Chapter 14 -- A Sweet Moment
Time can be a maddening, fickle thing. It can crawl and almost stop, or it can whisk by like a subway car, leaving one spinning in the breeze.
For Sam and Daniel, it crawled. And every time they met, whether in his office, her lab, the mess hall, or back in their quarters, it was the same. Daniel – "How you doing?" Sam – "The same." Each tried to form the words so they came out in a neutral way to avoid depressing the other. Sometimes Daniel just raised his brows in question, and Sam shrugged. Sometimes she would just sigh deeply and look away.
On day six, though, she stopped spotting. Was everything okay, or would she start up again, perhaps only to have it end in miscarriage? They started to hope by degrees.
With an extra week as a "cushion," the couple finally relaxed.
"Looks like we're out of the woods," declared Dr. Lam to the Jacksons at Sam's next checkup. The word "we" was not lost on Sam. Dr. Lam had taken them through a lot; she could never take the place of Janet – no one ever could -- but she cared about them, it was obvious, and Sam was grateful.
"Want to hear the baby's heartbeat? We should be able to." The doctor threw the invitation out like a clown in a parade throws candy to the kids. She knew Sam and Daniel would scramble for their "treat," a treat they really deserved.
Sam and Daniel looked at each other, back to Dr. Lam. "Could we?" Sam asked. It would be a welcome milestone after all they had been through. The good doctor couldn't "grease up" Sam's pod of a belly fast enough for them. In a moment, through the static-like interference came the miraculous beat – faster than an adult's, as it should be, and strong. It was a heady moment, eliciting a "Wow" from both parents-to-be and a couple of tears from all involved, even from the efficient doctor.
"My baby's going to have my baby," whispered Daniel tenderly, leaning in for a gentle kiss and smoothing his hand over Sam's naked belly, now wiped dry.
"Hey guys, get a room!" teased Dr. Lam, shaking her head and collecting her medical paraphernalia.
"Got one," answered Daniel, smiling at his beloved.