The next hour consisted of nothing more than a variation of mind-numbing pain and forcibly calm breathing. It seemed like she would no sooner relax when the next contraction would hit.
"Admiral," a marine (one of her guards) from the hallway poked her head in, "there's a Melissa Alenko here to see you."
"Send her in," she ordered, drinking some water.
Melissa walked into the room and stared awkwardly over Shepard's shoulder. "Admiral Shepard."
"Please," Shepard chuckled, "I'm your grandson's mother. Call me Penny- or Penelope, if you prefer."
A contraction hit and Shepard breathed her way through it- riding with the pain as opposed to against it (a little something she picked up in N7 training when dealing with getting shot, getting broken bones, or suffering from burns). She slowly relaxed against her pillows and smiled apologetically.
"Did...does Kaidan know?" Melissa asked carefully.
"Depends on if Doctor Chakwas has told him or not. I was about a month along when we hit Earth. I was planning to tell him after the battle- he'd've never let me fight if he had known. I actually thought about backing out of the fight, but the war was bigger than Kaidan and my family." She rubbed her large stomach. "I was hoping that he'd've made it back for this."
Melissa wet a wash cloth and began wiping Shepard's brow. "Don't you have any other family?"
"They're all with Kaidan on the Normandy."
Melissa was quiet for a few minutes. "This has to be one of the best kept secrets because I wasn't even aware that you were pregnant- the news has been following you pretty closely. I actually didn't pay attention to the fact that most of the shots of you were from the chest up."
Shepard chuckled and winced a little. "Would you believe it if I said that I didn't want the media to focus on my pregnancy as opposed to the recovery effort?"
Melissa smiled. "I would, actually. Kaidan told me all about you."
"Oh?" Shepard gasped out as a contraction hit. She forced herself to breathe as normally as she could.
"Yeah, said you were brave, strong-willed, stubborn, and amazing. He said you were something of a masochist, too." The two women shared a laugh. They fell silent for a moment before Melissa said, "I don't know if he ever told you, but he loved you."
"He did. His saying it and my knowing that it's true is the only reason I'm laying here in labor as opposed to at Alliance Command directing ships."
"I'm sorry?" Melissa paused and stared at Shepard, stunned. "Are you telling me you thought about aborting the baby?"
