathryn felt the biggest contraction of all encompassing her and she bore down with all her might.

The doctor watched the woman in front of her. Kathryn Janeway would never cease to amaze her. She had known Kathryn for more than 10 years. They had gone through the academy together, they had lived together in
residence for year as well. “Alright Kathryn, I can see the head. Just a few more pushes and you should be done. You can do this.”

Kathryn reached up and wiped the sweat from her forehead and felt the urge once again. She pushed with all her might and delivered the child’s head.

“One more push Kathryn, and it’ll all be over.”

Kathryn pushed one last time and brought her daughter into the world. She didn’t hear the crying, and she started to worry. “Is everything all right?”

Natalie cleaned the infant off and held her up for her mother to see. “She’s just fine Kathryn. Weighing in at 8lbs 2oz. What are you going to name her?”

Kathryn had been thinking about what to name her daughter for nearly 8 months. She had thought maybe something to honor Chakotay, but then decided that it would be too obvious, considering her coloring and their shared past. So she had chosen a name for her daughter tha she had found appealing. “This will be Kearstin Michaela Janeway.”

Natalie looked at Kathryn holding the infant close.“What a beautiful name. Everything looks fine Kathryn. I’m going to go now. I want to see the two of you in a week for your check up. Call me if you need anything.”

Kathryn had tears in her eyes. “I will, I promise.”

Tuvok watched the new family and he knew that giving her up would hurt Kathryn. He hoped that seeing the child would make the decision to keep the child more obvious and more plausible but he somehow doubted it. Kathryn, I hope you can live with whatever decision you make.

Tuvok thought about it, and decided it was time to contact someone who could help, but contacting Chakotay would be too obvious. So the Paris’ were
contacted that night, told of the child’s birth, and informed of Tuvok’s assessment of the situation. They knew too, and it was only a matter of time before all would be returned to the way it should be.

TBC in Date With Destiny II - Chapter 7: Interference

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