Chapter 10

"Oh yeah, if you like having a few hundred volts coursing through you then yeah, you go right ahead and hold in a faulty fuse to a circuit board." Andrea told the class. They had been playing hypothetical situations given there wasn't enough time to get into the next chapter of their work.

"Captain Chandler did it." Cadet Jones said, the young man idolised Tom and Mike. To him, they were gods who could do no wrong.

"It was an emergency and he still got electrocuted and burnt his hand. The engine room smelt like 5 day old KFC for a week after that." Andrea said, the cadets chuckled and she smiled. "It was a desperate move, one only the brave would do. Most brave people are morons." She added.

"But what would you have done?" Cadet Walsh asked, she was one of Andrea's brightest students. Andrea could see the girl scoring an apprenticeship on the Nathan James or one of the aircraft carriers with ease.

"The same, nuclear radiation is no joke. If your ship is busted and you have to do something stupid to get it moving then you do it or you make the most annoying person in the room do it. So if they die then they are out of your hair for good. If they survive then they are still out of your hair for at least a week." She joked, the class laughed and some actually took notes on it. She smiled as she had to admit she liked teaching. Sure she'd had her hiccups and one cadet put into hospital but she'd been cleared of any responsibilities to that event.

"So, you're saying Captain Chandler was the most annoying person on the ship?" Cadet Jones asked,

"When you're on a ship with 200 other sailors, everyone will take turns at being annoying even the Captain. But we have to respect the chain of command and not show our annoyance to our superiors." Andrea told them, she glanced over at the clock noting the time. "And that's time, I'll see you all tomorrow bright and early." She told them.

The waiter placed their drinks order on the table and left them, Andrea looked around the restaurant; it was nice place. Casual but romantic, she smiled at Tex who sat across her. He was dressed in the one and only suit owned. His hair groomed back, he'd even brushed his beard.

"We've been together for months and we've only gotten out of the house now for a date." Andrea said with a grin, she had to admit it was amusing how mixed bagged their relationship was. They'd skipped the whole dating straight into a serious relationship only to start the first date right here and now. There was something rather adorable about it all and yet sad given she was leaving the day after tomorrow for a six month deployment to East Asia.

"It's easier to for Kat to go out, I like being at home with you. But we gotta celebrate, you're the XO and much better looking than Mike." Tex said as he raised his beer glass up, she did the same with hers and clinked glasses with him. She felt really good about the promotion even if it meant leaving Tex and Kat.

"She doesn't like me." Andrea pointed out, but then Kat had gotten used to her around and vice versa. It was hard to leave after such a long time at home. Kat had started acting out, distancing herself from Andrea. Andrea knew and understood why; so she did her best not to take it personally.

Their little rental bungalow was home to her, she hated the small niggle in her brain that reminded her that over a year and half ago he'd left Bill and Lily. Unspoken fears unfurled inside her of being afraid of coming home to Tex and Kat dead and gone but she pushed the fears into a box and stowed it away. She wasn't going to let it ruin her second last dinner. Tomorrow, they would have a family dinner with Kat.

"She doesn't like me either. It's a teenager thing. At least I'm assuming as much. So I figure we have dinner, and dessert would be room service at the Rydges. Kat is sleeping over at a friend's, so we're good until tomorrow." Tex said with smile that promised a whole of fun and pleasure. She had to admit when she'd seen him dressed in his suit that she'd been half tempted to keep him home. But he'd been adamant about keeping his pants on until 8pm, now she knew why.

"You really planned this out." Andrea said smiling as she felt pretty happy to skip dinner and head straight to dessert.

"Gotta make the most of our time." Tex told her.

"I think you were made on that night, but who knows. Your father and I weren't really keeping track of things. But let me tell you, it was one of the most special nights of my life." Andrea told Jack as she held him in her arms as he drank his bottle. He didn't need her to hold it for him anymore but he still liked to be held while drinking his formula before bed.

She gazed down at Jack, holding eye contact with him; she loved the connection she felt with him in these moments. It reminded her of when she held Lily as a baby and of better days as well as building new memories.

"I really miss your father," She confessed, her eyes grew misty with tears as she let her feel that loss for a second before taking a breath in. When she exhaled she felt a knot of grief unfurl and the pain pass. "But lucky me, I have you and Kat who remind me of him all the time. I hope you grow up to look just like him. Then you can woo some lucky person and be as happy as we were. But you'll have to wait until you're in your late 30s." She teased him.

Jack pulled the bottle from his mouth and smiled up at her. She smiled back as he gurgled a giggle, he took a few breaths and stuck the bottle back in his mouth.

"So, your father wined and dined me, then I set off on a grand adventure on the Nathan James. I didn't know you were in my belly until after a lot of things happened. But you were a very good surprise." Andrea told Jack.

Andrea sat on the bed in the med bay, she felt so washed out and light headed. It had been over ten days since they returned to the ship after being rescued from Takehaya's camp. She'd been eating the same as everyone else, making sure to stay hydrated but unlike the others; she was not bouncing back. She was just dragging her feet and last couple hours on shift had been hard. She had pretending she was fine like the men but she wasn't. She was reaching a point where she couldn't keep up the façade like Mike. Something was very wrong, and she just hoped Rios had an answer for her.

"Ok," Rios said as he came to her bedside with her medical file. She had let him draw blood for tests an hour ago, so she just hoped the results meant she was iron deficient. She like the others had been drained of copious amounts of blood at Takehaya's camp. It was the only thing she could think of.

"Just give it to me straight." Andrea told him as she could see he was nervous. She didn't want him to waffle on the subject.

"Everything looks ok, you are anaemic but that's to be expected given what happened to us all." He said.

"But?" Andrea prompted as she like he didn't need to rehash history. They'd both been there and wanted to put it behind them.

"No buts, just congratulations? You're pregnant." Rios told her, Andrea blinked at him.

"Pregnant." Andrea repeated in disbelief, she couldn't believe it as she'd been purposefully skipping her periods with birth control pills. "Are you sure?" she asked him, as he couldn't be right.

"Yes, about 5 months or more according the levels of hCG in your blood. I only ran the test because it's mandatory for all female personnel to be screened for pregnancy when they display your symptoms like yours." He told her, he said it almost apologetically but Andrea didn't care as she was doing the math in her head. She had been lucky in Takehaya's camp. They only wanted her blood, and then it hit her.

"Is the baby ok? We were drained for a lot of blood." Andrea said to him, she felt herself start to panic as she had a lot questions not just for Rios but herself. Like how she'd missed the fact she was pregnant? She knew right away with Lily but this one had passed her by? Why wasn't she showing? What was Tex going to say? Was he going to be happy? Was she happy?

"We can do an ultrasound." Rios assured her.

"Ok." Andrea said as she was glad to be sitting down given the room was spinning slightly from the revelation that she was pregnant.

"Normally, I have to tell the Captain and XO immediately given you should be transferred off the ship as you've passed the 20 week mark-" Rios started but she cut him off.

"No, I understand. I have nowhere to go." Andrea said as they had all seen the news. America had dissolved into sovereign territories with their own government bodies controlled by the regional leaders. All military personnel had been order to report to their nearest stations for reassignment. Anyone who didn't comply would be considered AWOL and enemies of the Regional leaders. Tom had been named an enemy of American people and the Nathan James painted with the same brush. There was no safe harbour. She looked to Rios. "Can we keep this between us, there's a lot going on that I can't be sidelined for." She told him.

"Sure, though you do need to rest and I advise you increase your salt intake. It'll help your low blood pressure, but I do urge you inform the CNO and Captain." He told her, he knew he could go above her head and inform Tom and Mike. To not do so, was against protocol but there was too much on the line and everyone was needed. "As for the ultrasound, I can do that for you today. I'll get you water to drink." He said.

"Ok." She said as she rubbed a hand down her face.