Tara and Jayson had grabbed dinner at J'nala's cafe. Her fare wasn't fancy, but they had both agreed it was very good. After strolling around the promenade for awhile and talking more, they had found themselves back in her quarters. Though they had not done more than kiss, they did feel the bond between them. Sometimes it was disconcerting and other times it was comforting. Tonight, they sat together on the couch looking through a baby book. Jayson rested his hand on her abdomen to feel Zoe kick and squirm. Each time she did, they both would smile, though Tara would grimace with the strength of some them.
Finally, as the evening grew late, he leaned over, caressed her face and looked into her green eyes. "I should go and let you rest."
"You could stay," Tara offered, with a soft smile.
He smiled and kissed her tenderly. "I would love to..."
"But..." she began for him, feeling it coming, yet keeping her bewitching grin.
He smirked. "But I think maybe, for now, we should take things slower... We need to know if this is what we want..."
She raised her eyebrows. "You have some doubts? Not that I would blame you if you did..."
"No!" he amended quickly, "Not really." He cupped her face and let his fingers run through her light brown hair. "We just need to make sure we're taking everything into account... For Zoe's sake."
"Everything is for Zoe," Tara agreed.
Their eyes met and so much passed between them that needed no words. He leaned forward and took her in a tender kiss. As he finally drew away, he reluctantly got up.
"Is there anything I can get for you or do for you before I leave?" he asked.
"No," she replied still gazing at him.
"Let me know if anything should happen," he said.
"You'll be the first to know," Tara replied. "I'll see you later, Jayson..."
After Jayson left, Tara got ready for bed, and yet she was restless. She found herself sitting on the bed writing an handwritten note. She imagined the note going to her mother... Something she had always wanted to do... Her mother had been such a beautiful woman. When she had died her whole world had crumbled. Everything she had knows had disappeared. Everything that was family died with her... and she wanted her mother. She wanted her to see that she had survived and that she was going to have a beautiful baby girl... That she was going to be a mother herself. Tears came to her eyes as she wrote to her mother about how much she missed her. How much she wished she were there to share this with her... But when she was done with the letter and had folded it up and had put it in an envelope, she suddenly felt a lot better. She slid under the covers to fall asleep...
Only sleep didn't find her! She tossed and turned. She tried to clear her mind. She tried to imagine peaceful images, but still, sleep did not find her.
Then suddenly, she felt something burst and a dampness against her legs. Oh my Lord! she thought I think my water just broke!
"Lights. 50% illumination," she said.
As the lights came on, she sat up and saw the bed completely damp.
"Time to tell the guys..." she said.
Ryan was awakened in his spartan quarters by the chirping of his combadge. He tapped it. "Go ahead," he said groggily.
[Ryan--it's Jayson! Get to Sickbay on the double! This is it!]
Ryan suddenly snapped alert. "You sure? No false labor this time?"
[Absolutely. She just commed me--her water broke. She's probably trying to comm you right now, for that matter.]
"I'm on my way," Ryan said. "Computer--emergency transport to Sickbay," he ordered.
<Unable to comply. Transporter systems offline for routine maintenance between 0200 and 0300 station time.>
Tara was on a biobed with Toren Len beside her. She was nervous as she felt her abdomen contract. They were mild at the moment and she could easily talk through it.
"The contractions are progressing pretty steadily. They're looking good... I think you're looking at having a baby here soon," Toren Len smiled.
"Of course, soon doesn't mean real soon, does it?" she smirked.
He laughed. "Nope, you could be here awhile, but at least you know it'll be worth it!"
Tara smiled brightly as she thought of Zoe in her arms.
Ryan's quarters were unfortunately nowhere near Sickbay. Pulling on his uniform as he left his quarters, he made a dead sprint for the nearest turbolift. He banged on the controls repeatedly. Finally, the door opened and he threw himself inside. "Sickbay," he ordered the turbolift as he gasped for breath.
"In a hurry?" a voice asked. Ryan turned around to discover Tarik, returning from his command deck watch. "Oh--sorry, Colonel. Tarik's having a baby--I mean, Tara's having a baby! I've got to get to Sickbay!"
Tarik chuckled. "Relax, Mr. MacLeod. The turbolift is better than halfway there now."
"Really?" Ryan asked. "This is so much faster than the elevators where I came from! You barely notice it!"
"Inertial dampener technology--it's a wonderful thing!" Tarik said, having some fun with Ryan. Soon the turbolift arrived on the proper deck. "Turn right, and head past four corridor junctions. Be aware that Security enforces a strict speed limit on foot traffic!" he said as Ryan darted out of the car.
Jayson was not having as easy a time. He had to come from three decks above Sickbay, but found most of the turbolift stations closed for maintenance. They would pick this week to do this deck! he swore as he hunted down a Jeffries tube. Entering his Security override, the hatch from the Jeffries tube popped off and he shimmied himself in. Quickly gaining his bearings, he began working his way down to Sickbay. Ten grueling minutes later, he found the appropriate deck, and opened the hatch. He dropped down in Sickbay--specifically, in the exam room where Tara was giving birth. Tara screamed and reflexively pointed her Skryll in Jayson's general direction. "Security--report to Sickbay immediately!" Toren yelled over his combadge, then noticed who the intruder was.
"That was fast!" he said. "I was about to report a--oh."
Ryan tore through the Commerce section, nearly knocking over several maintenance crewmen as he beat a path to Sickbay. He estimated that he'd beaten his old Academy 100-meter dash time as he skidded to a stop at the entrance to the medical facility. Good thing these boots have more traction than you'd think! he thought as he tried to open the door. Locked! He began out of instinct beating on the door when Jayson answered.
"Glad you could make it!" Jayson said, more than a little disheveled from crawling through filthy Jeffries tubes.
"How'd you get here before me?" Ryan asked, not realizing how close Jayson's quarters were to Sickbay.
"Don't worry--I just dropped in a minute ago."
Tara was now breathing a little with the contractions, but they still were not terrible. As she was Jayson bring Ryan over she waved to him and smiled.
"Glad you could make it," she said, "Though I fear we might be waiting awhile. These things do take time the first time around, I'm told," she smirked.
"I'm glad I made it too! For a minute I was beginning to wonder!" Ryan almost shouted with excitement as he took Tara's hand.
"I just can't believe that after all this time, she's finally going to be here... That this is really happening!" Tara smiled.
"300 years, give or take nine months," Ryan laughed as Jayson brought him a glass of water. The exertion from sprinting nearly twice the diameter of the station had rimed his clothes with sweat--something he felt distinctly uncomfortable about. "Did you bring the cigars?" he asked Jayson.
"Nobody smokes in this era," Jayson reminded him.
"So much the loss. We'll have to figure something out."
"How about replicate pink bubblegum cigars," Tara laughed.
"Aren't those bad for your teeth?" Toren Len asked as he measured Tara's dilation.
"You 24th century types take all the joy out of everything!" Ryan teased. "Inertial dampeners, fake booze, no tobacco, holographic hookers--what's left? Not even bubblegum!"
"Maybe we need to hook you up with the Ferengi," Jayson replied. "They could set you up really good--for a price!"
"To hell with that--if their women were halfway decent to look at they'd put clothes on them!"
Tara laughed, but was strained. It was obvious that her most recent contraction was a bit strong.
"Well, so far she's 75% effaced and dialated to almost 3 cenimeters, which means she's actually moving pretty fast here..." Toren Len explained. I'll be back to check on you again in a little while. Do you want anything for pain?" he asked.
Tara thought about it for a moment and then shook her head. "No, I'll tough it out a little longer."
"Okay, when you're ready, just let us know and we'll get you something for it," Len replied.
"All right," she said, "Thanks."
Time ticked on as the contractions grew closer together--and stronger. Tara nearly yanked Ryan's arm out of its socket as she convulsed under the strain. "Toren, I think you'd better get in here!" Jayson yelled. Toren Len rushed in immediately. "What's going on?"
"The contractions--they're getting closer and stronger!" Tara grunted under the strain of yet another contraction.
"I need something now!" she said. "The pain is too much!" She groaned again as he checked her.
"Well you're now 7 centimeters. You're almost there... Sit up for a moment," he said. "Dangle your feet over the side of the bed and hunch your back forward."
In pain, she obliged him, gripping the bed with all her force as a contraction wracked her body. Suddenly she felt the pressure of a hypospray on her lower spine and she heard a hiss. She felt a sting, but then, within a minute, the pain in her abdomen began to fade. She sighed with relief and settled back onto the bed.
"Thank you!! Thank you so much! That feels so much better now!" she replied.
"A few advantages to living in the 24th century as well, Ryan," Toren Len said after administering the hypospray.
"You'll get no arguement from me there," Ryan agreed upon seeing the relief on Tara's face. "How are we coming?"
"Well, she had to reach 10 centimeters. She's at 7. I would say we're rolling right along," Len smiled. "She's really holding up well through all of this," he said as he looked at her.
Tara smiled back, then grimaced as another contraction rolled over her.
"Is there anything we can do to speed this up?" Jayson asked.
Toren Len shook his head. "I'm afraid not. It's safest just to let nature take its course on this one. We try to hurry things along and we could cause more harm than good."
"My, aren't we impatient!" Tara giggled.
Meanwhile, several decks down, Tarik had a stroke of inspiration. He got out of bed, careful not to disturb Kassia, and hurried out to the replicator and placed an order. Then, he got dressed again.
Tara was getting tired. She was thinking about her childhood and her stuffed animals... She didn't know why she was thinking about them, but she wanted to be back there for some reason. As she drifted to sleep in the haze of the medication and the physical exhaustion, she saw herself as a child surrounded by her stuffed animals, dressed up as her mother entered her room. Her mother smiled at her and then pointed to the corner. As Tara looked at the corner of the room, she saw a crib... as she moved toward it she grew older. Just as she peered into it, she was an adult, looking down into the face of a sweet baby girl. Her baby... Zoe... She felt her mother touch her shoulder. She looked at Tara and then she looked at Zoe.
"She's beautiful, sweetheart..." With that she caressed Tara's face and kissed her forehead.
Suddenly, Tara was jarred awake. She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Jayson.
"You okay?" he asked. "It looked like you'd passed out!"
"I... I just feel asleep for a moment," she replied. "I'm a bit sleepy," she laughed, "If you can imagine that. But then suddenly, she felt pressure and a desire to push. "I think you need to call the medic..."
Ryan got Toren Len. "I think she's just about ready. We're at 9.5 centimeters," he announced. "Take a deep breath, Tara..."
"Oh... Len... You had best check me again!!" she said as she was overwhelmed with another urge to push.
As he did he nodded. "Yeah, I think you're there now! 10 cenimeters! Here we go! I want you to take a deep breath, then I want you to push as hard as you can as we all count to ten... Then you are going to take a break until the next contraction and we're going to do this all again... Okay, are you ready? Are you guys ready?" They nodded. As as contraction came he began. "Okay, now! 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10"
She tried once again before the contraction ended and then stopped to catch her breath.
Ryan and Jayson looked at one another. Not entirely sure what to do, each took a hand.
"Come on Tara! You can do it!" Ryan said. Jayson smiled. "It's going to be all right. Just hang in there!"
"Here comes another contraction," Len announced, as Tara felt it build. "Push! That's it, push! 1-2-3-4..."
As the contraction again ended, she took deep breaths. She looked at Jayson and Ryan and squeezed their hands. "Thank you for being here... both of you..."
"You know I wouldn't have had it any other way," Ryan said, patting her arm. "We're just about there!"
After a few more contractions, Len announced, "I can see the head! She's crowning!"
Tara smiled though she could feel the stretching of her body. But she was exhilarated! Her baby was almost here.
"Okay, just a couple more pushes is all it's going to take," Len said. As she felt a contraction building, she used all her force to push. She felt Ryan and Jayson beside her, urging her on, giving her their strength...
"The head is out! One more push and she'll be completely out!" Len said filled with his own excitment.
Just as she pushed she felt her baby slide from her body. Len immedialy placed zoe's crying form on her stomach. Tears misted her eyes as she looked at the little baby with the dark head of hair and the almost-shaped eyes that were so dark in color...
"She's so beautiful..." Tara replied. "I can't believe it..."
"Wait until we clean her up!" Len replied. "Now who wants the honor of cutting the cord?" He asked.
Jayson picked up the laser scalpel, but hesitated. He nodded to Ryan, who came over and placed his hand around Jayson's on the scalpel. Together they cut the cord while Toren Len cinched down the clamp over the remaining stump. Len then handed the baby to a nurse for cleaning. "She is a beauty," Ryan said, with a smile.
"It's really happened..." Tara replied filled with excitement and joy. "Something Zo'or might have had a hand in, but he couldn't take away," she replied as the nurse handed Zoe back to her. She had cried up until being placed in her mother's arms. "It's all right, little one... Everything's all right here... Everyone loves you... And there is no one to hurt you here..." Tenderly she kissed her daughter's forehead. The infant opened her dark eyes curiously and looked at her mother, but in an unfocused way.
Jayson was almost overcome by tears..."She looks just like my cousin did when she was born!" he said. Jayson took the baby's little hand. "Hello, little one! It's so good to see you!" he said quietly as the baby looked around at her surroundings, seeing but not yet understanding. That would come. Ryan, also, went to Zoe. "She is a little doll, isn't she?" he smiled. "And those cheeks!" he exclaimed as he ran his thumb along one of Zoe's cheeks. Zoe turned her head toward Ryan's thumb in response.
"You know, we are her family... Let's not ever forget that, for her sake... From this moment on, let's make it a pact that nothing will ever interfere with that," Tara said. She looked to Ryan and to Jayson, then down to her precious little angel. She wanted to give Zoe everything! The sun, the stars... The galaxy! And in that moment, she knew there wasn't a thing she wouldn't do for her daughter to keep her safe, healthy and happy.
"Absolutely not!" Ryan said, and Jayson nodded. "All for one, one for all!" he continued as he looked down at the new bundle of joy. With that, the two men shook hands. Then, broke into an embrace.
Their communal celebration was broken up momentarily by a new arrival. Tarik had arrived, carrying a large wooden box. "I remembered you had a new bundle of joy on the way and thought I'd bring something to celebrate with."
Jayson looked at the box. "What in the world is that?"
"A tobacco humidor!" Ryan exclaimed. He opened the humidor carefully. "These are Fidels! Genuine Cuban cigars!"
"Not quite genuine," Tarik said. "The replicator removed all the tar and nicotine. These things are as safe as incense." Ryan retrieved an exam glove from the counter and held one of the cigars. "You'd never know. Thanks, Colonel!"
"Anytime. Congratulations, and good luck!" he said, smiling at the baby as well before leaving.
"Plenty of time for these later," Ryan said, closing the humidor. "All the time in the world for this little angel!" he said with a smile on his face as he picked up Zoe and held her for the first time.
Tara smiled in a blissful haze. She was exhausted and very, very happy. As she watched Ryan with Zoe, she felt Jayson's hand take her own. She looked up into his dark eyes. He leaned over and caressed the damp hair from her face.
"I love you... Thank you for being here... Thank you for everything... Thank you... For Zoe..." She was trying to fight off the sleep that was trying to take her, but it was a losing battle. Len had given her something to help with the soreness her body was going to feel. But it also made her sleepy.
"Come on, Ryan, let's let her get some rest," Jayson said. "There's got to be something open at this hour!"
"Oh, bound to be!" Ryan replied as he picked up the humidor. "I'll introduce you to some fine 21st century vices we can share when the womenfolk get too het up!" Both men laughed as they headed out of Sickbay.
Len put Zoe, who was now as asleep as her mother in a bassinet next to Tara's beside. He checked Tara's vitals, then the baby's. Once satisfied that they were fine, he looked at Tara and remembered the day he first met her... How far she'd come since that first day... And as he gazed at baby Zoe, he couldn't help but smile. She was beautiful and healthy. How wouldn't love her, he thought... It almost made him want to have a baby... But he shook his head and laughed. Something told him that he and Danni weren't quite ready. At least he could watch Zoe grow up, he though with a smile.