JP - Lt Jg Araxxu Vahin, Lieutenant JG Madison Marsh, & Commander Alora DeVeau - The Time Has Come Part II
Madison Marsh
((Alora’s Quarters, Denali Station))
Vahin smiled at Marsh’s mention of sea-food. In his experience not all cultures enjoyed sea-food as much as Bolian’s did and he was happy that someone besides himself requested it.
DeVeau: Actually, that sounds good.
Alora enjoyed a rather eclectic palate, and seafood had certainly been a main menu item, especially after her family moved to Japan. There, fresh fish was abundant, and she’d experienced a wide variety of dishes. That experience had only grown exponentially over the years when she was able to enjoy move varied options from many different planets.
Vahin: ::claps his hands together:: That sounds wonderful! I think we have more in common than just being doctors, Doctor Marsh.
Madison nodded her head once accepting the final decision, pivoted off of her back heel, and began heading to her room. She needed to pick out a new outfit, find shoes, and freshen up before they went out on the town. They would only have to wait a few minutes to get ready from her perspective, but sometimes she ended up taking longer than she realised. Her ex-boyfriend used to call her out on taking forever to get dressed to go out on the town. Perhaps he was not completely wrong, but Haukea, her girlfriend, was much more understanding.
Marsh: That sounds like a plan. I will need to get changed real quick and then we could be off to dinner. Be right back!
Vahin looked down at his uniform and was happy to see it was still as clean as when he had put it on. He was grateful he had worn his newly cleaned and pressed uniform.
Changed? Alora thought Madison looked just fine the way she was, but merely chuckled and shook her head.
DeVeau: Perhaps I’d do the same if I didn’t have a basketball for a belly.
Reaching around, Alora pressed her hands against her lower back before arching backward. She’d experienced more discomfort over the last couple of days, but it seemed to have gotten worse over time. She knew it was simply a side effect of pregnancy and things would return to normal once the baby was born.
Vahin: Are you feeling any undue pain Commander?
DeVeau: Just a backache. Baby’s gotten heavier and my back has been complaining the last couple of days.
Vahin began to say something but cut himself short as Marsh returned to the group.
Movement from Maddie’s room caught her attention and she grinned as the woman emerged.
DeVeau: Ready?
Madison smiled at DeVeau and Vahin as she was now in fresh attire to venture outside of Alora’s home. She definitely was looking forward to having a nice night out along with a delicious dinner. Alora typically did well with picking the right places.
Marsh: Ready! Sorry for the slight delay.
DeVeau: Not a problem. Shall we go?
Vahin: Lets!
She perked an eyebrow and shifted her gaze to Alora. Madison had high hopes to eat delicious seafood that evening and naturally wondered the name of the restaurant they would be dining at that evening.
Marsh: What restaurant are we going to dine at together tonight Alora?
DeVeau: It’s a place called The Seacow. Evidently they’re a steak and seafood restaurant, and they’re very good.
Granted, Alora had only been there once, but the meal was excellent and this afforded her the opportunity to go again. Even better, she got to drag Maddie along with her.
Vahin: Ah The Seacow! Great choice Commander. They do a delicious Bolian blue fish, almost as good as what you’d find back home.
Vahin had enjoyed a few solo meals at the aforementioned restaurant and had come away with a full belly and an appreciation for the cook.
Madison nodded her head once and gestured for the door. She was pleased with her company and wanted to replenish her energy further through having a tasty and delightful meal.
Marsh: Quite a name and I’m ready to head there now. I’m quite hungry and ready for a delicious meal. It has been a long, but fortunate day for me being in your company.
DeVeau: Trust me, I’m glad you’re here too.
Alora nudged her friend's arm gently and gave a grin as she headed toward the door with both Araxxu and her guest in two. Once into the lift, she gave the order for the ground floor and leaned against the wall as her back’s complaints got louder.
Vahin couldn’t help but feel heartwarmed as he saw how close Madison and Alora were. When he left Bolarus Vahin had also left behind everyone who he had that close a connection to. Try as he might, he still hadn’t found a friendship like that on Denali.
Vahin: So, Doctor Marsh. How long will Denali be graced with your presence?
Madison quickly glanced at Alora, she may be her friend, but she was also a mentor in Starfleet. Therefore, she expected Alora to send her back to Starbase 118 whether the baby was born or not. However, she would definitely try to stay longer if she could get away with it which was highly unlikely. She shifted her gaze back to Vahin and hesitated a bit in her response.
Marsh: Um, until the baby is born is ideal. I’m here to support Alora fully and fill in where needed.
DeVeau: Madison’s here for a few days. Hopefully the baby will be here before she leaves.
That was her hope. It would be nice to have Madison for the birth, not only because she was a doctor, but because she was a friend.
Vahin knew that DeVeau’s comment was correct. As she was one of the commanding officers under his care he had been paying close attention to her medical appointments and knew that the Commander could be giving birth anytime now.
Vahin: That’s wonderful news, both for Doctor Marsh getting to be here and for the birth of your child.
Madison was disappointed at the prospect of having to return to her assignment prior to Alora giving birth. From her perspective, she felt that she had provided for and been through a lot at Starbase 118 and the USS Narendra. She deserved additional time off in her opinion, but she was still young and was recently promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade. However, Alora heavily out ranked her and she would not challenge her period even though she disagreed. She kind of figured that Alora would pick up on her true feelings about it and they would likely have a talk later on either way.
Marsh: Yes, of course.
DeVeau: We’ll have to make sure you get to see more of the city than just a restaurant, though. The Invitational really spearheaded a growth spurt.
Since then more people had poured into Denali. Although it was nowhere near full, Alora wouldn’t be surprised if statistics showed the population had doubled. She’d have to take a look and see.
DeVeau: It’s been interesting, but also a good thing. I think that was Oddas’ hope, too, that this would help in Denali’s growth and development.
The lift stopped and the doors parted. Pushing against the wall, Alora forced herself to stand and winced as she fairly waddled out of the contraption.
Madison placed her hand on Alora’s back to help provide comfort. She sort of waddled like a penguin on Earth, it looked cute, but felt empathy for the fact that the Commander was uncomfortable.
Vahin saw how difficult walking was for the Commander but thought mentioning anything about it would only make Alora feel embarrassed. He was grateful she had a close friend to help support her during this time.
Marsh: Nice and easy future mom.
Vahin: The Invitational did bring a lot of new people to the city. It also brought a few groups trying to destroy it. ::he chuckles:: But I suppose that’s the price we pay for being on the edges of Federation space.
As they walked through the crowd Vahin tried to not bump into people while also trying to not get separated from the two women he was going to dine with. He pointed in the direction he thought they should be heading.
Vahin: I believe the restaurant is just down here. A right, then a left and we’ll be there in no time. So Commander, if you don’t mind me asking. How are you feeling these days? Is everything going as expected for a human gestation period?
Madison’s eyes darted like a magnet to make direct contact with Alora’s. She shifted her hand back to her side after assisting Alora with loving support. Her head was tilted slightly as she spoke in an uplifting tone and beamed brightly.
Marsh: You look lovely and hopefully there have been no significant issues throughout the process.
DeVeau: Actually, no, thankfully.
She had worried there would be. Currently her medication kept her own condition stable, but careful testing made sure that it didn’t negatively affect the baby. All in all, her pregnancy had gone not only smoothly, but easily, the worst aspect simply the fatigue which had plagued her in the first trimester - and to some extent, the third.
Vahin: I’m glad to hear that. This is the first human birth I’ve ever seen so you’ll have to forgive my excitement.
Madison was shocked that Vahin had never seen a human birth before. However, there were several other fields in medicine and he may not be originally from Earth considering he was a Bolian. She may have been Centauran, but spent most of her life on Earth, so she had plenty of opportunities to be a part of human births. She witnessed several at Starfleet Medical throughout her time there as a student.
Marsh: You’ll never forget your first time either.
DeVeau: I’m sure I won’t!
Alora chuckled.
As they continue to walk towards the restaurant Vahin points out some of the places they pass.
Vahin: That’s a good place to buy fresh produce. They grow it in a warehouse near the docks. Oh and there’s a lovely plant store down that street. It’s called, This Side of Paradise. It’s where I bought your child’s gift. The owner can be a bit gruff but he knows his plants.
oO A bit gruff is an understatement. Oo
Madison looked over the plant store and liked the name of it. She instantly recalled that her welcoming gift to Starbase 118 was a plant from Alora. The plant was still alive and well cared for in her quarters. She assigned her girlfriend Haukea to water it daily to ensure that there were no issues when she returned home. She grinned over at Alora as she could not resist reminding her of the wonder gift that she had provided.
Marsh: Speaking of plants, the one you gifted to me continues to flourish in my quarters on Ops.
Vahin smiled as he heard the other doctor mention that Alora had gifted her a plant. It was good to know that his gift was in keeping with something the Commander also enjoyed.
DeVeau: Oh good! I’m glad to hear that!
Normally, Alora handed out such gifts to her fellow officers, especially when she originally met them. Although she had done that a little on Denali, she’d gotten out of the habit, and realised that she should get back into it. Occasionally, people declined, but usually, they accepted, and it was a good way to open a door for conversation.
They continued to walk through the Denali market until finally Vahin abruptly stopped in front of a building, its sign read, The Seacow.
Vahin: Ah! We’ve arrived. I hope we’re able to get a table.
The Seacow appeared to be extremely busy and there would definitely be at least a minor wait time prior to being seated. Madison shifted her gaze to her party and provided a suggestion.
Marsh: We can go inside and I’ll check on the wait time. Does that sound good or did you want to try somewhere else?
DeVeau: No, this is fine, I think we’ll have to wait a bit no matter where we go.
Frankly, Alora’s back had increased its complaints. With the baby getting bigger, she’d been having more aches, but today it was particularly bad, and she would simply be glad to take a seat and get off of her feet for a little while.
Vahin couldn’t help but notice Alora’s face wince as she moved. It was obvious to the doctor that she was in some pain. He gave her a worrying look.
Vahin: It shouldn’t take long. We remind them the Commander of the station is here if the wait is too long.
She nodded her head once in acknowledgement as she was completely fine with eating wherever. Madison did prefer the seafood, but it would not have been the end of the world if she had to eat elsewhere.
Marsh: That works for me.
DeVeau: I’m fine with it.
The Braxton Hicks contractions had also started a couple months prior, and lately had been getting more common and more intense. Once, they had even left her breathless and she’d called in to see if she was in labour, only to find out it was simply a normal part of the process. Now, one chose that moment to pounce and Alora wound up leaning against the wall to help ease the discomfort.
As he saw more discomfort in Alora’s face Vahin went to say something to her but was cut off as Marsh spoke to him.
Vahin: Commander, are you sure…
Madison pivoted off of her back heel slightly to face Vahin and addressed him accordingly. Someone would have to book the table and she certainly was not having Alora do the task. She had enough to worry about being pregnant.
Marsh: Alright, so one of us can go put the name down and the other can entertain this lovely lady. What would you prefer? I’m happy to do either option.
DeVeau: Actually, if we could find a place to sit down…
She trailed off, hoping the wave of discomfort would pass and glanced around, searching for a free bench upon which she could perch.
A look of concern was evident on Madison’s face as she studied Alora’s mannerisms. She pondered in thought for a moment trying to determine what it could be. She needed more information first and spoke in a calm manner.
Marsh: It looks like you need medical attention Alora. Luckily you have the two of us here with you. What are your symptoms?
Vahin: ::in excited but worried tones:: Wait, are contractions happening? Is the human offspring coming? We need water…no sorry that’s Bolians. What do we need?
Vahin realised he was in over his head with the arrival of Alora’s child. Obstetrics was not something he studied much at the Academy and so as he looked over at Dr Marsh with a helpless look on his face he thought about how grateful he was that she was here.
DeVeau: No, just my back’s been acting up today, and now I’ve got those practice contractions going. I’m fine.
Truthfully, having both at the same time was really annoying, but sitting would help enormously.
She helped guide Alora carefully to a nearby bench and set her down slowly to ensure that she was as comfortable as possible, a difficult task considering that her back was hurting and her stomach was as hard as a rock. Sighing, the pregnant woman told her companions how she was feeling, but honestly, weren’t back problems and braxton hicks contractions normal? SHe’d been having them on and off for a while. After listening to Alora describe her symptoms, Madison knew almost immediately that Alora was likely going into labor and that they would need to get her to a hospital as soon as possible.
Marsh: You are going into labor and we need to get you to a hospital. Dr. Vahin, could you please call in an emergency transport? It’s almost time to meet the little one.
Vahin breathed a sigh of relief as Dr Marsh took control of the situation. As he heard her order for the transport all the confusion and fear left him and he acted without hesitation.
Vahin: Yes Dr Marsh. ::he taps his combadge:: Dr Vahin here, three at my location for transport to the clinic.
He looked back towards Alora with a caring, if not slightly worried, look on his face as he waited for the familiar feeling of dematerialisation to occur.
Alora twisted her mouth cynically, but elected to simply go along with her friends. If it was a false alarm, then they could pick up where they left off. Little did she know that in a couple of hours, she would have to concede that she was indeed in labour, and prepare for one of the biggest changes in her life.
*****************
Lt Jg Araxxu Vahin
Medical
Denali Station
D240006AV3
&
Lieutenant JG Madison Marsh
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
Starbase 118 Ops
ID: O240006MM1
&
Commander Alora DeVeau
Chief Science Officer &
Second Officer
Denali Station
&
Matriarch of the 15th House
Betazed
M239008AD0
--
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
Starbase 118 Ops
ID: O240006MM1
