Star Trek Voyager: The Loving Game

Star Trek Voyager: The Loving Game (Chapter 22)

“Well…” The Doctor began as he lowered his tricorder away from Seven, a slightly pensive smile on his holographic features, “I hope you’ve set up all those gifts you got for her.”

Seven shot him a frustrated glare. “Why?” she asked bluntly, ignoring Chakotay as he placed a soothing hand on her shoulder.

The Doctor stepped back from her, his tone defensive. “I’m only warning you to expect your daughter any day now.”

Seeing Seven’s face drain of colour, the silver metal of her implants standing out even more than usual, Chakotay voiced what he knew they were both thinking, “We’re prepared Doctor but she’s not due for three weeks…”

“I’m well aware of that Commander but the baby’s a healthy weight now and she’s lying very low…”

Seven gulped repeatedly before speaking, irritated by her own urge to cry, she’d certainly be glad when her pregnancy, and all the emotional fluctuations that went with it, was over but that didn’t mean she wanted Celeste to be early. “Is…is there anything you can do to make sure she reaches full term?”

The Doctor smiled at her gently. “It doesn’t work like that Seven, even with all our technological advances, in general it’s still the baby who chooses it’s own birthday. Now if you go past your due date I’ll definitely induce your labour because I don’t want your cybernetic systems under strain any longer than they have to be. Try not worry, anytime past thirty six weeks is considered okay, you’ve gotten much further along than I ever thought you would… It’s not prematurity that poses the danger anymore, okay?”

Seven nodded in reluctant acceptance as she read between the lines. It’s the labour he’s worried about, if my implants can’t cope then… These anxious, melancholy thoughts were interrupted when a loud thud reverberated around the ship as the ship gave a violent jolt that almost sent Chakotay, who was standing beside her, falling to the floor. “What the hell was that?” he gasped out, grasping the biobed to stay upright as the ship shook again.

Seven was collected enough to quickly make an educated guess. “It is most likely a plasma storm; the electrostatic field will be jumping from section to section, like lightning. The ship may act as a conductor…”

Chakotay’s comm. badge interrupted her explanation, the Captain’s voice had an urgent ring to it as she said, “Chakotay, we seem to have stumbled into a particularly large…” The ship was shunted again and the three people in Sickbay jumped as the Doctor’s replicator exploded in a shower of sparks. They could hear the apprehensive sigh in the Captain’s voice as she continued, “…and violent plasma storm. I need you on the Bridge.”

Chakotay glanced at Seven before answering; obviously her guess had been correct, as she had a frequently annoying tendency to be. “I’ll be right there Captain.”

Seven began to slide awkwardly off the biobed. “I will go to Astrometrics to see if I can decipher the strength and density of the plasma storm and discover a technique to prevent…”

Chakotay actually stopped her from moving by clamping his strong hands down on her shoulders, shaking his head vigorously despite her deepening frown. “No. There’s no way you’re walking round here while the ship’s being zapped from all sides and you could go into labour any moment…”

“Chakotay, you’re being irrational. I could help stop…” Seven began to argue in an irked, indignant tone.

“I’m being irrational…” he started hotly before being met with a stony expression from her and changing tact. “Look Seven, I just don’t want you taking the risk for the sake of a few scans, okay?”