Tom scrubbed the Jeffries tube tiredly. He was getting tired of Jeffries tubes. Oh yeah. He began to feel dizzy and cursed. Damn, not again. The Jeffries tube began to fade.....
�Sickbay to Captain Janeway.�
�Yes.�
�Please come down here, Lieutenant Paris is ill and I need to discuss it with you.�
�On my way.�
Pain. Lights. Shining brightly above him. His father�s voice, �It�s none of your business how he got like this. Just patch him up.� The too sterile smell of a hospital. A very familiar smell.
�Gentlemen.� Captain Janeway was slightly surprised to see both Tuvok and Chakotay already. It must be even more serious then she�d thought. With them stood a very unhappy looking Crewman Chell.
�Captain.�
Tuvok just nodded at her. Not much for chatting Tuvok.
�What�s going on?�
Tuvok motioned to Crewman Chell.
Glancing nervously at his superiors Chell told his story, �I was helping with some repairs, I was passing through Jeffries tube 32 when I realized it was soaking wet. Not much farther I found Lieutenant Paris, passed out in a soapy puddle. I tried to wake him up but couldn�t so I called the Doctor and he transported him here.�
Crack. Lancing pain across his back. His father�s voice, �Why do you make me do this Thomas? Why must you be such a disappointment? You�re a Paris you should be the head of all your classes.�
Trying not to cry. That�d only upset father further. Must be strong. Hide it. Hide the pain. Don�t let them see. .
�Thank you Crewman, you did right, you may return to your station now.�
�Yes Captain.� Chell left and the Doctor entered.
Janeway turned to the Doctor, �Well?�
�Mr. Paris is suffering from severe exhaustion and malnutrition. As I can find nothing else physically wrong with him I have to assume the problem is mental.�
�Damn.� Janeway murmured to herself, �I thought he it was strange he fell asleep during a meeting, and what did I do? Send him to clean Jeffries tubes.�
�It�s not your fault,� Chakotay�s soft voice interrupted, � The evidence was before all of us, you can�t be expected to notice everything.�
�My chief pilot suffers an emotional break down, stops eating and sleeping and I�m not supposed to notice?�
Tuvok interrupted, �Perhaps instead of worrying about blame we should be trying to figure out what�s wrong with Lieutenant Paris and figure out how to fix it.�
�I can take care of his physical problems easily enough,� the Doctor added, �Sleeping pills and eating high calorie food will bring him back where he belongs physically, but mentally,� he shook his head, �I�m a physician, not a psychiatrist.�
Cold eyes looking at him, his father, �I don�t know you, you�re not my son. You�re a piece of traitorous mercenary scum, that�s all.� His own voice calling out for his father to forgive him. He was sorry, so sorry, he just had to fly. Guards grabbed him and hauled him off, still screaming. A cell. Four walls, gray stone, one cot, bare, small enough for a child. No windows.
They dumped him on the bare stone floor and he curled up in a small ball, not moving. Just shaking, still sobbing, �Please Father, please forgive me.�.
�I�ve done counseling before,� Chakotay volunteered, �A lot of slaves the Maquis saved are desperately in need of counseling.�
�Do you think you could help Lieutenant Paris?� Asked Captain Janeway.
Chakotay nodded, �The hardest part will be convincing him to tell me what�s wrong.�
Guards came with food. He ignored it. They came again, hauled him to his feet. �C�mon scum,� one of them said, �Time for you to go to the exercise court.�
Running, mechanically, along with all the other prisoners. They�re looking at him funny. Stop. Time for lunch. He ignores his again. Sits in the corner. A large man approaches, backed by several cronies. He leers at the handsome blond man, sitting with his hands around his knees. �Hey pretty boy,�
Tom ignores him. The thug grabs him by the shirt and hauls him upright. Pressing his body against him he shoves Tom against the wall and tries to kiss him. Tom�s face doesn�t change. He finds a nerve and presses it. The thug gasps. Still staring at nothing Tom sits back down and puts his arms back around his knees. Ignoring everyone, who are now regarding him warily.
�As soon as he wakes up he�s yours. I�ll take you both off duty for the next month. It�ll probably be easier if he moved into your quarters, temporarily at least.�
Chakotay nodded.
The Guards had given him a choice. Eat, or visit the prison councilor. So Tom ate. And did whatever else they told him. And sat in his prison uncaring, too caught in his own private hell to care. Or even pretend to care. Until she came.....
Chapter 5