Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the TV series, The Last Ship.
This story follows after my previous two, Promises and Cravings.
Gifts
By
N. J. Borba
She moved at a swift pace, weaving her way through the ship.
"Slow down, speedy," Danny admonished, having to actually quicken his stride to keep up with her, "You're going to have this baby in the passageway if you don't cool it." He took her right hand, trying to get her to do as he'd suggested and slow down.
"This baby of yours in already twenty-four hours overdue," Kara responded a bit grouchily, "I don't think it's in any hurry. Stubborn, just likes its father," she mumbled.
He chuckled softly, having clearly heard her comment. "I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one passing on my stubbornness gene to this baby of ours," he stressed. "His mama is plenty stubborn. Volunteering for crazy missions and lab rat testing – willingly being injected with the most deadly virus the planet has ever known."
"Without that testing we could all be dead right now," Kara protested.
Danny winced, "True," he attested, "So our baby will be stubborn, but brave," the amended statement was filled with pride, "And I like how he's always suddenly just my baby when you're uncomfortable… as if you had nothing to do with how he came into existence," Danny teased.
Kara frowned, shooing away his helping hand, "My theory is, the more I walk the more likely I am to trigger labor. Because laying around and having my over-protective boyfriend rub my belly is nice and all, but I want this kid out. I want it out as of yesterday," she grumbled.
"So we can see him and hold him and kiss him, right?"
"So I can feel like my body belongs to me again," Kara remarked as she noticed the slightly hurt look in Danny's kind eyes. "Of course so we can see him, or her," she admitted, "I want that more than anything. I'm just really tired of this gestating stuff at the moment."
"Pretty sure your body is still going to be all about taking care of the baby for a while after you give birth," Danny noted with caution, testing the waters. "You know, since we have nothing resembling formula on this ship. You'll be the one feeding him, or her."
Kara actually smiled. "I don't mind that. I just want it out of my body."
"Who do you think he'll look like?" Danny wondered, not for the first time. "Like me or you, or… shoot… what if he's got my great uncle Stew's crooked nose or something?"
She chuckled, "Dr. Scott said babies typically look like their fathers when they're first born. Some sort of genetic preservation thing so the dad knows for sure it's his kid, even though it didn't come out of his body like it does the mother. Apparently its nature's way of ensuring the father sticks around and supports the baby. Although, that theory has failed to account for the countless number of deadbeat dads around the globe."
"Hey, Kara…" he stopped her, gently taking both her hands as they faced one another, "Whoever this baby comes out looking like - you, me, or uncle Stew… I will be his father and I'll take care of him, always. I'm not going anywhere," he reiterated a point he'd made months ago.
Her smile returned, "I know."
They resumed their walk, but slowed down a little. "I hope he's born today, Christmas Eve," Danny said. "I know Christmas is your favorite holiday. Remember that Christmas you told me about when it snowed so much in Kansas that you couldn't leave the house for days?" Danny recalled. "That sounds nice, snuggling up by a fire in a snow storm with your family."
"It was nice, except the pipes froze so we had no hot water. And my grandfather started to smell like a mangy bear after about three days without a bath," Kara remembered fondly.
"Made you tough, right?" Danny guessed, "That's what I want for our baby. I want him to have experiences like that. Good memories of Christmas and spending time with family."
"You keep saying he and him a lot," she pointed out.
"Do I?" Danny shrugged, "Sorry," he directed her to take a right at the next junction.
"This is a dead end to the officer's lounge," Kara tried to protest. "I want to keep walking."
"Come on, let's just take a short break," he insisted, "I'm hungry and thirsty. We'll sit down for a half hour, tops, and then we'll resume the super-fast Kara Foster labor-inducing baby march. I promise," Danny held up his hand, two fingers held together, "Scouts honor."
Her head shook, eyes rolling as she swatted his hand down, "You were never a scout," Kara stated.
"You know me too well," Danny opened the hatch and held it for her.
She'd barely stepped inside when a chorus of, "Surprise!" rang throughout the lounge.
Kara's mouth hung open a moment, truly shocked by the surprise of seeing her shipmates gathered, even the Captain was there. And she spotted something on a nearby table that really was surprising, "Is that cake?" she moved quickly toward it, running her finger along the frosted edge. Kara didn't care who was watching as she licked her finger and savored the slightly tangy, citrusy frosting. She turned to see Danny grinning, "You did this?"
He nodded, "Guilty."
"And there are gifts," Tex announced as he stepped forward and held a package out to Kara.
She looked at the item, noticing the old newspaper wrapping. "Tex, no… I don't have any gifts for you all. I didn't know we were having a Christmas party."
Garnett gave Kara a tender pat on the back, "This is actually a baby shower, so the gifts are all for you and the baby."
"You planned a baby shower for the day after my due date?" Kara asked Danny.
He shrugged, "Dr. Scott said first babies are usually overdue, and we had some last minute details to, uh… hammer out."
"Come on, open it," Tex waved the gift under her nose, "I hope you like it."
Feeling much more grateful than she could ever convey, Kara took the package from the man who she'd come to think of affectionately as an uncle - a goofy, but very sweet uncle. She moved over to the sofa and sat down. Kara finally tore into the package with the sort of glee she'd had on Christmas morning as a little girl. She found a simple wooden box; rustic looking with what she suspected might be hand carvings along the top - a scrolling ivy pattern. "Tex, did you make this?"
"Not exactly," the man shrugged, "I found the box at a little shop, but I did try my hand at the carving. Open it up," Tex encouraged.
Kara needed no further prodding and did as he suggested. The lid stayed open on its own. And a small ballerina dressed in a yellow tutu spun in the center of the open box as a soft tune played. Kara recognized it instantly as: twinkle, twinkle little star. She remembered telling Tex about her grandfather making a similar music box for her when she'd been ten years old. She clutched the box as she stood and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Thank you," Kara whispered, trying to keep tears at bay.
"You're welcome, darlin'," Tex drawled, feeling a bit emotional himself. "Figured a little twinkle, twinkle little star could help at bedtime," he grinned, glancing down at her heavily pregnant belly, "Always worked a charm on me when I was a boy," Tex winked as he took a step back. "There's more to open here, girl," he waved a hand at the gifts, "Get to it."
She took her time opening the gifts, each one as equally thoughtful as Tex's. And some, like the cloth diapers, were very practical.
"We have a dedicated wash system for the baby diapers," someone announced, "Any time you need a clean batch, you'll have them at the ready."
Kara unfolded what she thought was just a flannel blanket, but turned out to be a baby-sized quilt with flannel backing.
"I gathered all the bits of fabric from folks around the ship," Garnett explained, "There are several swatches from old uniforms. Other pieces came from personal things we have from home. A few squares are newer cloth from that stop in Australia. Jade Morley who works with me down in engineering sewed them all together, her grandmother taught her to quilt at a young age. It's a scrap quilt, a memory quilt. For the baby's crib."
"Except we don't have a crib," Danny pointed out, "Poor baby is going to be sleeping in a drawer."
"It doesn't matter," Kara shook her head as she leaned back against the sofa and placed the quilt over her bulging stomach, "This baby is going to be very loved - is already very loved," she corrected, looking to all her friends, "It won't mind where it sleeps."
A sly smile crept across Danny's face as he took her hand. "So maybe you don't want to see my other surprise for you?"
"You mean the cake?" she pointed across the room, "I've already seen it and can't wait for a slice, or three… best gift ever for a pregnant lady who has only seemed to crave bread and cake her entire pregnancy," Kara rubbed her belly as she stood with Danny's helping hands to pry her off the sofa.
"No, I don't mean the cake," Danny laughed at her one track mind. He allowed her to eat cake and enjoy the shower for a while longer, but he finally grew anxious. "I really do have another surprise for you, other than the cake," he revealed.
She nodded, "As long as there's more walking involved." Kara thanked everyone again before she followed Danny.
He led her down several more passageways until they stopped outside a hatch. Danny waved his hand and said, "Welcome home."
Kara frowned as she glanced left and then right, "Danny, there aren't any quarters down here. You know our room is a lot further that way…" she pointed but stopped short when Danny opened the hatch. Kara was too curious not to follow him inside.
The space was actually spacious by the ship's standards, wider than most of the officer staterooms.
"This space is a former storage room," Danny said, "Garnett has been working on it for months now, converting it to living quarters for us. There was already plumbing from a mop sink, so she managed to get a working head for us. And this beauty," he waved a hand at their bed, "Two twin size mattresses, side-by-side, in a specially crafted bed frame that is one of Garnett's finest engineering achievements. And that's not even the best part."
No words seemed to form as she followed him around, shocked by it all. Kara noticed a second interior hatch. "Danny, what…"
He opened it and allowed her to enter first. The adjoining space was smaller, about half the width of the main room. But it was just enough to house a wooden crib and even an actual changing table. There were also shelves and a pole for hanging things. Kara walked over to the crib and peered into it, spotting a stuffed kangaroo. She plucked the toy from the crib and clutched it against her chest. "Danny Green, you are… amazing."
"I had a lot of help," he was humble. "Captain Chandler and the XO arranged for the crib and changing table in Sydney, made some sort of trade they still won't tell me about. And it was Andrea's idea to link the two storage spaces so the baby would have a separate room. She's brilliant, managed it all without destroying hull integrity. This is why the shower wasn't until today, Garnett and her team just finished up this morning."
"This is the best gift I could imagine," she put the kangaroo back into the crib and wrapped her arms around Danny. "Thank you."
Danny smiled; pleased she liked it all, "Now we just need our little guy to join us."
ooo
"I need you to wait just a second before the next push," Dr. Rachael Scott instructed.
Danny's eyes practically bulged out of his head as he stood beside Kara, her left hand squeezing his right. Christmas Eve was almost over, and he'd been right in predicting a holiday birth. Kara had gone into labor an hour after the baby shower. And it had only taken four more hours to get to the point they were at now. He'd just watched his baby's head emerge, could see two delicate eyelids squinted shut, a tiny button nose and perfectly shaped lips. "Our baby has a head," he whispered in aw, glancing at Kara and grinning.
"What's wrong?" Kara asked, not assured by Danny's smile.
Dr. Rios was down with a bad cold, so they were relying on Dr. Scott for their baby's delivery.
"Nothing is wrong," the doctor calmly replied, "Just need to maneuver the umbilical cord so we don't have any issues…" she spoke as she moved swiftly, not wanting to prolong the process, "Okay, Kara, push now… let's get these shoulders out so we can properly meet your baby."
Kara used Danny's hand for support, squeezing tightly again as she bore down, breathing and pushing in unison.
He continued to watch as the baby slipped free of Kara and into the doctor's skillful hands. The baby gave a hearty cry. Rachael held the child for the briefest of seconds, "You have a daughter," she announced before resting the baby against Kara's body. The child quieted almost instantly upon being held by her mother. Once she was sure Kara had things under control, Scott took a step back and went about securing the cord, tying it off and offering Danny a chance to cut it.
Danny felt like he was in a bit of a trance as he cut the cord, staring at the baby and Kara the entire time.
"She's gorgeous," Kara whispered, cradling the tiny pink, fleshy bundle against her warm chest. She spared a glance at Danny and grinned, seeing how stunned he appeared, "You okay?" she wondered, "You're not going to faint are you?"
His head gave a slow shake, but still no words formed as he stood beside them. Danny leaned against the bed and reached out a hand to gently touch the top of his daughter's head. "She has hair…" he marveled, "Dark hair like yours," Danny smiled again as he leaned it to kiss Kara, "A daughter," he whispered, "We have a daughter. A little girl."
"Are you disappointed she's a girl?" Kara couldn't keep her eyes off the baby, immediately in love, "I know you had your heart set on a boy."
"Are you kidding me? No," he scoffed, head shaking emphatically, "No, Kara. All I wanted was a healthy baby. She is healthy, isn't she doc?" Danny finally asked.
"We'll run some tests in a little while," the woman responded as she cleaned Kara up and delighted in watching them with the baby, their feather soft caresses and outright expressions of affection, "She looks fine for now, cozy with her mum. I'll stay close, but I want you three to have a chance to bond for a few minutes. That's very important."
Rachael watched them a moment more and was assured they'd be fine on their own for a short time. She made her way across the room and washed her hands thoroughly. Then she walked to the hatch, opened it, and wasn't surprised to see the three people who were hovering about. Tex, the Captain and chief engineer Andrea Garnett. They'd probably had to fight to keep everyone else at their duty stations. The anticipation of a new generation had them all in a giddy mood.
"So, what's the verdict, doc?" Tex asked, brows raised, "Boy or girl?"
"They have a very beautiful baby girl," she let her friends know.
Captain Chandler grinned, "That's great news. Is she healthy?"
The doctor chuckled, "You sound like Danny."
"I've done this twice before," he noted in a serious tone, though his smile remained.
"Like I mentioned to them, I'll run some tests soon. I want them to be a family for a little while."
Garnett gave Rachael's arm an appreciative pat, "We'll let them have their time, but tell them we're all so happy for them."
Rachael nodded, "I will, of course." She ducked back into sickbay, leaning against the closed hatch for a moment as she watched the happy family again. She slipped into the small adjoining office and allowed them further privacy, but she returned within a half hour. "I hate to break this up so soon," she made her presence known. "But I would like to run those tests, just as a precaution. I don't suspect anything is wrong," she assured. "And the sooner I get her cleaned up for you, the sooner you can take her home."
"Home?" Danny was surprised, "We can seriously take her back to our quarters so soon?"
"It's not as though you're very far away from medical assistance, should you need it," Scott noted. "But I believe she'll do best with you two. And Kara could use some rest."
"Rest?" Kara's droopy eyelids managed to arch a bit, "Is that likely with a newborn?"
"Just be sure Danny is doing everything aside from the feedings," Rachael instructed, "You are ordered to rest in between nursing. Danny does the nappies and the rocking and the changing outfits and the bedtime stories," she concluded, stern but smiling.
Danny wore a slightly concerned look, but his response was positive, "I'll have everything in good working order."
"We're not an assignment, Danny," Kara rolled her eyes.
"Sorry, of course not," he apologized with a soft kiss pressed against her cheek.
"Danny, would you bring your daughter over here, please," Rachael beckoned, having cleared an exam bed for the baby.
He swallowed a nervous lump in his throat as Kara easily held the newborn out for him. She had one hand beneath the baby's head and the other under her bare butt, but he couldn't quite figure out where to grab ahold, "I'm not sure…" he moved a little to the left, but that didn't help. He moved back to the right, "How do I do this?" he whispered to Kara.
She smiled patiently while carefully transferring the baby into his arms. "Just be sure to support her head and neck," Kara intoned sleepily, "And don't be afraid, babies smell fear."
He held his daughter for the first time and all his worries faded for a moment as he looked down at her. She opened her mouth a little, forming a small 'o' shape. She didn't cry, though, hadn't made much of a peep since her first startled squawk upon entering the bright world. "You do kind of look like me, poor thing," Danny said as he walked her over to Dr. Scott.
Rachael took the baby and glanced over her shoulder. "Danny, why don't you get her a blanket," she nodded toward Kara.
His smile returned as he noticed Kara's eyes were already closed. Danny grabbed a gray blanket off the nearby shelf and gently draped it over the body of the woman who'd just given birth to his first child. He tucked the blanket around her and leaned in, kissing her cheek again. "You did amazing today, Kara. You deserve a rest. I love you."
"Love you, too," she responded sleepily before fully drifting off.
ooo
She awoke feeling rested but disoriented, eyes blinking away the heavy fog of sleep.
"Danny?" Kara sat up and glanced around the room. The last thing she remembered was drifting asleep after giving birth. But she'd been in sickbay then, and now she could clearly see she was in her and Danny's new quarters, lying in their larger bed. "Danny, where's the baby…"
"Hey," his soothing voice drifted across the room. Danny carried the baby over to her. The little girl was bundled tightly in a white blanket. They'd gotten as many baby things as they could trade for in Australia, most in shades of white or green, not knowing the baby's sex ahead of time. "She's right here," he sat down on the edge of the bed next to Kara and transferred the baby into her waiting arms. "We've just been hanging out having some father-daughter time, waiting for you to wake up."
"How long did I sleep?" Kara yawned.
"Only about three hours," Danny reported as he kicked off his boots and settled into the bed with them, legs stretched out in front of him. "Dr. Scott checked you and the baby over, said you were fit to go. I didn't want to wake you, so I carried you here. Tex carried the baby," Danny chuckled, "You should have seen how cute he was with her. And some of the crew managed to move all our things into the new place by the time we'd arrived, not that we had much to move."
Kara grinned, lifting the bottom right hem of her navy t-shirt as she prepared to nurse the baby. "Is she okay?" Kara asked.
He nodded reassuringly. "Eight pounds, two ounces," Danny reported, "Bigger than Dr. Rios expected. Twenty and a half inches long," he went on, "The doc ran a bunch of tests, but without being too invasive. And I stayed with the baby the whole time," Danny assured her, "The good news is our little girl is as healthy as any baby ever has been. She carries the same virus antibodies you do. The bad news is she looks a lot like me."
She smiled again, "I think she looks cute despite that pitfall." Kara was a little nervous about nursing, though Rachael had given her some professional tips. Andrea and Kelly had given some firsthand advice. Mostly she'd gone over pamphlets they'd gotten in Australia. But her worry seemed unfounded the moment she nestled the girl close to her breast. Kara was amazed by how the baby found her way around and went straight to nursing.
"Must be instinctual," Danny beamed a proud fatherly smile.
"Just like her daddy in more ways than one," she remarked, "Straight to the boob," Kara teased him as she marveled at the little girl in her arms, whose eyes were wide open at the moment, revealing their soft shade of blue and curious nature.
"Eww," he pulled a sour face, "Now I can probably never enjoy your breasts the same way again."
"They won't always be breast feeding breasts," she reached out to squeeze his knee, "They can be yours again someday."
Danny relaxed against the bulkhead behind their bed. "Tex should be stopping by soon to bring us some food," he let her know, "And we should talk about what to name her. I know we were planning on Frankie, but she turned out to be a girl and…" he held a hand up, "I promise you I am very happy she's a girl," he tried to ward off any worry Kara might still have over that issue. "But we could pick a more feminine name for her if you'd like. Frankie would understand."
"I told you several months ago when we first discussed it that I liked Frankie for a boy or a girl," Kara reminded him. "And you've been talking to my belly for months now, calling her Frankie. Her name is already Frankie as far as I'm concerned," she declared.
He nodded, "So… Frances or Francesca?"
Kara's nose scrunched, "Neither, just Frankie."
"That works for me," Danny easily agreed.
"She needs a middle name, though," Kara pointed out as she yawned.
"We could always feminize Brian, in honor of your dad as we planned," he suggested, "Briana?"
"No," she immediately shot down that idea, "If she'd been a boy, sure, but… it just doesn't feel right."
Danny reached over and caressed the baby's tiny right hand. She surprised him by grasping his finger, as if to say: hello, daddy.
He delighted in the feel of her delicate, soft skin and couldn't help smile, couldn't help feel overwhelmed again by the little life they'd been blessed with. She was definitely their light in all the darkness of the past year. Danny suddenly became keenly aware that neither the baby nor Kara would be with him right now if not for the help of someone they'd come to call a friend, "How about naming her after the doctor who saved both of your lives?"
"Frankie Rachael Green," Kara smiled down at the baby as she tried out the name. "People might think we liked the show, Friends, a little too much… but I love it. It's perfect."
"Good," he nodded, "Now that we have that settled… I think there's another gift our daughter would like me to give you," Danny got up and padded across the room. He rummaged through the footlocker at the end of their bed and found what he was looking for. Danny returned to their bed, sitting next to Kara again. He rested something small and lightweight against her knee, "I had Tex help me pick it out. I hope you like it."
Her breath hitched as she regarded the item. It was a blue velvet box, propped open to reveal an opal ring inside. "Danny…"
"You're probably thinking I'm only doing this because you just gave birth to our daughter," he interrupted whatever she was about to say. "But I've actually had this ring since we were in Australia. And I think you already know I loved you before you were pregnant," he explained, "Kara, I've been meaning to ask you for months now… I just wasn't sure how to get the words out right. You know I'm not the best at this sort of stuff."
She caressed Frankie's cheek as the baby continued to nurse, but her gaze was focused entirely on Danny, "Why don't you just say what you feel?" she suggested.
Danny snatched up the ring box and shifted so he was facing her, "I love you, Kara. That's how I feel. I want us to marry and to raise Frankie and be happy… just your run-of-the-mill spending everyday together and loving life type of happiness."
His simple honestly touched her heart more than she thought possible. "Yes."
"Yes?" he was shocked. "I didn't even really ask you."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Kara gently teased him.
"Kara Foster," he pulled the ring free of the box and held it out to her, "Will you marry me?"
The white opal caught the light and shimmered brightly, "Yes," she repeated her previous answer.
He slid the ring onto her left hand and kissed her knuckle just above the golden band.
ooo
Nearly everyone, aside from a skeleton crew, had gathered out on the forward deck.
The sun was rising steadily over the eastern horizon, and there was just a slight breeze blowing across the calm ocean.
Almost all those gathered had on their dress uniforms. Tex had put on his cleanest pair of blue jeans and a button up plaid shirt, which qualified as dressy for the man. In his arms he held a sweet little lady that had already warmed the hearts of many aboard the ship, most especially her parents. Eight-day-old Frankie Green gazed up at her God father, a hand grasping the cuff of his shirt, and cooed contentedly in his strong embrace.
The ship's occupants had stood in much the same way several times before during their ongoing mission; a journey that had turned into a way of life for them all. Aboard the ship that had not only become their lifeline during a tumultuous time in the world's history, but a place which had eventually become their home - a home among their fellow shipmates who'd once been merely friends and co-workers, but who had eventually become family.
Some of their past gatherings on deck had included tributes to lost shipmates and even a memorial for those who'd been lost back home.
But on this particular day they had all gathered on deck for a much happier occasion.
Captain Chandler scanned the crowd of joyful onlookers. He smiled to see his children there huddled next to Rachael and Tex. His attention returned to the two people directly in front of him. "Lieutenants Foster and Green… is it your intention to be joined in marriage today, the first day of this New Year?"
Danny and Kara exchanged a quick smile before they spoke in unison, "It is, sir."
The captain nodded, pleased, "Then it will be my honor. Let us begin."
The End