First things first - not necessarily in that order

Nick entered sickbay and went to check on Jovis to make sure she was resting comfortably. He watched the readouts and everything appeared to be progressing on schedule. He changed her medication schedule as she didn’t seem to be in much pain and after taking some fresh tricorder readings he found the bones were knitting quite well. She would probably be up by late tomorrow. He talked with her for a few minutes and let her know how things were going.

Now to the more complex ankle reconstruction. While regenerators were great for simple fractures, the more complex the break the less effective it became. He sometimes felt as though he were putting puzzles together and in a sense he was. He sat at one of the stations and studied the scans to prepare for the actual surgery.

Then he heard Phoebe in her office Mint Tea Hot,” so getting up he walked around the corner and crossing his arms leaned against the door frame.

“Not quite what I had in mind. But at least it smells nice.”

“Yeah” he said “that’s happening all over the ship. I talked to an engineer earlier and I think he went to work on it.” He laughed remembering his conversation in 10 Forward. “Our new Chief of Science ordered Chicken noodle soup and a glass of water. She came back with a Glass of noodle soup and a bowl of water.” He grinned at her. She looked awfully tired. They all were, it had been a hell of a few days. He’d lost track of the last time he’d gotten a full 8 hours.

“Have you slept?” he asked.

Tag Phoebe

To say that sickbay had calmed down since his departure was an understatement. The place was practically deserted now and the patients who remained were resting peacefully or chatting with others within the ward. The nurses were making their rounds. Some threw him smiles, relief written all over their faces as they moved from patient to patient administering PRN medications to those who asked for them. It looked as if everything was taken care of for the most part so he carried on to the commander's office.

Hopefully this meeting wasn't called to reprimand him for his absence in sickbay just now. He'd left the place in capable hands. If asked about his priorities he'd quickly do the same. His wife and child came first, though his job as Assistant Chief was a close second.

He could hear chatter within the room as soon as he reached the door. Smoothing down the front of his uniform he stepped inside. "Hello Phoebe..." He said beaming at her before he realized someone else was in the room as well. His grin widened. "Nicholas," he said smiling warmly at them both." He gripped the back of his empty chair and moved around it to take a seat.

"I hope I haven't missed anything...er, important." He sat down. Nicholas looked fairly relaxed for a man being reprimanded so he quickly tossed that idea aside. Maybe this was a staff meeting. It that was the case he'd love to discuss his future schedule in respects to his child being born. He didn't plan on simply ignoring his responsibilities, but some allowances would have to be made for at least the first week after birth. He had never been in this position before so he wasn't sure how these things worked. He would let Phoebe decide. She was usually the voice of reason in situations like this.

Tag: Phoebe, Nicholas

"Ahh the daddy arrives! How much longer?"

Travis patted his stomach as if he were the pregnant one and looked toward the ceiling as if seriously contemplating an answer. "About a month, give or take a few days." He said chuckling. He winked at Nicholas and then said seriously. "Any day now. We're just waiting on her to decide when."

Waiting! More like panicking and wondering if something was wrong. Since they were on the topic of his child he may as well get his worries off his chest. He wouldn't be able to give this meeting his full attention if he didn't.

"By the way. I'd like to bring Lizzie in for a quick check up later today. She got a bit banged up, nothing too bad, but I want to make sure she and the baby are alright. She's resting right now and I don't think anything is wrong, but I'd like to be sure." He looked at Nicholas and then at Phoebe. "I'd rather one of you did that...." He let his words drift as he shifted back into his seat.

Though he was sure there were other capable medical staff on board he trusted these two the most. They'd been to hell and back with each other and if anything was wrong they'd be the first to figure it out and do something about it. He'd never relied so heavily on other people before. Lizzie was his wife so he wasn't allowed to monitor her on his own. If it couldn't be him he'd rather it be the two people sitting before him.

Tag: Both

//Priority Message: We have a Lieutenant in the sickbay with a back injury. Initial assessment has been performed, but a Doctor is needed to clear treatment. - Ensign A. Sommer. Nurse//

When Phoebe left to take care of the patient he smiled. It had been awhile since she'd been able to just be a doctor. He neither desire nor expected the kind of responsibility that had been thrust on her.

He'd been uncomfortable with her praise. She was the one who deserved it far more then he did. He admired and respected her more now than he had in the past if that was possible. She'd done an amazing job of pulling the whole ship together just to get them back to Sol system.

He and Travis had just repaired what came their way. He did know how to do that. He looked at Travis who still seemed a little worried.

"You know" he started, leaning forward he said "With Phoebe attending a patient, if you're really worried about Lizzie, go get her and I'll take a look right now. Just to set your mind at rest."

Tag Travis

When Lizzie awoke she received Travis' message. She smiled as she read it. A doting husband. It actually made her feel good to know that someone was looking out for her.

Scooting off the bed, she quickly donned one of her more comfortable outfits. Lizzie made her way out of their quarters, planning to head towards the nearest turbolift. As she approached it, a member of the crew called out, "The turbolifts are down. Best use the ladders and jeffries tubes."

"What?" Lizzie grumbled, reaching a hand down to rub over her stomach. She was going to have to climb to get to sickbay. "Great, just great," she muttered as she hefted her extra weight to get moving again. For a moment Lizzie considered sending Travis a message to tell him she didn't think she should come at the moment, but she pushed that thought aside. If everyone else could make it through the decks without turbolifts, then so could she. And who knew how long it would take to get the lifts back up and running.

------

Quite a bit longer than she had expected, Lizzie emerged on Deck 12 she was breathing heavy and feeling fatter than she had ever felt before.

"You know what little one," she grumbled as she leaned against a wall and swiped at the sweat on her forehead, "you are sure making life difficult on mommy here." Lizzie pushed off from the wall and grimaced slightly as a cramp seemed to spread across her stomach area.

"Too much climbing," she muttered through gritted teeth. After the contraction passed, Lizzie began to waddle slowly down the corridor. She'd be in sickbay soon, but first, she'd sit down and rest a bit. Lizzie looked for the nearest crew lounge and headed inside to rest. Sinking down on the nice comfy sofa, she let out a sigh of relief. Leaning her head back against the cushioned chair, she closed her eyes..."just for a minute," she mumbled to noone. Her body soon relaxed and she was asleep once again.

Tag Any
No need to come get her, she will find her way to sickbay soon enough!

Lizzie awoke with a start as she felt her abdomen ripple with tension. A slight moan escaped her, but seeing as she was alone in the crew lounge no one heard her. It took a few minutes for her to recall what she was doing and where she was, but everything quickly rushed back to her. Sickbay. She was going to sickbay because Travis wanted her to be checked.

Honestly, aside from her sore shoulder and the slightly increased tension and what she felt must be more Braxton Hicks contractions, Lizzie was just fine. She heaved herself out of the comfortable chair, holding onto the arm a bit longer than necessary to steady herself. More pressure seemed to be gathering in her mid-section.

"I just did too much today." She said, while she rubbed her hand over the extended area. "You, little one, had better stay put. I'm not quite ready for you yet." Lizzie moved forward, but then let out a low groan as she felt another sharp pain in her lower abdomen. "Oh, no you don't. You stop that right now." She took a few quick, deep breaths to try and calm the feelings that were sweeping through her body. After a few moments the feeling did pass.

"That's better, young lady," Lizzie said as she gazed down at her unborn child. "No need to rush things." Finally, Lizzie made it out of the crew lounge. She blinked a few times to help re-orient herself before she turned right and headed towards main sickbay. She hadn't gotten far when she let out a small gasp, one hand clutching her stomach.

Suddenly a crewmember noting her hunched over position and look of distress, approached. "Ma'am do you need help?" He inquired.

Biting down on her lip against the pressure she felt, Lizzie nodded. "I'm going to sickbay."

The crewman's eyes darted to her stomach and then quickly back up to her face. "I'll help you." He gently wrapped an arm around her back and one under her for support. "It's not far now. Looks like you made it most of the way on your own, though perhaps..." Lizzie threw him a don't even go there look and the young crewmen stopped talking and tried to move them along faster.

"Here we are. See it wasn't...." The crewman stopped again at the look she sent his way and quickly moved forward so the doors would slide open.

"I think we need some help over here!" He called out as they stood in the doorway to sickbay. "This lady looks like she's going to have a baby!"

It was at that exact moment that Lizzie felt as though she had turned into a damn waterfall. The feeling of liquid literally gushing from between her legs nearly overwhelmed her as she felt a deep, intense pressure in her lower back.

Tag Any