A year after Edward and I got married I kept waking up sick as a dog. Edward thought it was a stomach bug, but, I had a feeling there was something else going on. When we went to the doctor, he told us we were expecting a baby girl who would be born sometime in May. I suppose I had mother's instinct from the very beginning. Both Edward and I were overjoyed. I always imagined being a mother. The prospect of having a little girl was so exciting, but at times nerve-wracking as all hell. On May 20th our little Kathryn Elizabeth came into the world. My baby was so beautiful. She had my auburn/brown hair and her father's blue eyes. I couldn't stop staring at this little creature my husband, and I quickly became the center of my world. I adored that precious little girl so very much, even more, than I loved myself. Two weeks later, Edward received his first commission as Captain. Starfleet informed him that this mission would be approximately three-months long. It pained both of us for him to leave but, I knew that was the price I paid for marrying a Starfleet officer. The day Edward went, I sat in a rocking chair feeding baby Kathryn. I began to wonder if these long missions would become a regular occurrence. I worried that my husband would get hurt or god forbid killed. I was terrified by the thought of having to raise Kathryn alone.
o-o-o
Kathryn was very mature for her age. Like her father, she was inquisitive about the world around her. Katie had a passion for Science. Sometimes she would resent me for forcing her to live a traditional lifestyle. My Katie was a daddy's girl. Her primary objective in everything she did revolve around her father and making him proud. Unfortunately, Starfleet took her Daddy away many times. He missed many of her birthday parties, tennis matches, and even her Junior High Graduation. Every time I asked my daughter if everything was okay, she would smile and assured me that she understood that Starfleet needed daddy more. Late at night, I would find her crying in the bathroom. It broke my heart.