Posted by Ensign Chloe Harland (Nurse) in Happy Thanksgiving and Welcome to the Family…Baby Harland
SNip

“So can I help you with anything,” Tiffany said coming to the door and sparing a side glance at Nathan before looking at Chloe. It did not take a doctor to see that Chloe seemed to be distracted and it was obvious that that something was.

“Sure take the corn and potatoes in,” she handed the bowls to Nathan’s ex tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. Glancing back at Nathan almost nervously, she leaned in to whisper something to Chloe. “I think you need to follow me in the next room.” The secretive nature of Tiffany’s eye gaze and the low tone of her voice put Chloe on edge along with the next sentence she uttered. “Oh I know you are just about to serve dinner but our dad is asking if he can get more coffee,” Tiffany said to Nathan. “Cream no sugar,” she stated as if Nathan had no idea. “and he hoped you make a small side of that jumbayla you are so famous for. You know the one you that night in high school that gave the choir indigestion because of their weak constitutions.” The way Tiffany laughed showed it was a happy memory between them before she ushered Chloe out of the kitchen.

“Wait… no… I don’t have time for this do you not see us working?” Nathan said with a puzzled look as he picked up the bowl of green bean casserole that had been laid out for him as he shook his head as he watched the pair leave.

Chloe could not do much but follow the woman out of the kitchen. “Did you just say our,” she looked at Tiffany before feeling the woman point across the room as Mara let out a sharp squeal followed by a loud woof. Chloe’s mouth dropped open as she watched a huge Great Dane puppy take out Mara and begin to slather her with kisses.

“Who brought the dog,” her eyes widened as Logan exited the kitchen and made a beeline towards the large puppy knocking over random things with his tail as if he were a Scotsman doing the highland charge. As if knowing they were talking about him, the overactive puppy came bounding at Chloe. It was not hard to miss the large bow around his neck and the shiny collar that said Harland.

Chloe

“Daddy…Daddy…we gots us a puppy,” Mara pushed the dog off her and began to run towards Nate exiting the kitchen with a steaming casserole dish. “I wanna name him Scooby,” she screamed running full speed across the room. If she was going to get a chance to name him, she had to get to her Daddy before Logan. Part of her felt bad for a second that Logan wouldn’t talk but all was fair in love and the naming of the new dog.

Oh we get to run. I love to run the puppy said as he ran towards the small girl. He had no idea where he was running but it felt good to stretch his legs. It was also fun dodging the people. This place was going to be so much fun. Far better than the small crate he often was relegated to because of what Jen called counter surfing. It was so confusing as to why the hairless ones could set their food on small tables but he was not able to eat the same way all the time. His food was on a small table with his name on it and everything. Since he never saw a name on the coffee table or end table it only made sense that it was free to whoever got to it first. Sparing a side glance at the huge table to the right, he thought about checking it out but right now the little one with the pigtails was far more fun to chase.

“Mara, care,” Chloe’s voice trailed off as Mara blew past her followed but a large, brown bemouth. The space was so small and with so many people there was not a lot of room to maneuver as Mara in her blind fury hip check Chloe at the knees with all the grace and beauty of tight end like on the holovision.

Nathan came out as he saw the dog as it became to circle all around him as he paused to not hit the animal. “What… who let this beast in?” Nathan said as he began to navigate past Tiffany and his wife that had suddenly seemed to think it was a good place to stop in the middle of the road as his Uncle used to say.

“Daddy I wuv him. He wuvs me. He neeeeeeeeeeeeds me,” Mara slammed into his legs right at the knee not caring what her dad was doing or carrying. Grabbing a fist full of his cargo pants, she pulled hard trying to climb up him to look at his face. It was the only way Mara was sure he was paying attention to her. It was a character flaw she had retained from earlier as she grew. Of all the Harland children, only Mara had taken to yanking on Nate’s legs or pants to gain his attention. When she was two it was cute. Now that she was getting bigger, it was becoming more problematic especially when he was in athletic shorts or pants without a belt.

“One second Mara baby girl…” Nathan said as he looked down at his daughter with a small smile that quickly vanished. He didn’t have time and felt like everything was going way too fast for him to process everything at once. “Who’s dog is this?” Nathan grumbled as he couldn’t even figure out where the puppy showed up from. This gave Nathan flashbacks to how he met Chloe, well for the second of three times. In their tumultuous romance, there had been three major events, shrouded in mystery, that had defined them.

The first was a winter ball, where Nathan had played a gig with his band as a senior in a rival High School of where Chloe went to. Nathan had broken up with his girlfriend in the middle of the set, which leads Nathan to find a masked Chloe sitting lonely in a corner. Neither of them could see each other’s face, as they sat and talked before Nathan was hauled off to jail for smashing the trophy case in a fit of rage at his ex. Unbeknownst to them, this began their romance as Chloe kissed Nathan as he left before either could tell each other anything about themselves.

The next event though, had the pair once again unaware of the other as they wrote challenges for each other during a Christmas break while they both were in Starfleet. In one part of the challenge, Nathan was dared by Chloe to go to an animal shelter and get all of the dogs, most of whom had issues of one kind or another, new homes. This had been an adventure on its own but despite everything, it ended with neither of them knowing who each other was till many months later as Nathan pieced all of it together as they graduated from the Academy.

Moving next to Chloe he tried to get into the dining room just as the dog decided it was the right time to run through his legs as Nathan began to lose balance.

White bowl…white bowl…white bowl. Dinner time, the puppy barked feeling a sense of euphoria. Play, dinner, and the promise of a warm bed to stretch his legs and sleep away a full belly: this was the best home ever. God it smells good ....dad....I can call you dad right, the puppy looked up and up and up. Wow you are so tall. No wonder why she is trying to climb you like Boris the cat climbs a tree. Lemme help you Mara, the puppy said pushing his way forward and between the man’s legs so that Mara could get a boost up.

“Nathan,” Chloe reached out clasping a hand around Nate’s forearm trying to help him stay upright. A sharp bolt of pain ricocheted through her body and Chloe dug her nails into her arm. Not now. Not now, she said silently putting a hand below her belly as she held her breath while simultaneously trying to breathe through the contraction. Unfortunately for Chloe, there was no going back at this point.

“Woah … wahhh.” Nathan said as he tried to keep himself upright before he began to regain balance.

A loud piercing squeal added to the cacophony as the puppy felt a weight slowly lowering on him. Dad…dad I can’t hold…you, he squealed out in a panic as the large man holding his dish began to tetter and wobble. Don’t move…I got it. I can…get....it, the puppy lept forward attempting to get behind him to push Nate upright. The problem was his new found father was not cooperating and was going to fall on him if he was not careful. It was then he felt a watery substance below his feet.

“That was close…” he Nathan said as he winked at Chloe as he took the next step as his feet hit the puddle that now laid under him as his legs went flying out from under him as he began what Chloe often described as all limbs. As if it was a symphony of diaster the casserole began to fly out into the air as beans and onions began to splatter on the wall behind them as Nathan hit the floor at a force that some could have sworn they heard cracking.

“Oh my god,” Jen yelled flying up and moving towards the chaos of Nate sprawled out on the floor.

“Ole,” Dax screamed throwing his hands into the air like a touch down. “Its what we say when we drop something at the restaurant we work at,” he mentioned to Molly. Rolling her eyes she moved from the couch along with her grandma to help her uncle. “Molly…babe does this mean dinner is gonna be late?”

“Nathan....are you okay,” Chloe asked not helping as she fought back trying to show how close the contractions were now.

“I’m fine…” Nathan said as he began to try to get back up, but found the puddle was all around him.

“Oh my god the puppy piddled,” Jen’s face corkscrewed into a scowl.

Woman I would never, the puppy looked at her in disgust as his tongue slipped out of his mouth and licked a mushroom soup green bean off the wall. I have…stan…dards, he slurped up another one and chewed as he talked. While I am a canine I am not an animal. Why would I piddle and make my father wallow around in it like…god what is this, he chomped more licking more and more off the walls and floor. It was a pity that the long limbed man had not placed the dish on the floor yet there was not reason to waste this scrumdiddilious dinner.

“Are you sure,” Dax asked leaning over the couch and shoving a chip into his mouth as he watched the event with rapt fascination. “Looks like puppy pee.”

“No… it’s not dog urine… it’s.” Nathan paused as he put his finger in the liquid as he put it to his lips as his eyes got wide. “It’s amniotic fluid…” Nathan said with a wide expression as he looked up at Chloe.

Chloe continued to breathe through pursed lips not able to answer as the contractions were becoming closer now with her water broken. Holding up a finger she timed the contraction in her head. “We…are good. Plenty of…tie,” she took another deep breath and started to count slowly down from ten. This wasn’t her first baby so Chloe knew the routine. Reaching forward she stuck out her hand trying to help Nate up. If she could just make it appear like things were normal, everyone would believe it. That was her job as a nurse. To convince everyone of the reality she needed to project.

“Molly if this is a family thing.... I am not doing that when you have a baby,” Dax spun around on the couch and began to watch the game dipping another chip into the guacamole as his eyes stayed glued to the game on the Holovision.

“Sweetheart are you okay,” Jen asked completely ignoring her son-in-law as she pulled Chloe’s extended hand from Nate to her. “You look like you need to sit down. Drew,” she yelled out, “get Chloe a chair.”

The contractions were coming close to two minutes apart so the crest of the contraction just bled into the trough. A thin sheen of sweat was covering her forehead and her breathing was shorter and faster than normal.

“Baby?” Nathan said as he began to try to get up but slipped back down twice more before he finally regained his composure and uprightness as he looked at Chloe with a piercing gaze that seemed to contrast the fact he was covered in filth and baby fluid. “Why didn’t you say anything?” he said as he looked around.

“Because it is dinner time,” she licked her lips slowly. Chloe paused to take a breath and brush a lock of damp hair behind her ear. “I just need a second. All the excitement and these Braxton Hicks,” she avoided all eye contact with her husband. “Logan if you can get everyone to the table.”

“Okay okay… Logan, get Mommy’s bag, you know the one by our bed… Molly, you got the kids…” Nathan paused as he looked around, he had a house of potential babysitters this time. They had run drills and it always had Molly watching the kids as Nathan and Chloe head to the hospital. “Or anyone can watch them I don’t care at this point just we need to get to sickbay.”

Harland, CNS

“You don’t think they are Braxton Hicks?” Jen looked at Nathan with a furrowed brow. “Chloe is in labor? Chloe is in labor!” she repeated her sentence. “How did you not know this? Is it because you aren’t practicing anymore?” Placing her hand on Chloe’s back, Jen began to rub it gently. “Drew bring the care around. We need to get to the hospital.”

“Mom, we are on a starbase. There is no car and I am not in labor,” Chloe pushed her mother’s hand off her forcefully. “Everyone go sit and eat. If you want to help Mom get me my Sertraline. I just missed my last dose which is why I.....” Chloe stopped speaking as she pushed through the contraction. “Meredith if you can get the rolls and Dad get ready to say grace.” Chloe fought the urge to break down. She had to keep this together. She had kept things together for so long. It was an exhausting and anxiety-producing job but there were worse things in life. She had lived it once. Chloe vowed never to do it again. Seeing everyone just staring at her, Chloe let out a groan. “Meredith get the darn rolls,” she snapped holding her breath through a contraction.

“Uncle Nate,” Molly walked up to him looking concerned. While she was sixteen and growing up fast, the look she gave him showed her age. Molly was sixteen and scared. This was not like the drills they practiced.

“It’s okay Mol dear… we just need to get her to sickbay,” Nathan said as he moved to their bedroom. In their closest, he had kept folded up an older item but perfect for the emergency of this nature as he began to unfold the wheelchair as he put it out for her.

“Nathan,” Chloe looked up at her husband. Her hands and body were starting to tremble as the strength of the contractions began to increase. “Nathan?” She felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. The world blotted out and the sounds of the room turned to white noise. They were the best team. They always had been. Nothing had been able to separate or stop them except that fateful day in January or maybe a day in November.

All eyes turned to settle on Nathan for answers.

Chloe

“Sit… now.” Nathan said as he waited for her to sit down as Logan came in with the bag for Nathan as he took it and wrapped it around his chest as he knelled down in front of Logan. “I love you, buddy, take care of your sister and cousin. You are in charge of the house…” he said with a small wink as he turned around as Chloe got down in the chair. “Alright, out of our way unless you want to be run overcome on let’s get out of here.”

Few Moments Later

Sickbay wasn’t very busy, but his comm call on the way had alerted them of the emergency as he rolled Nathan in as he began to take a deep breath as he tried to calm his mind. You’ve done this three times before, it’s not a big deal. Nathan tried to tell himself, knowing that meant little. This was different, with Maddie… and the divorce, their lives were different even as they tried to get it back to normal.

Harland, CNS