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The lights in sickbay were dimmed to their nighttime setting when Chris entered. Scanning the room he spotted her sitting in the makeshift nursery, holding a small bundle in her arms and gently rocking. Stopping at the room’s doorway, he leaned against the wall and let her soft soprano voice wash over him, soothing away the jagged edges of his day.
Oh little angel, shining light
You"ve set my soul to dreaming
You"ve given back my joy in life
You"ve filled me with new meaning.
A savior king was born that day
A baby just like you
And as the Magi came with gifts
I"ve come with my gift too.
That peace on earth fills up your time
That brotherhood surrounds you
That you may know the warmth of love
And wrap it all around you.
It pleased him that she sang only in their quarters, that it was a special thing she reserved for him, well him and now this newest addition to the ship.
When the lullaby finished, Chris walked over to Aalin, tilted her chin up and kissed her. That told her everything about his mood. He shied away from intimate public displays of affection and with Chris every kiss was intimate.
“It’s midnight,” he whispered.
“You weren’t in the ready room or our quarters,” she answered quietly.
“I was … roaming.”
“Hmmm. I knew you would end up here eventually.”
“Phil said the baby is healthy and strong and her mother is doing well,” Chris said.
“Yes, and her father is alternating between extraordinarily proud, happy, and terrified.”
Enterprise was in month thirteen of waiting out the Klingon war outside of Federation space, held in reserve as a last chance contingency plan should the worst come to pass.
There is a common misconception that pregnancy and childbirth never occur on Starfleet ships. That is wrong, and while the situation is not common neither is it rare. Life finds a way, it happens. As the Federation takes on longer and longer missions further into deep space it is inevitable. Contraceptives fail, a mission is extended by choice or by circumstance and some species cannot push back nor interrupt their reproductive cycles.
Aalin leaned down and brushed her cheek against the baby’s. “Little one, time to meet the man you are named for.” She looked up at her husband. “This is Christina.” At that moment Christina opened her eyes and smiled at Chris, revealing two dimples in her cheeks.
“She’s beautiful,” Chris said softly as he gently placed his hand on top of the baby’s head.
“Yes, do you want to hold her?” Aalin asked.
The mighty Captain of Enterprise paled. “Uh, no. I don’t think so … don’t know how.”
“It’s not difficult. There are only two rules, support her head and neck and don’t drop her.”
“She is content in your arms, and I like watching the two of you,” he answered before sitting on a nearby sofa.
Aalin hummed quietly until Christina fell back into sleep. “There is a rumor you had a transmission from Command,” she said.
Chris sighed. “Yes. No causality lists, but no good news either. The united Klingon houses now control twenty percent of Federation space.”
“That’s … almost inconceivable. Are they calling us back?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. I fear that is a sign Command expects the situation to worsen. I’ll tell the crew tomorrow.” Chris pointed to Christina. “Tonight let’s just focus on this miracle.”
Aalin reached out and clasped his hand.
“Do you ever regret our choices? That it’s unlikely we will have a child of our own?” Chris asked. “You’d be an amazing mother.”
“Regret is too strong a word. Do I think about a different path with you? Here and there, if I am holding a newborn or when we were getting messages from home if I’ve received a note from a friend sharing a funny or touching moment with one of her children. That said, I am happy with us two. Do you think about it?”
“Like you, here and there. These past few months I’ve thought about feeling our baby moving inside you, about who a child of ours might grow up to be.”
She nodded. “It has been very present with two pregnancies on board this past year.”
They lapsed back into silence. Christina woke briefly, stretched her tiny arms, yawned, and gurgled. “My brothers and sisters are quite prolific having taken the commandment be fruitful and multiply seriously. By taking me on you gained a stable full of nieces and nephews.” Aalin"s brow creased slightly, and she shook her head as if disbelieving. “When did my sentences become laced with equine references?” She continued in an amused tone of voice, “The things one picks up when sharing a small living space with another.”
“Being an uncle will be nice and a lot of fun,” Chris replied confidently. “And you did promise to learn to ride my horse when we get leave.”
It felt good to talk about the everyday life all prayed still existed when and if Enterprise returned home.
“This probably sounds … silly? I don’t know …” Chris started.
“Go on.”
“I feel … with the pregnancies and babies on board I feel more pressure to keep us all safe and get us home,” he admitted.
Aalin nestled Christina in her bed and sat beside her husband, lacing her arm through his. She reached up and brushed the hair off his forehead. “Of course. Some of it’s biology, the instinct to protect the next generation.” She smiled at him fondly, “But mostly it’s because you’re an all-around good guy. And I love you very much.”
“I never get tired of hearing those words, nor of saying them to you.” Chris replied with a smile of his own.
Phil walked by and paused, catching a rare glimpse inside the Captain’s private world. Chris and his wife sitting close to one another, her head against his shoulder and an arm twined around his waist. Chris was whispering in her ear. She placed her other hand on his chest and nodded. He smiled down at her. Both looked content.