Disclaimer, I hate admitting this but no, I don't own Voyager or any of its crew.
 

Tom could hear voices…

But he had the strangest feeling that he wasn’t supposed to hear anything ever again.

He recognized the people talking instantly, Harry and B’Elanna.

But what were they doing here?

And exactly where was here?

“He did this to himself!” he heard Harry cry. “When you called and said that there was an accident… I never thought.”

“I know,” B’Elanna’s soft voice replied. “I never thought Tom would try anything like this either.”

Try what?

Oh, that.

What happened rushed back to him, falling to his knees B’Elanna rushing to his side.

This wasn’t good.

How would he face them? He’d finally gone and proven what so many had claimed.

That he was a coward.

What were they even doing here?

Why had B’Elanna bothered to stop him? This could be over now.

“Tom? Tom, are you awake?”

B’Elanna’s voice was calling to him but he didn’t want to answer, he couldn’t open his eyes.

If he didn’t maybe none of this would be real.

“Tom, please, open your eyes.”

B’Elanna sounded scared, why would she be so upset?

It was only him.

“Tom?”

Giving into temptation, he forced his eyes to open.

B’Elanna and Harry were both hovering over him, wearing too fake smiles.

“Hey,” he rasped.

What else could he say?

“Hey yourself,” B’Elanna said lightly. “You want to tell us what happened?”

“You were there,”

B’Elanna narrowed her eyes, “I know what you did, Tom. I’m not sure that I know why,”

Tom turned his head to the window, watching the people walking outside and willing his friends away.

B’Elanna put her hand on his chin and forced him to face her again. “Why, Tom? Why have you done this?”

Tom gave a self-depreciating smile, “I guess I decided that the world would be better off without me.”

B’Elanna glared at him, “And what of us? Did you think Harry and I would be better off without you as well? Because I can tell you right now if you’d succeeded I’d of never forgiven myself.”

Tom looked genuinely surprised, “B’Elanna this isn’t your fault!”

“Isn’t it?” she said with a mirthless laugh. “At least Harry tried to visit you, where was I? I should have been there for you.”

“I wouldn’t have let you be.”

“What about now, Tom?” Harry asked. “Will you let us be here for you now?”

“Please Tom,” B’Elanna whispered. “You aren’t alone anymore. You can’t just do whatever you want and have no one be affected by it. We care about you and when you’re hurting it hurts us too…”

Tom couldn’t believe what he was hearing. They cared about him? Why?

They would be so much better off if they’d never known him.

“We need you to be alright Tom,” B’Elanna continued. “You mean so much to us…” B’Elanna broke off as a tear slid down her cheek.

Tom watched her in fascination. B’Elanna never cried. But somehow he’d managed to make her.

“B’Elanna, I’m sorry…” he whispered as he sat up in bed. “I never meant to hurt you I just…”

“But you did hurt me,” B’Elanna choked out. “And I want you to promise me that you won’t ever try anything like this again.”

Tom stared at her. Could he do that? Could he make that promise and keep it?

“Tom, I want you to promise me. Harry and I will help you… we’ll do whatever we have to but you need to promise me. I want your word that you won’t do this again.”

Tom looked at his two best friends in turn. They both looked as bad as he imagined he did. He’d done this to them.

They’d done this to themselves because of how much they cared about him.

They really did care…

“I promise you, B’Elanna… I give you my word.”
 
 

Not much of an ending but at least it’s done with. And I had to give this story my customary happy ending, Tom promised not to hurt himself again and B’Elanna and Harry will help him make a new life for himself. Yea!

I know the endings a little rushed. But what do you expect? I was rushing.