Hammersley Bridge 1430:
Kate picked up the intercom and called for Nikki to call the bridge.
"Nikki, here."
"Would you and Josh like to come to the bridge and watch us come into port?"
"You know it! We'll be right there."
Nikki and Josh arrived on the bridge and watched as Cairns came into view, they held onto each other and quietly cried.
At 1500 Hammersley slid into her berth and Mike was waiting on the wharf with a car. The gangway was set and the crew formed a gauntlet for the young family to walk through as they exited the ship. Just before reaching the gangway Swain reached out and stopped them for a moment.
"Josh, Nikki, Mike let Sally into your apartment. She dropped off the baby things and stocked the cupboards and fridge. Here's our phone number if you need anything," Swain passed the paper with his number to him.
"Swaino, thank you. We'll see you soon," then they made their way down the gangway stopping to salute the ensign and then moving on to meet Mike and Kate at the car.
Mike grabs Nikki into a hug and then Josh. " So this is your little one… What's her name?"
" Gale Marie Holiday," Nikki says beaming while Gale flashes him her big blue eyes.
" Alright, climb in and we're off to Barry to have you all looked over." They all got in and as the car started to pull away Mike told them about their appointments.
" Baby has the first appointment with Dr Hawkins at 1600 so that both of you can be there, then Nikki you have an appointment with Dr Brenner, OB-GYN and Josh your appointment will be at the same time with Dr Daniels."
Arriving at Barry, they check in then, " Would you like us to stay with Gale during your appointments or would you like to keep her with you?"
" If you don't mind, that would be nice."
"Okay, we'll meet you here when we're done."
"Oh, we have been able to keep things quiet. No one outside of the Navy knows about your return and for now no press and believe me once your return gets out, there will be press."
Nikki and Josh arrived at Dr Hawkins office, checked in and they were brought into an exam room.
" Mr Holiday, Lt Caetano, I'm Dr Hawkins."
" Pleased, Josh and Nikki Holiday and this is Gale," Josh said.
"So nice to meet you all. So, this little lady is two months old. First, let me say that she looks quite healthy and happy. I'm going to start by asking some questions so that we can build a chart for her. Now, how was the pregnancy? Any complications? Was she full term?"
" The pregnancy was normal I guess. I had morning sickness for about 12 or 13 weeks and I was very tired a lot,took lots of naps."
"All normal,"
"We tried to keep Nikki's protein and calories up."
"What was your diet like"
"Seafood, fish and crab, fruit and some protein bars until they ran out," Nikki said.
" She drank a lot of coconut milk."
" And was she full term?"
"As near as we could tell," Josh added.
" How about the labour and delivery?"
" I woke around dawn feeling pressure. By 0700 the contractions were unmistakable. Gale was born at 1830" Nikki explained.
" Josh, you delivered your daughter, of course."
Josh beamed, " Yup, I did."
" Have you ever delivered a baby before?"
"No, I hadn't even read about it. All I knew was what I had seen on TV or movies.
I'd never even seen a baby born before…I have to say that I was scared to death."
"You never would have known it," Nikki said.
" You two have the luck."
" Any problems with the delivery?"
"No, it went smooth."
"Speak for yourself, Mr." Nikki joked.
"Well, it seems like you were a natural."
" How was she right after birth? Did she cry right away or did you have to encourage her?"
"Pretty much straight away."
"That's great."
" Do you have an approximate weight?"
Josh chuckled, " Ahh, tiny,"
Dr Hawkins laughed, he liked these two. "Any problems nursing?"
"No, she took right to it," Nikki answered.
" Alright, let's get to it. Well, to start, she is a very healthy baby and given the circumstances, you both did a phenomenal job. She's a little underweight but I don't expect any problems. When was she born?"
" March 12th, she was 2 months old yesterday. She needs a birth certificate, would you know how we would go about getting one?"
"I can help you with that. I'll give you an unattended certificate that you can file. Alright, then I'll be starting her vaccinations today if that's ok."
"Of course," Nikki answered as Josh nodded.
Twenty minutes later… " Let's meet in my office. She looks great, I just want to go over a few things."
They followed him to his office and sat in a chair while Josh walked around doing the baby bounce and keeping Gale happy.
Dr Hawkins began, " I couldn't help but notice your rings."
"Josh made them."
"Josh, that's fine craftsmanship especially with limited resources."
"Well, there was a pilots tool kit and I had a few things that I had packed for our trip."
"And Nikki, the basket that you made for her is wonderful. Did you do basket weaving before as a hobby?"
"No… self-taught. It's amazing what you can do when you have nothing but time."
" Alright, getting to it. Baby Gale looks wonderful. By the way, that's a different way of spelling Gail is there a significance?."
"She was born during what we think may have been a cyclone," Josh explained.
"Unbelievable! What did you have for shelter?"
" Early on we discovered an old WWII bunker sitting high on the side of the hill. We set it up as a storm shelter."
"You two really are remarkable. With all that you have been through, your story could be a movie."
"I suppose," Josh responded.
"Nikki, her skin is beautiful. You obviously had to have been using hand made nappies. How did you do it?"
" I made nappies from the soft blankets from the plane and lined them using an absorbent camp towel. We made sure that we kept her dry and clean. Josh made a wonderfully scented coconut oil that we used on her bum when we changed her and also when she had a bath."
" I might suggest that to my patients. You both are very resourceful. She's a little underweight at 4 kg ( 9 ½ lbs), that's to be expected. How was she nursing?"
"Every two hours. She seems satisfied," Nikki told him.
" I would like to see her weight up a bit. I'm going to send you home with a special high caloric formula that we feed to preemies. Give her 60 ml ( 2 oz) every other feeding. I'm going to send you with some bottles as well. They have plastic liners and are easy to use. You only have to worry about sterilizing the nipples and only for a month. Those can be put in a microwavable steamer and steamed for 10 minutes.
I'd like to see her again in a month. Oh, and because she hasn't been exposed to anything she hasn't built up any immunity, try and keep her from crowds until I see her again."
"What about our families? She was exposed to a lot of people on the ship too." Josh said, a bit worried.
" Keep an eye on her. Any signs of illness call me right away. As far as family, I know that they will be anxious to see you. Where are they located?"
"Josh's parents are in Melbourne and mine in Perth."
"That would mean air travel which would expose them to all sorts of stuff if they were to come here. I highly recommend waiting until I see her again."
" Alright, whatever is best," Nikki replied as Josh agreed.
"Good, see you in a month."
"Thank you, Dr Hawkins."
They went to the desk and made an appointment and as they were about to leave, Dr Hawkin's nurse called them.
" I have a few things for you," she said and then handed them a bag that had a couple of onesies and some toys. "These are from our free bin. Patients bring them in to donate.I suggest that you wash them first."
" Thank you, that's very kind. We can sure use them." Nikki said.
"No worries, see you in a month. If you have any questions, be sure to call."
" We will."
Leaving the doctors office they went in search of Mike and Kate finding them in the lobby.
" We have time for a coffee and snack before your next appointments if you want," Kate said.
"That would be great," replied Nikki. " Gale is going to need to nurse soon too."
Taking an out of the way table near the windows, Kate went to the counter and got their coffees and some pastries.
" This is so good. We are in coffee withdrawal, at least I am. We ran out of coffee after a month." remarked Nikki.
Mike and Kate fill them in on what's going to happen: " I was able to get you a two-bedroom apartment in the officers housing unit. Swain and Sally brought over a crib, car seat and stroller. The refrigerator and cupboards are stocked."
"Mike, Kate, we can't thank you enough," Josh says. " This is all overwhelming. We waited for so long to get off that island. This all just feels so strange, surreal."
"Yeah, I can only imagine," said Kate.
Gale starts to get fussy, " I think she needs changing and is probably hungry," Nikki remarks.
"I'll take her to get changed," Josh offers. " How about we try out one of the bottles that Dr Hawkins gave us with the formula."
"Sure,I'll get the bottle ready while you're gone."
Standing, Josh picks up Gale, gives Nikki a kiss and heads to the restroom with a fresh nappie from the bag along with the wipes that they had given them.
Kate was shaking her head in wonder, " who would have thought that about him."
Nikki looks at her and Mike, " Josh has been amazing. I feel so lucky to have him."
When Josh got back to the table, Nikki took over Gale and started trying her with the bottle. She balked at it at first but then took right to it.
Once they were all settled again, Mike continued, " Now, about money, You are obviously going to need some things. I spoke with Fleet Command. As Nikki is no longer missing and through no fault of her own, she is entitled to back pay for the last year and 2 months and her regular pay has been reinstated. I have a Navy card for you to use until you get Nikki's check.
We need to get your identification all sorted out as you were declared presumed dead. All of your accounts were closed or frozen and we'll need official identification in order to open new accounts. The Navy is going to appoint a Navy Solicitor to help with those. You too, Josh, since you two are married. We will probably have to get a marriage certificate for you."
Kate looks at her watch, " it's time that we got you to your appointments."
"Would you like us to watch Gale, or do you want to take her with you?"
Nikki and Josh looked at each other, " Doctor said to keep her away from people, crowds, etc."
"That's not a problem. We'll take her outside to the garden. Here's my phone, call me when you're done and I'll tell you where to meet us."
"Okay," Nikki says to her.
Josh walked Nikki to Dr Brennan's office and then went on to find his own.
She was sitting in the waiting area for about five minutes when she was called in. " LT Caetano, I'm Dr Michelle Brennan," she said reaching out for her hand.
"Pleased to meet you Dr Brennan, and its LT Holiday now. But please call me Nikki."
" I didn't realize that you were married. It wasn't indicated on your paperwork."
"Haven't had time to change my name or status."
Dr Brennan examined Nikki and questioned her about her pregnancy and delivery.
"Well, you've done really well. My only concern is your weight, at 48 kg ( 105 lbs) with your height, you are fairly underweight. You should be around 7 - 9 kg. ( 115 - 120 lbs), especially as you are nursing. If you are going to continue to nurse you need to increase your caloric intake to 3000 calories per day in order for you to be able to gain weight and produce enough quality milk. I want you to drink two protein shakes a day.
What about intimacy, have you and your husband resumed sex?"
"No, not yet."
"Well, you're good to go when you're ready."
"Dr Brennan, I am so ready," Nikki said laughing and Dr Brennan joined in.
"What do you want to do about birth control?
Dr Daniels office: Josh
Josh's exam went pretty much the same. He was very healthy except for being underweight.
"I would like to see you gain 20lbs. Protein shakes twice a day and enjoy some of the foods that you have been without for the past year...like ice cream."
" I don't think that will be a problem," Josh chuckled.
" Okay, see you in a month."
"Great, thanks Doc,"
Nikki had found her way to Dr Daniels office and waited for Josh to come out.
" Let's go find Mike and Kate," Nikki said. " I'm missing Gale."
Smiling and giving her a quick kiss, "Yeah, me too. For two months we were never separated, leaving her is going to take some getting used to."
Walking into the lobby holding hands, they spot the Flynns sitting in a corner seating area.
" So you two are all set?"
"All good," Josh replies.
"Well, that's it for today. What would you two like for dinner?"
"Pizza and ice cream!" they said at almost the same time.
Mike and Kate couldn't help but laugh. "Do you want some company or are you ready for alone time?" Kate asked them.
"Honestly? I think that I'm done for today," Josh says, " Please, no offence meant."
" No worries, none taken."
Kate called in a triple meat extra cheese pizza to be delivered and Mike stopped at the grocery for some Ben & Jerry's.
Arriving at their apartment, they helped them to carry their meagre belongings inside. Kate gave them some cash for the pizza and they said their goodbyes.
"When we get settled, we'll pay you back," Josh told them.
"No… you won't. That's Navy money. Don't worry about it.," Mike told them.
"Keep my phone until we get yours activated. Call your families,"Kate said.
"And Dave's wife," Josh added.
"Good night you two. Be sure and call if you need anything."
" Kate, Mike... We can't thank you enough."
Mike and Kate left and Nikki nursed Gale then laid her in her basket. There was a knock on the door, their pizza had arrived.
"Are you ready for some pizza?" Josh asked her as he put the pizza on the bench.
Nikki went over to him, put her arms around his neck and then pulled him in for a deep kiss and then another. Then she stepped back just enough to pull off his shirt.
"Nikki, Luv, where are you going with this?"
"To the bedroom… we've been given the green light."
Josh looked at her beaming, reached down, picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.
Later, after a shower, they warmed the pizza in the oven then brought it into the lounge, turned on the TV, and devoured the pizza.
" It's good to be home," Josh says.
"Yes, it is,"
Sally had gotten them all set up with a crib and changing table. More nappies and onesies and a couple of special girly outfits. Nikki called and thanked her.
"Oh, Nikki, no thanks are necessary. I loved doing it. You guys deserve it. Listen, we still have Lancelot. Would you like me to bring him over?"
"Has Chole been taking care of him?"
"She has, she's become attached. We're probably going to set up a tank for her."
"Sally, let Lancelot stay with her."
"You're sure, he was a special gift from Josh."
"At the risk of sounding like a total sap, Josh is my special gift."
"You're right, you are a sap." Sally laughed.
As Nikki was finishing her phone call with Sally, little Gale was looking for some attention. Josh went to change her and Nikki got her next bottle ready..
Josh sat next to Nikki on the couch then pulled her over against him while she was feeding the baby, arms wrapped around her in their favourite position.
"Well, I guess it's time to make those calls," Josh says to her.
"Yeah, this is going to be tough I think," Nikki agrees.
Leaning over, Josh kissed her as if his life depended on it and then just held her tight and close.
"Taking a deep breath...Okay, I guess I'm ready," and he dialed his Dad's number and as his phone started to ring, he grabbed Nikki's hand.
Ahh, they're finally off the Island, now to put their lives back together. I tried to research how someone moves back into society after being missing/ declared dead. I was only able to find limited information so I had to use my imagination. As far as RAN regulations, the same, my imagination.
