Why was he so nervous? The ship had garnered much attention from its respectable crew and experienced captain. Any mission it had received before met with success. His wife would be under the care of several doctors perfectly capable of delivering a baby should that time come. So why couldn't he stop fidgeting?
The problem tickled the back of his mind.
He took a swig from his shot glass. The bar was far from his first or ideal place to come. But it served its purpose.
He raised his glass for another fill.
Someone slapped him on the shoulder. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was.
"Chris."
"George, how's Winny doing?"
"She's expecting within a week."
"Aren't you excited?"
"Yeah."
His friend snorted at his eloquence.
"Do me a favor please?"
"Anything at all."
". . . if something happens, take care of her for me."
A frown marred his friend's otherwise handsome face.
"I wouldn't ask if you were'nt my best friend."
His friend seemed to relent.
"Of course. But do you expect something to happen?"
George finished his drink in a swing. He looked at his friend, and tried to smile reassuringly. He wasn't sure if he succeeded.
"No, just a lot can go wrong in space."
………………………………………………………………………………………………................................................
Fighting Narada was a cause lost long before it started.
As the Kelvin was being bombarded with missiles, there wasn't any time to waste. Nearly all 800 of the USS Kelvin's crew had boarded any remaining shuttle pods maneuvering through projectiles and the ship's littered pieces. Any that were not, were either dying floating through the vacuum of space or being incinerated inside a struck pod.
George Kirk did what he'd never thought he'd do. Abandon his wife and unborn child right before going down with the Kelvin.
He chuckled to himself morbidly.
A lot can go wrong in space. His own words rang in his ears. That must be the worst understatement he could have made.
A baby's cry echoed in his ears. It was his baby, his child.
"George."
He heard his wife's voice. Tired and strained but alive and breathing.
"What is it?" George asked.
"A girl."
He took a brief moment to picture his daughter. Cradled in blankets and the arms of his beloved. Eyes squeezed shut, bald and pink. Tiny hands fisted. Winona easing hers and his daughter from distress.
"What are we gonna call her?"
"How about Alexandra? Alexandra Eve?"
"Yeah, Alex my daughter."
Winona held back tears. George almost lost his resolve right then.
"George, you should be here."
He swallowed thickly. "I know, sweetie. I know."
The baby-no, his daughter- cried.
George glanced at the cracked screens. Any second now…
"Sweetie, I love you. I love you so much."
Winona held back tears.
"I know."
"Take care-"The connection was cut.
She gasped as she watched the screen in the shuttle.
Kelvin, and her husband, was no more.
Winona weeped.
…………………………………………………………
Okay, this is just a test run. I really don't think this is something to continue considering the amount of time I have. *cough*noneatall*cough* This could go on of course, if I don't suffer from chronic writer's block. But hey... you never know. And if you review, all the better.