~ Harry ~
"You're joking."
"No joke. I was there. I saw it. Trust me. I am definitely not joking." Tom rocked Miral in his arms, while recounting the day's events with Harry in sickbay.
"So…she's really…" Tom laughed.
"Yes Harry. She's really pregnant. You sound surprised." Harry just gaped at Tom.
"Well…yeah! I am! I mean, she's the Captain – "
"Harry, she's only human."
That shut Harry up for a while. The ensign sat on a box in sickbay, watching Tom stroll back in forth, shushing Miral so she wouldn't wake an exhausted B'Elanna. She had stayed awake long enough for Harry to come in at his 1900 break, say hi, and drop asleep. Since then, Tom had been flexing his fathering talent and telling Harry all the latest gossip. He still couldn't believe it.
"So…how old is her baby?" Harry asked. Tom pondered it for a second.
"Oh, about two weeks is what the Doc said."
"Hmm…may I hold Miral?"
"Sure."
Tom carefully laid Miral into Harry's arms. The last baby he had held was his cousin Jennifer's first child. He had forgotten how fake they almost felt. The weren't all that heavy, with such delicate features that you could easily forget it was alive.
Except for all of the noise that they made, which Miral had decided to start demonstrating.
"Uh, what did I do wrong?" The confused ensign looked up to his friend on guidance for mollifying the child. Tom just laughed.
"Harry, she's not some warp core breach that you can just fix with a switch. You have to gain her trust. Or at least that's what the Doctor told me, and its worked well so far," Tom yelled over the baby's racket. "Hurry up though, so we don't wake B'Elanna!"
With Tom's little help, he started to bounce the baby up and down carefully. After a few moments, she seemed to calm down, and eventually fell asleep in the young man's arms. Tom looked on in amazement.
"See? That wasn't so bad." He took Miral from Harry's arms and laid her down in the small wooden crib that Chakotay had built a few weeks back. He certainly hoped the commander's wood skill was as great as he bragged, or little Miral was in for a rough ride. With the child asleep, Tom took the chance to finally sit down and rest. But Harry needed to hear more about what was up.
"So…" He started. Tom just opened an eye.
"So…what?" Tom prompted.
"Well, who's the father?"
Tom sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Are we still on the Captain?"
"Yes."
"Well, gee, who do you think it is?"
"Chakotay?"
"And a weeks worth of replicator rations goes to the slow ensign!" Tom threw his hands up. "Of course it's Chakotay! Who else could it be?" Then he laid back against the wall. "Anything else you want to know about the Captain's private life?"
"No. That's enough. For now. See you later, Tom."
"Later, Harry."
Harry got up off his box, checking the chrono. He had been due back in the communications room 15 minutes ago, but that was okay. It was just him and Icheb tonight and the ex-Borg was always game to be alone. Sighing, Harry went out into the cool night, taking a mini flashlight with him so he didn't loose his way. Apparently, the moons on Haven were dark every two weeks, and tonight was the night. And when it was dark, it was pitch black. Stumbling around, Harry finally made into the small hut that had been assigned for communications. The Captain was insistent on trying to get some sort of messaging system up so the community could try and make some friends. Sure, they were out of Plak'han space, but they were out of Federation space. Fair game.
"Hello, Icheb. How's it going?" Harry shut the door behind him, drowning out the increasing noise of the wind.
"Well, Ensign. I have assembled the remaining components of the array. We could have the entire system functional by tonight." Icheb stood by the array, awaiting Harry's next order. Inwardly, Harry chuckled. Icheb had to be the only person Harry was given any measure of control over, but he certainly was never disappointed. The young man did exceptional work exceptionally quick.
"Unless you need to go to bed, we can go ahead an put it up tonight."
"No, sir. I believe that the others will be able to continue without my presence."
Harry smiled at Icheb. "Okay, but we're in for a long night."
"I am aware of that." Harry lifted up a piece of machinery and grinned.
"Let's go."