Five Months Later
"Daylight comes, daylight comes and you've gotta go. Breaks my heart, breaks my heart to have to watch you go. Wish I knew, wish I knew when you'd be back again. However long, it's just too long until we meet again." - Jem, "Stay Now"
Evie set down her crochet hook and yarn. She was bored out of her mind. She'd been confined to bedrest for a week now, and had nearly finished the baby blanket on which she'd started. Evie felt like harassing someone. But who? Slowly a sly grin spread across her face. She retrieved her headset from her bedside table. "Dr. McKay?"
"Yes?" came Rodney's voice over the radio.
"This is Lieutenant Brooks. Is there any chance that you might be able to bring me some breakfast, since Dr. Beckett won't let me out of bed?"
"Right now?" Rodney snapped. "I'm in the middle of something important." "Well, I suppose it could wait," Evie sighed dramatically. "But your son is extremely hungry."
Rodney sighed. "Fine. What do you want?"
"Just a muffin or two," Evie answered with a grin; this was going to be fun.
"I'll be there in ten minutes."
"Thank you, dear."
True to his word, Rodney knocked on Evie's door ten minutes later. "Room service," he called jokingly.
Evie laughed. "Come in."
"Two muffins, just like you ordered," he said, handing her a plate holding the blueberry-dotted muffins.
"Thank you so much, Rodney," she said, grabbing the first muffin and devouring it hungrily.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" he asked, adding a quick, "Since I'm here."
Evie struck a thoughtful pose for a moment. "Actually, there is something…" she said. "Can you go grab the small blue bag from the bathroom for me?"
Rodney nodded and disappeared into the bathroom. He returned a moment later and handed her the requested make-up bag.
"Thank you," she said, unzipping the bag and digging around inside it. "Aha!" she cried when she found the item for which she had been searching. She withdrew a small bottle of pink nail polish. "Here ya go," she said, handing him the vial.
Rodney looked at it, perplexed. "You don't honestly expect me to give you a manicure?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"No, silly," Evie said with a grin. "I want you to paint my toenails!"
"I--what!" Rodney looked shocked, worried, and insulted all at once. "No, I draw the line at pedicures!" he cried, holding the nail polish as far away from him as possible.
"Please, Rodney?" she said, giving him puppy-dog eyes and sticking out her bottom lip. "For me? I'd do it myself, but I just can't reach," she explained with a shrug.
After enduring her pitiful gaze for a few moments, Rodney sighed and began shaking the bottle of nail polish. He perched himself on the edge of her bed and unscrewed the lid, mumbling as he did so. "Of all the degrading, ridiculous, unreasonable, humiliating…"
XXXXXX
"Oh! Rodney," Elizabeth addressed the scientist as the team was getting ready to depart on a routine check-up mission.
"Hmm?" he asked distractedly, preparing to power down his laptop.
"Don't you think you should tell Evie that you're leaving?" she suggested. "She is due this week, isn't she?"
"On Saturday," Rodney answered. "Umm, I have to finish this before we leave," he fibbed, pretending to work on his laptop. "Colonel, would you run and tell her?"
"Sure," Sheppard answered, his eyes relating to Rodney his gratefulness. He left the Gateroom and made his way to Evie's quarters. He knocked on her door and called, "Are you decent, Lieutenant?" as a precaution, for one of the SF's was walking down the hall.
"I'm about to lose my mind in here, but I'm dressed, yes," Evie answered.
Sheppard smiled and opened the door. "Officially, I'm here to tell you that Rodney is going off-world," he announced as he walked over to where she stood in front of her mirror, attempting to pull her hair into a ponytail.
"And unofficially?" she teased.
He grinned. "Unofficially, I'm here for my kiss goodbye."
Evie laughed. "Just a minute," she said as she finished with her hair. "Hey, do you think you could sneak me a bowl of ice cream before you leave?"
"I don't think you need any ice cream, sweetheart," he answered sweetly. During the course of her pregnancy Evie had put on about twenty pounds.
"Are you calling me fat?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"I prefer to think of it as 'pleasantly plump,'" he joked.
"Ugh." Evie groaned as she looked in the mirror. "I look like a whale."
"But a very beautiful whale," he commented.
"Not helping!" she said as she replaced her hairbrush in the drawer.
"Sorry." He moved to stand behind her and slipped his arms around her not-so-slender waist. "Love you," he whispered in her ear, then began nibbling on her earlobe.
Evie groaned softly and pulled her head away. "Don't make me want you," she murmured.
Sheppard grinned. "You know you do," he teased.
"Maybe…" She smiled. "But that's beside the point."
"And what is the point?" he asked, gently turning her around and kissing her senseless.
When Evie's eyes fluttered open a minute later, she stammered, "I, uhh…I-I forget…"
Sheppard smirked; he loved doing that to her. "Are you sure you'll be okay with me leaving?" he asked after a pause.
Evie nodded. "Carson says I'm not due for another five days."
"Alright," he said with a sigh. "Just don't have him until I get back."
"Well, I'll do my best to plan this around your schedule, dear," she said sarcastically.
Sheppard grinned. "This is a routine mission, so we should be back either today or tomorrow, alright?"
Evie nodded. "Just make sur--" She stopped suddenly.
"What?" Sheppard asked, alarmed.
"He's moving around," she said with a smile, taking his hand and placing it on her abdomen.
Sheppard smiled. "I think he's ready to meet the world," he commented as he felt his child shift inside Evie.
"I know I'm ready for him to get here," she said with a sigh.
"But you have to wait until Daddy's here, got it?" he addressed the baby, rubbing her stomach.
"We'll try our best," Evie promised.
Sheppard smiled, then noticed her feet for the first time. "Why are your toenails pink?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Evie giggled. "Because I was being mean to Rodney."
"I didn't know you were the pedicure type," he commented.
"I'm not," she answered with a grin. After a few seconds, Sheppard's eyes lit up in realization. Evie nodded with a laugh.
"Well," he said, "I guess I'll see you when I get back."
Evie nodded and kissed him goodbye. "Be safe," she called as he left.
XXXXXX
As the team made their way through the dense jungle, trekking to the somewhat familiar city, the small talk inevitably turned to "Rodney's baby."
"You excited, McKay?" Ronon asked.
"Little bit, yeah," Rodney answered, then added, "More nervous than anything, though." Sheppard shook his head. He knew he was excited.
"I think having a new little one in the city will brighten our lives," Teyla said with a smile.
"It'll be different, that's for sure," Rodney said, somewhat sarcastically.
"Will the child call you 'father'?" Teyla inquired.
Rodney shook his head. "Since we're not really together, Evie would prefer if he called me 'Uncle Rodney,'" he explained. Teyla nodded approvingly.
Sheppard rolled his eyes as he continued walking. Lately, Rodney's role as "father" had really been grating on his nerves…
"Aww, Rodney, this is too cute!" Evie exclaimed as she unwrapped the bib that he had "special-ordered" via the Daedalus. It was light blue and had brightly colored atomic models on it. Sheppard rolled his eyes from his position in the mess hall a table away. "Thank you," Evie said with a smile. "You can never have too many of these."
"So I've heard," Rodney said. "So…am I going to have to help feed it?" he asked after a pause.
"'It'?" Evie repeated, raising her eyebrows. "Yes, Rodney, you'll help me out by feeding him." Rodney nodded, somewhat unsure of how that future event would pan out. "Oh!" Evie cried suddenly. Sheppard about jumped out of his chair.
"What?" Rodney asked, looking at her nervously.
Evie reached for his hand and placed it on her stomach. "He's got the hiccups," she announced, grinning. "You feel that?"
Rodney gently rubbed his hand over her abdomen, feeling the light, rhythmic jolts from within. He couldn't help but smile. "So, do you think he'll look like me?" he joked after a minute.
Evie laughed. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Although, I wouldn't mind him having your eyes," she teased. "Ugh," she said after a slight pause. "I have to pee again," she said with a frown.
"Again?" Rodney asked, raising his eyebrows. "You just went like twenty minutes ago!"
"Well, Aiden has decided to sit right on my bladder," Evie explained. "And Carson's constant shoving water down my throat doesn't help matters any." Rodney nodded. "If you'll excuse me," she said, standing up.
"I'll be here," Rodney called, chuckling to himself as he watched her leave…
But…he did owe Rodney a lot, Sheppard supposed. Rodney had nearly lost Mary on account of the charade. And he had been schlepping for Evie a lot lately. Heck, he'd even sat with her through a Lamaze class by Carson. That had been amusing to hear about. The poor scientist. When first told that he was expected to be by her side in the delivery room, he had flat-out refused. A little coaxing from Evie and the promise of chocolate had finally convinced him to change his mind, however. Sheppard just hoped that he could be there as well.
"You're sure Carson isn't going to, like…beat us with sticks or something for sneaking you out of your room?" Michael asked as he and Summer walked with Evie down to the mess hall.
"What Carson doesn't know won't hurt him," Evie said with a smile. "I'm hungry, anyway."
"We could have brought you food," Summer reminded.
Evie shook her head as they entered the kitchen. "I had to get out of my room. Hey, Mya," she said, greeting the sweet Japanese woman. "I'm here to steal some ice cream."
Mya smiled and began walking towards the large freezer. "With pickles, yes?"
"Yes, ma'am," Evie answered with a grin. Mya quickly prepared a bowl and handed it to Evie. "Thank you," Evie said, devouring a large spoonful. "Ooh…brain freeze."
Summer rolled her eyes in disgust. "C'mon, let's go sit down."
Walking to a table, Michael began, "You know, Evie, if you didn-- Ow, ow, ow." Evie had grabbed ahold of his arm and was digging her nails into him. "Evie, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.
"Infirmary," she said. "Now."