Son of the Force
A hush fell over the four. Michael had joined them. John stood speechless. When he finally regained his senses he spat out, " It can't be ..."
" Can't it?" Stephen asked, directing the Captain's attention to the room where ever one in Med lab's were. The Commander, upon hearing the news had rushed into the room. The child had seen her and squealed, " Mama!" and jumped off the bed and into her arms. She had laughed and held him, murmuring softly to him in Russian as her responded in sobs. The Commander's eyes filled with tears that slipped involuntarily from them. She wiped them laughing.
" Mama, Mama, I know I wasn't supposed to come, I just wanted to see you, I am sorry..."
" Shhh, it is all right, Thanks be to God you are safe," the child's mother interrupted. She held him and they hugged some more.
Sheridan stared at the reunion. " No, ..." he muttered, his face clearly saying it very well could have happened. " Damn her, who the hell does she think she is keeping this secret? I have a right to know."
" So it is possible." Michael muttered under his breath, " Ivanova and Sheridan, there is one I would have never thought." He hushed under the Captain's glare.
The Commander and Andre came out of the room, son clutching his mother, " Who the hell do I think I am?" She asked incredulously " Who the hell do you think you are, demanding a one night stand and leaving me to deal with the consequences?" She screamed in reply to his yelling.
Med lab began to clear around them. Michael and Stephen too backed away a little as they tried to mediate. Andre clung to Susan's leg even harder, crying now.
" You never told me, I had the right to know." he bellowed.
" You have no rights, your forfeited any rights you had the way you acted that night. He is my son and I will raise him." With that she left, taking her son with her. The staff parted for her and quietly returned to work afterwards.
John sighed, his face red with anger and shock. Michael fetched a chair and Stephen a glass of water. Seeing the captain settled, Michael left to tend to Andre's paper work and the charges, intending to have them discretely dropped. Stephen shared the silence with John for several minutes. After these minutes, John began to speak of his own accord.
" It was a month after Anna died. I was the captain there. I had locked myself up in my quarters. The XO ran the station. Power hungry one, always trying to butter me over, never there when I needed him. Susan was though. She was a Lieutenant then. She would come by every evening after her shifts, generally bringing something for me to eat then and then something to last me the next day. She would tidy up a bit and even do a bit of laundry, knowing I wasn't up to it. Normally, I just sat there ignoring her. That day I wanted to connect. I was angry, suicidal even, I wasn't even sure what I wanted. When she arrived I spoke carelessly of taking my own life, threateningly even. She tried to calm me, tried to contact the doctor but I wouldn't let her. I told her, and I don't know what drove me to do this., I told her..."
He paused, looking ashamed. Stephen motioned for him to continue. " I told her to sleep with me or else I would kill myself. She tried to contact someone, but I wouldn't let her. I was wild, I guess she believed me, I was serious. Afterwards, I fell asleep. When I woke, everything was tidy, anything I could use to kill myself with was gone and so was she."
" I don't know how she hid it, because she was there a year longer. Anyway we never spoke of it, when I was better we resumed our friendship. She never told me about the boy. I should have known. Damn it I had the right to know!"