1.1.1.1 Chapter 14
After a few hours, Beka and Harper return to command. Beka told Harper not to say anything and he promised he wouldn't. There were many things that he couldn't keep a promise on, but this is one of the few things that he can keep. They cleaned up the mess, and walked into the command area as if nothing happened; though Andromeda knew something was happening. She didn't know specifically, but she knew it had something to do with Beka.
"Beka, you're finally back," Dylan says. "Feeling better?"
Beka hesitates at the question for a second, then answers, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."
"Good," he replies.
Tyr eyes Beka suspiciously. He knows that tone in her voice, and wasn't about to let his well being go into jeopardy just because she couldn't focus on her task.
"No she's not," Tyr says.
"What?" Dylan asks surprised.
"She lied to you. I recognize the nervous tones in her voice. She's not alright."
Dylan turns to Rommie, "Rommie?"
"She has had an elevation in heart-rate since she's gotten here, and her shifting movements would suggest that she is not telling the truth," Rommie replies.
"You should probably take her back to medical, just to get another check-up. Make sure she's fine. Then she can come back after Trance says it's okay."
"I don't need to go get a 'check-up'," Beka protests. "I'm fine, I just…"
Beka pauses a moment.
Dylan walks over to Beka, "What? You just, what?"
"Nothing," she answers.
Harper is about to say something, but is cut short by a piercing look from Beka.
"Well, if you're not going to tell me, then you're going back to medical. I'm not going to risk the lives of the other members of my crew just because one of them couldn't do their job because they didn't feel well."
"Fine, I'll go to bed and catch up on some sleep or something, but I'm not going back to medical."
"Why don't you want to go to medical?"
Beka thinks for a moment on that question, then answers, "Because it's depressing. Every time I go there I think of someone sick or someone dying. It's not the happiest place I want to be in."
Dylan considers her answer and decides to allow her to just rest instead. Besides, he wasn't going to get into a fight about this. He had enough on his mind as it was. Beka walks out of command as soon as he said it was okay. Everyone knew something happened, but Harper was the only one who knew for certain what had happened. They all look at Harper when she leaves and the door closes behind her. He can feel all their eyes on him. It's an eerie feeling, really. Harper just looks up and around at them.
"What?" he finally asks.
Dylan is the first to reply, "What happened to Beka?"
"I-I don't know. Why should I know? I don't know."
"Harper…" Dylan warns—he knows he's lying. Anyone could tell he was lying.
"I promised not to tell, and I won't tell. Why don't you just ask Beka if you want to know so bad?"
"We just did. She said she was 'fine', remember?"
"Oh, right."
Rommie intervenes and says, "Harper, we need to know what's going on."
"Look, she's my friend, okay. She's been my friend for over five years now, and she's the only one I know that can put up with me on a regular basis. And if she says 'Harper, promise', then Harper's going to promise, and when he doesn't keep his promises he gets a major lecture… The point is, I'm not going to go against my best friend's trust on something like this," Harper says. "If she wants it to be known, then she'll tell you herself. So, if you don't mind, I'm going to go now because I don't want to be interrogated anymore by you people."
Harper begins to walk out, when Tyr becomes impatient with him.
"We know she's pregnant," he says calmly, but audible.
Harper stops dead in his tracks, while Dylan shoots a look to him.
"Tyr," Dylan begins, but Tyr cuts him off from saying anymore.
"This was getting ridiculous," he says.
Harper slowly turns around and faces the crew.
"How did you…how did you know?" he asks.
"A few weeks ago, I was doing routine check-ups on all the decks," Rommie began, "And I began over-hearing your conversation with Beka about something. I recorded it and gave it to Dylan to look at. Tyr over-heard, and Trance found out when she was getting her back to health just a few days ago."
Harper just gawks at the new information.
"Why didn't you say anything?" he finally asks.
"Because we didn't want you two to run away," Dylan says.
"Run away? Why would we run away?"
"If you got scared or something. I didn't want to take any chances. I figured one of you could come forward and say something before…" he trails off.
"Oh, so then I guess you know who the father is then."
"Yes, we do."
"You know, she's been through a lot in the past few years. I just wanted to give her something that would make her happy, but it ended just totally screwed up," Harper says—referring to the trip to Christopher's place.
Dylan and the rest look at each other, still thinking he is (was) the father.
"What happened?"
"Well, first, Chris died, and then she found out she was—"
"Wait, wait. Who's Chris?"
"The father," Harper says slowly. "I thought you said you knew."
"We thought you…never mind," Dylan says.
Harper smiles in realization.
"You thought I was the father?" Harper can hardly contain himself to keep from laughing. "Well, that explains a lot."
"What do you mean?"
"Tyr was always telling me to go look after her and stuff."
Dylan looks at Tyr, whom is looking off to the side in embarrassment. He is Nietzchean after all, the superior ones. The room was silent for a while, then Harper looks at Rommie.
"So, you were spying on us?" Harper says.
"I wasn't 'spying', I was doing routine check-ups on all the rooms on the ship," Rommie replies.
Harper smiles a little, "Sure you were…" Then he turns to leave.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she yells out to Harper, who has already gone through the door.
The three people just take in the information they have just heard. Tyr walks out of command suddenly. Dylan lets him go, trying to avoid any more talk.
After a few hours, Beka and Harper return to command. Beka told Harper not to say anything and he promised he wouldn't. There were many things that he couldn't keep a promise on, but this is one of the few things that he can keep. They cleaned up the mess, and walked into the command area as if nothing happened; though Andromeda knew something was happening. She didn't know specifically, but she knew it had something to do with Beka.
"Beka, you're finally back," Dylan says. "Feeling better?"
Beka hesitates at the question for a second, then answers, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."
"Good," he replies.
Tyr eyes Beka suspiciously. He knows that tone in her voice, and wasn't about to let his well being go into jeopardy just because she couldn't focus on her task.
"No she's not," Tyr says.
"What?" Dylan asks surprised.
"She lied to you. I recognize the nervous tones in her voice. She's not alright."
Dylan turns to Rommie, "Rommie?"
"She has had an elevation in heart-rate since she's gotten here, and her shifting movements would suggest that she is not telling the truth," Rommie replies.
"You should probably take her back to medical, just to get another check-up. Make sure she's fine. Then she can come back after Trance says it's okay."
"I don't need to go get a 'check-up'," Beka protests. "I'm fine, I just…"
Beka pauses a moment.
Dylan walks over to Beka, "What? You just, what?"
"Nothing," she answers.
Harper is about to say something, but is cut short by a piercing look from Beka.
"Well, if you're not going to tell me, then you're going back to medical. I'm not going to risk the lives of the other members of my crew just because one of them couldn't do their job because they didn't feel well."
"Fine, I'll go to bed and catch up on some sleep or something, but I'm not going back to medical."
"Why don't you want to go to medical?"
Beka thinks for a moment on that question, then answers, "Because it's depressing. Every time I go there I think of someone sick or someone dying. It's not the happiest place I want to be in."
Dylan considers her answer and decides to allow her to just rest instead. Besides, he wasn't going to get into a fight about this. He had enough on his mind as it was. Beka walks out of command as soon as he said it was okay. Everyone knew something happened, but Harper was the only one who knew for certain what had happened. They all look at Harper when she leaves and the door closes behind her. He can feel all their eyes on him. It's an eerie feeling, really. Harper just looks up and around at them.
"What?" he finally asks.
Dylan is the first to reply, "What happened to Beka?"
"I-I don't know. Why should I know? I don't know."
"Harper…" Dylan warns—he knows he's lying. Anyone could tell he was lying.
"I promised not to tell, and I won't tell. Why don't you just ask Beka if you want to know so bad?"
"We just did. She said she was 'fine', remember?"
"Oh, right."
Rommie intervenes and says, "Harper, we need to know what's going on."
"Look, she's my friend, okay. She's been my friend for over five years now, and she's the only one I know that can put up with me on a regular basis. And if she says 'Harper, promise', then Harper's going to promise, and when he doesn't keep his promises he gets a major lecture… The point is, I'm not going to go against my best friend's trust on something like this," Harper says. "If she wants it to be known, then she'll tell you herself. So, if you don't mind, I'm going to go now because I don't want to be interrogated anymore by you people."
Harper begins to walk out, when Tyr becomes impatient with him.
"We know she's pregnant," he says calmly, but audible.
Harper stops dead in his tracks, while Dylan shoots a look to him.
"Tyr," Dylan begins, but Tyr cuts him off from saying anymore.
"This was getting ridiculous," he says.
Harper slowly turns around and faces the crew.
"How did you…how did you know?" he asks.
"A few weeks ago, I was doing routine check-ups on all the decks," Rommie began, "And I began over-hearing your conversation with Beka about something. I recorded it and gave it to Dylan to look at. Tyr over-heard, and Trance found out when she was getting her back to health just a few days ago."
Harper just gawks at the new information.
"Why didn't you say anything?" he finally asks.
"Because we didn't want you two to run away," Dylan says.
"Run away? Why would we run away?"
"If you got scared or something. I didn't want to take any chances. I figured one of you could come forward and say something before…" he trails off.
"Oh, so then I guess you know who the father is then."
"Yes, we do."
"You know, she's been through a lot in the past few years. I just wanted to give her something that would make her happy, but it ended just totally screwed up," Harper says—referring to the trip to Christopher's place.
Dylan and the rest look at each other, still thinking he is (was) the father.
"What happened?"
"Well, first, Chris died, and then she found out she was—"
"Wait, wait. Who's Chris?"
"The father," Harper says slowly. "I thought you said you knew."
"We thought you…never mind," Dylan says.
Harper smiles in realization.
"You thought I was the father?" Harper can hardly contain himself to keep from laughing. "Well, that explains a lot."
"What do you mean?"
"Tyr was always telling me to go look after her and stuff."
Dylan looks at Tyr, whom is looking off to the side in embarrassment. He is Nietzchean after all, the superior ones. The room was silent for a while, then Harper looks at Rommie.
"So, you were spying on us?" Harper says.
"I wasn't 'spying', I was doing routine check-ups on all the rooms on the ship," Rommie replies.
Harper smiles a little, "Sure you were…" Then he turns to leave.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she yells out to Harper, who has already gone through the door.
The three people just take in the information they have just heard. Tyr walks out of command suddenly. Dylan lets him go, trying to avoid any more talk.