Chapter Text
You stepped into Sickbay, expecting to see The Doctor's not-so-welcoming face. But looking around, you found SIckbay completely empty. The doors slid closed behind you as you walked further in. It was completely quiet, until you became aware of a quiet shuffling in the office. You cleared your throat.
Kes stepped out from the office, looking up from a DataPADD in her hands. She gave a kind smile and stepped towards you.
"Ensign [Lastname], I didn't see you come in," Kes spoke in a soft voice, as she normally did. Her bedside manner was miles better than The Doctor's. "Did you need something?"
"I just needed my medicine," you said sheepishly. "I'm supposed to take it around this time."
Kes nodded. "Of course." She smiled at you as she went over to a cabinet and grabbed a hypospray from a shelf in the cabinet. "I'm sorry. The Doctor usually handles things like this at this time of day."
"It's alright, Kes," you returned the smile as Kes administered the medicine from the hypospray. "Where is he?"
"In the holodeck, I'm assuming, since he can't really go anywhere else. After what happened yesterday, the senior officers agreed to let him readjust, so he's relieved from duty for a couple of days."
You nodded, watching Kes put the hypospray away. "Does a hologram need rest?"
"Well, I wouldn't know that," Kes chuckled amiably. "Anyways, you're free to leave. Oh, be mindful of the medicine's side effects. You'll be a little fatigued, but it should wear off before your [discipline] shift tonight."
"Thank you, Kes," you said as you turned to leave. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye, [Lastname]," Kes replied. "Take it easy."
As you left, a science officer passed by you on his way into the Sickbay, holding his arm.
"Ensign Shorri, not again..."
The Caitian smiled in slight amusement at his own misfortune. You nodded your sympathies with an amused smile as you left down the hallways.
The hall was bustling as it always was at this hour, filled with officers going to complete various tasks. You brushed past Ensign Gutierez on your way to the turbolift and immediately began apologising for bumping into her.
"Oh, no, no, no, don't worry!" she reassured with her award-winning grin, speaking quickly in her thick Texan drawl. "It's alright, [Lastname], really!"
You flushed red in embarrassment, but she walked with you towards the turbolift. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have a copy of 'All Quiet on the Western Front' on file?"
The both of you stepped into the turbolift. "Deck 6." The computer beeped and the lift whirred and moved downwards. "No, I don't. Why?"
"I left the physical copy I like to use on Earth," she said wistfully. "It's my favourite book and..." Gutierez sighed. "...we'll be here a while."
You immediately felt pity for the tall woman and bit your lip. "I'm sorry I don't have it."
She whipped her head around to see you, her golden curls following. "Oh, no, hon, don't be sorry. I was only wondering."
You gave a nod. The turbolift stopped and Gutierez went out. "Well," she said kindly. "I'll see you on your shift tonight." With that, she walked towards the hall of crew quarters. You lingered a moment, the fatigue from your medicine starting to set in a little bit, but what Guteriez said made you think. You and the rest of Voyager's crew would likely be in the Delta Quadrant for a very long time, if you even found a way to get home. It was even more likely that Voyager would forever be stranded where no man has gone before, and that meant that no one would see their homes again.
The sound of something from the holodeck nearby made you snap out of your thoughts, and your eyes went to the door. Curiously, you walked over to the holodeck and looked at what program was running. It was that one Parisian Cafe holoprogram that Lieutenant Paris was so fond of. You had hung out there a couple of times with the rest of the crew. You remembered what Kes said to you about The Doctor. Inside, you could hear singing. A male voice, and a female voice, singing in turn.
You hesitated. Curiosity pushed you forward, but it was quite frowned upon to intrude on someone's holodeck time. But in the end, curiosity won, and you silently slipped inside.
Inside the cafe, The Doctor was dressed in a typical black 1830s suit, standing on a platform separated by a small set of stairs. In front of the platform stood a woman dressed in a typical blue 1830s dress, leaning slightly against a table. The two were singing in an operatic duet, gesturing slightly in an artistic manner to the air near each other as opera singers are prone to do. Neither seemed to notice you coming in. You took a seat at a table near the table, the cafe somewhat dark, but there was a light shining on the both of them, as if a spotlight somehow.
"Dite spera, e son contente, dolci labbra del mio ben," The Doctor sang, his voice a deep, rich tenor. You never knew he had such a talent for the vocal arts.
"Spera, spera io già mi pento, novo... ardor- stop. Stop, stop!"
The Doctor sighed in exasperation. "Computer, pause playback." The orchestra backing stopped, and he turned to the soprano. "What now?"
"The basso continuo, it's missing a couple of notes!" She expressed, gesturing in an irritated manner. "It should be like this!" She then began to hum the harpsichord part, putting extra emphasis on certain notes. "You see? Like this!"
"Signora, basso continuo is meant to improvise. If you feel notes are being left out, it's most likely because Lieutenant Prallir decided not to add them. I asked them to provide the instrumentation for that part."
"Well," she added huffily. "You can tell this... amateur Prallir that they have no business in the arts!"
The Doctor, quite irritated, puffed out his chest a little as he prepared to defend his crewmate. "Lieutenant Prallir is widely regarded on their homeworld as the best harpsichordist to ever live. And they have over fifteen lifetimes of musical experience. If you have a quarrel with their instrumentation, you can take it up with them, personally."
"Ah, well," the lady sighed bitterly. "Perhaps on Prallir's homeworld, everyone is deaf and untalented."
The Doctor sighed, seeing this as a fruitless mission. "Computer, delete Irma Vitelli."
She gasped and wheeled on him. "How dare you-"
It was futile, she was already gone. The Doctor sighed in exasperation and stared out of the window of the cafe.
Suddenly, there was a crash and an 'oof' sound, and he whipped around.
You had attempted to leave silently, as you had entered, but your legs had other plans. They had caught in the rungs of the chair you were sitting in and caused the seat to flip over, catapulting you onto the floor where you landed on your belly. It knocked the wind out of you; you fell somewhat hard.
"Ensign [Lastname], are you alright?"
Your face went red and you shot up to your feet, dusting yourself off although there was no dust. "Yeah, yeah, I'm alright, Doctor." You caught his eyes. His face was confused and slightly concerned, tilted slightly to the left. "I'm..." You turned to face him, but averted your gaze sheepishly. "...sorry for intruding-"
"No need to apologise, Ensign," he replied. "I don't mind."
You paused, and nodded slowly. "Issues with duet partners?"
"Unfortunately," he said, his face shifting to one of annoyance. "All sopranos from every planet and every time period seem to be stuck-up and arrogant. Even Giejar Milra, which was a surprise to me."
"I'm... afraid I'm not familiar with her."
"Well, legend has it that she sang for a Cardassian monarch in the late 14th century, and her singing was so moving that he cried. Legend also has it that she was kind-hearted and benevolent. Beautiful voice, but again, stuck-up and arrogant."
"I feel that has more to do with the fact that she's Cardassian, and less with her status as a soprano," you responded. He nodded with a small 'hmm' sound.
"I suppose so."
You stood there for a moment, just kind of staring at The Doctor, your face still red from embarrassment at the fall. He seemed to get an idea, and he caught your eyes. "[Lastname]."
"Hmm?"
"Do you sing?"
Your face went even warmer at that, and a bolt of shyness ran through your spine. Your eyes went to the floor again. What should you say? You could sing, you knew that. And you could sing well, and you loved to sing. But you also were prone to messing up. And even being in the presence of a senior officer made you nervous. But singing for one? What if you messed up?
"Yeah, I sing."
The Doctor smiled a bit. "Would you like to try singing with me? I'm somewhat... desperate for a duet partner."
You nodded, a little faster than you meant to. "Yes, I-... Yes, I'd love to."
"Computer, Con te partiro."