A few hours later, Dylan came onto the Maru to find both Beka and Cassie.
"Hello?" he called out.
"Be quiet if you want to see tomorrow." was his reply. He smiled and walked into Beka?s quarters to find her watching a news flexie and Cassie, sound asleep, curled up on Beka with a possesive hand on what had become, "her baby", shortly after Beka had reached her 6th month.
"It's early," he said.
"Ah, piloting slip stream really wears you out."
"Ahhhh . . .and where did the two captain Valentines go?"
"Umm . . . Starlight, Winnipeg and El Dee." she said.
"You guys were busy. Did you buy me anything?" he asked as he sat down.
"Nope. We converted heathens to the Way and we saved starving and dying people with the little money we had that never seemed to run out."
"Well, at least you were using it for good."
"Then we went and avenged Tyr's pride, liberated Earth, defeated the Magog and declared a never ending happy hour."
"Happy hour was whose idea?"
"Mine. I want there to be a guaranteed happy hour when I'm wearing the vacancy sign again." she said with a yawn.
"Are we staying here tonight?" he asked as he removed Cassidie from her.
"Nah, the bed just isn't comfy any more. Let's go before I fall asleep here." she said as he helped her up.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"And just where is this little get together going to be held?" Beka asked Dylan a few weeks later.
"Here, on the Andromeda, by invitation only. Tyr and Rommie will deal with security." he said as he searched for a missing sock under the toys that had accumulated in his quarters. "Ummm, about the mess . . ."
"I know, we'll clean it after she get's up from her nap, same as always. Here." she said as she reached behind her and pulled out his sock.
"How did you . . ." he asked as he took it and put it on.
"Just a little something that seems to have appeared, about the same time Junior did."
"Interesting."
"I'll say. I've found things ont he Maru that I thought I'd lost forever!" He just laughed. "Am I seriously barred from slipstream piloting?" she asked him.
"Rommie." he called.
"Beka, you're just about 26 weeks pregnant. Slipstream piloting at this point in time could push you into early labour. If we were in the old Commonwealth, finding a medical station capable of treating and stopping early labour would be easy to find. Out here, we might not find one. No slip piloting. The only time I will budge on this is if everyone, including my main AI are incapacitated and I highly doubt that will happen anytime soon." she tacked on the end. Beka just made a face and sunk a little farther into the couch.
"I know, I know, I suck." he said as he came back into he room.
"And?"
"I'm never touching you again, excetra, excetra." he said as moved around the room. "Bye, have fun." he said as he kissed her good bye and left for command. Beka just groaned at him and thought of a few things she'd like to say to him. Her mind slowly drifted back to the "party" as he had called it. Translation: We're having a diplomatic reception for a new Commonwealth inductee. She shuddered at the thought of what happened at the last one, They had lost Cassidie and her and her crew had almost left for good.
"Maybe I'll just tie her to me this time." she thought out loud. Then again, they were going to be on their own turf this time. And it would be a smaller group of people. . . maybe it wouldn?t be so bad. Beka sighed and got up to check on Cassie. She had been a little off all morning, clingy, like she was when Beka got back from supply runs, and whiney and just generally not the happy go lucky kid she usually was. She brushed some hair out of the way and noticed she was warm. "Rommie, is she okay?"
"Her temperature is slightly elevated, as is her white blood cell count. Her symptoms are characteristic to some one who is fighting off a viral infection in the early stages."
"She's sick in other words."
"It's just a mild flu. I'll send Harper to the med bay. You two should join him." Beka sighed as she hoisted Cassie out of bed.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked as they went to med bay.
"I was monitoring her. I was going to alert you if she got worse.: Rommie answered.
"Thanks. I think." The rest of the walk was silent as they made their way to the med bay. "Hey Harper, Trance." she said as she entered.
"So, it's her fault I'm here." he said.
"Yeah, you now have a friend to swamp germs with. Lucky us." she said as Cassie was laid on a bed.
"You're fine now Harper. If you feel anything . . ."
"I know, I know, come see you. Thanks my Purple Princess." he said as he hopped off the bed and left the room.
"And as for you," she said as she came over to Beka and Cassie and scanned Cassie, "You definitly have the flu. Has her disposition changed?"
"She's been acting like she does after I get back from being away, whining about everything, just not really Cassie."
"She'll be like that for a few more days." Trance gave her a shot. "That will help with the fever and hopefully keep the nausea away."
"Ew." Beka said as she made a face. "Dylan can deal with that. He has six weeks to catch up on until I start helping him again." Both women laughed. "Ok, so I guess it's home to bed again." she said as she turned to pick her up. "Hi kiddo." she said softly as she walked over to her.
"Why are we here?" she asked quietly.
"You're sick, we had to check on you."
"Oh, I'm okay." she said.
"Well, that's because you got a shot to make you feel better. It's back to bed with lots to drink for you. I don't want to have to worry about you and the baby and Harper. You and the baby are enough," she said as she picked her up.
"No, I'm really okay, I'm not sick." she said as she started to get aggitated.
"And why aren't you sick?" she asked as they started on their way back to their quarters.
"I'm just not." she said as she tried to stay awake.
"Oh. Ok." she said. The rest of the journey was spent in silence and when they did get back to their quarters, Cass was promptly put in a pair of real pj's and was put in the "big bed" as she called it. Beka found what was left of the juice in their quarters and got a couple of glasses and slid in beside Cass. "We'll just hang out here today." she said.
"Okay." Cassie said with a nod and a yawn. 3 glasses of juice later, Cass was asleep and Beka was watching a flexie in the other room.
"Hey." Dylan said as he slid into their quarters.
"Hey." she said as she moved over on the couch.
"She's still asleep?"
"Caught the flu. Probably that thing Harper had last month."
"Charming."
"Yup, 'specially since you're on nausea duty." she said with a smile.
"Why me?"
"I put up with it for 6 weeks. You owe me that much." she said simply. He sighed.
"Is there anything I can do to even us out right now?" he asked.
"Well . . ." she said as she turned with her back towards him. He smiled and put his hands to work, mostly on that one spot on her lower back. "You know, this is almost, ALMOST enough to make me want to do this again." she knew that had put a smile on his face.
"Well then," he said as he started to do it a little harder. "What about this?"
"Yeah, I'm still at the almost. I'd like to see the product before I agree to manufacture a second one."
"Always the business women hun?"
"Better believe it bub."
"Hello?" he called out.
"Be quiet if you want to see tomorrow." was his reply. He smiled and walked into Beka?s quarters to find her watching a news flexie and Cassie, sound asleep, curled up on Beka with a possesive hand on what had become, "her baby", shortly after Beka had reached her 6th month.
"It's early," he said.
"Ah, piloting slip stream really wears you out."
"Ahhhh . . .and where did the two captain Valentines go?"
"Umm . . . Starlight, Winnipeg and El Dee." she said.
"You guys were busy. Did you buy me anything?" he asked as he sat down.
"Nope. We converted heathens to the Way and we saved starving and dying people with the little money we had that never seemed to run out."
"Well, at least you were using it for good."
"Then we went and avenged Tyr's pride, liberated Earth, defeated the Magog and declared a never ending happy hour."
"Happy hour was whose idea?"
"Mine. I want there to be a guaranteed happy hour when I'm wearing the vacancy sign again." she said with a yawn.
"Are we staying here tonight?" he asked as he removed Cassidie from her.
"Nah, the bed just isn't comfy any more. Let's go before I fall asleep here." she said as he helped her up.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"And just where is this little get together going to be held?" Beka asked Dylan a few weeks later.
"Here, on the Andromeda, by invitation only. Tyr and Rommie will deal with security." he said as he searched for a missing sock under the toys that had accumulated in his quarters. "Ummm, about the mess . . ."
"I know, we'll clean it after she get's up from her nap, same as always. Here." she said as she reached behind her and pulled out his sock.
"How did you . . ." he asked as he took it and put it on.
"Just a little something that seems to have appeared, about the same time Junior did."
"Interesting."
"I'll say. I've found things ont he Maru that I thought I'd lost forever!" He just laughed. "Am I seriously barred from slipstream piloting?" she asked him.
"Rommie." he called.
"Beka, you're just about 26 weeks pregnant. Slipstream piloting at this point in time could push you into early labour. If we were in the old Commonwealth, finding a medical station capable of treating and stopping early labour would be easy to find. Out here, we might not find one. No slip piloting. The only time I will budge on this is if everyone, including my main AI are incapacitated and I highly doubt that will happen anytime soon." she tacked on the end. Beka just made a face and sunk a little farther into the couch.
"I know, I know, I suck." he said as he came back into he room.
"And?"
"I'm never touching you again, excetra, excetra." he said as moved around the room. "Bye, have fun." he said as he kissed her good bye and left for command. Beka just groaned at him and thought of a few things she'd like to say to him. Her mind slowly drifted back to the "party" as he had called it. Translation: We're having a diplomatic reception for a new Commonwealth inductee. She shuddered at the thought of what happened at the last one, They had lost Cassidie and her and her crew had almost left for good.
"Maybe I'll just tie her to me this time." she thought out loud. Then again, they were going to be on their own turf this time. And it would be a smaller group of people. . . maybe it wouldn?t be so bad. Beka sighed and got up to check on Cassie. She had been a little off all morning, clingy, like she was when Beka got back from supply runs, and whiney and just generally not the happy go lucky kid she usually was. She brushed some hair out of the way and noticed she was warm. "Rommie, is she okay?"
"Her temperature is slightly elevated, as is her white blood cell count. Her symptoms are characteristic to some one who is fighting off a viral infection in the early stages."
"She's sick in other words."
"It's just a mild flu. I'll send Harper to the med bay. You two should join him." Beka sighed as she hoisted Cassie out of bed.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked as they went to med bay.
"I was monitoring her. I was going to alert you if she got worse.: Rommie answered.
"Thanks. I think." The rest of the walk was silent as they made their way to the med bay. "Hey Harper, Trance." she said as she entered.
"So, it's her fault I'm here." he said.
"Yeah, you now have a friend to swamp germs with. Lucky us." she said as Cassie was laid on a bed.
"You're fine now Harper. If you feel anything . . ."
"I know, I know, come see you. Thanks my Purple Princess." he said as he hopped off the bed and left the room.
"And as for you," she said as she came over to Beka and Cassie and scanned Cassie, "You definitly have the flu. Has her disposition changed?"
"She's been acting like she does after I get back from being away, whining about everything, just not really Cassie."
"She'll be like that for a few more days." Trance gave her a shot. "That will help with the fever and hopefully keep the nausea away."
"Ew." Beka said as she made a face. "Dylan can deal with that. He has six weeks to catch up on until I start helping him again." Both women laughed. "Ok, so I guess it's home to bed again." she said as she turned to pick her up. "Hi kiddo." she said softly as she walked over to her.
"Why are we here?" she asked quietly.
"You're sick, we had to check on you."
"Oh, I'm okay." she said.
"Well, that's because you got a shot to make you feel better. It's back to bed with lots to drink for you. I don't want to have to worry about you and the baby and Harper. You and the baby are enough," she said as she picked her up.
"No, I'm really okay, I'm not sick." she said as she started to get aggitated.
"And why aren't you sick?" she asked as they started on their way back to their quarters.
"I'm just not." she said as she tried to stay awake.
"Oh. Ok." she said. The rest of the journey was spent in silence and when they did get back to their quarters, Cass was promptly put in a pair of real pj's and was put in the "big bed" as she called it. Beka found what was left of the juice in their quarters and got a couple of glasses and slid in beside Cass. "We'll just hang out here today." she said.
"Okay." Cassie said with a nod and a yawn. 3 glasses of juice later, Cass was asleep and Beka was watching a flexie in the other room.
"Hey." Dylan said as he slid into their quarters.
"Hey." she said as she moved over on the couch.
"She's still asleep?"
"Caught the flu. Probably that thing Harper had last month."
"Charming."
"Yup, 'specially since you're on nausea duty." she said with a smile.
"Why me?"
"I put up with it for 6 weeks. You owe me that much." she said simply. He sighed.
"Is there anything I can do to even us out right now?" he asked.
"Well . . ." she said as she turned with her back towards him. He smiled and put his hands to work, mostly on that one spot on her lower back. "You know, this is almost, ALMOST enough to make me want to do this again." she knew that had put a smile on his face.
"Well then," he said as he started to do it a little harder. "What about this?"
"Yeah, I'm still at the almost. I'd like to see the product before I agree to manufacture a second one."
"Always the business women hun?"
"Better believe it bub."