Jon, Erika and Adalie
A sequel to "Jon and Erika" taking place roughly one year later. You don't need to read the first one but it might help. Another story about Jon and Erika and their growing family as they navigate work, love, and pregnancy. Hope you enjoy! As always, please read and review!
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"Hey."
"Good morning," she said, brushing her hair out of her face.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked.
"I didn't, but someone did." Jon watched as Erika bent down to pick up their 11-month-old daughter. Adalie Archer had a big smile on her face and was still wearing her pajamas with little dogs all over them. One of Erika's brothers had bought them for her; they were the kind with the built in little footie slippers. There were nights, especially when Erika had been back on Columbia, that he wished they made those for adults. Erika's feet were always freezing.
Jon watched as his daughter studied the view screen closely, one hand tightly grasping her mother's finger and the other reaching out to try to touch his face. Adalie was just starting to understand computers and long distance calls and she always seemed disappointed when she couldn't actually reach her father. Jon tried to call at least once a week but it was harder now that there were more warp 5 ships using the comm network. Getting a clear enough channel for a video call was as hard as getting Trip to go near the desert. But tonight, or for Erika, today, he had been lucky. Enterprise had been flying formation with its newest sister ship, Discovery, when her comm officer let him know that their ship had 30 minutes of extra line time that they wouldn't be using and would he like to take it. Most of his fellow captains knew that Jon had a wife and a young daughter back home and they always went out of their way to find a way to give him just a little more time with them.
"Hi Addie! Hi sweetheart!" Jon said, watching his daughter's face lit up as she giggled at the monitor.
"Say hi Daddy!" Erika whispered in the little girl's ear.
"Hi," Adalie said shyly. She had just learned the word "hi" the last time Jon had been able to come back to Earth. Jon wasn't 100% if she knew what it meant, but it was quickly becoming her favorite word. She would say "hi," then wait for him to say it back, then say it again, and so on until Jon was clever enough to distract her with another word.
"Hiya baby girl," he said, wondering if this would be one of those times. But Addie was shy this morning and hid her face behind her mother's hands.
"Did I wake you up early?" Jon asked his daughter.
"Say, yes you did, Daddy," Erika gave him a look but smiled.
"Rob had some extra comm time and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see my two favorite girls."
"Even if we just woke up?"
"Especially if they just woke up."
Erika shook her head and smiled. "You are hopeless, you know that? Anyway, how are things going out there? How is Rob settling in?"
"He's fine. His engine has been giving him a little trouble so we've been keeping a close eye on him just in case. Nothing like the kind of trouble Columbia put you through but he is hitting some bumps."
"Columbia did not have engine trouble, Jon. She just had a few hiccups," Erika said proudly. It had been over a year since Erika gave up command of the second NX – class ship and yet she still thought of Columbia as her baby. Jon couldn't quite understand it. Yes, Enterprise was his ship with his crew, but he didn't talk to it they way Erika talked to her ship. He didn't love it and care about it the way Erika still did about her last ship. He had a dog for that sort of stuff.
He folded his arms across his chest. "Hiccups that left you dead in the water for hours at a time."
"And Enterprise had a perfect record?" Erika raised an eyebrow. "Have you tried resetting Rob's power couplings now that you are out in deep space? It could be that the boys back at Jupiter Station were still..."
"Erika…"
"Well, have you?" she asked impatiently.
"Yes, that was the first thing Trip did when I sent him over there last night." Jon sighed as he saw the look of satisfaction on his wife's face.
"And?"
"And he pulled the entire bus relay system and we haven't had a problem since," he muttered.
"See? I knew it."
"Rob should hire you for his new chief."
"No thanks, I already have a job," she said with a smile.
"Speaking of, how are things back on the home front?" he asked as he looked into her eyes. He sensed that there was something she wasn't telling him but he wasn't willing to start prying just yet.
Erika began bouncing Adalie on her knee. "Things are quiet here for now. The conference went well, I think. Sam Gardiner has been working around the clock preparing for the launch of Atlantis; we all have really. She starts her shakedown trials next month and we still don't have that new comm system installed yet. You know, if this thing works, you won't have to trade away all your spare parts for line time."
"How do you know what I've been trading for calls home?" he folded his arms across his chest.
"I read the same reports you do, Jon. And I know when a ship is burning through their plasma relays faster than they should." She stopped and gave him a small grin. "Anyway, I'm glad you do. I miss you."
"Me too, Rike."
Adalie reached up and grabbed a piece of her mother's long dark hair, causing Erika's attention to shift downwards again. "We've been talking about you today," she said as she tried to untangle her hair.
"Oh really?" he smiled.
Erika nodded. "We talked about where Daddy is and when he'll be coming home again." He watched as Adalie leaned her head against her mother's chest. "And, Addie has something to show you."
"What is it?" he asked excitedly.
"Just watch," Erika said before turning to face her daughter. "Addie, show Daddy what we learned yesterday. Where's the baby?" Adalie carefully patted her mother's stomach and smiled back at the monitor. Jon stared.
"Surprise!" Erika said with a sheepish grin.
"You're pregnant?"
"Mmm hmmm," she nodded carefully.
"How?"
Erika gave him a look. "Jon, tell me you remember coming home to visit two months ago."
"Two months? Two months…" he stopped as a wide grin spread across his face. "Rike, we're having another baby!"
Erika beamed back at him. "Yes we are. I found out yesterday when I took Adalie in for her check up. I'd been feeling a little under the weather ever since you left, but nothing like last time." Jon smiled, remembering Erika when she was first pregnant with Adalie. She was sick almost every morning, could barely sit through a meeting with out having to rush out to use the bathroom every 30 minutes, and tossed and turned all night. In hindsight, it had been pretty clear that she was pregnant even before they had rushed to Phlox to confirm it.
"This time," Erika said, picking up on his train of thought, "I was just a little queasy and I hadn't been sleeping well. But I just thought that had more to do with this one learning to sleep through the night." She looked down at her daughter who was now busy holding a soft plastic giraffe.
"When are you due?" he asked.
"September 1st, but the doctor said that I could have this one early since it is my second," she said, a hint of trepidation creeping into her voice.
"Rike, are you …"
"I'm fine, Jon." She gave him a reassuring grin. "I'm healthy, the baby is healthy, and Adalie is healthy. I'm happy, I really am. Are you?" she asked cautiously.
"Of course I am. Rike, I'm so happy I can't believe it. Have you told anyone else?"
"You mean can you go tell Trip?" she gave him that look again.
"Umm… maybe?" he tried.
"Yes, I told my brothers last night when they came over for dinner. I know we don't have to worry about this little darling," she held Adalie up and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "spilling the beans, but I think we should keep it in the family until I'm out of the first trimester, just like we did last time."
Jon stared at Erika expectantly. "Oh, Jon! Of course Trip is family. Go tell him."
"Thanks, hon."
"Just promise me one thing," she said.
"Please don't announce to your entire engineering crew that I am with child this time."
"You got it."